If Gaara was caught off guard by hearing his name, he didn't show it.
"Just happened to be in the neighborhood again?" Xin asked, wondering if she overstepped a boundary or two by using his given name. If he wanted her to know it, he'd tell her. Maybe Masaru was right in saying that he was trying to keep his identity from her.
"No, I came to see you."
"Oh?" Xin folded her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her feet. "Missed me already, huh?"
He was slouching against the hood of his car, hands resting casually in his lap. He was the epitome of cool and collected, which she found a little odd. If he was who Masaru said he was, shouldn't he be more inconspicuous? That's how it was in all those gangster movies she watched growing up. Except, well, this was real life and in real life, Yakuza actually existed. Apparently. But still, didn't he have enemies or something? Someone stabbed him so he wasn't all that liked, which was a given since apparently he committed crime for a living. He just seemed too…laid-back.
But as he sat there, watching her with an aloof disposition, the image of a slumbering lion struck her. That was…intimidating. Should she really be doing this? This…this wasn't what she came to Tokyo for. But she wasn't doing anything…she wasn't doing anything wrong.
Was she?
Gaara didn't answer but pushed off from the hood. Xin took a quick step back out of his way as he rounded the car once more. He opened the door like he'd done yesterday and cocked his head in invitation. It was obvious that with the knowledge of his name, she knew of what he was. Who he was. She didn't know the full story and what he was truly capable of but she knew enough. She knew his name.
She eyed the opened the door, his hand resting on the edge of the door and then finally met his gaze. Rape, torture and then murder. He could have a gun hidden in the car somewhere or even on his person. He could fit his hands around her neck and squeeze the life out of her. Or snap her neck. Or, she grinned sardonically, he could stab her and wouldn't that be ironic?
She took a step towards the car.
He had no reason to hurt her.
Not at the moment.
He wouldn't hurt her.
That's what you said last time.
That was different.
Isn't it always?
Xin slid into the car, Masaru watching as the door closed gently, swallowing her up in a life not meant for her. Again, Gaara looked towards Masaru, blatant in his staring, and gave him a brief once over. But like yesterday, he was no threat and so Gaara joined Xin in the car.
The ride started out quiet but it didn't last for long. "So your name's Gaara and you're the head of a Yakuza family." She was straight to the point, finding no need to beat around the bush. There was no point to dance around it, letting it hang over them like a well-known secret. Gaara's fingers flexed around the steering wheel, the palm of his hand resting against it. She eyed his hand carefully, noting that his tattoos stretched all the way down to his fingers. He wore several different rings too, strategically placed on his fingers, bringing attention to the veins that bulge beneath the thin skin.
Xin looked away.
"Who told you that?" Gaara asked. He spoke in a low voice, rough with something primal and masculine. "Your spineless boyfriend?"
She could listen to him talk for hours and—wait, what?
"Spineless boyfriend? Oh, you mean Shibata," she said with a laugh. He did seem rather put off by the mere mention of Gaara. "He's not my boyfriend, we just work together. But yes, he might've mentioned it."
His hand relaxed at the wheel, long fingers curling around it. "So you've been asking about me."
"Well, he made a really big deal out of it so I thought I'd ask."
"Lemme guess, he assumed I'd torture you to death?"
"Rape, torture and then kill me."
There was a hard tic at his jaw before he let out a sigh. "I wouldn't do any of that to you, angelface."
There's something warm in her chest, something she hasn't really felt since she was a teenager. It was alarming once she realized what it was and with a viciousness not normally fit for her, snuffed that warmth out. It's just a stupid pet name, men were always dubbing her with those stupid names. Those pet names were never said with genuine affection. It was simply a way for them to undermine her without actually calling her a straight up idiot. Men thought they were so clever and that she wasn't. She lacked wit but made up for it with her looks and curves. Sure, she could be a dumbass sometimes but she wasn't stupid. There was a difference.
She wasn't sure what to make of Gaara's pet name for her. His voice certainly added to the effect and maybe that's why her feelings for it were so muddled. Masaru called her Princess only once and she very quickly shut that shit down. Why was angelface any different?
You know why.
Xin cleared her throat. "But you do rape, torture and kill? Am I just the lucky exception? Oh, do I get a pass because of the stitches?"
"I'm not a rapist." The fact that he didn't deny the rest was not lost on her.
"Marvelous," she grinned impishly but there was nothing really amusing about their conversation.
"You must not be from around here," Gaara said when the car settled too long in silence. It was obvious, as she had no idea who he was prior to her spineless coworker informing her. Plus, she had a distinctive twang to her voice, one that he noticed that she tried to downplay.
For once, she didn't immediately answer, staring up at him in silence. Maybe she was weighing her options but it's not like wherever she's from really made a difference to him. "I'm from Osaka."
Well, that explains the cute twang. "You're a long way from Osaka, angelface. What are you doing here?"
Again, she hesitated in answering, eyes falling to her hands in her lap. "Who doesn't want to witness the glitz and glam of Tokyo?" Her fingers twisted obsessively in her lap. "And—erm—I wanted to help my parents out. Better opportunities to make money in the big city versus a little town in Osaka."
"How honorable of you," he mused quietly, watching as she made a strange face. "What do you like to do now that you're here?" Better to change the subject. Most people hated talking about their home lives and he's no different. He'd rather not give her a chance to ask any questions for as long as possible.
This time, she perked up, grateful for the change in direction. "Unn, well, I just moved here so I haven't gotten a chance to really get out much," she tapped her chin in thought, blushing because that sounded boring. "But I like to read and I really like to bake and oh, I started growing some plants in my room. You should come see them!"
He specifically remembered warning her against letting just anybody come into her home but decided not to comment. It was her life to do what she wanted with it.
"Baking? You like sweets?"
She smiled and her face lit up like Times Square. "I do, a little too much. You can't tell?" She reached down towards her skirt, the material riding dangerously up her legs, and pinched her shapely thigh to drive home her point. Yes, he could tell, anyone with eyes could tell but again, he decided to keep that comment to himself.
When he turned left instead of driving straight through Tokyo, she didn't question it. Mostly because she'd gone back to staring out of the window. It was almost like a child-like wonder that lit her eyes up. He glanced out her side of the window but hardly found anything to be impressed by. He'd seen downtown Tokyo time and time again and none of it stood out to him.
The car was barely in park when Xin scrambled out of it. The hustle and bustle was almost overwhelming to her, nearly sending her skittering back into the car. Everything was just so loud. There were teenagers milling about, men and women getting off of work and ready to start their weekend, middle school kids running around to expel all their pent up energy. There were all sorts of shops, trendy clothing stores, fast-food joints, music shops and other general stores. A swarm of kids flocked to the arcade while groups of teenagers branched off for the karaoke bars. There were corner cafes, bookshops and clubs. Just a central hub of life.
It smelled so expensive.
Gaara joined her on the sidewalk, hands shoved in his pockets. "Your eyes are going to fall out of your head."
His comment wasn't enough to rain on her goddamn parade. "We don't have this where I'm from."
"No? What, are you from somewhere rural?"
She pursed her lips in thought. "I guess it is," she nodded. "We had a pub but that was about it." She wrinkled her nose. "I didn't really like hanging out there. Oh! Are we going to a club? I'm not dressed for a club." She adjusted her skirt, running her hands down her front.
Gaara snorted. "Clubs aren't opened up just yet and you barely look old enough to get into one anyway." He nudged at her arm, motioning that she should follow him.
She gaped but hurried after him. "I'm twenty-three, I'm old enough!"
"I said you don't look old enough."
She huffed but hurried to follow after him. Her eyes darted all over the place, trying to take it all in. She knew Tokyo was startlingly different from her little dusty town but Christ, this was almost too much. She almost, almost reached for his hand just to find something to ground herself with. But that would have been weird as hell so she resisted the urge.
He came to a sudden pause and she nearly crashed into him, having spotted a bookshop across the street. When she turned towards the store he stopped in front of, she was surprised to see that it was a bakery. The storefront was a garish mesh of white, green and pink that somehow mashed together pretty well. In big white, cartoonish letters the bakery was named Sweets & Such and on the windows were cartoon decals of dango skewers smiling out at the general public.
"A bakery?" Xin blinked.
Gaara grunted, staring up at the sign with an unreadable expression. "Good place, the owner's nuts though."
"Well, anyone acquainted with you must be a little off."
"So you admit something's a little off with you?"
"Oh, you have no idea." She grinned at him but it didn't quite meet her eyes. There were more to her words but maybe it wasn't his place to pick at. Instead, he opened the door and ushered her inside. The inside was decorated like the outside with the same colors, tying it all together in a quirky fashion. Xin immediately detached herself from Gaara in favor of the display of sweets.
A woman was leaning on the counter, her dark purple hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail. She smiled at the sight of Gaara. "Long time no see," she shot Xin an amused glance as she knelt down to nearly press her face into the glass. "You're not here for one of my employees, are you?"
He stood next to Xin's crouched form and leaned against the glass countertop. "No, unless you got something to tell me, Anko," he mused. He looked down at Xin, watching as she mumbled to herself with big eyes. "What d'ya want, Xin?"
She was busily trying to calculate how much she could splurge on without spending too much. These desserts were expensive as hell but they were probably made with expensive ingredients. A little confused, she glanced up at the redhead. "Oh, no. You don't have to buy anything for me, I can—"
"Pick something, you said you like sweets."
Xin frowned, because that was clearly true but she couldn't really expect him to buy her any of these expensive ass sweets. "Oh," she laughed nervously. "It's fine, you don't have to buy anything for me, I can—"
"Pick something, you said you like sweets."
She puffed her cheeks out, ready to argue him down about it. She opened her mouth to do just that, to argue him down and remind him that he didn't need to do any of this for her when Anko leaned far enough over the counter to look down at her. "Just let him have his way, he's a stubborn bastard." She didn't want to give in, she really didn't want to but when was the last time she had a treat like this? And was it so bad that he was offering to pay for it? She was the one always obsessing over finances, if she could get free treats out of this without making a dent in her wallet, win for her.
"Um, the fudge brownies?"
"Is that it?"
"..the mango mochi?"
"Anything else?"
"...and the melonpan.."
By the time she was finished picking out her treats of choice, Anko was carefully loading them into a pink box. She eyed the younger woman but offered a kind smile. "New to Tokyo, ah, Xin, was it?"
"Yes, nice to meet you."
Anko stared at Xin before looking at Gaara. "Strange of you to get wrapped up in the likes of this one," she motioned towards him. "Be careful."
That was…odd.
But Gaara didn't seem to care about the warning, paying for the expensive splurge before handing the box to Xin. "Nice to see you, Anko. Tell those kids in the back to stay out of trouble."
"Uh. Thank you. I really like your bakery, hopefully I can come back and buy something with my own money." Xin held the box to her chest, dipped into a quick bow before following Gaara out. "Is this really okay?" she asked as Gaara held the door open, waving at Anko.
"Looks okay to me."
"But it was kind of expensive, I can pay you back."
"Don't bother, it's fine. You helped me out even though you didn't need to."
"Yeah but you already gave me a ride home, so…"
"Giving you a ride home is nowhere near the same as sewing my bleeding wound up. I told you, it's fine." He continued to usher her back towards his car, noticing others actively staying out of his way. She noticed it as well but says nothing about it, opting to smile up at him. She wanted to ask him why he was being so nice to her. Sure, she sewed him back up but she considered his debt to her paid when he gave her a ride home. It probably didn't seem like a big deal but Xin wasn't hard to please. Hell, giving her a ride home two days in a row more than made up for it in her book.
She returned to the passenger side, sinking down into the buttery seat with a soft sigh. Her feet ached but she hardly paid them any mind. No walk home for her today. So maybe her luck hadn't run out just yet.
When they pulled up in front of her apartment building, Gaara paused. Xin was looking at him, smiling that easy smile of hers. "Thank you for the ride home again and for the treats, I really appreciate it." She spoke in a careful tone, as if he would suddenly change his mind if she reminded him of his good deeds. "You're a really nice Yakuza boss."
He finally looked over at her, laughing at her statement. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Maybe not," she agreed, hugging the box of treats to her chest. He was right, she didn't know what she was talking about but she knew kindness for what it was. Maybe she got a pass or maybe he was just a kind person, deep down. What did she know? He nodded slowly and then suddenly reached into the back seat of the car. Xin startled and leaned away, nearly pressing into the window when he dropped a large white box in her lap. "Uh. What's this?"
Gaara glanced at her. "Looks like a box."
"I can see that."
He chuckled but didn't answer, opting instead to start the car up. She pouted at being ignored for the second time, her question going unanswered before looking back at the box. She peeled the lid back only to blanch at the name inscribed on the inside of the lid.
Vixen.
She knew that name, it was a high class fashion brand. She only knew that name because her beloved silky shirt had been from the brand. The clothes were ridiculously expensive, the type of expensive that she'd scoff at before returning it back to its place after checking the price tag. She only bought that one shirt because it was on sale.
And it was still expensive.
Xin stared at the brand name, frowning down at it as if horrified. She pointed an offending finger at the box. "What is this?" Her voice came out as a hiss.
"You asked that already. It's a box."
"No, dammit, what's in the box?"
He gave her a short look but again, didn't answer and so she was forced to pick through it. What was in the box was several silken shirts. All in different styles. Classic button up, billowed sleeves, corset, bow-collared, long V-necked. All white and all in her size. "Um—" she squeaked in alarm. "Why do you have this? Do you like to wear women's blouses? No judgment here or anything but I don't think they'll fit you."
"You said I owed you a blouse, silk to be exact."
She rolled her lips together, staring down at the neatly folded shirts. "I also said I was just joking and that you didn't owe me shit. Oh my God. I can't accept this!"
"Why?"
"Because it must've been so expensive. Take it back." She slapped the lid back on and shoved the box at him. He leaned away from it and lightly smacked her hands away. She drew back, offended. "Take it back."
"No. It's yours."
"I don't want it!"
"Really?"
"No—well…" she cringed before shaking her head. "This is way too much for me to accept. The rides home, that bakery and now this? This is too much, it's too expensive. All I did was sew up one wound, it's not like I brought you back from the dead."
"They're just shirts, Xin."
"Expensive shirts!"
Gaar shrugged, reclining lazily into his chair. "I'm not taking it back. If you don't want them, throw them out when you get inside."
She gaped at him. "Throw them out?"
"Sure, or give it to someone else."
"Someone else? No! You gave them to me!"
"I'm running out of solutions here."
Xin thumped her head back against the chair, groaning. "You're awful," she hissed. "If this is your way of trying to be my friend, you don't have to buy me things," she rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "I'm keeping these shirts but don't you throw it back in my face when I get on your nerves."
"Throw it back in your face?"
"Yeah, don't call me a broke ass bitch or something because I accepted it. And don't buy me more expensive things. Really. I don't need…I'll be your friend without you spending money on me." Was that what he was trying to do? Was he trying to bribe her into a friendship because she wouldn't be his friend otherwise? What did an office lady have in common with the head of a crime family? Nothing. Absolutely nothing but that didn't explain why he went out of his way to see her home or why he splurged on her.
He grunted, not agreeing but not disagreeing either. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed again. "Well, thank you anyway. For the ride home again and all…of…this." She motioned with a weak hand to the two boxes now sitting in her lap. She made sure the box of shirts was completely closed before setting the bakery box on top of it, carefully balancing everything as she climbed out of his car. "It's the weekend so I know you might be up to some dastardly Yakuza bullshit. Don't get stabbed. Or shot. If you get shot, go to a hospital. I don't have the shit to remove a bullet."
"But you know how to?"
"Shut up."
Xin turned away and hurried for her apartment, forcing herself not to turn around and watch as the strange redhead rolled away. Instead, she looked down at the boxes in her arms, kicking her heels off with a frown. She was at a loss, unsure of what to make of any of Gaara's actions. She didn't have anything to give him. She was just a broke office lady, living off of instant ramen and convenience store food. There was completely nothing she had to offer him besides friendship. And hell, she wasn't even sure if she could offer him that.
She dropped the white box on the couch and the sweets on the coffee table. She joked that she was owed one shirt, he gave her a handful. She mentioned in passing that she liked sweets, so he bought her expensive walked home so offered free rides home. What the hell was going on? What was he looking for, what did he want?
Xin rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath before turning away. She decided to put it out of her mind for the time being, unwinding from her long day. Instead, she busied with thoughts of her family. She hadn't called them in a while, maybe her parents were still irked with her but her sister would be happy to hear from her. Steam billowed out of her bathroom when she opened the door after her shower. She felt a little better, her feet not aching and her muscles relaxed from the hot water. Surprisingly there was hot water left but she didn't question it, lest she wanted an ice cold shower tomorrow morning.
"Moshi - Moshi."
Xin smiled at the sound of her sister's voice, busily rubbing a towel against her wet hair. "Hi, Hinata. How are you?"
"Xin! Oh, it's good to hear from you. It's been days, you should call home more often," Hinata began to scold her.
She should do a lot of things. "Sorry, it's been a little busy lately but I thought I'd check in today. Everything going okay? Mom and dad are probably still miffed with me but I missed hearing your voice."
"Well, you can't blame them," Hinata sighed. "But everything's been okay. Are you okay? You're not overworking yourself, are you? You don't have to keep sending money home, you know."
This wasn't the first time they talked about her habit of sending money home. "Sure, I do. It's fine, I'm fine." That was sort of a lie. She was tired, actually, and lonely. She was so lonely and she missed her family. She missed all of them, even if she and her dad constantly bickered all the time and her mom cursed her with cryptic threats.
Her sister didn't immediately reply but she did take a deep breath, like she was preparing herself for something. "When….when are you coming back?"
Ah, this conversation.
"I…I'm not."
"But Xin…it's different now, it's…it's safe. You can come back—"
"Hinata." Xin's voice was hard. It wasn't safe, it would never be safe to go back there. Besides, even if she built the courage to go back, home was not home anymore. It was poisoned to her, she was poisoned from it. "This is for the best, okay? Please. Don't argue with me on this."
"I'm not trying to upset you. We just miss you."
Her eyes began to itch and when she breathed in, it sounded shaky to her. She shut her eyes, closing them firmly and rolled her lips together. She took several deep breaths, trying to remain in control as something heavy washed over her. Regret? Sadness? Lonliness? Maybe all of that. "I know," she said after a long moment of silence. Her voice didn't shake but there was an ache building deep within her throat. "I miss you guys too but this is for the best. At least for now. Maybe I'll come back…soon."
Never.
They both knew she was lying but neither sister was willing to say so out loud. They were always connected like that. Always on the same page, twin magic, their neigbors used to say. Not even the distance Xin selfishly put in between them could change that.
The silence stretched on.
TeeBeMe: we love a sweet friendship, hope you enjoyed
