Protect Me

Written by: Luna

Chapter 10 – Nightmares

Disclaimer – I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, yet any new characters that I have created to fit the story are mine, and part of Protect Me. Thank you!

Sid twitched in his sleep as he once again relived the hellish nightmare of his past.

"I'm home, Selene."

A young girl about the age of nineteen came around the corner of their humble house. "Hi, Sid!" She exclaimed when she saw her brother and ran into his arms to hug him tightly. "I'm so glad you made it home again safely. I've made dinner for you tonight." Selene flashed her beautiful smile that Sid loved so much.

He came fully into the house and shut the front door behind him, taking off his jacket to throw over the arm of the couch nearby. "How have you been lately?"

Selene had gone back into the kitchen and was now stirring about finishing up the last touches of the food she had been cooking. Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and her bangs fell slightly into her eyes. "I've been alright. It's just so lonely around here when you're gone. I've missed you, big brother."

Sid smiled warmly at his sister and came to sit at the table. "I'm sorry I'm away so much, but you know the reason is for a good cause. The towns I visit need an alchemist that can help them. I always try not to be gone for too long. I worry leaving you here by yourself."

She let out a small laugh. "You needn't worry about me. I've learned a lot since… She trailed off, her smile fading.

Sid caught on immediately to what she was about to say. "I know. Since Mom and Dad died." He sighed sadly, getting up to go hug his sister, the only family he had left. "I'm sorry, Selene."

She tried to fight back the tears, but the deaths were too recent to push aside her feelings. Her tears fell as she embraced her brother, but soon attempted to regain her composure and pushed away from him. She hid her face and walked back over to stir the a bubbling pot of soup.

Casting sad eyes to her back, Sid went back over to sit down. He really did hate leaving her on her own, but he had no choice. The people he visited and helped were willing to give him enough money so that he could still keep a roof over their heads. Liore was a nice place to live and they had been born and raised here. He didn't want to uproot her and drag her along with him. She had friends here, so she was happy. He also knew that she needed him even though she tried to act strong.

"The soup is ready now. I hope you like it." Selene said as she brought two bowls over to the table and then went back over to get some water for them to drink.

Sid smiled. "I'm sure I will. You're food is always the best."

She blushed slightly at the compliment and sat down herself.

After a few minuets of eating in silence, Sid spoke up.

"Selene."

She looked up from her food. "Yes?"

He let out a sigh, not really knowing how he was going to say this.

"I'm…well…I'm going to have to leave again tomorrow."

"What! But you just got back, brother? Why so soon?" She exclaimed, standing up from her chair to put her hands on the table forcefully, her brown eyes looking straight at him, hurt and full of despair.

"I'll only be gone for about two weeks. I'm sorry that this was such short notice, but I got the job coming home and we need this."

Selene dropped her head and whispered. "I know, brother. I know."

She stood there a moment longer, saying nothing and Sid looked at her, not being able to see her eyes.

"Will you excuse me? I need to go lie down." She didn't wait for an answer as she turned and ran down the hallway.

Sid heard her door shut and he let his head fall into his hands. This was so difficult. If only their parents were still alive then everything would be different. He wouldn't have to go looking for money and even if he were away, someone would be here with her. Selene was such a loving person, and beautiful too.

He got up and put the dishes away before going down the hall towards Selene's room. He stood in front of her door with his hand hovering above the knob. Her desperate sobbing reached his ears and his eyes flinched at the mournful sound. He dropped his hand back to his side and continued down the hall to his room, thinking it best that he leave her alone for now.

She didn't come out of her room for the rest of the night and Sid finally ended up drifting off to sleep on his bed. He had to get up fairly early tomorrow morning if he was going to make the trip that day. By his estimate, he should make it to the town by sunset.

Morning came and he opened his eyes reluctantly, the early sun just beginning to shine through the window.

Sid got up and began packing what he needed: clothes, personal items, food, and a canteen of water. He put them all in his travel bag and then went to the front room to put his jacket on that he had tossed to the couch last night.

The sound of a door creaking open, brought his head up as he looked down the hall. Selene stood there in the hallway with her hands behind her back and her head down. "Please be careful and come back soon."

His eyes softened as they always did when he looked at her petite frame and he opened his arms to her.

Selene didn't waste any time running into them as she cried into his chest. "I'll miss you, brother. I know it's only a couple of weeks, but for me it seems like an eternity when you're gone."

He rubbed the back of her head, her long hair now set free and falling down her back. "I'll be back before you know it." He gently pulled her away to look in her soft, brown eyes. "I love you, Selene." He smiled. "Be good for me while I'm gone. I'll see you when I return, okay?"

She stepped back and nodded as he gathered his belongings and opened the front door.

"I love you too, brother."

She walked outside and waved at him as he rode away on his horse.

He stopped up ahead and turned to wave back, as he always did, then with one final glance at his little sister, turned around and was gone.

Sid was on his way home and should be arriving at the outskirts of the city of Liore within the day. Just thinking about his sister greeting him home put a smile on his face.

He rode in his own silence at a steady pace when he saw someone coming up ahead. For now the person was just a distant speck so he couldn't really tell who it was.

Eventually, he was able to see that the man was also riding a horse and seemed to be in a very big hurry. He just shook his head, telling himself that it was none of his business.

Sid continued on, planning to just pass the man by, but the man came to a stop when he approached and exclaimed. "I wouldn't go that way if I were you, mister. It's a complete disaster! I don't know what happened, but I'm leaving while I can."

This information caught his attention. "What are you talking about? Where?"

The man looked shocked. "The city of Liore of course! Didn't you know they've been under attack for the last couple of days?"

Sid sat rigid on the back of his horse, his face growing pale.

"No one survived. I don't even know if you can call that place a city anymore, it's…"

Sid was already at full gallop before the man could complete his thought.

He had never been as scared as he was right now. What in the world had happened while he was gone? He only prayed Selene was all right.

As fast as he was riding, his mind was telling him it wasn't fast enough.

He pushed the horse up the sand dune that overlooked the city and abruptly stopped. Sid wasn't sure how long he sat there just looking at what his home had become. Nothing. There was nothing left! You could see the tops of a few buildings but that was it. His heart felt as if it were going to stop.

"Selene…" He whispered in a dry, raspy voice.

Just when he was about to ride down to what was left of Liore, he noticed someone run out and start looking for something on the ground. He frantically searched through his pack for his binoculars. Once he got them out he looked through them to see who it was.

Sid didn't recognize the guy, but he looked no older than a kid. He wore a red coat and had golden hair. He also noticed the symbol that was displayed on the back of the coat.

He was confused at first as to why the boy was looking around, thinking that maybe his family had been there too. It was then that he saw him bend down and pick up a red stone of some sort from the sand.

"What the…?"

When the kid put the stone in his pocket and ran off without a second glance, Sid knew that something wasn't right.

When the place was once again deserted, he rode down and stopped at the edge of what used to be his home. He got off his horse and walked to the middle of the rubble buried mostly by sand. Then he approached the area where his home used to be and where he had last seen his sister.

Finally, after staring at the ruins of his home around him, the man snapped and fell to his knees. He pounded the sand with his fists in rage. "Selene! Selene!" Hot tears streamed down his flushed cheeks as his anger grew. He threw back his head and yelled with such fury that if anyone had been around to hear him, they would have probably run for cover. "NO!"

Then he grew quiet, his energy being drained away as his heart tightened in his chest. "I should have never left her. Why couldn't I have been here to protect her? Why her…Selene…my sister." He looked up and out to the horizon of sand with burning hate. His life, what it had been before, was now over. Now he was living for revenge.

Sid woke up from his makeshift bed with a start. He hated having that same nightmare over and over. The last day he spent with his sister and then remembering what had happened to her, it was too much.

He rubbed his eyes and held his head in his hand. Having that nightmare only fueled his anger more. Then his thoughts went to the two teenagers he had held in the rooms. They were the key. The best way to hurt Edward Elric the most was to do to them what he would want to do to him. Especially the boy, Alphonse. The history of the two brothers was famous and that is how he realized why the stone was made. After leaving his destroyed city behind, Sid had gone into research on the Fullmetal Alchemist. There was tons of information on the boy and his brother. It wasn't long until he found out that they were searching for the Philosopher's Stone. In order to make the stone, live human beings had to be sacrificed. And his city had been the chosen one, everyone he knew being killed instantly along with his innocent little sister. Sid put two and two together and came to the conclusion that Fullmetal used Liore in order to create the stone for his own selfish reasons. After Sid found out the truth, he went into an outrage, throwing his books around and even taking a chair to the desk he had been working at, breaking it into pieces. He was livid. Plans began forming quickly and he dwelled on them for days. He was going to have his revenge by taking away the one thing Edward had worked so hard to keep: his younger sibling. The very same thing that he himself had lost in the process. Sid was already a skilled alchemist, but from his research he knew Ed was exceptional in his skills as well. He knew he was going to need help if he wanted to take him down. So over the course of the following year, Sid was able to find two other people, Kyle and Kane, who would help him carry out his plans. They were a brutal pair, but they fit his needs well. He knew that with the three of them, they would be able to bring Edward Elric to his knees. Hurting his brother would most definitely be the worst kind of torture for Ed. Sid didn't care what it took. He was going to break Fullmetal and make him live his own nightmare.