He's very special to me.

Isae narrowed her eyes in a calculating manner.

Don't you know what that's like? To care about someone more than yourself?

The young medical-nin's words continued to haunt her. She grimaced as her Soul Blade panged once again. She grit her teeth as she pressed a hand against her chest to steady it. Why did that keep happening? Ever since she released the young Aburame from imprisonment, she felt unsteady and unsure of herself once again. And of course she regretted it, she never should have done it…but instinctively she knew she'd do it all over again. She was such a fool.

Shino…

How long had it been since she thought about him? He had become a distant memory, part of a past life. He was nothing to her; should be nothing to her. And yet…her expression softened somewhat. There was something recognizable about that girl's fierce determinism to protect him. It felt…familiar. In that single moment, she admired a mortal. To be selfless is stupid, but for a split second it seemed incredibly noble. Her hand moved to rest over her eyes, trying hard to erase the image from her memory. Forgetting was so easy for her. Suppressing memories had opened her eyes to a whole new world, one where she was free to conquer and claim with her cohorts. But this was one memory she'd been unable to fully forget, just like the boy. In his case, it was easiest to distract herself. Time has a way of erasing the past.

She felt a shift behind her. "I want to be left alone." She growled softly as Goro appeared behind her.

"And feed the rumors?" He teased good-naturedly. "C'mon don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone already knows that you have a weakness for bugs."

She glared at him. "Shut it!"

"Why don't you make me?" He taunted. He easily dodged her fist and caught the second one. Her arm trembled slightly in his firm grip. "Wow, you're weaker than you look," he mused aloud. "When's the last time you fed?"

She scowled as she wrenched her arm free. "Like it matters to you."

"It doesn't but you're a hell of a lot more fun when you're satisfied."

She made a disgruntled noise as she turned away. "Just go away."

"Fine, whatever." He grumbled as he faded away.

She flinched at his absence. As much as she wanted to be alone, it was a terrible place to be. Left with her own thoughts was never a good thing. Just then Teruo appeared and that was even more unwelcome. He didn't say a word as her face shined with fury. His expression was slightly pained. What happened to you? What changed? And honestly he wasn't entirely sure if it was His doing or her own. She had a thirst for vengeance to begin with, and pain that could only be satisfied at the expense of others. But one thing was clear; she now despised him like the rest did. The Guardian was too weak to be worthy of recognition.

"I'm not weak like you!" She spat bitterly at him.

"Emotion isn't weakness Isae," he said smoothly. "And neither is empathy."

Her face twisted with disgust. "I felt no such thing!"

"Then why did you free her? It couldn't have been to deny Goro yet another meal." Her gaze lowered shamefully as the silence felt suffocating. "Was it because she fights with bugs? Like he does?"

"No!" She seethed.

"Then why?"

"What business is it of yours?" She snapped.

"None whatsoever," he freely admitted. "But it looks as if you're struggling for answers too."

She was stunned into silence and he patiently waited for her response. His calmness reminded her of…her Dad.

Suddenly she was caught sucked into a memory from her childhood.

Akihiro was once again her point-of-view as he set about making dinner. The front door slammed open and she burst into the house crying hysterically. He ran around the corner to see a dusty five-year old with a bloody knee. Angry tears stained her dirt-streaked face as she yelled something unintelligible through her sobs.

He went down on one knee and gathered her into his arms. She hugged him round the neck tightly as she trembled against him. "Easy now, Izzy. You're home and you're safe. Take a deep breath." He kept repeating this until she went still in his arms. So still in fact that she fell asleep. He chuckled softly as he laid her down on the couch.

Kiyoko walked in to see him quietly cleaning the scrape on her knee. "What happened?" She panicked. The sight of blood tended to make her agitated.

"I have yet to figure it out myself," he said in amusement. "But I'm certain she'll be just fine. After all she's an Inuzuka."

"And more importantly she's just like you," she said as she kissed the top of her husband's head.

He grimaced slightly. "Way to ruin the mood there dear."

"Being a demon isn't a bad thing," She giggled softly. "Besides it's not what you are but who you are." She reached out to gently stroke her daughter's cheek. "She has your strength and compassion. No doubt she too will be destined for great things." He looked a little wary and she gave him a soft, reassuring kiss. "And like you, she will be free to choose her own."

She emerged from the memory with an audible gasp. She groaned a little as she pressed a hand against her head. "They're coming back…" she mumbled to herself. "His past…"

"And perhaps your own," Teruo added softly. "After all, you're very much alike."

She scowled at the implication. "But I want to be better than him, strong where he was weak…" her quiet voice had strength to it.

"Did it ever occur to you that he left The Ebony not because he was weak…but because he was strong enough to realize that his purpose lie elsewhere?"

She considered him with a soft frown. For once…she looked intrigued. But the moment passed and she turned away from him. "The reasons of a coward don't matter. And I suppose that my reasons don't either."

He looked a little exasperated. "Seriously? That's your answer?" She remained silent and he shook his head in disappointment. "At least Akihiro faced his problems. He didn't just run away from them."

She cringed at his rebuke and he left before she could think of a biting retort. Like it matters what The Guardian thinks…yet her face fell miserably. Even when he's right.

She struggled to put the whole matter right out of her mind because she couldn't bear to face the inescapable truth: that she spared the life of a girl who loved Shino.