I wanted to take a break from my other ongoing stories and start something new with some other anime or manga series than Naruto or Bleach again - not that I don't enjoy writing with those two, but I should write more stories with the others instead of going on with the same topics and to be fair, no?
Then recently, I've been thinking of having my hair cut short, which I've kept long for many years. This would be a huge step for me, and I have to admit that I'm actually missing it already! This was when the idea of this story struck me and I got it done within a week. I'm happy that it worked out pretty well for my first FMA fic (other than the one in The Four Seasons)!
Now, ladies and gents, let me warmly present...!
The Best Gift of All
"Just get the hell out of my bakery!" The baker hollered as he shoved her out. Cheeks puffed out with anger at the rude man, Winry Elric glared at him through the glass with the hardest glare she could muster.
"Fine! Who'd love to purchase those nasty bread with that attitude of yours?!" She rebuked and stormed down the street like a charging rhinoceros. After passing through a few stores and blocks, she slowed down after she has calmed herself down. She let out a forlorn sigh, unable to come up with what she should do in this case.
"I suppose dinner is no longer an option." She muttered to herself, gripping her light moth-eaten coat to shield herself from the cold in vain. The chilly winds sieved through the gaps of her clothes and licked on her skin. She shuddered uncontrollably as she trod back to her house with a heavy heart. She put the small loaf of hard stale bread on the table, lit the short stubble of the old candle and cupped her frostbitten hands around the flickering flame, hoping to warm herself no matter how meagre it was. Two soft but clear jingling sounds in her pocket startled her. She reached into the pocket and fished out the three rusty coins and three crinkled notes she has been possessing for the last two weeks. At the sight of the coins, she could not help it but let fat drops of tears fall.
3520 cenz. That was all the money she had with her. If she had not bargained with the vendors in the market she would have none left. It was most humiliating, swallowing her pride and begging like an abandoned whore grovelling at the feet of her master. Pride? Faugh! As if telling your name "Elric" or "Rockbell" would have any use anymore in this devastated country!
Four years ago, a sandstorm hit the East Area hard, resulting in a tremendous plunge of yield. Many died in the famine, citizens and soldiers alike, including Pinako Rockbell. Drachma saw this as their chance and invaded in the following year from both the North and West Areas. The once-formidable Fort Briggs was heavily mauled and trampled over, and Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong died in action. To make things worse, Creta and Aerugo joined in the fray and spiced up the chaos.
Fuhrer Grumman issued an order for all State Alchemists to march out, but this time it was the total opposite of the Ishval Civil War: like his sister, Major Alex Louis Armstrong died while protecting a family in the South Area, with Sig Curtis by his side. Despite being healed by Van Hohenheim it was not permanent, and Izumi Curtis was shot dead during a sudden seizure. The unit of General Roy Mustang moved to the West, and they were the only ones whom Winry knew faring better than the others, only that Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye lost an eye by a stray shot.
In the end, the war was so bad that even normal citizens were called to join the military. She could still remember the day when the messenger appeared at the door, bringing the grave news that Alphonse got caught in a series of bombardments in the North, and Edward was gravely wounded and must be sent home. When she saw her husband in the hospital, right arm missing again with various wounds on his body and his left automail leg busted, she cried, half sad to see him heavily-maimed and half happy that he came back to her alive.
It was only last year when the officers got hold of valuable information on their enemy's plans, Amestris started to see hope. In six months, they finally drove them back to their respective countries, but the toll was tremendous. Cities must be rebuilt and forts must be repaired. With a heavy loss of promising alchemists to the war, this was no easy task, so most of the reconstructions must be done by manpower. Worn out from fighting, the government scrapped all the able-bodied men they could get and sent them to sites to construct buildings after buildings with their hands, soaking the soil with their streaming sweat and blood from opened blisters.
Post-war life was always hard. People had to deal with not only rebuilding, but also a crashed economy. Inflation was so serious that even a tiny rotten apple cost 500 cenz! That goes without saying just how much would it be for other stuff.
Once again, Edward asked to have an automail arm installed, using the last of his remaining research grant as the famed Fullmetal Alchemist, and went through the excruciating rehabilitation in a year again, so he could join the workforce and earn some money. Without his alchemy or Alphonse, he was just a normal citizen among the others, working with his own efforts but not with a clap of hands and some blue energy. With fewer food to eat and the heavy workload, Edward was getting ghostly thin, and not to mention that the overuse of his new automail limbs tended to give him intense pain at the connected areas, especially his right arm, now angrily swollen and bruised and sometimes bled. However, he never complained and worked hard for their small family of just him and Winry.
It was not that Winry did not want to work to alleviate his burden, but with this economy, who would want to replace their missing body parts with automails? The current cost of normal prostheses was already expensive, so it was needless to say how much an automail would be, let alone the maintenance cost; they were barely able to pull off Edward's with almost half of his meagre income. Therefore, she did various small chores, from taking care of children to mending clothes, and even once a temporary nurse at the hospital. She did not earn much, but this little something was always better than nothing.
"But just how could 3520 cenz get a good present for him?" She murmured to herself, playing with the coins and notes. Sighing heavily again, she pushed a few stray locks of her hair behind her ears, and an idea struck her.
It was not that they have lost everything, for they still have two prized things in their possession: one was her golden long locks, and one was his silver pocket watch.
Over the years, Winry's hair has grown past her feet and trailed on the floor, as she loved to be complimented on its beauty by her beloved. It was like a golden veil on her head, weaved with the sunshine as thread and adorned with shards of jewels. Even at such length the ends were still glossy with no split ends. Every day after her chilly bath, Edward would love to play with it, braiding it or spinning it into various buns or simply combing it with his calloused fingers.
As for Edward's silver pocket watch bestowed on him when he became a State Alchemist, he was never asked to return it after relinquishing the title, as Roy had deduced that it was seen as an acknowledgement of his contributions to everything. He had been suggested many times to sell it for more money, as the rather large composition of silver in the watch would worth some folds of his current income, but he refused. It held so many memories that he never had the heart to let it go. The chain was long broken, but he still kept it in his pocket at all times and would take it out to polish it from time to time. He held it so dearly that sometimes Winry would get angry at him that he took greater care of it than his automail limbs.
But at this moment, what was the point in keeping these things when getting enough to eat and surviving was the greatest issue that haunted them every day?
Steeling her resolve, Winry spun up her hair to keep it from dirtying by the dirt on the ground and stepped out of her house. She trod down the road with a nervous heart as she drew closer to her destination. By the time she reached to the barber's, her nerves were in a wreck. She took a few deep breaths and finally stepped into it.
No one would want to style their hair in this bad economic situation, so the shop was empty. The shop keeper's, a brunette middle-aged lady in a relatively nicer dress, eyes shone with a huge smile at the sight of her.
"Hello, my dear!" She sang, guiding her to the tidiest chair and sat her down. "What style would you like? Or would you like to dye it? Or do you—"
"Sorry, ma'am!" She squeaked timidly. "I'm here to sell my hair!"
The lady's face crashed in a blink, but a small smile returned. "Remove the pins or the bands, my dear. I will examine it."
Once Winry did, she ran her hand through the strands, but the actions sent a chill down the younger woman's spine. Ever since getting married, she had never had anyone than Edward touch her hair. The feel of foreign fingers at her scalp made her dread resurface. After a long minute the torture finally ended.
"That'll be 10,000 cenz. Is it alright with you, my dear?" The lady said.
"B-But I think this length and quality should worth more!" Winry argued.
The lady sighed. "Yes, it should, but I can't give you more." Seeing the blonde's crestfallen look, she said again, "15,000 cenz. That's the most I can give."
"Okay, deal!" Giving the lady's a happier smile, the hairdresser began her work.
Snip! Snip! Snip! As the blades of the scissors cut down her hair, the coldness against the nape of her neck grew, so as her fear. Would Edward like her new look? What would he think of it? Would he still love her? Various questions floated in her mind, but she gradually pulled them down with her reason. It was Christmas, and she must get him a gift no matter how. She needed money, and this was the quickest way for her to get a good amount.
"All done, dear!" The lady said, putting down her scissors. By now Winry could definitely feel the change. Her head was lifted from a weight she never knew she had ever had, and the nape of her neck was cold without the natural "blanket". She touched the short prickly hair at her neck and bit her lower lip nervously. Now the damage was done; God helps to deliver her from all the bad scenarios.
Knowingly, the lady brought a navy-blue shawl and wrapped it around her neck, shocking the younger girl. She smiled like a mother to her, "To protect you from the cold. You're wearing thin already, and I don't want to see such a lovely girl like you to stay in bed during Christmas because of a cold."
"But I can't have it, ma'am!" The shawl was such quality she could never dream to have in this situation. It was made of soft wool, and it had obviously never been used as the colour was still fast.
"No, you don't have to pay for it; it's my gift to you." The lady said. "You need it more than I do. I wish you a merry Christmas."
Tears swelled in Winry's eyes as she thanked her fervently even after walking out of the doors. As she looked at the stack of notes, her heart felt so much lighter as she headed towards her mission to search for a good gift for Edward. He needed a new coat, but the bolt of red cloth was too pricy. The bottle of automail maintenance oil was too small that made the price unreasonable. After searching in the stores for two fruitless hours, she finally found her gift.
It was a simple silver chain. It was not just silver in colour, but it was made with a high composition of silver and some other alloys. It could replace the broken chain of Edward's pocket watch, so he could once more hang it on his belt without fear of losing it. He could take it out more often to check the time and remember his vow engraved under the cover of the watch. She bargained a bit and bought it for 15,000 cenz, and with the remaining money she could finally buy some food for dinner.
When Winry finally got back to home, the initial ecstasy for getting the chain was doused by worries to prepare dinner. She went around the kitchen, prepared the vegetables and meat and some almost-spoiled milk she has stored before into a pot and started to make stew, his favourite dish. Just as she finished arranging the table, the door opened to let in a gush of wintry wind. At the door was a weary blonde in sooty clothes, her beloved husband Edward Elric.
"Welcome home, Ed." She greeted, trying to suppress the tremble in her voice.
"I'm home, Win—" He choked, gold eyes staring at her. She could not tell what his emotions were from those eyes as she always could, and fear descended upon her. There was neither ire nor bewilderment nor discontent nor hate. He just blankly stared at her. It was out of her expectations. Knowing him, she expected his reactions should be more dynamic than just staring.
"Oh, Ed," She walked up to him, closed the door behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Please understand, Ed. It's Christmas, and I must get you a gift no matter what. But the thing is I'm pretty broken, so the only option for me is to sell my hair. You know that many would need to wear wigs to cover up their scars on their head, and my hair is long and good enough to make many of them for those poor chaps! There's nothing to regret for me at all – I've done something charitable on this memorable day! Don't worry, Ed. You know that my hair grows fast. Now come on in! I can't wait to give you your gift!"
"You've cut your hair?" He said, half muttering and half asking to confirm its realness. He seemed to have some difficulty to accept it.
She nodded in his chest, unable to bring herself to look into his eyes. "Yeah, and I sold it, so I'll have enough money to prepare everything for Christmas."
In a snap, Edward was finally out from his stupor and wrapped his arms around her as well and hugged her tightly. Winry could feel his warmth and care in it, and she was relieved. After a while, he guided her to the table and sat them down at it.
"I'm sorry I've startled you, Winry." He began, rubbing her hands gently with his left one as if his calluses might scrape her delicate skin and hurt her. "No matter you have long or short hair, or you have new or weird hairdos, I will never stop loving you. After all, I didn't fall in love with just your beauty, but also your great and pure heart." He then took out a small parcel from the pocket of his old brown coat. "When you look at the contents inside, you'll understand why I was so stupefied."
Curiously, she took the parcel, tugged the strings and undid the wrapping, and her eyes bulged from their sockets. After a second, she let out a gasping scream and tears cascaded down her cheeks. Edward tried to comfort her as always, but this time he just could not find the right words.
It was a hair clip for women with long hair to keep their hair up. It was made of a piece of wood, polished with gloss that made the surfaces shone. It sported a few carvings, and it was decorated with a few coloured wooden beads. To many people it was totally nothing fancy, but given their situation, this clip was the artwork of god. Oh, she would very much love to put it on now, but she had lost the qualification to use it without her long locks.
"Don't worry, Ed!" She sniffed and gave him her brightest smile. "My hair grows fast, and I'm sure I'll be using it in no time!"
Edward smiled, contented to see that she was happy. Then his nose caught a nice aroma that made his mouth water. "Is that stew you're making?"
"Oh, yes!" She squealed in delight. "Your favourite dish, Ed! But before that," She took out her own wrapped present from her pocket and handed it to him. "Open it! I'm sure you'll love it just as I love mine!"
His smile did not falter as he unfolded the wrappings. When he took out the chain, he was stunned, and his smiling face changed into an astonished one. Winry took it that he was so happy to say anything, or that he was too astonished to see his gift for his watch that he was so proud of. She grinned widely, "Isn't it beautiful, Ed? I know you'd love it! You can now chain your watch to your belt again without a fear of losing it anymore! Take it out, Ed, so I can help you to put it on!"
However, he did not move or say anything for a while again, as he entered into another trance. When he woke up from it, he took both of their presents and pushed them to the other side of the table. Confusion painted Winry's face as he hid his face behind his hands, one flesh and one metallic, and a smile formed.
"Winry," He said after a moment of silence. "Let's put these presents away for some time. They're not good for us to use, since we both won't be able to use them for the time being."
"I know that I won't be using mine for some time," She said, very perplexed. "But why would you as well? You still have your—" Then realization hit her like a ton of bricks. By the way he smiled sorrowfully, she got her confirmation.
"To buy the clip, I must have more money with me, so I sold my pocket watch. The silver on it does worth quite a lot, so I still have some money left. You can use that to buy better things." He said uncharacteristically peacefully and slowly looked up, caressing her cheek with his good left hand. "It's alright, Winry. Let's put them behind us now. Your stew is getting burnt."
Tear once again welled up and began to fell again. She crashed into his chest and wailed woefully, gripping fistful of his coat, while he hugged her, for once not whispering words of comfort. He stroked the bare nape of her neck with his left hand, as if he was afraid that the cold metal of his right automail hand may burn her skin.
Suddenly, everything seemed so foolish to Winry. They both wanted to get gifts for the other to brighten their most precious treasures, yet ironically they traded them. It was so stupid of them, but then she understood: they would do anything to show their love for each other that they could even give away what they held dearest. At that moment, nothing in the world mattered, not when the stew on the stove was burning and going to be ruined, not even the gifts they have bought, as they embraced the other like there was no tomorrow.
She also understood why the clip and the chain were not good presents: what was a better and greater gift than giving your selfless love?
So, what do you guys think? Please leave me some nice reviews, and see you in the next story (hope to be very soon...)!
Kuroi Kokoro 09