Author Request: Please take a moment to read the parts of my profile that have ALL CAPPED titles. They're very important for understanding me and my style.

Chapter One:

It was late at night and raining, so the streets weren't very crowded. A few pedestrians walked under umbrellas, shielding themselves from the downpour. Not Kagome, though. She lost her umbrella, or it was stolen. She couldn't tell. It disappeared from the rack at work, or she never brought it with her. She didn't remember. She had to walk home in the rain, tying her grocery bags shut to protect dinner. Her apartment was a couple of blocks away, just a ten-minute walk from work.

One of four dark alleys she traveled by every night came up. The darkness often called to her, but she didn't dare look down it, no matter how tempting it was. She kept her eyes closed until a loud noise, like a yell, caught her attention. She recoiled from the sound, turning to a delinquent looking man. He startled her, intentionally, and laughed it off. Three of his friends stepped up behind him, all but one smiling while the last rolled his eyes. Kagome looked between them, then back to the startler. His hand reached out for her, and Kagome's eyes widened. She ran from him in a panic, looking back behind her to see he was laughing even harder now.

The tip of Kagome's foot struck a raised part of the sidewalk and she went flying forward. She landed in a thud on the ground and her tied bag rolled forward. Looking back, she saw the four men watching her, at least it felt like it. The cloudy night, coupled with a heavy rain, made it harder to see from this distance. They weren't coming after her though, so she quickly picked up her bag. As she reached for it, someone else picked it up. She looked up to see an older woman.

"Here you go, dear. Come now, get up." The woman said.

Kagome nodded and got to her feet as the bag was handed back to her. She scraped up the side of her leg pretty good. It wasn't bleeding, but it was red because of the ripped skin.

"Take care of that quickly, child. Don't let it get infected."

"Thank you." Kagome said, nodding and bowing respectfully as the old woman left.

Walking back to her apartment with a hurt leg wasn't too difficult. She ignored the throbbing pain well, but the cool rain water washing down her leg made it easier. She limped and was only slightly slowed down. As she came to the fourth of the dark alleys she always had to pass by, Kagome chose to look down it this time. She didn't want to be startled again. There was a man standing there, just like the other alleys. The difference was, he was hurt. Kagome didn't see the two men stepping up behind him until the man's shoulder was jerked back, forcing him to face them. A shine of metal swung in the shape of an arch and the man went down. The sound of metal hitting skull was sickening. The two men stepped into view, under the light of a lamp post and glared at her.

"What the hell do you want? This isn't any of your business, so get on out of here."

Kagome stepped back away from them and prepared to continue home, but when she saw the metal bat rise into the air over the already unconscious man, she stopped.

"No, please stop!" Kagome said, holding out a hand to them.

"Get out of here, girl!"

"I… can't. Please, you already hit him. He's down. You won. Are you trying to kill him?"

The man without the bat charged her and suddenly her flight instincts took over. Kagome darted down the street toward home. She never looked back. She turned a corner and found the stoop to her apartment building. Before going in, she glanced to see if she was followed, but saw no one. She went inside and fell to her knees.

"I just abandoned him."

It took some time to catch her breath. When she did, she set her groceries in the corner. She turned back to the door and put her hand on the knob.

"I need to help him. I can't just leave. I should call someone… I should call the police, but how?"

Kagome clenched the door knob tighter.

"If I keep hesitating, he could die."

Kagome took a breath and rushed back out of her apartment building. She ran back around the corner and down the street to the alley. No one was there. She looked around and spotted a pool of blood being washed away by the rain. A line of red went deeper into the alley. They hurt him badly. She took a step forward and another; each step was hesitant and fearful of the eerie darkness provided by the space between two buildings. She hated places like this.

"Hello?" Kagome called out.

With no answer, she hurried into the alley way, her heart racing from the fear. She looked around, wondering if they just left him in here somewhere. A loud thud startled her as someone down the way through away a bag of garbage. Kagome picked up her pace and kept looking around.

"This is so stupid. I'm going to get myself killed."

Once again, Kagome's foot caught something solid and she fell to the floor with a pained groan. She looked up to see the man again, still unconscious. She was surprised to find he wasn't wearing anything more than his boxers. Those thugs must have stolen his things. She sat up near him and pat his cheek. When she pulled her hand back, it was covered in blood. She tried feeling how cold he was, but the rain prevented that. She checked for a pulse, but wasn't good at that either.

"Hey. Wake up." Kagome said.

She tapped his cheek a couple more times, but he didn't budge and more blood trickled down his neck. When he didn't respond, Kagome rushed out of the alley way and banged on the door of the shop his back was against. She called for help, yelling out for someone to hear. It took three more doors and a lot of yelling, but someone finally turned their light back on. She frantically explained what happened, how she didn't have a cell phone, and just wanted someone to call the police. The woman who answered the door called the police immediately and directed them to the alley that Kagome quickly ran back to. Within a minute, an officer made it there. Within a couple of minutes, an ambulance was there and loading him onto a gurney.

"Is he still alive?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, he is. He's lost a lot of blood and has a bad head injury, but he's alive. Did you want to come to the hospital with him?"

"Can I?" Kagome asked, a bit confused.

"Yes, the police are going to want to question you both since he was obviously attacked."

"Okay, I'll come."

Kagome was loaded up with the man and taken to the hospital. On the way there, they had to administer some medicine to keep his heart going. Once at the hospital, they rushed him off and Kagome was signed in as his next of kin. That felt awkward, but the paramedic insisted.

"I know it's unethical, but they have no identification for him."

"I don't even know his name."

"That's okay. Just sign in as his friend so they have someone to contact.

Kagome relented and waited for the doctors to come get her. During her wait, she was thoroughly interrogated by the police. They reassured she was not in trouble, but the questions they asked felt forceful and angry, like she was the attacker. When they left, it was like having an overheating spotlight finally turn away from her. She had a headache and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. After two hours, someone came out to her, referring to him as No-Name.

"He's stable, but he has two broken ribs, a crack in his skull, and his left arm is broken." Doctor Tanaka said.

"Is he in pain?" Kagome asked.

"He's going to need a lot of rest and we'll be providing him with some strong pain medication. We'll keep him over night to monitor his head injury."

"Oh, okay. Should I come back then?"

"You did sign up as a contact for him, but don't know his name?"

"I am the one who found him. Some men attacked him with a bat. He had no ID, so I'm currently his emergency contact."

"I see." Doctor Tanaka wrote something down on a clipboard. "Well, come back sometime tomorrow afternoon, if you want to see him. Right now, you're all he's got."

Kagome returned home weighed down by guilt. Her eyes never seemed to come up from the sidewalk, except to figure out where she was going. When she finally made it home, she was exhausted and famished. She looked to the corner of her building's entrance, and by some blessing or luck, her food was still in the corner. She picked it up and returned to her apartment. She started cooking and went to change out of her work uniform. Once ready, she sat on the couch and practically devoured her dinner.

Kagome placed the plate on the small side table and leaned back into the couch. She found herself dazing out, her eyes unfocused. The image of that man returned to her thoughts. The blood was already dripping down his face. He was holding his stomach and leaning against the brick wall to help him stand. The look in his eyes was what caught her off guard. He wasn't asking for help, but seemed curious whether she would give it. She tried, but not hard enough.

"I abandoned him and they hit him more because I did nothing…"

Kagome's eyes snapped open as the sun shined in through slightly open curtains. She sat up and looked around. She didn't remember falling asleep and quickly regretted it. She moved around and was very stiff. She stretched, popping her back a single time. What little relief that provided allowed her to stand. She caught the clock on the microwave and saw it was one in the afternoon. She was supposed to be at the hospital, so she got ready and made her way there.

After checking in at the front desk, she walked to the room they provided for him. Doctor Tanaka wasn't in yet, but apparently had given notice that she shouldn't leave until the two of them spoke. Kagome was given no reason why, but agreed to it if she could check on him.

Kagome made it to room 21A and opened the door. He was laying on his back, but facing away from her. She closed the door behind her, which caused him to swing his head around to face her. The wide look in his eyes was frightening, almost rabid. His hair was long, white, and pulled back behind him. Kagome thought the white hair was a trick of the moonlight before, but it really was white. His eyes were a piercing gold. The bruises on his face tried to shadow his handsome face, but failed. The doctors put a cast on his left arm, bandages on some cuts, and wrapped his head up. He raised his arm, but it was caught by the bed.

"They handcuffed you?" Kagome asked, but got no answer. "That doesn't seem right."

Kagome pulled a chair up to the side of his bed, a gesture that must have been unwelcome. The man scooted away from her and tugged harshly on the handcuff. Kagome heard something crack and thought it might have been the bed. She stepped back away, pressing her back against the wall. He pulled harder and there was another crack of plastic. With each pull, he winced. Another pull at the handcuffs came with a painful groan.

"Wait, please. Stop. If you do that, they'll come in here and tie you down more."

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the hospital. Has anyone come talk to you?"

He shook his head.

"If I sit down, will you promise to not do that again?"

He hesitated, but nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to sit down now."

Kagome slowly moved over and sat down in the chair. She kept a couple of feet between them, but not much. He couldn't reach her though.

"Well, last night, you were attacked by some men. They hit you in the head with a bat and beat you up pretty bad. Do you remember?"

He shook his head.

"Oh, that might be a good thing. Something like that can be pretty scary." Kagome said, pushing up a small smile. "Are you in pain?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry. They'll give you medicine for it, I'm sure. You don't talk much, do you?"

"Do I know you?"

"No, you don't. I am the one who found you last night. You had nothing on you. No ID, no driver's license. No one knows who you are. What's your name?"

The room went strangely silent. He stared at her for a few awkward seconds and then looked out the window.

"Uh, well, my name is Kagome Higurashi. Do you wanna tell me your name?"

"I don't know."

"If you really don't want to, yo-…"

"No, I don't know what my name is. I can't remember."

Kagome's eyes widened. Before she could say anything, the door swung open quicker than expected.

"Ms. Higurashi!" Doctor Tanaka said. "My apologies. I told them not to let you in here until we talked."

"I wanted to make sure he was okay." Kagome said, standing up. "Doctor Tanaka, does he have amnesia?"

"Yes, that seems to be the case." Doctor Tanaka said, looking beyond her to the man behind her. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"What, no!" Kagome said.

"He didn't lash out at you?"

"No, of course not. Is that why you handcuffed him?"

"He attacked three nurses this morning. He had to be restrained. One of them is in bad condition."

"What?"

"Please, come with me. We'll talk in my office."

"No."

Kagome and Doctor Tanaka looked to him.

"I don't remember attacking anyone. I woke up handcuffed to this bed. If I hurt someone, it was unintentional."

"That's to be expected." Doctor Tanaka said.

"Then you will talk about me, and my condition, in front of me."

"Oh, okay." Kagome said timidly and looked at Doctor Tanaka.

"If that is what you prefer." Doctor Tanaka said. "First, let me check a few things."

Kagome stayed out of the way as the Doctor made sure to check his head, eyes, and bandages. The man recoiled from Doctor Tanaka multiple times. It wasn't out of pain though. It seemed more out of distrust. He didn't want to be touched and wasn't sure what the doctor was doing. Kagome could understand the apprehension. He remembered nothing, so things were going to be hard for him. It was sad. This man's life was erased.

"So, you've got what is called amnesia. We're not sure to what extent yet." Doctor Tanaka said. "There are some that are bad enough that you must be retaught everything from speaking, to dressing yourself, to daily hygienic routines. Others are more mundane, less impactful. They're where you forget a few hours or maybe a few days."

"So, since he can speak…" Kagome said.

"Yes, since he can speak it's not the worst-case scenario. However, do you know your name?"

The man shook his head.

"Do you remember anything like your age? Your parents? Where you were born?" Doctor Tanaka asked.

The man shook his head again.

"Will he get his memories back?" Kagome asked.

"It's possible. He suffered a severe head injury." Doctor Tanaka said and then sighed, looking back to No-name, "But it is also possible of the opposite. It is possible that your memories never return, that you won't ever recall who you are, your childhood, your family, or your friends. This is something you must prepare for."

"I see." No-name said.

"There is still a chance, right?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, there is always a chance, but never a guarantee."

"So, what does he do until then? Where does he go?"

"The lab is still running some tests, trying to compare his blood to other records, but so far nothing has been found." Doctor Tanaka said. "In cases like this, we normally send the patient home with some medicine, tell them to stick to a familiar routine, and hope their memories return. Someone with no identity that we can find may end up lost in the system. The hospital won't take care of him. Once he's physically able to leave, we'll be forced to discharge him."

"What? That's horrible! He has no one, no place to go. Any family likely doesn't even know he's here. How can you just throw him on the street?"

"I'll explore other options, but the hospitals policy is to send him on his way. He'll be discharged before dinner, so I'll do some research, make a few calls." Doctor Tanaka collected his clipboard and made his way to the door. "For now, Ms. Higurashi, you are all this young man has."

"I signed that document to make sure you had someone to call, not to lay claim to a man I don't know." Kagome said, her frustration coming through.

"I know, and I normally wouldn't imply something so reckless, and legally I cannot. However, as of now, you are all he has." Doctor Tanaka said as he opened the door. "I'll make some calls and return as soon as I can."

Doctor Tanaka closed the door and left them in silence. Kagome stared at the door for an awkward amount of time before turning back to see No-name staring at her. She regained her composure, brushing her hair back with her hands and then sitting in the chair next to him again. He kept watching her.

"Well, I, uh…" Kagome struggled to find the words, his curious stare making it worse, "I guess we'll wait until the doctor gets back."

A silence lasted for a few more minutes before No-name closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. He placed his free hand over his forehead and laid back into the pillow. The machines he was attached to started beeping faster. Kagome looked up from her daze and stood.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He replied with a pained groan. The beeping reaching a quickened speed that it held for a few minutes. Kagome grabbed a paper towel and wet it in the nearby sink. She used the cold to wipe away from sweat from his face. When the cold struck him, he recoiled and she pulled her hand back. He stared at her for a moment and then tensed, wincing at a pain in his head again. Kagome hurried back to the sink and filled a tiny paper cup with water, returning to his side. He groaned again, almost yelled. Kagome thought to rush out and ask a nurse, but the beeping finally slowed down. The tension in No-name's body lessened and he took a few deep breaths.

"Here." Kagome said, holding out the cup once he caught his breath. "It's really all I can do. Should I get a nurse?"

No-name said nothing, but sat up to take the cup. He reached over the bed and grabbed it, since the wrist closer to her was restrained. He took one large gulp and crumbled the paper cup in his hands, tossing it across the room. It landed in a trashcan.

"Nice shot." Kagome said, smiling. "How are you feeling? That looked painful."

"I think I'm fine." No-name said, staring at his bedsheets.

"That's good. I know it's not likely, but is anything coming back to you?"

"No."

Kagome stopped talking. She felt bad for him, and guilty. The memory of that bat hitting his head returned. She looked away from him and focused on a random spot on the floor.

"If I hadn't run, or if I helped sooner, would he be fine?"

"Do you know what happened to me?" No-name asked.

"Yeah. I am the one who found you. You were attacked. They stole your belongings, even your clothes. I'm not sure you would have survived the night out there."

No-name looked to Kagome with gratitude in his eyes, "Thank you, then, for finding me."

After a momentary silence, Kagome pushed up a smile, "You're welcome."

They talked very little after that. Kagome felt so guilty about running that first time, about abandoning someone who needed help. She should have screamed, banged on doors, thrown anything she could get her hands on, but she didn't. She ran in fear for her own life.

After an hour, Doctor Tanaka finally returned to the room. Kagome and No-name looked back to him.

"Doctor, were you able to find him some help?" Kagome asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm sorry, Ms. Higurashi." Doctor Tanaka said, pulling up the doctor's stool and sitting down at the end of the bed. "There are some programs that would take him in, but there is a waiting list. Other people with different disabilities are waiting for help too. I did find one thing that might help, but it does put a lot of responsibility on you. It's an emergency caregiver program, where the government provides extra money for those volunteering to help people in his situation."

"An emergency caregiver program?"

"Yes, but the application process takes up to six months, and then it will take a couple months more to get you the money. There would be back-pay though."

"I see."

Kagome looked back to No-name, who watched her curiously. She had different thoughts on the circumstances now. He seemed so lost, for obvious reasons. He spoke kindly to her, even if a little uptight. The thought of turning her back, letting him wander the street with no memory, was heartbreaking.

"I'll do it." Kagome said and stood up confidently, raising a tight fist in front of her, "You can come home with me. I don't have much, but you'll have a place to sleep with the pull-out couch and I buy food every couple of days, so you won't starve. I promise to even try and help you get your memories back. Is that okay?"

"Now, Ms. Higurashi, you can't promise that his memories will return, and if they don't, he'll be in you care for a very long time." Doctor Tanaka said.

"I know, but I can do it! I'll pick up an extra shift at the store."

"But Ms. Higura-…"

"I'm doing it! If he is okay with coming home with me, I'll take care of him! I am his emergency contact, you know!"

Doctor Tanaka looked surprised, but then smiled. They looked back to No-name, who watched them both curiously.

"So, what do you think? Are you okay with going home with Ms. Higurashi?"

No-name looked between them a few times and then nodded, "Okay."

"Yay! Now, take of his handcuffs!" Kagome said, pointing at No-name.

"The nurses have agreed to not press charges, but he still did have a violent outburst. Are you sure you can handle that?"

"I don't think he's violent…" Kagome said, tilting her head, "He was probably just confused, lost, and scared… Waking up in a strange place, knowing nothing? I can't imagine how I'd react to something like that. I bet he just wanted to find something familiar and lashed out against anything that tried stopping him."

"Alright. I'll get the forms; I had them email the application to me."

Doctor Tanaka pulled out a key and took off the man's handcuffs, sliding them into his pocket. Finally free of restraint, No-name rubbed the part of his wrist that suddenly felt lighter. Kagome waved Tanaka off and smiled widely at No-name.

"Thank you for this." No-name said. "I am not sure I would survive without my memory."

"You're welcome." Kagome said. "We'll make the most of it, and even have some fun along the way."

"Fun?"