• Lost Memories •

I walked up the steep pile of discarded objects, making my way to the top of the pile as a strong gust of wind pushed me to the side. I made it to the top, walking up to my companion. She looked tiredly up at me and smiled weakly, pulling her long brown hair out of her face and wrapping herself in her navy blue blanket. I sat down next to her on the pile of discarded junk. The wind blew again, making her shiver.

"Want me to share my blanket, Nami?" She asked pulling her arm out.

I shook my head. "You need it more than me."

She wrapped herself in it as she broke into a coughing fit. I sighed, hugging my legs.

"You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?" I pointed out.

She shook her head. "I kept having nightmares..."

"Oh... Are you at least feeling better?"

She shrugged. "A little I guess..."

I dug into the pile, looking for anything interesting or special. Lilli looked off in the distance where a little part of Romdeau's dome was still visible. Her eyes wandered up to the brown-clouded sky.

"What do you think is past the clouds?" Lilli asked.

I shrugged. "I don't think about that."

"Why?" She looked at me with her green eyes. "There has to be something nice up there..."

I looked at her confused, thinking hard. "I... I'm not sure..." I answered.

"Oh.." Lilli looked away sadly.

I stood up as she opened her mouth to speak. She closed it. "You shouldn't sit out here for too long." I put my hand out for her. "It might make you sicker."

I helped her up and led her down the tall pile of junk, doing my best to keep her from slipping or falling.

"So have you decided...?" Lilli asked, stepping over a large metal scrap.

She put her hands on my shoulders to steady herself. "I'm not sure..." I supported her as we slid down a little. "I don't think there's a way to get back into Romdeau... And if we leave... We don't know what's out there." We finally got to the bottom, stepping onto the hard dirt surface. "And you're still sick."

"Nami..." She sighed. "I'm getting better!"

"Not if you keep going outside." I pointed out.

Lilli shook her head, opening the metal door of our little "house". Our "house" was a large rusted section of pipe that led into a mountain of junk. The front was a metal door I found. The inside consisted of a small stove and a couple blankets on the floor. A bed was behind a torn up bed sheet. Lilli sat on one of the blankets to warm herself near the wood stove. I opened the door, seeing the coals flickering.

I shut it, heading for the door. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get more stuff to burn."

Lilli nodded as I walked out the door, shutting it behind me. I walked over the small inclines and piles of garbage, searching for things to burn. I picked up a small, dirty, wooden toy and continued walking.

Lilli and I don't remember how we got out here outside Romdeau... All we know is that we woke up on the outside of the dome, laying on the ground. Lilli was wrapped in my arms on top of me. We were citizens of Romdeau at some point, though we don't know what we did or anyone from our families. We didn't know each other when we woke up either.

We decided to look for anything or anyone who could possibly be out here, since we couldn't find a way back inside the dome. We walked a long ways away from Romdeau when Lilli started to get sick. When she couldn't walk and was too weak I made a little home for us until she would get better. A few days ago she was able to walk again. Now we're unsure of what we should really be doing.

I picked up a couple chunks of wood and kept walking. I stopped to pick up a few other items. A large gust of wind pushed against me, almost blowing me over. I stumbled to the side, quickly finding balance again. I tightened my grip on the items in my arms. I climbed up onto a tall pile of discarded objects. A small and steady wind continued to blow through my hair. I looked up at the brown clouds confused. The wind rapidly increased, making me slide a little to the side. I quickly looked over as a tall, dark mass of dust and dirt blew my way. It quickly came closer, enveloping me in darkness and stinging my skin with sand and dirt.

The strong winds pushed hard against me, making me stumble and almost fall over. I couldn't see a thing. I stepped as carefully as I could down the pile. A heavy gust of wind pushed me over, sliding my feet down the edge until I fell over. My body crashed down to the bottom and I fell face first, my neck smashing on a rusted metal pipe.

I sat up, dazed. My items were still in my arms. I still couldn't see anything. The dirt and sand scratched against my body. The wind howled and whistled loudly, pushing against me. I attempted to stand, being blown over again and sliding further down the hill. I crawled down the side until I felt the cold surface of the hard ground. I heard a small sound in the distance. The wind kept cutting it in and out. I finally got to my feet, fighting the wind to stay up and stumbling around.

"Nami!?" Lilli's voice was thrown around with the wind.

I fell to the ground again, feeling the small steps with my free hand. I crawled up the steps and looked up at the blurred figure of Lilli. I stood up and hurried inside with her, pushing hard against the metal door to close it. I locked it and threw my items down in front of the stove. Lilli sat back down, covered in dust and dirt, coughing. She shivered. I picked up an extra blanket and pushed it against the bottom of the door to keep the dust out. The wind whistled around our home. I went back to the stove and put the blocks of wood in.

Lilli picked up the wooden doll and wiped the dirt off of it's face with her thumb. "Was it scary out there?" She coughed a little.

"Ieeerrr... I-it-" My voice came out high pitched and mechanical.

Lilli and I stared wide eyed and confused at each other. I put my hand to my dented neck, feeling the deep crevice.

"Wh... What?" Lilli acted as if she was hallucinating.

"A little..." I said in the same high pitched and mechanical tone.

I sat down next to her, a little embarrassed.

"You... You're an AutoRev?"

I looked down. "I guess I am..."

"I guess I should've known since you're nothing like me." She hugged her legs and looked away coldly. "You don't eat. You don't drink. You're never cold.."

"What!?" It came out as a squeak. "I didn't know!"

She looked back at me surprised. "How can you not know!?"

I looked down. "I-... I'm not sure... I knew that I wasn't like you... But... I didn't know anything." I looked at her. "I learned everything from you."

Lilli coughed. "It's strange."

She stood up and went to the stove, ladling some hot water out of the pot on top of the stove and put it in a mug. She then returned to her blanket and carefully sipped it.

I quietly looked at the floor. Why is she mad at me for not knowing who I am? She doesn't know who she is so why would she be mad at me? Does she have something against AutoRevs? I coughed to get some of the dirt out of my system. From the dim glare of the stove I could see the scratches on my arms, hands, and legs. I was covered in dust and dirt.

Lilli set her mug on the floor and laid down. I went over to her bed and brought her her pillow, setting it under her head. I sat against the wall and wrapped my fingers around the small, round necklace. I opened up the latch and lifted one of the sides up, rubbing the dirt off of the design. The necklace played it's slow, quiet song. It plinked sadly, accompanied by the whistling wind outside. I couldn't understand why it was so sad or why it comforted me so much.

I hugged my legs and rested my head on my knees, closing my eyes. The soft music of my necklace played on.

~|AUTHOR'S NOTE|~

So I have been watching the awesome anime Ergo Proxy lately. I haven't finished it yet, but I decided to start my fanfic anyway!

Sorry that this chapter is fast and written kinda poorly... I really shouldn't listen to music and write at the same time... I promise i'll write better!

I hope my awesome readers will like this story and keep reading!

I love reviews so please share your thoughts!

Please keep reading!

~|Adelina|~