"You'll find your death in the City."

Or, that's what Manami told her, when Xin first got around to calling her parents back. Manami, though usually a quiet woman, could be rather unforgiving and sometimes downright vicious when she felt crossed. A rather unfortunate trait she received from her mother, her father once said.

Xin laughed her warning off, like she laughed everything off that made her uncomfortable. She didn't blame her mother for the thinly veiled threat or her parents' generally unhappiness with her actions. They probably thought she was an ungrateful ass child that was too good for the life they provided for her.

Which, technically, was somewhat true. It wasn't the life they had provided for her, it was what her life was turning into because of her own stupid ass choices. They wouldn't understand, so she didn't blame them but eventually she would have to come clean about her departure. They'd pity her, no doubt, look at her with sad eyes and clucked tongues.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, she knew she fucked up.

"Death by overworking," Xin mused as she shut down her computer. After leaving (escaping) her small town, she ended up in Tokyo—ergo her mother's ominous warning—and landed herself an office job. It wasn't what she initially aspired to do with herself, far from it but it paid her bills and kept a shitty roof over her head.

A roof that was conveniently cheap enough for her to afford and not too far of a walk from the office building. It wasn't in the best neighborhood, per se, but she could afford it and still send money home. Her parents were initially against the money but it did often come in handy, so after a while, they begrudgingly accepted it without too much of a fuss.

She was still fairly new to the company, six months in and that meant she was often saddled with the extra work that bled into the late hours of the night. It was a massive pain in the ass, of course, especially since she had a twenty minute walk home, but she did get paid for overtime. So that was a plus. She guessed. Whatever.

She sat at her desk, staring blankly at the black screen of her computer. She could feel the soreness trying to mash her muscles into dough and sink into her bones. Things could be worse, she decided, stretching her arms above her head. It would be a regrettable mistake if she let that exhaustion set fully in before her walk home.

Xin pushed back from the desk and glanced down, frowning at her heels carelessly strewn about underneath the desk. Her sneakers were forgotten at home that morning, sitting innocently by the front door. "Fuck," she sighed and further cursed the stupid ass dress code for women. Were heels really necessary these days? Maybe. At least they added her to height? Wasn't much of a consolation but…y'know, whatever.

She shoved her feet into her heels and picked up her bag, realizing that it felt so light because her sneakers were missing, and hurried away from her little desk to clock out for the night. There was no one loitering around out front, which made sense given the late time. Hopefully the walk home would be a quick and quiet one. It usually was.

She jinxed herself, of course because that was her type of luck.

Maybe it was because she zoned out on the last five minutes of her walk, ruminating over what she needed with her paycheck before sending it back home. Rent, of course and then groceries but did she need anything else after that? Not really and that was good because that left a lot to send back home.

Xin turned the corner that led down to her apartment building, wondering if it would be worth it to make dinner before dropping dead in the bed for a couple of hours before she'd have to drag her ass back to work. "Omurice? Maybe just some onigiri? Isn't there some instant ramen left…" It was times like this that she missed her mother's packed lunches or the dinners that would be waiting for her.

She slammed hard into someone, the first person she'd run into the entire walk home and stumbled backwards with a shocked yelp. "Oh!" She struggled on the points of her heels, nearly going down but ultimately managing to regain her footing. "I'm sorry—" Was it really her fault? Maybe but not entirely but stopped short.

The person she bumped into, the man, was freakishly tall. It had to be her damn fault because how could anyone miss his big ass? He glanced down at her almost carelessly, the low light of the streetlamp bathing him in a God awful sort of light that made him look a little gray.

Wait a minute.

She squinted up at him, it wasn't the light that was making him gray, he just was. Her eyes swept over him and slowly widened when she realized that he was bleeding from his side. And not a slow sort of bleeding. He was gushing blood like a straight up fountain, blood pouring through the seams of his fingers.

Um.

"What the fuck?" she sputtered before shaking her head because that was just rude. "Uh—I mean—you're…bleeding..?"

The man squinted back at her, sizing her up but his expression didn't really change. For someone who was gushing blood, he was taking it rather well. "No shit."

That was it? That was all he had to say? No shit. Something was really wrong here and the little voice in her head that she rarely listened to save for some occasions, whispered that maybe this was none of her damn business. But she wasn't raised that way. She was raised to help those in need and dammit, asshole or not, this guy clearly needed some help.

"I can fix that," she blurted out before really thinking over her words. The man continued to squint at her, clearly a little put off by her random statement. "I mean, er, I can stitch that up. If you want. You need medical help but the closest hospital is a bit of a hike on foot. I…have some…former training in the medical field."

Which wasn't a lie but it wasn't something she mentioned lately. Mostly because she didn't go to an actual school to learn her trade. But she learned it nonetheless and had stitched many a men back home. She was actually pretty good with stitches and the sight of blood rarely bothered her.

"My apartment is at the end of the block." She even pointed, just to reassure him.

He glanced behind him in the general direction of her apartment and seemed to think it over. His phone was dead and the closest hospital, like she said, was far. He'd bleed out and die in a ditch before reaching any sort of help. Slowly, he turned his attention back on Xin. She was small and if for some reason, had nefarious plans for getting him into her apartment, he could take her. No muscle mass and she hardly paid much attention, since she walked dead into him.

She seemed downright….stupid, honestly.

Who the fuck invites a bleeding stranger into their home to help them?

But fuck, his side was killing him.

"Fine."

Xin perked up, smiling in victory. Whether it was dealing with a stranger or family and friends, she liked getting her way. With no preamble, she sidled up next to the stranger and slid her arm around his waist, careful of the gushing wound. He considered shrugging her off but decided not when she quickly began to guide him down the block. By the time they arrived, he was leaning most of his weight against her side.

She pulled away from him and searched for her keys, oblivious of the blood that was now staining her own shirt. Much to her annoyance, her faulty front door jammed. She grunted, struggling with the door. Now was not the time.

The man must have had enough of watching her struggle because he pretty much shoulder-checked the door open. She blinked owlishly, staring at the now opened door before humming in thought before ushering him inside. She let him lean on her in order to slide his shoes off and after kicking off her own heels, guided him further into her apartment.

Her apartment wasn't that big though it wasn't a shoebox either. Her furniture was sparse and mismatched but homey enough. The kitchen was just as small with several potted plants sitting in the window, it was charming. There were three other doors, most likely leading to her bedroom, bathroom and a closet.

He made it over to the couch as she vanished behind one of the closed doors, grimacing as he collapsed down on it. The couch was the lumpiest piece of shit he ever had the misfortune of sitting on. Where in the blue fuck did she get this couch, the junkyard? He shifted around, gritting his teeth when his open wound protested. No matter how much he shifted around, comfort was out of reach.

Xin returned, lugging a large first-aid kit that probably cost more than her couch. She set it down with a heavy thump and eyed him with unblinking eyes. "Can you remove your shirt? I can cut it off of you if you can't." She was already rifling through the kit for the medical shears.

Her suggestion must have rubbed him the wrong way because he roughly began to unbutton his white button-up. She watched as his fingers trailed down the front of his shirt, tracking blood in a straight line. That shirt was ruined, there was no saving it and she wondered vaguely how he even ended up like this—

Oh.

He rolled his shoulders, shrugging the ruined shirt off to reveal an explosion of color. Colorful tattoos cover his arm, reaching up to his powerful shoulders and down his pectorals. Only his abdomen was bare of any tattoos and she wondered if the tattoos crawled over his shoulders and down his back. It reminded her of those old movies she used to watch with her father, about Japanese gangsters and crime syndicates.

It must be a bitch, trying to get a job with tattoos like that, she mused. Her thoughts, however, came to an abrupt halt when she caught sight of his wound. It stretched across his side and through all the blood, looked deep and jagged.

She grimaced. "That looks painful."

He glared at her. "No rush, I can barely feel it."

She laughed nervously because she was dicking around after insisting on helping this stranger. Might as well get her ass in gear. Armed with a clean towel, she set to work cleaning the blood away, careful not to tug too harshly lest she wanted to make things worse.

She inhaled through clenched teeth. "Wow," she said when his bleeding slowed enough to get a clear look at the wound. "That looks deep."

"Yeah?" He snorted. "Feels deep."

She clucked her tongue and settled on her knees in front of him, still studying the wound like a math problem. "No need for the snark, mister." She rifled through the kit once more, this time coming at him with an antiseptic soaked cotton ball. "It's going to sting."

He rolled his eyes, shrugging her warning off. She shrugged back at him and leaned closer. True to her word, it stung. It stung like an absolute bitch but he had to save face and so he simply gritted his teeth and turned away from her.

It didn't take long but she came right back at him, this time with a needle and thread. She glanced up at him, biting her lower lip. "This will hurt."

"Hurt more than being…oh, I don't know, stabbed?"

"There's a reason you were stabbed and it might have something to do with that attitude of yours."

He stared down at her, a little caught off guard but decided that she rightfully won that round. So he shut his mouth, deciding it was foolish to piss off the woman who was staring at his open wound with a needle. She was trying to help, despite her stupid ass warnings.

The living room was quiet as she began to tediously thread his skin back together. It stung worse than antiseptic, the pull of his skin burning. Xin continued in her task, leaning in so close that her breath fanned gently against his skin. Her other hand rested gently against his abdomen, his muscles twitching every so often. She remained focused, her brow pulled together.

Meanwhile, he glanced around the living room. It was neat, despite her mismatched furniture. Janky ass couch, a coffee table with a book shoved under one of the legs, an old television stand with an equally old looking television. There was an old bookshelf that looked like it was going to cave in at any given moment, stuffed with books and growing plants, vines curling down its face. For some reason, there were no pictures of her or any friends and family.

That was…suspicious.

That was…weird.

But it was none of his business so his gaze dropped to the woman methodically stabbing him with a needle. She was a relatively small person, hardly taking up space even in this cramped room. Long dark hair with bangs that frame a cherub-like face and big eyes the color of pale lavender. They were strange but then again, she was strange.

She hadn't reacted at the sight of his tattoos, another red flag to him. She noticed and eyed them for a moment but her expression never really changed, never fully acknowledged them for what they were. Either this girl had a very understanding and forgiving soul or she was a complete dumbass.

Maybe both.

She suddenly paused and her gaze shot up towards him, as if fully aware that he was potentially calling her stupid. That was fuckin' creepy.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

A fat ass lie, if he ever heard one. The shit burned and ached and throbbed. It wasn't the first time he's been stabbed but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. For what it was worth, she was moving quickly and wasn't as rough as his past experiences dealing with Doctors.

Another red flag. She wasn't a Doctor, clearly because no Doctor he knew would live in a dump like this. Besides that, she wasn't dressed like one either. A plain but silken white top paired with a black skirt and heels. A normal outfit for an office lady, maybe. What office lady had medical experience?

The fuck was up with this girl?

She returned back to her task, nearly done with it when she spoke again. "My name's Xin. Hyuga Xin." Strange name for a strange girl.

This was the part where he gave his name in return. It was only right, basic manners and all that but he found himself hesitating. Giving his name would likely shatter that anonymity that he was hiding behind.

"…Sabaku." He was careful, watching for when it finally set in who she was helping.

Xin didn't really react, humming distractedly. "It's nice to meet you, Sabaku-san."

Well, okay.

A few agonizing minutes more and she was leaning back on her folded legs, eyeing her handy work. The edges of his stitched skin were irritable and swollen but that was to be expected. She wasn't sure what circumstances he'd been in that ended up with him being stabbed but she was rather proud of her good deed. She tapped a large bandage over the stitched area, watching as tiny dots of blood soaked through.

Put good into the Universe and the Universe will put good into you, all that good stuff. Maybe no overtime in the near future. Wouldn't that just be so nice? Going home at the end of a workday when the sun was still up.

"Well," she slapped her hands on her thighs. "That's that."

Sabaku—and no, it wasn't entirely lost on her that he'd given only a surname—carefully sat up. True to her word, she neatly stitched his wound close. "Impressive," he mused, eyeing the large bandage.

Hell yeah it was impressive, she grinned and climbed to her feet. He dug into his pocket for his phone and sighed irritably. Dead. "Do you have a charger?"

She eyed his phone and snorted. His phone cost more than her rent, hell no she didn't have a charger. "Sorry, I'm a little behind on upgrades," she laughed. "You can use mine though."

"Never mind," Sabaku sighed for the second time, waving her suggestion off. Really, he couldn't remember his brother's number by heart. Instead, he climbed to his feet, much to her dismay.

"You shouldn't move around too much. You might tear your stitches and waste my hard work!" She stepped forward with her hands raised to his chest but stopped short. He was still shirtless.

If she thought she could stop him, she was wrong. It'd be entertaining if she did try. And cute but fruitless. Enough time was wasted and when he found a hidious black cat clock—what the fuck—its clockface read close to one in the morning. Definitely too much time spent away.

Instead, he leaned closer so that her hands did actually press against his chest. Alarmed, she snatched them away as if burned. "I promise to be real careful," he said with just a hint of flirtatious flair. "I won't tear your stitches, Doc."

Her nose wrinkled and she took a careful step back, her knuckles resting lazily on the slope of her hip. "I'm not a Doctor."

Yeah, he thought as much.

"Fine, angelface, then. I won't tear your stitches, I promise."

The nickname was enough to render her speechless, pink mouth falling open and failing to utter a single word. He gave a smirk of victory before snatching up his ruined shirt, pulling it over his shoulders. He skirted around her then and made a beeline for the front door, eager to put this weird night behind him.

Xin followed closely after him, nearly colliding into his back when he stopped short to put his shoes back on. "I mean it, nothing too strenuous."

He glanced back at her over his shoulder. "What would you consider strenuous?"

This time her entire face wrinkled, getting the feeling that he was hinting at something more on the sensual side. "Getting stabbed again."

"Ah, that kind of strenuous."

Xin rolled her eyes as he stepped out into the night. She followed until she was in the doorway, leaning against it with her arms folded across her chest. "Try not to get stabbed again. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you did."

"Dunno what you're implying but I assure you, I'm insulted."

"Well, you should be."

This was weird, she was weird. Who bantered with a complete stranger after stitching their gaping wound up? He had to get the fuck out of of here and he had to do it now. But still, he reasoned, he could at least thank the little weirdo.

So he turned back around to thank her and get on with his life only to pause. She was still leaning against the frame of her janky ass door, arms still folded across her chest. Moonlight bathed her in an odd, almost ethereal glow but it was her smile that gave him pause. It was the prettiest thing he'd seen all night.

Yup. Weird. Weird, weird, fuckin' weird.

Time to go, time to fuckin' go.

"I mean it. Don't tear those, you could get an infection. Be gentle when you wash the area after keeping the area covered for about…two days."

He nodded but she had a feeling that he wasn't really listening to her, only nodding to appease her. She only huffed, fine, if he contracted some sort of infection, it wasn't her problem. She'd done her good deed for the day. Hell, for the week. Maybe even the month.

He turned fully this time, staring down at her with an unreadable expression. She paused in her salty thoughts and stared back up at him, brow quirked in question. "Thank you, Xin, really. I owe you one."

Her displeased expression dropped and her smile was back. "You're welcome, Sabaku-san. I was glad to help, really."

Most people would have let his ass bleed out on the streets, hell, he'd let someone bleed out on the streets. He was the reason some people did bleed out on the streets. He didn't deserve such kindness from her. From anybody, really.

"Be sure to dodge," she chuckled, "the next time someone comes at you with a knife."

He laughed and feared he might bust his stitches, which would piss her off, no doubt. "Word of advice before I go, Xin. It was kind of you but don't make it a habit of helping random strangers. You never know what you're inviting into your home."

The warning was strange but he didn't give her the chance to reply when he briskly set off. Xin watched him go until he eventually blinked out of sight, vanishing down the street.

Xin sighed and stepped back into her apartment, forcing her door closed. Exhaustion was finally settling in for her, weighing her down as she trudged back into her apartment. Too tired to eat, she decided to just sleep for dinner and get something from the convenience store on the way to work.

"That was my good deed," she said again, turning the light off in the living room. She'd clean tomorrow. With eyes half closed, she began to slowly undress, only to pause when her eyes caught something in the mirror.

A big blotch on her silky shirt.

A big red blotch.

On her shirt.

That was expensive for her, a splurge.

Blood. It was bloodstain.

"Son of a bitch!"


TeeBeMe: Don't yall judge me for starting another fic, lol. I can't help it. This was going to be a oneshot for Heaven's Gates but I liked it too much, so, here we are. I have a thing for 'one of us is clearly a menace and the other is...well less of menace.' I also missed writing the dynamics of Xin with Temari and Kankuro, who will most likely be showing up so there's that.