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"Rise. May I have your name?"

At the command of the Kusakage, I raised my head to look into her eyes before raising my body to follow. It felt... different... being in the presence of the one that I knew was destined to rule this country. She seemed like the kind of woman who would control with an iron fist, to kill first and ask questions later. I was definitely awed, but at the same time, I found a million questions racing through my head and I couldn't pick one to settle on.

Instead, I answered hers.

"My name is... Akikou." There it was again, that distinct pause, that display that I wasn't even sure of myself. I gulped. "I can remember being a shinobi of Kusagakure no Sato a long time ago, but I appear to have lost my mind. I have thousands of memories, but none of them connect. My mind is all jumbled, and I... I don't know who I am. I just know my name."

Realizing that I had probably gone too far, I bowed slightly and apologized. "Gomen nesai, Kusakage-sama. I didn't mean to overflow like that. It's just that sometimes my emotions boil over and I can't help myself... especially when this topic is at hand."

My steps were quick, but it seemed as though Tsukune was just as quick as I. I felt terror course throughout my body, and I wondered if he was going to kill me. I knew that, no matter what, I could escape him. I'm not sure why I felt this way, but to my credit, I found myself beginning to run even faster, almost as if the wind around me was being pushed aside to make room for me.

However, Tsukune was still keeping pace. My faster movements hadn't been enough to shake him, then? Well, I would just have to...! Whatever it was that I was thinking faltered as he spoke (well, yelled) at me, telling me that it would be alright and that he could help. Could he really... help me? Figure out who I was? What I was doing here? Why I was here, what my purpose was, why I couldn't remember anything, why I knew things but didn't know what they meant?!?!

I skidded to a halt, but not in enough time. My body, which had been moving at the sort of speeds that only a trained shinobi could produce, would collide with the other man's body, if he didn't move, and send us both toppling over. The shock of meeting another person, not just talking to them but actually coming into physical contact with one, was something that I hadn't experienced in a long time, and suddenly I found myself reverting to my old ways. You know, from when I could actually remember who I was.

Groaning, I would rest for just a moment before rolling off of the guy and exhaling a sigh. Sitting up, I'd glance over to Tsukune and found that remorse mixed with a hint of concern took prevalence over anything else.

"Are you okay?"

The question was simple, but it was multi-layered, filled with more context than Tsukune probably realized. In it, she asked not only for physical health, after having just been collided into, but also his emotional and spiritual health as well. Did he remember everything? Could he tell her anything? Was he still of a sound mind...? Or was it just I, the forgotten shinobi, who couldn't remember a thing?

When my eyes opened, I found myself someplace strange, someplace that I didn't recognize. Again.

Except this time, I did recognize it. I was still inside of the village, but the sun was shining. It would be slightly past midday, if my calculations were not completely wrong, and I glanced about me in a daze. What in the world was happening to me...?! My stomach clenched in fear, and I almost vomited. However, I managed to maintain my composure just long enough to see another person, one who looked almost as confused as I did.

Did he wonder why he was here? Or where here was? Although, there was no point in questioning that anymore. After all that I had seen, it was clear that this was Kusagakure, but something inside of me told me that that idea was impossible, even though I didn't know why that should surprise me so. I knew then that I needed to speak to this man. It would be, perhaps, my only chance to talk to somebody about what was going on inside of my own life.

The fear releasing itself from my body, my stomach finding itself instantly settled, I moved with the lithe grace of a shinobi towards the man. I smiled towards him, revealing perfectly straight and white teeth, and made a waving motion with my right hand.

"Good afternoon, sir. I'm... Akikou. You seem, perhaps, just as surprised as I am to see this place, although... not quite as confused." I had paused when I said my name, finding it strange to be introducing myself after losing however many of my years that I had. It felt weird knowing for sure that that was my name. It was weird to speak to another person. The only thing that gave me any sort of strength was the knowledge that, somehow, this conversation felt right, and it hadn't even started yet.

Maybe the Gods would shine on me today, after all.

I couldn't remember what had happened after I had run off... but the answer seemed to be clear. I had been in this spot before, and it had triggered a memory from my past. I had run into the very tree line that was before me now, and with a groan I pushed myself off from the ground and began to make my way towards it. I moved slowly, cautiously, for the first time since I could remember anything again I was afraid. Afraid of what I might over here... afraid of what I might not.

As I moved through the treeline, another wave of memories washed over me.

I ran, and as I ran, I heard the sound of pursuit. Whoever had thrown that Kunai towards me had meant to kill me. But who was it that would seek my death? I was not a trespasser in these lands - my Kusagakure headband that I wore around my neck marked me for one of those Shinobi! But could it be that someone from one of the Great Nations had been sent to play war with us? Why couldn't they ever just leave our nation alone?! We were not their playthings!

Rage built within me. I reached into my belt and pulled out a kunai of my own. Extending my left arm, which did not hold a kunai, and channeling chakra into both of my feet and that arm, I found myself quickly ascending the trees. Although I moved quickly, I took great pains to be silent, and upon reaching the top of the branches I would wait. It wouldn't take long, though, before I saw my pursuer, and I knew that my initial instinct had been correct.

The man, wearing a Konohagakure headband, was after me. But he hadn't seen me take to the trees. However, right as he passed me, I heard him come to a halt. He could no longer hear my escape, which meant that he knew that I was hiding. Into my pack once more I went, pulling out an explosive note, and I attached it to the kunai. With a strong arm, I tossed the kunai to my left, while at the same time I slid down the back of the tree, on the opposite side of where my pursuer had last seen me, and on the same side from where I had just run from.

With a single seal as my feet touched the ground, the explosive note would detonate, knocking over a tree and causing a great amount of noise. It was sure to draw the attention of the Konoha shinobi, and I was going to take advantage of that. Gathering all of my speed, I took off in the same way that I had run, counting on the noise of falling branches and brambles to cover up the sound of my own footsteps. I moved, and willed every ounce of my energy into it.

After what seemed only minutes, the gates to Kusagakure no Sato revealed themselves to me and I entered, safe. The Great War... upon us. These would not be good years...

As I snapped out of the theatre that my mind presented to me, I sighed. So I HAD been a Kusagakure Shinobi at one point. That was why I knew that I pledged my allegiance to them. But what else had happened? Would I ever know?

With a sigh, I retraced the same steps I had taken that day that I had escaped with my life, and I found myself back inside of the village. This process of remembering who I am was going to tough.

Just where in the world am I...?

This was the most prevalent thought in her mind as the woman found herself standing on the steps that would lead into the Kusakage's Atrium. There were other thoughts going on inside of that head as well, ranging from "Who am I?", "What am I doing here?", and "Why can't I remember anything?", but she had answers to all of those things, even if she didn't know what they meant.

Although she couldn't remember why, she knew that her name was Akikou. She knew that her allegiance was pledged to the Kusagakure banner. She knew that she had been knocked on the head at one point. But she didn't know when any of that had happened, where it had all happened, or why any of it had happened... and now, she found herself, upright and awake, in a strange land that she couldn't ever remembering traveling to, in front of the doorway to the home of the Kusakage.

I'm sure that this kind of culture shock would confuse just about anyone.

With a sigh, Akikou moved up the stairways and entered into the Atrium, finding herself on the bottom floor. Walking towards the strange man that she saw, the woman smiled gently towards him.

"Excuse me, but do you know where I am? And is there anybody here that's in charge, who could give me some sort of direction...? I'd like to see whoever that person is, if possible."