His last gift.
- Alphonse...What are you doing? Winry said a bit shocked at the sudden
movement.
Everyone was.
Alphonse walked up the book and grabbed it in both his hands and pulled of the
table.
He looked at the Christmas picture.
It had not felt right back then to open all the presents when he could not be
there to receive them and open them, but now, it almost felt like a necessary
thing.
Alphonse glanced over at the Christmas tree.
Al let out a silent gasp as his eyes widened.
He then turned back to face everyone and then turned back around to the tree.
He closed the book, walked up to the tree and kneeled down before it.
- Al...Mei said a bit confused.
- ...Al...Winry said a bit puzzled.
- Alphonse...Roy said a bit thrown off.
- Alphonse...Riza said bewildered.
Alphonse kneeled down before the Christmas tree and started to pull out some of
the presents.
Now everyone really started looking at him.
- Al/Alphonse, what are you doing? All of the adults asked.
Alphonse sighted and closed his eyes for a while as he stopped, then he opened
them and continued with what he was doing.
- Last year when brother was knocked out, we did not open any of the presents
because it did not feel right to open ours when he could not be there to open
his. Alphonse said still soft and warm in his voice, but he sounded tired yet
determined.
- And we did, we waited for a week before he woke up so that he could open his
presents and we could open ours. Nina said chirping up, remembering just how
warmly her father had smiled when she had showed him the picture that they had
taken.
Then she suddenly stopped.
She looked at her father and remembered what he had said.
- Thank you...Now I can move on...Thank you...Nina remembered her
father saying with such a proud, relieved, relaxed and warm voice as he looked
at the photo before laying back into the bed.
She remembered his smile before she looked at her father now.
They were the same.
She looked at Alphonse.
- So what are you doing now? Winry asked as Alphonse continued to pull out the
presents from beneath the tree and stacked them up on top of each other's.
- I am doing what I think is one of my brother's last requests. I am handing
out his gifts. Alphonse said with a long sight.
- But...But those presents are all TO Edward, why should we open them? Mei asked
confused and puzzled.
- No...You're wrong Mei. They are not to my brother, they are from my brother.
My brother never really wishes for much. He never really needed to as we have
seen today. He already had everything he ever wanted. He had already gotten the
greatest gift, so what more could he possibly ask for? Alphonse said determined,
yet still very calm and relaxed as he looked at everyone in the house as he was
about to be finished.
- You're...You're right...But I thought that was because he did not think
that he deserved them after all that he has done. Winry explained.
- And for some years, I can imagine that he probably did. But then he got all
of us. And all of you. The things he deserved and won was already in front of
him, why should he ask for more when he already had everything he ever wished
for? Alphonse asked and turned around and looked at everyone, giving them all a
warm look.
Everyone tensed down and looked at him as he pulled up the stacks of presents
in his hands and walked up to the table and set them down next to the book.
Winry reached up to the book and opened it up.
She quickly looked through the book a bit. Until she noticed that on some
pages, there was a letter in the bottom middle of the page.
A few pages later and the letter was back there again.
She turned to the first and last pages of the book.
The first picture was titled The Beginning. Surrounded by those whom I love.
The last picture was titled The End. Surrounded by those whom I love.
She then flipped back to the first page and started flipping through the pages.
And the letters came together.
E.
And with that, Winry just closed the book and fell down into her chair again,
sighting before she began to sob again.
The kids turned around from the stack of presents and looked at their mother.
- Mom...Maes and Nina said worried and walked up to her.
- Mother...Trisha and Edwin said and walked to her and put their hands on
her shoulders.
Even thou they could not see it, Winry began to smile beneath her tears.
Everyone looked at the scene before Alphonse returned his look at the presents
and pulled up a present from the stack.
Many looked the same and they were all wrapped in the same kind of paper.
- To: Winry. From: Edward. Alphonse read of the small and thin gift in his
hands and everyone looked up from Winry, even Winry and then she reached out
and accepted the gift.
Then Alphonse found another one.
- To: Edwin. From: Edward. Alphonse handed and gave Edwin an almost identical
package that Winry had.
- To: Trisha. From: Edward. Alphonse said and Trisha accepted the gift from her
father.
- To: Nina. From: Edward. Alphonse said and kneeled down to give Nina the
present.
- To: Maes. From: Edward. Alphonse said after having caught his breath and gave
Maes the package.
The five looked at each other's and the identical gifts they had all been
given.
Many different looks crossed their faces.
- To: Mei. From: Edward. Alphonse said and handed his wife her gift.
- To: Clara. From: Edward. Alphonse said and gave a smile to his oldest
daughter as he gave her the gift.
- To: Mia. From: Edward. Alphonse said and Mia reached out and gave her father
a smile as she accepted it.
Alphonse picked up another gift.
There were still some of Edward's identical packages left.
Roy walked up.
- Let me guess, To: Bastard. From: Shrimp? Roy asked half amused, yet still
sounding sarcastic beyond belief.
The next moment, he got slapped by both Alphonse and Riza and got five wrenches
thrown at him and had to dodge three daggers.
- For that, I am giving you yours last. Alphonse said annoyed and put the
package back and picked up another.
- To: Riza. From: Edward. Alphonse said and Riza walked up and accepted the
gift.
She then glared at Roy who immediately retreated.
- To: Maya. From: Edward. Alphonse read and gave The First Daughter the
present. She nodded and went to her mother's side.
- To: Dan. From: Edward. Alphonse said to The First Son as Roy had recovered a
bit as he walked up to Alphonse.
Everyone glared at him for an intense moment before Alphonse calmed down with a
sight.
- To: Flame. From: Fullmetal. Alphonse said with a bit of formality and handed
a surprised Roy his gift.
Now there was only one gift left from Edward. And Alphonse already knew what it
might read.
But when he picked it up and turned it around, he stopped.
- To: Brother. From: Brother. Alphonse read almost stunned before he nearly
collapsed.
Alphonse couldn't help it, the tears were coming and the sorrow struck him once
again and nearly knocked him down.
Alphonse held it back and sat down besides his wife before he let out a big
sob.
Everyone looked at him.
They all had their identical gifts, no smaller thinner than a jewelry box
thanks to the paper, but it felt even thinner. And no longer then a grown man's
fingers.
They all waited for Alphonse.
Alphonse sighted and looked down at his gift before he grabbed hold of the
strings and paper and began to rip it off.
Everyone began doing the same.
The strings broke easily and the papers were even easier.
But once the paper was gone, no one believed their eyes of what Edward Elric's
last gift to them were.
It was so heartwarming and yet so...utterly...heartbreaking for them.
