Nearly three weeks had gone by without anyone mentioning the marriage. Xin didn't really care either way and she was sure Gaara didn't either. In the three weeks, she continued to train, explore Suna and get to know Temari and Kankuro better.
She didn't really bother with Gaara because she knew their conversations wold always end up with childish bickering. During the weeks, she was able to meet the councilmen of Suna (she was not fond of any of them except for Baki). She also met the Honored Siblings of Suna, Chiyo and Ebizo. Apparently it was a big deal to meet them because they had cut the outside world off years ago.
During the three weeks, Xin had begun to grown antsy. The lack of missions was really beginning to get to her. Back in Konoha, she had always been out on a mission. And when she wasn't on a mission, she was raking up hours at the hospital. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to last.
"Are you alright? You've been staring at nothing for the past ten minutes," Temari suddenly stated, snapping her fingers in front of Xin's face. Xin blinked rapidly, snapping out of her thoughts to look up at the blonde with a confused frown.
"Ah? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."
"About?"
Xin sighed heavily and leaned back, frowning. "Not that I don't love wandering around the village, because believe me, it's just oh so exciting," Xin sarcastically snorted. "But I'm bored. I mean, I rather talk about the damn wedding over than what I've been doing..."
"Well..." Temari trailed off, shifting towards the pale woman. The Hyuga quirked an eyebrow, looking at her. "The council believes it's about time we announce the marriage to the public," She hummed, waiting for Xin's reaction.
"Ah," Xin nodded quietly. "So, will I be able to have missions soon or...? Because I'm a kunoichi before I'm a wife, you all know that right?" Xin's gaze turned more serious. She really didn't care what the marriage agreements were as long as she still did what she loved.
"I didn't know not going on any missions were bothering you so much," Temari tilted her head to the side. Of course, that was a huge lie. She knew that it was taking a lot of self control for Xin not to go out and viciously murder someone.
Xin could only huff, folding her arms across her chest. "I was one of Konoha's top ANBU members. Of course it's bothering me. It's pissing me off, to be honest. I'm not...a civilian. I can't just constantly train for nothing and wander around the village. It's like I'm getting cabin fever."
"You were a top ANBU member?" Temari asked with her eyebrows shooting up her forehead. Ah, this could really be a problem. ANBU members usually received the most dangerous missions. They always receive A or S ranked missions, nothing lower than that. If those were the kinds of missions Xin was used to receiving on a regular basis, she would really lose her mind.
Suna was not exactly convinced she was trusted enough to be sent out on any missions. Not that they thought she would betray them. They were more concerned that they would send her out on a mission and she would go rogue.
"You probably won't be allowed any missions until after the wedding."
"If you're worried about me going rogue, you're wasting you time," Xin suddenly spoke, her eyes blank. "It's not like I'd run back to Konoha, I don't belong there anymore," She licked her lips and then frowned softly.
"That's up for Gaara and the council to decide."
Xin only sighed heavily and nodded, quietly accepting the answer without a fight. She was certain that Gaara would hold out on her when it came to giving her missions just to piss her off. The young kunoichi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Gaara should be home soon," Temari hummed thoughtfully. Xin quirked her eyebrow, it was barely two in the afternoon. Why was he coming back so soon? Temari noticed the confused look and only smiled. "Just come into the living room when he returns, alright? We have some things to discuss."
Xin had a bad feeling.
"Gaara-Kun? May I speak with you?" Matsuri timidly stepped into the Kage's office, hoping that her former teacher had the time. He glanced up with a curious gleam in his eye. Nodding silently, he motioned for her to come forward. She shifted nervously, frowning and biting her bottom lip. Just how was she supposed to go about this? Matsuri shifted again for the second time before steeling her nerves, squaring her shoulders and looking her Kazekage dead in the face.
"Who is that Hyuga woman?" She asked rather boldly. Gaara resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. Ever since Xin had told him that she met Matsuri, he had been expecting this conversation from the brunette. Despite what everyone thought, he was fully aware of Matsuri's affection and admiration for him. You'd have to be pretty blind not to see how she felt for him. If Xin, a total stranger, could easily see the affection Matsuri held for him, what made anyone think he couldn't see it as well?
"A special friend," He replied evenly. Xin really did have a good point when she pointed out that she couldn't just tell Matsuri that she was his fiancee. It probably would shock Matsuri. And quite possibly break her heart.
Matsuri rolled her lips together, not really buying that line. "Will she be leaving soon? She's not here on a mission, Sari and I asked her. She's been here almost a month," She stated with a deep frown. A slight blush painted her cheeks.
"No, she's not here on a mission and no she won't be leaving soon."
Matsuri's frown deepened even more as she glanced at the floor, losing her confidence for a second. "I..." She trailed off, trying to find the right words to formulate. "I don't trust that woman," She suddenly found the courage to say what's been weighing down on her ever since she met that strange woman. "There's something off about her."
Gaara stared at Matsuri but said nothing. There was no point in denying that there was something off about the Konoha native. She just had this look in her eyes that unsettled everyone around her. She put people on edge. "You'll just have to get to know her better."
Before Gaara could finish, there was a knock at the door. Sighing heavily, he gave whoever on the other side of the door permission to enter the office. And speak of the devil, the door eased opened and the woman of the hour stepped into the room. Her hair was messily pinned to her head and she wore a mesh-armored tank top paired with black pants. Dressed lazily, she didn't seem dangerous and she barely even looked the part of a kunoichi. She just seemed like a laid back teenager with no problems to worry about.
But then there was that look in her eye. The complete opposite of her outer appearance. It screamed danger and caused others to stay cautious around her. He could understand why Matsuri didn't trust Xin. Hell, he didn't even trust her.
"Oh," Her eyes landed on Matsuri and he noticed her eyes zero in on the flak-jacket Matsuri was sporting. He forced himself not to groan in annoyance, if she started going off about the flak-jacket again he was going to pin her to the ceiling like he did the first day they met."Hello, Matsuri," Xin greeted her with a smile. "Didn't know I was interrupting, my bad. I hope it wasn't a do or die situation," She shoved her hands into her pockets, tearing her eyes away from the flak-jacket to look at Gaara.
There was something off about her smile (go figure, there was something off about everything with this girl). Almost like she knew the previous conversation was about her. But she only continued to smile innocently, glancing in between them and waiting for someone to speak. "Oh, no. No. Just...just some former concerns I had," Matsuri answered first, smiling awkwardly. "But Gaara put them to rest, it's fine now," She continued to hum, trying to come off as innocent as Xin's current smile.
"That's good then, very reliable, isn't he?"
For some reason, he felt like Xin didn't really mean that. And with that sarcastic glint in her eyes, he knew damn well she didn't mean that at all. The sarcastic glint paired with the slight quirk of her lips gave him all the answers she needed. "Well, since I'm not interrupting anything important, Temari sent me here to get you. She wants to talk with us..." Xin suddenly paused, glancing at Matsuri. "She wants to meet with us back at your house," She continued to say with a funny look.
Gaara sighed heavily and remembered that Temari had told him to come back home early that day because she had some things to discuss with the two of them. It probably had something to do with the upcoming announcement and the wedding plans that were sure to follow. He really wanted to roll his eyes and tell Xin to fuck off but that would probably start an argument he didn't have the time for.
"There's something I need to see my sister about, Matsuri. I'm leaving with Xin. If you need anything else, let me know," Gaara said, standing up. He crossed the room towards the two females. The brunette frowned softly but nodded while the bluenette simply continued to grin.
The walk back to the Sand Sibling's home was quiet, shockingly. He glanced at Xin several times, waiting for her to open her mouth and spew out some sarcastic nonsense. Instead she kept her mouth shut, eyes darting all over the scenery. She seemed to have some sort of fascination with any shinobi that passed their way. The shinobi of course would bow in respect to him and politely greet her. The people of Suna weren't exactly sure who the small female was, all they knew is that she seemed to have ties with the Sand siblings.
He would ask later while she seemed so obsessed with the Sand shinobi.
"Oi, Temari? I'm back! And I brought your brother," Xin called out when they finally made it to the large house. They heard Temari reply from the kitchen and made a beeline for it. As soon as they entered the kitchen, Temari sternly ordered them to sit at the table. The younger teenagers looked at Temari in confusion but quietly sat down. They both looked at Kankuro for some indication of what was going on but he simply grinned in a goofy way and shrugged his broad shoulders.
"The elders are ready to announce the wedding on Monday," Temari began to speak, eyes flickering between the both of them. "I don't know how many times I've said it, but I'll say it again. This marriage needs to seem real," She paused, rolling her lips together. "Meaning, it has to seem like you two actually want to get married. And you know what that means?" She blinked at them and then opened her mouth before they could even think of answering. "It means it'll have to seem like you two know each other."
"..."
Temari sighed, clearly they weren't understanding. "Alright. For example. Gaara, when is Xin's birthday?" She asked, arms folded across her chest. Her youngest brother stared blankly at her. She knew damn well he didn't know when the midget's birthday was. "Mhm. Xin? When's Gaara's birthday?"
"How the fuck am I supposed to know that?"
Temari face palmed while Kankuro broke out in laughter. "This is exactly what I mean," Temari grumbled with a dark look. "You two don't know a damn thing about each other than your places of birth. A married couple knows everything about one another. Xin, when is your birthday?"
"December twenty-seventh."
"Gaara? Your birthday is?"
"January nineteenth."
"Holy shit, I'm older than you."
"So? I'm taller than you."
The fuck does that have to do with anything?"
Temari clapped her hands together before the bickering could escalate. "Focus!" She ordered, giving them both a no nonsense look. "I knew you two didn't know anything about each other. That's why for the remainder of the day, you two are going to sit here and get to know each other."
"This is ridiculous..."
"The fuck I will..."
"There's no room for discussion!" Temari slapped her hands together a second time, eliciting silence from the two. "You two are going to get to know each other. I don't care how long it takes but you will. So, I suggest you two start talking now. Kankuro and I will be in the living room," She gave them a glare before dragging the puppeteer into the living room.
The kitchen was shrouded in silence as the two glared at nothing in particular. Neither of them wanted to be there nor did they care to get to know each other. They didn't even like each other and that's all they needed to know. "My favorite color is purple. Dark purple."
Gaara glanced at the female, frowning in question. "I have a feeling pouting won't do us any good," She shrugged blandly. "And Temari will probably have a fit if she comes back in here and we don't know shit else besides our names. Why not get this over with?" She shrugged for a second time. Gaara was quiet as Xin regarded him blankly. Well, this was new. He would have assumed that Xin would make everything difficult like she had been doing so far. He supposed the pint-sized kunoichi could be mature if she wanted to.
"I don't really have a favorite color."
"It's not like...black or something?"
"No? Why would it be black?"
"I dunno, that's all you ever wear around the house."
"I've never seen your wear purple once."
"I wear purple all the time, you just don't pay any attention."
"Why the hell would I pay attention to the color of your clothes?" Gaara suddenly paused and blinked hard, sighing. "Forget it," He grumbled in slight irritation. It seemed like no matter what they did, they always ended up childishly bickering. "If I had to pick, maroon."
Xin nodded in thought. "My favorite foods are spicy foods. I like sweets too. I can actually be really gluttonous. It's a bad habit," She hummed, remembering all the times she was chased out of the kitchen when she was younger. It brought an almost sad smile to her lips. Gaara studied her face, taking notice of the glazed look to her eyes and the sad smile across her lips. It had been the first time he noticed a look like that on her face. She rarely smiled, only offering forced smiles when the time called for it. Any other time, she always wore a blank expression or an agitated look.
If he didn't know any better, he would have called her pretty. Her skin was pale, as if the she had never seen the light of day (strange seeing as she was a native of the Land of Fire). Her dark hair paired with her light eyes contrasted against the pallor of her skin in a favorable way. She had a slim but small nose and plump dusty pink lips.
Good thing he knew better.
But as soon as the look crossed her face, it was gone. She was looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, prompting him to tell her his favorite foo. "I like salted tongue and gizzard," He replied blankly, watching as her face twisted up into confused disgust.
This was going to be a long afternoon.
Xin's P.O.V
To be quite honest, I didn't pay any damn attention once the marriage was announced. That following morning I stood out on the roof of the Kage's tower along with Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and three council members. Down below, what seemed like the entire village of Suna was gathered. They looked up, some in fascination, some were cautious, and any female that was our age all looked smitten. It reminded me of the time Tsunade took the title of Hokage, standing over all of us as we cheered and applauded the woman.
I had a feeling some of the villagers would not react that way. Especially the love-smitten girls. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I scanned the crowd for what seemed like the hundredth time. No one was really paying much attention to me, why the hell would they? At the moment, I was a nobody. That, of course, would change as soon as someone opened their mouth and announced this stupid marriage.
A pair of dark eyes suddenly caught my gaze. I paused, holding Matsuri's gaze. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the brunette had it out for me. It was understandable, though. She was in love with Gaara after all and I had been spending a suspicious amount of time with him. Not that I wanted to. Temari and the council forced us to spend time together around the village. For the most part, we quietly bickered with one another until one of his villagers approached us to greet him. We would put on fake expressions, trying to come as if we genuinely enjoyed each others company.
The villagers suddenly broke out in frenzied whispers and I suddenly took notice of everyone staring at me. I was never the shy one, I left that role to my sister. However, it was something about an entire village staring you down that unsettled you. The words Temari had drilled into my head last night spewed out of my mouth automatically. They formed pretty sentences of love and admiration that I supposedly held for the tall red head next to me. I paused in my speech, glancing at him to smile sweetly.
If it weren't for the fact that all our reputations were on the line, I would vomited at the thought of being in love with tall, dark and stupid over here. With a small cringe, I stepped closer to Gaara and twirled my arm around his, smiling the whole time.
The village continued to whisper among themselves some more before finally erupting in cheers. My smile twitched. Well, the villages sure as hell seemed to like Gaara now. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw the satisfied smirks flitting across two of the council members' faces. Baki, however, remained sternly impassive. I knew there was a reason I liked that guy.
Every now and then, I spotted the disappointed or blatantly heartbroken expressions some of the teenage girls wore across their faces. It made feel bad and I pitied them. They had no idea how much of an ass this guy was. Honestly, if I could, I'd give him up to any one of them.
But I couldn't. We were stuck together.
Hurray.
It was only some days later when Temari was dragging me off somewhere. She had told me to dress in my ninja garb and offered nothing more than that. So, I pulled the outfit I hadn't worn for nearly a month and easily slid into it. The skirt was black and long, reaching to my knees. However, it had two slits on the sides that reached all the way to my hips, falling away to reveal my legs every time I walked. Underneath the skirt I wore mesh-armored shorts. I wore a mesh-armored bra and over top of that I wore a dark purple cropped shirt that sported a triangular split in the middle, revealing the bra.
"Temari, where are we going?" I groaned as we weaved through the sandy streets. Villagers waved at us, thinking it was cute that the fiancee of the Kazekage was spending bonding time with his sister. Clearly, they ignored the fact that she was dragging me around like a rag-doll.
She suddenly paused and I nearly ran into her. The blonde turned to face me, a slightly nervous look across her face. "Well," She sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging. "The council just wants to make sure the Konoha wasn't exaggerating when they told us how talented you were. They want to see your skills for themselves," She stated, eyes meeting mine. I eyed her, my eyebrow quirked in question. I swore, with each passing day, I was more confused and confused by these people. "They want you to put your money where your mouth is," She said after several seconds of me just staring at her.
"...But I never said anything."
"You know what I mean," She rolled her eyes before turning around and quickly walking away with me nipping at her heels. "They've arranged a friendly sparring match between you and one of Kankuro's students, I believe."
"Kankuro has students?"
"Mhm. Gaara had a student, why wouldn't Kankuro have students?"
"I don't know."
Temari snorted at my lack of thought and I only ignored her, following obediently as she bobbed and weaved. Before long, we came to a large platform. That's all it was, just a little bit outside of the village. It was just a platform that was circular and raised several feet off of the ground. Off to the side, I noticed Gaara, Kankuro, the entire council and one figure who I had yet to meet. I'm assuming it's whoever the hell I'm supposed to be sparring. My fingers twitched erratically as we neared the group.
When was the last time I actually laid my hands on another person physically? When was the last time I had landed a real punch on someone and not just my clone? The last time I felt bones splintering underneath my small fist? I flexed my fingers, trying to get my urges under control. Temari glanced at me and I quickly bit my lip, hard. The slight pain was a distraction, forcing me to concentrate on that and not allowing me to twitch.
Once we arrived at the gathering, I was able to figure out the one figure was a female. She looked like she could be around my age with cropped light brown, almost blonde hair, and murky blue eyes. She had one of those ugly ass flak-jackets on and was carrying a large...thing on her back. I looked at the object more closely and realized it was a large humanoid puppet. Oh for the love of...of course she would be a puppeteer. She was one of Kankuro's students, after all. What the hell did I expect?
I wanted to groan out loud. Puppeteers were not common in Konoha, I had no idea how to go about this. My fingers twitched again. But, I supposed that didn't mean shit right now. These people wanted a show and I was going to deliver. "Xin," Gaara greeted me first, surprisingly. I only nodded in acknowledgment. "I assume Temari told you the reason for dragging you out here?" He questioned, looking at his sister. In unison, both his sister and I hummed and nodded our heads.
He nodded in reply and then turned to my opponent. "This is Hatsune, your sparring opponent," He introduced simply. "This is my fiancée, Xin," He motioned towards me. I stepped forward, bowing my head and smiling in kindness. One of the many things my parents had drilled into my head other than the Hyuga Juken, was etiquette. I just remembered the lessons when I felt like it.
She smiled stiffly in reply, offering her own bow. I quirked my eyebrow, her stiff smile setting me off. Did this girl want to spar with me or not? She seemed like she was holding something back. Deciding to chalk it off, I made my way to the platform first. "Xin," Temari's voice suddenly stopped me. She stepped forward, a slight frown marring her lips. She glanced straight into my eyes, trying to find something that I wasn't sure was there. "Just..." She trailed off, trying to form something. "Take it easy."
I only stared at her, eyes blank. Something about the way she spoke and advised me bothered me. Like she knew what I was capable of if I didn't take it easy. Not wanting to alarm her, I smiled sweetly and continued on towards the platform.
Hatsune followed shortly after, standing a good distance across from me. I watched blankly at the giant puppet came to life, animated by the bright blue chakra-threads stemming from her fingers. I shivered as its lifeless eyes roll over to me. No matter how many times I saw it, I was never going to get over how creepy puppets were.
Someone shouted a 'begin' and Hatsune suddenly waved her arms about. The puppet sprang to life, coming at me at a breakneck speed. I rolled out of the way as a blade suddenly popped out of its' elbow joints, nearly stabbing me in the throat. Wasn't this supposed to be a friendly match?
The puppet twisted around to face me, mouth opening to shoot a kunai straight at my forehead. I deflected it with ease but with the sudden distraction, allowed the damn puppet to ram it's large ass body right into mine. I hit the floor with a grunt, rolling away several feet and almost rolling off the platform. Glancing over the edge, I figured I could probably break something if I landed wrong. I turned back towards the puppet and Hatsune, notcing the slightly enraged fire dancing in the eyes of my opponent.
"Is that all?" She called out towards me, frowning harshly. "Is this really all the fiancée of my Kazekage can offer? You're nothing but a weakling, not fit to marry him," She attacked me with words, her frown turning into a snarl. Ah. Okay. I see. Clearly she was one of his (many) obsessed fan girls. No wonder she already had it out for me. Obviously this one was a little more mental than the others. The others who had seen me wandering around after the announcement only had the balls to glare and whisper behind their hands.
Hatsune, however, wanted to kick my ass.
Well, now it was time to hand her ass to her.
Pushing myself up, I silently glared at her. How in the world would I go about attacking a puppet user? Fighting the puppet off would be useless and would waste my chakra. I had to get to Hatsune. But how was I supposed to do that when she had a giant, scary ass puppet flinging its body towards me every other second?
She continued to attack me using her puppet while I tried to figure out how to spring into action. It nearly nicked me with one of its hidden blades, the wooden arm brushing against my exposed shoulder. I somersaulted away, putting a lot of space between us. That thing was made out of wood. A smile crossed my face. I waited, already having her pattern figured out. After trying to slice my damn face open, she would send that thing hurtling at me to body slam me into the ground. And just like I knew she would, she sent the puppet careening towards me.
Instead of dodging and rolling away like I had been, I simply side stepped the thing. Timing it correctly, I lifted my leg, pumped enough chakra into it, and slammed my foot down on the chest of the puppet. The force of my foot colliding with the chest had it splintering open, chips of wood raining down. A choked gasp from Hatsune had me turning to her. An even bigger smile crossed my face. Uttering one simple word, I felt veins pulse out the sides of my temples. My vision became enhanced, giving me a perfect view of her chakra pathway system.
I darted towards her, dodging when she swung a kunai at me. Something told me she wasn't too good at close-ranged combat. If that panicked look in her eyes was something to go by, I'd say I was right. I grabbed her arm and twisted, forcing her to her knees. She let out a noise that reminded me of a pig. Instead of simply punching her, I struck her in the center of her chest with my opened palm. Punching her and knocking her out wouldn't satisfy me. This girl had mocked me, calling me a weakling.
I could both physically see and feel her chakra beginning to shut down as soon as my palm made contact with her chest. Hatsune choked, blood bubbling past her lips as the strike affected her heart. She wasn't going to die but the recuperation process would take at least a month. Her chakra that I had sealed would eventually unseal but her heart and the surrounding area was critically damaged.
Letting go of her wrist, she sagged to the ground. I did nothing to catch her, opting to step back and stare blankly as she struggled to breath. It would have been so easy to just kill her now. All I had to do was stomp on the back of her neck. Or stomp her head in. It didn't matter to me. It would have been so easy and I wouldn't have cared at all. I would revel in the sound of her neck or skull crunching in. The sputtering noise she would make right before the life faded from her had me grinning easily. And then the rotting smell of death would pollute the air.
I licked my lips, seriously considering ending her pathetic life. My fingers twitched and I took a step forward, beginning to raise my foot over the back of her head. All it would take was one simple stomp and my foot would be covered in shards of bone, blood and brain matter. A shout forced me to place my foot down. Kankuro was suddenly there, fretting over his semi-unconscious student. He rolled Hatsune over and began to check her pulse and any other signs to make sure she was still alive.
Temari, Gaara and Baki joined us. "I can't feel her chakra," Kankuro said with a slight panic to his voice. "What did you do?" He turned accusing eyes, ready to kill to avenge his fallen student. I looked down at him, head titled to the side slightly.
"Sealed it."
"Sealed it–what? How is that even possible? How can you seal something you can't see?"
"What's the matter with your eyes?"
Gaara was staring at me, focused intently at my eyes. I folded my arms across my chest and sighed, I really didn't feel like explaining why I suddenly had distinctive pupils and bulging veins around my eyes when I didn't have it before. With another sigh, I tried to think how I could explain it. "It's called the Byakugan. It's the dojutsu kekkei genkai of the Hyuga clan. It's basically considered as 'all-seeing'. We have a 360 field of vision and can see through solid objects, like barriers. My sister and I can see up to 10 kilometers. We can basically see everything.
Adding on to that, we can also see chakra, the flow and the circulation system. And because we can see that, we have a developed taijutsu that only can work if the user possesses the Byakugan. Juken. If done correctly, it strikes along the chakra pathway system. You should know that that's the network of vessels that carry chakra. It's intertwined with the body's organs.
When we strike, we can either seal or forcibly open the tenkatsu, which would give us complete control of the opponent's system. I'm basically taking my own chakra and slamming into my opponents, shutting it down. Because the system is so intertwined with our organs, the opponent also takes internal damage that could be fatal," I sighed again, cracking my neck. God, I hated explaining the Byakugan. It was just too much to speak about and even in the end, the listener still might not understand what the hell I was talking about. They were all just staring at me.
"So, you sealed her chakra?"
"And damaged her heart."
Kankuro's eyes widened in alarm. "Her heart? You damaged her heart? Why would you damage that? In case you didn't notice, that's a very important organ. Have you lost your mind?" He snapped at me, rage dancing in his eyes.
"In case you didn't notice, she tried to stab me in the fuckin' face and throat several times with her freaky ass puppet. There was nothing friendly about this spar, she was trying to kill me. I was only trying to defend myself. It was either that or I snap her fuckin' neck," I hissed down at him, holding his gaze with no problem.
"Alright, everyone just calm down," Baki suddenly ordered us, heavy hand on my shoulder. "We wanted to see what she was capable of and now we know," He continued to speak gruffly, eyes glancing between the siblings and myself. I huffed with a slight smirk. They still had no idea what else I could do.
"We were told you knew how to heal. Can you do anything to help Hatsune?" He turned his face towards me, the curtain covering up half of his face and allowed me to only see one side of his face. I glanced down at the puppet user and rolled my eyes.
Dropping down in a crouch, I shooed Kankuro's hands away. He made a noise to reject my hands but I simply glared at him. "If you don't move, I'll seal your chakra," I threatened darkly, watching as he shot me a dirty look. He did as he was told and I held my hands over Hatsune's chest. Green chakra surrounded my hands and I tried to stop the blood-clotting. I must have hit her harder than I assumed. A blood clot could have seriously killed her. Well, maybe she would leave me the hell alone next time our paths crossed.
I could feel everyone's nervous stares on my head.
I smirked.
End P.O.V
"Something is wrong with her and there isn't a damn thing you can tell me to convince me otherwise," Kankuro snapped as soon as he and his two siblings stepped into the Kage's office. Temari settled down on the couch while Gaara settled behind his desk. Kankuro, however, remained standing. "Tell me Tsunade sent us something."
"You're expecting something from Lady Tsunade?" Gaara asked with a frown. He looked in between his older sister and brother and wondered what the hell was going on. He hadn't been informed of any exchange between Konoha and Suna.
Temari's shoulders sagged and the two looked at her in question. "Yes, she sent us a letter back about what we asked," She stated after several seconds of them just looking at her in question. "Kankuro was concerned about her odd antics."
"More like psychotic antics."
"Be quiet, Kankuro."
Temari shot Kankuro a look that told him to calm down. "Kankuro was concerned because the second or third night Xin was here, she made it seem like she couldn't be fully trusted and that she wasn't all the way...sane. He didn't trust her. So, I sent Lady Tsunade a letter asking more about Xin. When they first offered her up, they only spoke about how talented she was but they never said much about her mental state or personality."
The blonde played with her fingers, wringing them together nervously. "Honestly, I was a little put off about her as well. Her aura was too heavy, it was suffocating. And her natural scent...there's the smell of blood mixed into it, like your sand. So I agreed that we should keep an eye on her and I sent a letter to Lady Tsunade asking about her."
The room was silent as Gaara stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "She sent me a letter stating that we would never have to worry about Konoha using her as a means to betray us. But, she also said that Xin was known for lusting over blood. Xin has literally called herself a psychotic murderer craving blood. She's dangerous but as long as we don't provoke her into attacking us, it should be fine."
"How long have you've known this?" Gaara asked with a calm look. He had his own thoughts about Xin's odd quirks. The look in her eyes always unsettled him. They reminded him of a darker time that he didn't like to think about.
Temari glanced at Gaara and then Kankuro. "I've known for maybe a week after she got here," She stated truthfully, waiting for the reaction. She already had an idea of how the two were going to react to her withholding important information.
"You've known for that long?" Kankuro demanded, turning around on his older sister. His eyes were narrowed into thin slits. "The leader of her village told you specifically that she's a psychotic murderer and you let her spar with Hatsune?! Have you lost your fucking mind?!"
Temari sighed heavily, allowing her brother to rant and rave at her. She waited until she was sure he was done yelling at her to finally speak. "Yes, because I'm going to tell the council of Suna that out of all the girls they could pick, the picked a murderous five foot two midget," She rolled her eyes, arms folded across her chest.
"You're starting to sound like her," Gaara added quietly.
She shot him a look but ignored the jab. "Listen, this whole time she's refrained from killing anyone. She didn't kill Hatsune, she was only defending herself the same way she would defend herself if she was sparring in Konoha. We can't treat her any differently now. It wouldn't be right of us. We dragged her into this and we're not going to suddenly shun her because one of her hobbies is brutally disemboweling people."
Neither of her brothers said anything. Temari rolled her eyes and cocked her head to the side, glaring at both of them as they gave her stubborn looks. "Are we clear?"
"Crystal."
Xin plopped down at the kitchen table later that same day. The siblings shot her the same look, wondering where the hell she had disappeared off to after the sparring match. She looked around at them, tilting her head to the side in question. "The hell have you been?" Kankuro asked first, dark eyes searching for something she wasn't sure of.
Xin resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Kankuro. He had acted short with her ever since she had nearly killed his obsessive student. She was a little disappointed to say the least. She preferred Kankuro over his stupid brother but it seemed like he and his brother would be feeling the same way towards her. "The hell are you so concerned about?" She shot back at him, tapping her fingers against the table. Gaara glanced at the motion and wondered quietly if she was debating on whether or not she could kill Kankuro and run off before either he or Temari could react. Kankuro didn't say anything in reply, simply giving her a look that told her she knew exactly what he was concerned about.
"I went with Hatsune to the hospital to make sure they understood why her chakra was sealed," She began to explain. "And I stuck around the hospital so I asked if I could rake up some hours at the hospital," Xin continued to state, the tapping becoming less clear.
"...The hospital staff actually offered you a job?"
"Actually? Um, yeah? Hello, I trained under Tsunade for a year. And besides, I'm marrying the freakin' Kazekage. Not only do I have the credentials to get the job on the spot, I have the connections," She stated as if it was an obvious fact. "I just figured raking up some hours at the hospital would be better than just wandering around Suna and training for missions that I won't get for a long time," Xin shot a dry look at Gaara as she got up to help Temari set the table. The blonde hummed her thanks as the dishes clacked against the table.
The redhead in question simply stared at her, quietly thinking. How could someone who enjoyed murdering people know medical ninjutsu? What was the point of that? What type of contradiction was that? What the hell was wrong with this girl?
"You know why you won't get any missions for a while," Gaara stated simply. He knew that Temari already had that specific conversation with her. He also knew that Xin was becoming a little antsy with the lack of missions. Xin huffed immaturely, going even further to stick her tongue out at him.
"As if I would go rogue," Xin snorted in annoyance with a pout. "I mean, come on, have you not seen my hair? I can't keep it in this condition if I'm constantly being hunted down," She snorted once more, caressing a thick lock of her dark hair. The dinner table was quiet as they stared at the young kunoichi. She paused, feeling their gazes on her and frowned. "What? Are you really going to tell me none of you have noticed just how nice my hair is?" Xin asked with a blank expression.
"They didn't tell us you were horribly conceited."
"Fuck off."
The first thing Xin wanted to say when she was presented with the medical uniform was that it was the ugliest thing she had ever laid her eyes on (uglier than that God awful flak-jacket). While the flak-jacket would make her look frumpy, the medical uniform would make her look fat.
And Hyuga Xin did not look fat.
So, she innocently folded her hands behind her back and smiled a brightly cheery smile. "Ah, do you have anything else medical ninjas wear besides that?" She hummed sweetly to the older medical ninja. The older ninja frowned down at her in thought. There was no way he was going to actually tell her no.
"I suppose wearing the white coat would suffice as well."
Ah...of course it would suffice.
What felt like seconds later, Xin was swaying down one of the many hallways, the white lab coat draped over her small shoulders. She was wielding a clipboard, eyes glancing from it to the numbers painted next to the door. A wide smile spread across her face as she stopped in front of the door she had searched for. Her eyes flew back to the clipboard, seeking out the patient's name that was printed at the top in big bold letters.
Mikawa Hatsune.
With a quick knock, she threw the door open with a sweet greeting. "Good afternoon, Hatsune-Chan! I'll be your caretaker for today," She sung out, startling the brunette. She turned to the excitable woman, paling as soon as she realized who was standing at the door.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Hatsune sputtered, narrowing her eyes at the other female. There was no way she was letting that she-demon come near her! She was the entire reason she was confined to the damn hospital in the first place. And now they expect her to allow that same woman to take care of her?
Xin's shoulders slumped, pouting childishly. "I just told you," She hummed with an amused tint to her voice. "I'll be your caretaker. Is there something wrong with that, Hatsune-Chan?" She cooed, closing the door with that same smile streaking across her face.
Hatsune glanced at the door, suddenly feeling a shift in the room. "Why would they let the same woman who put me here take care of me?" She asked with a snarl to her voice. "I don't trust you at all. When I was fighting you, you were out for my blood."
Xin tilted her head to the side, an eyebrow quirked. She continued to smile widely. "Ah, I guess because since I'm the one who inflicted the damage on you, I'd know how to take care of you," Xin explained, her grip tightening on the clipboard. Hatsune's eyes darted to her hands, noticing the action.
"And as I recall, you were trying to spill my blood first," Xin spoke, her tone of voice dropping down to a darker tone. "You're in love with my fiancé, aren't you? Don't think I'm worthy of marrying him? And what makes you the judge of that? Are you worth it? Because from where I'm standing, you aren't shit. Especially since you can't even stand on your own," Xin continued to speak, her smile becoming more sinister.
She was now leaning over the brunette. "But don't worry," She hummed in that same dark tone. She licked her top lip, eyes flickering from Hatsune's eyes to her neck. "I'll make sure I take really good care of him. I love him, after all. Wouldn't want to see him hurt by anybody else or anything."
"Someone needs to make sure you don't hurt him."
"You know, Hatsune-Chan, I really think you should be more concerned about yourself when it comes to me hurting anyone, don't you think?"
Xin suddenly grabbed her hand and with one simple motion, snapped the girl's wrist. Hatsune's foggy blue eyes widened in strangled pain and as she opened her mouth to let out a screech of pain, Xin snatched the biggest pillow she was leaning on and shoved it against her face, muffling the scream that would alert anyone of her distress.
"Atta' girl," Xin cooed soothingly as Hatsune wailed into the pillow. "Just let it out, I'm here for you, Hatsune-Chan," She continued to coo over the muffled cries of agony. "Don't worry, Xinny will take such good care of you. By the end of this, Hatsune-Chan will be best friends with Xinny," She giggled irrationally.
When Xin pulled the pillow away from the sobbing kunoichi, she was terrified of the expression the Konoha native was wearing. "Now," Xin gently gripped Hatsune's hand, watching as it hung limply. "I'll be glad to heal this for Hatsune-Chan. I hope Hatsune-Chan has learned not to fuck around in other people's business. Otherwise...well..." Xin's fingers tightened around the appendage and Hatsune let out a sputtering sob. She quickly nodded, agreeing to whatever the foreign woman wanted.
"Good girl."
Xin was smiling by the end of the day. After not using her chakra for such a long time, it was a relief to finally feel useful. A particular glint glittered in her eye as she made her way down the hall, passing Hatsune's room.
She knew it had been far too long since she had done any real damage to a person when the feel of simply snapping Hatsune's wrist had her blood pumping. She was on the verge of snapping her arm when she fought it back, remembering where the hell she had been. So instead of inflicting more pain, Xin efficiently healed the brunette's wrist.
She had quietly explained to her what happened to her chakra and that it would eventually unseal. The damage done to her heart, however, was the reason she was confined to the hospital. She warned the brunette not to push herself unless she enjoyed spitting up blood. The brunette had glared at her the entire time, shooting dirty looks. Xin simply brushed them off. She had already showed who the dominant female was when it came to the two. Hatsune couldn't do anything to intimidate her at this point.
She had snidely pointed that out every chance she got.
It was safe to say the brunette hated her to her very core.
Her smile turned into a smirk. Good.
"Hyuga-San?"
Xin blinked, watching as Matsuri and Sari approached her. Did those girls ever do anything separately? Every time she saw one, the other wasn't too far off. And wait, did she just call her 'Hyuga-San'? Who the hell was she, Hyuga Manami? They were the same age. "Matsuri-Chan, Sari-Chan," Xin greeted politely. "Calling me Xin is fine. You make me sound old," Xin whined, waving the formality off. The best friends looked at her, noting the white coat covering her body.
"But you're a higher rank than us. Plus...you're marrying our Kazekage..." Sari trailed off, a slight disappointed look in her eyes. Xin resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How could she have forgotten that Sari was also apart of the psycho brigade?
She only shrugged her small shoulders. "Well, if that's the case, I'm giving you permission to just call me Xin, okay? You make me feel so old when you call me Hyuga-San. Like my Mother or something," She snorted, thinking of the beautiful woman.
The two nodded in sync. "I didn't know you were working at the hospital," Matsuri finally spoke up, studying the white coat. It was definitely a white lab coat that only the medical ninjas wore when they weren't wearing the medical jumpsuit.
"Ah, yeah. I trained under Lady Tsunade and thought it would be a good idea to put my skills to good use. Otherwise, I was wasting them on nothing. The council wants me to get more comfortable before they send me out on any missions," She hummed kindly. "But anyway, what brings you two here? Not injured or anything, right?" She quickly changed the subject before they could think of any questions. She really didn't feel like coming up with lies to go with the lie of her being comfortable. The council didn't give two shits about how she felt.
"We're visiting a friend of ours. Hatsune. She was admitted to the hospital yesterday, I believe," Matsuri stated. "In fact, I heard she was admitted after coming from the sparring arena with you, Xin. Did something go wrong?" Matsuri asked slowly.
Xin stared at the brunette, smiling sweetly. "Actually, yes. Unfortunately, I'm the one who put Hatsune-Chan in the hospital. It seems I was a little off when I used a special family technique on her, I'm afraid to say," She sighed sadly, as if she really cared. "I was her caretaker for today, in fact. I did everything in power to make up for putting her here in the first place. I just feel so awful. She was a little upset but that's understandable. But I did everything I could to make it up," Xin hummed innocently, rocking on her heels.
Matsuri stared at Xin, feeling off about Xin's explanation. If Xin was such a talented kunoichi like Konoha had boasted, how could she have made a mistake? Especially if it was her own family technique. "Well, I have to stop by the Kage's tower, I'll see you ladies later. Try not to overwhelm Hatsune-Chan, she's still recovering," Xin nodded to them, noticing the dark look in Matsuri's eyes. She wasn't sure if it was because she mentioned visiting Gaara or because she mentioned Hatsune.
With one wave, she swayed down the road.
"Hatsune!"
Hatsune nearly jumped out of her skin when the door was flung open and Sari and Matsuri all but scrambled in. She smiled softly as the two brunettes rushed to her side, fretting over her appearance. She allowed them to fret before finally calming them both down. "I'm fine, girls. Really. I'm alright."
"This was all that Hyuga woman's fault! She even admitted it. I bet she did it on purpose," Matsuri venomously spat, anger flickering in her dark eyes. Sari gasped at her friend's accusation. How could Matsuri say something like that?
"Matsuri!" She squeaked out. "Why would Xin do this purposely? She said she felt just awful about it and she did everything in her power to take care of Hatsune," Sari insisted in a high-pitched voice. She knew Matsuri was upset about the marriage. She, along with all those other women of Suna were upset about it as well.
But that didn't mean she had the right to go around accusing the foreign woman of purposely hurting their friend. It just wasn't right. They had no reason to believe Xin had any bad intentions towards any of them. To Sari, Xin seemed like a nice girl. A strange sense of humor, sure, but she still seemed nice.
"She..." Hatsune trailed off, biting her lip. Should she tell them? She knew the second Xin found out she had said anything, that woman would do more than just break her wrist. That woman was a demon, she could see it in those eyes. She was not humane. "I provoked her, she probably lost her cool because of the things I was shouting at her while we were sparring," Hatsune sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "I guess the words really got to her because she got all quiet and started to really concentrate on my patterns. I guess she was trying to prove me wrong and took it too far."
The room was quiet as the trio of brunettes stared at one another. "What did you say to her to make her angry enough to put her in the hospital?" Matsuri asked slowly.
"I called her weak and told she wasn't worthy of Gaara-Sama."
"Well, I suppose that's a little harsh."
Matsuri huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't care. I don't trust that woman. She gives me a strange vibe, I'm going to keep an eye for her," She stated firmly.
Hyuga Xin was not who she seemed to be.
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