A/N: There- at least one more chapter! If it feels a bit choppy, I apologize, but writing this way actually helps keep the story trucking along- the way I'm planning it, Amnesiac will have random time skips and be written in compiled 'one-shot style' so that it doesn't drag out- we'll see how that lasts, though... As I have midterms coming up, and school will always be priority, I can't guarantee a set schedule, but I will make the effort to finish this story. Though I've been terrible about replying lately, every comment brightens my day, and it is thanks to your support that Amnesiac will be continued. So thank you! I'll try and reply eventually, and I hope this continues to be amusing. Happy Thanksgiving :)

Sasuke head throbbed as he stared at the red object.

His headaches had become a semi-frequent occurrence; Inoichi had explained that when things that had a deep connection or alignment with his family were introduced, his mind automatically tried to link why it was important, and was abruptly slammed by the barriers within his own mind. The result was a pain just behind his eyes, and a vague sense of loss that made him feel sick.

It had happened a few times already in the weeks since he lost his memory. Once when a nurse had accidently brushed his forehead with her fingertips when she was checking his temperature, again when had seen a strange symbol of a white fan, and a variety of other small instances.

Whenever the nurses found out about his headaches, they would grind him for information. What happened before/during your headache? What were you looking at? How did it make you feel?

Honestly, it got a little bit annoying. Sasuke had the vague feeling that he had experience handling pestering females, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. They also weren't as 'screechy' as he felt they should be. But still- it was weird to have them poke and prod at every minor memory trigger.

And most recently, this: what was so important about a tomato?

The nurse of the day suddenly re-entered his hospital room, and Sasuke quickly ate the offending object he had been having a staring contest with for the past ten minutes. He didn't feel like being interrogated on his emotional attachment to a fruit.

…Especially because they had already done so based on his reaction to the weird head-finger poke. He had ears (even if everyone else seemed to think he only had good sight); it was disturbing to hear that that simple gesture might be linked to some creeper that had been using it to come on to Sasuke…

"Sasuke, I have good news!" The nurse, Himiko, chirped. Sasuke lifted his head, squinting a little bit at the sheer vibrancy of her smile.

"Uh, what news?"

"You're getting adopted!"

…What.

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Xxx

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His adoptive family were weird.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama, hopefully this room is big enough! We didn't want to make you feel at all uncomfortable, so we cleared ourselves out of the master bedroom, and made three different suppers because we weren't sure what kinds of food you liked, and-"

…They were going completely overboard.

Sasuke tentatively raised his hand. The mumbling man in front of him instantly snapped his mouth shut, while his wife clenched onto his arm with a white knuckled grip. Both met his sheepish gaze with fervent brown eyes.

"Yes, Uchiha-sama?!" they chimed.

Sasuke shifted, his shoulders hunching near his ears. "…Uh, can't I just sleep in the same room as your sons? I apparently had a brother, I'm probably used to sharing."

The duo flinched.

"Ah, we thought, well, sharing a room, and, your brother, it's just, you see-" the woman began, her lips pinching with every pause.

Sasuke groaned. "Oh, come on- I don't even remember that 'Isagi' guy! It's really no problem. Besides, my family weren't royalty- what kind of person would ever expect others to cave and listen to their every whim? I'm sure that if my father saw me trying to 'be dominant' over other people, he would be very disappointed." Sasuke took a deep breath, and let out a careful exhale. He tightly smiled at his captive audience. "Just… please try and treat me like any other kid? Being an Uchiha doesn't instantly make me special, you know."

The couple stared with flabbergasted gazes back. "But…" the man interjected, "you are special! You're the last Uchiha- you'll never be normal!"

Sasuke cringed.

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Xxx

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"…and I think it might be nice to try living with a bunch of different people- I'm okay with earning my keep wherever I go, but it's seems a shame to keep me locked to only one household. I kinda have experience knowing how quickly a settled family can be obliterated. Gotta keep my options open, you know!"

The old man, who was apparently the supreme military dictator of Sasuke's home (and seriously, all he had remembered were the hat and monkeys? Sasuke's memory really was awful!), stared back with a pinched expression.

"You… have just been through a terribly unsettling experience. Don't you want some stability? A place to lay down your roots?" The Sandaime suddenly flinched. "I've been listening too much to Danzo…"

Sasuke carefully ignored the old man's sudden muttering about 'one-eyed idiots that should never be trusted with children'. "Nah, I think I'm good- it's not like I can't sleep at night, or anything. It might be nice to just kinda experience as much as possible, you know?" Sasuke stared with wide, 'innocent' eyes at the Sandaime. "Getting a little taste of a bunch of different places and people might even jump start some memories!"

The Sandaime broke from his inner turmoil to sigh. "Sasuke, my boy, I think it's best if you let the adults decide things for the next while; I will move you from the Higarashi's house, though. You might as well just stay with Inoichi for the time being. It'll be easier to get started on your therapy, that way."

Sasuke flinched, but accepted the outcome with only a small frown.

You won some, you lost some. Sasuke wasn't a sore loser- having to concede a few things wasn't a big deal.

It's not like living with the creepy blond guy could be that bad, anyways.

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Xxx

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Inoichi spread his arms wide. "And this is the flower shop! It's attached to the back of our home, so you'll be coming in here a lot. If you want, you can also work here- I'd be willing to give you a basic wage, and you could work around your school schedule once you go back to the academy."

Huh. It already was better.

The flower shop had a cozy feel to it- it wasn't necessarily small, but the overwhelming abundance of flowers and plants that crowded the shelves and counters made it seem tighter. Though that wasn't actually a bad thing- like he had noticed before, it just felt cozy. A gentle, sweet smell filtered through the room, calming and soothing, like a fresh breeze in spring.

The colours themselves were also welcome- Sasuke felt like he had been living in a black blue world edged with red before this- the flower shop was a completely fresh, new, vibrant environment. Sasuke looked down at the pot next to his hand that rested on the counter he stood beside. The lovely orange petals of the flowers it held made him smile without a thought.

He could get used to this.

"Uh, thanks Mr. Yamanaka- it would be nice to get my hands a little dirty, and just do something. The nurses never let me touch anything without completely sanitizing me after. And I have been getting a little stir crazy- a job would be nice."

Inoichi smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. Of course, therapy will always come before your job- that is the reason you'll be living with me, after all."

Sasuke groaned, but by now it was mostly out of habit- the accompanying laugh that rang like a clear bell from Inoichi only made Sasuke more relaxed. Sasuke ducked his head to hide his smile as Inoichi leaned over the counter they were standing beside to ruffle his hair.

"Of course, we haven't even gotten into your living arrangements yet- I'll put together the spare bedroom for you after supper. It's just across the hall from my daughter Ino, who you may rememb-"

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Sasuke was unceremoniously tackled to the side by what felt like a freight train, and his hand accidently snagged the potted plant that was on the counter as he crashed down. Flowers and dirt sprayed across him and his assailant like blood and guts from a horrible massacre.

…Huh, where did that imagery come from?

Pain carefully lanced behind Sasuke's eyes, and he turned to face his attacker with a slightly disorientated gaze.

A beaming blonde haired, blue eyed person stared back. Some of the orange flowers from the pot that had been sent crashing were tangled in their hair, and dirt streaked across their face, casting strange smears on their cheeks. Thin arms pinned Sasuke in place on either side, but for once, he didn't feel trapped.

Something clicked.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! I'm so glad to see you! School hasn't been the same without you- forehead has been more annoying than ever, and none of the other boys are nearly as cool as you! And now you get to live here- with me! Isn't that exciting, Sasuke-kun?" The person's gaze turned dreamy. "Maybe someday, I'll be the first person you remember, proving that true love really does solve everyt-"

"I remember you." Sasuke whispered.

The person- the girl- froze.

Time stretched. Black eyes met wide blue, and an infinity passed in the blink of an eye. A sudden cough interrupted the intense reality bender.

"Ino, get off Sasuke."

The girl- Ino- squeaked, and with suddenly red cheeks leapt away from Sasuke. She scrambled to her feet, and furiously began to pat down the yellow sundress she was wearing, attempting to shed the orange petals and dirt that clung to her.

Sasuke rose much more carefully, his gaze focused and intense. Inoichi frowned. "Sasuke, are you sure you remember Ino? Your mind was… quite the maze. From one I could tell, a person would have to be intrinsically important to your character, yet not family, for you to remember them so soon. It would have to be a person you always secretly admired, or subconsciously had a deep and unspoken connection to. Are you sure?"

Sasuke nodded. "I'm positive."

Ino reddened, then brilliantly smiled.

Sasuke shared her grin. He pointed a resolute finger in her direction. "You're the one that wears orange all the time and always pulls pranks!"

Ino and Inoichi froze.

Sasuke continued on, oblivious to everything but the sound of his own voice putting together the pieces. "It's all falling together- you once rigged a chili pressure sensor trap that caught all the other girls in our class- and you once set loose a pack of pigeons in the academy sensei breakroom! I think I know why I remember you- I always admired you're cunning, and always secretly thought your pranks were great!" Sasuke beamed. "I'm really glad I remembered you!"

"Already formed the memory link," Inoichi murmured to himself, "it will be extremely difficult to shift, nearly impossible to redirect thought channels like these once they're formed without ruining all the progress we've already made…"

Ino blankly stared back at Sasuke. The young boy's smile slowly slid off his face. "I- I did remember you, right? I wasn't worried about getting my memories back before- but, I don't want to give this up! Please- I did remember something real- right?"

Ino stood frozen for a lingering instant. Sasuke met her gaze imploringly, doubt edging its way into his mind. He had told the Sandaime the truth, back then- he was okay with never remembering the Uchiha, or the psychopathic brother of his- who honestly had probably been a hellion to Sasuke from the beginning (people didn't just suddenly become mass murderers without warning, after all!)

But… Sasuke hadn't realized he wanted this- even the smallest of life lines to hold him steady while everyone else was acting crazy. Someone who would listen- someone who would be willing to smile- someone who would be willing to joke around with Sasuke and just be kids-

Someone to be a friend.

Ino suddenly shifted, and Sasuke broke from his thoughts to hear the response from her lips that he both craved and dreaded.

Ino finally spoke. "Yes… yes you did…" she whispered. She grinned, strangely wider than before. "That's me- the pranking extraordinaire that loves the colour orange! The ONE person you've remembered!"

"Great!" Sasuke exclaimed- and from his shoulders fell his burden. He sheepishly smiled. "Uh, I'm not quite sure why I never reached out before, but now that I basically have a fresh start… Do you want to be friends?"

Ino's eye twitched. "Of course, Sasuke-kun!"

Said boy smiled, and raced over to the Ino. "Alright! You should show me around your house! Ending up living here was the best thing that could have happened to me!"

Sasuke proceeded to drag Ino away, ignoring Inoichi's despairing form for the joy he found in finally having a friend.

He would be normal- last Uchiha or not.