The Reason Why
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor am I affiliated in any way with the copyright owners of Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal Alchemist's story line and characters are copyrighted to Hiromu Arakawa and the various companies who produced the manga, anime and merchandise.
A/N: Oneshot. Complete. Originally part of Random Ficlets, which I decided to delete. I wanted to post each story contained there as its own story. Originally posted forever ago. I had always wondered why Edward had long hair, so I wrote this story to answer my question.
"Why are you growing your hair out anyway, Brother?" Alphonse Elric's voice echoed in his new body: an antique suit of ornamental armor that his soul was bound to now. He had lost his flesh body a couple months ago, when he and his older brother, Edward, tried to use alchemy to resurrect their late mother. Al was still getting used to the hollow metal body. It wouldn't move well at first, so Ed and Winry Rockbell, their childhood friend, worked on the joints, allowing his greater mobility. That first night in the armor, he was able to pick up and carry Edward's broken body to the Rockbell's only out of sheer force of will.
Edward picked up his head and looked over at the hulking suit of armor. He was resting after their sparring match. Similar to how his younger brother was becoming accustomed to his body, Ed was learning how to function as close to normally as he could with his new auto-mail limbs. He shook his head before huffing to blow his bangs out of his face. His bright yellow hair had grown shaggier in recent weeks, but he hadn't wanted to get it cut. A memory of his father's long blond ponytail entered his mind for a fleeting second before he dismissed it. Ed lay his head back on the cool grass and sighed. "I don't know. I guess I want to see how long it takes," he answered. He was growing his hair for a reason, and it wasn't because of a desire to become like his father, a man he despised for walking out on his young children and loving wife, though he knew he was already well on his way to becoming the spitting image of Hohenheim. The only similarity Edward wanted with his father was alchemy, and even then, his only desire was to surpass him in every way.
"How long it takes for what?" Al asked, his voice squealing with confusion. "What does your hair have to do with time?"
The older Elric sibling rolled onto his side and faced the younger. "I made a promise, Al. I'm going to get us back to normal somehow. I'm going to get YOU back to normal." He smiled. "So, I am just growing my hair out to see how long i takes to do that."
Al turned to look down at his older brother. "I get it. You want to see how long your hair is when that happens... How long it takes..." Al's voice trailed off and he stayed silent for a moment before continuing. "I hope it doesn't take too long. Winry's hair is kind of long, and she complains about it sometimes."
"Girls always seem to complain about their hair. Mom used to, also..." Ed chuckled. "Well, remember that military guy who came here?" He waited for his brother's nod. "I'm really thinking about joining the State Alchemists. With connections and authority like that, we'll be back to normal in no time!" He freed his flesh hand from under his head and ran his fingers through his bangs. "So, it shouldn't take too long at all..."