Chapter Two

Hinata slowly traces her finger down the exposed skin on her arm. According to Tsuande, the jacket she was wearing is in tatters, and now that she's wearing only a tanktop, she's not terribly surprised.

She's settled herself in front of a mirror. Her eyes travel up to her face and she sees scratches covering previously smooth skin. But Tsunade has assured her that those will heal. It's the deeper scratches and gashes all up and down her arms and torso that will leave everlasting scars.

It was strange looking at her own body and not knowing what she was supposed to look like. She wasn't very muscled; she wondered if she'd put up much of a fight to whoever had done this to her. She brought a weathered hand up to her hair. It was black, extremely short, and stuck out in the back.

Tsunade said she had transient global amnesia. In a nutshell this meant that, due to the trauma, she'd forgotten just about everything, including who she was. However, she hadn't become totally oblivious to how the world worked. For instance, she was aware that her eyes were a paler color than most. Tsunade had called it a stroke of luck that she'd been able to remember her first name, and hoped that this meant that over time she'd be able to retrieve more and more of her memories. Until that point (if that point came at all) they'd just have to wait and see what happened next.

There is a light knock on the door, and Hinata looks up to see Tsunade herself standing in the doorway. She holds out a dark grey sweatshirt.

"This was the best I could find. It shouldn't be too big on you."

"Thank you." Hinata takes the sweatshirt from her hostess and slips it on over her head. It is baggy, but it fits her better than any of Tsunade's other clothes would. Besides, she hardly feels like complaining that it's a little big. It covers that large rip on her upper thigh in the jeans she is wearing that are otherwise intact.

Hinata stretches her arms out and is turning back and forth in front of the mirror when a door to another room slams open with a bang and a voice rings out, "Hey, all! I'm home!"

Tsunade sighs. It makes Hinata wonder how often this barrage of noise occurs.

A second later, a boy with blond, spiky hair bursts into the room, taking the whirlwind of noise with him. "Grandma Tsuande!" He stops and raises his eyebrows when he catches sight of her.

"Naruto," Tsunade says, speaking especially quiet on purpose. "What have I said about inside voices?"

Naruto ignores this chide, instead coming further into the room to stare at her. For the first time Hinata feels selfconscious. She pulls the edge of the long sweatshirt down even further as he leans forward to put his face uncomfortably close to her own, as if he thinks he'll be able to recognize her if he gets a closer look.

He backs up suddenly and points at her rather rudely, turning back to Tsunade. "Who's she?"

Tsunade sighs again. "Why don't we all go have lunch?" She suggests. "I'll explain everything."

…

"Huh," Naruto says, finishing his fourth bowl of ramen noodles. "So you really can't remember anything?"

"No," she answers. "Nothing past my first name." Hinata had opted for one of the sandwiches Tsunade had made. Now she decides that was a good decision. He has eaten enough for all four of them.

"Huh…" For a moment he looks deep in thought, then a smile spreads over his face. "Well, it doesn't matter. You can stay here at Headquarters until you do remember." The problem apparently solved, he grabs another bowl to continue stuffing his face.

"Headquarters?" Hinata turns to Tsunade and Jiraiya who are sitting across the table. "What is this place Headquarters for?"

"Well, I wouldn't really call it Headquarters…" starts Tsunade.

"It's more like a rest stop for travelers," Jiraiya explains. "We aren't a part of either kingdom, so anyone can come here. And I will warn you that we do cater to everyone," he ended, sounding a bit stern.

Hinata nods. What did that really mean to her? After all, as long as she couldn't remember who she was, she wasn't a part of any kingdom either. Which reminds her…

"Um, Tsunade?" Her hostess grunts to show that she's listening. "This whole amnesia thing is temporary… right?"

Tsunade looks up from her drink which Hinata is only fifty percent sure is tea. "That's hard to say. It really depends on the severity of your condition… You were pretty banged up. Just that you could remember your first name is a huge achievement. I'd like to take that as a sign that the rest of your memory should return, but should that be in days, months, or maybe even years, I can't be sure."

Hinata's eyes widen. Years? She could be like this for years? She clears her throat which has suddenly gone unbelievably dry. She musters up the courage to ask her next question.

"And… what if I don't remember?"

Tsunade is quiet, but Naruto looks over at her and smiles. "Don't worry, Hinata! Everything will be fine; I'm sure of it!"

Hinata finds herself giving him a feeble smile back if only because she wants so badly to believe him.

Review please!

I don't own Naruto.

I would like to thank Rose Tiger, NaruHina Love Birds, Canadagirl52, jgirl6906, AnimeFan202, and fujingodofwind for reviewing the first chapter!