Hello, lovelies. I'm ecstatic that you are reading this, as this story has been in my head for years now and has become somewhat of my baby. If you have been reading my FMA fanfic Support, don't worry: I am still in the process of writing it. However, I am hitting a wall, and my dumb computer pooped out on me so I had to rewrite the next chapter. I instead wrote this one to spite my computer (however that is supposed to work).

Either way, this ff is near and dear to my heart, but don't take that as me saying you can't criticize it. Let me know how I can make things better, or simply give me words of encouragement to continue the story. Unless you hated the story. THEN feel free to flame me because I can take it! (actually, I probably can't, if I'm being honest)

So, please review! And thank you so much for giving this story a chance!


My Name Is


It was dark. The stars above did little to bring light into the small opening of trees that encircled her vision. The shadows they cast on the edges of her sight created an atmosphere of loneliness and fear. Only the moon, which smiled gently above her, gave enough light to know that she was safe.

It was cold. The moon's light was not enough to quell the shaking of her limbs, as it was merely a reflection and not a source. Although the trees block most of the wind, the occasional breeze that slipped in between the trunks and limbs bit her skin and played with her hair.

It was wet. She was laying down in some sort of body of water, with all but her face and bust and toes submerged. Small waves nipped at her cheeks, enticing her to sink further into the water, but she resisted.

The girl sat up, glancing around with bleary eyes. A strange sort of oasis lay before her. She was inside a small pool, fed by a short waterfall that spanned half of the pool, which was in turn fed by three streams of water that fell from a cliffside several meters above her. Surrounding the oasis was a forest of sorts, with oak and cedar trees stretching for miles beyond walls of earth. Birds and insects called from the forest, alive with the energy of the night. Just behind her, a wooden gate with vines and insects crawling and weaving between posts barred her way out of the valley.

Finally full of her surroundings, the girl laid back down into the water, closing her eyes. What was she doing here? More importantly, who was she? Neither of those questions came with answers. Frowning at no one, she guessed she should be a little bit more worried about not knowing her own identity, but she only felt at peace here. Perhaps it was the waterfall, gently coaxing her back into unconsciousness. Or the moon, telling her she was safe and needed never to worry.

Whatever it was, her serenity was broke when the creaking of the gate above her head floated to her ears. She only opened her eyes, but she couldn't see the cause of the noise from the angle she lay. Footsteps came closer, and eventually, she saw a face looming over her own.

It was a boy, perhaps near manhood, with lightly tanned skin and dark, messy hair. Long ears protruded from below his temples, and his face was round and yet sharp at the same time. From what she could see, the white nightshirt could not hide the bulky muscle of his shoulders and his chest.

But his eyes — his eyes! They were vivid and bright, even in the darkness. The moon's reflection on the water, in turn, reflected back into his eyes, an icy blue piercing back into her own. They were intense and alert, much like a predator stalking its prey.

She realized he was saying something to her, and that she could understand. The girl finally focused on his words, attempting to make sense of them out of the little coherence she had.

" — okay? Miss?" He waved a hand in front of her face, and the spell of numbing was finally shattered into nothingness. She squeezed her eyes shut, head suddenly pounding, and groaned. The young man was silent, save for the splashing as he maneuvered himself to kneel in front of her.

With his help, she sat up, and her hand instantly went to massage her aching temples. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring back at his eyes again. His thick brows were knitted with a small crease of skin in between. "Can you hear me?"

She nodded, growing more awake as he spoke to her. He had a soothing tenor, and yet there was a slight rasp. It was enough to help shake the weakness from her muscles and looked around once more.

"Where … am I?" She managed out. Her own voice was hoarse, but it felt like it was from disuse rather than being its natural timber.

The mystery boy frowned, searching her face before answering. "You're in Ordon Village, at the spring. Do you remember how you got here?"

The girl paused for a moment, genuinely trying to remember before shaking her head no. Anything before opening her eyes to see the moon above was pitch black. Suddenly, she started to panic. The questions she had asked earlier, and how they were answerless — that was definitely not normal! And this boy, she didn't know him. He could have been the one to put her here. This could all be a trap! Maybe he would yank her somewhere else and do awful, unspeakable things …

It was unlikely, seeing his face void of anything other than concern. And his eyes, though somewhat frightening, were honest. Still, she flinched at her own internal questions.

He must have noticed her tense up because he removed his hands from her shoulders and lowered his gaze. "Sorry. I didn't mean to invade your space. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

Immediately, she felt guilty.

But he recovered quickly, throwing on a grin that soothed her panic if only a little. "My name is Link. I live nearby. Who are you?"

She pursed her lips, still racking her brain for some for something tangible about herself. After a few moments, she shook her head again. "I was going to ask if you knew, actually."

Link's eyes widened a fraction before asking another question. "You have amnesia?" A nod. "Oh, Din. This isn't good. You see, I woke up when I heard this loud noise, and there was an orange light, and you just appeared —" He paused when he noticed her confusion at trying to comprehend his babbling. "Sorry, I was rambling. What I mean is, I think you came from another realm."

Another realm? How could she have come from another realm when she didn't even know about this one? She was so confused, and her head hurt so much. The girl winced visibly, and Link's expression softened. "Come on. Let's get you to see Ilia. She will know what to do."

He rose from his crouched position, but when the girl failed to stand up for the third time, he moved to put her arm over his shoulder. She felt the heat rise to the tips of her ear, embarrassed she couldn't do something so simple. As they walked toward the gate, the girl had to watch her feet in case she wobbled too much. However, she also noticed as her gaze was point downward the ragged tan tunic she wore along with black leggings that had long, jagged tears going vertically along her thighs.

Link guided her through the forest, careful to step around sharp stones and twigs that sprung from the dirt that was hardly visible in the moonlight. Thick trees passed by in a blur; it was very hard to focus on her surroundings when she was fixated on her own feet. Apparently, they passed by Link's house, and through the village of Ordona, but the girl barely paid attention.

They stopped after climbing a few wooden steps when the girl finally looked up from her feet to find herself facing a round wooden door. Link slammed his fist onto the door four or five times in rapid succession before calling out, "Ilia! Wake up, this is an emergency!"

Around a minute later, just before Link set out to pound on the door again, it opened to reveal a young woman with side swept blonde hair and tired green eyes. She glared at Link before noticing the girl that was clutching him for dear life. Ilia, the girl presumed her to be, gasped and reached out to the girl, looping her arm around the girl's waist and moving inside.

"What happened?" Ilia asked, eyes flicking between the girl and Link.

"I found her passed out at the spring," Link said. The girl was grateful that he answered for her because drowsiness was beginning to pull at her eyelids. "She doesn't know how she got here or who she is. I think she banged her head pretty good."

They passed through a room that the girl barely registered before entering another. She was forced to sit on a bed, and the two sat next to her. While Link placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady, Ilia inspected the girl's head, gingerly tracing her scalp with the pads of her fingers.

After several minutes, Ilia frowned. "I can't find any source of trauma. Heck, I can't even find a trace of blood. No bruises, no cuts … It's not a head wound that caused her amnesia."

Link's face darkened. The girl noted curiously that he hadn't mentioned his hypothesis of her coming from another realm. Perhaps that was his way to cheer her up, however strange it was. Still, he hadn't said whether he was joking or not.

"How about you spend the night in my room? Maybe you'll remember in the morning." Ilia cut off her thoughts with a tantalizing offer, one the girl almost accepted. But, no, she had already imposed enough on these people. It was enough that Link had kept her from drowning in the oasis; she didn't need to steal this kind stranger's bed, too. So, instead of nodding as she wanted, the girl shook her head no.

However, the effort was wasted, and Ilia pushed her so that she was laying horizontal along the bed. Link chuckled, and the girl couldn't help but watch as his striking eyes filled with mirth. "When Ilia sets her mind to something, it can't be undone."

Ilia smacked him lightly, but there was affection in her expression. These two must be close, the girl thought.

"However, as much as I think it's a great idea for her to stay with you," Link continued, "I think she should change out of those wet clothes, first." Ilia glanced over to see that, yes, the water dripping from her visitor's clothes and hair was getting her covers wet. With a sigh, smacked Link again, this time with the purpose to get him out of the room.

"I'll let you know if her condition changes," Ilia said as Link moved to close the door behind him. He nodded, and let one final, piercing stare shoot through the girl before the latch clicked shut.

Ilia pulled the girl up the bed, leading her to her dresser, where a mirror sat on top. The girl took this opportunity to examine her own features. Unlike Ilia's cat-like features and naturally upturned grin, the girl had a more somber appearance, with drooping, mute gray eyes, long eyelashes, and a simple line where her mouth was. She had very pale skin, almost to the point where she wondered if she was sick, and gaunt cheekbones. In contrast to her pale features, dark strands of hair fell around her waist and framed her face without any use of bangs.

Ilia watched the girl for a few moments, observing the way she took herself in as if it was the first time before she pulled out a few clothes from the drawer. As small as Ilia was, it seemed her guest was even tinier. This meant Ilia had to dig for clothes she had grown out of a little over a year ago.

The girl stripped out of the wet tunic and leggings, seemingly not uncomfortable when Ilia blushed at her nakedness. However, the pale pink scars that ran along her body chilled Ilia's blood. Many nicked the sides of her arms and legs, but there was one that slashed diagonally in between her breasts from her collarbone to the bottom of her visible rib cage. A few more carved their way along her back in criss-crossed sections. But the ones on her thighs — the long ones that ran vertically — those were more than likely self-inflicted on closer inspection.

The girl watched and waited for Ilia, curious about the look in Ilia's eyes, the way they scoured her body with pity. She didn't know what Ilia was looking at, but apparently, it wasn't good. "What's wrong?"

Ilia looked up in surprise; this was the first time she had heard her guest speak. She cleared her throat, the faint blush tinting her ears again. "Sorry, I was just looking at … your scars. Do you know what happened?"

The looked down at her own, pale, naked body with stark shock, as if she had never noticed them before. "No … I didn't realize …" She stopped speaking, but Ilia understood. She pulled out one of her old nightgowns (it might be a little short on the girl, but that didn't matter since it was only sleepwear) and a simple dark blue dress with a halter neckline. She threw the nightgown at the girl, who caught it surprisingly deftly even though her arms shook when she lifted them.

"Here, I'll leave the dress here for tomorrow morning. You can wear that tonight," Ilia paused before she turned to leave. "Do you need any help getting dressed?"

The girl hesitated before shaking her head and stepped quickly into the light pink fabric. "Thank you, Ilia," she said, her voice cracking slightly from the dryness in her throat. Just before Ilia reached the door, however, something caught the girl's eye on the dresser.

It was a small shard of glass that sat next to the intact mirror. Obviously, the shard didn't belong to the mirror itself, but it still reflected just the same. However, it drew the girl's curiosity, and she called out for her host one more time.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, inching closer to the dresser. Ilia turned her line of sight back to the girl and the shard, her green eyes sparkling with recognition at the sight of the glass.

"Oh, that? I found that near the forest temple about two months ago. It was about the same time that Link came back from his journey," she mused, knowing the visitor didn't have any clue what she was talking about.

"It's beautiful," the girl breathed. She was about a few inches from the piece of the mirror now, staring intently. It was calling for her, reaching for her; it knew her. She ripped her eyes from the mirror for a second to look at Ilia. "May I see it?"

Ilia shrugged. "You can have it if you want. I just picked it up on a whim."

The girl picked up the shard but nearly dropped it as light entered from the glass and filled the room. Voices screamed out, calling, screeching, one word. The girl covered her ears, moaning in an attempt to drown out the others. Ilia fell to her knees, voices falling mute upon her ears, but she still had to shield her eyes from the orange light. Ilia crawled toward the girl and pulling her close to her chest, feeling a wetness stain her shoulder.

And then, just like that, it was over. The mirror had fallen to the floor, miraculously undamaged. The voices ceased; the light was absorbed back into the mirror shard. Ilia let the girl shiver and hiccup for a few minutes, rubbing her shaking back like she was a small child. Eventually, her charge mumbled something into Ilia's shoulder.

"What was that?" Ilia asked softly. The girl pulled back, revealing watery eyes that were filled not with fear, but rather exhaustion and confusion.

"My name …"

"Your name …?"

"I know it — my name, I mean." The girl took a deep breath. "My name is Aris."