Finished it finally. Sorry it took so long but I had a writer's block. I think I've gotten over it though. I'll let you get to reading since you've waited so long.

disclaimer: I own nothing...in this story anyways


Ch. 3: Confusing Memories

Sakura's decision had surprised everyone and she wouldn't back down. She may love Sasuke but Shadow had done too much for her to sacrifice him for Sasuke. Shadow was just as surprised as everyone else. He knew how she felt about this Sasuke person. He wondered why that name sounded so familiar and it wasn't just because Sakura had mentioned him before. The people all seemed familiar too. When he heard or saw something that connected to this Sasuke person it was like déjà vu.

He was also having dreams. The people of this village were in them. One of the most reoccurring ones confused him. He would see nothing but black but he heard things that evoked the worst kind of feelings. He was saying goodbye to someone that mattered to him. To say that he felt pain was an understatement. What he felt went far beyond pain. He wanted to die on the spot because death of any kind would have been a relief from the feelings. Then all he would hear was a voice asking him to stay but he was refusing for some unknown reason. It made him wake up and if he was a human he would have been in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he was a wolf during all this so there wasn't any evidence that he had any nightmares. He was glad because he didn't want to worry Sakura.

One morning Shadow went somewhere without Sakura for the first time since his arrival. He went to visit Kakashi. If there was a time to find out if he could communicate with others now would be the time. He needed advice and he hoped that the jonin could give it to him. If he couldn't talk to Kakashi as a wolf then he would have to reveal to someone that he was a person. The nightmares were getting worse and he wanted to know where they were coming from. The full moon was tonight so he should turn into a man again. If he couldn't talk to Kakashi now then he would tonight.

The copy ninja put his book down when he heard a scratch at his door. Curiously he opened it and saw the dark wolf that had become a permanent part of life in Konoha. He grinned, "Well, hello, Shadow. Come in. How can I help you?"

Shadow padded in and sat on his hunches. He tilted his head and wondered how to do this. With Sakura it just happened. He never thought about it. Oh well, wouldn't know until he tried. The wolf concentrated briefly and when nothing happened let out a growl of frustration. He then walked over to Kakashi's bed and jumped up on it. He then laid down and proceeded to take a nap. It would be a long night.

Kakashi didn't know what to make of the wolf's actions but shrugged it off. He would find out soon enough he supposed. Sakura did stop by after her shift at the hospital looking for the wolf. She had been very relieved to find him at Kakashi's. Kakashi couldn't understand what Shadow told her but she eventually nodded and said she would see him in the morning. The pink haired girl walked in the direction of her home.

It was shortly before the sun set that Shadow started trying to get Kakashi to follow him. The jonin was just curious enough not to protest. Shadow lead him to the training area just when the moon began to rise. That's when Kakashi realized what he was doing. Shadow was showing him the truth. He sat back and watched at the transformation took place. Kakashi winced at the cries of pain. Soon the only sound in the clearing was the panting of the human Shadow. After a few minutes he stood up shakily. Kakashi moved forward and helped him.

Shadow's voice was scratchy as if he hadn't used it in awhile, "Sorry if I surprised you. Sakura is the only one I can talk to so I had to talk to you this way."

"Don't worry. I already knew," Kakashi replied.

The man smirked, "For some reason that doesn't surprise me though I can't tell you why."

The copy ninja shrugged, "I'm just that good. Why did you decide to tell me now?"

"I need help."

Kakashi nodded, "I thought so. What's wrong, Shadow?"

"I've been having dreams...that's not right...they're nightmares. I'm running from someone who's crying for me. There's blood on my hands. I think it belongs to someone important to me but I can't remember. I'm angry but I'm also so sad that it's weighing me down. It's like I'm at war with myself." Shadow raked his fingers through his hair. "I don't understand what's going on."

Kakashi eyed the frustrated boy in front of him then sat back with a thoughtful expression. The copy ninja knew what was going on but what to do about it was the question. How much should he tell Shadow or anyone else for that matter? If he didn't handle this right then things could go seriously wrong. His dark gaze met Shadow's.

"Tell me everything about the dreams and don't leave out any details."

Shadow sat down and got started. He told Kakashi about a boy with dark hair and eyes learning a technique from his father. The wolf talked about the same boy walking into his home to find everyone he cared about had been killed by someone that he had trusted. Shadow mentioned the uncontrollable hatred and the loss of something he couldn't put a name to. He mentioned someone crying for him and for a brief moment he had considered answering her before leaving anyway.

Kakashi listened without making any comment. He knew what the dreams were after Shadow had told him about the first two but he wanted to hear them all. When Shadow finished Kakashi gave a thoughtful frown. What to say? How much should Shadow know right now?

Finally he said carefully, "Those are Sasuke Uchiha's memories."

"How did I get them?"

"It's possible that you are Sasuke or having his chakra gave you his memories. I'm not sure which since both are possible."

"Don't you know what this Sasuke looks like?" Shadow asked impatiently.

"You resemble him. However it's been three years since I've seen him and there's no telling what kind of effects we should expect with you having Sasuke's chakra. For all I know having his chakra could give your human form a similar appearance to him."

The boy began to pace. He didn't understand and it frustrated him. The dreams were full of things he didn't understand and there was a possibility he was the person who had betrayed Sakura. There was a chance he was the reason she was so sad now. That thought alone made him feel annoyed. He thought more like a wolf than a person and wolves hated disloyalty. It was one of the worst crimes in their world because they depended on each other for everything. They hunted together, ate together, slept together, and well you get the idea. The idea of betrayal made him want to growl. The idea that he would betray someone made him want to hide himself in shame.

Kakashi watched him with interest. He saw the disgust in Shadow's eyes when he heard that there was a possibility that he could be Sasuke. He wondered about that but didn't say anything. The copy ninja couldn't wait to see how he would react when he got his memory back. The copy ninja considered everything and knew the secret couldn't be kept. The first time either Naruto or Sakura saw Shadow's human form they would know who he was.

"Do you mind if I inform the others about this?"

Shadow considered this for a moment, "Will it change anything?"

"I don't know."

The wolf let out a sigh and shook his head, "I suppose not."

"Good. Let's start with Sakura. She at least deserves the truth if nothing else."

Shadow nodded glumly. He was afraid how she would react when she found out that he could be Sasuke. She loved Sasuke but he had hurt her very badly and the wolf knew very well that sometimes love just wasn't enough. The wolf followed behind Kakashi as the jonin led the way to the medic's house. It took only a few seconds for Sakura to answer the door. When she saw Kakashi she gave him a confused smile. He stepped out of the way and her green eyes landed on Shadow. The wolf watched her eyes widen in surprise and then narrow as she glared at him.

"What's he doing here?" she said in an icy tone. Sakura admitted to herself that she still loved Sasuke Uchiha. That didn't mean she was going to let him get off easy for leaving.

"It's not what you think, Sakura. This is Shadow," Kakashi explained.

The medic blinked, "What?"

The wolf stepped forward, "Please, Sakura, let me explain."

"I'm listening."

"I change forms during the night of the full moon. The rest of the time I'm a wolf. I really don't remember anything before the day you found me. Kakashi said that there is a chance that I..." Shadow paused then drew in a deep breath and continued, "That I'm Sasuke. He also said the resemblance could be just because I have his chakra. I can't remember which form is my true form. All I know is that I can speak with you no matter what form I'm in and I need to here."

Sakura considered him for a moment then nodded, "I believe you."

He relaxed and gave her a small smile. She looked surprised but smiled in return.

"We're going to the hokage right now to explain the situation to her but we figured you should know first."

Sakura's eyes focused on her sensei, "You do know the truth don't you?"

"Yes. He doesn't and I don't think he should yet. There's a reason he can't remember anything. I don't want to tamper with anything until I know how he ended up in this situation. Can you handle it?"

She nodded, "Shadow will continue to stay with me. I meant what I said. I don't care what I have to do. I will help Shadow."

Shadow looked between the two wondering what they knew that he didn't. It was obvious that he was missing something very important. "Not to interrupt but are you going to clue me in on what's going on?"

"I think it's best you don't know yet, Shadow. There's a reason you can't remember and it's always best not to tamper with these things," Kakashi said.

Sakura smiled and took Shadow's hand, "Don't worry, Shadow. Everything will work out. I'll do everything I can to help you."

He looked at her and nodded.

"Let's go to the hokage's tower. Tsunade-sama should hear about this," Kakashi stated.

They had to wake her up much to Tsunade's annoyance. Kakashi ordered Shadow to wait outside while they explained everything to the hokage. The wolf obeyed silently.

"Alright, what's going on?" Tsunade demanded.

"Sasuke is back," Kakashi replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Tsunade blinked, "Are you joking?"

"No."

Sakura rolled her eyes at her sensei, "Let me explain, Shishou. Shadow is Sasuke. He just doesn't know it. He had no memory of himself as a person."

"So how do you know he's Sasuke?" Tsunade asked.

"It turns out Shadow turns into a human during a full moon. His human form is identical to Sasuke Uchiha. He has Sasuke's chakra. He's also started having dreams that I've identified as Sasuke's memories. Somehow he got turned into a wolf and lost his memory," Kakashi explained.

"Well, that would certainly explain a lot, like his attachment to Sakura," Tsunade said thoughtfully as she leaned back.

Sakura blushed and looked away, "Sasuke was never attached to me."

The two older shinobi looked at her with identical expressions of disbelief. Neither bothered to correct her. If Sasuke ever had a soft spot for anyone it was Sakura. He had just chosen revenge over his feelings for her. Tsunade returned her attention to Kakashi.

"He doesn't seem to have Sasuke's personality," she commented.

"Some of his traits are still there. Shadow doesn't speak much or show a great deal of emotion. He's also very protective of his friends," Sakura stated.

"Yes but Shadow smiles. Sasuke would die before even thinking about doing that. Shadow is a little more open as well. I think it's because he had no memories. Sasuke was the way he was because of what happened to his clan. Without that memory driving him he's not the same," Kakashi added.

Tsunade nodded, "What do we do about this?"

"I think we should keep the information to ourselves for now. Shadow has no idea who he is. No one should be able to find out about his transformations since they only take place once a month. Meanwhile, we can to some research to find out what happened to him. It isn't a jutsu but I can't tell what caused this to happen."

Tsunade nodded and turned to Sakura, "Can he stay with you?"

She nodded, "It didn't matter if he did remember anything or not. I would never turn my back on Sasuke or Shadow."

Tsunade grinned, "This discovery is a relief though."

"How so?" Sakura asked.

"Well, we were wondering if Sasuke could live without his chakra since we thought it was inside of Shadow. Now that we know they're the same person we no longer have to worry about that."

Sakura smiled, "I'd forgotten about that."

"Well, bring him in so I can take a look," Tsunade ordered.

Sakura opened the door, "Shadow."

He looked over at her.

"Tsunade-sama is ready to see you know."

He followed her inside. Tsunade's eyes widened when she saw him. Kakashi grinned, "I told you about his appearance."

"I know but it's still a surprise. He doesn't remember anything?"

"No he doesn't," Shadow answered. It annoyed him that they were talking like he couldn't hear them. It didn't help that he had already been annoyed because they knew something he didn't.

Everyone gave him a grin. Tsunade let out a chuckle, "Sorry about that, Shadow. I'm use to you not being able to speak to me."

He nodded while regarding Tsunade with piercing black eyes. She couldn't get over how much he looked like Sasuke. Then she realized she was thinking of him as Shadow, not Sasuke.

"Now, down to business You'll be staying with Sakura as usual. We'll all be doing research to find out what's happened to you. For now we've decided not to tell anyone about your transformation or the chance that you could be Sasuke."

He nodded again.

"Any questions?"

"If I am Sasuke. What will happen to me?"

She blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Sasuke was a traitor, right?"

She nodded.

"The punishment for a traitor is death, right?"

She nodded again.

"So what will happen if it turns out that I'm Sasuke Uchiha? Will I be punished by death for his crimes?"

Tsunade frowned, "I can't answer that, Shadow. It depends on you."

He nodded, "I thought so."

"Anything else?"

"No."

Sakura looked at him. He seemed alright but, even as a wolf, he didn't display a lot of emotions. Shadow could be troubled and she would never know about it. They left the Hokage's tower and returned to Sakura's house. Kakashi said goodnight and headed back to his own home. Sakura turned to the wolf.

"Are you alright, Shadow?"

"I'm fine. Just...worried."

She nodded, "Don't worry. Everything will be alright."

He nodded, "I know."

She smiled. Shadow returned the smile with a small one of his own. He looked at the moon. It was almost time for his transformation. "I need to get out of the village to change."

She nodded, "Then let's go."

"You don't have to come."

"I know but I want to."

They walked into the training grounds. Sakura gave a bittersweet smile, "This is where we passed our initiation test to become genin. I was so happy then because I was on Sasuke's team. Naruto was his usual knuckleheaded self. Sasuke kept his distance from everyone. As time passed we got closer and I even thought we were friends. Those were good times."

Shadow glanced at her. She was sad and he wanted to comfort her. "Sakura...I don't know Sasuke. I do know that the most painful memory I have of his is of leaving the village. He's hurting because he had to leave you. You were his friend."

She smiled and hugged Shadow, "Thank you."

Before Shadow could respond the moon sank beneath the horizon and he let out a cry of pain. Sakura backed away as he changed. Before she knew it a wolf lay in the clearing panting for breath. She stayed by his side until her could walk. They went back home and got some sleep. Shadow fell asleep thinking, 'Who am I?'


Let me know what you think.