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: Again, thank you to banshee-hime for you lovely review ^-^ 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: When The Past Creeps In

Summary: There are some things she'd rather forget all about...

Soft colors of pinks, purples and pale grey filled the sky in the early hours of the morning. Stars that were still visible in the dark sky twinkled softly, staring down at Amestris as the country began to slowly wake to the new day. One soul in particular was already strolling down the road toward Central Command.

Alphonse had woken up early and decided to leave for work a lot sooner to delve into something that had been troubling his mind. One thing in particular, was Roy's odd behavior yesterday after the old man had identified the pocket watches. He knew Roy well enough to know that the man would not appear so troubled about an issue unless it was immensely serious or even dangerous. Alphonse also knew that although he was a Colonel State Alchemist, the General would not give up whatever he knew so easily for fear of Alphonse doing just what an Elric would usually do; investigate in depth on his own accord.

Alphonse figured he'd start his investigation as inconspicuously as he could manage by going to the library first. If anyone from Roy's team was sent looking for him, his excuse would be that he was 'studying'. Thankfully for him, the library was open early most days of the week.

He headed straight for the newspaper archives and searched the rows. But to his dismay, they were organized by date and not alphabetically. He let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his golden locks, his brow furrowing with frustration. Then it came to him. He knew someone who could very well help him with this dilemma, someone who was always there in the library when they weren't working. He quickly walked to the back rows of the library isles and looked down each one until he spotted just the person he was looking for.

"Good morning Sheska." He said with a friendly smile.

"Eeep!" The mousy brunette jolted and almost dropped her handful of books from the sudden surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to give you a fright." Alphonse chuckled softly as he came to a stop before her.

"G-Good morning Alphonse. Yes, that's twice you've startled me now. You're so quiet when you approach." She said with a rush of breathe as she adjusted her glasses, her heart rate beginning to settle.

"Yeah, training with Xingese warriors certainly has its advantages I guess. Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me with something. I'm trying to see if there are any newspaper articles that involve any of these State Alchemists." Alphonse had pulled his journal from his uniform, opened it up to a page in particular and passed it to Sheska.

She looked over it and stared off into the distance as she thought. "Hmmm… Yes I think I have seen one or two articles with these names." She said as she handed back his journal then placed the rest of the books she was holding back on the shelf. She then lead Alphonse back to the newspaper archives and began the search.

"Here's one of them." She reached up to grab the book that would contain the entire newspaper from a particular date. After a short search, she quickly found the other and handed him both books.

"Thank you. You've been a great help." Alphonse nodded with appreciation.

"You're welcome Al. I'll see you later." Sheska said and headed back to the section she was previously in.

"Oh and Sheska-!" Alphonse called out to her as loudly as he was permitted to.

"Yes I know. You were here studying. Nothing more, nothing less. As usual." She said, waving her hand at him before turning the corner. This wasn't the first time Alphonse had done his own investigating and needed her help.

Meanwhile…

Juniper, who was also up quite early, closed her apartment door and locked it behind her. She tucked her keys into her pocket, adjusted the drawstring of her bow that rested across her torso and headed out of the complex at a brisk walk. It had been a few days since she had any time to shoot, and she had the 'trigger itch', but what would you call that for an archer? In any case, she rarely went a day without getting in some practice.

A short walk to Central Command, and she headed straight for the shooting range. She was unsure if her weapon of choice was even allowed in the place. As she walked into the gear and locker rooms, she noted that it was empty. For this she was pleased, and headed straight out to the shooting range.

As she walked along the long sheltered pathway, she looked around at the facilities. She imagined this place would be bustling with soldiers during the day. The thought made her wonder if she would be laughed at for taking to the bow rather than a gun. She shrugged off her thoughts and removed the bow from her back. She had only brought a few arrows with her, as the rest of them were safely stored at home or in the office weaponry cabinets. Settling on a spot for target practice, she got straight to it. She was so absorbed with her practice that she didn't even notice Riza enter the range a short time later.

"Good morning Juniper." The woman said softly, so as not to startle her.

"Oh Hawkeye, good morning to you as well. How are you?" Juniper said as she lowered her bow.

"I'm well, thank you. You can call me Riza when we're not on duty if you'd like." She said with a rare smile. Though they hadn't had much time to get to know each other better yet, Riza had taken a liking to the young woman. In some way, Juniper reminded her of herself when she was young, before the war in Ishval.

"Riza…" Juniper corrected herself with a nod and a smile. "Have you come to get some practice in also?"

Riza shook her head. "No. Actually, I was about to head into the office when I saw you heading towards the range. I hope you didn't mind the audience for that short time." Riza said and saw Juniper shake her head before continuing. "I had only heard of your weapon choice and was curious. You've got impressive accuracy; I'd certainly rely on you to have my back one day."

"Thank you, and likewise. I've heard you're quite the deadly shot yourself."

"Mm… Some days I wish I wasn't known to be 'deadly." Her mahogany brown eyes shifted towards the targets on the range.

After a short moment of peaceful silence, Juniper spoke softly.

"I won't say I that can understand how you feel, because I have no way of knowing what it feels like to have killed someone. But in its own bizarre way… I can understand why you have that desire."

Riza softly hummed with amusement. "You can tell I don't like sympathy, can't you?"

Juniper turned and smiled at Riza, who returned it with a kind one of her own. The warmth of the moment seemed to reflect itself in the nature around them, as the bright spring sun started to lighten the pale sky, warming everything its sunlight touched and stirring the birds from their nests.

"Juniper, if you ever need help or even a just friend to talk to, I'll be here for you. We're just two women in a man's world after all." She said with humor, making Juniper giggle softly.

Dark obsidian eyes stared blankly out of the office window as one by one, each person of Roy's team arrived, the last being Juniper and Riza.

Alphonse was lucky to not be questioned on his early morning whereabouts, but what he did find in his research had only made him want to find out more. It was time for Mustang to spill the beans.

"General." Alphonse said as he stood in front of Roy's desk.

The man turned around in his chair to face him and spoke in an exasperated tone. "What is it Elric?"

Alphonse undoubtedly noticed the dark sleepless circles under his eyes and the blank, but somewhat frustrated expression on Roy's face. "Yesterday, when we received the names of the alchemists who once owned those pocket watches…" Alphonse paused and lowered his voice a bit, hoping that only Riza and Juniper were the only ones that may be within earshot. "…I couldn't help but notice that you appeared a bit distressed at the names mentioned."

"Suppose I should come clean about what I know before you go doing your own digging around for the information, eh?" Roy rubbed the palms of his hands over his face before standing up from his chair. "Everyone stop what you're doing and listen up."

Alphonse could tell he was forcing himself to do this. He stepped back and leaned against the arm of the sofa nearby and folded his arms across his chest. Everyone else in the office had stopped to listen to the General.

"As you all are aware, yesterday we had four pocket watches previously belonging to State Alchemists inspected and identified. These alchemists were Samuel McDougal the Shadowfrost Alchemist, Lenard Grey the Ironforce Alchemist, Brian 'Jagger' Wilson the Crimson Blade Alchemist and Ray Collins the Typhoon Alchemist. Those of you that have been serving the military for nearly as long as I would have heard of these names before, if not, you've probably read about them. Shadowfrost was, in my opinion, a coward alchemist. He liked hiding in the dark, always sneaky and undetectable until it was too late for his victims. It probably doesn't surprise you that he used ice in his transmutations; much like his cousin Isaac McDougal. Now Ironforce, like a lot of the military's alchemists, liked to transmute different metals for his attacks. But it was the amount of energy he forced into these transmutations that made him deadly. These two men were reported missing and later declared dead in 1915" Roy paused to let the information sink in before continuing.

"I'm sure you remember either seeing and or hearing about Solf J. Kimblee before? Well, Crimson Blade was one of the sick bastards that looked up to that man and agreed with his views on everything that was cruel and sinister to the human race. In fact a lot of people began to think the two were related, but this is not the case. He was sent to prison a year after the Ishval war had ended for a killing spree that resulted in the murder of 13 civilians and 9 fellow soldiers in South City." Roy said with a look of disgust.

"Why was he called Crimson Blade?" Fuery asked.

Riza chimed in to answer, her tone of voice dejected from the memory of witnessing such an event. "Because he would only ever transmute anything he could get his hands on into sharp projectile blades… and every single blade he sent forward would always end up painted with blood or buried within your flesh, one way or another."

In the corner of the room, Havoc and Breda cringed and shuddered, thinking that this guy sounded as bad as Kimblee and Barry the Chopper rolled into one person.

"And the Typhoon Alchemist?" Juniper queried.

Roy sat back down on his chair and stared blankly at his desk. "He was the worst of them. Ray Collins was a Colonel and commanding officer of the other three. He was so power hungry that he took violent methods to gaining his promotions when it was a corrupt military. He used his water based alchemy to drown whoever it was he was after, as well as the many unfortunate victims that got in the way of it. Not only would he drown people, but he could turn any pond or river into poison that resembled water, killing anyone who got in contact with it. He could just as easily turn the sweat on your brow to a skin searing acid, all at a simple touch that you wouldn't even know about until your flesh was melting away from your bones."

Juniper felt sick to her stomach. If these alchemists were the same men that spent the night at her families inn a day before murdering many innocent people, then she had no doubt that they could very well still be alive, planning another massacre.

"Fox, yesterday didn't you say that you had uniformed military officers stay at your inn in Kadayr the day before the Rush Valley Pub Massacre?" Havoc asked from across the room.

Juniper nodded "Yes I…" She paused, thinking. She stared down at her desk for a moment then looked up at Mustang. "I think I may be able to identify the men if they have photographs. It's been a few years, but I have never been able to forget their faces."

"Elric, head over to the investigations department and get Sheska to find the files on each of these men. Don't answer any questions from anyone whatsoever. That's an order." Roy commanded and Alphonse nodded then promptly left the room.

"I assume you've come to the same conclusion as I have then Swiftshot?" Roy said as he turned to stare out the window, looking down at all the oblivious innocent lives that wondered the streets below.

"These men may very well be leaders or even a part of the group the military have been after these past few years." She replied and saw him nod. She could tell from the distant yet determined look in the man's eye that no matter what it took, these alchemists would be brought to justice.

The sound of thunder loomed in the near distance as Alphonse lay in bed, staring out his window at the blackened night sky. He had been tossing and turning, unable to find sleep. The events from earlier repeated over and over in his mind…

"Make sure you're 100% clear on identifying the men, Fox. If we make a mistake from here, it could cause more trouble than it's worth." Roy muttered as he slid the four manila files towards her on his desk. Juniper was sitting opposite him with Alphonse and Riza nearby, the others listening in from their own desks.

She picked up the first file and opened it. Inside were various documents and certificates of identification, as well as a mass of records concerning the person. Upon opening it, the thing that caught her attention immediately was a photograph held by a paperclip, of a rogue looking man with ice blue eyes and dull brown hair. She recognized him instantly.

"Yes, I definitely saw this man." She said as she passed Alphonse the file, who was documenting the information she provided as well as key notes from the files on a notepad. Juniper took the next file and again made a positive identification for a rather robust looking man with brown eyes and hair.

"So that's Shadowfrost and Ironforce." Alphonse said to Mustang as he jotted down the names.

As she picked up the third file, her hands starting to tremble slightly. She opened the file and quickly snapped it shut, almost tossing it at Alphonse who then gave her a confused look. Her sudden change in behavior didn't go unnoticed by the others either.

"Yes, that one as well." She spat harshly, picking up the next file quickly and opening it. She resettled somewhat as she identified the last file, belonging to Typhoon, as another she had seen that night, though the tense emotion emitting from her was still present. It had even Roy concerned.

"Thank you Swiftshot. Thanks to you we now may have some names and faces to put to the crimes in the south. I'm going to dismiss you for the rest of the day." He said. Although she was now a soldier, she was an innocent civilian at the time of these events, and it clearly caused her grief. He could not afford to have the newest and youngest member of his team affected by poor morale, so he gave her what he thought was necessary. Juniper had left quickly before Alphonse even had a chance to talk to her.

Alphonse had gone to Juniper's apartment after leaving the office for the day to see how she was, but before he even knocked on her door, he came to the conclusion that she would tell him about it when and if she was ready. He certainly wasn't going to push her on the issue, it just wasn't his way. It didn't stop him from worrying about her though.

As the coming storm approached, he listened to it soundly as his mind continued to whir with thoughts of Juniper and what could have happened on that night in Kadayr. The soft tapping of rain drops pelting against the glass of his window and louder, rumbling thunder started to lull him to sleep lightly. Each sound was even and rhythmic, no louder nor quieter than the last.

But there was one thunder clap that was louder than the others, sounding more like an explosion than thunder, and it made Alphonse leap out of bed and begin to dress almost instinctively. He dressed quickly and ran to the phone as he shrugged on his grey trench coat. He dialed one digit and was instantly connected to Mustang's residence. He heard the phones pick up and quickly spoke.

"Roy, did you hear it?" He breathed out hoarsely.

"Yes, it sounded and looks like it came from the Central Bank." Mustang responded gruffly as he looked out his apartment window, seeing the large pillar of smoke that rose into the wet night sky. Below it, he could see the shimmer of orange, indicating a fire. "I'll call Hawkeye and Havoc, you call Fuery and Breda, then go fetch Swiftshot. Meet me down there as fast as you can." Then the line went dead.

Alphonse made the quick call to the two men then bolted out the door. Once he was outside, he was drenched in the downpour as he quickly ran across the park to Juniper's apartment complex. He bounded up the stairs and once he reached her door, began knocking urgently and calling to her. He waited… and waited, but no answer. He couldn't afford to wait any longer, so uncharacteristically, and with brute force, he kicked the door in. Amazingly, it stayed on its hinges. He did a quick sweep of her apartment only to find that she wasn't even there. Her bed was disheveled, and her bow was missing from it's stand, so he figured she had already left. Upon leaving, as quick as he broke the door, he mended it with alchemy then left hastily.

It didn't take long for Alphonse to reach the Central Bank, joining Mustang's team and other enlisted soldiers that all were fixated on what was happening before them. Most of them had guns drawn and pointed at the bank doors, ready for whoever was going to try to escape.

"We have the whole building surrounded, and there are two security guards confirmed dead so far. We have no way of knowing how many others there are inside." A shirtless, but ready to fight Colonel Armstrong said to Mustang, who merely nodded. He was not going to let these criminals get away without a fight.

"Elric, where's Swiftshot?" Roy snapped as he looked around for his youngest subordinate.

"She wasn't at home Sir. I searched her apartment but there was no sign of her. I had assumed she had heard the explosion and was already on her way here." Alphonse said between breathes. The fact that no one had seen Juniper since earlier in the day caused anxiety to twist sharply in his chest.

Just then, the double doors of the bank burst open. Black silhouettes of three men began to take shape and emerge from the burning building. Riza raised her hand, signalling to the other gun toting soldiers to hold their fire for the time being.

The rains downpour began to increase and the thunder that had been rumbling was soon accompanied by bright lightning, illuminating the faces of the three men. Alphonse heard Roy grunt loudly with hatred, and he knew why.

Three alchemists; Shadowfrost, Ironforce and Crimson Blade