Façade

Prologue

Winry's POV

Muttering to myself about a quite annoying LITTLE red bean, I power walked around the hallway, jacket in hand. In my hurry to escape the depression of the hospital, I hadn't realised his red overcoat had been shoved in with my tools.

I halted. This, or any hospital: so white, so clean, so sterile, so fake. So perfect in a way I could never be. On the other hand, they were unfamiliarly frightening, too. All that sanitation, to overcorrect and smother the smell of death. These loud shades of white trying to deafen screams of pain. Such.. Hypocrisy. I pulled up my shirt to cover my nose and took a deep breath. Holding it, I pushed on... Only to open a door to this.

"I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS DAMN BODY!!"

Silence. I gaped at Al in complete shock. Ed, however, with his wide aurulent eyes, couldn't face his little brother. Couldn't look Alphonse in the eye -

Ah.. What eyes?

"I never asked, for this damn body." He repeated for emphasis.

"I-I'm sorry. I know it sucks, but I did what I could-"

But ed could not finish defending his mistake.

"And you!" Creaking assaulted my ears as the boy that was a large suit of armor turned to face me. Me? Pointing a steel finger at me??

"Maybe if you'd just give up your other leg, I wouldn't have to be in this damn body!"

Trembling, I spoke. "But Al I did- I did- I did everything I could! But you can't clone a whole body from only a leg!" He glared at me with such contempt that i, too, felt I had to defend my inadequate mistake. "Cardiac muscle! You can't! Voluntary muscles in legs don't have intercalated disks! And eye cells! Mucus! You'd have the same hairs on your head that sprout from my calves!" I flailed wildly for any relief from his condescension.

"Stem cells." Alphonse spoke, conclusively but knowingly.

The only thing. I closed my eyes, swallowed. Of course he'd know what I discovered only when it was too late. "I dont , or didn't, know how to..."

Ed smirked evilly from his position on the hospital bed. "Of course not.." At this his angelic face fell into demonic disdain. " .. You dunce."

A very familiar feeling came to me. My throat closed up, my chest hurt, my eyes pricked and I knew salted cheeks were coming even before I felt the tears roll.

Cover by: That_Guitar_Girl :D
(I didn't use them, but they were so good I wanted people to see them anyways)