For five long months, Chizu remained imprisoned in the ANBU Prison Quarters, her name tied up in proceedings as the numerous countries continued to argue over who should try her for her crimes. She sat patiently day in and day out, hoping for nothing and waiting for no one. After all there are no midnight heroes for former villains. Her guards found her the easiest prisoner to care for. She didn't scream or sob, never attacked or made a fuss. Just a simple thank you for every meal delivered.

Tsunade was very curious about this willing prisoner. Right from the beginning she was unnerved by this quiet girl with a blank face. "I take it you want me to give you information on other criminals with the promise of a lenient sentence. There is no need for that."

"Is that to say you won't talk?" Tsunade challenged.

"Not at all Hokage-sama." She said mildly. "I will tell you what you wish to know regardless of any perceived benefit to myself."

"Do you really not care what happens to you?" She asked in surprise.

Chizu shook her head. "I have returned Miko-chan to her family. Nothing else matters now."

"Is she special to you?" She asked curiously.

"She has completely disrupted and ruined my life." Then for the first time to Tsunade's recollection, a small smile spread across Chizu's lips; a special twinkle in her eyes. "And for that I shall be forever grateful."

This very much intrigued Tsunade and she returned often. The visits were to gain information on other criminals and she was floored at the wealth of information Chizu shared. "Its incredible," Tsunade admitted as she hurriedly took notes. "You are truly a mine of information and not just in testimony alone but in hard cold facts. With evidence of this magnitude, we can put these scumbags away for the rest of their lives."

"Scumbag you say?" Chizu countered politely. "Hardly. All criminals are either opportunists or survivalists."

"And which are you?"

"Survivalist," she said resolutely, her face a porcelain mask. "I did what it took to survive."

Tsunade looked concerned; her mouth set in a firm line, her brow furrowed slightly. What a stoic manner and dismal outlook on life for such a young girl. It was a real shame. "How old you are Chizu-san?"

"Nineteen."

"Do you have a family?" She asked curiously.

Chizu hesitated at this. "In terms of lineage, I must confess I remember nothing. Yomi-sama took me in from the streets when I was four. He and his Gang of Four are all the family I have ever known."

She made a face at this. "A pretty lousy one, if you ask me."

Chizu smiled slyly, finding the Hokage's disgust rather entertaining. "From your perspective perhaps. I will not deny that they did terrible things, but to me they were my guardians, protectors, mentors, and friends. We looked out for each other, motivated and encouraged one another. Is that not what family is for?"

Tsunade chuckled softly. "I suppose it is." She sighed as she looked at her watch. "I'm sorry but I have an appointment that I have to rush to." She stood up too quickly and her folder fell to the floor and its contents flew everywhere. Chizu helped her gather the papers and then paused as she looked at one in particular. "I know this girl."

"Who?" Tsunade craned her neck to look at it. "Katsuye Hoshigaki?"

Chizu nodded as she quickly read through the medical report. Surprisingly her face grew pink, her mouth set in a thin angry line and her eyes narrowed. "Incompetent fools!"

"What?" Tsunade's jaw dropped in surprise. She had never seen Chizu get angry before.

"Is it true?" Chizu shoved the report in her face. "Is she paralyzed?"

"Yes…"

"Even after I had everything in place for a complete recovery?" She asked in astonishment. "How could they have screwed things up so badly? It did not have to come to this!"

"Wait a minute now, hold on," Tsunade interrupted. "What are you talking about? This was a very delicate medical procedure that was carried out professionals who were top in their field-"

"Who apparently had baboons for instructors!" Chizu snapped. Then she went on a tirade of what she would have done if she had been there, accidentally revealing her strong medical knowledge and her understanding of the human anatomy.

Tsunade clapped a hand over her mouth to shut her up. "Enough!" Chizu immediately stopped mid-sentence and resumed her calm composure once again. Tsunade slowly removed her hand. "Are you saying that you know how to reverse her paralysis? Honest and truly?"

"Yes Hokage-sama," she said sincerely, her voice tranquil once again. "I can."

"But how?" She protested. "Surely that's impossible. Even I can't do anything to change her condition!"

"Ordinarily it would be beyond the ability of mortals," Chizu agreed.

"And you're not?" Tsunade countered.

Chizu's expression fell slightly as she looked down at her gloves. "I must be and yet…" Reluctantly she removed them and her crimson clawed hands looked truly grotesque under the bright fluorescent lights. She held one up in front of her face, looking at it sadly. "These are clearly not normal."

Tsunade gasped. "What are those?"

"I have never known," she confessed sadly. "I was too afraid to ask. But with them I can manipulate the human body down to the molecular level. I can control each individual cell, increase or reduce, mobilize or halt." She paused for a moment. "I realize that as a prisoner I have no right to ask this but…would you allow me to heal the girl?"

Tsunade hesitated for a moment. "As a bargaining chip for your freedom?"

Chizu shook her head. "I understand she is valued by Miko-chan's family. I want to do this for them."

Tsunade thought this through. "How do I know you won't try to escape?"

"I could have escaped several times," Chizu admitted frankly. "Forty-eight times to be exact and yet here I am sitting before you." Tsunade went red in the face, flustered and embarrassed. Chizu watched impassively. "Please give my offer some consideration. I will be here when you are ready to reply."

Tsunade stormed out, annoyed to be upstaged by a little girl. When she had time to think about it, she realized what a golden opportunity this could be. If Chizu was capable of such a procedure, it would change the very face of medicine. But was her testimony in this regard true? Surely it was impossible but she had not found Chizu prone to exaggeration. She summoned Miko to her office to gain further insight.

"She is a medical genius and saved my life on numerous occasions." Miko assured her. "If she says she can do it, then she can."

"But is she trustworthy?" Tsunade pressed.

Miko grinned from ear to ear, a welcome sight after her long bout of depression. "I trust her with my life. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here today."

"I also understand that she is the reason Sasuke-san was able to control you," Tsunade said bluntly.

Miko flinched slightly but recovered well. "Yes that's true as well. But you have to understand that she was a different person then."

For further proof, Tsunade arranged for Chizu to reverse the paralysis of a wounded cat. She took notes methodically as Chizu verbalized the procedure. She had nothing to lose by explaining it because only she was capable of something this intricate. Six hours later the cat was able to move its legs again and with a little training was able to walk again. With this evidence, Tsunade conferred the results with Katsuye's parents.

"Do it!" Kisame barked eagerly.

"Shut up and settle down," Ritsuko scowled at him. "I want to hear about the potential side-effects first."

"The worst that could happen already did," Tsunade admitted. She explained the procedure in detail, letting them know what the surgery would entail.

"And the cost?" Ritsuko asked grimly.

"Nothing at all," Tsunade said. "Chizu-san requires no medical equipment and asked for no compensation."

"Huh, that's weird," Kisame muttered aloud. "I wonder why that is."

So did I, Tsunade admitted. Though perhaps it's because she knows money won't be of any use to her in jail. The Hoshigakis gave their consent for surgery. It was scheduled for the next day, the haste insisted by Kisame. He was a darn pushy shark, but a loving father under the surface who wanted the best for his little kingyo.

When Ritsuko shared the news with Katsuye, her face lit up with excitement. "Then I can be back on the team again!" She laughed with delight. Then her expression fell for a moment. "Maybe then Yusei will like me again."

"What do you mean?" Ritsuko asked curiously.

"He hasn't been by to see me since I came back," she said gloomily. "I wonder why. Before he didn't seem to mind the fact that I can't walk…I wonder what changed."

"He's probably been busy getting used to his mother being back and his new half-siblings." She tried to reassure her. "Itachi-san said they can be quite a handful."

"Yeah but it shouldn't take him six months to find time to visit," she grumbled.

"Has it really been that long?" Ritsuko asked in surprise. Ever since Katsuye returned from Iwagakure things had been hectic as they tried to accommodate her new condition. Katsuye nodded mutely as a tear streaked down her cheek. Ritsuko kissed the top of her head and hugged her close, trying to comfort her as best she could. But inwardly she found it just as strange as her daughter did. Yusei had always been so keen on Katsuye; this wasn't like him at all. That night as she and Kisame prepared for bed, she brought it up for curiosities sake.

"It only makes sense really," he said smugly with a cocky look in his eye. "He feels guilty about what happened. So like the coward he is, he's afraid to show his face around here."

She frowned thoughtfully. "What are you talking about? Yusei-kun isn't a coward."

"He is if I say he is," he said firmly.

She snorted in derision. "Under what authority do you make that claim?"

"As your Sensei." He said confidently as if he thought that was an answer.

She threw back her head and laughed. "You're not about to pull rank now are you?"

He scowled. "It used to work."

"Only you thought it did." She smirked.

"Now listen here," he said firmly as he pointed an authoritative finger at her. "This conversation is over. I'm tired and I want to sleep."

She got in his face, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Don't lie to me Kisame," she said seriously. "You're hiding something from me. I can feel it."

"Oh now you can sense things?" He mocked her but she wasn't fazed in the least.

With lightening speed she knocked him down to his knees and twisted his arm behind his back. He grunted involuntarily in pain. She was strong, for a girl that is. "Tell me before I beat it out of you," she threatened in his ear.

"You think you can?" He chuckled as he glanced at her over his shoulder.

She smirked. "You know I can."

"Then let's have at it!" He challenged as he grabbed her arm and threw her into the dresser. She flipped around so her feet struck the wood and propelled herself right back at him. He was ready for her and they spared together matching blow for blow. He laughed. "Just like the good old days huh? When we used to train together?"

"You mean back when I respected you?" She teased and laughed at his scowl. "Now tell me what you did to drive Yusei-kun away! I know you're behind this somehow."

"My lips are sealed," he smirked as he continued to fight back. It was pretty tricky in this tiny room. Furniture was knocked around and clothes were strewn around the room. Ordinary objects were now considered weapons; even the pole in the closet that held up the clothes was wrenched free and used. To the outside viewer, this would probably rank high on the domestic abuse scale. But these two hot-heads enjoyed a good fight from time to time. Adrenaline pumping, emotions running high, and hormones racing; it didn't get much better than that. And besides, they only behaved this way with each other and it was all in good fun. As they fought she started to piece together what must have happened. "You threatened him didn't you, you big bully," she growled as she struck at his left flank. "Told him you'd kill him if he didn't stay away."

"Oh come on, can you really see me doing that?" He asked innocently as he drop-kicked her to the ground.

She grunted as she landed hard and he pinned her down. Their chests heaved as they tried to catch their breath and their bodies trembled from the exertion. "Yes…I…can…" she forced out between gulps of air. "Now…admit…to it…already…"

"I won…this…round," he said smugly. "I admit…to…nothing!"

She giggled softly as she looked at him through her long eye lashes. "I haven't…lost yet." She made a show of fingering the zipper on the front of her shirt. He noticed the motion immediately and looked uncertain. "You wouldn't…"

"Oh wouldn't I?" She purred softly as she slowly pulled the zipper down, exposing herself down to just below the bust line.

"That's not fair!" He hissed at her, his pulse beginning to race as he took in her soft features just inches from his face as she arched her back to both give him a better view and to get into position.

"I don't have to play fair," she said in a breathless tone. "I just have to WIN!" She growled as she kicked him off. He flew back against the wall and she charged him once again.

He pouted as he blocked her next attack. "You didn't pull stunts like that when you were my student."

"Of course I didn't but I bet you wished I did," she said deviously.

"I'll admit to that." He laughed as he swung at her with his fist which she deftly avoided.

"You were always such a pervert," she teased. "But enough chit chat! Out with it! You're behind this!"

"Maybe I am so what of it? I never did like that brat."

Ritsuko slammed him onto the bed, straddled his waist and held him in place. She glared down at him. "It's not your place to say who our daughter loves so don't you dare interfere!"

He considered her for a moment as he laid there. She was a beauty with a fiery spirit, one who could not be tamed. He loved her fierceness and admired her strength; she was his match in every way. His aggression gave way to more amorous desires. He ran his hand up the side of her thigh and she gasped in spite of herself. "You're my sexy little firebrand," he chuckled softly as he slipped his other hand up her shirt.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she tried to resist his attentions. "You're only trying to change the subject," she grumbled softly. "It won't work-" but her words died in her throat as he lightly ran his hand over her breasts.

Taking advantage of her distraction, he easily flipped her onto her back and pressed her into the bed. "Sex appeal can work against you too, you know," he teased, his lips tickling her ear.

"Oh no you don't!" She laughed as she wrestled against him.

"Oh yes I will," he chuckled as he pinned her back down. "You're not getting away from me that easily." He embedded his fingers in her amethyst curls as he kissed along her slender jaw line.

"Don't," she said feebly but made no effort to stop him as his lips pressed against hers. The kiss was chaste but lingering at first as he slowly worn down her resistance. Then he started to kiss longer and harder as he felt her rigid muscles start to relax under the heat of his own. He felt her warm breath on his face as she started to kiss him back, but he wouldn't give in just yet. He kissed around her mouth, playfully avoiding direct contact with her lips as she tried to meet his.

"Don't tease me like that, you jerk." She whined as she ran her hands down his broad muscular back, feeling it tremble beneath her cool fingertips. Then their lips connected and she whimpered as he brushed his tongue against hers, satisfying her at last.

The fight now officially over, they lost themselves in their love. Sure they were rowdy and rough sometimes, but deep down they loved each other so intimately. She was his princess and he was her champion. On the outside they were strong and fearless, but only to each other did they admit their weaknesses and insecurities. This served to forge a tight bond between them, one that had never diminished despite the long and lonely years they had spent apart. By the end they had completely spent their strength and lay side by side with satisfied grins in the middle of their trashed bedroom. He rolled onto his side and hugged her against his bare chest, enjoying the coolness of her skin against his as he tenderly kissed her forehead. "I love you Suko."

"And I love you Kisame," she whispered against his cheek. "Now about what I was saying earlier…"

He groaned. "I was hoping you'd forgotten all about that."

"Not a chance," she laughed. "So shut up and listen already."

"Fine," he grumbled. "But only because I'm too tired to distract you further."

She giggled softly as she kissed him one more time. "You know deep down that Yusei-kun isn't a bad kid."

"I do," he grudgingly admitted. "But you know what's going to happen, don't you?"

"What?"

"He's gonna wanna marry her, that's what." He said firmly, his eyes narrowed angrily.

"He might or he might not," she shrugged. "She's only fourteen. I wouldn't worry about it right now."

"But what if he does propose?" He insisted.

"He can ask but it's ultimately her decision," she reminded him. "So in the end…it isn't up to us, now is it?"

He grumbled in assent as he kissed her forehead. "Have you ever regretted marrying me?"

"That's a funny question to ask after we've just had sex," she teased as she playfully pinched his arm.

He couldn't help but laugh at the irony as well. "I know, but seriously, have you? I know I'm not what your family expected for you. I have no historically important ancestry. I'm nobody."

She smiled kindly at him, admiration shining through her chocolate brown eyes. "No you're not. You're the sensei who took me in and made me who I am today. You're the only one who noticed me," she kissed him tenderly. "You saved me." He kissed her back, enjoying the feeling of her in his strong arms. When the kiss ended, she covered her mouth as she yawned. "Now we better clean up this mess before we go to sleep."

He groaned. "This is your fault you know, so you should clean it up."

She frowned at him. "If you had confessed from the beginning this wouldn't have happened."

"Fair enough," he conceded. "We'll both clean up."