Xin returned to the apartment about an hour later with the cookies only to realize Hinata was at her afternoon class. With a frustrated sigh, she dropped the parcel of cookies on the coffee table and slumped into the couch.

She didn't think she was necessarily wrong but she did react negatively. She'd apologize for raising her voice and being a snide little shit but she wasn't going to say sorry for keeping Gaara a secret. For some odd reason, he had some sort of fixation with her and that was probably the only thing keeping her alive. He didn't have the same fixation with her family so she made damn sure he had no reason to come across any of them. Xin would not apologize for protecting them from him. With that in mind, she stretched out on the couch with the intention of taking a nap.

Xin was immediately aware that she was dreaming. It was odd feeling but she just knew she was dreaming. For a long time, everything was pitch black. She couldn't see a thing and the silence that accompanied was eerily deafening. And then the darkness wavered for several seconds. When the wavering stopped, a man appeared. He was tall with an average sized build and his skin was an oddly tinted red. His eyes were ice blue and protruding from his forehead were two massively twisted horns.

The man, obviously a demon, searched the vicinity for something. His appearance visibly wavered and then suddenly changed drastically. One of his horns was now missing, leaving just a bloody stump behind and the left side of his face was scarred down into a internal grimace. His eyes continued to stray left and right before settling right on her. Xin knew she wasn't physically there but her blood ran cold under the dark gaze. A slow and cruel smile tugged at his lips, leaving his face in an awkward mess of smiles and scars.

"Tsuki-hime…" the word sounded dirty, like his tongue caressed every letter. "It's been so long but I'm getting closer to tracking you down," He purred into her direction. Tsuki-hime? Tracking her down? Who the fuck was this demon and what the hell was he talking about? This odd dream was turning out to be too dark for her tastes. "It won't be long, Tsuki-hime. I'll find you and when I do…" his ice cold eyes gleamed. "When I do...you'll pay for what you've done to me...all in good time."

Xin wasn't sure about a lot of things but she was sure it was time to wake the fuck up.

She looked around but all she saw was darkness but she knew she had to get up. This demon was seriously creeping her the fuck out. He continued to grin at her, scars seemingly twitching. Oh hell no, it was definitely time to get the fuck up. She started pinching at her skin but it seemed useless. She couldn't even feel the pressure. "You can't hide forever, Tsuki-hime. You and your sister…you'll pay…."

Xin started to erratically tear at her skin, spewing blood and torn veins everywhere

"in….up...hey...Xin...wake up. Xin!"

Xin shot up like her ass was on fire, nearly tumbling off of the couch in her haste to sit up. Hinata caught her by the shoulders, shouting in surprise. "Calm down!" Hinata shouted, hands gripping Xin's shoulders. "What in the world has gotten into you?"

Xin looked around wildly for the horned demon. She glanced down at her arm, expecting a mess of blood and torn veins but her arm was fine. "I…" She trailed off, at a loss for words. "I think Satan just threatened me…" She admitted slowly, rubbing her arm. She knew Hinata probably thought she'd lost all of her marbles these past couple of days. Whatever she said next was only going to prove that she did lose her mind.

Hinata blinked at her in concern. "It was a dream, Xin. Calm down," she tried to say soothingly. She was a bit frustrated with her last class and coming home to find her sister thrashing in her sleep wasn't helping her mood at all. Besides, she was still upset with Xin in the first place.

"I don't think it's that simple, sis."

"Are you trying to tell me that Satan really threatened you?"

"And you too, if we're being technical."

"Excuse me?"

Xin sat up fully, setting her feet to the floor. She looked around the apartment and then slowly pinched her arm. It hurt just a bit but Xin knew it meant she was actually awake. "Well...he said you and your sister will pay. I'm pretty sure he didn't mean Hanabi when he said your sister…" Xin trailed off, actually looking guilty for the first time since all of this shit happened. Hinata sat back into the couch, slumping her shoulders.

"Does this have anything to do with your involvement with that...demon?" She asked slowly, spying the parcel of cookies from the bakery. She wondered if Xin was purposely being a smartass by purchasing those cookies knowing they were Hinata's favorite. Her sister was quite petty.

"His name is Gaara and for some reason I feel like it doesn't have anything to do with him. It's not like Satan mentioned his name," Xin replied tiredly. It felt odd to refer to Gaara as 'that demon'. She knew she'd hate it if someone referred to her as 'that human'. Not that anyone besides him would actually call her a human. It also felt just as odd to defend Gaara. What did she care if Hinata didn't use his name? It's not like she liked the motherfucker anyway.

"Can we stop calling him Satan? That makes me nervous."

Xin only nodded before leaning forward to grab the parcel of cookies. "Look...uh….about yesterday…" She trailed off, she wasn't one to usually apologize for anything. She was freakishly stubborn like that. "I'm not going to apologize for keeping Gaara away from you all. I still don't know what he's capable of and I didn't want him near you or the rest of the family. I will say that the way I reacted was unnecessary and that I'm honestly sorry. It wasn't right to say those things to you," the younger twin reached up, rubbing the back of her neck.

Hinata was quiet for a long time. "I worry for you, Xin. I always worry for you. Maybe you're right when you say the family wants to control you. You're a free spirit and we worry for you. That argument went south and I'm sorry as well. I'm not sorry that I worry about you but the way I reacted and went about it the wrong way."

Xin smiled slowly and leaned towards Hinata, laying her head against her shoulder. "I think we both said some things we didn't mean," She finally offered the parcel of cookies, watching as her sister's eyes light up brightly. "Are we okay again?"

Hinata took the parcel of cookies with a wan smile. "Of course we're okay," She said kindly. "I hope you don't think you'll be getting any of these cookies.."

"I thought I was the mean sister, sheesh."

"Something is up," Tenten immediately stated the moment Suigetsu and Karin walked into Dragon's Way. Karin frowned stiffly but Suigetsu only grinned.

"Hey to you too, Tenten," Suigetsu greeted while sitting at the front counter. "How's business lately?"

"Oh, who cares about that?" Karin grouched from next to him, running her fingers through wild locks of red. "It's three in the goddamn morning, Shào."

Tenten wrinkled her nose in disdain. "It's not like you were actually sleeping, Uzumaki," She shot back, taking note of the pair's disheveled appearance. "This is important," She waved her annoyance away. It didn't take much to annoy the redhead. Suigetsu leaned over and rested a hand on her lower back. "Something is up with Xin. I think she's been taking notice of some...things."

Karin slouched against the counter, scowling all the while. "If Xin is starting to notice things, it's not our doing," She motioned between herself and Suigetsu. "Your enchantments are weakening."

Tenten glowered at her and some of the glassware behind her in the cabinet began to shudder. Suigetsu glanced in between the two. "My enchantments are not the problem, demon," She snarled back at Karin. Karin's eyes turned to slits and her canines visibly lengthened.

"Then how else would she be taking notice, enchantress? You're the one who's supposed to make sure your tricks keep Hinata and Xin safe in the dark."

"Girls," Suigetsu uttered firmly. "It's no one's fault. There's a third party involved. Ya can smell it faintly on Xin," He explained simply, rubbing Karin's back soothingly. She closed her eyes tensely and took a deep breath. "Dunno' who's scent it is, though."

Tenten eyed her but shook her head. "You can't pin the scent to someone? Perhaps it's someone we know and can let them know to back the hell off. The last thing we need is Xin and Hinata getting involved."

"It's too faint and Xin has too many clashing scents clinging to her. She has her own, the scent of sugar from the bakery, the scent from the gym, not to mention all of that cleaning chemicals she hoards."

Tenten pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's probably why she's been so weird lately," Karin leaned her cheek against her fist. "Well, weirder than usual."

"She has been acting out of sorts and whenever I asked about it, she said she was just tired. I knew something wasn't right. I wish she'd tell us."

"Yeah, it's not like she doesn't know she's been friends with two demons and a Chinese enchantress all this time," Karin waved a fleeting hand. "Of course she'd tell us she's probably being stalked by a demon."

"I don't need your sarcasm, Uzumaki."

Karin let out a huff, smiling at Tenten's exasperation. "There's nothing we can really do unless she tells us, Tenten. How's Neji feel about it?" Suigetsu asked, honestly concerned for the twin's safety. The four of them swore they'd protect the twins and keep them away from demonic folklore but it seemed inevitable.

"He's just as worried. Something in the demon realm is out of whack, there's too many portals popping out and too many bloodthirsty demons coming through. He's exhausted so I forced him to rest for the night."

"You know he doesn't like when you use your tricks on him."

"There aren't tricks and I didn't. I slipped some sleeping medication in his dinner."

"Preeeetty sure that's illegal."

"By human standards, maybe."

"He is, in fact, a human, Tenten."

Tenten tried not to smile but failed, dropping her head and snorting into her chest. Neji was going to be upset when he woke up but she had good intentions. But they could deal with that in the morning. "It's important that we keep the twins protected. You and my great-grandparents made a deal with the Hyuga family and we will honor it," Tenten stated firmly, looking in between the two. Karin sighed heavily while Suigetsu smiled sadly.

"I see so much of Jun and Junko in them. Especially Xin."

"She definitely inherited Jun's vicious temper," Suigetsu hummed in accordance to Karin's statement. Tenten looked in between, lost in memories she had no part of. The women, special as they were to her friends and even to her family, were long dead before Tenten was in the picture. But her great-grandmother, Ruolan, lived up until Tenten was eight and told her all about Hyuga Jun and Junko. So even if she'd never met the two, she felt like she knew them. But she knew Xin and Hinata. She loved them and she would do anything to keep them safe. Not because they were Jun and Junko but because they were Xin and Hinata.

"We could tell them…" Karin trailed off, glassy eyes fading. She didn't like the thought of keeping the truth from the twins. There lives were potentially in danger. If making them aware of it made their jobs easier, than she was all for it.

"The minute they become aware is the moment every creature within a 10 mile radius of them becomes aware of it also. To break the enchantment would put their lives into grave danger," Tenten explained for them umpteenth time. She knew of Karin's frustration but she would not budge. Ruolan made it clear that they were not to tell the girls of their heritage.

"Ruolan never said what would happen if the girls figured it out on their own," Suigetsu pointed out quickly.

"No but how would they figure it out on their own? Becoming aware of supernatural folklore is one thing but realizing what they are is something entirely different, you both know that."

Karin made a noise of frustration and rubbed her forehead. "So what do we do?" She asked in a soft voice. "Either way, they're still going to be in danger."

"First let's try to track down that third party and figure out if they're a threat," Tenten began to plan. She suddenly blinked and snapped her fingers. "I almost forgot to mention, Xin did tell me that she and Hina were being stalked by two people."

"She knows they're being stalked?"

"Yes and she threatened the stalkers."

"Xin threatened two stalkers that could potentially be demons or some other supernatural creature?" Karin asked slowly.

"Sounds about right…" Suigetsu trailed off with a snort of laughter. "How'd Hina react?"

"She was very upset with Xin. They had an argument about it, Hina told Xin that she makes stupid decisions and then gets angry when she's criticized about it."

Karin looked impressed. "Hinata said that? Wow, living with Xin is really doing something for her backbone. Hinata is so passive and usually lets things go," Karin snickered. Xin was her best friend but she enjoyed when someone could stand up to her fierce temper. Even more so when it was her passive sister.

"She ain't wrong," Suigetsu shrugged leisurely. "She fucks up a lot."

"We're the ones who'll fuck up if we don't track this third party down," Tenten pointed out sourly. She was beginning to sound like a broken record. Karin and Suigetsu weren't taking this serious enough and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Lighten up, Shào," Karin rolled cherry-red eyes.

"We probably should be a little more cautious," Suigetsu tried not to snicker. Sometimes Karin and Tenten bickered more than Xin and Karin. It was entertaining but it could get a little brutal if left alone for too long.

"Right, nothing's more cautious than stalking the stalkers that's stalking our friends," Karin sung.

"Get out."

Things stared to spiral out of control on a late Friday night. For one, her friends acted out of sorts all week leading up to that Friday. She was used to Suigetsu being annoyingly affectionate but Karin and Tenten's behavior was out of the ordinary. They stood too close and often commented on how she smelled. Not that she smelled awful or anything but they kept asking about the new fragrance she was sporting knowing damn well Xin didn't buy perfume. Suigetsu kept draping himself over her while Karin and Tenten stood far too close. She felt like she was suffocating.

They didn't find anything weird about their behavior but Hinata noticed their odd behavior. Xin found relief in knowing she wasn't being freakishly paranoid about them acting overly affectionate. But even so, their odd behavior couldn't dampen her cheerful mood Friday evening. The sisters had off for the weekend from both jobs and school and were excited to spend time together and decided to spend it with Xin teaching Hinata how to bake.

Hinata knew how to bake the normal sweets such as cookies, brownies and regular sized cakes. She somewhat knew her way around the kitchen, unlike Hanabi. Their younger sister tended to burn anything she touched. Xin gleefully and mercilessly teased her, knowing it got under her skin that she couldn't do something Xin found easy. "I'm so glad I got my car back," Xin sung happily while pulling a knife out of the knife block. She leaned over the freshly baked brownies to cut into squares. The successful sweets were going to be packed away to bring to Mad Batter come Monday morning. "If Sui wasn't being so goddamn weird, I could have kissed him."

"Their behavior is worrying me," Hinata said from her post at the oven. She crouched in front of the oven, staring straight into the oven at the current sweets baking. Xin glanced over at her shoulder, smiling in amusement at her sister's childlike antics. "Something's up but I can't figure out what. Even Neji has been acting odd lately."

"Neji is an odd person," Xin commented blandly, looking around for the pastry bag. Every surface in the kitchen was covered with various forms of sweets. Xin casually wondered if there was enough room in the fridge to house the sweets until Monday morning. She grinned at the thought of actually tasting the sweets to see if the flavor came out right or not. Judging by the aromal, most of them were successful.

"I'm sure he'd say the same about you," Hinata chuckled and stood up when the oven's alarm went off. She busied herself with removing the batch of blondies while Xin wrapped the display of fudge brownies and shoved them into the fridge. "Ah, they smell so good," Hinata sighed while placing the pan down where the brownies had previously been.

"Yeah, well, we come from a weird family," Xin started to grin but it slowly fell away. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Hinata didn't seem to take notice, distracted by the knocking on the front door. Before Xin could stop her, Hinata flew out of the kitchen, positive that their takeout had finally arrived. Xin swiped the knife up and quickly followed after her sister.

"Hinata, wait—" Xin followed close on her heels, sliding to a stop at Hinata's back just as she opened the door. The two let out sharp gasps at the sight that waited for them. A hulking behemoth stood on the other side, staring down at them. His skin was a dull gray, covered in scars, warts and bumps. Stringy clumps of filthy ebony sprouted from a balding head, only parted by the the twisted horns from his forehead. He barely had an actual face, just distorted features smashed together on a lumpy head. "Shit," Xin uttered as the thing raised a swollen arm.

Xin grabbed the hood on Hinata's jacket and yanked her away as the Hulk rejection swiped his arm towards her. Hinata stumbled backwards and Xin surged forward with the knife, driving it into it's face with all her might. He roared in agony but Xin paid it no mind, grabbing Hinata and ducking under the creature. The twins darted towards the stairwell, knowing damn well they'd be dead if they waited for the elevator. They scrambled down the stairs, slipping and tumbling over their feet in a desperate attempt to get away from whatever was wailing in the doorway of their apartment. Oddly enough, the lobby was empty, but hell if that would stop them from getting away. Xin threw the doors open and all but dragged Hinata towards her car, thanking whatever God that decided to smile upon her when she forgot to drop her keys into the basket by the door. She unlocked the door and yanked it open. "Get in, get in, get in, get in!" She nearly shrieked while shoving Hinata into the car.

From above her, the sound of shattering glass distracted her. She dared to look up, horror filling her eyes at the sight presented to her. She grabbed the sleeve of Hinata's jacket and began to pull her out. "Get out, get out, get out, get out!" She shrieked and pulled her sister out of the car just as the injured creature landed on the car. The force of his landing knocked them backwards with Hinata landing on top of Xin. Slightly delirious from the force of her head hitting the ground, Xin slowly sat up while pushing at Hinata. Her jaw dropped at the sight of her crushed car. "Oh come on!" She groaned despite her head throbbing in protest. Hinata scrambled to her feet, pulling desperately at Xin. Without the aide of the car, they were sure to die.

"Xin! Hinata!"

The two turned, twin looks of confusion marring their face when Tenten came darting out of the darkness. "Tenten?" Hinata blinked, momentarily forgetting that she was literally staring death in the face. "What are you doing!?"

"More importantly, what the fuck are you wearing?" Xin asked in a slight daze.

Tenten was dressed in an altered ruby-red qipao with high slits up to her hips. She wore loose shorts to her knees with white bands cuffing the hem of the shorts to her knees. Layered cloths of red, white and yellow resembling an obi cinched around her waist and she wore black kung-fu shoes. Her hair was twisted up into complicated braided buns, held in place by a Narcissus flower clip.

"Xin, that's hardly the point right now!"

"She looks like fuckin' Chun-Li."

"I think you may have a concussion."

Tenten slid in front of them, feet parted in a defensive stance. The twins had no idea what the fuck Tenten thought she was going to do. Tenten held up her hand, fingers spreading outwards. A shining light sprouted from her hand, forming a ball. The ball solidified, resembling a glowing red crystal ball. "We're dead, Hinata. A fuckin' crystal ball just came out of Tenten's hand. This is Death," Xin uttered with wide eyes.

"Xin, please, now isn't the time…"

Tenten turned to them, frowning. She studied the two and realized that Xin more than likely had a concussion. It would explain why the two weren't fleeing and all of Xin's babbling. Things were just a bit more complicated than she would have liked. Her shoulders sagged, ignoring the demon trying to crawl out of the wreck that was Xin's car. She looked to her crystal ball, lips moving quickly as she commanded it to do her bidding. "Bǎohù nǐ de chúnjié," no sooner did the words leave her lips that the crystal ball flew towards the twins. Hinata curled around Xin but found herself defensively jerking backwards when the crystal ball neared her. The ball bobbed in front of Hinata's face before something red flickered around them. Red energy expanded until it formed a sphere around them. The floating crystal ball returned to Tenten's hand. "Do not move until help arrives."

"Who the fuck is help?"

"Xin."

The demon finally climbed off of the car, further damaging it beyond repair. Xin covered her face at the sight, not even her concussion would stop her from mourning her car. She'd just gotten it back. What did she do to deserve this? Tenten engaged the demon before it could get what little wits it had together. The crystal ball violently flew around, striking the demon and hitting it with bursts of red energy. Hinata watched in muted awe while Xin tried to watch. All the quick movements and strikes of color was doing wonders for her confused head.

"Tenten! Take the barrier down!" the barrier dropped and suddenly Karin and Suigetsu were crouching at their side. Xin and Hinata turned, blinking owlishly at their friends. They then exchanged mutual looks of perplexity.

"Hinata…"

"Yes…?"

"It might be the concussion talking...but Karin has ears on the top of her head."

"I see them too."

Two large fox ears the same color of Karin's hair poked out from the top of her skull. Her canines were noticeably sharper and her pupils thinned into slits. Suigetsu, on the other hand, was mostly unchanged except all of his teeth were freakishly long and sharp and his eyes seemed to glow eerily. "We'll explain later," Karin stated urgently, slipping her arms under Hinata. She almost backed away from the redhead, frowning tightly. Suigetsu crouched closer to Xin and held his arms out to her. She blinked at him and knowing he was her best bet at safety, leaned towards his open arms.

Suigetsu scooped her up, tucking her head into his chest. "Keep yer' head down," He instructed the dazed woman. Hinata let out a squawk of surprise when Karin slid her arms under her and hefted her up like she weighed nothing. Xin would like to say she didn't pass out but the minute Suigetsu started to run through the fuckin' city like the Devil light a fire up under his ass, she clocked out. She didn't even realize she passed out. One minute she was blinking into Suigetsu's chest and the next, she was staring up at a ceiling.

She let out a long groan, turning onto her side and curling into a ball. Her head was pounding and she couldn't remember why. There was a shuffling from somewhere but she didn't bother to look up. The lights were too goddamn bright and her life sucked right now. "Xin? Are you awake?" the shuffling ceased and a door closed, allowing Hinata into the room. The older twin approached the younger twin, worried that something was going wrong during her slumber. She stood over the lump in the bed, leaning over to prod gently at it. Xin pulled the blanket away and slowly sat up.

"Hinata, I had the weirdest fuckin' dream again," Xin said once she realized it was just her sister. Hinata readjusted the pillows behind her, making sure they could support her weight. "There was this Hulk-reject that tried to kill us and Tenten came out of nowhere dressed like fuckin' Chun-Li with a crystal ball and Karin had—" She came to a sudden spot when Tenten appeared at the door, still dressed in her odd getup. "...and it wasn't a dream. Course not."

Tenten slowly stepped into the room. There was some strained whispering outside of the room but she was the only one who came in. "I know you have some questions…" She spoke evenly, knowing Xin's mood could escalate in three seconds.

"Do you, Chun-Li? Did your crystal ball tell you that?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "Don't call me Chun-Li."

"Sure, Xianghua, whatever you say."

"She doesn't even wear a qipao."

Hinata pinched the bridge of her nose. This could go on forever if she let it. "Girls, please, let's act our age. Xin, Tenten said she would explain as soon as you woke up. Stop it with the Chinese video game characters," She suggested tiredly. Xin pouted childishly and folded her arms, gritting her teeth when her head began to throb. Tenten approached the bed, sitting down in the chair next to her to hold her hand out to Xin. The younger girl eyed the appendage like it would be the death of her but didn't move away from it. Tenten brushed her fingertips against Xin's forehead, allowing red energy to dance across her forehead. The energy twisted and swirled, plunging into Xin's skull.

The headache gradually dulled until it vanished. The whole thing disturbed Xin but she was grateful that Tenten chased the concussion away. "Alright," She sighed heavily. "Take it away, Lei-Fang."

Tenten rolled her eyes at yet another video game character jab but ignored it. "I come from a long line of Chinese enchanters," She paused, waiting for a snippy comment but Xin didn't have anything sarcastic to say. She remained dreadfully quiet, an odd look in her eyes. "A very long time ago, my family won favor with a Dragon King."

"A Dragon King," Xin repeated dryly. "Like Shenlong?"

"Shenlong isn't a Dragon King," Tenten rolled her eyes. "We won favor with the White Dragon, Ao Ji. His influence runs through our veins and grants us divine power."

"So you mean to tell me that you're a dragon magician?" Xin asked incredulously. Hinata tried hard not to laugh. She stifled the laugh with a cough, turning her head away to hide her amusement.

"I prefer Enchantress," Tenten replied smoothly. She held up her hand and once more, the crystal ball appeared. "Humans were never meant to look upon divine power, let alone wield it," the energy inside the ball swirled, pressing against the glass almost violently. "This houses the excess energy," Tenten stilled, allowing the new information to sink in. For some reason or another, the twins were very accepting of this new development. She found that suspicious. The twins knew something but she wasn't exactly sure what they knew.

"And Karin and Suigetsu?" Hinata prompted, moving the to conversation along.

"Yeah, the fuck was up with that? Karin had ears on the top of her head and Sui had way too much teeth in his mouth."

Tenten snorted, causing her crystal ball to shutter. It suddenly dropped into her lap, causing the twins to eye it warily. Tenten blatantly ignored their expressions, choosing to quietly settle her hands over the ball. "Well...the thing is…." Tenten trailed off mysteriously. "They're demons...demons also exist," She waited for some sort of surprise or backlash or something but the twins offered nothing more than slightly perplexed expressions. It proved that they knew something. How much they knew was something entirely different. Xin muttered something too low for her to hear but she exchanged a funny look with Hinata. Tenten noticed the look and tilted her head to the side. "This is an underwhelming reaction from the two of you," She tried to sound as casual as possible. They didn't seem the least bit fazed, solidifying her suspicions.

"Well, I did just witness you coming out of the fuckin' dark like Chun-Li to whoop a demonic giant's ass with a crystal ball. You can't make that shit up," Xin pursed her lips. "Besides, Hina did curse me out about making snap decisions," She shrugged indifferently, ignoring Hinata's look of disdain. Leave it to Xin to take a critique and spin it to her advantage. Spoken like a true businessman's daughter. Xin would've made a ruthless businesswoman had she listened to Hiashi. No wonder he was so angry about her diverging off the intended pathway.

"Girls," Tenten leaned forward, squinting all the while. "Is there something you aren't telling me?" She asked, giving them ample time to spit the truth out. Xin's eyes swiveled in Hinata's direction. Hinata mimicked the action. One thing Tenten hated about the two was that they easily held private conversations with just their eyes.

"No," Xin finally decided.

"Xin, I mean it, is there something you aren't telling me?" Tenten pressed stubbornly.

Xin slouched and rolled her eyes, "okay, you've twisted my arm," She said in exasperation. "I hit a demon with my car and now he won't leave me alone," She stated in monotone. Tenten sat back into the chair, frowning all the while.

"That's ridiculous, Xin. At least come up with a better lie," Tenten huffed. Knowing of the supernatural's existence was one thing but hitting a demon with her car? How stupid did Xin think she was? There's no way she caught a demon that off guard. Besides, no demon would let her off that easily after hitting them with a car. Demons were prideful creatures and would sooner kill themselves over letting a human best them.

Xin grinned widely and shrugged casually. "Fine, fine," She agreed easily. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

That surprised Tenten. She couldn't tell them about Jun and Junko, at least, not yet. They'd have to realize it themselves. Telling them truth was a last resort if the time called for it. Ruolan made that very clear before her death. "No," She shook her head. Karin would be angry that she didn't take the opportunity to tell them the truth but Karin could burn in Hell. They had their instructions. "Nothing else besides the truth about the supernatural folklore."

Xin sat back into the bed, a thoughtful look on her face. She didn't say anything, allowing Hinata time to ask her own question. "Which side was blessed by a Dragon King?" She asked curiously. Xin pressed her fingers to her forehead, wondering if Tenten's energy was still sparking around inside her skull. Demons were one thing. Enchantments and living energy was trippy as all Hell.

"Mom's side. That's why Dad married into her family and took her name. The Shào women never give up their last name. The white Dragon King gave it to us."

"My, what a benevolent Dragon King."

"Shut the hell up, Xin."

"You shut the hell up, Ling Xiaoyu."

Tenten rolled her eyes at yet another jab but chose not to retaliate. "Are you done with the Chinese characters, Hyuga?"

"I'm never done, Litchi Faye Ling."

"I'm going to kill you."

"You can remember all these Chinese video game characters but you can't remember your own grandfather's birthday," Hinata mused in bemusement. Xin turned to her, feigning for offense for seemingly taking Tenten's side. Hinata only shrugged, it was an honest statement. It really was odd what Xin decided to commit to memory.

"Well, I like the video games. Kazuma can go suck on a lemon."

"Suck on a lemon?"

"Well, you'd get angry if I said he can burn in Hell. But then again, I'm sure he'd fit right in with his fellow damned souls," Xin said with no hint of remorse. Hinata wanted to deny the claim but pressed her lips together, rolling them into her mouth. She couldn't argue that point, Kazuma wasn't the nicest man around. He butted heads with Xin as much as she butted heads with Hiashi. Most of the time it was amusing but other times it could get serious.

A light knock at the door distracted the trio from their derailed conversation. Xiurong peeked in, smiling a motherly smile. Tenten mostly took after Xiurong in appearance. The only difference was Xiurong's hair was so dark it looked black. She stepped into the room, armed with a tray of something that smelled sweet and dressed in her pyjamas. Hinata and Xin felt guilty the moment they realized they must have woken Tenten's parents with all the commotion of arriving after nearly being killed a some random abomination. She smiled motherly and held up the tray. "I don't mean to disturb you girls but I thought you could use some sweets. I made shuǐjīng bǐng. Would you care for some?"

Tenten laughed softly but the twins perked up at the mention of the desserts. Hinata got up to meet the older woman, bowing her head in both greeting and thanks. "Thank you, Mrs. Shào, I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused tonight," She graciously took the tray from Xiurong.

"No trouble, Plum blossom," Xiurong waved Hinata's apology away. She had a habit of nicknaming the girls after flowers. It embarrassed Tenten at first but Xin, Hinata and Karin loved the sentiments. "I'm assuming Tenten revealed our origins?"

"That you're dragon magicians? She might have mentioned it," Xin grinned from her perch, making a happy squealing noise when Hinata sat on the bed next to her. She folded her legs and settled the tray over her legs to share with Xin. Xiurong laughed jovially and approached the bed.

"Well, I suppose that's one way to describe us," She chuckled and sat at the edge of the bed. "But listen well, Orchid, this world of ours is dangerous," her face became grave. "I know you don't like it when your independence is threatened but listen to whatever Tenten, Sui and Karin have to say. You, as human girls, are their first priority."

The mood dampened slightly. "Especially you, Orchid," She turned more towards Xin than Hinata. "This world is wicked and strange," her usually kind eyes darkened. She flexed her fingers and her own crystal ball formed, shining a very light blue in comparison to Tenten's vibrant red. "There are some hardships that lie in your future, chúncuì de yīgè, but you are a strong one. It will be hard but be mindful," She paused as the crystal ball swirled gently. "A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials," Xiurong said soothingly. Although to Xin, she was speaking in rhymes and riddles.

Wasn't she already having a hard enough time as it is? Things were going to get harder from here on out? First Gaara, then that weird demonic dream and now her closest friends were among the folklore. What else could possibly go wrong? She wanted to argue with Xiurong but she could see the truth in the older woman's eyes. There was no fighting her words. Things were only going to get more difficult.

But first she had to figure out why.

Hiii yall. Anyone whose been rocking with me since the first version of Whispers in the Dark knows I just changed a lot of shit when it came to Tenten. I hope you like all the adjustments and I hope the Chinese translations aren't horrible. The formatting might be weird since I tried to keep the accents in. If I learned anything from two years of Spanish in high school, its' that accents matter. I'm sure it's the same in any different language. So here are the translations and all of Xin's video game character references.

Bǎohù nǐ de chúnjié - Protect thy pure

shuǐjīng bǐng - Crystal Cake,

Chúncuì de yīgè - Pure one

Chun-Li - Capcom's Street Fighter

Xianghua - Namco's Soul Calibur

Lei-Fang - Tecmo's Dead or Alive

Ling Xiaoyu - Namco's Tekken

Litchie Faye-Ling - Arc System Works' BlazBlue

Tenten's enchantress outfit is mostly inspired by Chun-Li and Lei-Fang's outfits. Xin's being stereotypical in the sense that all fictional Chinese characters usually dress in the same fashion, notably the women. I don't think Tenten's outfit is as revealing as any of these ladies' outfits though, not that their outfits are a bad thing. They're badass. Except for Xiaoyu, I was never fond of her but some of yall who've read SOC know that I'm quite fond of fighting video games and I tend to draw inspiration by the women in those games. Again, like Dragon's Way, I hope none of this offends anyone and if the translations are wrong, please, let me know!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this update. As always, I appreciate each and every one of you. Please, drop a review, favorite and follow and I'll see you next update.