Mika and Miyuki followed Naruto to where he knew Kakashi was teaching Sasuke and Sakura a new technique which, somehow, he had already perfected. He spent the whole five minute walk finding out every detail of her: they thought she was fifteen because she was so well… ahem developed and she believed she came from the Hidden Leaf Village because she had uncovered a hidden memory of the leaf symbol.

'So,' he thought to himself, 'she's two years older than me… but she seems to like me… plus she's HOTT!!!' He blushed as he imagined that she could hear his thoughts. 'Err… Kakashi's just round here.' he told the two women who were smiling expectantly at him.

When they arrived at the large platform, they saw Sakura concentrating hard in the very centre, a small ring of fire around her feet… but it soon dwindled then died away, leaving her panting and disappointed.

'You are getting better, Sakura.' came Kakashi's voice away to the small audience's left. 'Slowly. There is no shame in being the last one to perfect a jutsu.' the girl huffed unhappily. 'I must speak with our guests.'

'Kakashi Sensei!' called out Naruto, waving to his teacher who walked slowly over to them. 'These ladies have come from the Hidden Grass Village because she's lost her memory!' he explained, pointing at Mika who blushed crimson, smiling awkwardly.

'Sir, I am but a humble old woman now and haven't the strength to follow young ninja around any more.' said Miyuki slowly. 'Would you mind taking her on? She's no trouble.'

'Now Miyuki, I know that you were not always a humble old woman.' replied the silver haired man quietly, secret understanding echoing between them softly, making the old woman smile. 'What sort of level are you?' he asked, addressing the small girl.

'I'm average.' she answered politely, fiddling nervously with her purple skirt.

'Hidden Grass Village average.' pointed out Miyuki quickly nodding to Kakashi, understanding yet again floating between them.

'Would she be able to keep up with me?' asked the man still watching the brown eyed girl curiously.

'Naturally.' replied the old woman smiling proudly at the girl with the rich plum coloured hair. 'She's got a gift for strategies as well.' she added, nodding shakily again. Mika grinned sheepishly, her cheeks burning again as she felt two pairs of eyes boring into the back of her head.

'Why does she always have to say that?' she asked herself uncomfortably, looking over her shoulder and seeing the pink haired girl and the blond boy both watching her curiously. 'I'm not that good… I came seventh for goodness sake… I'm average!'

'She came seventh!' added Miyuki, as if on cue making Mika's eyes widen in horror and embarrassment. 'Seventh out of twenty, that is.'

'At the Grass Village Academy?' asked Kakashi raising his eyebrows in surprise. 'That would be just below our top student's level.' Miyuki nodded proudly.

'What?' Mika screamed incredulously in her own head. 'I've been the second best in this village and they've been constantly telling me I'm average?!?!'

'Okay, well I'm still going to have to ask you one question, to see if you're good enough for my squad. Otherwise you'll have to go into a different squad. Understand?' said Kakashi coming and standing in front of her, towering above her menacingly but she didn't cower or even flinch. She nodded decisively, but before the masked man could continue there was a sound of choking behind them.

'Mika?!?!?!' came Sasuke's voice from the other side of the platform, spitting out a mouthful of whatever he was drinking, his face that of astonished shock and disbelief. Mika gazed at him in surprise. 'Is that really you?'

Suddenly he'd thrown the cup out of his hand and run over to her, thrown his arms around her shoulders and was hugging her passionately, as though she was a long lost friend, bitter sweet tears pouring out of his deep blue eyes.

'I didn't think you- I thought that-' he stuttered, the tears tearing his voice up. 'I thought he killed… where have you-' suddenly he stopped. 'Why aren't you happy to see me?' he asked quietly, the pain audible in his voice. He let her go and stood back, looking her up and down. 'It's you, isn't it? I'd recognize you anywhere.'

'I… I'm… I don't know who you are.' she said quietly, conscious of his pain and feeling awkward that she didn't remember him while he had had this extreme reaction. The tears were still falling from his eyes, rolling down his red cheeks, as his face fell, what looked like his dreams shattered and it seemed as though he had just been murdered inside. 'I can't remember,' she tried to explain, tried to ease his pain which she didn't understand. 'I lost-'

'I'm sure it's you!' he exclaimed suddenly, desperation coursing through his voice. 'You're Mika, aren't you?' she nodded quickly. 'And you've got your name tattooed on the back of your neck, right?' he asked, pressing for an answer which might ease his obvious agony.

'How did you-' asked Mika nervously, her hand automatically reaching for the back if her neck where she knew her name was inscribed for eternity in beautiful Japanese script, but he interrupted her.

'Because you're Mika Tikaake!' he cried desperately, the tears rolling down his cheeks again as he tried to prove his point, guessing that she couldn't remember. 'We used to be best friends! You're family and mine! We were always together! How can you not remember?!?' he asked finally, distraught frustration tearing him from the inside out. 'It's me!' he continued, pressing his hands on his chest. 'It's me! Sasuke! You've got to remember!' he finished, grabbing her roughly by the upper arms and shaking her in disappointment.

At that moment Kakashi stepped in and pulled Sasuke off of the girl who had by now started crying herself at the sight of Sasuke's anguish. The blue haired boy fought ferociously to get to the brown haired girl but Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura were all holding him back, fighting back their own tears at his agonising frustration. Mika watched in horror as they pulled the boy named Sasuke away, still fighting viciously to get to her, to try and show her. She turned around and pressed her tearful face into Miyuki's shoulder to try and drown out his desperate calls, his pleas to her.

'Please Mika! Please remember!' he screamed at her, seeing her hide her face in the old woman's shoulder. 'You've got to remember! Please, you're the only one left!' he yelled before Kakashi put a sleep spell on him and forced him to fall into a deep slumber, but his voice still echoed agonisingly in the plum colour haired girl's head. She hated herself. Why couldn't she remember?

When he had finally stopped moving and trying to get to Mika, she looked out from Miyuki's shoulder and followed her over to where the boy was stretched out on the ground, his face finally relaxed but the marks the tears had made where still etched into his cheeks. She looked down on the poor boy as he breathed deeply, his eye twitching every now and then in his sleep as he dreamt. She looked up at the three people kneeling beside him: Naruto was looking up at her curiously, Kakashi was muttering under his breath with his hand on the boys forehead and the girl, Sakura, was gazing down at Sasuke tenderly, tears gushing down her own cheeks.

'You know Sasuke?' asked Naruto curiously, still watching Mika from his kneeling position beside Sasuke's legs. Mika shook her head slowly, trying not to cry out in pain at what she'd just put the boy through.

'I can't remember.' she whispered, not able to speak properly due to the emotion tearing her throat, begging her to scream out in pain, but she held it back. Suddenly the pink haired girl glared up at her threateningly.

'How can you not remember?' she asked sarcastically, poison etched in her tone. 'What, did you get amnesia or something?' she asked, just as nastily. 'He obviously remembers you, why can't you remember him?'

'Calm down Sakura.' said Kakashi calmly as he got up, still looking down at Sasuke's lifeless body. 'It's not her fault. And we've got to try and accept her as someone noone knows and has never heard of until she can recover her memories.' he said quietly looking up at the girl kindly.

'Why?' asked Sakura menacingly, glowering at the tear stricken Mika. 'She just barges in here, expects to be accepted for something she is and puts Sasuke through all that, and now we have to accept her?'

'Yes.' replied Kakashi shortly, without even looking at the angry girl. He walked calmly up to Mika and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. 'Don't worry, she's not always like this.' he said quietly before continuing in a whisper. 'She's jealous that Sasuke is so emotional over you while he finds her annoying.'

'She can have that any day.' answered Mika tearfully, looking up into his friendly face. He smiled kindly underneath his mask.

'I do still have to ask you that question.' he said quietly, she nodded. 'Imagine you are the leader of a squad and you're pursuing a band of renegade ninja in a dense forest. They turn and face you. What do you do?' he asked, watching her as she worked it all out in her head.

'It depends on what my squad is like.' she said after a moment, gazing vacantly off into the distance. 'What level are they? Are they my level? All of them?' Kakashi nodded. 'I'd send the fastest off to position themselves on the opposite side of the band, then the second would position themselves at an angle, thus surrounding them. I would act as a decoy, attacking them full on taking all their attention and then the others would attack from behind, catching the renegade ninja off guard, that way I am the one in the most danger so the others can escape safely if needed and call for reinforcements.' she finished looking up into his face benignly.

'So teamwork is a big part of your plan?' asked the jonin. 'Their safety before yours?' he added, closing his eyes and scratching his chin through the mask. 'Good. That's the same sort of strategy I would have used. Good. Yes, you can stay in my squad.'

'What?!?!' screamed Sakura, outraged. (inner Sakura: What? She gets to stay in our squad?!?!?! That means she'll be close to Sasuke!!! How dare she? Sasuke is mine!!! He was just coming around to it as well!)

'Mika's gonna be in our squad? Awesome!' exclaimed Naruto punching the air above his head. 'I'll give you a tour of the village if you like! There's loads of stuff to do, believe it!' he finished, beaming up at her.

Mika smiled uncertainly at him.