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 want to say a huge thank you to all the new followers. It means a whole lot to me to know that although I've been absent, the story is still being enjoyed. A special mention to banshee-hime for the awesome review you gave me. Your words gave me more than enough inspiration to find a way to get back to writing this story. So I'm powering through with the story on my iPad! (Laptop died) I'm a bit rusty, but let's see how this goes~
Author's Note 2.0: Yeah, I'm going to throw in bits of my old notes every now and then if I feel it's relevant. 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: Doesn't Time Fly?
Summary: Reunions are always pleasant...
Tuesday morning was relatively quiet for Central. The weather was warming, the skies were clear and the birds sang their sweet song, welcoming the new day. Cars and the occasional horse and carriage traveled along the roads while people strode peacefully on the sidewalk, going about their business. The smell of freshly baked bread from bakeries wafted through the air. No one could ask for a better start to the day. Alphonse hoped it would last. He was slowly getting dressed while he looked out his bedroom window, spotting Juniper in the distance on the sidewalk cross the park. She appeared to be waiting, looking down the road. Alphonse quickly shrugged on a half sleeved dark grey shirt, grabbed his keys and left the apartment.
"Good morning Alphonse. You certainly look very happy today." Juniper murmured with a smile as he approached her. She wore a light pink blouse and an olive green knee length skirt. Her hair was pulled up into an attractively messy bun. Her smile was bright, and she appeared to be just as happy as he was. He again melted when he saw her smile, which was infectious.
"Good morning. I am very happy today actually." He said as he stopped before her. His smile made her stomach flip inside her belly.
"Any particular reason why?" Her tone was playful.
He picked up on it, and played along.
"I get to help a very pretty girl move into her apartment today." He winked. Though he teased, his words sounded as if he really meant it too.
She scoffed, then started giggling, not realizing her face was heated a soft shade pink. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Sweetness." She crooned softly, rolling her eyes with sarcasm.
Now it was Alphonse's turn to blush, and he did his best to laugh it off.
Suddenly, Juniper gasped and spun around, looking towards the corner of the street.
"My brother is here." Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Alphonse turned to face the same direction, but he couldn't see anyone there. He waited a moment, and was about to ask Juniper when he faintly heard the rumble of a carriage, the jingle of harnesses and heavy, clattering foot falls of more than a few horses in the distance. The sound grew louder until from around the corner, six very big Shire horses pulling an even bigger wagon materialized. It was a stunning sight.
Each horse was as black as night with beautiful white feathering* around their hooves, except one, who was simply jet black all over. Their coats shimmered in the sunlight, as did their polished harnesses that was adorned with silver buckles and intricate detailing. The large carriage they pulled was a brewery wagon, painted blue and dark green with white lettering 'Fox Estate. Iraylian Brewery, Tavern & Inn. Est 1898.'
Alphonse was fascinated, and stood there staring in awe as Juniper quickly moved towards the one pure black horse at the front of the line as they came to a halt.
"Hello Nocturne. How are you, my boy?" She uttered softly, and the horse nickered in response, seemingly pleased to see his true master once again. She gave him a gentle pat before turning towards the driver of the carriage, who was now climbing down from the high seat.
The broad and buff brunette man jumped down the rest of the way with a loud thud. He turned around and his kind, warm eyes; golden-brown like bourbon, widened with happiness.
"Blue!" He called out to Juniper in a strong, deep accent as she came bounding up to him.
"Big Brother!" She leaped out to him and he caught her in his arms for a tight embrace. They chuckled as he put her back on her feet.
"It's so good to see you. You look like you're doing very well and settling into city life. Baby Bird isn't so little anymore."
'Blue? Baby Bird? They must be her nicknames.' Alphonse thought her pet names were certainly different, but charming.
"You've got yourself a boyfriend already Blue?" The man appeared a bit surprised as he murmured quietly to Juniper after noticing Alphonse close by.
"Oh no no…" She flustered for a moment. "This is my friend and commanding officer, Alphonse Elric. He generously offered to help me with the move today."
"Elric? I've heard that name somewhere before…" He pondered a moment until he remembered. "You're Edward Elric's younger brother, aren't you?"
Alphonse smiled and nodded. "That's right."
"I'm Daniel. But please call me Dan. We've actually met before. You used to be in a huge suit of armor many years back." Dan smiled and offered Alphonse a handshake. Alphonse accepted it as his brow furrowed in thought.
"You have? When was this?" Alphonse couldn't recall meeting Dan before.
"1914. I was heading to East City from New Optain after making a delivery. I came across a quiet, but moving suit of armor and a hot-headed, ranting short guy that seemed pissed about missing the last train of the day. I came along with this lot and asked if you needed a ride anywhere." He gestured to the horses that were quietly and patiently standing.
The memory came flooding back. He remembered the 6 hour ride through the night until they reached East City. He spent his time talking to Dan while Edward slept in the back of the wagon. "Oh that's right! I remember now. You really saved us from a world of trouble that time. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."
"Ah don't fret over it. I was a young lad back then, and I didn't have this growing either." He chuckled as he ran two fingers down his braided beard, which stopped just before it touched his chest with a small silver patterned bead on the end of it. "But here, look at you. It's nice to meet you with a body and face now. When did you get it back?"
"The Promise Day." Alphonse simply said.
"Ah yes. A scary day that was too. At least for us it was. We had no idea what was happening to us." Dan nodded.
"I don't mean to interrupt the reunion, but if you two are quite done with reminiscing, could we maybe start unloading the wagon?" Juniper chimed in sweetly, and the three of them quickly got to work.
"I can't believe you managed to fit that entire load of furniture in here as well as the shipment you had to deliver." Alphonse let out a long exhausted huff as he sat on the back of the wagon with Juniper and Dan after moving all of Juniper's belongings to her apartment.
"The amount of things you can fit in here still surprises me." Juniper muttered as she looked at Dan, who was perched up on the driver's seat.
"It's a good thing I built this wagon when I did though, business is picking up even more now. Your brew in particular is very popular now by the way." He smirked.
"I knew I was right about the blueberries. Tell Da I said 'I told you so'." Juniper snickered.
"He knew you'd want to tell him so." Dan chuckled as he readjusted his seating. As he did, he noticed something sitting near his feet. He reached down and picked it up. "Oh Blue, I almost forgot this."
Juniper stood up and reached for the odd shaped case, taking it from Dan. She recognized it as her violin. "Ah, thank you Big Brother."
"Compose a song for me, I want to hear something next time you come home, ya hear? You've not played for me or Da in a while." He said as he gently places his hand atop her head.
"You know I've been too busy to play, you pleb." She huffed and moved away from his child-like gesture with a soft pout.
Alphonse chuckled to himself at the sweet scene. It seemed like whenever a person was with their family, everything around them appeared peaceful, and it warmed his heart to know that Juniper experiences just as much happiness when she's with her family, as he does when he is with his.
A loud whinny came from the front of the carriage, causing Dan and Juniper to quit their light bickering.
"I think it's time to start heading back now. Your Nocturne is as impatient as ever. Take care of yourself now Blue." Dan leaned down and embraced his younger sister in a tight hug. They gently pulled away and Juniper and Alphonse hopped down from the wagon and onto the sidewalk.
"Have a safe journey back home. Tell Da I'll be home for a visit real soon." Juniper smiled, but her eyes were saddened.
"I'm pretty sure Da will make me come to Central and drag you home for a visit otherwise. It was nice seeing you again Alphonse; watch out for our little Blue for me." Dan said as he picked up the horses reins and gave them a quick whistle, signalling the group of six to move forward as one unit.
"I will" Alphonse called out to him as he drove off down the street, leaving himself and Juniper waving to Dan as he eventually disappeared. He looked down to Juniper to see if she was okay. He noticed her lovely hazel eyes were fighting back tears, though she blinked them away and let out a deep sigh.
Juniper slowly turned to Alphonse. "Well that's that then. Let's go find those pocket watches. Dan said he had hidden them in one of the smaller cases."
"Ah, Juniper?" Alphonse pointed to the violin case she had in her hands.
She looked down at it when she caught his hint, opening it slightly. There within the case accompanying the instrument, were four silver State watches. Juniper giggled softly at the irony.
"Let's get these to Mustang right away." She closed the case once again and they headed for Headquarters. Juniper decided that afterwards, she would do some shopping for a few supplies and groceries. On the way, Alphonse asked about the names Dan had called her. She giggled at the question.
"Both Dan and Da call me 'Baby Bird'. I don't know the reason why, all I know is that they've always called me it. I think it has something to do with being the youngest, I'm not entirely sure. As for 'Blue'; I was named after my Da's important ingredient in most of his brews; juniper berries. Da told me when I was born; Dan would call me Blue because it was the color of juniper berries. I guess it's just stuck after all these years."
Alphonse smiled warmly. "The names suit you…" He blurted out softly without thinking. When he did realize, he began to stutter.
"I-I mean, well… B-Blue defiantly suits; Baby Bird is n-nice too…"
Juniper couldn't help but inwardly laugh at his reaction. She knew he meant well. She lightly placed her fingers on top of his hand to get him to stop fumbling out his words.
"Alphonse, relax. You didn't offend me." She offered him a reassuring smile when he stilled at her contact. They both noticed the spark again, but ignored it as best as they could, oblivious to the fact they both most certainly could not ignore it.
"You came to play the violin?" Roy asked with a raised brow as Juniper and Alphonse walked through the doors to his office
Alphonse couldn't help himself but scoff and snicker quietly. Juniper had done the same, but she quickly cleared her throat and approached Roy's desk, placing the case upon it.
"No Sir, I just had these delivered to me not half an hour ago." She opened the case and revealed its contents. One by one, she removed each State pocket watch and placed them on the desk.
"That was certainly a quick delivery." Roy muttered as he reached for one of the watches and looked over its craftsmanship.
"My brother had a delivery to make here in Central, it's was just perfect timing." She nodded and smiled.
"Well I'm grateful, Swiftshot. You continue to impress me. Keep up the good work." He nodded at her, and she returned it.
Roy began scribbling an address on a small piece of paper. "Major Hawkeye, I want you to go to this address and escort the proprietor back here. Advise him that it is of great importance to our current case, and that his cooperation would be appreciated." He said firmly as he handed her the paper.
"Yes Sir." She briefly looked at it then promptly left the office.
"The man is the only one who has crafted every single State Alchemist pocket watch within the past sixty or so years. He has done this job anonymously at his own request, and has some sort of memory for every watch he has made. He will undoubtedly know who these once belonged to. It's annoying that he's the only one who can find the damn codes on them too." Roy explained, with a minor grumble at the end.
"You don't get along with him do you?" Alphonse muttered in an exasperated tone with the look to match it crossing his face.
Roy swiveled around in his chair to face the window, stubbornly folding his arms over his chest and refusing to answer. Alphonse shook his head. 'It's hard to believe you're an adult sometimes. You and Ed are so much alike it's freaky.' He thought to himself, moving to join Juniper who had sat down on a sofa in the office as they waited for Riza to return.
A short while later, Riza returned with an elderly hobbled man clinging to her arm as she escorted him in. He tapped his walking cane around in front of him as he felt his way into the room. Everyone in the room besides Roy was surprised to find out that the man was blind. The man let go of Riza and proceeded further into the office. He was hobbling his way towards Alphonse and Juniper. They both stood, ready to redirect him, but he stopped in his tracks right before Alphonse.
"Pocket watch." The old man wheezed out hoarsely as he held out his hand.
Alphonse was surprised, but quickly pulled it out from his pant pocket and handed him the watch. He watched as the old man run his shaky wrinkled hands over its surface.
"Heh… Rapidblade. I've always wanted to meet you young man. You're that Fullmetal pipsqueak's younger brother ain't ya?" The man chuckled softly as he reached up and patted Alphonse on the shoulder and handed back the watch. He was a little bewildered, but smiled. He heard Juniper snickered softly beside him, which caught the old man's attention.
He held his hand out to Juniper, and she quickly handed him her own watch. His face brightened with a rare bright smile.
"Ohh.. What a pleasure Swiftshot. You have no idea how happy I was to hear my most recent work was going to a talented young lady." He murmured as he returned the watch to its owner. She was about to speak when the sound of Mustang clearing his throat interrupted her.
"I'm coming Mustang, keep your damn trousers on." The man grumbled under his breath as his cane tapped its way to Mustang's desk.
"Let's make this quick." Roy said firmly as he slid the four pocket watches across his desk towards the man, who then picked up the first one and inspected it thoroughly with his skilled hands.
"This one… belonged to Shadowfrost…" He placed it back down and picked up the next watch. "…and this next one belonged to Ironforce."
"And the last two…Hmm… Crimson Blade and… Typhoon." The man placed the watches back on the desk in front of Mustang, who's face had paled slightly.
"Crimson Blade and Typhoon? Are you sure?" Mustang asked firmly, gritting his teeth.
A cane swung in the air as quick as lighting, narrowly missing Mustang who flinched away from it. "You drag an old blind man out of his home just to question his life's work? I'm going home." He grumbled as he shuffled to the door, followed by Riza who was to return him to his shop.
Roy turned to Alphonse and Juniper. "Thank you two for coming in today. I need to… do some investigating. You're dismissed now. I'll see you both tomorrow." He said in a clipped tone before he started barking orders at the soldiers still on duty.
Alphonse and Juniper nodded and left without another word. They didn't speak until they had completely left Central Command. Juniper was the first to break the silence.
"Is that normal for General Mustang?" She asked softly, looking at Alphonse with concern, who was deep in thought about the same thing Juniper was questioning.
"If I know Roy as well as I think, I know that his reaction to the names was not exactly great news for the case. I know he's glad we're finally getting somewhere with this, but I don't think those were the names he was expecting to hear. I'm sure he will explain more to us when he finds out more himself. It's obviously far before my time as a State Alchemist, as I've never heard of any of those alchemists before." He paused and turned to look at her. She was clearly as concerned as he was, as her brow was furrowed with worry.
"At least we've taken a big step forward in finding out who may be responsible for all the bad events lately." He offered her his bright, reassuring smile.
His smile had melted her on the inside. His optimism was infectious, and all her concerns dissipated almost instantly. She was glad he had the kind of effect on her, as it stopped her from letting her mind dwell.
Alphonse spent the rest of the day accompanying and helping Juniper with her groceries and supplies she needed for her new home. It's was a pleasant way to spend the rest of the day, relaxing in its own way. They talked about whatever thing came up, effectively learning even more about each other. As the evening started to settle in, they bid each other goodnight and Alphonse headed home.
He idly wondered if he'd ever find the time to fit in some solo studying, and the thought was surprisingly displeasing to him.
'I'd rather spend my time studying with her…'