Naoki07 here, and welcome to the final chapter of 'Christmas'! Thank you for reading my little Christmas fic, and I hope you enjoyed it. This is my first and only entry in the Fullmetal Alchemist category, but I've enjoyed every minute of this experience. Thank you for reading!
The theme song for the party is 'Bridge05' from .hack/sign Extra Soundtrack. The theme song for the finale is Steve Tyrell's 'I'll Be Home for Christmas'. Once again, I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE SONGS. PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ATTACKING ME. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
The Christmas Eve party continued with a blast. Things went by so fast, the party was practically a smash. Confetti streamed throughout the air, without the smallest of cares. Delicacies were made for all to share; there wasn't an empty stomach anywhere. Christmas lights glimmered upon the tree, the aroma of cookies lingered in the air for all to see-
"What? You can't see aroma."
"You know what, Ed? Your ignorance is wearing thin. The narrator's just doing his job."
"Yeah, well, he's doing a pretty crappy job, if you ask me. Havoc, cut it out already."
"Fine, fine. Whatever. Let someone else do the narrating."
"MEOW!"
A moment later a cat soared onto Edward Elric's face, and practically beat the living stuffing out of him. The poor kid almost had his insides torn out, for the cat was even stronger than ten wolverines-
"Roy, cut it out! Get this stupid thing off of me! DOWN, KITTY, DOWN!"
"ROWR ROWR ROWR (ffft)"
"Guess what, kids? It's present time!"
"It will be once Ed stops playing with the kitty..."
"Al, this isn't funny! Get this blasted cat off of me!"
"Colonel, DON'T set the cat on fire. Really, you need to learn how to control yourself."
"Too late. Edward asked one of us to help. That should do the trick."
"ROWR ROWR (fffffft)"
"Where did this cat come from? A Stephen King novel?"
"No, it came from the depths of your desires, Mr. Hughes. This is your fault, you know."
"Havoc, you aren't helping. Somebody put that fire out-my pal over there went a wee bit overboard..."
(The powers of narration have returned to the author. Thank you for your cooperation.)
Roy Mustang passed a smile and wink to his dearest friend, then prepared to deliver another attack. He was amused by the displays of stupidity Edward put on, and wanted the hilarity to continue. Unfortunately, his attack wasn't completed, for the cat decided to unleash more of its fury on him. It released the unfortunate Edward from its clutches and went straight for the Colonel. Luckily for Roy, Hughes swatted the cat away before it had a chance to land on his friend's face, and the two of them gave each other a 'thumbs-up'.
"Wasn't that fun, Edward?"
Edward looked as if he had been dragged through the world's fastest roller coaster. His hair was a mess; it was too hard for Al to restrain his laughter. His brother always looked as if he had been dragged through the dirt. Looking like a wreck was obviously one of his most precious hobbies.
"Zip it or I'll REALLY hand you over to Armstrong."
"Eddy-poo! Where are you?"
"Noooooooo! He's coming! Somebody do something! I'm too young! I haven't experienced the miracle of life-"
"You WON'T if you keep up such high stress levels, big brother. I've heard that stress can lead to high blood pressure-"
"You already told me this, Al. Find something else to bring up."
"Okay then. Why don't I bring up the fact that you destroyed Hughes's kitchen?"
"Sure, go ahead. On New Year's Eve."
"HO HO HO, KIDS! MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
"Look Daddy! It's Santa!"
"No it's not, Elicia. It's just some poor, helpless idiot that decided to crash everything. Isn't that right, Havoc?"
WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!
"NOOOOOOOOOOO! I'VE NEVER BEEN SO TORMENTED BEFORE IN MY LIFE!"
"What's wrong, big brother! I thought you loved dogs! Look at him! He loves you!"
"I was already tormented by the stupid cat! Go play with someone else!"
"Watch it, big brother. You'll knock the tree down."
"We should've kept the potted tree. It would have been perfect for your brother."
"It was a good idea, Colonel Mustang."
"And away to the window I flew in flash, and what do my wondering eyes should appear? Santa Claus and eight tiny reindeer!"
"If you're going to tell a story, Major, tell it properly."
"I have my own version, Riza. Thank you."
"You guys, take off those samurai suits already! Unless you want to lose your positions! I should have you all court-marshaled!"
"But Colonel," Falman said to his friend pleadingly, and the young Colonel shook his head. "Some live and some die, by the way of the samurai. You have to understand."
"Yeah. And some bleed, sun up to sun down."
"Fuery, don't add anything to this. This is already bad enough. My reputation has been destroyed."
"On my arm is a sign of all-pro-"
"I think it's about time for me to submit a resignation letter. I'm sorry, Hughes."
"Why waste time doing that, when we can easily off them right here and now?"
"Okay kids, let the blender rip! There we go!"
The hilarity continued into the night, and brought the finale of the party with the greatest delight. The guests gathered once again in the living room, and waited for their host to speak-holding the highest respect and warmth in their faces. The memories they had shared with each other streamed throughout their minds, and brought them all even closer to each other. The smiles they had shared, the laughter they had created-all of it danced through their heads, and created even more smiles. They all knew that they weren't going to have many more opportunities to create memories with each other; this party was a breath of fresh air, and they enjoyed it immensely. The arrival of the New Year was going to bring about their separation; all of them were going to return to their normal routines, their normal lifestyles. Each of them had their own path, but one thing was clear; all of them shared the same heart, and that could never be torn apart.
After an eternity, their party host spoke, in the midst of the grand Christmas tree. His voice was loud and clear, for all to hear. His eyes twinkled with a merry, jovial light-he would have made the perfect Santa Claus, he would have been just right.
"Well well well. After five hours of destruction and chaos, we've finally arrived at midnight. How are we feeling, people?"
The most beauteous cheer pierced the calm air, and rattled the heavens with an unspeakable radiance. Every heart sang loudly with the greatest happiness, and eyes shimmered with a depth of bliss that could never be forgotten, or even duplicated. No other cheer could compare to that one; it could have gone down in the history books. It went on for a long five minutes, then Hughes resumed his speech (after he adjusted his glasses).
"That's nice to know. I'm glad you all had a good time. Listen, I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm glad all of you came. I really had a good time myself. I'm glad we all found the time to live it up with each other, you know?"
Many eyes became sad at this statement, and they became sad reflections of the Christmas lights.
"Before we all hit the sacks, I just want to say thanks. I'd like to thank the Colonel for putting up with me-"
They exchanged another salute with each other. It was a simple yet beautiful gesture of friendship.
"-and I wish him the best of his luck in his journey to become King of the World. I wish you could become the president, but hey. We can't have everything we want, right?"
"Damn right!"
"Havoc, quit it."
"Anyways, Colonel. I know I've never said this before, but-"
"Oh no. Here it comes. Who's passing around the tissue?"
"I am! Five cents a sheet! It's for the 'Save Armstrong' foundation!"
"Major, who's gonna pay you a freakin' nickel for a sheet of tissue?"
"Don't worry, big brother. We can spare that much. Here you go, Major."
"-thanks. I know we've been through Hell and back, but...I wouldn't give back any of those experiences for the world. Thanks for everything, and glad we're friends."
"It's okay, big brother. Just let it all out..."
"You know, it's funny. That was for me, but he's the one crying."
A small bit of laughter went up at Roy's remark. He was touched by his friend's words; that was easy to tell. Hughes had finally opened up a tight shell, and he was relieved. It was time for everything to be brought into the open, no question about it.
"Don't mention it, Lieutenant Colonel. I appreciate everything you've done for me. Hey, wait a minute. What have I done for you?"
"More than you'll ever know, Roy. I'd also like to thank everyone else...for sticking to their guns. No matter what happens, keep yourselves together, and appreciate the time you've been given. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! This is Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, signing off!"
Another cheer pierced the Eve as bottles of cider were opened, and raised into the air. Streams of translucent liquid met the vibrant, bright cheer of joy...as hearts united under a starry night sky.
Edward Elric awakened in his brother's arms...and instantly realized that the memories he had created...were no more than deceptive visions. Sadness and frustration crashed onto him, and brought him back into his doleful reality. His brother was still a suit of metal, and they weren't inside of a warm house-they were in the bedroom of an inn. There were no friends...no warm smiles...there was only a silvery white windowpane, the portal to a desolate world. It was Christmas Eve, and it was midnight...but...
None of it happened.
Colonel Mustang and First Lieutenant Hawkeye were miles away, locked in the ambiguity of their duties.
Mustang's subordinates were with him, trapped under the same pool of obscurity.
Winry and Pinako were downstairs, sleeping next to their fireplace...but there was no magic present. The memories they had created weren't true pieces of reality-nothing had changed for them...
Nina and her dog were no longer among the world of the living...
Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was no longer among the living...
And Al was still trapped in the suit of armor.
Nothing had changed.
Tears pierced Ed's eyes, but he managed to hold them back. He never approved of shedding tears, unless he was dangerously close to a mental breakdown. His eyes began to burn because of the restraint, and so did his heart-but he knew he had to hold it all back. Strength could not be accompanied by weakness.
A heavy sigh withdrew itself from his lips, and drifted into the lifeless, cold air.
"Ed?"
His heart sank into a chasm of never-ending sadness. The desire to return to the dream was excruciatingly fierce, but he knew it wouldn't return. He knew none of it would come back...
He knew none of it would happen.
"Yeah?"
"What's wrong, big brother? Did you have a nightmare?"
He managed to place a weak smile on his face. His eyes betrayed that fragile smile, though-the betrayal was completely clear to Al...even though he knew he had to stay strong for his fragile older brother. His brother's voice was soft, yet heavy with sadness. It was almost too hard to listen to.
"No. Nothing's wrong. Sorry."
"Ed?"
"Yeah?"
Al's words pierced his heart like daggers.
"Merry Christmas."
The smile on his face became warmer...but the sorrow bloomed as much as the warmth.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Al."
I'll be home for Christmas...
If only in my dreams.
-A big 'thank you' to all of those that read this. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and everything else in the book!
I should have added the Elric's mother to make things happier, but oh well. This was my first and last foray into this category; I hope no one was OOC. If they were, I would appreciate it someone told me. I may not be up for any more FMA fics, but I would like to sharpen my skills for future projects in other categories. PLEASE REMEMBER; I DON'T ACCEPT FLAMES.
Thank you, once again, for supporting this project. And once again, I DO NOT OWN MADONNA, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, STAR WARS, STEVE TYRELL AND HIS 'I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS', BUST A GROOVE OR SAMURAI CHAMPLOO.
Thank you, and enjoy yourselves! Merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year!