To a dear friend, Elizabeth. Thank you for looking over all of the things I have written and providing constructive criticism, I really do appreciate it. I wish you the merriest of Christmas's and the best New Year, may you spend these holidays with the ones you love.
Hall Of Mirrors
Maes Hughes couldn't help but stare at the looming door, it was Christmas, yet there was no celebration in the realm of the dead. Though, Maes had his own way of celebrating the holiday. It had been a while since he had been through this door, the door that led to the hallway of mirrors. The hallway was only open on Christmas as a gift to the realm of the dead, though the others rarely used this privilege. He had made it a habit to check on his family and friends. He pushed open the doors and walked over to the nearest mirror. It was a simple round mirror, and in the glass he saw himself. "Gracia and Elicia Hughes," he stated, traces of pain could be heard in his voice. The image in the mirror rippled, and soon a warm living room that was oh so familiar to him came into view. In the middle of the room stood a Christmas tree. Someone walked into the room, it was his beautiful wife, Gracia Hughes, followed by his daughter Elicia. "Mommy when is daddy coming back?" Elicia asked Gracia innocently, and he could see the tears brimming his wife's eyes. He stared at the other child in her arms, the one that she had found out about after his death. This girl had stark black hair, and jade green eyes just like him. Though, the cruelest moment was watching that child's birth, that Christmas three years ago. It had been watching his wife in pain and not being there to support her, it had been watching his Elicia go to someone other than him for comfort. He felt tears coming to his own eyes, those homunculi had hurt everything he had loved by tearing him away from them. Though for some reason, he felt no hatred towards them, true his separation from the others hurt, but the lesson he had thought them had kept them safe. While he was on this thought train, he gave one last look of longing at his family, his eyes slowly flitting from his wife to his daughter to the his youngest child, the one that would never know his love and he would only watch grow up through the mirrors; then mumbled the name, "Envy." He heard a lullaby being sung in the distance, though it grew louder as the mirror came into focus. The lullaby was playing in the morning to keep Wrath asleep, the older homunculi probably didn't want the younger waking up and annoying him this morning. Wrath woke up regardless though and went over to Envy's bedside.
"That's a pretty lullaby Envy, thank you," Wrath stated sleepily yawning,
"Yeah whatever, brat, I just didn't want you annoying me today, but I guess no one can change your nature," Envy snidely replied. Wrath wrapped his arms around Envy and the older homunculus pulled back, shocked. Though Wrath refused to let go, "What are you doing, brat?" Envy asked though there was only intense curiosity in his voice.
"Merry Christmas," Wrath replied, "I made you a cake want to go eat it?" Wrath asked Envy, knowing he would get a sarcastic reply from the other homunculus.
"Yes, since homunculi definitely celebrate Christmas," Envy replied, sarcasm dripping from his every word. Though he followed Wrath just the same, and when they reached the cake, the other homunculi had found it. Wrath's look of disappointment was immense, and he looked like he wanted to kill them all. Though Wrath knew how foolish that was and rigidly pushed his way to the center of the crowd forming around it, Envy following him. When they reached the center of the table, they found the remnants of the cake, a single slice that Gluttony was moving towards. Wrath beat him to it, and Envy muttered a death threat so scary that Gluttony who was normally unfazed by everything cringed, in fact everyone in the room cringed at the visual besides Dante. Wrath used his finger to rub of some frosting form the side of his cake, but before he could put it in his own mouth, Envy's mouth enveloped his finger, slowly licking of all the frosting.
"E-envy," Wrath stuttered flustered, his face turning five different shades of red and finally decided to stay at a color of bright crimson.
"Mm-hmm," Envy managed to get out with mouthful of Wrath's finger.
"Glad to know you like it," Wrath muttered silently as Envy gently released his finger.
Maes chuckled a little at this display of affection, in the end they are still clueless children who follow their master's commands. "Roy Mustang," Maes stated to his mirror. The image of Roy and Riza slowly came into view, they were exchanging gifts. Riza opened her only to find a beautiful diamond ring, and Roy sunk onto one knee, "Marry me, Riza," he asked her, his voice slightly nervous.
"Ro-roy, of course," Riza stated, and Maes felt tears enter his eyes again, be there to push him to the top, that's what I said I would do, he thought to himself. Though now I won't even be able to attend his wedding. He saw Riza wrap her hands around his neck as she gently kissed him. Roy took no time at all to wrap his arms around her waist and deepen the kiss until they had to pull apart for air, RIza gently panting on his neck. Roy slid a hand under Riza's shirt only to feel her step back, "After marriage," she stated sternly.
Maes smiled and affectionately whispered one final name into the mirror, "Edward and Alphonse Elric." The two brothers came into view along with Winry in central, they were probably gift shopping for her, and they had bought a lot. After this Alphonse presented Edward with a gift, which was of course a kitten. Edward then face-palmed and walked Alphonse through the reasons they couldn't own a kitten again. The three of them walked towards central headquarters with this conversation, and found a girl who loved kittens to drop the kitten of at, and she gladly accepted, yelling after them to have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, as they left. And with this Maes turned around and left the hall of mirrors with the rare glimpses of all those close to him that he would ponder for the next 365 days before he saw them again. Maybe seeing them was the most painful part of his life after death, but it was an addiction he could not overcome.
