"Where am I?" was the first thought that entered her mind as she opened her eyes. The bright lights and white surroundings hurt her eyes a bit. As things came into focus she noticed a guy with grey hair and some sort of mask looking thing that covered most of his face reading a book in a chair next to the bed she was in. She didn't remember having come to this place, wherever it was.

"Hey, you're awake," the guy said as he looked up from his book as she sat up in the bed. She looked him over and decided she definitely didn't know this guy. His spiky grey hair, headband that was covering one of his eyes and mask that covered just about everything else didn't seem even vaguely familiar. All she could see of his face was one eye and an ear, which seemed quite odd to her. That brought her back to her earlier question; where was she?

"Where am I?" she asked the boy.

"In the hospital," he replied.

She cocked her head to the side a bit in confusion, that wasn't the answer she had expected. She didn't remember getting hurt or sick and needing to come to the hospital. Come to think of it, she really couldn't remember much of anything, which was starting to concern her. "The hospital? How did I get here?" she asked him. He put his book down as a man in a white coat walked into the room. "You're awake!" he said.

She sighed, that had already been established. "Why am I here?" she asked either of the guys in the room. The man in the white coat pointed to the right side of her head. "You were found unconscious outside the village with an injury to your head," he explained. She put her hand up to the right side of her hand and felt a shooting pain when her hand touched it. She could feel that her head was bandaged up and wondered how long she had been here. She looked back at the guy with the grey hair and back to the guy in the white coat, who she was guessing was a doctor. Why couldn't she remember anything?

"Now that your questions have been answered," the grey haired boy started, "I've got a few questions for you. Who are you?" She opened her mouth to respond but stopped when she couldn't remember who she was. She couldn't remember where she was from, how old she was, or even what her name was. "I…" she said as she looked down at her hands, "I don't know." She felt rather silly saying she didn't know who she was, but she really had no idea. Her heart was racing as fear started to rise in her. How could she not know even her name? This was bad.

"What about a name? Do you know your name?" the grey haired boy asked. She shook her head no as she took a deep breath hoping to calm her heart rate down. "Well, you did injure your head. Perhaps that made you lose your memory," he said and looked to the doctor. "Will that get better?" he asked the doctor who just shrugged. Perhaps he wasn't a doctor after all. That seemed like something she thought a doctor should have the answer to. She should ask to see a real doctor, she thought to herself.

"It's tough to tell," the man in the white coat said. "Sometimes people with amnesia get their memory back, sometimes they don't. I should go get the Hokage, he will want to know she is awake," he said and walked out of the room.

"What's a Hokage?" she asked and watched the man walk out of the room. After the door had shut she turned back to the guy with the grey hair. "Who are you? Why are you here with me? Do I know you?" she asked him before he was able to answer her question about what a Hokage was. He had a rather uninterested look to him and she guessed she didn't know him; otherwise he would be more upset that she didn't know who she was. She then remembered that he had also asked her just moments earlier who she was, which definitely meant he didn't know her. Oh well, the question had already come out.

He sighed before responding to her questions. "My name is Kakashi, and no, I don't know you," he started. She felt her heart drop at that, even though she had already figured out that he didn't know her. "I'm the one that found you outside the village passed out and bleeding from your head. I brought you here to the hospital, it didn't seem as though you would have lived if I had just left you there," he said in a way that made it seem like it had been a chore for him to bring her here. Before she could ask why he was still with her he answered her question. "I was worried about you, so I've been checking on you since I brought you here a few days ago. And, it's nice and quiet in here so I can read," he finished.

Her mind was racing as she was trying to remember anything about herself. She'd be happy with even the most insignificant memory. Her mind wandered back to her earlier question. "What's a Hokage? And why did that man have to get it?" she asked the boy named Kakashi. Was it some sort of doctor? Maybe it would know if she'd get her memory back.

"The Hokage is the leader of this village," Kakashi stated. "He will want to know you're awake because this village isn't exactly welcoming to outsiders. He will be the one to decide what to do with you."

None of this was making a whole lot of sense to her. Why wouldn't this village be welcoming to her? She wasn't a bad person, that she knew despite having no memories of who she was. She wasn't sure how to prove she was a good person to this Hokage though, she had no defense for her case unless her memory came back. She could feel tears welling in her eyes from frustration. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Perhaps if she could just calm herself down…

"It'll be ok," Kakashi said. "The Hokage is a compassionate man. Getting worked up won't help you feel better." She sighed and put her hand to the bandage on her head. Perhaps once that had healed she would regain her memory. She looked at Kakashi and forced a smile. Despite the uninterested look on his face, it seemed he had taken some sort of interest in her. Why else would he still be here with her? He was actually rather handsome, she thought as she looked at him. She wasn't sure why she thought so, most of his face was covered. Still, there was something about him that was kind of cute. Just then, she heard to door to the room open and Kakashi stood up.

She turned her head to look and see who was entering. The doctor was holding the door open for an older man dressed in a floor length cape like cloak and hat. "You're looking much better," the man said. She looked at him, not sure what to say. She guessed this was the Hokage from the way Kakashi stood up when the man entered the room. "I hear you've lost your memory," the man said and she nodded. "Well, that's no good. I'm not entirely surprised though, that was quite the injury you had when Kakashi brought you here. You're lucky he found you. Do you have a name?" the man asked and she shook her head. "Well, you'll need a name," he said and looked thoughtful for a moment. "What about Ayame?" he asked her.

"Uh, sure. That's fine," she said. He smiled at her in a way that made her feel like things were going to turn out ok. He definitely wasn't as intimidating as she was afraid he was going to be. In fact, he seemed very kind and like somebody she could trust. She smiled back at him. He looked to the doctor, "Do we know how old she is?"

"We've guessed she's around 17," the doctor responded.

The Hokage nodded and looked to Kakashi. "You are 20, aren't you Kakashi? You two are close in age, so why don't you watch out for her," he said. Before Kakashi could say anything the Hokage added, "This is a mission, you can't refuse. You brought her here, so you are responsible for her. I also know that you have an extra room and bed for her at your place." The Hokage looked back to Ayame. "I would like to see you later. After you are dressed, Kakashi will bring you to my office," he said. With that, he turned around and walked out of room. The doctor set some folded up clothes and a pair of shoes on the foot of the bed and walked out of the room too.

"Well, I guess that's that," she heard Kakashi say. "Get dressed and meet me out in the hallway." With that, he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. She swung her legs over the edge the bed and put her feet down on the cold floor. Her mind was reeling as she tried to take in everything. Her name was now Ayame, she was 17, she was going to live with Kakashi who didn't seem super thrilled with the idea, and she still had no idea where she was. She took off the gown she was in and put on the khaki colored pants and loose black top that she was given. She took the shoes off the bed and then put those on too. There was a sink and a mirror to her right, so she walked over to that. She looked in the mirror at herself and laughed. She was a mess. Her long black hair was sticking out everywhere, her big green eyes looked tired, and she had a bandage that covered most of her forehead. At least the clothes she was given fit well enough. She turned on the water in the sink and splashed some cold water on her face which made her feel a bit better. She found a rubber band in a cabinet and pulled her hair back into a ponytail and walked out of the room.

When Kakashi saw that she had come out of the room he started walking off without saying anything, so she followed. "So, where am I? I mean, what village am I in?" she asked him. Without looking at her he responded, "You're in the Leaf Village." The name of the village didn't sound familiar to her. That wasn't much of a surprise though. She followed him down the hallway, down some stairs, and out of the building. Looking around, the village seemed happy and peaceful from what she could see. There were children running around, people talking and laughing and shops open for business. She could smell food and her stomach rumbled loudly. "Are you hungry?" Kakashi asked her upon hearing her stomach grumbling.

"I guess I am," she answered. She still didn't know how long she had been in the hospital, but she's guessing it was a few days at least. Since she was unconscious during that time, she hadn't been eating. They passed a ramen stand that smelled delicious and her stomach grumbled again even louder. Kakashi stopped and went to the stand. She followed him and he ordered some pork ramen. The man working at the stand smiled and nodded. "You should eat before we go see the Hokage," Kakashi said. Kakashi handed the man at the stand some money and took the bowl of ramen. He handed Ayame the bowl and some chopsticks. She sat down on the stool and dug into the ramen. "Thank you," she said to Kakashi when she had finished. She was still hungry, but she figured they should be on their way to see the Hokage. She said thank you to the cook and they were back on their way to see the Hokage.

They come to a large building and went inside. They arrived at a room and Kakashi pointed to the door. "This is his office. You should go in, I'll wait here," Kakashi said. She walked into the room and saw the Hokage sitting at his desk. He stopped his work when she walked in and looked up. "I didn't introduce myself to you earlier," he said. "I am the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Just so you are aware, we do not usually take in strangers in the Leaf Village out of caution that they might be a spy from another village," he continued.

"I am not a spy!" she exclaimed. The Third Hokage sighed and looked at her with understanding eyes. "We do not know that, so you will be treated accordingly," he said. "We do know, however, that you lost your memory to the point of not even being able to remember your name or age. You will be under the surveillance of Kakashi as we wait to see if your memory comes back. He is a very capable shinobi," he continued. A ninja? She probably could have figured that out from the way that Kakashi was dressed. He must have guessed by the expression on her face that she hadn't realized that Kakashi was a ninja. "You are in the Hidden Leaf Village, we have many fine shinobi here that protect our village and the Land of Fire," he explained. She nodded understanding that would mean that the Hokage sitting in front of her must be a very powerful shinobi.

The Hokage pulled out what looked like a coin purse from a drawer in his desk and set it near the edge of the desk. "This is for you. Since you don't have any belongings, you will need to buy clothes and other necessities. If your memory returns, even if it's only little bits, you are to notify me immediately. I have also set up a tutor of sorts for you. If you are going to be here, you are going to learn to be a useful member of society. I'll give the details to Kakashi, so send him in here. You can wait outside my office for him," he finished. Ayame nodded, took the coin purse, and left the office.

"He wants to talk to you," she told Kakashi. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him. She leaned up against the wall and closed her eyes. After talking with the Hokage, she understood that she was an outsider and was considered a threat to the village in that she may be a spy. She wasn't sure how to prove that she wasn't a spy. She was curious about the tutor that he had mentioned. What kind of tutor? Would she be learning how to be a ninja? That would be pretty cool, she thought. Or perhaps the tutor would be trying to get her memory back. What if her memory never came back? What would she do then?

She decided she shouldn't worry about that right now. It wasn't helping her remember anything about who she was, it was only causing her stress. Maybe she didn't want to remember anyway. Whatever or whoever had given her that head injury couldn't have been good. Maybe forgetting everything and getting to start a new life was a good thing. She'd have to work hard to prove to Kakashi and the Hokage that she was good and earn their trust. That seemed like a monumental task right now, she was sure that others would be suspicious of all of her actions. There were probably going to be more than just Kakashi watching her. The door from the Hokage's office opened and she watched Kakashi walk out. "Looks like I'm stuck with you for a while," he said and started to walk towards the exit of the building. She quickly followed him hoping that she wouldn't be too much of a burden to him. "The Hokage told me that he gave you some money to get you some essential supplies. Let's do that right now," Kakashi said and she nodded.

When they got outside she could see that the sun was starting to set. The sky was turning a lovely pink and orange color. "We should hurry before the shops start closing down," he said to her. She smiled and nodded. They walked into a clothing shop and Kakashi immediately leaned up against a wall and looked bored out of his mind. She decided that was just his default expression. A girl working at the shop came and asked her if she needed help with anything so Ayame explained to her that she was looking for a new wardrobe. The girl grinned and started pulling all sorts of clothes and throwing them into the changing room for her. After trying on all of the clothes she decided on a pair of black shorts, a short deep purple skirt, a black top that was tighter fitting than the one she was wearing currently, a forest green vest, a navy tank top, and a grey sweatshirt. That combined with what she was currently wearing seemed like a good amount of clothing. She figured that she was probably good on shoes, these open toed shoes seemed to be very sturdy shoes. She paid for the clothes and walked back to Kakashi. "Where to next?" she asked.

"Well, you will probably need other things. Shampoo, a toothbrush… That kind of stuff. Let's go to a shop where you can get all of that," he said. She followed him to another store and went inside. She found basic toiletries and things she felt she would need. She bought those and the two left the shop; she even have some money to spare. Perhaps she should buy Kakashi dinner to pay him back for buying her food earlier.

"Let's go home," he said before she was able to offer to buy him dinner. "I've got plenty of food there, and I'm sure you've had a long day."

"Okay," she said. Perhaps another night, she thought to herself. "I'm sorry you're kinda stuck with me..." she said and he just shrugged. He was not an easy person to read. Hopefully she got used to him and figured out how to read his feelings a little better. She didn't really feel like talking, her brain was exhausted from everything she had absorbed that day, so they walked in silence for a while.

"I had already expected to be stuck with you," he said suddenly and broke the silence. "I knew that when I found you and decided to bring you back to the village for treatment that you would either be completely rejected for not being from the village, or that you would have to be watched until it was decided whether you were trustworthy."

She tried to hide her smile, but she knew it wasn't working. His comments seemed pretty close to him admitting that he didn't mind having to watch over her. He had a nice side after all. He noticed her smiling, which only made her smile widen. "Thank you," she told him. She couldn't quite tell, but she was pretty sure by the expression in his eye, that he was smiling underneath that mask.

They arrived at a small house and Kakashi pulled a key out of his pocket. He opened the door and walked in. She followed him in and looked around. There wasn't much to the place. There was a small couch in what she decided must have been the living room and a kitchen with a table and a few chairs. He pointed to a hallway. "Through there is the bathroom and two bedrooms. Your room will be the one at the very end of the hall. Get whatever you want to eat from the kitchen. I think I'm going to call it a night," he said as he walked towards the hall to his room. She set her purchases down on the kitchen counter and looked around. She grabbed a large apple off the counter and started eating as she looked to see what else he had to eat. She found bread, meat and cheese to make herself a sandwich.

After she had eaten her fill of food, she grabbed her stuff and walked towards where he said her room was. She walked past a room with the door shut, that must be Kakashi's room, past the bathroom, and to the room at the end of the hall. She flipped on the light and looked the room over. There was a bed against the wall, a dresser, and a bare desk. She dropped her belongings on the floor and plopped down on top of the bed. She was exhausted and her head was throbbing. Almost instantly, she fell into a deep sleep.