Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.
Author's Note: I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3
Chapter: Cupid's Arrow
Summary: The final test; a mock battle! Flame Vs...?
In a hotel room not far from Central Headquarters, a young alchemist was preparing to leave for her final exam that would hopefully earn her state qualification. Her stomach was in knots and twists as she tried to eat what she could manage of her small breakfast. Once she had finished and cleaned up, she gathered the items she'd need for today, took a deep cleansing breathe, and left with a look of determination in her hazel eyes.
Not far from this hotel, a young State Alchemist Colonel was energetically walking toward the small military training fields, where practical exams would be taking place. Alphonse was on cloud nine today, the task he'd been assigned the past few days had been a welcome distraction from everything else that would usually trouble him.
Once he arrived, joining Roy, Grumman and the other two men from the previous day, they awaited for all 18 alchemists to arrive. They would begin as soon as they were all here.
When people started to arrive, Alphonse was surprised at how many different methods were to be used to have alchemic circles ready quickly. One man had tattoos on his hands, another wore a ring, but most opted for drawing circles in the ground, or had a ready-made sheet of material with an array drawn or stitched into it. He sincerely hoped that no one had the ability to perform alchemy the way he and Roy could, knowing what kind of dark secrets that method had behind it.
When he spotted Miss Fox arriving, he thought she looked as lovely as she did the day before. Her hair was in a charming French braid that cascaded down her back, which revealed two diamond studs in both ears and two silver cuffs in the left. She wore dark brown pants that clung to her legs firmly and a form fitting sleeveless white blouse. A silver bracelet was worn on her left wrist, and a gold one on the right. Also on her left forearm, she wore a brown etched leather arm brace, to protect her inner arm it appeared. He was a little taken aback with the items she had arrived with. No not items, weapons.
Slung over her back was a moderately sized bow with unique little carved markings across its limb, the bowstring sitting diagonally over her torso which held it in place. Hanging from a leather belt at her hip was a quiver, full with fine, white feather-tipped arrows. He noticed at the tip of the lower limb of the bow, was a few delicate brown and white falcon feathers with green and blue beading hanging there. This weapon was clearly a personal item too.
A few others appeared confused at the items she brought too, but no one dare say anything of it. Alphonse heard soft chuckling from his left and turned, along with Roy, to see that Grumman was amused.
"Miss Fox seems to be quite the intimidating little minx." He nodded his head in the direction of a few of the younger alchemist. Their faces were pale with fraying nerves once the young woman had arrived, who appeared to be totally relaxed and in her element.
Truth was, she was anything but relaxed. Her stomach was still flipping with nerves despite her calm outward demeanor. The looks she received when she arrived didn't help either, but she was warned to expect this…
A month prior..
"Juniper, you realize you will be getting judged on everything, right? Your knowledge, methods and theories, attitude, skill and choice of weapon..." Izumi muttered with firm concern as the two women stood outside her home.
"I know Teacher. I already anticipate it due to my heritage alone, but I'm used to that." Juniper replied softly.
She knew it was going to be tough, but she was determined to do her part for the country she truly called home. It was in danger and she wanted to help in any way she could. Her thirst for adventure and the inability to stick to repetitive, mundane jobs also aided in her decision to join the military. She was surprised when Izumi supported her decision considering she had thought the woman once despised the military.
"You better promise me you won't get yourself seriously hurt out there, okay. Or killed." Izumi warned her student firmly as she looked up to the rolling clouds in the twilit sky, her arms folded over her breasts.
Juniper couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile fondly. "Let me pass the exam first, and then I'll make that promise. Besides, with the amount of ass-kicking you've been giving me these past two years, I'd be wiser not to make that mistake. I don't think I want to be reminded of how well you can throw a knife."
Izumi laughed. She would miss Juniper. Teaching her had been a real pleasure. From her pocket, she pulled out a silver necklace with the Flamel charm on it. She grasped Juniper's hand and turned it, placing the jewelry in her palm before closing her fingers around it. "May your arrows always find their target, Juniper. Be safe."
And now..
Juniper subconsciously reached up and placed her hand where her special charm once sat on her chest, hanging from her neck. Once yesterday's exam was over, she left in a hurry to see if she could try to find it again, but her searches were in vain. She sighed softly, then refocused her attention on the final exam which was about to take place. It was make or break time.
Grumman stepped forward and began to address them. "Good morning gentlemen. Miss…" He nodded in Juniper's direction with a smile.
Alphonse noticed her swallowing her nerves hard after this. He knew exactly how she, and most of the men, were feeling this morning.
"Today is the final step in the exams. You've all done well to get this far. Before we begin, I would like to announce that this year, we will be doing the practical exam a little more thoroughly. We will start off with a fairly standard and straightforward freestyle display of your skills. Afterward, said skills will be put to the test in real-life circumstances; a mock battle if you will, with one of the three State Alchemists that accompany me here today. General Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Brigadier General Walker, the SteelBarb Alchemist. And Colonel Elric, the Rapidblade Alchemist. You could be up against any of these men, so be prepared for anything. But also remember that it is simply a mock battle, and they will have no intention of causing you any real harm." Grumman finished with a loud chuckle as he folded his arms behind his back.
Alphonse and Roy couldn't help but think the old timer had a very sick, twisted and cruel sense of humor sometimes. The younger men now looked like they were ready to flee.
"Sir, do you really think that is neces-… Okay then." Roy began to mutter quietly until Grumman shot him a raised are-you-questioning-my-methods brow in his direction, effectively silencing him. Sure, he was all for pushing the limits, but most of the alchemist here were amateurs compared to himself, Elric and Walker.
Maintaining the order their interviews were conducted in the day before, the applicants one by one put there alchemic knowledge into action. Most of them opted to transmuting something creative, like a detailed statue of an animal or person. One alchemist managed to freeze over the small pond that was in the training grounds, and the man after him used that ice and transmuted it into sculpture. Each of them had their own unique way of performing alchemy, but none of them had a single original idea between them, except for one man by the name of Riley Connors. He was a timid and shy twenty three year old, but had a great understanding of the most standard and basic material he had at his disposal, earth. He moved a large mass of it in one go, creating a smaller, detailed replica of Central HQ. Everyone was impressed that he could move such a large amount, but it left the young man exhausted and unable to move.
Before anyone responded, Juniper stepped from her spot in the line of watching applicants and casually walked towards Connors in the middle of the field. She came to a stop beside him, who hadn't realized she was there until she spoke.
"That was quite impressive Sir. You have some real talent there." She spoke softly as she held her hand out to him. He looked up to her, bewildered, but slowly took her hand when he saw her reassuring smile. She helped pull him to his feet and supported his weight as she walked him back to the group of applicants. It annoyed her that none of them offered to help at all.
"Well don't all jump up at once to help!" She barked at them, startling a few and making them flinch under her burning gaze, her eyes shifting to a dark and dangerous bluish color which expressed her emotion perfectly as she lead Connors over to a nearby bench.
"Don't say it." Roy muttered lowly to Grumman, who was opening and closing his mouth, trying to resist the urge to speak his mind.
"Don't…-"
"Miss Foxy has got growl!" Grumman announced loudly, but luckily out of earshot of those not in uniform.
Roy let out an exasperated sigh as he finished his pointless warning. "..say it."
The other two uniformed men laughed. Alphonse could help but also chuckle himself. Grumman was a good man; a great leader, but he was glad the man also had a sense of humor.
Silently, he had to admit that Miss Fox was continuously surprising and impressing him. Her act of compassion for someone who she was competing against for the State Alchemist certification was inspiring. He knew many compassionate people, but it was still so uncommon to come across.
Once Juniper had returned to her spot with the rest of the applicants, she was called forward to the field. She took a deep breath and made her way out to where the military personnel stood on the opposite side. Taking the same stance and expression as she did in her interview the day before, she awaited their direction.
This time, Roy wanted to be the one to speak to Miss Fox. So he quickly began with small smirk. "Thank you for aiding Mr Connors, Miss. Your compassion has not gone unnoticed, I assure you."
"I only did what I felt was necessary General. But thank you nonetheless." She gave him a knowing look and a light nod, and he returned it. She has certainly earned his respect today.
"You may precede Miss Fox."
"Yes Sir." She says then turns away and walks back out to the center. She approaches a few of the sculptures left behind by the other applicants and takes a stick of white chalk from her pocket. She draws small target-like circles on five of them, just barely visible. Next, she walks away from them, putting some distance between herself and the statues and draws a basic alchemic circle on the ground. Clapping her hands then pressing her them to the circles edge, she transmutes a moderately sized wall, nothing major, but it will do for what she has planned. Stepping away from the wall, her vision of the statues was now completely blocked.
"Right." She whispers to herself as she tugs her bow from her back and positions it before herself. She reached into her quiver and withdraws five arrows, placing them between her teeth while she gets her final element of her display. She tugs a match from her pocket and briskly scratches it along the sole of her boot, setting it alight. Quickly lighting the arrow-tips, she then shakes the flame out of the match and discards it. She could feel the warmth of the flames on her cheek as she re-positions her bow, takes one of the flaming arrows and notches it, the flaming tip pointing towards the wall.
She takes in a deep, steady breathe as she draws the string back, then exhales as she lets the arrow go, sending it whipping through the air towards the wall.
Juniper had practiced this trick many times before, just for this day, and she knew it well. To her, time felt as if it was slowed as her arrow continued to slice through the air. Now it was time for her alchemy. On her gold bracelet, alchemic inscriptions began to glow white as she felt her alchemy begin to shift and form. The flying arrow began to suddenly change its course of direction, veering to the left of the wall and passing it completely. The arrow aligned with one of the targets and the tip plunged into the statues surface, effectively embedding itself and extinguishing the flame with precision.
After all, the flames were really only so that the arrows and her alchemy could be easily observed as it worked. She wasted no time in taking another arrow and notching it, sending it airborne to the right side of the wall and leveling back to hit another sculpture. For the finishing part of her display, she notched the remaining three arrows together at once then released them. One went left, another went right, and the third went up and over the wall. All three arrows separately embedded in to the remaining statues. She lowered her bow to her side then looked over to where the military higher ups were standing, enthralled.
She smirked to herself then replaced her bow over her shoulder and resting at her back. They had questions she needed to answer.
"Young lady, how did you managed to do that? With that wall in front of you even?" Grumman was ecstatic and impressed. Alphonse, Roy and Brigadier General Walker were left speechless.
"Well Sir, I have been well acquainted with a bow and arrow ever since I was six years old. My alchemy, which I hope you were all able to observe well enough, shifted the air flow around my arrows as they flew, resulting in my ability to control and dictate their direction, speed and force when they hit the desired target. The basics of it seem simple enough, but understanding an element that you cannot physically see, but only feel or hear, is a lot more challenging than first believed."
She squats down and takes a small handful of the sand like dirt in her right hand then straightens back up, her palm held out and facing upwards. The same white glow emits from the alchemically engraved gold bracelet, and a small breeze is felt among them drawing in towards her palm. They watch as the breeze picks up the sand and spins it around and around in a small tornado in the palm of her hand.
"There is a vast amount of things I can do with this element. Though even I am still learning the many ways of how it can work and be used."
"Well I'm certainly impressed Miss, I hope you pass the final leg of today's exam of course." Grumman chuckled.
Juniper beamed brightly, the gold in her hazel eyes glimmering with hope as she smiled. Alphonse could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat and jump frantically in his chest. A small blush began to creep up onto his cheeks as he turned away nonchalantly before Roy could tease him once more.
But Roy wasn't stupid or oblivious, he just let the poor young man be, for now.
A few hours had passed and it was now Juniper's turn for the mock battle. Steelbarb, Flame and Rapidblade had all dutifully obliged each alchemist in combat, with Grumman deciding who each alchemist would face. She came to the conclusion that she would very much rather battle either Brigadier General Walker or Colonel Elric, because quite frankly, General Mustang's technique scared the crap out of her. How could she be expected to manipulate the air that his flame alchemy relied on too?
"You'll do great Juniper. I know you will." Riley Connors said softly as he sat with her on the bench he had been occupying. He was still much too exhausted to take part in the final part of this exam, and spent the past few hours talking with Juniper. They had quickly become friends.
"Thanks Riley, though I'm not so sure if I go against Mustang." She muttered as she gently ran an index finger along the groves in the craved wood of her bow that she had across her lap. She heard Brigadier General Walker call out her last name.
"Well, wish me luck." She swallowed hard and stood, making her way over to the military personnel.
"You won't need it!" Riley called out to her. He was rewarded with a cheerful smirk from her.
Juniper stopped in front of the men once again for the third time that day, her bow held in her folded hands in front of her belly. She took deep, but gentle calming breathes.
"Well here we are Miss Fox. The very last part of the exams. I must say, between you, me and these men here; I've been looking forward to this battle the most. Now the task of choosing you opponent.." He drifted off in thought.
'Steelbarb; an alchemist that can transmute most metal materials into balls that explode and produce steel barbs sent flying in all directions. Miss Fox's ability to control the air would stop the barbs in their tracks. It would be much too easy for her.
RapidBlade; the young prodigy with an impressively hefty knowledge of alchemy and alkhestry, who uses push blades with his intense martial art skills. Unpredictable and could be dangerous, but is ridiculously smitten with Miss Fox, and would probably go much too easy on her for her to be able to prove anything. It's hard to say..
Then there's Flame. They both have an understanding of the element, oxygen. They can both dictate how their respective elements move through the air. They'd be evenly matched, unless Miss Fox has another trick up her sleeve.. Hmm…'
"…I think I'm going to send you out there with her, Mustang."
Juniper's heart sank and her nerves rioted. "Fuck."
They were momentarily stunned at sudden choice of words, but all began laughing at her reaction to Grumman's choice.
Everyone except for Alphonse that is. He was surprised by her outburst, but he saw something else. He saw how nervous and worried she appeared, and he could sympathize with her. After all, she had just sat there and watched while five other men had Roy's flames tossed their way. She knew full well what he was capable of. But he quickly came to the same conclusion Grumman had. They were pretty evenly matched, she just didn't realize it.
Roy stepped out onto the field still humored by her unexpected language. Alphonse quickly took this opportunity to throw a tiny bit of advice to her.
"Try not to focus so hard on strengths. Realizing and understanding a weakness is the first step to overcoming it and overpowering your opponent."
Juniper turned her head to look over her shoulder and her eyes were instantly locked with intense, determined citrine gold eyes. They were breathtaking. His words resonated deep within, and struck a chord. She knew what she had to do.
"Thank you, Colonel." She gave him a small appreciative smile and nodded her head with determination. She turned and walked to the middle of the field and joined Roy.
"Ready to have your ass handed to you by a woman, General?" She spat mockingly.
Roy couldn't help but chuckle. "So feisty, Miss Fox. I like my ass exactly where it is actually. Though I wonder how you'll be able to sit down after I singe yours."
His remark was smug, just as was his smirk. It only put more fuel on the fire that was her burning determination, causing it to roar to life. Her hazel eyes glinted as she stared back into his obsidian, the humor not lost.
"We shall see." Juniper muttered as she turned and walked away to put some distance between them for the mock battle, with Roy doing the same.
Grumman gave them the order to begin, and instantly Roy hand snapped his fingers to send a moderately sized flame hurtling towards Juniper. She held her right arm out in front of her and with her own alchemy, did her best to send the violent flames in all other directions away from her.
His flames were strong, and it took some effort to dictate one element against another powerful one. But she remained focused as an idea popped into her head. Roy sent forth another blast of fire, and this time she shifted the air around her, effectively turning it towards the oncoming flames. With a grunt of effort and more energy put into it, she managed to turn the flames around. Roy's own flames were now coming back at him, something he did not anticipate. Luckily he had enough time to clap his hands and transmute a barrier to escape the rampaging flames before they dissolved into the air around him.
Juniper took the opportunity while Roy had been distracted to draw her bow, notch an arrow and send it flying towards the pond. It was now time for her secondary element to shine. Both her silver and gold bracelets began to glow.
The arrow flew through the air at such a speed, it draws water from the pond as it passes over it, flowing like a ribbon behind the flying arrow. Juniper directs the arrow towards Roy, who now was preparing to send another flame. He never noticed what she had done before it was too late. The soaring arrow passes over him and slows down in speed. Gravity then does its part and takes the streaming water downward onto him, knocking him onto his rear and leaving him completely soaked.
Juniper had outdone the Flame Alchemist.
"What the hell? Where did that damned water come from?!" He was completely baffled as he spluttered out his words, looking like a big soggy mess on the ground. He heard Juniper laughing as she approached him and held her hand out to him.
"Oh, did I perhaps forget to mention I can also use good old H2O as an element. I'm sorry, Sir." She humored with sarcastic nonchalance as she gave him a genuine smile. "I may not have handed your ass to you, but I sure soaked it. Thank you for the battle General Mustang."
At first he grumbled and took her hand, but then he softened and began chuckling as she helped him to his feet. "Well played, Miss Fox."
Soft clapping got their attention. They turned to see Grumman walking towards them, along with Alphonse and Walker.
"Miss Fox, you sly lass! We had no idea you could use water as well." He exclaimed.
"Yes Sir, it is merely my secondary element, though it does come in handy. Especially in emergencies where there is an accidental or risky fire." She said, remembering briefly how she had once helped quickly extinguish a barn fire in her hometown.
"Absolutely. Thank you again for a wonderful display, Miss." He nodded to her as he excused himself so that he may address the rest of the applicants.
"We are thoroughly impressed with the skills that have been set on display for us today. Thank you all for working so hard to make it this far in the exams. Keep in mind that we can only accept one applicant of course. You'll each receive a letter, notifying you of your results. I look forward to seeing the successful applicant in the near future."
With that said and done, people began to leave. Juniper was quickly joined by Riley, who wished to bid his new friend a goodbye.
"Juniper! Hey, that was wonderful. I knew you could do it, and against the Flame Alchemist no less." He smiled brightly, his chocolate brown eyes shining.
"Thanks Riley. I can't believe I managed to do it either." She returned the smile.
"So you're staying at your hotel until you get the results? What are you going to do after that?"
"Well, if I get certified, I'll get an apartment here in Central, or where ever they send me I guess. If not, then I'll simply go back home to Kadayr and wait for next year's exams. What about you?"
"Oh I'm just going to go back to Thal and continue to train. I can't believe we live so close to each other."
"You'll have to come visit me in the tavern some time then." Juniper smiled.
"That's if I'm not visiting you in Central, or where ever they send you." They both laughed then said their goodbyes.
Juniper began a slow walk home, practically dragging her feet behind her. She was positively exhausted after the past three days that she hadn't realized how much sleep she had actually missed out on. She heard rapid footsteps from behind her and quickly turned to see the Colonel approaching her.
"Miss Fox. Sorry to stop you on your journey home, but I have something that I'm pretty sure belongs to you." Alphonse spoke softly as he stopped in front of her and reached into his jacket, pulling out her silver charm. He watched her eyes shift from a curious green to a joyful gold as her pupils dilated slightly. She unintentionally let out an excited squeak as she felt so relieved. He thought it was adorable.
"Oh my goodness! You found my special charm. I have been frantically searching for it everywhere since Monday when I bumped into someone and it fell from my neck, broken I think." She held her hands out and he gently placed it in her palm. His heart swelled.
"I had a feeling it was special… Actually, I'm the one who bumped into you on Monday evening. I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm the reason it broke, but I took the liberty of repairing it for you. I'm sorry Miss Fox."
She smiled warmly at him. "Juniper. Please call me Juniper. And don't apologize Colonel, if I hadn't of been in such a hurry, I wouldn't have knocked you off your feet." She turned her head away slightly, becoming feeling a little timid all of a sudden. He was a handsome young man, and the way he looked at her made it hard to breathe.
"Alphonse. You can call me Alphonse." He smiled, feeling just the same as her in that moment. The air around them felt like it was buzzing with an unknown force. A pleasant feeling.
Juniper giggled softly. "Izumi always did say you were a sweet young man. I never thought I'd ever actually meet you though."
"I can't believe I've never met you before." He smiled when he heard her giggle.
"Well, I suppose only fate can decide when certain people can meet." She pulled the necklace up to her neck and clasped it together, returning it to its place once more. She was so elated.
"C-Could I persuade fate to allow you to join me for a drink this evening, Juniper?" Alphonse's face was flushed a soft pink. Her name was just as lovely to say out loud as it was in his head.
Juniper's face slowly began turning the same color when his question was processed, but she beamed happily.
"I don't think fate would need to be persuaded. Because I wouldn't mind joining you for drinks at all, Alphonse."
The sound of his name on her voice made his heart beat just that much faster.
Authors Note: Ok so! Alphonse's State Title was extremely hard to come up with. Taking into account the clichés people come up with (i.e. Soul Alchemist) and the fact that all state titles are meant to INTIMIDATE others. I decided on Rapidblade. Allow me to explain my reasons for this.
1. Alphonse was always fast, even in his bulky armor, now consider said speed when he's in a lighter, human form.
2. Martial arts: He learned this with Edward from Izumi AND could possibly have picked up more skills from Xing. Ling, Lan Fan, Fu and May were certainly very fast and excellent fighters, so I wouldn't put it past Alphonse to train enough to get better than he once was.
3. The push blades. Hughes' push blades to be precise. I imagine Alphonse being a regular visitor to the Hughes family, and I can see Gracia gifting Alphonse her husband's push blades for sentimental reasons. (I'm thinking of adding a little spin-off, basically showing this scene.)
4. Alchemists aren't always named based on their alchemy/skills. Edward wasn't, he was technically named for his temper and automail, so why should this be any different?
And these are my reasons for Rapidblade. I do not plan on mentioning the name very much, just because I'm still not 100% on it, but we will see. Thanks for reading~ :D