This is a Full Metal Alchemist and Rising of the Shield Hero Fanfiction only.

Some people will simply hate this story, no matter what, to those I only say

there are other stories about both of these source materials, please keep your messages

and reviews civil.

I am not exactly sure if my life made me this way or is because I wanted to follow in the proud footsteps of my father, but ever since I learned to read my life has involved alchemy. You probably don't know what I mean, alchemy is the science of changing one thing into another, the clearest example is turning base metals into gold.

I, of course, would never consider it for two reasons, makes gold practically worthless if people really start to do that in mass, and it is against the law, diamonds? Oh, you can make as many of those useless things as you want, they are practically worthless since the science of alchemy first was developed.

I am getting off track, you see my father once was someone in the military of our nation, a state alchemist, my father fought against all the odds along sides my uncle or at least the person I love as an uncle, and my mother, he was called the Flame Alchemist, uncle called him for some unknown reason the Casanova of Central.

Flame Alchemy is pretty much the science of making things blow up into tiny pieces, I am not kidding, my dad had these gloves makes of a material that made a spark when he rubbed his fingers, and he placed a transmutation circle to manipulate the density of oxygen in the air, raised it and made it dense enough and a snap of his fingers and boom, made things blow up whenever and wherever he wanted.

Granted my dear old dad doesn't exactly do that anymore, pretty hard to do when you are blind, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the most efficient and beloved leaders of our nation, our just happens to be called Amestris and while I do think my father and especially mother have done wonders it is not exactly the most beloved nation in the world.

The fact that other nations do not hesitate in saying that if Amestris were to blow up and leave nothing but a pile of ashes they would not shed a single tear. Since international neighbors made their hatred known to us quite clearly, we had no option but to continue to raise and train State Alchemist.

All our education is pretty much geared to either making a child a State Alchemist or another job that either supports the military in some manner or form, sure we got civilians, we got people that grow food, make clothes, run hospitals, become teachers, build and repairs everything from homes to roads, but if given the call every single one of these people were soldiers.

I studied my father's alchemy which in truth it was first made by my grandfather, sure wish I could know him, could make my own studies of this particular alchemy a lot easier, but he has been long dead, and uncle never really mentions much about him.

My uncle is a very supportive person, apparently, sometime before I was born he lost his ability to use alchemy, decided to simply help my aunt run her business of making custom prosthetic for people in need. With these many nations hating our guts you can imagine these automated prostheses were in no short demand.

I am currently twenty-nine years old, my name is Roy Mustang Jr, I hate the Jr part, my mother is the secretary of the diplomatic corp, Riza Hawkeye, and my father is the Fuhrer or the head honcho who just happens to lead our nation. My uncle is the one and only Full Metal Alchemist Edward Elric.

Come to think of it, uncle never told me why he is called the Full Metal Alchemist, I guess he just really loves that kind of music, anyways, I am currently a Captain in the State Military and I am one of the people that work under my other uncle, General Alphonse Elric why didn't I mention him before? Because the General is a slave driver, I am not kidding he is working me and the others that are unlucky to be his subordinates to an early grave.

The man is cold, I mean freezing cold, I almost want the song if I had a heart play every time he enters a room, I am not kidding General Elric could walk into a room full of orphans and the only complaint he has is they are making too much noise with all that useless crying. See, this is the reason I waited this long to even mention him, and I work for him.

"Dad, are you sure I can't get a transfer? A different post? I will happily go to the wall instead of remaining at my current post." I looked at my father glare at me as I finish saying that, "No Junior, in the military you don't get to choose where you are stationed or the work conditions you have to endure, I told you this long before you even thought about becoming a State Alchemist."

I know he can't see me but I swear he is glaring at me, "Ed offered you a chance to join him at his family business, but no, you wanted to become a State Alchemist, well you are one, and if you want a better post, you will simply have to work really hard and get promoted up the chain of command like everyone else."

I went out of his office and marched straight towards the grand library, I picked up a few books and sat down on a chair, I was in no mood to return to the office and it was my lunch break. "He is the Fuhrer for crying out loud, he could assign me to a new office, no, I know, I know, no favoritism, got to earn what I have or else I will not learn to appreciate it or respect it. You know for a ghost you sure are preachy sometimes."

The spirit right next to me sat down on a nearby desk and smiled, "If I am preachy it should tell you I care, I don't just talk to anyone you know, it even surprised me that the child of my killer was such an interesting boy. Come on, don't scowl, I don't like it when you are grumpy! It will cause you to have wrinkles."

How in the world did I become friends with the very ghost of the homunculus that my father killed? "I know, but I also hate it that all this time spent on doing paperwork, I could try to break through this massive roadblock I found in my research. For the last time no, I am not interested in that stone."

"Why not? The ability to go beyond your limits, to transmute without limits, no rules, no boundaries, to be able to do as much as your mind can dream?" I looked at the spirit and looked at the book pile next to her.

"I don't care about that stone because it is fueled by misery, and it makes anyone that touches it miserable. Don't tell me you or your six other siblings were happy?" She laughed and told me I was more right than most. "Still I wouldn't exactly be miserable if I had someone like you in my life. Who knows Boy, maybe one day Truth will grant me my wish and the two of us will become one."

I know she is this way because of the sin she is supposed to represent, but seriously why is she like this with me? I am her friend, but sometimes she confuses me, for crying out loud, I know sometimes she is angry, smiles, or even pouts, but as a spirit, I can't even see her face.

I don't know why I know those things about her I simply do.

As she disappeared a person began to walk towards the place where I was reading, "So this is where you been hiding! Young man do you have any idea how upset Al was when he could not find you? Do you ever bother looking at a clock? Don't you just sit there and answer me!"

I looked at her and I could not help but feel embarrassed. "I know mom, I got carried away with my research. I have been trying to figure out how to use flame alchemy in a humid environment, you were the one to tell me how inept dad was when it was rain or near a humid place. Isn't it the job of a state alchemist to research our field of study?"

She took the book out of my hands and looked at me, "Your uncle Ed was a state alchemist but he never abandoned his friends and family in favor of his research now did he? Al was really worried about you, he thought that you might do something reckless."

I went with her back home and the idea that General Elric was actually this worried about me surprised me in so many ways I honestly did not expect it. As we came in there he was uncle Ed looking through my research notes. I am afraid what he might actually do with those notes, not because he might use them, but because uncle Ed was one of the few people that were against me taking the State Alchemist Exam at last at first, then again I was seven years old when that happened.

"I see the main problem is temperature regulation, I do think you are right in thinking along those lines Nephew, but the only thing I can say is studying how to prevent harm to yourself first rather than so much on how to make the flame even hotter than the sun." I was not planning to cause an explosion near me but made sense when he said, if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong in an unpredictable way.

"Honestly Uncle Ed, why do you think I would do something reckless? I grew up hearing what you used to do, and you are preaching about against being reckless? Hello Mr. Pot, have you met Mr. Kettle?"

He looked at me and laughed, he walked over to me and without even a warning gave me a hug, that is when I realized that behind the wall between the living room and the dining room General Elric was hiding behind a wall listening to what we were talking about and was laughing his head off.

"Tell me again nephew why did you become a State Alchemist?" I honestly said this to him at least a thousands times, "To protect and save lives by ending conflicts as soon as possible, I know uncle Ed, I say those words to myself every night, Alchemist be thou for the people, I don't do it for rank, but even you have to agree that filling out paperwork is the least enjoyable thing I do."

"And you brother has me do paperwork, and filing the paperwork of the entire office that works under him, honestly, I haven't done a single thing using my Alchemy to help a single solitary person, so far it might just be Alchemist be thou for the filing."

He laughed and began hitting me on my shoulder, did I mention my uncle is actually smaller in height than I am? Yep, the man lecturing me is actually 5 inches smaller than me. "You heard how Al pretty much all the time in our adventures stuck in a tin can of a suit didn't you? Well, Al doesn't want you to end up like that, so he worries, and he worries so much that in fact, what's to keep you as far away from combat as possible. Why you never told him this Al?"

That is when Al finally stopped hiding, how does a man six foot seven inches tall hide as well as he does, now that is a mystery I never managed to answer. "It is true, I am always hard on him and those under me because I care ever so deeply about them. They of course never tire in making jokes about how cold I am or how I lack a heart when they think I don't hear them."

Damn it, I guess I will have to take Jane Havoc out to dinner and I will have to pretend it is an actual date, damn it, I wish someone would remind me never to take a bet with that pervert. Why is she a pervert you ask? He hits on every single guy she considers hot and does not even blush when she tries to take a sneak peek inside the men's bathhouse back in the officer's dorms.

"Sorry Uncle Al, I will try to get them to stop making these remarks. I guess I will just have to keep doing paperwork like we been doing." He looked at me and did something I rarely saw him do, he smiled.

"Why do you want to be in combat situations so badly? You never told me. It would help me and Al understand. So come on son, why do you want to fight so much?" I am just getting hit by one surprise after another. I guess I should have known better than to expect mom not to notice.

"Damn that Jane, she told on me. I need to find a way to test my alchemy research. Since I am constantly trying to improve my Flame Alchemy, that can only improve in combat. I studied dad's notes, and I think I am pretty much at his level, but I wanted to take it further. Grandpa made the initial research but for some reason, I can't find anything published under his name."

Mom smiled at me and she looked at my gloves, "Son, my father was the mentor of your father, in fact that is why your dad learned so much of Flame Alchemy, but my dad was a bit paranoid, he didn't want anyone other than those he approved to gain access to his research, he went as far as tattoo it on my back."

"Your dad did me a favor long ago and he had doctors remove the tattoo, I was worried that you would become like your grandfather one day, that is why initially I was against you learning Flame Alchemy. Son, Jane only told me because she is afraid that you will get hurt, you know, you two been friends since you two were children."

This was getting creepy in a hurry, I hope that this was not going where I think it was, "You also know that she has been in love with you for years, don't you? I still remember way back when you two used to skinny dip in that lake near our summer house."

What the heck is mom talking about? I don't remember me and Jane doing anything like that. "Well I hate to interrupt such a lovely moment, but as for Flame Alchemy only being able to test it in combat, that you are wrong. I set up a few targets that can resist it so I could continue my research in a controlled environment."

When did dad get here? I never even noticed him. I know my ghost friend would laugh if she saw how easily my father listened to our entire conversation, and me not even able to notice it. "I guess I should also study on my stealth, again, I do have that yearly review coming up. I have to prove that I am making progress with my research or else, I will lose my State Alchemist certification."

Mom stopped smiling when I said that, didn't she know State Alchemist have a yearly review? "Roy! I thought you said the practice of testing State Alchemist every year was no longer practiced, and that they only have to send you a summary of their research progress." I guess she did know of the yearly review but she thought it was not an ongoing thing. I am surprised, she should know since she works with dad so much.

"The yearly review is a good practice to ensure productivity from the State Alchemist, it is a practice that has been continued since the State Military first accepted Alchemist as officers, the written summary is only used as record keeping. Why don't you read some of the ones I wrote long ago son, oh that is right, we have those in a locked section of the library."

He touched my shoulder, "You seen the large door with the pad didn't you son? Well, the code to enter that room is, 1,2,3, 4,5. You can read as much of my research methods and how I tested in the books there." Is he insane? I am seriously wondering if crazy runs in my family, that is the dumbest security I ever heard in my life.

"Dad, you know that is not exactly a good security code, right? I mean come on, it is the sort of thing an idiot has on his luggage." Al began to laugh so hard he nearly fell out of his chair, why is this funny to him? "Ed used to use that as a way to lock his luggage way back when he was a state alchemist, I can't count how many times things went missing because of it."

I guess I should really be nicer to Aunty Winry having to put up with that sort of a person as her husband. Come to think of it, didn't she say Uncle proposed to her using the equal exchange rule? I thought that was a joke, but after hearing that I am not too sure anymore. "Thanks, dad. I guess deep down I just wanted to make you feel proud of me."