AN: I don't own FMA or any related characters - and I don't own the pink lunchbox as well. I just own the idea.

Twenty-four kunai, Jun Li thought as she watched the targets around her. She had been working at her aim for the last few days because she had felt that it hadn't been as good as before when she had sparred with Phil and to win the next match, she had decided to work harder on it. She had gotten to the point where she was today with hard work and the goal to get stronger with every day. But still, even though twenty-four out of twenty-five had hit the target with the accuracy she was working to achieve, she was still unhappy about the last one. Years of fighting had taught her that sometimes, the outcome of a fight depended on a single kunai or shuriken and after losing too many comrades to the changing enemies she had faced along the years, she had grown wary of a nearly perfect technique. Nearly had never been good enough for her.

She had been nearly good enough with her alkahestry to heal her best friend on the battlefields of West-Xing more than a decade ago.

She had been nearly fast enough to protect one of the high-ranking ladies when the assassin had appeared from the shadows.

She had nearly been gifted enough to receive her grandfather's appreciation.

Far more vivid than her many successes, she remembered the times she had failed. She remembered how she had kneeled over the bleeding body and how she had tried to stop the blood that had run over her hands and onto the ground while the reality hit Jun Li: it was futile to attempt a healing when so much damage was done. She remembered how she had seen the man in black coming from the shadows and how she had moved forward to stop him – and how she had been to slow. And maybe her greatest failure had been her inability to gain her grandfather's respect. He had been her clan head and she had been supposed to have his trust and his respect but she had traded it when she had been thirteen and when she had stayed in the services of the powerless former emperor Jun Yao instead of returning to her hometown to be assigned to a new prince or princess.

Jun Li was probably the most dangerous fighter in Xing because she had always been gifted in many different ways. Still, this was exactly the reason why she had never been the best. She had had too many fields to cover at the same time and this made it impossible for her to excel even at a single one.

"That looks great," Phil said as he took some shuriken from his bag and smirked at his colleague. "Say, before the official function today, do you care to train a little bit? My skills are getting rusty these days and I even lost my last fight against Jade."

Jun Li smirked as she heard the annoyance in his voice. To defeat Jade was one of the most complicate things any hand-to-hand combatant could wish to achieve. It wasn't even that the black-haired woman was extremely strong or could handle weapons better than anyone else. No, the reason why it was nearly impossible for anyone but Phil to deal with Jade as an equal was that the woman who saw everything in patterns and structures could remember every single attack an enemy had ever used on her – and her scars proved that there had been many who had tried to cut her down. Her ability to make her fight as logical as a chess game made her one of the best strategist Amestris had to offer.

"I mean … she's supposed to be the less talented fighter," he went on.

"But don't you admit that her ambition always made her stronger and more dangerous?" Jun Li asked while she carelessly included some backflips to her performance.

"That's true," he admitted while he threw a first shuriken at her. "Well, let's start now."

Short red hair, a dark green uniform, purple ink on pale hand and the smell of cinnamon chewing gum – that was what Elaine Hamilton was about. She had always been an attentive and observant woman and her calm behaviour had saved her at many occasions. She cared deeply for her organisation and therefore she had tagged along the team she had sent off to Amestris. Currently, she congratulated herself to this decision which had been born out of boredom because while they tracked down their targets, they found the unconscious body of an Amestrian agent. The woman was severely injured but her wounds weren't life-threatening. The head of the Cretan Secret Service gave her orders and along with two of her female agents she cleaned the wounds and once the blood was gone, Elaine took the time she needed to identify the woman. The injured agent belonged to the Amestris Fire Lion and according to the dog tags around her neck, her name was Jane Stevens.

"An Amestrian Agent?" one of the younger agents asked even though it was obvious.

"It seems so…" Elaine muttered quietly while she wrapped bandages around a bleeding gash on the forearm. "We have to call the Amestrian Head of security," she said, hiding that her blond counterpart was no one less than her own niece. "She probably wants her agents back if they are injured."

"Yes, madam," the other agent said. "I will call Miss Hawkeye as fast as possible."

Elaine watched how her subordinates left and for a moment, she wondered when she had stopped being a fellow agent to become a legend. Even with her intelligence and her experience the red-haired woman was absolutely unable to decided when she had stopped being human.

The Amestrian agent stirred slightly as she awoke from her nightmare.

"Don't move too fast," the Cretan head of security ordered strictly as she brushed back a sweaty strand of her hair. The missions she had executed without a single second of hesitation twenty years ago were now terrible exhausting and she didn't like this. "We had to stitch the cut on your stomach."

"How … how am I still alive?" the agent asked hoarsely.

"We found you before you could bleed to death," Elaine said calmly while her tattooed fingers toyed with the butterfly knives she carried on a chain at her belt. "The Cretan Secret Service works fast and since I have some good reasons to support the Amestris Fire Lion, we couldn't let you die there. I take it that your mission didn't go the way it was supposed to."

Jane coughed as she sat up. "The mission was complete," she said. "Whatever happened, happened because I got too careless after fulfilling my duty and therefore I am the only one to blame here."

Serena was alone in her room when Nerissa came home late that day.

"…Rena…" the older sister whispered as she entered the room. It had always been painful for her to see her younger sister this way because as much as Serena had gotten stronger along the years, it had never been enough to protect her from the often depressing reality. Nerissa knew why her sister was blaming herself but maybe it had been time for Serena to fail a mission.

"Nerissa…" Serena said softly as she turned around. "How was your date tonight?"

"Nice … the waiter spilled red wine all over my new dress but I had mama taking care of that," Nerissa said as she sat down on the desk. She wore navy shorts with a golden and white shirt but her hair was still up in her complicate bun while her jewellery sparkled from her neck, her ears and her hands. "You know how much I fail with the easiest household chores, right?"

"Seeing that you ruined twenty of my best white blouses when you did the laundry, it doesn't surprise me," Serena smirked while she sat up and switched on her nightstand lamp. "It seems like your luck regarding your dates is running out again," she chuckled. "And frankly, you wore your baby blue and golden dress, Nessa? Did you ever consider you wear different colours?"

"That coming from you is rich," the older blonde said amused. "Sure, you are wearing other colours as well but as long as I can remember, everything was golden and red with you."

"Blame it on Uncle Berthold that he painted my nursery because our mother was too lazy and dad was on important missions during this time," Serena pouted.

Both sisters had always profited from their excellent genetic heritage. Their amestrian-blond hair was thick and wavy and their bodies were lean and athletic. Huge sapphire eyes made it easy for them to be seen as innocent while sharp minds lured behind perfect smiles and childlike eyes. Considering the fact that both of them could – at least according to Bea – 'wear a simple white curtain instead of a dress and manage to look gorgeous' both sisters tried hard to stay in the background because the last thing the bruised reputation of their family could need now was another scandal.

Just when Nerissa wanted to comment her sister's words, the phone rang and Serena got up from her bed to accept the call. "Serena Hawkeye Hamilton," she said tiredly and for a moment, as the bright lights of a passing car hit her, she seemed older than her sister.

'This is Hélène Dupont speaking,' a soft voice with Cretan accent said shyly. 'Um, Madame Hamilton asked me to inform you that we found an injured agent and we offer you that we bring her home…'

Serena was silent for a moment while her eyes fell close as she started to go through the names of her agents who were currently working in the western area. She knew that the team of the Cretan Secret Service should be around the town ofLionnenburgat the moment but as far as she was concerned, no agent should be there. She had called everyone back – as far as it had been possible – after the terrible call she had gotten from Agent Stevens. The thing about the tragedy around the brunette agent had been that the last thing she had heard before the connection had been interrupted that someone had entered the room where the agent had called from – and the bitterest thing about it was that Jane Stevens had called to inform her boss about the successful end of the mission. But for that reason, no agent of the Amestris Fire Lion was supposed to be anywhere close to Lionnenburg.

Nerissa next to Serena frowned slightly as her sister froze. 'What is going on?' she mouthed.

Serena opened her eyes again before she shook her head to get rid of unbidden thoughts. "Did you identify her, Agent Dupont?" she asked sharply in her all-business-voice.

'Of course, Madame,' the Cretan agent replied. 'According to the dog tags, her name is Jane Stevens.'

Nerissa watched with raising nervousness how Serena lost her grip on her phone and let it drop to the floor before she fainted. Too much worries and not enough food could do this even to the fearless leader of a powerful secret service. Nerissa sighed deeply before she called for her stepmother and then she picked up the phone. "Nerissa Hawkeye speaking," she said calmly. "What is going on?"

'Oh, Miss Hawk-e-eye,' the Cretan agent stuttered. Nerissa's name was well-known in Creta, not only because she was the heir of a rich and important family but also because she had been the student of Catherina D'Artagan who was a Cretan Heroine – and by now, Nerissa's fame had reached even into the last corners of the western country. 'I merely informed your sister that we found an injured agent.'

Nerissa's thoughts were unclouded despite the three glasses of heavy aerugian red wine she had had during her birthday diner and as usual, she instantly sobered up when she was faced with a challenge or a mystery she had to solve. This was the reason why she understood faster than any other person would have looked through the complicated web of events. "Agent Jane Stevens, I suppose," she said.

'Yes, madam,' the Cretan agent said. 'What are your orders?'

"I am going to pick her up myself," the blonde said. "Can I have your location?"

'O-of course, madame!'

Leave it to Nerissa to make professional agents stutter like little girls, Serena thought as she slowly woke up from her unconsciousness and heard the last words since her ears were especially sharp.

Roy stopped as he saw the date in his calendar even though it was already very late. The 2nd of October always reminded him of what they had lost. This day had been burned into his mind and his heart because it was the day that reminded him of the woman who had been born thirty-three years ago on this very date. But it also reminded him of those who had fallen alongside with Kay – Lynn, Charles and Martin – and those who had tried to light hope even though despair had been everywhere like Charlotte Llewellyn and Leroy Grumman, the experienced leaders of the past. Roy remembered very well how he had been on a mission with Charles many years ago. The brunette man had sat on the fire while he had smiled. "When I get home, I am going to hug Kay and tell her how much I love her smile," he said before he had sighed. "Right now, I really want to change some things … not for myself, never for myself … but for her. She deserves a better life if you ask me … and somehow, I believe that it would make it easier for me … to know that my sacrifices are worthwhile, you know?"

Roy had known but somehow, he had never understood why Charles had needed a better reason to risk his life than just the good of the country. It had been shortly before they had been brought to Ishbal where everything around them had gone up in flames but maybe, it had been Charles' reason to keep fighting. The older man had been strange in many of his decisions but he had never let go of his goals – something Roy still admired him for because mean like him were really rare nowadays. True, some of them were still there … people like Owen who carried more love in their hearts than twenty regular persons combined … or like his late father who had been a silent hero who had protected his sisters' lives in his own way …

"The date makes me think about all the things I never got the chance to say or ask," Riza said quietly as she stared at the calendar as well. "Maybe, we should really thank them," she went on. "We should say 'Thank you for giving up your lives for us that day."

Roy nodded while he hugged her tightly. "Isn't it ironic? The world will never know which sacrifice they really performed for us," he said darkly, "and the few who know now will be gone soon or they will forget … and still, no one will ever forget their dream."

"And this is exactly the way they wanted it all along," Riza said as she looked into the distance. "It's not the name or the family that matters here. It is just the dream they dreamed for all of us."

"I'd never thought that I would say this one day about our dear birthday girl but … she was really crazy, all along," Roy said. "Her family was her shield while her own reputation was her sword."

For a moment, Riza stopped to think about what he had just said before she slowly nodded. "My father used to say that even though none of us was sane all the time, we were still happy in our own way," she said softly. "Maybe … this was the way our family had to take … and our curse…"

He looked at her while he remembered the members of her family. Her father had been strict and harsh but never unfair and as hard it was to believe, it had been Riza's own choice to carry the tattoo on her back. Reine Hawkeye had been an excellent alchemist but a terrible mother. Nerissa's sanity was to be questioned every second week when she nearly got killed on a mission. Kay had been soft and yet unforgiving towards her had been incredibly gifted and who had died far before the time of her glory and success … she had always cared too much for everything around her while Serena had closed off herself from the world and claimed that she didn't want to know.

"Who do we have here?" a tall and especially ugly man asked as he grabbed Laila's chin the next day. "The chancellor's little brats came all the way from Central to say hi to me?"

"Not really," Nick said as he slapped away the hand. "We figured out that you were the ones who nearly got my twin killed. And now, we're here to show you what we are made of."

"Scarface said the same before we ruined her face," another man stated calmly. "It was a shame that we had to ruin such a pretty little face but with enough makeup, no one even sees her scar."

"You see that we outnumber you, kids, yes?" the leader said with a dark smirk.

"I don't think that this is a matter of numbers," Laila said slowly while she wiped away the filth from her chin. "Eli over there is pretty good with explosives and she can make everything go 'boom', Nick is a really good tactician and Cai was trained by one of the strongest fighters of Xing. I really advise you to reconsider if you really want this fight."

"The boy over there?" the second man mentioned in the direction of Cai who seemed downright bored. "He looks like he would cave under the slightest blow."

"He won't," Nick said sharply while he raised his head and glared with the power of generations of powerful fighters for the Hamilton- and the Hawkeye-clan likewise had had a lot of famous fighters since the beginnings of their histories … and Nick lived up to this tradition. He dodged the first punch thrown at him before he used his training with far better martial artist to throw the man down. He stepped forwards and dusted of his jacket. "Who's next?" he asked friendly while he found himself next to Elicia who glared as well.

"We are a little bit stronger than normal children of our age," Laila stated calmly while her hands slipped into her gloves. "And we are really angry for what you did to our sister."

"She's the heir of the Hawkeye-family, right?" the leader asked sharply. "Or wait – technically, she is already the head of this disgusting family. And this family is the reason for the pain we suffered!"

"And since when exactly is it the right thing to do to let a little girl pay for things she had never any influence on?" the voice was sharp and cold but for the four children, it was a familiar voice.

"Who the hell are you?" the second man asked angrily. "This is a matter between us and the kids!"

"Me? I'm just a simple housewife who was passing by," Izumi replied as she stepped into the circle.

Elicia tried hard to hold back her laugh but it just made her sound like she was chocking.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked concerned while he rested his hand on his back. "You sound strange…"

She blushed slightly before she nodded. "I can't complain, Nick," she said softly.

"Alright," Izumi said as she crossed her eyes and glared at some of the gangsters. "You say that you have a problem with the Hawkeye-family, right? Care to explain what they did to you?"

"Reine Hawkeye destroyed our whole village! Now, those guys have to pay!"

"You are aware that no member of the Hawkeye-family accepts this woman as one of them?" Cai asked as he thought back of the few conversations this name had came up. Nerissa had denied that this mother had ever been her mother, Serena had claimed that she would have loved to kill her mother with her own hands – much to Edward's terror, by the way – and Riza had said that her aunt had been the most cruel person she had ever met, even worse than Kimblee.

"But this would somehow explain why it always went against Lynn and Victoria instead of Kay and Laila," Elicia said calmly. "The line of the heirs of the knowledge and the power coming with it, right? Kay Hawkeye and Nerissa Hawkeye were disowned for various reasons. Lynn Hawkeye was named the heir of the family afterwards and therefore, Victoria is the heir now. You wanted to kill her."

Nick frowned. "We aren't even that special!" he said.

Izumi looked at him. "Are you crazy, boy?" she asked in disbelief. "You have the longest tradition from all the families which got their fame through their knowledge. Of course are you special! You have more books on dangerous and/or forbidden techniques than any other family!"

"Really?" Laila asked as she looked at the black-haired woman. "I hear this for the first time."

Izumi looked like she wanted to slap herself to check if she was having a nightmare. "Honestly, isn't anyone teaching you kids even the basics about our society?" she asked.

"Give it up," Nerissa said as she brushed back a strand of her long hair. "I mean … no one actually knows everything about the Hawkeye-legacy. We have a lot of dangerous arrays."

The leader of the group moved backwards. "Ne-Nerissa Hawkeye!" he called out. "What…?"

"Did you honestly think that I wouldn't figure out who stole the array I guarded since I was sixteen?" she asked and for someone who stood just between the lines of a lot of very dangerous fighters, she was terribly calm and relaxed. "To be frank, I really wonder how anyone can be dumb enough to mess with me! And now, hand me back my array and maybe I'll let you get away with a blue eye."

Izumi had to hide her smirk. She had never spent much time with the blonde but she had come to the realisation that any relative of Riza Hawkeye had to be stubborn and slightly possessive about their skills. And from what Izumi had seen of Nerissa, it was obvious that this woman meant trouble and pain for whoever was dumb enough to get into her way.

"Too slow," Nerissa said softly while she rolled up her sleeves. "You had your chance."