All characters © their respective owners

-ONONTHEYSEND

Akumu: Zzz…Zzz-AH! I mean, on the sixth day of Christmas my true love wrote for me!

Warnings: AlibabaXMorgiana with Aladdin holding the book.

-ONWITHOUTEND

"Aladdin?" Hakuryuu asked curiously. The prince of the Kou empire looked down as the small, blue-haired boy looked up from the peculiar book he was holding. "Are you researching more magic?" he smiled.

"Ah…no. I found this book of stories." He explained as he raised the book up so that Hakuryuu could see the cover. "They're all about how people spend their time in a holiday called 'Christmas.'" Aladdin then re-opened the book to find a particular story. He looked up again. "Hakuryuu, do you want to hear about one of them?"

"All right." The prince readily agreed. He took a seat next to the magi as Aladdin began telling the story.

-:-X-:-X-:-

One hundred and eighty-seven yuan. Was that it? One would be lucky to buy anything of worth with double the amount. But it was all she had. Most of it had been saved from her help in lifting cargo from traveling caravans that passed through Balbadd. Morgiana had counted the amount three times. One hundred and eighty-seven yuan. And tomorrow was Christmas.

Morgiana walked outside and stomped her foot into the ground, reducing the area beneath her foot to rubble. She certainly couldn't do it inside the house. Not when the home had been rented out at eight hundred yuan per week. Alibaba did not need any more strain on paying it either with his honest merchant service.

As a merchant in Balbadd, Alibaba received good trades from Sindria and the Kou Empire. There was no need to travel from the town because the business was fairly decent. Of course, with Sindria following official business in Heliohapt currently, the only business Alibaba had of late was from the Kou Empire. And Morgiana knew all too well what value their paper held. Alibaba could only make two thousand yuan without traveling. It didn't sound like a bad amount, but it wasn't exorbitant either.

Once Morgiana was satisfied with destroying the ground beneath her, she returned to her home. She looked out of the window sadly as she puffed out her cheeks. Tomorrow would be Christmas, and all she had to buy a gift with was one hundred and eighty-seven yuan. She had been saving tips from carrying cargo for months, and this was the result. There weren't many caravans, but it was all she had. Two thousand yuan could barely pay rent, food, and bills. It seemed like the prices were getting higher. Only one hundred and eighty-seven yuan for Alibaba.

What could she buy for Alibaba with one hundred and eighty-seven yuan? Nothing that was worthy of his hard and honest work as a merchant… Morgiana looked up thoughtfully before she realized that there was another way to get money. And this method wouldn't require her strength. She reached up to her side pony-tail and undid her hair tie, the rest of her hair falling down freely to its full length.

There were two things that the young couple took much pride in. For Alibaba, it was the dagger he bought as a child with the money he had earned. And for Morgiana, it was her hair. It wasn't that Morgiana's hair was incredibly long or amazingly soft; she couldn't afford the care that would enhance it to outshine jewels, but it was a rare and coveted scarlet color. On occasion, Alibaba would absentmindedly run his fingers through it, and when he realized what he was doing, he would offer her a small smile in apology. But Morgiana loved moments like that, and besides the many compliments she would get, it was the main reason why she took pride in it.

And Alibaba's dagger was the only keepsake that reminded him of his father – the man who smiled at him so proudly for making his own choices at such a young age. Make no mistake, Alibaba did not tote it around like it was nothing but an adornment. If he had to, he fought with it. And he fought well. The dagger was not worth much in terms of money, however, the real value was not in the metal blade but in the gold hilt and handle with the small gem embedded in it. But in terms of mental and emotional worth, it was the world to Alibaba.

There was Morgiana's hair, a natural beauty, a precious thing, looking like finely spun ruby as it dipped a few inches below her shoulders. She tied her hair up in that side ponytail again. She narrowed her eyes a little, refusing to let a tear escape as she made her decision.

On went the small jacket and on went the small hat that Alibaba had bought her on a whim when they used to make more yuan. With the once white now turned cream clothing on, she headed down into the streets.

-:-X-:-X-:-

"Wig Shop. Kou Empire Owned." Morgiana looked at the sign of the store she stopped in front of. She ran up the stairs of the shop, not even breaking a sweat at the small distance covered. She was surprised to see Kougyoku there, however, when she was about to ask her if she would buy her hair.

"Eh? What do you want, Fanalis girl?" the princess asked. Morgiana wanted to ask what she was doing here or to kick her in case she was up to no good, but Alibaba's image flashed in her thoughts to remind her which was the bigger priority. She would kick her only when she committed a crime, then.

"Will you buy my hair?" she asked.

"I wouldn't, but I suppose the Kou Empire would." Kougyoku scoffed. She went over to take Morgiana's hat and lift some of her hair in a rather amateurish way. Morgiana resisted the urge to glare at her. It was for Alibaba, after all. "Not a lot to cut here." She commented offhandedly. "It's quite the rare shade, though."

"Will you buy it or not?" Morgiana demanded. Kougyoku dropped the strands and narrowed her eyes at her.

"I am a princess of the Kou Empire first and foremost. This isn't exactly my area of expertise." She explained haughtily. "I don't know why they even put me to work here… King Sinbad is in Heliohapt, and I just missed him too." She muttered under her breath while Morgiana almost smiled.

If Kougyoku didn't know what she was doing, then maybe Morgiana could get more money than her short hair was really worth, and the princess would be none the wiser!

"My hair is natural. No dyes or product is used on it." She said. Kougyoku raised a brow at that.

"That does make it seem more valuable. My hair is natural as well, but most women in the Kou Empire use product after product after dye on their hair without the same result as yours or mine." Kougyoku looked at Morgiana's eyes. "And a Fanalis probably would not lie about not using product and dye. Hmm…" She contemplated. "I bet that cow of an empress would adore that shade too. I could give her this as an expensive gift, and she would have no choice but to reciprocate equally…" she muttered to herself and nearly cackled. "Very well, how does eight hundred yuan sound?"

Morgiana frowned at the amount. Clearly, the princess did not know the value of her empire's money in Balbadd.

"No deal." She said.

"Hm!" Kougyoku frowned. "Kou Empire's Wig shop is the biggest wig shop in Balbadd, and you do not have much hair in the first place."

"How many Fanalis sell their hair to you? Last time I checked, I am the only Fanalis in Balbadd with hair that goes past the shoulders." Morgiana stated coldly. "If you do not want to lose the only Fanalis you will ever get, then you should offer a bigger price." (1)

"…" Kougyoku pouted. This Fanalis girl was more observant than she looked. "Very well. Will two thousand yuan suffice?"

Knowing the princess, Morgiana believed that was a big price to her, and if this was all she could get…

"All right." She agreed.

-:-X-:-X-:-

Two hours. Two hours it took for Morgiana to turn all the stores inside out to find the perfect gift for Alibaba. It wasn't until she reached the last shop in Balbadd that she found the one gift that Alibaba deserved. It was a platinum chain. While Alibaba could be a bit flashy and glamorous, the chain's simple design would compliment it tastefully. She could not think of anything better to hold the sheath of Alibaba's dagger. While the sheath was as decorated as the dagger itself, Alibaba had it strapped to his waist with an old belt. If he used this chain, he could look like a well-respected and wealthy merchant that people would not doubt the competence and value of the goods he sold. They asked for two thousand and one hundred yuan, and she paid it.

She ran home with eighty-seven yuan, panting heavily. She sadly touched the ends of her hair as she wondered if Alibaba would absentmindedly run his fingers through it and frown at the length instead of giving her that small smile. She put her expensive gift in the small empty box that used to house her wedding ring when Alibaba proposed to her as she headed to the backyard.

The winter vegetables had grown in well, so she harvested them and cleaned them for Alibaba to use the fresh crops in tonight's dinner. She was so absorbed in her task that she did not realize Alibaba had come home until she came into the room with the bowl of wet vegetables. He was looking down with a tiny frown and narrowed eyes. Was he sad about not making a bigger sale than he could have?

"Alibaba?" she asked without thinking. He looked up at her in surprise as if he had forgotten he was married. Then, slowly, the frown changed into a wide smile. The kind of smile that meant something didn't go as planned, and he was covering it up.

"Morgiana!" he said happily, though his smile looked kind of pained. "Let me put those aside." He said as he took the bowl from her and put it on the kitchen table. She touched the ends of her hair again. Was he disappointed? She frowned a little as she grabbed her present and hid it somewhere closer to her. What's done was done, after all.

"Merry Christmas, Morgiana!" Alibaba declared as he returned from the kitchen with a package. Morgiana blinked a little. He must have hidden the package in his clothing and pulled it out while he was putting the bowl away. Morgiana took the package and looked up at him sadly. "Morgiana?" He tilted his head a little, showing genuine emotion this time. "What's wrong?"

"Are you mad?" She asked.

"Why would I be mad? It's Christmas!" he smiled widely.

"Well…because…" She took one of her hands away from the package and touched the ends of her hair. His eyes widened a little as he leaned in to get a better look at her.

"Your hair…! It…it's gone?" he said in surprise.

'He didn't notice?' she thought to herself. 'Then, what was he so disappointed about?' Alibaba saw the confusion in her face melt into disappointment and frowned.

"Hey, Morgiana." He put both hands on her shoulders. "You're still Morgiana even without your hair. I don't love you any less than I did before. It's just…well…" He took his hands away and gave a half-smile. "Just open your present, okay?" He smiled genuinely for her. Morgiana looked down at the package and opened it up.

A gasp. Then a small sound followed.

The present was a set of combs to wear in long hair. It was a special product made only in the Kou Empire. Morgiana's hair wasn't suited for the combs to be worn in them, but had she let her scarlet tresses grown a bit longer, the combs would have fit perfectly for her. They were a simple, elegant design with the best shade to complement her hair. She could look as beautiful as the other dancers on the Balbadd festivals with them, but the hair that could have adorned them had been sold already. She looked up to see Alibaba's sad half-smile, and she wanted to change that.

"I…I love it, Alibaba." She smiled. "My hair will grow back. I'll wear them when that day comes." She threw the gift to the couch and hugged him.

"I'm glad." He admitted. Morgiana looked up at him curiously before breaking the hug and rummaged through a pile of boxes. "Morgiana?"

"I have something for you too." She said without turning around. She finally found the box, and stood up to present it to him. He looked at it with a brow raised before he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Um…we're already married, Morgiana." He said. She pushed the ring box in his hands anyway.

"It's not a ring. It's your present." She asserted. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, he opened up the box and lifted the platinum chain from it. "It's a chain you can use to strap your dagger to your waist. I looked everywhere to find something this beautiful." She explained proudly. "You'll look as great a merchant as you are with it." Alibaba gave her a nervous smile as he lowered the chain back into the box and closed it.

"Hey, Morgiana…let's put our gifts away and keep them for a while. They're too nice to use right away anyway. And besides, I sold my dagger to pay for your combs." He explained as he looked away. She only blinked owlishly up at him. "Er…let me prepare dinner." He was about to walk into the kitchen when she tugged at his sleeve. He looked back to see her close to tears.

"I…I'm sorry, Aliba-!" Before she could finish her apology, he pulled her into a hug.

"No. Morgiana, listen…" he started before he pushed her away and looked her in the eyes. "You have nothing to apologize for. I can buy another dagger, and your hair will grow back. It's okay. And besides, I lov-!" Before he could finish, Morgiana pulled him into a hug.

"Yes, I understand." She said happily. "I love you too, Alibaba."

-:-X-:-X-:-

"I don't think I enjoyed this story very much." Hakuryuu admitted as he stood up.

"Eh? Why not?" Aladdin asked.

"Well, I think Morgiana could have married a man that had more money than that. And why does this story have Morgiana married to Alibaba, anyway?" he asked as his face turned redder.

"I think Alibaba and Morgiana could play the parts better than 'James' and 'Della.' (2) And besides, if Morgiana had married a richer man, there wouldn't be a story like this in the first place." Aladdin explained, not rising from the floor and his still open book.

"Still, I believe this is just a story of two foolish children who sacrificed their most prized possessions unwisely." The prince protested. "What a strange holiday it is to make them do that."

"People who give gifts are the wisest, though." Aladdin asserted. "And I think these two were the wisest for giving and receiving gifts like this."

-THEIRJOYFULTONETOEVERYHOME

Akumu: Zzz…mrgh…! What? Magi, The Gift of the Magi parody. This anime/manga was asking for it.

(1) - This sounds pretty OOC of her, but don't forget that Parody Morgiana is the wife of a merchant like Alibaba. I think she'd pick up on a few tricks to bargain.

(2) - These are the names of the couple in O' Henry's short story, The Gift of the Magi.

Holiday Moral: One should appreciate a gift that someone put all their feelings and effort into. Unless the gift is like, a corpse or something, then you should explain to them why that is a bad gift.