There was a loud banging on the door.

Man: "Edward! Is something wrong?"

Older Brother: "It'a nothing! I told them not to interfere..."

Ed: "Looks like you're not trusted. Maybe you'll feel better if you reveal your identity." You were busy watching the two blonds fight you didn't notice Fletcher had removed himself from your arms once again and was at the door. He drew a Transmutation Circle.

Older Brother: "Fletcher?" Fletcher activate dit and a large tree spread across the door, like a baricade.

Fletcher: "Run! Hurry!"

Al: "Brother..."

Fletcher: "If you two get caught...we'll be in trouble as well. We'll clarify the matter later." The people on the other side continued to bang on the door.

Ed: "Let's go." Ed ran through the window Al close behind.

Older Brother: "Go." You nodded and walked over to Fletcher.

You: "Thank you." You gave him a kiss on the cheek and jumped out the window. Fletcher sat there and blushed while his older brother scoffed.

Older Brother: "Lucky."

Gravel Earth Part Two

The older brother used his Alchemy to clean a wound on Fletcher's left hand.

Older Brother: "You promised not to use Alchemy. Father didn't like it when you did." Two soldiers with guns walked in searching for the intruders, Mugear walked in looking around.

Mugear: "This is horrible..."

Older Brother: "Mugear."

Mugear: "You two are safe. The stone, is it safe?"

Older Brother: "Please don't worry. It's here."

Mugear: "Well done, growing it to this size. But we don't have any more time. Please use "that" method soon."

Older Brother: "We don't need to use that method for the stone to..."

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

Older Brother: "No..."

Mugear: "There was a man who said that to me before a while ago. He was a loser who ran away though." He took out a machine and dropped the stone inside of it.

Older Brother: "That's..."

Mugear: "As long as I have this, I can do this even though I'm not an Alchemist." He pointed the gun machine to the ground and the boards flew up and wrapped like a snake around the brothers.

Older Brother: "Mugear..."

Mugear: "Wonderful. The real Elric brothers have gold hair and gold eyes and they have a girl around with them. A cat girl. You are Nash Tringham's sons!"

With you

Al opened the door to Belsio's house and you three snuck in. You looked around with your cat ees, since it was dark and nodded to Ed. Al shut the door and you walked towards the stairs.

Belsio: "I heard a lot of noise from the mansion."

Ed: "Really?" Ed looked at you. You mouthed sorry, you hadn't seen him since the chair was blocking his body shape.

Belsio: "You went there again, didn't you? You three just can't be helped. You heeard a faint coughing.

Al: "What? Elisa is stil here?"

Belsio: "Yes, the grape tree is about to wither, and she didn't want to leave. But her coughing is getting worse. I just put her to bed." Belsio started a fire while you made him a cup of coffee. "Red water?" You had all just finished telling him the whole story.

You: "They are going to crystalize it to make a stone. But then again, the red water is mererly an imationcompared to the Philosopher's Stone."

Al: "What did he mean by his father's dream?"

Ed: "Probably just an excuse."

Belsio: "Those two...Could they be Nash's sons?"

You: "Nash? Nash Tringham? The one who first discovered Red Water?"

Belsio: "He was from this city. He went to Central City to o research on the red water? But one day, he came back to the city."

Flashback

A man in a gray hat and trench coat walked down the street in the rain.

Belsio: "Nash? Is that you Nash? You came back. Are you doing well?"

Nash: "Yeah..."

Belsio: "The city is declining. I think that everyone should stop depending on gold for everyday life. How's the research on the red water? Is it going well?"

Nash: "I quit. I will never research it again. I'm not going back to Central City, either."

Belsio: "What about your family then?"

Nash: "I failed both as a husband and a father."

Belsio: "Nash..."

'He left everything behind... And he never told me what happened in Central City. That's when the city's greatest landowner talked to Nash. He proposed research on the red water.'

Nash: "The answer is no matter how many times you ask me."

Mugear: "Are you going to abandon the city then? Only your red water can create gold now. If we have gold, this city will live once again. Nash, only you can save this city now. Please!"

'He ended up confining himself in one of Mugear's mines, where he began the research. The city became prosperous with gold once again. Furnaces were filled with fire, and merchandise filled the streets. Life returned to the people. At the same time, an unknown sickness began to spread. Many newborn babies died because there was no cure for it...' Ed: "Elsia is from that..."

Belsio: "After a while, Marco, an Alchemist doctor, came here."

Marco: "The cause of this is a poison that has spread into the earth: the red water." He took out a red stone and a yellow glow appeared above the babies head.

Ed: "It was shining?"

Belsio: "Yeah."

Al: "Could that light be...?"

Belsio: "Well, it's true that Elsia was saved thanks to his treatment. I pressed Nash for answers."

Belsio: "Answer me, Nash. This city will become a city of death at this rate. What did you do?"

Nash: "I was wrong. Again...It happened again... I will end everything... I will end it..."

Belsio: "Nash..."

Belsio: "No one has seen him since. Eventually, less gold was mined. And the city began to decline. If those two are Nash's sons, they must have come after their father."

End Flashback

Ed sat in a lemon tree outside of Belsio's house. Al stood under him while you were sleeping in a different tree.

Al: "Brother..."

Ed: "What?"

Al: "It can't be helped. Those two only have their father."

Ed: "Those two are only justifying this by using their dad as an excuse."

Al: "That may be true, but we're doing the same thing. I understand their feelings."

Break

Down in the basement of Mugear's mansion, Mugear stood infront of a barred door, the fake Elrics sat inside the prison like room.

Mugear: "Really, you should have just listened to me and use "that" method."

Fletcher: "Brother, what is "that" method?"

Mugear: "It's simple. We make the woman who had just become pregnant drink the red water. Eventually, the water will flow into the placenta and crystallize."

Fletcher: "Could it be?"

Older Brother: "Stop!"

Mugear: "Then we borrow it when the time is right and create a stone. It's an easy method that will definitely work. You're indecisive, just like your father."

Older Brother: "Wait! Tell me one thing! Did Father use that method?"

Mugear: "He backed out at the last second. He would still be alive today if he had just listened to me."

Older Brother: "But you said he died from a sickness. Wait!" It was to late, Mugear had already left." Mugear walked down to the stream of red water below his mansion and slipped on the mask.

Mugear: "I've done everything I've needed to. Now we just need to use the real Elric Brother's to finish the job."

Lust: "Will it come it through, though? They are not easy opponents."

Mugear: "Dealing with two or three kids won't be hard. Please be patient for a while."

Lust: "Okay. Go."

Mugear: "Ma'am" And he left.

Lust: "This place will fall soon."

Break

Mugear: "I'm sorry for the trouble those impostors caused you. I was also deceived by them. It is very hard to ask this after all this trouble... But I think you are very high class Alchemists, so there is something I would like to ask your assistance in..."

You: "The research with the red water?"

Mugear: "You knew? That will make things easier. I heard a rumor that you were interested in the Philosopher's Stone. Does this interest you?" He held up a small red stone. It's something made by the crystallized water. It's a prototype of the Philosopher's Stone."

You: "What am I supposed to do with that?"

Mugear: "I want to save Xenotime. If we can create gold vein, everyone won't have to abandon the city."

You: "I see." Sarcasm dripped from your voice and Ed elbowed you in the ribs. "Where are the fakes?"

Mugear: "I put them in the underground prison." Ed clapped and set his finder and the stone and it shattered. "Why did you do that!"

Ed: "I have no concern in an incomplete object. The punishment of the fakes comes first. I tend not to forgive liars."

Mugear: "Does that mean you will except this?"

Ed: "This is nothing if we do it? More important I haven't punished anyone in a while." Ed looked at you slyly and smirked. "I'm getting excited. Would you like to watch?"

Mugear: "No, um... I'll pass." He gave you the key and you all went down to the basement.

You: "Excited, huh? I didn't know you liked punishing people."

Ed: "Yeah, I especially get excited when their independent red heads with cat features." He smirked sexily at you and gave you a welcoming gesture.

You: "No chance."

Ed: "You'll call me master one day."

Al: "Ed!"

Ed: "I'm just picking on the kitty."

You: "I know you want taste but I'm gonna make you chase it." You flipped you hair over your shoulder and ran down the stairs. Ed sighed.

Al: "Brother, why are you like that? She's your bestfriend, our bestfriend."

Ed: "Are you jealous?"

Al: "No!" The conversation stopped when they came tot he stairs.

Fletcher: "Lita! Brother, Lita's here!" You unlocked the door as the Elric Brothers came up behind you.

Al: "Hi."

Fletcher: "Alphonse."

You: "We heard Nash Tringham was your father. What are you trying to do by resuming his research?"

Older Brother: "It was Father's water. It's my duty to continue his work."

Ed: "You sure are a stupid guy. Do you know what the city people are going through because of the poison in the water?"

You: "Your dad knew. That's why...he tried to stop the research. You can't gain happiness by doing this." You walked over and used your Alchemy to turn their wooden handcuffs into little blocks. "Move forward."

Ed: "And don't do anything stupid, since you're using my name. Let's go."

Both: "Okay." And you all ran back up the stairs.

Break

Mugear: "All is well. If the research goes well, they can..."

You: "Who is this "they" that you're referring too? There si something that has caught my attention. The red water's researcher, Nash Tringham. Where did he go?"

Mugear: "Nash? Oh, I fired him because the research wasn't going well."

You: "Oh, you don't look like the kind of person who'd let someone go if they knew everything, though."

Mugear: "What are you trying to say?"

Ed: "I'm not lending any help to a murderer. Mugear!"

Mugear: "You... Then I won't let you leave alive!" He pulled out the Alchemy Gun and pulled out a red stone. "I have plenty of other people that will help me."

You: "A stone?"

Ed: "There was more then one?"

Mugear: "This one isn't as complete as the other one, though." He dropped it in and the machine shot an energy blast you. You did a split while Ed bad Al jumped out of the way.

You: "Is that it?" He pulled out a whole handful of stone fragments. "What!"

Mugear: "I have more!" He dumped them in and the nozzle on the gun tripled.

Ed: "Oh crap!" Ed ran out of the way as the bullets hit the bookcases. You and the Elric Brothers ran behind a white pillar.

Mugear: "Futile! Futile!"

Ed: "It seems Equivalent Exchange doesn't apply to him. Damn it." The bullets stopped and Mugear went to get more stone fragments when his arms where bound by vines.

Mugear: "What the..."

Ed: "Now!" You all pushed on the pillar and it fell over on Mugear.

Older Brother: "Ed, it seems that you needed my help, after all."

You: "What...ever."

Older Brother: "We're going to stop following our father. We'll find our own path."

Fletcher: "Russell!"

You: "Ed." You moved your head over and Ed looked down. There was a hole over the place the pillar had fallen and there were stairs inside the hole. "An underground passage. That guy got away. Russell gave both of you masks and you followed the path. "Russell, are we there yet?"

Russell: "We're almost there? There's a spring that the red water flows out from." You stopped when a big concrete slab blocked the doorway. "Mugear, he blocked the route."

Ed: "I'll drag him out." Ed clapped and the concrete exploded. "What?" A bullet flew at Ed and he moved out of the way.

Mugear: "I will never hand this spring over! As long as I have this water, I can continue the research. I fear no State Alchemist!"

You: "Well said Mugear. Don't underestimate State Alchemists."

Mugear: "Die!" He sent another bullet at you and you flipped out of the way.

You: "Do you understand now? Even with your stone, I'm on a whole new level, pal." The canal started to shake and you all looked up.

Mugear: "What is this?"

Russell: "Lita! This doesn't look good! Get out!"

Al: "Lita!"

Mugear: "I'm not handing this spring over." The water began to spurt between the rocks and a huge boulder fell from the ceiling and crushed Mugear. You and the others were busy running when you stopped. You whispered something and the veins around your eyes began to show from under your skin and your pupils disappeared.

You: "The red water. 50 meters. It's coming fast" You used you Alchemy to create a barricade. "That should stop it or a while."

Al: "Are the other places okay?"

You: "Considering that shock, this may collapse soon. Let's go." And you began to run down the tunnel. You made it out to see that the red water was flowing through the cracks in the mountain. Ed ran over and used his Alchemy to raise the dirt to create a mote for the water to flow into.

Ed: "Now if the flow will stop..." Fletcher gasped and ran over to a tree. He drew a Transmutation Circle on the tree's trunk and he set his forehead on the circle and the trees began to glow. The red water began to disappear and the trees began to turn crimson. "The trees...are absorbing the red water?"

Al: "Brother...I saw plants like this in the laboratory."

You: "They were absorbing the poison in the air from the red water." Russell walked over and set his hand on Fletcher's.

Fletcher: "Brother..." The trees became taller as the water grew smaller.

You: "They did it."

Fletcher: "Thank you trees...sorry for this." The trees turned blue and they shattered like ice.

You set your crossed arms on the window sill of the train. Elisa held up a basket of lemons up to you.

Elisa: "These are from Belsio."

You: "Thank you." You grabbed them and handed them to Al.

Elisa: "Be well, Brothers."

Fletcher: "Come visit again." Fletcher reeached up and grabbed your hand.

You: "Of course."

Ed: "Are you sure you can make it in this city?"

Russell: "I'll accept whatever punishment we recieve. Our abilities will come in handy if we work for Belsio. Ed...are you still going to search for the Philosopher's Stone."

Ed: "Yeah."

Russell: "Should I...tell you how to crystallize the red water? It's not an apology or anything, but I think you deserve to know."

Ed: "I don't need to know. We'll figure it out on our own. That's for sure."

Fletcher: "Lita, please come back soon. We'll make this city a better place."

Elsia: "Yeah, Ed. And when that happens, I hope your bigger."

Ed: "What did you say? That wasn't nice!" You all started laughing while Russell stared at you.

Russell: "Lita..." You looked up.

You: "Yeah, Russe..." He pressed his lips against yours and you gasped into the kiss. He let you go and you fell into your seat, smiling. You let out a sigh sunk into your seat, little hearts flying around you. Russell gave a little "beat that" grunt to Ed and the train picked up speed. "I just got kissed by a hot guy." The train went over a bridge and the Elric Brothers were staring out the window. Ed looked up into the lemon basket to see a note among the fruits. Ed reached over and picked it out and read it.

Ed: "A letter?"

Al: "What does it say?" Ed's eyes grew wide. "What's wrong?"

Ed: "I-It's nothing."

Al: "Show me! Show me! Show me, come on!" Out of nowhere without moving your eyes you snatched the letter out of Ed's hand.

To Ed:
'You've done a lot for us. Thank you. I'm sorry for being a smart-ass to you at first. I got cocky when I was a year younger then you. I'll use you as an example so I can become a better brother for Fletcher. Have a nice trip.'
Russell

Ed: "Damn it, he's bigger then me and a year younger? That's funny in a weird way."

Al: "Those two will be fine, right?"

Ed: "Yeah. They had good face that showed their determination. And we'll be okay too."

You: "Or so you claim."