Hello everyone! This is pinkeminamae with another story for you. I've been wanting to write a Royai for some time now, but I was having trouble deleoping a good plot line for the two. I am very cannon, and therefore I have scrapped my ideals of "true love" and have come up with what I believe is a very compelling story of Roy and Riza's relationship. There is so much I want to say, but I don't want to give any spoilers as I am very excited to be writing this. I am making this rated M just so I can have the freedom to write as a see fit (the show itself is made for adults, so I believe fictions about the story should be trained to that audience, but this is up to individual interpretation.) but I can say that this isn't your normal Royai. Just keep reading and waiting. I hope to finish this soon, simple because I already know the beginning and the ending and want to get this out there.

O, btw, I don't own FullMetal Alchemist (though I wouldn't mind "owning" Edward Elric. I mean damn! That automail arm gets me every freaking time he takes off his shirt.)

The setting for this particular chapter is when Mustang is 12. This is very background orientated and spans Mustang's life from childhood to the age of 15. I hope you enjoy this as I had fun writing it. An now, here's the story.

UPDATE: I have completed the story, but I am not done yet. I have a few 'deleted scenes' I want to write about. There almost might be a revision done to the second to last chapter. While I got the point of what i wanted across, i feel that i have left too much of the story in the show and didn't express teh emotional stress like i could have. So, check back for updates. I'll remove the complete status until i am truely satified with the ending.

"Ug. If they keep working us like this I'm gonna faint during sparring!"

Maes Hughes was doing his usual complaining. Roy Mustang just shook his head at his roommate, wondering why in the entire freaking country of Amerstris this goofball joined the military academy. With how annoying he is, Roy always assumed his parents shipped him off here just to be rid of his mouth. Whatever the reason though, Roy was secretly glad for the boy. They had become pretty good friends. Maes was always good for a laugh, and he was constantly telling Roy how to get the girls over at the female barracks to notice him. Seriously, at the age of twelve the last thing on Roy's mind was girls. Okay, maybe not the last thing on his mind. Well, it at least wasn't the most important.

"Do you ever just shut it? Man Maes, you would think that someone so small would eventually run out of breath."

"Well excuuuuse me if I don't have the endurance of a work horse. What is up with you anyway? Its like you LIKE running all day and night."

"Maybe I do. You gotta a problem with that?"

"I didn't say that. You just seem to be more cut out to be a soldier than I am."

"Well if you didn't just say something that made sense for once!"

"Something that made sense, huh? Speaking of sense, I was sensing the look that Emily was giving you today…"

"Enough Maes! Drop it."

Despite the entertainment Maes provided, life at the academy was pretty much routine. Get up at five AM and clean the barracks. Dress and breakfast by 7. Then schooling. The academy drilled into every student that mental ability was just as important as physical power. You can be stronger than everyone on the battlefield, but if you weren't knowledgeable enough to note your surroundings and use your knowledge to your advantage, you were sure to fall in your first battle. They studies the three basics: math, history, and economics. Reading and writing were available for those who felt their skills were better suited for office work, but Roy was never enthusiastic in those classes. He just couldn't picture himself in an office, ug, filling paperwork! Nothing sounded as bad as sitting on his butt all day reading boring documents and signing his name to endless papers. He knew well that the higher ranking you got, the more your name was worth and therefore required to be signed, but Roy didn't want that. He was determined to become an alchemist and help the people from whatever position he happened to find himself in.

As a child Roy's parents had died in an attack in their hometown, a rebel group opposing the military had blown up the university they worked at. His father was a professor at the school, and his mother worked as his secretary. Roy was at home with his nanny at the time of the attack, and seeing as he was only four at the time he didn't really understand why his mom and dad didn't come home that night. His nanny tried to explain about the attack, but Roy was just too young to understand. Soon he found himself living in his Aunt Chris's house. As he got older she explained to him that the rebel group was mad at the military for some inaction in the East and therefore tried to kill a high-ranking military officer while he was at the university. His parents were caught in the cross-fire along with many staff and students. Mustang felt a range of emotions on the subject. First, the anger for the group that took their problems out of innocent people. Second, an emptiness at not having his parents to be with him as he grew. And third, a determination to do something about it.

Roy didn't know how he could change the situation, that was until he was reading a book that belonged to his father entitled Alchemist: Be Thou for the People. The book went on to explain what alchemy was and how it had benefited Amestris immensely ever since the country's inception. Roy had heard of the science before , but now he was determined to learn it. After reading the tome, he was sure that if he could master the science of alchemy he could use the "power" to help people. People like his mom and dad who didn't stand a chance on that day. If a skilled enough alchemist had been there they could have stopped the attack and saved everyone. Roy was going to become an alchemist, and he would do whatever he could to achieve this goal.

Aunt Chris loved Roy, but she had never married and worked running her own bar. It was hardly the scene in which to raise a strapping young boy, so she sent him to the military academy in Central when he was 10. The academy boasted a five year curriculum that could shape up any rowdy boy and turn him into a useful part of society. Roy didn't need shaping up, he had always been very discipline and respectful, (well, to his superiors anyways. This common courtesy seemed to be lost on people he was close to) but nonetheless he was grateful to be able to hone his body and mind. The education provided here was sure to help him in his goal of becoming an alchemist. The more he studied, the more he saw that alchemy required a balance of physical strength, knowledge, and alchemic ability. He practiced hard everyday to build up his body, and studied intently to grow his knowledge. The only thing he lacked was the ability to perform transmutations. He read in books how to do it, but without a teacher he was finding it very difficult to do anything other than create a few statues or dolls. Even then they weren't very good and he usually threw them away. He didn't want a reminder of how he was failing at his goal.

As soon as he got here, Roy found himself graduating. The ceremony was simple, just immediate family was in attendance. Roy was extremely anxious though, for he only saw his training as half over. He knew he need an alchemy teacher, but he wasn't sure where he could find one.

"So Roy, what are you going to do now?"

"I've gotta find an alchemy teacher. I've tried my hand at it myself with the knowledge I've learned from books, but it isn't working out like I would like. I need a teacher to show me what I am doing wrong, and also to show me the more advance stuff."

"Wow, you already have a goal set? Crap. I don't know what I am off to. I was thinking of getting a girl though. It sure sucked being here and seeing these boys' faces day in and day out, only getting the sweet relief of seeing a female during class. Maybe I'll get lucky back home. There was this friend of mine named Gracia. Man, I haven't seen her in five years. I wonder what she looks like now?"

Roy let Maes drabble on. In truth he was going to miss the annoy pest. They managed to room together the entire five years (though Roy would never tell Maes, most of the boys requested to not be paired with the obnoxious boy. Roy always volunteered to be with his friend, knowing how to tune him out if necessary,) and it was going to be strange not to have Maes to tell his ambitions to. Many a night they would stay up and Roy would account to Maes how he wanted to become an alchemist to help people. He even spoke of maybe joining the military at some point so that he could be better informed on just how to help. Maes always told him that he respected his dream, and that he truly hoped he would achieve his goal. Maes was also a caring sort, though he didn't seem to have the same driving burdens Roy had.

"Well Maes. I guess I'll see you again sometime."

"Right Roy. Once you become and alchemist come and see me. And I'll be sure to have a pretty girl lined up ready for her knight in shinning armor."

With that statement Maes earned himself a knock to the back of the head. The boys shook hands, smiled, and turned to go their respective ways. They both hoped this wasn't goodbye, only so-long.