I stumbled upon Konoha by mistake. I remembered every detail of it. I ought to, considering it was the first thing I remembered.

The wind blew hard, forcing me to somewhat crouch and push against it. The gales threatened to blow me away if I wasn't careful.

I didn't know where I was going, only that I had to keep moving, one foot in front of the other. If I stopped, my legs would forget where they were taking me. I, myself, didn't remember.

I saw the vague outline of a shape in the distance. It was dark, and I couldn't see much. My feet kept moving.

It began to rain, and between it, and the wind, I was in a bit of a predicament. I saw nowhere to hide from this onslaught, and the shape, which must have been a city or town of some kind, looked to still be miles away. Still, I pushed on.

There was a crack of lightning, the sound of moving leaves, and I blacked out.

When I woke again, all I saw was white. Grayish shapes that seemed humanoid moved through the haze. Undistinguishable voices occasionally penetrated the deafness. After a while, with no improvement on my conditioon, I passed out again.

The next time I awoke, everything was white again, but not in the same way. I could see the shapes of the walls and ceiling around me. Beneath me, I could feel the cushion of a bed. Next to me, on a side table, was a vase. Inside the vase was a single flower, a black Dragon Lilly. My vision focused, tunneling on the flower. It was the last thing I saw for that period of wakening.

I woke again early the next morning. I knew, because I could see the light of the dawn coming through a window to my left. I tried to get up to go look out the window, but pain raced across my body, and I was pulled back under.

I opened my eyes again to see the light of a fading sun fading on the walls. A person coughed.

My head spun, my eyes locking on the boy sitting by me. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he smiled shyly. He had an adorable grin on as I looked at him. His hair was messy and kind of spiky, a light brown color. His eyes were the darkest purple I'd ever seen, appearing black at first glance. He was dressed in loose black pants and a black tee shirt. On his arm, a band of some kind was tied.

"Where am I?"

"Konoha," was his only answer. He seemed concerned. I looked at the side table again. Now there were two black Dragon Lillies. The first was now somewhat wilted.

"Where is Konoha?"

"The Land of Fire. Do you remember how you got here?"

"There...there was a storm. A branch or something broke, and landed on top of me. I blacked out."

"More than a branch. A whole tree came down on you. You're lucky you weren't killed by the tree or from the possibility of drowning. The tree kept you safe from the rain. I found you close to dawn, because the tree blocked the path, and I could hear you moaning. My siblings and I got you out and I carried you here. Do you remember your name?"

"I'm...Ayami. My name is Ayami. Who are you?"

"My name is Kankuro."

"Kankuro..."

I looked at the Dragon Lillies again.

"Did you bring the flowers for me, Kankuro?"

"Yes. I thought they might cheer you up when you came around."

"Most people wouldn't pick black to cheer someone up. But they're perfect. What made you pick them?"

"You did. I knew when I first saw you that you weren't normal."

"Hmph. Yeah right. I'm nothing special."

"You are, even if you or no one else but me knows it."

"So where are you from. You speak of this place as if you're not from here."

"I'm not. I'm from Suna, in the Land of Wind."

"Why are you here?"

"I came here with my siblings and our father. Our father is the Kazekage and had business here. We'll be leaving soon, but Temari, Gaara, and I wanted to make sure you were going to be alright."

"Are they your siblings?"

"Yes. Temari is my older sister, and Gaara is my little brother. You don't look like you could be much older than me. Do you remember how old you are?"

"I think so... I think I'm ten."

"You're only a year younger than me!"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

We sat in silence for a while. The next time I spoke, my voice sounded very drowsy, even to me.

"Kankuro, what do you think is so special about me?"

I yawned, and only just heard him say, "I'm a ninja. And something tells me, you're going to be one, too. A powerful one," before my eyes closed again.

The last time I saw Kankuro was the first day I got up from the bed. I was sitting in a chair at the window when he came in.

"Ayami! You're up! Like, actually, up, out of bed."

I turned around and smiled at my first, and so far, only, friend.

"Yeah! I am, aren't I? I was getting tired of being stuck in bed."

"But you still don't look very good."

"I'm getting better every day. Stronger."

"That's great," he murmured.

"Is everything alright, Kankuro?"

"No. My father, siblings, and I are going back to Suna today."

"You didn't tell me..."

"I know. I didn't want you to be upset. You're trying to get better, and you've been through enough. I just wanted you to be happy."

"Thank you for that, Kankuro. But what am I going to do when you leave? No one else comes to visit me."

"The Hokage will. He's going to look after you for a while, at least until the test."

"Test? What test?"

"A chakra test, to see if you're strong enough to become a ninja."

"You keep talking about ninjas, and training and stuff, but I've never fought, trained, or anything else, that I can remember."

"You can't remember anything before the storm," he pointed out. He showed me the band on his arm. "I think you can do it. I managed. And if you train, we may end up seeing each other again one day." He smiled.

"I would like that. But I don't even know what chakra is!"

"You don't have to. If you pass, you'll go to the Academy and learn everything."

I stood gingerly, and walked with a limp to Kankuro. My right arm was in a sling, but I still had one free arm. I hugged him. He seemed surprised, but hugged me back.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear.

"Even if you don't become a ninja, I hope I see you again someday," he said. He smiled, and pulled a dark blue Dragon Lilly from behind his back. He put in my hair, a little above my ear.

"I thought a change from the black would be nice. And the blue looks really nice with your eyes."

I blushed, but I wasn't sure why.

Kankuro hugged me first this time. "Goodbye, Ayami. I promise, I'll find you again one day. Even if it's not in this life, I'll find you."

"I will see you again, Kankuro." I returned his hug, and then he was gone.

The next day, despite my injuries, an older looking man, the Hokage is who he introduced himself as, looked about in my mind.

"Yes..." he murmured to himself. "Yes, you will make a fine ninja for the Leaf, Ayami Mitsuki."

"I will? And how did you learn my last name when I didn't know it?"

"Indeed you shall. And I learned it though your mind. Although you cannot access all your memories, others can. I suspect you will eventually unlock your past, but know this. It will not be pleasant for you to remember."

My face must have appeared frightened, because he smiled kindly.

"I would not worry about it too much now, Ayami."

"But..."

"Hush, child. All will be alright now. You may not have originated here, but you're here now. And here you will stay."

I smiled, tears in my eyes. I was so happy. I wasn't going to be kicked out, forced to try and find a way in a world I didn't know. I wasn't going to die. I was safe.

But, I wasn't recalling all of this right now. No, I was tossing and turning in my sleep, three years later, as I saw another nightmare.