Ah, hello!

This will be a one-shot flashback to what happened after Satoshi left Ransei. It isn't necessary to read to enjoy or understand the other story, but it sure does help.

This is dedicated to Starsights, though I don't think that that's their penname at the moment…

Also, dedicated to Cutesaralisa for the wonderful support.

I really hope you enjoy! :D

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All he could remember was the sound of laughter and the symphony of the forest.

That was all. Nothing more, nothing less.

There was one more thing, a name:

Satoshi

It sounded so familiar to him. Was it his name, or someone else's from his past? He could not recall…

He turned around in the mediocre bed, trying to remember what he knew were his most precious memories.

A young girl's cute giggle… An older boy's deeper chuckle…

Oh, how he wished he remembered the faces, the names, the voices that came with those laughs…

They were his greatest friends, that's all he knew. And the forest seemed unforgettable, but that was fading as well…

His parents were already forgotten… and his home…

The boy couldn't remember more than the forest filled with laughter…

He turned again, only to find the door opening. He slumped, scared of what was to come…

It opened to reveal a young woman with auburn hair tied in a loose ponytail, and had seemingly soft, auburn eyes…

He knew how deceiving that was, however.

She had hurt him, made him forget… He felt as if it would be unforgivable. And he knew it was.

But alas, that was fading too.

The young boy whimpered as she walked toward him with a soft, yet deceiving smile. When she was next to the bed he was lying on, she said to him in a soft voice, "Come on, dear. It's time to eat."

He knew better. He knew he knew better than to fall for her lies and deceptions.

But he couldn't help it. His fuddled memory prevented him from completely believing that she, of all people, would lie to him in such a manner…

So he nodded, albeit hesitatingly, and that action alone elicited a smile of success from the young woman. "Now come on. Follow me, okay?"

The boy got up, feeling sore from staying in the same, hard spot for so long, but followed her nonetheless.

As they got closer to their destination, he looked around the building he was in. There were plain, metal doors that lined the bare hallway, each accompanied with a lit-up number pad next to it. He had learned the name earlier.

Soon, they started encountering others, those with black outfits and red R's across their fronts. Sometimes, he'd see them type an unseen code into a pad, and the door would magically slide open for them, and as they left the entrance, they closed as well.

Sometimes the members would give a nod of obvious respect to the young woman, some even murmuring a quick 'Miss' as they hurried to their destinations.

And sometimes they would just walk past without saying a word, giving sympathetic looks. And yet, there were those that glared, and those that smirked at him, almost taunting him to do something in this helpless situation…

Soon, the two arrived at the end of the hallway, a quite large door replacing the others that he had grown used to. There was no pad this time, only a simple slot located on the door itself.

The boy saw the woman take out a strange-looking card from a pocket and insert it into the slot. After a few seconds, a light above the door turned green, and the door slid open as she grabbed the protruding card once more.

They entered the room, only to find a large desk with an intimidating man sitting behind it. His brown hair was worn in a business-like style, complementing his sharp, black eyes. His light brown suit was simple, yet had a conspicuous bright red R on it.

The man smirked as the two came in. "Ah, Delia. One more session today?"

The woman, now revealed as Delia, replied, "Yes, it should only take one more. And your prediction was correct, Giovanni."

His smirk got wider. "That is good news, Delia. Now with him out of the way, it should be no problem to take over the strange Ransei region. All we have to do is find its location…"

Suddenly, he cursed and slammed his fist against the desk. "Why didn't I think of this?! Now it might be too late…"

Delia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Giovanni scowled down at the boy, causing him to temporarily whimper in fear before something in him told him there was nothing to be afraid of. So he glared back at the man defiantly before Giovanni looked away, saying, "We could've had the child tell us. But now his memory is all but erased…"

Delia sighed. "At least we can do what we want with Ransei. The child won't even remember a thing…

The boy suddenly perked up, suddenly realizing his mistake of following Delia… He ran to the door, only to find it locked and secure. He banged his fists against it for a bit, but to no avail.

He then felt someone grab him from behind. The boy looked behind him to see Delia lift him up over her shoulder with surprising strength. The boy became fearful, knowing what was going to happen next.

He kicked and screamed as she took him to the back of the large room, opening another door in the process. And then they were in a room where there was a large tube in the center, and a chair outside of it.

The woman, not even flinching, walked over to the tube and opened it. The young boy was pushed inside of the tube, and immediately he tried getting out as the entrance, but nothing he did worked…

He watched sadly as the door opened to reveal a strange man clad in a dark, black coat, the hood covering his face. He pushed forward a young girl in her early teen years. She had large blue eyes and light blonde hair positioned over her shoulder. Her small, white dress was pristine and clean, yet showed hints of abuse...

As the girl hesitantly walked to the chair next to the tube, she looked at the young boy with a sad and empathetic look. She looked like she had gone through so much.

As she sat down, she took out a sketchbook that she was hiding behind her back, and she placed it in front of her. She had a white pencil in her hand, and at a small gesture from the man in black, she began to draw.

Once the girl started, the man walked over to Giovanni and Delia, who were on the sidelines. He said to them, "This will be a great practice for our own use against another young boy. I must thank you for doing this for me." He said this in a smooth, male voice.

Giovanni laughed. "Ah, it is no problem at all! In fact, we had needed this for our own use as well. So it is you I must thank, young sir."

The man in the coat chuckled. "Then I believe you are quite welcome. But for now we should watch the show, yes?"

The other two nodded, and they turned to the tube once more.

The little boy was staring at the young girl, asking after a few minutes. "What are you drawing?"

She was able to hear him, and said sadly, "The sound of a forest...as well as the sound of laughter. Two kinds, actually…"

The boy, despite his situation, found himself laughing quietly. "How can you draw sound?"

She smiled. "By drawing the thing it is connected with. So I'm drawing a forest, and also there is a young girl and an older boy…"

The boy inside the tube was quiet for a while, going over her words. After another minute, he asked, hesitant, "...Are they my friends?"

She nodded. "Yes."

The boy's blue eyes lit up in hope. "I-is it alright if I see?"

The girl simply giggled and said, amused, "Silly, you can't see until I'm done, okay?"

The boy nodded eagerly before he leaned against the wall. He found the girl kind, more kind than what he's been used to over the past few days. Yet, there was something about that girl that seemed different, magical even, if he could call it that.

Then, it came to him. Oh, how dumb he was…

"You're going to erase my memory, aren't you…

…Naminé?"

The girl, now known as Naminé, sighed in sadness. "...Yes. That's my job. It's not one I like but…" she clenched her fists over her sketchbook. "It's one I have to do…"

She then picked up her pencil once more and started drawing again. She continued, "I have never had any friends. I've always been so lonely, so alone… I was but created not so long ago, but it's all just being alone, being taught how to do what. But if I do this…" She smiled softly as she looked down at the picture. "Then I'll have a chance to be truly happy again…"

The boy sat in silence, staring at her. "...So you're doing this for a friend?"

She nodded, but stayed silent.

More silence passed by, none of them saying a word as the sound of a pencil echoed around the otherwise empty room. The minutes flew by, and the boy fell asleep, bored, and the adults had already gone into the neighboring room to talk, probably about what to do with him afterwards…

Soon, the boy woke up again, just as Naminé put down her pencil quietly on the small, white desk in front of her. "...I'm finished. But there's one more thing I have to do…"

As she waved her pencil over her sketchbook once more, the boy asked her, "Must I forget everything?"

She shook her head. "You will forget, but…" she smiled at him. "...even though you shouldn't remember at all, I know you will. If not for many years. But to guarantee it, I shall give you a gift. Don't tell anyone okay? If you do, much worse things will happen to you…"

The boy shivered in fear at that thought. Naminé smiled. "Here." A light poured from her book and flowed to through the window and onto his right hand. He yelped in surprise as the light soaked his hand, closing his eyes as he did so.

Eventually, when he was able to see again, he looked back onto his hand, looking normal except for one thing…

"That'll help you remember your friends someday. I'll disguise it for now, but after a week it'll be visible again."

The boy say there quietly before saying, "...Do you promise, Naminé?"

She took her pencil and pressed it against the paper. "I promise…" She made the last stroke, and as the boy fell, she added one more word.

"...Satoshi…"

And his eyes flickered to brown under closed eyelids…

/

After almost a week, Delia and the boy started living in a cozy home in the town of Pallet. The boy was now named Ash, having no memory of his past name or life.

Once, they passed by a modern clothing store, filled with clothes with many sizes available.

Ash, now technically used to the modern world, was marveling at the marketplace, looking at all the different goods as a five year old would do.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. He tugged Delia, now known as his mom, to where his eyes saw something that he thought was awesome…

Fingerless gloves.

Yes, fingerless gloves. These ones were just his size, colored a soft navy blue color with gold Pokéball highlights.

"Hey Mom, can I get those?" He pointed at the gloves.

Delia smiled. She had always wanted a son of her own, but alas she could not…not until Ash had been brought from…

She said to him, "Of course, sweetie. I bet they'll look so cool on you, don't you think?"

Ash exclaimed, "Yeah! So come on Mom!" He grabbed her wrist once more and practically dragged her into the store with surprising strength for a young child.

She sighed and followed him in, making sure her wallet was in her purse. Once she felt it, she grabbed it and took it out, making sure to keep on eye on the energetic boy before he got too far.

Ash immediately grabbed the gloves, and he looked at them in wonder. They seemed meant for him somehow….

They bought them and went home, the young boy skipping happily and Delia smiling slightly.

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Ash ran up to the room he had been given, holding the gloves with care. He closed the door behind him and once again stared at the awesome-looking gloves. His eyes shone.

He moved to put them on when a small slip did out of it. Curious, he picked it up. It was in simple but neat print.

I hope you like it. Wear these everyday. Then maybe one day...you'll remember.

From, Naminé

Ash pulled on the gloves and looked at them. They fit on his hand perfectly. He then moved to take them off when they disappeared. A flash on his hand showed a strange symbol, one that looked familiar…

It had a silver sheen, not easily noticeable, but it would be in any brighter light. It was a Pokéball shape, surrounded by five, large petals…

It looked so familiar to him. And suddenly, a thought came to mind….

The sound of laughter and the symphony of the forest….

Ash smiled. And held up his hand as the mark dissolved into his hand, the glove reappearing just after.

Maybe there was hope after all…

But that was just a random thought. Right?

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Alright, this is what happened. I did use some elements from Kingdom Hearts, only for it to make sense to me, and if it doesn't to you, imagine that Naminé has magic powers.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

And please vote on my poll! It ends a week after New Years!

I hope you enjoyed this!

And hell, I decided I'll find a way to continue this story. I had no idea how many people anticipated this…

Thank you!