A/N: Oh My God… It's been almost like 3 weeks. I am terribly sorry, I was just a bit busy. *people throw tomatoes* Well, at least this is the last chapter so you don't have to wait anymore, right? RIGHT? I don't know if I should say I regret continuing this story after the split-personality ended… Ah well, it's too late now so I might as well get this over with.

CHAPTER 13

"Red Water, huh?" Ed muttered. "Though I hadn't known that it was used in creating the Stone. We can actually create it…" he put on his black hat and headed for the lobby.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to ask the guy at the lobby where the Viral Express is. And then I'm getting breakfast. You coming?"

Roy nodded.

It was early in the morning. After a full night's sleep, they were both full of energy. Edward ran the little bell in front of the lobby. "Hello?" he asked.

The man appeared with a cup of coffee in his hands. "Yes?"

Ed kneeled on the desk, forgetting to use the accent. "We're looking for someone with the name Viral. Do you know where we can-"

"Viral Hotel." The man cut him.

"What?" Roy asked.

"If you go a bit more north for about five kilometers, then you'll come across Viral Hotel, also known as Viral Express. It is owned by someone named Jace Viral.

Ed smiled. "There we go. Thank you very much, sir. We'll be leaving soon." Without any other word, Edward turned back to their room, Edward turned back to their room. Roy also thanked the man in charge of the inn and followed behind Edward.

Ed had his suitcase opened in front of him, and he was packing the few stuff that he had out.

"What are you doing, Fullmetal?" Roy asked, a bit annoyed by the fact that Ed was deciding what to do without asking him first.

"What does it look like?" Ed threw back. "Gotto go."

"What about breakfast? Are you planning on starving yourself?"

Edward sighed. "We'll grab a bit on the way."

"And what about all those books I got from the library a few days ago?"

"I finished reading them."

Roy froze and his eyes widened. "That's impossible. You can't possibly-"

"Are you insulting my ability to read books in a limited amount of time?" Ed shut his suitcase and began walking out of the door. "Just hurry up already. I'll get us something to eat and wait in the car while you're being slow here."

Roy's left eye began twitching. "Know your place and don't order me around, Fullmetal. We don't have to hurry. Be patient."

Edward squinted his eyes and paused at the door. "I have a brother waiting for me, bastard. If you hadn't realized, I'm the only family he has and I don't intend to leave him alone any longer."

He left with that, leaving Mustang staring, who sighed.

Stupid big brother instinct…

Well, Ed had called him slow and a bastard again, so Roy didn't mind his rudeness. After all, he had come on this journey just for him. So that he wouldn't kill himself, or become a hostage…

He began packing.

I'm not that slow…

After dropping the books at the library –the librarian had actually become quite fond of him, unlike she had with Mustang- he bought two sandwiched from a street vendor and went to the car.

He didn't have to wait long though. After a few minutes, Roy Mustang was in the passenger seat, asking for the food.

The drive was silent. Though, they finally reached their destination, and Viral Hotel was seen in front of them.

"Better be careful." Ed mumbled. "That girl probably already told his brother that we'd come here."

Roy nodded as they got out of the car. "We should make a plan-"

Nope. Ed was already entering the hotel. When would that kid ever listen to him?

"Hello, we're looking for Jace Viral. Where can we find him?" Ed asked the reception at front.

"He's not here today though if you would like to talk to him then you could leave a message." The woman said.

"And what about his sister?" Ed asked again, determined to find the Stone today.

"Clair? She's in Mr. Viral's room in the basement, though you should-"

"Thank you." Ed finished without waiting to hear the end of her sentence.

"Fullmetal!" Roy whispered harshly, as they began going down the stairs. He grabbed him by the arm when Ed didn't respond and turned him around to face him.

"What?" Ed asked.

"You're acting careless and way too impatient. What are you going to do when we get in there? They must have set up a trap for us. We're going to get killed if you keep up this foolish act. Do you understand?"

"…"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Ed said scowling.

"Good. Now for the plan." He said and pushed Ed inside a bathroom. "It's empty so we can discuss freely."

Edward brushed himself off and crossed his arms.

"You wear your gloves, we enter and-"

"No no no." Roy said. "Like I said, they must have prepared a trap for us."

Ed gave an exasperated sigh. "We made a deal with that girl, and she has to tell us. And you screwed it up when you told her you were a doctor anyway. I'll do anything to keep any of us from dying. If anything happens, then it's all on me. Got that, bastard? Great. Now let's go."

"I'm the one who gives orders, you little brat!" Roy yelled with annoyance. Seriously, this kid was going to be the death of him.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE THAT HE'D DROWN IN ONE DROP OF RAINWATER, YOU BASTARD?!"

Roy smirked. Good. He was getting back on track.

"Fine, Fullmetal. If it means I can blame you for what happens, then let's go.

"Yeah yeah." Ed said. "What a waste of time."

Ed stood in front of the closed door. It was the only room in the basement, with the numbers 001 on the top. He knocked waiting for an answer. He could hear a girl talking to someone and he was sure it was that Clair they saw back at the warehouse. Though the talking disappeared when Ed knocked on the door.

"Did you put on your gloves?" he whispered.

"Yes."

"Come in." came the voice from the door. Edward removed his hat, leaving the rest of his blond hair falling down his shoulders as he entered.

It would be no use anyway, since they already knew who they were.

The room was huge, and there were four people inside.

First was the girl named Claire that Ed and Roy had encountered earlier. Her long black hair was down, up to her hips. She had crossed her legs, sitting on the sofa. Next to her was another man, Jace Viral. A bit older, but had similar features.

On the corner of the room, there was a huge container holding her liquid. Standing next to it, were two more guys chatting.

Jace stood up. "Hello." He said. "I take it that you're the Fullmetal Alchemist and the Flame Alchemist?" he asked. "I've heard a lot about both of you."

Neither of them responded. Ed's hands were twitching and he simply stared.

"Claire told me that you've been searching for the Philosopher's Stone." He continued, and beckoned to the container. "This is Red Water. With it, we can create a Red Stone. It's not a Philosopher's Stone but it still has great power." He reached to his pocket and held it out in his hand. Then he touched the chair at his side, turning it into a couch.

"It's not a Philosopher's Stone…?" Ed repeated, heart-broken. "It's not safe. It's not what I'm looking for…I've come so far…" he whispered under his breath that only Roy heard him.

"It's alright." He tried to comfort him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You'll find it one day, Ed. Don't lose your spirit-"

"What are you guys whispering about?" Claire snapped.

Edward turned back to them. "I guess it's time for you guys to tell us about your plan…"

Jace raised an eyebrow. "What makes you thing we're going to tell a few Amestrians our plan?"

"A deal's a deal." Ed said. "If you don't, then we'll have to force it out of you." He transmuted his automail into a blade.

Jace tsk-tsked.

A shot was heard and a hand pushed Ed away. He hit the floor on his shoulder hard, and glanced up. There was Mustang standing there, holding his shoulder that was dripping blood. He turned to Ed, a worried expression on his face. "You okay?" he asked.

"Mustang, why did you..?"

Jace gestured the guards behind him. "Don't kill them." He told them.

Ed put his hands together and touched the ground. The carpet beneath their feet wrapped around their legs and upper body, trapping their arms with it.

Jace scowled and crossed his legs. "Fine." He said. "I want revenge against my father. I shall lure him here with the war and he will be killed in it."

Ed lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

Claire joined the conversation. "Our father was a filthy Amestrian who left our mother to join the military in Amestris because he knew the Drachman army would never accept him. But our mother got sick and the medicine for it was in Amestris. So we called out father and asked him for help." She explained with a tone of loath in her voice.

"That bastard turned us down and our mother died. And he didn't care."

Ed's eyes widened in disbelief. "You want to start a whole war just to kill your father? That's the stupidest thing I've heard."

"It's a big gamble. You can't start a war just for that." Roy said, his eyebrows arched angrily.

Jace smirked. "Well, we also hate Amestrians. It's natural for us to want to destroy your country. And that's where the Red Stone will come in. We'll use it as a weapon. I've tried to crystallize it but it failed. But you will transmute it for us, Mr. Elric."

Ed held the blade in front of him protectively. "In your dreams."

And you, Mr. Mustang will be used as a political hostage, or if Mr. Elric fails, you'll try to crystallize the Stone. You're an alchemist too, aren't you?"

"Like I'd ever do such a thing."

The door suddenly closed behind them with a big thus.

"The exit is sealed. It is un-transmutable. And I have the key."

Roy scowled. A bunch of youngsters trying to start a war…what the hell was happening?

Jace took out his own gun and pointed it at Roy. "Go ahead, Mr. Elric. You have nowhere to run. So go ahead and transmute the Red Water."

Ed threw a look back at Roy. He doubt that he would be able to dodge bullets like he did. As much as Edward hated to admit it, his little figure have him a big advantage during a fight.

Also Mustang was injured. His shoulder wasn't bleeding profusely but it still looked bad.

"Fine." Ed said.

"What?" Roy whispered harshly behind him. Ed didn't respond. If he tried anything now, then Mustang would be shot. So he walked towards the glass container and put his hands against it. Then he realized that Claire was standing next to him. Probably to stop him if he tried anything.

"Fullmetal…" Roy growled.

Ed ignored this and clapped. He put his hands on the container and it began to glow red.

In a few seconds, the light faded, and Ed was holding a blood red stone in his hand.

"Magnificent, Edward Elric." Jace said. "Now give it to me."

Edward scowled and touched the now empty glass container next to him, causing shards to fly towards Jace. He didn't need to clap because he had the Red Stone.

Several pieces of glass cut Jace's arm and he withdrew it in pain. Though it didn't take him long to readjust. He raised his gun again, this time pointed at Ed.

Edward decided to dodge but Claire grabbed him from behind.

Snap.

Jace howled in pain, dropping the gun and holding his burnt arm close to him. He raised his head and stared at Mustang grudgingly.

"Claire!" he yelled.

Figuring that the girl was about to do something, Ed elbowed her and broke free of her grasp.

This time, the girl grabbed his arm and sunk her fingernails into his flesh.

Edward punched her and stepped back, staring at Claire's fingernails. He was sure he felt a few pricks in his arm

The girl turned her hand and extended her fingers. There were five needles coming out under each fingernail.

"You've got Red Water in your bloodstream." She said, smirking.

Mustang snapped again, this time burning the girl's arm as she screamed in pain.

"Claire, we're getting out of here!" Jace yelled, unlocking the door and running out, his sister tailing from behind.

"Fullmetal!" Roy ran to Ed who had fallen on his knees. "Are you okay?"

Edward didn't answer. He began coughing. His vision was dizzy and he felt so tired. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said as he slowly began to get up. But his knees buckled and he collapsed.

"Yeah, of course you're fine." Roy mumbled as he slid his arms under Ed's back and legs and lifted him up.

"What the hell are you doing, bastard? I can walk on my own."

Roy scowled. "No, you can't! Stop being so stubborn and shut up."

Ed didn't answer. Maybe it was because he was dizzy. Or maybe because he was trying so hard to stay awake.

"You can sleep you know."

Ed stared. "Umm…"

"Don't worry, I won't kill you." Roy said, smirking.

Surprisingly, Ed smirked back and closed his eyes.

Edward woke up with bright light falling down his eyes. He squinted his eyes and it took him a while to open them.

"I see you're finally awake, pipsqueak." Ed looked to his left and found his superior lying on a hospital bed. His shoulder was bandaged and he had an I.V. hooked up to his arm.

Now that he looked around, he was lying in a hospital bed too.

"Oh, such luck." Ed said. "I had to be the one to be stuck with you in one rom." He groaned.

Mustang smirked. "It's not like I asked to be in this room. They just assumed that you were my son without me saying anything. I'm not that old…"

Ed chuckled. "Old? I'm sure you'll start flirting with the nurse in a few minutes. After all, you're Mustang the flirt."

Roy reddened. "I am not!"

"Do you prefer being old instead?"

"Shut up you little brat!"

"Who are you calling little?!"

Roy chuckled.

It was silent for the next few minutes.

"Thanks." Ed said.

"Huh?" Mustang asked.

"For carrying me." Ed mumbled. "You were injured too."

Roy smiled. "Well, you did save my life."

"And you saved mine like twice." Ed retorted.

"Yeah, I did." Roy sighed. "I'm sure you wouldn't be able to do anything without me."

"Don't get too cocky, bastard!" Edward yelled.

The door opened. The nurse entered the room. "My my, it seems that both of you have awaken." She said and she walked towards Mustang. "Take it easy on that shoulder for a while. It seems that the bullet didn't hit anything major so you didn't lose a lot of blood. You were lucky." She handed him some pills and a cup of water.

While stared after her, she walked towards Ed's bed and took out a syringe. "We still haven't figured what that poison was in your veins but it wasn't dangerous. It seems that you're already healing. Anyways…" she injected him and smiled. "You'll be fine in a few days. You also have a slight fever."

She took the empty cup from Roy and turned back to Ed. "By the way, your eyes are really pretty. I haven't seen anything like it."

Edward slightly blushed. "T-Thanks."

She left.

Ed turned to Mustang and smirked. "It looks like you didn't get the chance to flirt, huh Colonel?"

"What did you say?!" Roy asked.

"I'm saying she didn't even glance at you." Ed said, chuckling. "Looks like there are woman who aren't interested in your sex-appeal."

Roy hmphed and looked away. "So? There are plenty more fish in the sea."

Ed nodded. "Of course. You'll always have Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Roy reddened and glared at Ed. "I'm going to incinerate you when we get out of here."

Edward smirked and leaned back.

Roy smiled. Well, it seemed like he had regained Edward's trust after all. The teasing and the smirking was back. And they were both alright.

And that was all that mattered.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/favorite/followed this. Oh and thanks for putting it on a community! I hope you enjoyed it! Like I've said before, I'm really sorry for making you wait for a long time… Well, that's the end folks!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME! UNTIL THEN…

Pride is always watching you…from the shadows! MWAHAHAHAHAAHAA