Samuru sat in the hospital room where Chii slept and sighed. The doctors didn't even bother putting her in a hospital gown because they had to change her bandages every few hours. Her whole torso was wrapped in bandages while she was wearing a pair of black shinobi pants. Gaara came by every few hours to check on Chii and Samuru saw worry in his eyes and smirked whenever Gaara left.

"Muru...?" Samuru looked down at his younger sister and saw her eyes open slightly as she turned her head towards him.

"Hey Chikia, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, how long have I been out?"

"About a day," Samuru replied as he pressed the call button on the hospital bed to notify the nurses.

"You actually left the wounds alone?" Chii looked down at her bandaged chest in surprise.

"I understand why you want to keep those marks. It's your proof that you finally are fighting against what you think is wrong and to help the allies that you have gained. It's why you didn't heal the scar on my face."

"I'm glad you finally understand it," Chii smiled as the door opened and Temari came in with one of the doctors that Samuru still hadn't learned her name yet.

"Glad to see you awake Chii," the doctor smiled. "I am Tayna. Your wounds are mostly healed, but that those scars are not going to disappear easily."

"I don't plan for them to disappear," Chii replied as she sat up all the way. "I want to keep them as a reminder."

"Reminder for what?" Temari asked as she came over to stand next to the bed.

"It will help remind me what I am fighting for now, my freedom," Chii smirked.

"I see," Tayna smiled. "Samuru please leave so we can check Chii's wounds one last time before she leaves the hospital."

"Alright." Samuru got to his feet and left quickly, only to run into Gaara. "Why are you coming so much to check on my sister?"

"I do not know," Gaara frowned then turned to leave the hospital again.

"You're finally realizing it, those feelings you hold for her?" Gaara looked over his shoulder and Samuru caught the guilty look in his eyes. "Don't look so guilty about it, Lord Gaara. You have come to care for her a lot in the past week or so, even though you once said that nothing would come from those feelings. Remember how Chii acted when she was in your arms yesterday after the fight. She has never acted that way before."

"What are you getting at Abare?" Gaara growled.

"Don't hurt her," Samuru smirked. "You've seen her temper when she's mad. You hurt her and you'll regret it. I don't even have to really give my own threats, she is stronger than me."

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind if whatever feelings these are grow," Gaara spoke coldly as he walked off.

"You keep saying that," Samuru chuckled as the door opened to Chii's room and she came out, her eyes wide in surprise. "What...?"

"Gaara cares for me...?" she stammered.

"You're a little slow, Chikia," Samuru shook his head as he handed her his jacket so she wasn't just in her pants and a bandaged torso. "Besides, I know you already like him. Just go admit it to him already."

"What about you?" Chii growled at Samuru as they left the hospital. "What about your feelings towards that Hyuuga princess, huh? You like her as well, so why don't you tell her your feelings, mister-stick-up-the-ass?!"

"You don't know what you are talking about..."

"Then neither do you," Chii growled as she stopped right in front of Samuru and glared up at him. "You are like an open book to me Muru, you can't lie to me. Get off your high horse and move on. We can't do anything for the Blaze Village, they are gone! Even if we wanted to, we have no power to get revenge on the people responsible. We cannot take on two of the largest nations just because you are mad that our village was slaughtered!"

"Keep your voice down," Samuru hissed as he saw people looking at them.

"I will not lower my voice! You are going to listen to me and get this through your head! Move on, goddamnit! They are gone and there is no reason for you to keep wallowing in the past because of it! They were slaughtered yes, but it wasn't our fault. It was father's, because he wouldn't listen. The village would still be alive if he didn't try to get between the Wind and the Fire nation when they had political disagreements! It was not your fucking fault."

"You didn't see our mother and young brother slaughtered!"

"Didn't I?! I saw everything Samuru, even if you think I hid my face! I saw the looks in every villager's face, I could imagine their pain! They are all gone and we are the only ones left. Unlike you I actually understand what is going on and what our futures could possibly be. Move on before you get killed as well," Chii snapped before walking off, pushing past the sand villagers who had gathered and listened to the Abare sibling's argument.

"Those were the Abare Ice Users," Samuru heard an older lady whisper to her friend.

"Should we tell Lord Kazekage?" another whispered.

"Lord Kazekage already knows," an older man spoke. "The two are staying at his manor and they were the ones who destroyed the Akatsuki who had come to attack the village again. No matter what happened in the past, they have proven themselves useful and loyal."

Samuru blinked in surprise as he heard the whispered conversations around him. He couldn't believe it, Chii was the one who truly understood. She really did know what she was talking about, while he was just hiding because he didn't know what to really do with himself since that day two years ago.

"Samuru...?" he blinked and saw the Hyuuga princess staring up at him, concern written across her face. "Are you alright?"

"I think so..."

"Want to go get some lunch?" the pale eyed princess asked and Samuru nodded. Hinata smiled and grabbed his hand and pulled him with her as she walked past the group of people and down to a restaurant.

'She knows a lot of my past and yet here she is, holding my hand and pulling me around as if I mean something to her. Am I someone important to her?' Samuru frowned at the thought but let Hinata pull him along.