She was only just nineteen. Her father was on her tail, having figured out only recently what she was up to while left to her own devices. Riza watched her daughter from across the living room.

"There can be no more flame alchemists."

She should have guessed the next to pursue its secrets would be her own daughter. Zira was absolutely of the same blood as her father and grandfather. The thought made Riza shudder, not out of fear so much as concern for her daughter's future. When Roy had found out, though Riza had held her suspicions, he'd refused to address it—immediately at least. She knew he spent most of that night awake because she had, too. Only when he had finally fallen into fitful slumber had she crept out of bed and into the bathroom.

Riza knew just as well as Roy what sins they'd never atone for. Maybe when they'd found out about their unexpected pregnancy they had thought they'd been forgiven by the universe. Now, she had to wonder if this was their punishment for even entertaining the idea.

She hadn't realized the tears had fallen, not initially, but when she noticed she had splashed herself with cool water and patted her face dry.

Her husband was waiting outside with tired, red eyes.

"I'm sorry." His voice had cracked and shattered her own heart.

"If you're at fault, then so am I." She had smiled even though it hurt. It hurt to think their daughter had gone behind their backs because, at this point, she would have fathered Zira asked her father to teach her over her pursuing something so potentially dangerous on her own. She had already proven she either didn't want or didn't trust her father's help which likely meant she wouldn't take his imposed guidance well if Roy tried now. They were narrowed down to three options, they already knew that.

While she was growing up and Riza and Roy had needed to travel while on business to places that maybe weren't the safest for children, they had selfishly placed her in the care of the people they trusted most—one of those people was Edward Elric. They could have her study under him, but she was old to be an apprentice and she was unlikely to want to learn from someone who couldn't do much by way of alchemy himself anymore. She could go to Xing, but they'd both immediately scrapped the idea because the child of a foreign leader alone in a country wasn't a good idea—even under the watchful eyes of Alphonse and Mei. Armstrong was out before they'd even thought of him, so he wasn't even a serious consideration though he'd never know that.

Riza had hesitated at her husband's suggestion, but now watching Zira across from her writing on a piece of paper she started to reconsider. The downside to having her learn under someone so young was that he was just that, young. Cecil Elric was only barely five years older than her. He was a little less of a hothead than his father was, even during his teens, and a little more rule-abiding than Ed and Roy both. He was careful and calculating and Zira took him seriously, though Riza had her own suspicions regarding that.

"What are you writing?" She asked finally, tired of the silence.

"Cecil is in Youswell."

"You can call him?" Riza suggested and her daughter look mortified. She smiled and chuckled in response. "Bad idea?"

"I'm not speaking to him."

"So you aren't going to send the letter, then." Riza nodded. "Good idea. Why aren't you guys talking?" This was the first she'd heard of it.

"He punched my boyfriend." Riza choked on her tea in surprise and Zira only nodded before turning back to her paper. "Well, ex-boyfriend. C followed us out and heard us fighting. I guess he decided he needed to step in to save me or some shit." The teen rolled her eyes and sighed. "Stupid."

"I didn't know you guys had broken up." Riza commented, though she was happy to hear the relationship had fallen apart. He'd been…dumb to say the least.

"He was such a jerk. He thought it was my job to just sit there at let him, I don't even know. Go off on me for no reason and I was really tired of the fighting and making up." Zira twirled her pen. "Yeah…C heard us fighting. I can take care of myself, worst case it's not like I don't carry—"

"Where was your tail?"

"Well, I didn't have one." She admitted sheepishly and her mother raised an eyebrow. "Even if I did, I could still have handled myself. Dad won't let me out of his sight without something on me and I know alchemy—"

"That is not something you use as a weapon." Riza snapped suddenly, standing upright. Zira startled, eyes wide. "If you have to, it's self defense only. You use that to help people, that's a gift. That isn't—"

"Mom, it's not like I was suggesting I make a sword and run him through!" Zira protested. "I have to have a circle anyways. It's just a worst-case."

The room was quiet for a moment except for the crackling of the fire in the fireplace. Riza slowly sat back down, heart beating frantically though it was.

"C punched him before I even got a word in." She mumbled, eyeing her mother nervously now. "And I was just angry he stepped in like I needed his help."

Another moment of silence.

"Mom…" She turned her chair. "Cecil said…I'm sorry."

It was Riza's turn to be surprised.

"I'm sorry. I knew it upset you and it was childish and I should have talked to you and dad about it instead of going off on my own. I'm sorry I sneak out without my security detail and I don't know. I'm sorry." She looked down at the ground. "I know why you and dad are so worried about it all. I know why you don't want me in the military or even in politics. I know why you didn't want me looking into alchemy let alone flame alchemy and I know you both tried to keep what dad knew a secret. I guess I heard it mentioned somewhere when I was growing up and I researched it and I found out you were both lying to me."

There was plenty on Roy, Riza knew, it wouldn't have been difficult to find.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I asked Cecil to help me learn everything I could when I was younger. Dad keeps his books hidden away and you send people with me if ever one of you didn't accompany me to the library. Cecil had full-access and I made him help me and it was never his fault. I know dad thinks this was his fault, but I swear it wasn't. He always told me to tell you and talk to you and I didn't. It's my fault you and dad are upset and I'm sorry."

Riza patted the spot next to her on the couch and waited for the dark-haired girl to approach her and sit down. She wasn't sure, but she suspected her daughter was crying—her hair was in the way.

"Zira, we should have been more honest with you." She sighed. "I accept your apology, and I'm sure your father will, too. That doesn't mean I'm not still sorry. You didn't ask to be brought up at the head of a country that was still fighting to keep on its feet. We should have been more forthcoming and we shouldn't have stopped you entirely from pursuing interests. It was…maybe a little hypocritical of us."

Zira nodded, but kept her face hidden. She was definitely crying then, even though her shoulders didn't move.

"What did Cecil say that you two aren't talking?"

Zira cracked a small smile to herself through tears, her mother always got to the point.

"He said I was selfish and childish and that I only cared about myself and what I wanted…and then I punched him." Riza laughed out loud and Zira wiped her eyes to smile back. "But…he's kind of right. I've been really shitty."

"Only kind of right?" Riza raised an eyebrow and her daughter gave her an eyeroll.

"I do care about other people." Zira mumbled.

"I know." Riza took her cup off the table in front of them. "And, I think he probably knows, too."

"God, am I that obvious, mom?" Zira whined, following her mother as she made her way out the door and back down to the kitchen.

A/N - so we're about to get into the nitty gritty

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