So Dad didn't kill me but who knows when he will. And he will, mark my words. The Hyuga are known for their vicious tempers. I think Hinata might be the only one who's even-tempered. He did, however, call me to ask what the hell did I say to her. I told him the truth and that it was her idea and I tried to talk her out of it. Granted I didn't try hard but A for effort, right?

To my surprise, he agreed to let her move in with me. As long as I kept any other insane ideas to myself, of course. Even though this wasn't my idea from the start but whatever. We decided she'll move in during the following weekend when there's no classes for the day. I'll also be off for the day from the bakery and it's not how I would want to spend it but it's too late now, isn't it?

I get this funny feeling as I trudge towards my apartment. The bakery was brutal today and it didn't help that I had a boxing class immediately after my shift was over. Hard-headed little twelve year olds were a pain in the ass to deal with. Why the fuck did I agree to teach that class? I really had to talk to Gai about that. I was the last person you'd put into a room with a bunch of rowdy boys.

I unlocked my front door roughly and shuffled inside. Kicking my worn sneakers off, I paused in the little hallway. Something was wrong. Slowly I reach for the metal bat I have by the door. I'm a boxer, yes, but I'm also 5'2 inches and weigh about 118 pounds. If there's someone in my house, they're getting cracked upside their head. I creep down the hallway, bat poised to either take a swing or to throw the shit at someone's face. The living room is still as I stand at the doorway. I slide my hand across the wall to flick the light on and when the room is light up, I scream bloody murder.

The motherfucker I hit with my car was standing in the middle of my living room. Oh my God, he's going to kill me. Wait a minute….

"What are you doing in my house?! Wait, no, how'd you get in here?! Better yet, how the fuck did you find me!? You owe me for fucking up my headlight!" I'm not sure why I mentioned the headlight in this sort of situation because that's the least of my worries right. I've got a 6'0 tall psychopath in my home that apparently is the Bionic Man.

He glared at me but didn't move. Are you shitting me? He's going to give me the stink eye after breaking into my fuckin' apartment. "Listen, I hit you my car. That, I didn't mean. If you hadn't been in the middle of the fuckin' road in the first place...nevermind, I hit you, apologized and even offered to take you somewhere to get help. You, on the other hand, tackled me like some American fuckin' football player and proceeded to choke me. Honestly I thought that was a bit excessive but sneaking into my apartment like this is completely out of line!"

Somehow tackling and choking me wasn't out of line? I mean, yes, it was bad but this was my goddamn home. This was a safe place for me and how the fuck did he even get in here?

Before I could say any more, he opens up his mouth. "What are you?" He snapped after a moment of silence. I squinted at him, fingers tightening around the bat. What the fuck kind of question…

"Excuse me?"

"What. Are. You?"

"You broke into my house to find out what I am? I'm a fuckin' human girl, you moron! What else? You know, I shouldn't be answering your goddamn questions. How the fuck did you find me and how did you get in here?"

"I got in here through the window."

I snorted at that. We were on the top floor. "What're you, Spider-Man?" I asked sarcastically. I lived on the top floor of the apartment. "Okay, whatever. How did you find me? I hit you all the way up in the countryside. I'm smack-dab in the middle of the city."

"I followed your scent."

"Excuse me?"

This is ridiculous. This guy clearly belongs in an asylum! Climbing walls and following my scent? The fuck was this? Maybe a bad dream? I pinched my wrist but got nothing but irritated skin. Kay, not a bad dream. "Listen, motherfucker, I'm too tired for this. I don't know how you got in here or why you're here but I would appreciate it if you would just leave. Preferably through the door but if you hop out the window I won't stop you."

"I just told you how I got in here," He pointed out with a scowl. "Humans….wastes of space…"

"Okay, what? Like seriously, what?" I asked, fed up. I'm at the end of my rope here, honestly. I just want a nice hot bath and my bed. Screw making dinner. "Nevermind, just get out. Door, window, magic portal to Hell, whatever, just go."

"I'm not opening a portal to Hell here."

I snorted and rolled my eyes, leaning my weight on the bat. "That was sarcasm. There's no such thing as portals to Hell," I stated tiredly. Why was I even having a conversation with this weirdo? I should've already swung the damn bat at his face. Blank faced, the redhead holds up a large hand. I duly note that his fingernails are freakishly long and sharp. They resemble jagged claws. Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

His fingers pinched together and he slowly spread them apart. I heard an odd tearing noise and then suddenly… a rip appears. It's like he ripped a hole into thin air. "What the fuck…" I trailed off in bewilderment. Oh, but that's not it. Not only did he rip a hole in the air, the hole spreads until it's a large circle of bright swirling colors. Just looking at it scrambles my brain around in my head. The colors suddenly change to dark tones of red, black and yellow. An overwhelming feeling of despair and agony swallows me up and for a moment, I swear fire is licking at my skin.

If I hadn't been leaning on the bat, I would have dropped to the floor. The asshole clenched his fist and the portal receded, closing in on itself until it vanished with a small pop. For a long moment we just stared at each other. And then I threw the bat at his face with all my might. I turned around and darted into the kitchen. My hip screams in protest as I practically body-slam the counter but I ignore it to yank a kitchen knife out. Call me Michael Myers, motherfucker, because I'm about to stab a bitch.

I'm not as nearly as surprised when I turn around and he's right fuckin' there. I hold the knife up threateningly. I can't see his face in the dark and he slowly reached up to flick the kitchen light on. The blade gleamed dangerously between us and he eyed the knife, unimpressed. "And what do you think you're going to do with that?" He asked in a bemused drawl. I continued to stare at him, long and hard. Well, if push comes to shove, I think I might murder someone tonight.

"Listen here," I level the tip of the knife to his throat. "I don't know who or what the fuck you are but I don't really care at this point. I want you to back the fuck up and get the hell out of my house before I stab you. I don't know why you're here or what the hell that just was but I do know that I want no parts of it so if you could just exit stage left, that'd be much appreciated…."

The weird asshole only stared back, clearly not impressed. "I'm not leaving until I find out what the hell you are, girl," His words confused the hell out of me. My face broke with that obvious confusion.

"I told you already! I'm human! What else could I possibly be? An oni with horns?" I demanded shrilly, severely fed up with this entire situation. I did not sign up for Bionic men and hellish portals to the unknown. Nope. Not at all. Sign me the fuck out. He stepped closer and only stopped when I kindly reminded him that I was holding him at knifepoint. He still didn't seem impressed with the knife. More like amused that I had the nerve to threaten him. I hit him with a car, I'm sure I could stab him if I felt threatened enough. After all, he did try to choke me.

"You aren't human," He snapped back. "You purged the energy out. A normal human can't do that. I want to know what you are and how you did it."

My shoulders almost slumped but I made sure not to let my guard down. The last time I let my guard down, I got tackled and choked. It's a miracle I didn't walk away with any bruises. My back was aching though. "I don't know what you're talking about," I huffed impatiently. Obviously I was lying but hell if I would tell him that. Admitting out loud that I knew meant that I acknowledged something odd was going on. And who wants something like that? Not me. "I didn't do anything but kick you off because you were strangling me with your hands, you fuckin' heathen."

The next thing I know, I'm suddenly painfully pinned against the counter. Heavy fingers curled around my throat, efficiently cutting off my airway. I thought we were past this! I sputtered under his grip, vaguely realizing that despite the fact that he was choking me, my hands were still free.

I did the only thing I could do at the moment. I swung the blade.

I black out.

What feels like seconds later, my eyes pop open. I'm sprawled out on the floor, head and throat aching. I roll over to my knees, coughing and groaning. The knife is on the floor next to me, stained with red. I reach for the blade, a ball of dread settling in the pit of my stomach. Holy shit I stabbed him. Slowly I managed to get to my feet even though the room is still kind of spinning. I'm alone in the kitchen but my nerves are erratically dancing underneath my skin. My fingers tightened around the knife. Did I actually stab a person? He tried to strangle me...that's self-defense, right?

Carefully I make my way through my apartment, looking for the psycho. I was just waiting for him to jump out a closet or some shit. Although I'm not sure he's doing much jumping since I stabbed him.

That night, I sleep with the stained knife under my pillow.

"Xin, the cookies are going to burn."

Moegi frowned as Xin blinked out of her stupor. She usually wasn't so spaced out like this. Xin hurried to the large ovens, Moegi's eyes on her the entire time. "Fuck!"

Moegi sighed softly. "Oven mitts?" She held them out helpfully. Xin snatched them away, muttering about the new burn that's sure to develop. "I hope they're not burnt. It's the last of the treats for that birthday party this weekend."

Xin is still muttering obscene curses. "I know, Mo. They're fine, see?" She grumbled while placing the tray of cookies down. Moegi didn't bother to look, knowing the cookies weren't actually burnt.

The two worked quietly, finishing up the last shift of the day. "Did someone drop you off this morning?" Moegi asked as the two began shutting everything down and clearing everything out.

Xin let out a small groan. "Yeah, I took my car into the shop for a busted headlight and it turns out I had like ten other problems."

"Bummer, you're gonna be broke for awhile."

"Well, I picked up a few extra classes at the boxing gym so I might not be dirt poor."

Moegi hummed in awe. "You're like a tank," She pointed out. "Seeing you makes me so glad my parents still support me," Moegi admitted. If Xin was offended, she didn't show it. Instead she only snorted while grabbing the inventory binder. "I mean, you're wealthy, aren't you?"

Xin paused in recording the inventory, eyebrow twitching with her annoyance. She and Moegi got along well enough but the girl often brought up Xin's family background. She wasn't exactly fond of Moegi's habit. "I'm not wealthy, Mo," She reminds her blankly. The ginger peered at the bluenette, frowning once more but nodded. She knew how prickly Xin could be about her family.

"Is someone coming to pick you up?" Moegi asked, trying to change the subject and smooth over any ruffled feathers. The last shift would end in about fifteen more minutes, at 10 o'clock. Xin usually gave her a ride home when they shared the last shift but her Dad was coming to pick her up.

"Yeah, Tenten said she'll pick me up."

"Your cousin's girlfriend?"

"Mm."

Moegi nodded along to Xin's hum. "That's nice of her. My cousin wouldn't come to pick me up, let alone their girlfriend or boyfriend. You two are really close, huh?"

Xin looked thoughtful for a moment. "We've been friends since before they were dating. She's like my best friend, besides my sister. Sometimes Neji even thinks I might steal her from him," She grinned lazily at the thought of her cousin throwing fits of jealousy. "He's such a brat sometimes…" Xin laughed softly. The last fifteen minutes flies by and the girls find themselves locking up the bakery. They go their separate ways, calling good nights to each other before sliding into the cars waiting for them.

"Hi!" Tenten chirped as soon as Xin settled in next to her. The younger girl smiled back at her and reached over to pat her best friend. "What a dull greeting! What am I, a dog?"

"Some people are tired after a full shift," Xin replied simply.

Tenten only hummed, glancing at Xin quickly and then keeping her eyes on the road. "Neji mentioned you looked a little off this morning. You look like a scared little rodent or something."

"You have such a way with words, Tenten," Xin comments blandly, unimpressed. "And I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well is all."

"Good thing Gai gave you off then, huh? Lee had your class today."

"Little bastards gave em' a hard time?"

"Well, they are your kids," Tenten snorted. "They're very fond of you even though you call them little bastards all the time."

Xin sinks into the comfortable leather seat. "Well, they know what they are. Little shits," She tutted, knowing she was going to kick their asses for giving Lee such a hard time. He was such a nice guy.

"We went by the house earlier today to see Hiashi and Manami," Tenten began, glancing at Xin for the second time. Xin didn't react, it wasn't odd for the couple to visit her parents. Neji got along famously with Hiashi. "They mentioned Hina would be moving in with you."

"It wasn't my idea."

"My, defensive much?"

Xin only huffs in discontent. "I was kind of against it but I couldn't tell her no when she has the same reason I had for wanting to move out."

"Feeling trapped and treated like a little kid?"

"It gets kind of old when you're old enough to legally drink but have to be home by eleven o'clock," Xin shrugged a shoulder. "Not that Hinata really drinks but you get my point. I told her she would have to talk to them first though."

"That seems like it was a good idea. Hiashi was so horrible when you up and left. Not even Neji or Hana could lift his spirits. He was so fussy, he missed you so much," Tenten told her. Xin snorts at the thought but doesn't argue with Tenten. Manami told her similar things when she first left about Hiashi supposedly missing her. It's kind of hard to believe.

"You two gonna need help moving in?"

"Your grammar is atrocious, Tenten. And I don't know, it depends on how much stuff she brings. But I don't have an extra bed frame or mattress so most likely."

Tenten ignores Xin's jab and nods. "Neji and I will come help."

"Who needs Neji when we have you, She-Ra?"

No one is in her apartment when Tenten drops her off but she feels as if she's being watched. Xin keeps her bat close to her. It feels kind of silly to carry the bat with her from room to room but Hell if she's going to be caught off guard.

The knife is still under her pillow, still stained from the atrocity she's committed. She isn't proud of it, she stabbed a person. Even if that person was choking her (again), she still stabbed a human being.

But was he even human? It's silly to question something like that because what else could he be? But that portal...she didn't want to admit to it but she knows what she saw. Knows what she heard, what she felt. Her stomach twists at the memory. She wants to deny it, deny what she saw. But she knows she can't. She knows what she saw and she knows it was unnatural. She hopes that whoever that man is, he leaves her be after stabbing him. She wants no part of him or whatever wackiness that's sure to come with him.

Something eery drapes over her apartment that she decides she does not like. It's heavy and foreboding and more than once she finds herself peeking over her shoulder. It's twenty minutes to midnight when she decides to just go to bed.

Her bedroom is her favorite room of the apartment. It's rather large and she hopes Hinata won't mind the smaller bedroom. It's decorated in cool tones of gray with splashes of white and lavender. The bed is much too large for her small frame but it's the only thing she indulged in that was expensive. And besides, Tenten, Hanabi or Hinata often slept in the bed with her whenever they happened to stay over.

The knife is under one rumpled pillow and her stomach churns violently. Very carefully she neared the bed, just waiting for a hand to pop out from underneath the bed to grab her ankle and pull her under. Maybe she'd been watching too many horror movies.

But there's no clawed hand. Nothing happens but she turns to the large windows opposite of the room. The windows are large, taking up the majority of the wall. Tokyo is light up with nightlife but Xin finds no interest or comfort in it.

She goes to sleep with the feeling of eyes on her back.

A smirk pulled at Xin's plump lips as she stared at her students. They were completely defeated, sprawled out all over the spacious gym. "You little bastards deserve this after giving Lee such a hard time. I mean, honestly, he didn't deserve that!"

There's collective muttering from the group of boys. Xin only folded her arms across her chest and cocked her hip to the side. "Well, class is over for today anyway. Get up and shower, come on, hurry up. Gai-sensei needs the gym next and you're sweating all over our good floors. Off with you."

"You sure weren't kidding about them, huh?" Tenten grinned widely as she followed after Xin into the women's shower. "Poor boys," She mused while Xin wrestled to get her sweaty clothes off. "They'll be nicer to Lee next time...oi, what happened to your hip? And your back?"

"I slipped when I was cleaning," Xin answered easily, hands reaching up to her neck. Now that she's watching her, Tenten is sure there's some discoloration at Xin's neck.

"What were you cleaning?"

"Cobwebs in the corner of the kitchen ceiling. I borrowed a stepladder from my landlord and slipped when I was coming down."

"And you bruised both your back and hip when you fell?"

A shrug, "I rolled."

Of course Tenten isn't convinced but she knows Xin. She is Hiashi's daughter and if it's one thing the two have in common, it's their stubborn nature. The two were particularly notorious for their behavior. Manami was exasperated with it. Luckily Hinata and Hanabi weren't as bad.

"Hinata is excited about moving in. She's even talking about getting a job," Tenten nonchalantly said after Xin was done with her shower. "I think Hiashi offered to give her a monthly allowance though."

"That sorta defeats the point, no?" Xin quirked a brow while brushing her hair. Tenten took notice that Xin made sure her shirt collar covered her neck. "She'll never learn if he just babies her like that."

Tenten nodded along to her words. "It's good to know you aren't that spoiled brat anymore, living on your own has humbled you," She said out loud. Xin's face darkened and she puffed her cheeks out. "You were awful when we were younger."

Xin busily laced up her sneakers before looking at the older brunette. "Not my fault," She said simply. She wasn't really offended, as Tenten's words did have some truth to it. Living on her own and taking care of herself without her parents' wealth or constant vigil had matured Xin. She still had her moments every now and then but she really did make a change for the better.

"Course not," Tenten's smile is wild as they leave the gym. They shout quick goodbyes to Gai and the rest of patrons milling about and duck into Tenten's car. "Have you talked to Karin lately?"

A snort rattles Xin body while she hunched in on herself in the seat. "She cursed me out when Suigetsu told her about my car. Should've known he couldn't keep that fat mouth of his shut. Next time I see him, I'm punching him in his shit."

Tenten cackled and shook her head. "Sui doesn't deserve to get his shit punched if he's fixing your car for you. And speaking of that, don't you know how to take care of a damn car?"

"You sound like Karin. Shit happens, what do you want from me?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, fingers drumming against the steering wheel. "What did you hit? Your headlight was completely busted."

"I'unno, a deer or some shit? You know my grandparents live up in the sticks, there's animals everywhere. Anyway, you think Hinata could work at the bakery?"

"As what, a baker?"

"Can she bake? She could handle the finances, she's good with numbers."

"Your boss would let some random girl off the street handle a job like that?"

"If she's good at it, I don't think Anko would care. As long as she doesn't have to do it. Besides, she isn't some random girl."

"Sure, make it easy for her."

"Oh shut up."

Tenten lets out a laugh and the rest of their drive to Xin's apartment is spent comfortably talking about their personal lives. Xin is delighted to hear that there's talk of Neji and Tenten moving in together.

Xin's cheerful mood is disrupted as soon as she steps foot in her apartment. For a moment, she stands at the door to peer down the hallway. Nothing comes barreling down the hall at her but a sense of unease washes over her. Her shoes come off and her bag drops loudly to the floor and still nothing happens.

The night is still relatively young so she decides to clean her apartment. There's not really any mess to clean but she still manages to spend two hours cleaning and rearranging things to her liken.

Nothing happens until she's in the kitchen, preparing dinner. A pot of boiling water is on the stove to clean the sea bass while she concentrates on cutting the ginger into thin slices. But then the air suddenly feels heavy and there's that odd ripping noise followed by a loud 'pop'.

Xin doesn't turn but she knows he's there in the kitchen with her. Her eyes study the knife in her hand before slowly looking over at the pot of boiling water. "If you try to choke me again," She begins to speak calmly despite her hands shaking. "I'll throw a pot of boiling water on you," She threatened easily. If she had the guts to stab him, she's positive that she could throw hot water on him. Perhaps then he'll stay away from her.

An amused snort broke the tense silence. Placing the knife down slowly but not out of reach, Xin slowly turned to face the intruder. "You don't believe I would?" She asked, one fist resting on her hip.

He's standing in the doorway, casually leaning against it as if he owned the place. It annoys her. Despite his casual posture, he fills out the doorway with broad shoulders and Xin suddenly feels as if the kitchen it too small. "You stabbed me once, I believe you're willing to do anything."

"Well...you were choking me. What was I supposed to do? Let you?" Xin asks rhetorically. "Hope I got you good, by the way," She sniffs snidely. In actual reality, she hopes she didn't actually get him good. In fact, she's relieved to see him alive. He might be a psycho who keeps getting into her apartment but he's still a human being. She might threaten to kill her friends all of the time but Lord knows she can't live with a casket on her shoulders.

Xin shook the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to space out. There was a psycho in her kitchen. A slow smirk pulls at his lips, nice lips, she notes but beats the traitorous thoughts away. "I suppose for a human girl, you got me good," He answers with a lazy shrug.

Human girl. She wonders why he insists on pointing out her humanity as if he isn't human as well. "How'd you get in here? Through the window again?"

"Portal."

"Ah."

It's quiet between the two as they stare each other down. "You keep popping up again and again so it's safe to say you won't be leaving me alone for awhile…" Xin turns back to the ginger, reaching over to turn the heat under the pot off. She continues to prepare dinner almost as if she is alone. The intruder, for whatever reason, remains silent.

"You can't keep popping up like this. My sister is moving in with me soon and how am I supposed to explain that I hit you with my car and you won't leave me alone?"

"I don't care what you do."

Xin's lips pinch in irritation. Her eyes stray to the pot on the stove. The heat was off but it was still hot enough to do some damage if her waning patience ran thin. Her fingers began drumming against the countertop and she took several deep breaths. Now wasn't the time.

"You're gonna care when I throw this fuckin' pot on you," Xin said calmly. She throws a glance over her shoulder, wondering what her next move should be. She really wouldn't know how to explain this to her sister because she still didn't understand the situation herself. A strange man just wouldn't leave her be after being nearly run over by her.Said strange man can also open hellish portals and can recover after being stabbed.

The fuck was he?

She turns once more, deciding to just suck up her skepticism, to confront her unwanted guest only to pause with her mouth opened to form a small 'o'.

He was gone.

TeeBeMe: I think Xin's point of view is pretty funny but I think it'll seem to similar to Shades of Cool so it'll be in third person for the most part. Hopefully you guys are okay with that. Anyway, read and review, let me know what you guys think.