Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist nor have I really ever considered pretending I did. I do however own the created character, Camron Mustang and so on, if you end up liking him and want to use him just PM me or note me and stuff. I am also using an amazing friend's character, her name is Jacci, just know you can't use her without permission (not mine obviously =P, but her creator). Now with that out of the way, we get to the real stuffs.

(End Disclaimer)

A/N: Well folks its another place and another story for me as it seems, this is where I get things grounded in Full Metal Alchemist. And I have quite a story ahead for you all who follow my stories. This one is gonna be a heck of a drama, I think you may like it…I'll hint at it and say its involving a love triangle, this is a story about a rather favored homunculus, so no complaining when Ed, Al, and other main casters aren't as present okay? I promise I'll give them some air-time, but this is about mainly my OC and the strife that is eating at his life. Now with this done too, onto the story ^^

(End A/N)

Prologue: Dawning of an Existence

When I heard the question asked... 'Could life ache any further than it did?' I knew the answer well before I got out of my bed.- Entry March 5th 0800 Hours-

As the thought was finished in his small book of thoughts, the only keepsake from his life as a human, this was the one important thing that remained in his life outside of his duties. With the horrors of Lab 5 still fresh in his mind, what more could he could..? No longer human and no longer the State Alchemist he was before. This was his varying first thoughts as he escaped the lab, before he was found and once more given a purpose. A mysterious figure offered him a position and a placement that felt good to his lost soul. It was the first time he'd learned not to hate himself since the incident, alongside his fellow Chimeras; they had found a place where they could breathe once again.

He became a lot more that day he found life worth living again, as a State Alchemist he was proud to live his life in service. He was doing the Mustang family proud by simply following his calling in life, he was one such body fatefully assigned to watch over the Lab 5; from that day he fell from grace and into what could have been described as a hell. The day that he lost his human life and forever changed.

"Hey kid! Time to get up!" a call to him from beyond the door immediately snapped Camron from his thoughts, that time was past.

As he rose from his makeshift bed, Camron let off a breath and stretched out his arms and legs. He hoped there'd be time for him to go running, as those tendencies came to him like a need for water: those tendencies that were new in his life and in some odd way…now a blessing.

It was not long before Cam had set off into the usual chores around the bar of the morning, the place of his occupation that too held some significance to him, the bar known as the Devil's Nest. This place had become something more than a hole-in-the-wall bar that housed lowlifes and those civilians seeking to escape the troubles of every day life. This too was a structured hideaway for those dubbed 'riff-raff' and those who just didn't belong anymore; where those victims of such Chimera experiments could exist and share a sense of belonging.

"I am alive…but not without some pain…that is all that I should know." Words he still on occasion repeated to himself, he should never allow himself to grow comfortable.

Comfort…nothing but an illusion to fool the masses in his mind. He was no longer a soldier, no longer a state alchemist, no longer a human. He had little more than revenge in his heart when first escaping, until he'd met one that consumed all things and wanted only more. That man was Greed.

A strange light to befall a peculiar future, the light of greed that swallowed his despair, his hatred, his vengeance…all that filled that void as a strange sense of hope. A feeling that he could take and one that he could allow himself to feel…that was hope.

"So damn serious aren't you kid? What did I tell you about that? Relax, unless I tell you to be so tense. Don't be such a stick in the mud alright? I get tired of telling you to relax." The voice of his savior speaking out to him, it broke his thoughts and helped him focus his mind.

Once again Greed was telling him not to be so inner-focused. He knew the message but…it was only the third day since he had finally joined with the man who saved him; the one who seemed to make the rest of the world come into focus. How odd that it would take someone who would fix his appearance and his stance; less serious but with better results.

"My apologies Greed, I am still trying to learn to accept what place I now stand in, I am at your side always. I am your loyal soldier…this is my path." Camron's voice was unwavering and dead serious, as he knew nothing better for himself, total dedication was the important thing: the absolute.

However Greed's response was again a laugh and then a shake of his head. From what Roa had told him, this kid was loyal to the point of a failing, but his alchemy and survivability made him an absolute for one of Greed's possessions. This would fit in once he learned to calm down, the dedication was nice enough, but just out place.

"So damn serious…eh, I'll see what I can do with that later. For now just go give yourself some air, alright? Your seriousness is cramping my style." Greed was joking, but he noticed that the kid's demeanor didn't change too much. He was still focused and even now as he left, he was still thinking too hard.

As Cam walked towards the edge of town, Greed gave Martel a light pat on the shoulder.

"Talk to the kid will ya? He's not really loose enough for this gig, I know he's starting but you know…try to help him fit in more will ya? I'm counting on that, let's go boys!" Greed said as he turned and headed back inside, it was time to plan.

Martel obviously had words to say against his choice in her, but with Greed there was no chance to argue. Since he basically laughed off any protests and left one to do the task he gave. She had to admit that this newbie was a hell of an uptight one; even for a soldier, let alone an ex-state alchemist.

"He'd better learn to loosen up…" she uttered to herself as she went to go talk to him, now it was all in hopes that he'd listen. Someone this rigid would get them into some issue. They had to blend in, even if they weren't so normal anymore.

As she thought about how to confront him on his over-serious attitude, all of her ideas fell into shambles the moment she saw him. To see the boy running at a top speed was one thing, but another thing was the joy on his face at the running. Could such a simple thing have made him so happy? She shook her head, they still needed to talk about his doom and gloom moments since it wasn't helping anything.

"Hey new guy, stop a moment! Get over here will ya?" she called to him and awaited his coming towards her; she wasn't going to chase him. He was a horse right? He seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the beast he was merged with she noted.

He was bright but he wasn't focused in his mind and heart, she knew that having intelligence was one thing and even the experiences that one like him might have still didn't totally explain why he was so awkward. She figured it was just his way overall.

After hearing her, Camron headed in her direction and darted towards her even faster than he had been running a moment ago. At this moment…he felt the life and fluidity of his psyche as he ran free. His heart and soul were free and his pain was quieted by this dashing, he was suddenly very aware of his surroundings and well of Martel.

She watched him running towards her and grew uneasy at his picking up in pace…what was he going to do? He wasn't going to attack her…she read his demeanor and saw that he was placid still, almost peaceable in his current state. But why speed up? She watched him carefully for a moment, using her instinct to watch him closely, watching the muscles in his body working as he came to a swift and sudden halt before her. How was he so masterful with his body this soon?

"Yes Martel-senpai?" Camron had memorized the names of all of his new comrades, this was her name and he attacked the honorific because it was his preference. She was after all his senior in this line of work.

She rolled her eyes at the honorific, senpai…? Was this kid for real?

"Look kiddo, its just Martel. I'm nobody's senior in anything alright? It's just the way we do things, really informal between us chimera. You can call Greed whatever you want alright?" she said this in a sarcastic tone, since she knew he'd be respectful.

He gave her a soft nod while looking at her eyes, as the gates of truth were in the eyes; he was in this way telling what was true for her. Though his action made her feel very uneven, she cleared her throat and would state her last piece before going off to join Greed and the others.

"Take your life too seriously and you're not going to have a lot of fun or live really well. Take some advice from someone who also suffered the same treatment kid, live with the hope that you've been given and let yourself go in your mind a little. In plain English, just loosen up alright? No one likes a stick in the mud." She said before turning and leaving him there.

After Martel had started back, Camron started off running again as he decided to take the example of what she had just mentioned. There was no problem at all with what she just mentioned to him, it was just that, he was just allowing himself to be free and looser.

Though it seemed that one could never escape a future lined in darkness, that which came with having a light taken from you. Though one could creep in midlight, they would not again walk in the daylight and see the sun. Once again, his deep thoughts had captured him and kept him in a place of serious thought.

He hadn't even thought about his life and what it had been…few friends and a life full of practice. One of the few people he'd ever known to treat him like a human instead of a 'dog of the government', was her…in her own right a very special young woman with a light that was beyond luminous surrounding her.

He blushed at such thoughts, knowing that they were just friends and yet, he'd never given up on the possibility of one day getting the attitude to speak of her or to her about taking her out. A thing that would never happen in this state, though this was just a sobering fact.

He stopped running finally at the top of a small hill and looked up at the sunlight before sitting down. He never really eyed his transformation and what had changed since his new powers came to him. His skin was tawny now, his mane had grown lots thicker and fuller than before, and his hair had random streaks of chocolate brown hair. None of these were too unworldly in his appearance.

Overall he found nothing too terrible about what had befallen him, he could live with himself. The new feeling inside of his mind was new, some of an underlying gentleness that he attributed it to his new half.

"And that is me too, I suppose I'd better get used to eating oats and grains." He mused at the thought, knowing that at least now he'd be like his choice in life; majorly vegetarian that he'd be eating…hell he might even be able to survive off of the wild grass if that were the case. It gave him the advantage in survivability of different kinds.

With a single thought all of it came to a gentle silence and he felt nothing but the land, he laid back in the grass and allowed his mind to be sated with all that had transgressed over the past maybe hour or so. Too much on his mind would never allow him to retain a sense of being and would get him killed.

"Enough of that distraction." He said as he let it all go, using his new mindset as a foundation. He cast it all off: doubt, fear, despair, and the bulk of his mental baggage with one solitary deep breath.

It was enough to breathe easy and to find himself into a genuine cycle that helped his faith in life return. He would be ever so happy to visit his friend even after becoming a monster, what it would be different in someone's mind?

Not by choice and not by whim, but by fate has he been chosen to become something more, the ultimate humbling that anyone could endure and now for him to have put into effect some kind of peace. Would seeing old friends bring this to him? Time would so eagerly tell him that, but first things first…as he went back to work.

- With Greed-

"Sheesh, that kid's an alchemist right? So at the very least he's got to have retained his skill and that could be just what I need.." Greed's quest never really fell short. Nothing short of trying to have everything in the world at one time, after all who was the greediest one and named for his sin?

Roa was first to answer since he'd known the nervous youth when he had been the alchemist placed as a close guard, before things had gone back the kid had tried to stand up to those cruel experiments. His thoughts of the boy...no brave young man had given him some hope for some Alchemists actually having hearts.

"As this young man Camron has maintained his human form I would not count out his alchemist powers remaining. There is a good chance that they may have grown with this form change Greed-sama." he offered their leader the first steps through the door as they headed back to the 'hangout', even with it rare that such a powerful person like Greed even needed bodyguards, they would have died for him at any time.

As it seemed the fate of all chimera at some point, however with Greed they all stood a better chance. They were something...they had something and there was something that they were worth. This was one thing that Roa was sure that Camron simply needed to see, that his life was nothing near as empty as it seemed.

As if he were a psychic Greed hit the first thought on Roa's mind and his biggest boggle on hand.

"Y'know that kid's gonna grind himself to dust if he remains so rigid...sheesh, I'll need some way to loosen him up. I doubt you guys know much about that kid, but do me a favor and find something out from him. We'll need to bring something from his old life to give him peace of mind; seems that being alive isn't enough to have him being open." while he wasn't always huge on showing it, Greed's soft spot for what was his remained.

He wanted his folks to do well, even if they were by the military, considered faulty mistakes, now they were his to do with what those idiots like King Bradley didn't consider. He hadn't seen damage this bad since Martel, with one kid's mind running in the gutter, he'd end up a whole lot of dead before he became useful. Sure be it to hell that he was no one's nanny or caretaker, but he'd be damned if he had the only one alchemist probably in history that was a chimera drop dead over something stupid or small.

"Damn it kid...you're more trouble than your worth...but hell, I love gambling." he said with a grin, no reason to let it fall shy. He'd take all the winnings and walk off the richest and best off.

A kid's woes were gonna be the method of his riches, once he learned to focus all of that negativity into the duties given him. He'd have to be careful sending the kid off alone, given the fact that he was an ex-state alchemist he'd probably be highest priority by the military. But again the benefits far outweighed any of the losses of having such a wanted man under in his wigwam(loosely used term used for his being in his 'gang').

The idea just came for him and he decided the best method for dealing with his worries about the kid, he decided what he'd do to ensure his safety. Who did the kid get along well with? Roa would insist on staying by his side...so that left Dolcetto and Martel, given they were all in some kind of contact with this kid. Bido was just a bit of trouble and wasn't good with people.

"Alright Roa, whenever this kid's around here I need you to be making sure he remains on track. Whenever there's a task away from the nest, either Martel or Dolcetto is going with him, got it?" he made it clear, with a calm gesture since he saw no need to let arguments arise.

To his surprise there was no argument, not even a grumble like he might've expected out of Martel, she was always good for that. But it seemed that everyone understood why he was putting so much focus on that kid, their sturdy standing would be a lot better as long as they had this kind of firepower on their side.

Though it occurred to him that he didn't know what kind of powers this kid had, it wouldn't do good if all the kid could do was make swiss cheese right? Though he doubted it, this kid was a Mustang, that was a real prestige when it came to military powers.

"Anybody seen the kid's power?" the question went into the air and got no answers at first.

Though it only took a moment for Dolcetto to speak up.

"Yeah, before he was shot last time, I noticed he was doing some crazy styled traps. Floor traps...something with an iron maiden. It was strange, but pretty damn cool to watch." it had been one of those things you didn't forget.

Even with him not lasting long in a fight, Greed took that into thought and knew it was perfect. Booby-traps of sorts right? Even better given the kind of hole that they lived in. All Greed would need now is this kid maintaining some kind of focus, that would be key. So the checklist was made for making this kid more useful for him.

1. Get him wanting to live again, 2. Make sure to keep him busy and not thinking too hard, 3. make him less a stick in the mood, 4. Steal something to make him feel more at home, and 5. Keep him in practice with that wonderful alchemy of his.

"Alright, operation, fix that Camron-kid-up is beginning now. Get out there and make me proud." he said as if they all had been in on his own thoughts.

Indeed life would be an intriguing thing, it would be time for the youth to live the life that he was meant to.

-Back with Camron-

As the day persisted, he learned the drills of his job, which seemed to be something of a simple nature. He was a courier of sorts and would be delivering messages in between the Devil's Nest and several other points in town. Though he found it odd that he was going to be with another at most times when delivering; he shrugged it off since it was likely someone's idea of helping out the rookie, or so he thought.

Cam hadn't ever considered that it might be with point of making sure that he didn't have to do anything unnecessary, as someone of his weak condition wasn't going to hold up well against anyone. Still with life taking some shape again, he felt a little calmer knowing that.

At least life couldn't hurt much more right? That was the hope with some stability...he was in the company of fellow chimeras, working a place that wasn't a raw gutter. Even with the place being in what was considered slums, this was a heaven for him. What better place for one with no place to be?

Returning to his room that he shared with the strange lizard Bido, Camron took to his bed and bid the lizard chimera a good night, before turning onto his side and writing in his log book what he'd done today.

"Meeting Greed was of tremendous interest today...as I found that he cared little for knowin of what I am. Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope before a dismal existence. No...I should do what Martel said, I am living and I can still breathe, life has allowed me to remain. Lab 5 was a fated humbling, I must remember my lesson. To exist as I am and seek my peace, through Greed-sama I will find my purpose. I may even be allowed to see friends I was blessed with having...Jacci-san, I wonder how she is doing?"- Entry March 5th 2130 Hours.

(End Chapter)

Well the prologue is finally done, it took me long enough to get this one started, but here we go into the life of another character of mine. Camron Mustang, a rather ill fated young man who struggles to find peace and stability in a life that is hardly normal.

Will he find it? This question is something that one can only see as the path is discovered by hand.

Till then I bid you all adieu

-Quentix Starwing