Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Only Belligerence, Arrogance, and Vanity.

Note: This is a chapter about the past before Belligerence was concived.

A girl with long dark brown hair ran through the colonies of the Ishbalan resistance.

"Al!" She whispered as she snuck into a hut were she knew he'd be.

"Bella you can't be here! What if the military sees you?" A man asked as he emerged from the shadows. His brown skin and red eyes crudely gave away his lineage. He had white hair and a musket over his shoulder carelessly.

"So? I wanted to see you, it's not like they could hurt me. You know better than that." Bella said with a smile, her state uniform was tattered with dark spots that obviously were from blood.

Al shook his head. "Even so your putting everyone else in danger too." He reasoned putting a hand on her shoulder. "But I am glad you came." He said with a happy sigh and pulling her towards him.

The resistance camp knew of this girl, they knew what she did, who she was, and why she was there. What they did not know of was her constant comings and goings in the night.

"Come on, let's leave before people hear us." Al said pulling her lightly along with him.

The brown haired brown eyed girl followed him through the maze of huts and behind the camp. A building was situated between the actual city and the camp that guarded the front of it. It was a hospital that had burned in a fire started by The Flame Alchemist.

It was beat up but it was also deserted, something that made it perfect for their late meetings.

"How are you? I hope you haven't been hurt." Al said worriedly, turning her in circles to make sure she wasn't hurt in anyway.

"Aladyah, I'm fine, not even a scratch." Bella said with a reassuring smile.

Al frowned at the use of his full name. "Isabella, why must you lie?" He asked sliding his hand over her right shoulder blade.

Bella flinched lightly at the contact over the raw skin.

Al stepped back and set his musket down. "Take your shirt and jacket off." He instructed causing Bella to blush ever so slightly.

"No, I don't need help, it's fine. It doesn't bother me at all." She retorted crossing her arms.

The ishbalan gave a knowing look when she flinched. Moving her arm stretched the sore skin making a painful itch.

With a rough sigh, Bella turned her back to him and removed the two garments. A sizeable burn mark covered from her neck to the bottom of her shoulder blade.

"Bella…" Al sighed reaching into his wrap for an ointment. He gently applied the white mint smelling cream.

Bella hissed in pain. "Well it's not a scratch." She joked flinching when he started rubbing it into her skin.

Once finished he replaced the small jar in his wrap and grabbed her hand. "I just wish you'd be more careful." He said looking at her hand entrapped in his own.

Bella put her free hand on his cheek and lifted his head to look at her. "When I find another reason for you to touch me." She said pressing her forehead to his.

"All you need to do is ask." Al said placing his lips over hers.

The Stunning Flash Alchemist, stationed at the eastern resistance, had tried to sneak into the camp one night. Using stealth instead of her alchemy. She made it to the hut were she'd heard an ishbalan attempting alchemy lived.

Her objective was to silence him and his attempts. But it all went wrong. He hadn't been there, only his brother. A reasonably handsome ishbalan man who did not hesitate to shoot at her.

Something the other people of the ishbalan resistance didn't share with him. They all seemed hesitant on taking life.

Whether for that reason or just the thrill of breaking the rules, Bella had taken an interest in him. She continued to show up and find him. Eventually Al began to expect and enjoy her visits, as she did not kill him. This was before he discovered who she really was.

"How could you lie to me!? I should shoot you were you stand!" He growled aiming his musket at the alchemist.

"And how have I lied? How could I lie when you never asked?" Bella inquired standing calmly still.

The man seemed to falter some, then tightened his grip on the gun. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you where you stand. For all the murders you've committed in cold blood?" Al shot back not looking into her eyes.

Bella seemed to think then shrugged. "Shoot me. There's no reason for you not to. I've killed nearly all of Ishbal with my own hands. Ripped apart so many families. Burned down numerous homes. Kill me if you think it will help, hell if you could kill me at all." She said walking closer.

Al seemed to tremble and closed his eyes tightly. After a few moments he lowered the gun. "You and I both know I could never kill you." He said dropping the weapon all together. Bella nodded.

"I'm sorry, that this had to happen. If I wasn't who I was, we could've been together forever." She said turning to walk out.

"Don't fool yourself like that. If we can't be together the way we are, it was fated not to happen. Goodbye Isabella Forest, The Stunning Flash Alchemist." Then man had a depressing tone of despair in his voice as he spoke his last words to his love.

"Goodbye, Aladyah." Bella said walking out of the hut and towards her own camp.

Upon arrival in the military camp a group of men surrounded the female alchemist. "What do you want?" She asked menacingly not looking up from the ground she'd admired the whole way there.

"Isabella Forest, you are hereby stripped of your State Alchemist title and sentenced to immediate death for becoming a danger to the state and those working under it." Stated Basque Gran. "Do your work boys." He said walking away as if it would be all that easy for his officers to handle.

Bella growled angrily looking up and around at the men surrounding her. "Kill me if you can!" She yelled and began her own anger induced slaughter.

From that day on, she would no longer be a girl called Isabella, who loved an ishbalan man.

No, after this night, she would be reborn as a sin that the men and women in this war so often abused.

Belligerence.