"What the..."
Ed and Al had walked a few blocks from where they had picked up the girl. But, the problem was, that a few blocks was apparently part of a demo. The ground had broken bits and pieces of concrete and was very uneven.
Ed spoke up. "Ok, so what part of this doesn't seem right, Al?"
Al looked at Ed. " Well, it seems that we went the wrong way...or..."
"Or...she doesn't have a home."
Al looked at the wreckage. "But why would she be so sure she lived here?"
Ed looks at the horizon and sighs. "We may not know. But all I know is I wouldn't leave her here, so lets go to the inn."
Al nods as he follows his brother away from the wreckage.
"Ah, yes, Elric. Your room is # 129 on the 2nd floor."
Ed smiled. "Yes thank you."
The attendant at the front desk handed Ed the room key and he and Al went towards the stairs that led to the top floor. Once they entered the room, Al unhooked his suit and allowed the girl to slide out unto the bed. She was fast asleep. Ed took her arm and examined it for a second.
"Well, Al. Looks like we're going to have to clean her up."
"Brother!"
"I don't mean it like that." he looked at the girl. "She's all bloody. She possibly would be grateful if we made her clean."
Al giggled a little bit before nodding his head. Ed took the girl into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He placed her in the tub and covered her with a towel.
"Hey, Al!"
Al came running into the bathroom. "Yeah."
"Go get some food. I'm hungry."
Al nodded. "Ok."
As Al ran out of the room, Ed began to strip the girl of what clothes were left on her, being careful to keep the towel around important places. The now blushing Ed turned on the faucet of the tub and put his left hand in the running water checking the temperature. When he thought the water was just right, he took a washcloth and soaked it in the water. He began to scrub the girl down, being careful not to offend her in any way. Once she was clean of the blood on her body, Ed began to do her hair. He put some shampoo in his hands and started to lather it in her hair. Though her hair was super short, it was difficult to wash.
All of a sudden she started to talk in her deep sleep.
"Brother...why?...why did you do that...why did you go?"
She stopped and relaxed a bit. Ed sighed and finished up her hair. Once he was done, he picked her up out of the tub and took her over to the bed. Surprisingly, she was pretty light. He placed the girl on the bed and dried off his hands. Clapping his hands, he placed them of the towel that was around her body and made it into a long, sleeveless dress.
Al walked through the door carrying two bags of groceries.
"Well, here we are." He looked at his older brother. "Has she woken up yet?"
Ed shook his head. "No. But she did talk in her sleep, something about her brother."
Al saddened. "Oh, ok."
The girl stirred and opened her eyes. She examined her surroundings then sat up on the bed. Al spoke.
"How are you doing?"
She looked up at him and smiled shyly. "Ok, I guess."
Ed moved in front of Al.
"Ok. Just what's your deal?"
She looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Ed looked at her annoyed. "Your so called home. It seems that either you love dirt or your lying."
She pulled her legs closer to her body and squeezed them in her arms. "I wasn't lying." She looked up at Ed. "My name is Jibley Mathews. I have lived here my entire life along with my older brother. Up until 5 years ago we lived together just peachy. But..."
"But?"
"5 years ago my brother got a crazy idea that he could resurrect our mother. She was the only family we had left after father died in the Ishbalan war. After a while she got depressed and went into a state of solitude. She would never come out of her room. So after a while she got sick until finally, on my 7th birthday, she died right when I was blowing out my candles."
Ed and Al gasped. Jibley continued. "By then my brother was old enough to become my legal guardian. But on my 10th birthday my brother went crazy about trying to get mom back. Reluctantly I helped, but only to the consent that he would stop after his first try." She looked at her knees. "He stopped alright, but his first try would also be his last..." Her eyes began to water as she sunk her face into her knees.
Ed spoke up. "So he died trying to bring your mother back?"
She nodded. She looked up at Ed, tears streaming down her eyes. "I wish I had just stopped him. I wish I could turn back time...just...to get...him back." she sunk into the bed, "I have suffered so much pain for something I know can never come back."
Ed walked up to her and sat on the bed. "Back in the alley, I didn't see any indication of a transmutation circle."
Jibley didn't look up but continued. "Ever since mom died, I've been studying along with my brother," she looked at Ed, her chin still on her knees. "But I, too, went though changes after the incident."
Ed looked confused but Jibley quickly changed that. "You two did it too, if I'm not correct."she looked at Al. "Alphonse is a soul transmute. But you, Edward, your more pronounced..." she quickly looked at Ed. "Just because you thought I was asleep, doesn't mean I was the entire time."
Ed changed to fluent red of embarrassment as she continued. "When you were washing my hair, I noticed the metallic feel of you right arm. Auto-mail if I'm not correct."
Ed nodded. Then Al spoke up. "But how can you tell what we did?"
Jibley looked at Al. "It's apparent in your being." She looked at the ceiling for a second then back at Ed. "But it's also because of the famous Edward Elric, The Fullmteal Alchemist."
Edward smiled smugly at her. She got up from the bed and bowed. "I am honored that the great Edward Elric washed me down so that I may be clean from the impurities of blood."
Ed became even more crimson at this statement.