Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! It was nice to get three reviews in one day... but maybe I shouldn't ask for them. People should review only if they want to, right?

JuniperScaymoore- Thanks for your constant flow of support! I really appreciate it!

EdwardElricsFan4Ever- Hey thanks! Nice to know people are enjoying my story since I get literally no reviews until I specifically ask.

Invader-Nehima- Well... in this chapter, yes, Saya does try t- whoops, wait, that would be a spoiler. XD Read the chapt and find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Chapter Fourteen: Poison

The next morning, they woke up to a little girl's voice. "Good morning Vercio-san!"

Saya sat up blearily. "Elisa?"

"Your dad's going to yell at you for visiting me again."

"It's okay, it's fine! Dad's talking about the gold mine now so he won't notice!"

"Good morning," Al called as he led Ed and Saya into the kitchen.

Elisa turned and smiled. "So you guys came here! Were you the ones who snuck into Magwar-sama's mansion?"

"You're a good guesser, Elisa-chan!" Saya smiled.

"Of course we did! We can't let those imposters roam free! Trying to create gold using the Philosopher's Stone is-"

"Ed, stop it!" Saya snapped.

Elisa's face had fallen, and she stared at the floor sadly. Ed looked at her for a second before sighing and turning down the hall. "I'm going for a walk," he muttered.

"I'll come too," Saya said, following him. "You'd do something reckless again if I didn't keep you in check!"

"No I wouldn't! Don't be ridiculous, just stay here!"

"I'm being ridiculous!"

Al watched them leave, bickering. He sighed.

"Hey, armor guy," Vercio called. "Can you go to the pharmacy and pick up Elisa's medicine?"

"S-sure…"

At the pharmacy, Al felt very uncomfortable, due to the fact that all the people seemed to be whispering about him…

"He's the imposter..."

"Really? I hope he leaves soon."

"Maybe they were the ones who snuck into Magwar-sama's mansion last night…"

"Hey you!"

Al turned. The pharmacist lady was holding a mop threateningly. "What do you want here?"

"I… I just came to pick up some medicine…"

"We have no medicine to cure liars! Out, out, out!!" she yelled, swinging the mop at him. As soon as Al was outside, she slammed the door in his face. He sighed.

"Darn… now I can't get the medicine…"

"I'll get it for you," a voice offered.

When Al looked down, there was the little brother from the previous night. He looked extremely sad for some reason… "What?"

"It's equivalent trade… to return the favor for borrowing your name."

The boy handed Al the paper bag with the medicine. "Here."

"Thanks." They sat together and looked at the city for a moment before Al spoke up. "We both have trouble with our reckless brothers, don't we?"

The boy looked surprised. "You're not mad?"

"You have your reasons, right?"

"…I'm sorry. We needed famous names to participate in Magwar-san's research. The Elric Brother is the only young State Alchemist…"

"Do you need the Stone that badly?"

"Dad was a researcher. His life's work was centered around the Stone."

"Your father was also an alchemist?" Al asked, a little surprised.

"But… one day, he disappeared all of a sudden. So Nii-san is forcing himself to finish Dad's work." The boy started shaking. "I… I don't want him to do that…"

"That's the opposite of my brother," Al said. "He hates our alchemist dad. Our dad was too involved with alchemy, and made Mom sad. In our travels, we've seen many other people who've suffered because of alchemy." Involuntarily, a picture of a smiling girl with sparkling blue eyes and her brown hair plaited into pigtails came into his mind. She was playing with a big white dog that was twice her own size… Al continued. "Hey… if your brother is doing something wrong, you're the only one that can stop him. He'll only be hurt otherwise."

The boy looked downwards. "Yeah…"

"Come to think of it, a lot of people have some sort of cough in this city," Al noticed. "There were a lot of people at the pharmacy… I wonder if this medicine is to stop the coughing."

The boy stiffened. "That's… oh…" He looked over into the entrance to an alley, where the tall boy from last night was waiting. "Nii-san… I have to go!" he told Al apologetically. He ran off.

"Wait!" Al called. "What's your real name?"

The boy turned and waved. "It's Fletcher!" Then he ran and disappeared from sight with his brother.

Al watched them go. After they disappeared, he turned around to go back to Vercio's house when he heard approaching footsteps and a familiar voice yelled. "Ed! Wait up!"

Ed and Saya ran past Al. "Nii-san? Saya-san?"

Ed stopped short. "Al? What are y-"

"WHOA!!" Saya skidded to a halt, stopping two inches short of running into Ed.

"What are you both doing here?" Al asked.

"Ed said he found the imposter or something… he never really explained," Saya gasped.

"I saw him!" Ed insisted. "The older brother imposter! Did you see him Al?"

"Y-yeah…"

"He was posing as a good guy by fixing broken plows and transmuting wagon wheels!"

Saya sweatdropped. "That's better than doing something bad…"

Ed scowled. "I don't like how he's doing it. He's ignoring the principal of equivalent trade!"

Both Al and Saya gasped. "Like Cornello…" Saya muttered.

"Both of you! We're going to sneak in again tonight!"

"What? But it's only been a day since we first snuck in," Al said, surprised.

Ed grinned. "That's exactly why."

They snuck past the walls and guards again and ended up at the same wall as the other day. Ed grinned. "We're going with the mole strategy today!"

"Mole?" Al asked.

Ed answered by transmuting a hole in the ground. Saya grinned. "I get it…"

He jumped in. "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Saya said, jumping in after him. Al followed quickly.

After what seemed a very long time to be crawling in the depths of the earth, Ed looked up. "Okay, we should've reached the bottom of the building by now."

"Are you sure?" Al asked.

"Well, we'll end up somewhere anyways," Ed said, clapping his hands and transmuting an entrance to the tunnel.

Al sweatdropped as Saya laughed.

When they climbed out, they found themselves standing next to a stone stream of red water. A strange red mist hung over the ground.

Ed frowned. "This… this is the water that's the source of the red stone…" he muttered.

"Red stone?" Al asked.

"Like the one Cornello was using…" Saya said. She was sweating slightly, and her breathing was a little heavier.

"You okay?" Ed asked.

She smiled. "I'm fine. It's just the climb through the tunnel…"

Ed's frown deepened, but he turned his attention back to the red water. "I read a book in Central… it's a compound very similar to the Philosopher's Stone. It's a stone that can be created with this red water."

"So they can create the Philosopher's Stone with this water?" Al confirmed.

"But it's not going to be exactly the same… I heard some alchemist named Nash-something was researching it, but it didn't work we- hey!"

Saya suddenly fell forward coughing, her legs giving out. Ed caught her before she fell into the stream. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded, sitting her against the wall.

"My body…" she whispered. "I… I can't breathe…"

"Bomb, hang in there!" Ed ordered. Saya's eyes shut, and she slumped forward in a faint. "Oi, bomb! Saya!"

Ed looked at Al. "What do you think happened?"

"Maybe she ate something weir- Nii-san!"

Ed clutched his chest. "All of a sudden… my body feels…" he choked out, before he too, fell forward in a faint.

Al caught him. "Nii-san, Nii-san!"

"This way!"

Al looked up and saw an open door. In the doorway stood Fletcher, wearing a gas mask, waveing to them madly. "Hurry, bring them here!!"

Ed came around first. His eyes half-opened, and he saw Al and Fletcher standing over him. "Nii-san, are you okay?" Al asked.

Ed's eyes suddenly snapped open. "Huh? Where am I?" he asked, sitting up. "What about the bomb…?"

"You mean the girl who was with you? She's still out," Fletcher explained.

Ed looked at Fletcher, then suddenly recognition flashed across his face. "Why are you here?" he demanded.

Fletcher was taken by surprise by the rough tone. "I… I'm sorry…" he whimpered.

Ed was taken aback. "What? Why are you crying?"

"Fletcher… if you know something, please tell us," Al said. "You don't like doing this either, right?"

Fletcher didn't say anything for a moment, then he said, "The red water is-"

Saya sat up, clutching her head. "Ack, what happened back there?" she asked. She looked around and spotted Fletcher. "Oh, it's you!" she said in surprise.

"Oh, Saya-san, you're awake!" Al said.

"Took you long enough," Ed grumbled.

Fletcher hung his head. "Go on," Al urged gently.

"The red water… is very dangerous to humans. But we need it to make the red stone."

"Are the city people sick because of that?" Al asked.

Tears rolled down Fletcher's cheeks. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry!" he cried.

Ed looked around. They had been brought into some sort of lab where books lined the walls and test tubes held samples of the red water. He stood up. "Jeez, this thing is terrible," he muttered. "I'm going to get rid of it."

"I won't let you," a voice drawled. Everyone turned to see that the older brother, the tall guy, had come back. He was holding a blood-red stone about the size of a ping-pong ball. "The red stone has grown this big already. Father sacrificed himself for this. His death would be meaningless if the research didn't succeed."

Ed grinned evilly. "So what about that worthless pebble? It's just a fake anyways."

The tall boy scowled. He grabbed a lamp and turned it into a sword, trying a few passes with it before pointing it at Ed.

"That sword is also a fake," Ed grinned. He transmuted a knife on his arm. "I'll break it along with your stone!" he roared, charging.

There was a clash of metal on metal. Both edges held, but then the tall boy's sword started to break.

Ed's grin widened. "Unfortunately, mine is the real thing," he informed the taller boy.

The taller boy clenched his teeth and kneed Ed's stomach. Ed stumbled backwards, and the boy took the opportunity to transmute a pipe in the wall.

"This is the red water," he smiled. "If it gets on you, you're going to do more than just faint."

"Bring it on!" Ed dared, transmuting his arm into a steel umbrella.

He opened the pipe, and a flow of the red water burst out of the pipe towards Ed. He blocked it with the umbrella.

"Nii-san, don't be so reckless!!" Al exclaimed.

"Just as the little brother said, go home!" the tall boy yelled.

"I refuse!" Ed yelled back. "I won't loose to a guy who chases blindly after his dad!"

The tall boy clenched his teeth and increased the flow of red water. The flow was so great, it started to push Ed backwards.

Suddenly, Ed slipped in the puddle of red water that was growing under his feet.

"Nii-san!" Al yelled.

Ed fell on the floor, next to Al. He blinked. "Huh? I thought I was going to fall in the re-" He stopped short.

Fletcher lay on his side in the puddle.

"Fletcher!" Al cried. He ran into the red water and kneeled, picking up the smaller boy who was gritting his teeth in pain. "Fletcher, get a grip on yourself!"

The tall boy stared in horror.

"Nii-san!" Fletcher yelled. "Dad researched the red water to make people happy, remember?! But what we're doing is making people in the city suffer!! You know that Nii-san!! Who cares about fame?! Dad wouldn't be happy with this!!"

The tall boy seemed at loss for words, but a guilty look crept over his face. Saya kneeled down in the red water to take a look at Fletcher. "People like you are such idiots," she chided gently.

Fletcher gasped. "You're touching the red water…!"

Saya looked down at her knees. "It's nothing… it's only automail after all," she said softly. "Here… let me take a look at you." She touched Fletcher's forehead with a green glowing fingertip. "The effect of this red water on humans looks to me like it's similar to acid," she muttered. "Internal damage to the immune system as well." Removing her finger from Fletcher's forehead and smiled, clapping her hands together. "Just bear with the pain a little longer," she encouraged, touching his burn marks with green glowing hands.

Fletcher blinked. "The pain is disappearing…"

Saya smiled. "That's good to hear." She removed her hands. "I have to go in a little deeper this time, so this might tickle a little. Try not to move though, okay?"

Fletcher nodded.

Saya clapped her hands together again and placed her hands on Fletcher's stomach. Fletcher laughed nervously, but he really did try to hold his squirming down to a minimum. When Saya was done, he rubbed his stomach and smiled. "Thanks!" he grinned. "You're really good!"

The tall boy's face relaxed a bit. "Thank you for healing my brother, miss," he said respectfully.

"I'm not done yet," Saya snapped. "Don't say anything."

Suddenly, a knock at the door made everyone look up. "Edward-sama! Edward-sama! Is everything alright?" a voice called.

"It's nothing!" the tall boy answered. He scowled. "I told them not to interfere…"

"It looks like you're not trusted," Ed smirked. "Maybe you'll feel better if you just reveal your identity.

Saya concentrated fiercely. Her hands started to grow a bright green, brighter than Ed or Al had ever seen them. Where is the poison…?

The person on the other side of the door pounded again. "Edward-sama!"

"It's nothing!" the boy yelled as the green tentacles flickered from Saya's lapse in concentration. His little brother's life was in the hands of this girl right now…

Concentrate… gently, gently… A bead of sweat rolled down Saya's cheek. Damn… what is this poison made from?! Some teaching her mother had taught her flashed in her mind. 'To heal poison, first heal their effects. Then find the poison, break it into smaller elements that will pass harmlessly through the body.'

No one dared to speak a word, lest Saya might loose her concentration…

Let's see, ethanol, trace amounts of lead… Saya concentrated, trying to pinpoint the other harmful elements in the poison…which were being extremely elusive since she had never encountered most of these elements in this unique combination. Damn it… damn it! I don't have enough time!

There was more than one voice now, more than one pair of fists pounding on the door. "EDWARD-SAMA!"

Saya's concentration broke. The green light flickered and disappeared. "Shit…"

The tall boy looked very concerned. "Will he be alright?"

"The poison's still in his body," Saya answered bluntly. "Without knowing what's in the damn stuff, I can't break it down. I can postpone the effects for now, but he needs to take it easy or else he'll end up coughing like all the rest."

The tall boy looked stunned.

"Oi, come back here!" Saya suddenly yelled. "I said to take it easy!"

Fletcher paid no attention. He ran to the door and scratched a transmutation circle on it. When he activated it, the wood from the floor formed itself into a tree root system across the door, sealing it shut. "Get out of here!" he cried. "Hurry!"

Al and Saya looked at Ed.

"If you three get caught, we'll be in trouble as well. We'll clarify this matter soon!"

Loud pounding was heard on the door. It sounded like people were trying to break it down from the other side. Ed scowled. "Al, Bomb, let's go."

"You! Tall guy!" Saya barked. "Before we go, give me a sample of the red water."

"WHAT?!" everyone else yelled.

"I need to find out what's in that poison!" she yelled back. Her eyes were fierce, and there was no laughter in them for once. "If I can't find out…"

Saya didn't have to finish that statement. The tall boy wasted no time. Grabbing a test tube, he shoved it into her hands. "Cure my brother," he ordered. "…please."

Well, okay, maybe not an order.

Saya stuffed the test tube into a pouch on her belt and nodded.

"Bomb! We need to get out of here!"

Saya blinked. "Oh, right." She led the way. Running to a window, she jumped and curled into a ball, smashing through the window, but letting her automail take the impact. Ed and Al followed quickly.

Together they all leaped over the fence… and were gone.

The tall boy watched them go before turning to his brother with a small smile on his face. "You shouldn't have used alchemy. Dad never liked it when you did."

Suddenly, the people finally broke into the room. A few guards ran in, followed by a man with graying hair in his late sixties or so. "This is terrible!" he cried.

The tall boy stared. "Magwar-sama…"

"Oh good, you two are safe. The stone, is it safe?"

"Please don't worry, it's right here," the tall boy said, giving the golfball-sized stone to Magwa, who took it with a look of pathetic relief.

"Well done growing it to this size," he praised, before turning serious. "But we don't have any more time. Please use 'that' method soon."

The tall boy looked uncomfortable. "We don't have to use 'that' method for the stone t-"

"You're not going to follow my orders?"

"…"

"There was a man who said something similar a while ago," Magwar said, dropping the stone into a lantern-like container holding more of the red water. It started glowing red. "He was a loser who ran away though."

The tall boy narrowed his eyes. "That container…"

Magwar smirked. "As long as I have this, I can do this even though I am not an alchemist!" he said, making the wood of the floor into vines and wrapping up the two boys in tight bonds.

"Nii-san…!" Fletcher cried.

The tall boy's eyes went wide. "Magwar-sama!"

But there was no stopping the man now. His eyes were wide and insane. "Such power…" he crooned. Looking at the two boys trussed up like chickens, he smirked. "The real Elric brothers have blonde hair and golden eyes, not to mention a female tagalong. You two are not them, you are Nash Tringham's sons!"