The image of Kakashi's dog mask faded and was replaced with a ceiling. Sayuri stared at it for a long time before realizing it was a dream. No, an old memory. The first memory she had. It's been seven years since that day. She glanced at her bed-side clock. Five in the morning. She gave a sigh before rolling over, burying her face in her pillow, and continued where the memory stopped.

"Kakashi?" the young Sayuri asked. Kakashi gave a simple nod. She tilted her head and gave a look that said she was thinking. "Kakashi means scare-crow, but you're not scary. You have such an adorable puppy mask" she finally said with a smile.

"That's cause I am an ANBU" he replied.

Sayuri only smiled in a face that said "a what?" Kakashi chuckled before explaining everything. What an ANBU was. That they were in a village called Konoha. He was patient and answered all her questions. Until she asked two questions. "What happened to me?" she asked. This made Kakashi stiffen. "Where are my parents?" She continued. Kakashi looked down, back in his depressed state once more.

After a moment of silenced, he looked up with sad eyes.

"You where in an accident" he began "as for your parents….they're dead."

Sayuri's eyes grew as large a deer caught in the headlights. Her mind was a blank. She finally managed to squeak out, "I see." She allowed her eyes to fall to her lap. "Do you know who I was?" this time, Kakashi's eyes fell to his lap. "I'll take that as a no," she replied to his silence. There was tapping at the door and the doctor entered the room.

"Excuse me sir, but visitor hours are up" he said.

Kakashi simply nodded and proceeded to the door.

"You're leaving?" Sayuri asked with a sad expression, not wanting to watch her new friend go.

Kakashi nodded again. "Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow" he said and walked out the door.

Sayuri still had a sad expression, while the doctor set her food on her lap. As soon as she saw the food, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "FOOD!" she screamed, and began cramming the dinner down her throat.

The doctor looked very disturbed by her eating habits, so he excused his self. When Sayuri knew for sure the doctor was gone, she jumped out of bed and ran to the window. When she looked down to the ground, she saw Kakashi's grey hair walk out of the exit of the hospital. Sayuri looked around the room once more. It was completely devoid of human life. She didn't want to be alone. Also, for some strange reason, she felt very uncomfortable around the needles and white coats of the doctors.

Once again, she looked outside, only this time to inspect the surroundings. She was on the third floor, too high to jump down. There was a tree outside the window. She'd have to jump but the branches where close enough that she could climb down. She opened the window and positioned herself on the frame. Once Kakashi was out of hearing range, but not out of sight, she jumped. Safely and quietly she climbed down and proceeded following Kakashi.

.

Kakashi was in a better mood then when he left his apartment to visit Sayuri. He replayed what happen when he came to the hospital.

The doctor examined a comatose child in bed. Covered from head to toe in bandages, and a tube down her throat for breathing, she remained in her dormant state like she had been for the past two years. After completing his examination he turned to Kakashi.

"In the past two years that she has been sleeping" the doctor began "healing rate has been unbelievably slow. Whatever chemicals they used on her really did a toll on her body. But still, to be able to handle that since birth is simply incredible." The doctor shook his head, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes and spoke again, eyes glued to the floor as if pondering something. "She had a serious concussion when you brought her in. That is probably the main reason for her coma, though the drugs in her system don't help. I am to understand the amnesia is intentional?"

Kakashi gave a half hearted nod. Why did he come here? Sayuri hasn't woken up in two years. She may never wake up.

Just then, the two men heard tiny moaning. There heads shot up to look at each other, questing if the other made that sound. When both found that they didn't say anything, they're heads twisted to the girl who was in coma only seconds ago. The doctor immediately ran over to her.

"Sayuri," he began, "Sayuri, can you hear me?"

The world then began to go mute to Kakashi. He was lost in thought.

When he finally began to pay attention again he heard "and what's for dinner"

He shook his head. She was defiantly her father's daughter. While the doctor left to retrieve food, Sayuri's curious eyes wandered around the room. When her eyes landed on him, they were filled with question. Then with happiness, as she waved happily at him. Sayuri's lips moved but Kakashi couldn't hear. When she smiled, she looked exactly like him. His face fell to the floor and he was engulfed by his sadness again. Kakashi looked up just in time to see Sayuri getting out of bed.

"What is she doing?" He thought has he made hand motions for her to sit down. He was about to say something but one look at her smile that said it's O.K. shut him up. She took to steps before collapsing; Kakashi was right there when she did with ninja speed. Sayuri looked up from his arms, with sad eyes.

She touched his mask and said "Mr. dog-man, why are you so sad". His eyes widened, "how did she—" but his un-spoken question was cut off.

Sayuri gave a wide smile and said "cheer up, emo kid." And the room fell into silence, while those words echoed in Kakashi's ears.

Without warning he broke out in laughter "How can a little girl that lost everything, say that?" He thought after his laughing fit. But he did feel a whole lot better for some reason.

"So," Sayuri began "what's your name" she asked. Under his mask, Kakashi smiled a little and told her his name.

Kakashi was so deep in his memories that he wasn't paying attention to his surrounding. That is, until he heard a familiar voice call his name.

Sayuri had no idea what was going on. She'd been following Kakashi for ten minutes and he seemed like he didn't even notice her presence.

"Is he really an ANBU?" she thought to herself, while he turned a corner. Sayuri followed but stopped to hide partly behind the building, when she noticed that Kakashi had stopped walking. She leaned a different way in order to see the reason why.

Before Kakashi was a man. He was around Kakashi's age, with black hair in a bowl-cut style, and a very weird green outfit.

"I challenge you to a race around the village Kakashi" the man said while pointing a finger at Kakashi.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and said, "Look Gai, as much as I would love to waste time with you, I have to talk with lord Hokage," while removing his mask.

Sayuri could see his face in a window, opposite from where she was standing behind him "so that's what he looks like" she thought eyeing his scared eye. Sayuri felt a strong heat wave coming from Kakashi. "He's irritated. He must not like this 'Gai' dude" Sayuri thought. Quickly looking around, she ran around to the other side of the building that she was hiding behind, so she was behind Gai instead of Kakashi. She peeked out from her hiding spot to see kakashi's expression better. His expression said "I'm not in the mood for this crap". One thing Sayuri knew right away was Kakashi wanted this guy to go away and also that this guy will just follow him around till he got what he wanted….a challenge was it? A challenge… as in a fight?

Something clicked in Sayuri's head. Her body immediately moved on its own and walked away from hiding in the middle of the street. There, she crouched down in a running pose and sprinted for the man named Gai. About a foot away from his legs, she dropped down and did a slide, sweeping his legs out from under him. Then she grabbed a leg when he was airborne and pushed it up so he landed on his stomach. All this before he knew what hit him. Kakashi in the meanwhile was staring in awe at the six year old girl.

Sayuri spun around and quickly got up to a standing position. She stuck her index at the green wearing man. "Stop being mean to puppy!" she shouted.

Kakashi's shoulders sagged as he repeated "puppy?" with a bead of sweat dropping from his face. He shook his head, deciding that wasn't important. "Sayuri, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"And more importantly, how did you do that" Gai said after recovering from his embarrassing defeat from a little girl.

"Do what?" she asked, in the most innocent voice ever. This is matched with an innocent little girl face.

"He's talking about how you flipped him" Kakashi replied rubbing his temples with his right thumb and index finger.

"That's was so youthful" Gai yelled in glee as he jumped to his feet. "Who trains you, whoever they are, I must meet them"

"What is wrong with him?" Sayuri whispered to Kakashi, giving Gai a look as if he escaped from the funny farm.

"The doctors have yet to find out" Kakashi replied not look up from his hand. "Back to the question of what are you doing here?"

"I followed you obviously" Sayuri said, rolling her eyes, as if it were common knowledge.

"Why?" Kakashi asked, getting annoyed

"Cause I was bored And I didn't want to be alone." She said. Kakashi opened his mouth to say something, but was cut of by Sayuri (who didn't know he was about to speak with the mask over his mouth) "plus the hospital scared me for some reason" he shut his mouth immediately.

An image from the past flashed in his head. It was a white, deserted room, dyed red from the blood that was splattered on the walls. The room was deserted of all but him, and was filled with surgery equipment, such as needles and scalpels, all covered in blood. His eyes soften as if to say 'you poor thing' while thinking, "of course. Erasing the memories doesn't erase her felling". Once again, he shook his head, to rid himself of such a horrible place. "Sayuri, you have to go back" Kakashi said firmly.

"Why?" Sayuri asked with a shocked expression.

But Kakashi wasn't listening. "Gai, can you take her back to the hospital? I have to report to Lord Hokage." Kakashi asked. Normally he wouldn't trust the crazy green man with a child, but he had to tell the Hokage that Sayuri finally woke up.

But I don't want to go back there Sayuri thought. Then don't. A man's voice said in her head. Her head shot up and she blinked a couple of times, confused of what just happen.

Gai gave a thumb up, with his eye shut in a winking expression. "Leave it to me" he said as his teeth twinkled.

Sweat dropped from Kakashi's forehead as he said "unfortunately I have no choice" and with that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Now is your chance. The voice said. If you don't want to go back, sneak away. The voice said. Sayuri was still confused about the voice, but she obeyed it. Knowing if she didn't she be sent back to the place that made her scared, even if she didn't understand why. She turned and ran as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Meanwhile, Gai was silently praising himself for getting Kakashi to entrust him with something, even though no one else was around who could do it. Gai said while turning, "Okay Sayuri, lets get you back to-" but he stopped when he saw the place where Sayuri once was empty. "This isn't good" Gai told himself "I lost a small child!" he yelled grabbing his head.

Meanwhile with Sayuri…..

She had absolutely no idea where she was going. It felt like a magnet was pulling her somewhere with a tiny pull. She could resist, but what did she have to lose? She was still wondering about the voice. Who are you? She asked. It was quiet for a while then the voice said, Why don't we meet face to…muzzle. Then it felt like Sayuri lost consciences, but she could feel her body still running, even though she couldn't see it. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a white hallway. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor were all white, and bare.

"Where am I?" Sayuri asked herself

"You're inside your mind" the voice said, but not in her head. It came from down the hall way. So, being the curious person she is, she followed the voice.

It led her into a large white room. In the back of the room was what looked like a cell…or a cage?

"What the heck is a cage doing in my head?" Sayuri asked herself

"It's to keep me in" the voice came from inside the cage. Two of the brightest largest blue eyes shined out of the darkness of the cage.

Sayuri blinked in curiosity. "So you're the voice" Sayuri smiled and began to walk to the eyes. As she walked closer, she could see more features of the stranger that was in the cage… it was a giant white dog.

Sayuri stopped just outside of the cage, her smiled faded and began to examine the cage. "Why are you here? Who put you here? How did you get here? Did you know me?" Sayuri asked.

The dog closed his eyes, shook his head and said, "I don't know." He opened his eyes a crack and said, "I can't remember anything." He looked up. "What's the date?" He asked Sayuri blinked and told him the date she overheard people saying it was. Once again, he shut his bright blue eyes. "Six years… I can't remember anything from these last six years" he sighed.

Sayuri blinked. "Puppy ANBU said I was six years old" she said

The dog opened one eye and said, "It's possible I've been asleep that who time. I was most likely sealed in you when you were born"

"What's your name" Sayuri asked him

The dog got up from his laying position. He bowed his head to that Sayuri could still see his eyes and said "My name is Houkou." Behind him Sayuri saw 5 tails. Each had one of the five elements on them: fire, water, earth, lightning, and air. "And I am the five tailed dog, one of the great tailed beasts. You are my host."

Some would become terrified at this…but Sayuri smiled sweetly and said, "Nice to meet you Houkou-Chan. I'm Sayuri. You have really pretty eyes."