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: Trouble Brewed In The South
Summary: And so it begins... Revelations usually mark the start of something new, both good and bad.
The weekend quickly came and passed. Surprisingly, so did Juniper's hangover after Friday and Saturday night, for which she was grateful for. Today was her first day as Major Fox, The Swiftshot Alchemist of The Amestrian Military. She had anxiety building up deep within her belly as she pulled her long violet brown hair into a neat bun, the long tendrils that framed her face fell down over her shoulders. She took one final look in the mirror to check her new military uniform before leaving the hotel room she still occupied. Now that she knew she would be staying in Central, she would have to make time after work to look for an apartment. Juniper didn't like the idea of living in the dormitories.
After a short walk, Juniper reached the front gates of Headquarters. She flashed her pocket watch to the soldiers on guard for clearance then began to ascend the long upward corridor that lead to enormous double doors, where just beyond, the vast open courtyard soaked up the morning rays. It was breathtaking as ever, only this time she felt a surge of pride and nervousness within her. It was her first day after all. Before she could go any farther, she heard a familiar voice call out behind her.
"Juniper!"
She turned around to see Alphonse slowly jogging up to her. She briefly remembered that now they were work colleagues before responding. "Good morning, Sir."
Alphonse was slightly taken aback by the way she addressed him, but he quickly realized why she had done so. "Oh yeah, I guess we'll have to use our titles from now on huh?" He chuckled, slightly amused.
She responded with a giggle of her own then winked at him. "At least until we're off duty."
Alphonse nodded with a smile, then it faded slightly when he noticed her eyes glinting with nervousness. "You look nervous. Try not to worry too much though, I'm sure everything will be fine and you'll settle in really well with everyone." He offered her a comforting touch on the shoulder.
Juniper, who immediately relaxed at his simple touch, let out a deep sigh. "I know, and I'm sure it'll be fine. It's just seeing this place again now that I'm a State Alchemist... it's all so surreal. This courtyard,..." She gestured to the vastness with a gentle wave of her hand. "...this is where it all happened, isn't it?"
Alphonse knew that she wasn't really asking, but knew the fact that this was where the final events of The Promised Day took place. He could see the slight melancholy look in her eyes, and he was sure his were the same. Everyone in the country had suffered that day, not just those who were involved. But at the same time it was also one of the happiest days of his life, when Edward brought him; body and soul, back into the world. He closed his eyes and let the memory come back to him, making him smile.
"Yeah... But it was the ending of a terrible past, and the start of something new for everyone. That's what we should always remember." He said softly. Alphonse wasn't sure if Juniper was aware of what happened to him, and wasn't sure how much Izumi had told her, but he figured he'd keep it to himself for now. Maybe one day he could tell his story to her.
Juniper was now looking at him, admiring his optimism and somehow felt like she could gain strength from it. She did know that he was here on that very day, but that was all. Seeing him smile about it meant that she shouldn't dwell on it too much and try to be positive like him. Alphonse opened his eyes and turned his gold gaze to her. "Shall we get going? Don't want to be late on the first day right?"
Juniper let out a soft chuckle as they turned headed towards the office together.
"So are you planning on finding an apartment or are you going to take up a room in the dormitories?" Alphonse asked.
She nodded. "Yes, an apartment. I'm going to look in the newspaper today whenever I get a spare moment, I'll probably do some walking around and see what's available nearby."
Alphonse paused as he thought for a moment. "There are a few apartments vacant in the complex across from mine, on the other side of the park. Maybe that might be a good place to start?"
"That sounds great. I'll have to go check it out." She smiled warmly and he beamed.
It wasn't long until they stood outside the office doors. Juniper was hesitant, her nerves getting the best of her again.
"Why am I being such a wimp?! It's only my first day for fuck sake..." She grumbled quietly under her breathe to herself. Alphonse found it amusing, though he did sympathize with her.
"You'll be fine." He gave her a reassuring smile as he opened the door and walked through, muttering out 'good morning' to all that were in there.
Roy, who sat at his desk, swiveled in his chair to face the pair entering. "Good morning you two."
Alphonse made his way to his desk and Juniper went to stand in front of Roy's.
"Good morning General." Her peculiar voice got other soldiers' attentions away from their tasks.
Roy stood up from his chair and placed his hands on his desk, looming over it. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Major Juniper Fox, the Swiftshot Alchemist. She passed her alchemy exam last week and is now part of this team. Get acquainted with her and watch her back, she will just as easily do the same for you, I am sure."
Juniper turned around and saluted the people in the room. "I look forward to working with you all."
After introductions and learning everyone's name, Juniper was given the spare desk besides Alphonse's, along with a few very minor cases for robbery or assault to work on. She knew she would spend a good amount of time in an office, but these case files were something she thought the police should be handling. She asked Hawkeye about it when Alphonse was out with Havoc to do some information gathering.
"Ah... It's Major Hawkeye, right?" Juniper asked the blonde woman gingerly as she was still trying to memorize names.
Riza smiled warmly at the young woman. "Yes that's right. Riza Hawkeye. But you can just call me Hawkeye. We're the same rank after all, it'd probably be a little silly."
Juniper responded to her with a calm smile of her own. She knew Riza and herself would be good friends in time, especially considering they were the only two women in this office.
"I was curious about something. Why is the military dealing with all of these… seemingly petty crimes? Isn't it something the police should be more than capable of handling?"
"It's true that these cases are nothing compared to some of our other current cases. But the truth of the matter is the number of members in the police force is dwindling because of the even larger number of criminal gangs and rebels that are out there at the moment. The crimes they commit are usually too minor for the military to get involved in, yet these gangs are relentless and have no mercy on anyone who gets in their way, no matter if they are in uniform or not. A case of minor assault can quickly turn into a homicide case. It's why we are dealing with most of them now. It's just simply too dangerous for a standard officer to apprehend or control the situation. Lives end up being lost." Riza looked down at her notes blankly.
To Juniper, it made sense. She had heard of these gangs going around, doing as they pleased. It was one of the main reasons she had joined the military in the first place. She knew how dangerous it was back home in the south because of these rebels. Juniper wanted to stop them and protect what little she had left of her family. With that very thought in mind, she remembered a vital piece on information she needed to discuss with Roy and the rest of his men when the opportunity presented itself.
Meanwhile, in the backwash streets of South City…
"Useless! Utterly fucking useless!" A gun was cocked then quickly released. Bang!
A tall muscular tattooed man lowered his sawn-off shotgun to the old chipped coffee table as smoke filtered out the tip. In front of this man who sat in the middle of a shabby old loveseat was another man, now dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood that slowly began to spread around him.
"Why is it that every time I ask for one simple thing to be done, you block heads end up cocking up the whole fucking job?!" The man's dark brown, nearly black, eyes seared with anger as he pulled a big cigar from his lips and puffed out a huge plume of smoke. A group of men that stood near the dead body all looked down, even some cowering in shame and fear. Some did not seem phased in the least.
"We won't be able to target the North anytime soon now after the huge mess Johnno made. I'm sick of targeting small towns and cities anyway. It's time we start doing some real damage. The kind we were once capable of." The man rubbed out his cigar on the coffee table without a care as he stood up from the couch he was occupying and bellowed out. "JAGGER!"
In a darkened corner, a lanky, black haired man with a deep jaggered scar running down from his left eyebrow, over his nose and to the right corner of his mouth let out an exasperated sigh. "There's no need to shout Boss."
"It's time you started pulling your weight. I want you and a few of your men in Central. Don't overdo it; just make some drama for the Military. We need them distracted while these useless pin-heads get in there and rob The Central Bank." The tall man marched over to the man called Jagger as he gestured to the group of men near the dead body.
"I received a tip from our scout that Mustang possibly has a new alchemist on his team. See if you can flush the lot of them out of their office and get rid of them all. Dead. They'll be an irritating thorn in our sides otherwise. You're the only alchemist I have that I trust enough to get it done quickly and cleanly! Now fuck off." The man turned around and went back to the large sofa.
Jagger gracefully stood without a word and waved for his men to follow him out the door.
"General... I have some personal information regarding some of the large scale gang activity that has been happening over the past few years."
Roy looked up from the paperwork he was reluctantly working on to see Juniper standing before him. He blinked, a little surprised at the unexpected approach, but sat upright in his chair and gave his full attention. "Do you? Let's hear it then."
Juniper not only had captured Roy's curiosity, but Alphonse, Riza, Havoc, Breda and Fuery were also suddenly paying attention.
"A few years ago when I was living and working at my Da's brewery in Kadayr, a sizable group of military men came through the town. They said they were from Dublith on their way to Rush Valley, and that they would be stopping at our inn for a night of rest. At first, no one thought anything of them as they appeared ordinary enough. But my Da, my brother and I thought it was odd that the Military would be travelling by foot on a longer route, rather than by the more direct route on the train." She let out a deep sigh. "The date was the January 2nd, 1918."
"Wait a minute, that's the day before the Rush Valley Pub Massacre. Are you saying that the gang we've been tracking and chasing all these years are actually military rebels?" Roy said, utterly floored and irritated.
Everyone else in the room was silent with gaping jaws and quiet gasps.
"Yes Sir. It is kind of the reason I stand here today in uniform. Whether it was a portion of corrupt military personnel or a gang of military rebels, I believe this piece of information is the revelation that was needed. There's a reason they've been able to elude most attempts at being arrested, a reason they can kill so many in such a short time. These men aren't just highly trained gunmen. They have former State Alchemists with them also." A fire was burning deep within her hazel eyes as she spoke.
Alphonse spoke up. "How do you know all this? About the alchemists?"
Juniper looked at him with a lightly pained expression "I'm sorry Colonel, but today after closing the cases I had been assigned, I took the liberty of looking into the Rush Valley Pub Massacre's case file myself. I noted a few things from the report, such as witness statements and names of those that were willing to provide statements. Three people on that list were from Kadayr. A few months after the massacre, those three people were reported dead in a separate case for murder that weren't linked to the massacre. The cases had no witnesses and there was very minimal evidence, so they had been closed and more or less discarded. But people in small towns don't forget things like that. As to how I know about the alchemists, the men that stayed in our inn that night had little money on them, and had to pay for rooms and services somehow without appearing overly suspicious. Four of them gave my Da their State watches as payment, as the silverware would have been enough."
Roy placed his elbows on his desk and clasped his hands together over his mouth, deep in thought. His brow furrowed deeply with frustration. "As much as it complicates things, it's defiantly the revelation as you say, Swiftshot. Although, I do know that all State Alchemist pocket watches each have a very small registration code engraved on the inside of the craftsmanship. Very few alchemists know of the the code exists or where to find it…"
"Fox, does your father still have the pocket watches?" Riza asked.
Juniper nodded "Yes. He has them locked away tightly in one of the families' personal safes. He kept them for fear of ending up sharing the same fate as the three that were murdered if he ever got rid of them or told anyone of them."
"If we get those watches.." Breda began
"..We could have some names for these rebels." Havoc finished
"The Military keeps all of the records and files of past soldiers, I'm pretty sure." Fuery pointed out.
Roy stood up. "Swiftshot, I want you to contact your family on a non-traceable phone line when you are off duty. Organize to have the pocket watches brought to Central as inconspicuously as possible. This is now your top assignment."
"Yes Sir."
After finishing work later that afternoon, Alphonse invited Juniper to his place so she could have a chance to check out the apartments on the other side of the park from his complex. They were enjoying small talk before something started to bother him.
"Juniper, why did you never come to the military with that information after the massacre? I don't mean to seem rude for asking, but-"
She interrupted him. "My Da forbid me or Daniel from discussing anything that happened over those two days with anyone. He was afraid that it would come back on us, one way or another. He didn't want to go through loosing another member of our very small family over something that we could avoid. Joining the military was partially an excuse for getting that information to the ones that could do something about it."
He could understand this, and so he let it go. "What was the other reason you joined?"
He caught her smirk, and became increasingly curious.
"I wouldn't be completely lying if I said it was for the possibly rewarding adventure and unrestricted access to alchemic study materials. No, my Da wanted me to continue to work in the pub and inn; and to find a husband." She shrugged nonchalantly.
"What? Really?" He was surprised. The way she had spoken of her father since the time they had met, he never imagined he would be the type to expect her to marry so soon.
"Yeah, really. Even Dan tried to tell him he was nuts. He can't wrap me up in silk forever after all. I don't hold it against him though. Dan and I are all he has left. He wants us to live long, happy and safe lives. But he keeps telling me I'm much too stubborn to do that, just like Ma was he says." She looked up at the different shades of color the twilight hour in the sky above them offered.
Alphonse remembers Juniper talking about her family on the weekend. Her mother had passed away after giving birth to her, so she never knew her. He considered he was very fortunate to have known his mother, even if it was only for a very few short years.
They soon approached the block of apartments opposite from the complex Alphonse resided in. Juniper went inside to find the landlord while Alphonse went home to shower, change and wait for her. It took longer than he thought, but twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. He quickly went to open the door for her.
"So how did it go? I was starting to get a little worried." He said as he held the door open for her.
"You worried about me? How sweet of you, Alphonse." She teased him as she walked passed him and gave him a playful jab in the chest with her elbow. He smirked in response as he watched her sit down on the sofa, where he joined her.
"It went well. The landlord was a really sweet old lady. Her son was nice as well. They were more than happy to give me an apartment. I can move in whenever I want." Juniper held up the brass key to her knew apartment.
Alphonse smiled brightly. "That's great, Juniper. I can help you move in when you are ready, if you'd like?"
"That would be great. The timing was actually pretty convenient as well. I called my Da from the public phone on the corner down there and Dan is delivering a shipment to Central tomorrow. He will bring the rest of my belongings as well as the pocket watches." She fidgeted with excitement.
"Gee that was sure fast." He laughed. "If Mustang agrees, why don't you take the day off tomorrow?"
"Shouldn't I ask him directly though?"
Alphonse raised a brow "You do remember I can dismiss you from work for the day too, right?"
"Oh yes, that's right." She shook her head, smiling as she remembered his rank. "Thank you, it would be a great help."
Later that night after she left, Alphonse called Roy to request that Juniper have the day off tomorrow, and that he would be helping her. Roy didn't mind, as Alphonse had simply told him that she 'had completed her assigned task'. Of course Roy didn't let Alphonse hang up without being teased a bit first. It was exasperating. He went to bed, dreaming of her again. Every night, his dreams became much more vibrant. It was a petty crush. He'd get over it soon enough. At least that's what he would think.