"Are you sure about this, Jun?"
The miko in question smiled while slowly fixing her dark hair into a high ponytail. She turned to her twin, dusting off her robes. She swiped her bō up, twirling the long staff almost effortlessly. Junko stood at her side, not the least bit worried about her sister accidentally hitting her with the weapon."Now, Onee-chan, weren't you the one who spoke of second chances?" Jun asked with a spark of amusement in her eyes. Junko regarded her sister with a serious gaze, hands neatly folded in front of her.
"Do not use my words to suit your needs when it's convenient to you," Junko chided coolly. "This demon is different, Jun. I do not trust the look in his eyes."
Jun adjusted her quiver of arrows and slid her longbow to rest on her shoulder. "Mm, yes, he does have a dark look in his eyes but what do you expect? He is a demon, after all, but if he is willing to put an end to our warring villages for the sake of some peace, should we not give him a chance?"
Junko's eyes narrowed slowly. "We shall grant him a chance but I insist we keep a careful eye on this demon, sister. Any demon who is willing to build a village in our world is a person of interest."
"That's the spirit, Onee-chan," Jun grinned at her older sister and threw the curtain of their hut to the side.
Yuuta, layered in dark blue robes and weapons, eyed them from the bottom of the stairs. "Must you take so long to ready yourselves?" He asked sourly as Jun and Junko approached them. Jun's grin turned almost impishly as she regarded her impatient older brother. Junko didn't offer a reaction, looking in between her sibling silently.
"That's no way to speak to the village's priestesses," Jun hummed in good nature. "We are ready to meet with Kuraim, yes?"
Yuuta rolled his eyes but nodded, setting off first. It was odd to just have one guard when leaving the safety of the village but Jun and Junko could easily hold their own. Yuuta only accompanied them to the meeting point because he insisted upon it. The meeting point was a half mile from each settlement, taking place in a simple hut. It didn't take long to arrive.
A handsome demon waited for them, tall with red-tinted skin. His blue eyes light up in some hidden mirth as the three siblings approached them. "Priestess Jun and Priestess Junko, I feared you would not come," He hummed kindly. He did not bother to greet Yuuta. Not that the eldest really cared. He was only there to keep the twins safe, he had no need to be kind a demon.
"Forgive us," Junko spoke up first as per usual. "Humans were not gifted with speed by the Gods," She commented in a tone that wasn't supposed to insult Kuraim. He only grinned at her words, hands folded behind his back.
"No, I suppose not but the Gods were kind enough to gift you with other blessings, yes?"
"Who accompanies you, Kuraim?" Jun asked, eyebrow arched. She looked to the roof of the hut, frowning. Her grip on the bo tightened, ready to fend off a betrayal. A shadow flickered across the rooftop before a woman suddenly landed next to Kuraim. She was his height with thick silver hair and black eyes. She was dressed similarly to Jun and Junko but wore white and black instead of their white and red. She had an odd aura that didn't sit right with either human priestess.
"Forgive me for failing to introduce her sooner," Kuraim purred innocently. "This is Masuyo, please, don't mind her. She's a bit shy."
"A demon priestess?" Junko asked slowly. That was impossible but her aura was similar to that of her own and Jun's aura.
"We prefer the term mystic. To have a demonic priestess, why, that would be sacrilegious, don't you think? But enough about Masuyo, she's hardly important. We have things to discuss, if you'll follow me, lady priestesses?"
Jun and Junko shared a look but followed after the demon.
Xin's eyes popped open. She frowned slowly, eyes traveling around the room. She realized she had yet another dream/flashback of a life long gone. It frustrated her and she wondered if she should ask Tenten or Xiurong about these dreams. "Masuyo and Kuraim," She whispered to herself, clutching her pillow tightly. "Whatever I just saw...it probably doesn't end well…" She continued to speak in low tones. Kuraim had to be the demon she saw in her dreams weeks ago. The one who promised to hunt her down. But why? What had she done? What had Jun and Junko done to warrant his anger five hundred years later?
"What're you mumbling about?" Hinata sat up with a yawn, rubbing her wild hair. Xin rolled over to her back to peer up at her. After their apartment cleared out of mystical beings last night, Hinata insisted on sleeping in Xin's room. Xin didn't really care, deciding to put her stubborn nature aside only for her sister.
"I had another dream," Xin's eyes strayed to the ceiling. "About Jun and Junko, they had an older brother. Neji has his eyes," Xin began to explain, ignoring Hinata's snort of disbelief. Neji had to have some connection in this whole fiasco somewhere. "They were meeting with a demon, to settle their village's differences. Junko thought Jun was being too trusting…" She trailed off, thinking of the twins' mannerisms. Their similarities bothered Xin. "They met with the demon I dreamed of. The one who threatened us? Only he looked normal and not disfigured. There was a woman with him, she looked...dark," Xin paused to sit up, adjusting her twisted tank top. "She felt like a priestess but demons can't be priestesses. He called her a mystic…"
Hinata let out a deep sigh before climbing out of the bed. "These dreams of yours is worrying," She rounded the bed towards the door. "Maybe we should talk to Tenten about these dreams. You're having them for a reason and we can't just keep ignoring them," Hinata told her with a look of concern. "Maybe even Xiurong could help us out."
Xin hummed in agreement and got up to get ready for the day. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll ask Tenten about it. No doubt one of them will pop up at our place tonight to hound me about my stupidity," Xin rolled her eyes and began to pick out her clothes for the day. She and Hinata were both scheduled at the bakery for a double and she was not looking forward to last shift once more.
"You weren't being stupid," Hinata continued the conversation when Xin emerged from the bathroom, looking awake and fresh-faced. Hinata silently offered her sister a bagel, smiling when Xin gratefully took it. "They have to understand that we aren't children and we still need our independence."
Xin chewed thoughtfully, kind of surprised that Hinata was on her side. The twins understood that there was more danger lurking around the corner for them but they couldn't stop living their lives. What did they expect them to do? Quit their jobs and shut themselves in the apartment? What was stopping demons from seeking them out at their apartment? They'd already been attacked there. Nowhere was really safe anymore. Where did that leave them?
And besides, their friends had lives of their own too. They all had jobs and classes they had to attend to. They couldn't just drop their responsibilities, could they? Although, Xin did wonder if schooling was really necessary for Karin and Suigetsu. They were five hundred years old, after all.
Either way, the group had much to discuss.
Pulling doubles at a bakery sucked, at least for Xin. Hinata was still mostly on cash register but sometimes dealing with people was just as difficult as baking two hundred cookies for a last minute party. She grumbled angrily, cursing the customer who was stupid enough to order such a large order at the last second. Her partner, a new baker named Tsunami, smiled weakly at her side. She was a bit older than Xin with a young son.
"Well," Tsunami steered Xin away from the cookies. "That's done," She untied her apron and set it aside, having finished her shift. Xin grabbed at her neck, twisting until it cracked loudly. Tsunami shook her head at the sound. "You're far too young to crack like that already," Tsunami reminded her, frowning softly. Xin grunted tiredly, knowing she really shouldn't be cracking her bones. "You doing okay, Xin? You look awful tired these days," Tsunami leaned closer, her maternal instincts kicking in. "Maybe working two jobs is taking a toll on you? Especially since the other job is so violent," Tsunami worried, placing her hand against her cheek.
"Nah, I'm fine. I had the late shift last night and now I'm pulling a double and doing another late shift is all."
"Even so, you're far too young to work as hard as you do. Especially at that gym of yours, pretty girl like you shouldn't fight for a living, of all things," Tsunami lightly chided her. Her comment didn't piss Xin off like it normally would. Just because she had a pretty face didn't mean she couldn't throw a decent punch. But maybe it didn't piss her off because Tsunami was a genuinely nice person and her concern was legitimate.
"It's fine, I barely fight seriously now anymore. I mostly just teach classes to younger kids," Xin rolled her shoulder and followed Tsunami out to the front of the bakery. "Tell Inari I said hello," Xin waved goodbye to her partner, smiling all the while before turning to her sister. She was manning the main register, as usual, easily becoming a fan favorite among their customers.
Hinata glanced behind her as Xin neared her, looking quite amused. "Ah, you have a little flour…" She held up her finger towards her face before chuckling. "Everywhere. You have flour everywhere," Hinata laughed and leaned forward, swiping her finger across Xin's cheek to show that it was coated in flour. Xin shrugged helplessly and began to tell her sister about the idiot who placed the large order at the very last second. The bell above the door chimed, alerting the sisters to a customer's arrival. Hinata turned back with a friendly smile, ready to greet them. "Good evening—oh."
Neither them expected to see Naruto and Gaara come ambling in their bakery. Naruto grinned widely at the sight of them and made a beeline for the counter with Gaara following behind. "Well this is an unexpected development," Xin stated dryly, leaning on the counter. "I don't suppose you two have a sweet tooth?" She looked in between the two demons, waiting for an answer.
"Well, why else would we come into a bakery?" Naruto continued to grin, stopping at the counter. He busily peered down at the array of sweets neatly organized behind the glass. "Oi, Gaara, they have chocolate chip cookies!" He exclaimed, resembling a hyperactive kid and not a powerful demon that could murder the two with ease.
"Naruto, please, don't shout," Hinata lightly chided.
"Right, my bad."
"You like cookies?" Xin prompted with a slow lift of the brow. Gaara looked down at her quietly, not really offering much of a answer save for a quick shrug. Xin made a face but carried on. "Do you guys have...y'know...money to buy said cookies?" her lips curved into a slow smile, filled with amusement.
"Of course we do," Naruto huffed. "We're demons," his voice dropped low into a whisper. "Not animals. What do you take us for?" He sniffed, eliciting a round of chuckles from the quirky sisters. Xin set off to pack away the baked goods he pointed out while Hinata easily rung up the total.
"Something tells me you two aren't just here for the snacks, although, they're quite delicious, if I do say so myself," Xin set the packed sweets on the counter. Every time she convinced herself that she'd seen the last of Gaara, he popped right back up into her life. Although maybe she could chalk this encounter off as Naruto's doing. Even if he did like cookies, Gaara didn't seem like the type to waste time in going into a bakery crawling with humans. Although, with the evening dragging on, the bakery was mostly deserted.
"Maybe we just wanted to see two pretty priestesses," Naruto leaned forward, his goofy grin twisting into a flirtatious one. Xin regarded him with barely a hint of amusement before reaching up to shove the demon away by his face.
"Yeah, sure, nice try," She rolled her eyes in good nature before glancing up at Gaara. She settled her elbows on the counter and leaned over it. "You've been awfully quiet but you tend to tell me the truth so far, so, what're you two doing here? For real?"
Naruto didn't seemed offended at all, turning away to pay for their rather hefty bill of treats. "Suigetsu thought you would react better if we kept an eye on the two of you when you go home," Gaara answered, folding his arms across his chest. Xin instantly frowned at the revelation, taking a deep breath to stop herself from snapping.
"And you agreed to that? Don't you have more important things to do, like, tracking those nasty fuckers down?" She asked, biting her snarl of annoyance down. It wasn't their fault that Suigetsu was worried and for whatever reason, decided to to as he asked of them. They owed the two nothing and yet, here they were, willing to make sure there wasn't a repeat of the other night. At least Suigetsu had the bright idea to give them some space. Gaara shrugged a shoulder, not the least bit interested in answering. Xin rolled her eyes at his stubborn nature and shook her head. "Well, we're on lockup duty tonight. We close in about an hour, I guess you guys are welcomed to stay until we're done. It's not like Anko is here to kick you out," Xin waved a fleeting hand and turned back towards the back of the bakery.
Naruto innocently saluted and grabbed their package of sweets, leading Gaara over to the corner of the bakery. Hinata kept an eye on them halfheartedly as she began to clean up behind the register. Meanwhile Xin cleaned up the back area, gathering a large trash bag to take out back to the dumpster.
She lifted the bag, swinging it into the dumpster with ease. Taking a deep breath and rubbing the back of her neck, she turned and nearly screamed at the figure standing across from her. Her instincts kicked in and before she could stop herself, threw a quick jab. "Fuck!" Jura bent over slightly, holding his nose. "For Kaguya's sake, woman, the hell was that for?" He growled at the little human. Xin stared back at him with a tight frown, not the least bit sorry that she could have potentially broken his nose.
"The fuck do you think it's for? Why are lurking outside of my bakery like this? In a fuckin' alleyway, what'd ya think was going to happen?" Xin snapped at him, hands on her hips. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Smooth," Matsuri suddenly stepped out from behind Jura, not looking impressed at all. "Bested by a human, how embarrassing," She nearly chortled, stopping in front of said human. Xin frowned, blank-faced and suddenly threw another jab, this time hitting Matsuri in the chest. Matsuri clutched at her chest, obviously surprised that Xin was bold enough to hit two demons.
"Told you I wasn't above hitting a girl in the chest. Demon or not, that shit hurts, doesn't it?"
"Fuck," Jura swore again, wondering why a punch from a human girl disoriented him. "Wait," He blinked down at her. "How do you know about demons?"
Before Xin could grace him with a sarcastic answer, the backdoor of the bakery blew open. Gaara and Naruto flew out, readied to fight off yet another attack. Instead they found an unimpressed Xin with a hand on her hip, regarding Jura, who had bruised nose and Matsuri, who was clutching her chest, with a blank expression. Naruto's offensive stance slumped immediately. "Okay, what the fuck," He tried not to laugh but the sight of Gaara's friends from Suna looking quite disheveled was quite the sight. "What the hell is going on out here?"
"Ah," Hinata poked her head out of the door, having followed the demons. "Maybe we could discuss this inside?" She called from her spot, reaching for her sister. Xin allowed Hinata to tug her back inside the bakery. "What in the world happened out there?" She asked, leading the ragtag group back to the front.
"Jura snuck up on me and I punched him in the nose. Matsuri popped up with some snooty comment and I punched her in the chest."
Behind them, Naruto was cackling.
Once the demons were gathered at a cluster of table and chairs, it remained quiet. Xin, who'd finished up the back and was now out front sweeping, glanced at them. "I don't hear you guys talking. You know, when you move your mouth and noise in the form of words come out?" She leaned on the broom, smiling wryly. "Get a move on, I'd like to get home soon."
"What the hell are you two doing here?" Gaara demanded as soon as she stopped talking. He ignored Xin's comment of 'someone's a bit grumpy', opting to turn his fiery eyes on the two other demons. They shrunk into themselves like scolded children. But then Matsuri's eyes flickered in anger and her shoulders suddenly squared.
"Us? What are you doing here?" Matsuri found her spin, sitting up firmly. "You just up and left, barely saying anything to anyone about where on earth you're going. Your siblings know nothing and I doubt Rasa would approve of your…" Matsuri trailed off, eyes darting towards the human girls. Hinata was trying to clean Xin's face up of all the flour. "Approve of the company you currently keep."
Gaara leaned against the table, staring straight into Matsuri's eyes. "Look me in the eye and ask if me if I give a fuck about what Rasa does and does not approve of."
"Gaara, you have responsibilities and—"
"I don't care, Matsuri. I'll do what I like. It's none of your concern."
"It is my concern when you've shucked your responsibilities to hang out with strange human gir!" Matsuri snapped hotly. Just what the hell was he thinking, wasting his time around human girls? Off to the side, there was an indignant girlish huff.
"I think we're getting a bit rowdy," Naruto tried to calm the impending argument down but it only seemed to agitate Matsuri even more. She turned blazing eyes on him, scowling.
"I think I've had enough of you. You're the one who dragged him into this situation. The two of you have no business gallivanting around like this."
"Matsuri," Naruto uttered seriously. "Rogue demons from all over our realm are sneaking into this realm to devour humans. Something has to be done," Naruto spoke carefully as to avoid any physical confrontation. Matsuri was usually even-tempered but it was clear that she was at her wit's end. But either way, he wasn't just going to let her talk to him in that tone.
"So you mean to tell me the humans can't take care of themselves?"
"They can only do so much against demons," He sounded fed up, like they'd had this conversation a million times before.
Gaara glanced at Jura, finding it odd that he'd been so quiet. The brunet was busily looking off to the side, towards the twins. "Something interesting catch your attention, Jura?" He prompted in a dry tone. The twins weren't doing anything of interesting so he didn't understand what had his full attention. Jura sat up a little straighter, realizing he'd been caught staring at the human girls.
"They're different. They smell pure. She didn't smell like that the last time I saw her."
"And what business did you have seeing her?"
Jura's shoulders squared defensively. Matsuri and Naruto glanced in between the two, wondering where their conversation was going. "Let's not be oblivious, Gaara. That girl is a ticking time bomb and you're no better. She's a kid and I didn't want her to get hurt by hanging around you. You aren't...well...you're not kind."
"I hardly see why her life means anything to you."
"That's what I've been saying," Matsuri finally spoke up, glad someone else noticed Jura's odd behavior. "Why does it mean anything to anyone?" She folded her arms across her chest, eyes darkening. Xin's shoulders tightened, as if she wasn't supposed to be annoyed with the complete disregard to her freakin' life. She could just tell her and Matsuri would never get along. "This is ridiculous, you're needed in Suna."
"I'll do what I want, Matsuri. I'll remain here until I feel the need to return to Suna."
"This isn't fair to me!" Matsuri snapped hotly. The dark look in her eyes shattered, having been replaced with something more somber. The table became quiet and even the twins paused in their motions, glancing to the table of demons in curiosity. "You can't just do this. You can't do this to me."
"You're the one who insisted on this break, Matsuri," Gaara reminded her coolly. He was growing tired of her near-hysteria. For reasons he couldn't explain, he glanced towards the twins. Hinata was locking the register up while Xin found the counter freakishly interesting, having been wiping it down for several minutes.
"That was before you went off to the goddamn human realm to waste your time with a human child, of all things!"
"Oi!" Xin's waning patience thinned, scowling at her. Hinata paused in her motions for the second time and turned to her sister. She placed a comforting hand on Xin's shoulder but her sister ignored it all together. "I'll sock you in the damn chest again. Whatever relationship problems you two seem to be having has nothing to do with me. It's not like I dragged him here and forced him to stay."
Matsuri openly scowled at the human but turned back to Gaara, seemingly brushing her words off. "Charming, really, Gaara."
Naruto let out a long breath, deep and loud, causing everyone to look at him. "This is fun, it really is but we sort of promised Suigetsu that we'd get the wonder twins over there home safe and sound," He started to stand from his chair, ignoring Matsuri's look of surprise.
"They can't return on their own?"
"Sure they can," Naruto hummed loudly. "We just want to see them home safely," He grinned sardonically, also ignoring Gaara's look of disdain. Now he was just doing that to piss Matsuri off even more. Something he didn't need in his life. It seemed to work because Matsuri stood up quickly, throwing the chair back.
"Wow, rude," Xin muttered under her breath. Hinata lightly smacked Xin's arm with the back of her hand, giving her a look to just be quiet. Matsuri didn't pay any mind to Xin's comment, opting to turn and storm towards the back of the bakery for the back door. "Dramatic much?" She snorted and headed towards the back to lock the back door. She called for Jura to hurry the fuck up.
Jura shook his head, knowing Matsuri would talk his ear off. "I suppose we'll have to continue this situation another time. Maybe once Matsuri has calmed down, yeah?" He stood up and nodded in goodbye. Gaara and Naruto both leisurely waved at him as Jura hurried towards the back. Hinata carefully approached the table to pick up the chair.
Xin came back moments later with Hinata's bag, handing it off with a frown. "She's a delight," Xin commented as she walked to the front door. The three followed after her, waiting while she locked the bakery up for the night. For the first couple of minutes, it was silent between the odd bunch. But Xin, known for her tactless motormouth, could never stay silent for long. "So that's your girlfriend, huh?" She prompted, hands folded behind her back to give off the air of innocent curiosity. Next to her, Gaara peered down at her.
"Don't speak on things you don't understand," Gaara replied, glancing briefly at her. Even for a human, she was rather small. He wondered if it had something to do with genetics because her sister was the same height. Hinata and Naruto ambled along in front of them, causing Hinata's short stature to look exaggerated next to Naruto's burly form.
"I think I do understand though," Xin piped up with an amused grin. He wondered if her height seemed exaggerated next to him. He was about the same height as Naruto. "Can I tell you what I understand?"
"I think that even if I say no, you'd tell me anyway."
Xin grinned widely, eyes twinkling in mirth. "Look who's catching on," She hummed in good nature. "I think she loves you more than you love her," Xin stated in a innocent tone. "I heard you mention a break. Men, demon or not, are very simple. If they want something, they get it. If you wanted her, you'd have her. Well, still. Sounds like you already had her," She wiggled her eyebrows. "How long have you been playing this game with her?"
"I'm not playing any game with her and it's none of your business," He nearly snarled down at her. She didn't seem deterred, staring up at him with her freakishly big eyes. They made him feel uncomfortable.
"Yes you are. Men don't take breaks. She thinks you'll eventually get back together and that's why she's chasing you down. Probably wants to make sure you don't meet an attractive demon to steal you from her. But you don't have any intentions of getting back together with her anyway."
Gaara glared down at her, refusing to admit that this nosy ass human was right. What Xin failed to realize was that demons were completely different from humans when it came to relationships. For one, love was mostly viewed as a human emotion. Demons usually mated for more sensible reasons, such as gaining power or influence. Or even unifying warring families. There was some demons who mated for love, such as Naruto's parents before his father perished in one of the many demon wars that ravaged their realm. Their love story was practically famous. Hell, even Rasa, asshole that he was, loved Gaara's mother.
No, he didn't love Matsuri and he probably never would. It was wrong and cruel of him to lead her on but at the time, he'd thought he could at least grow to tolerate her enough to mate. But that just wasn't the case and he found himself drifting further from her. Of course, she noticed immediately and after a few months of enduring their crumbling relationship, suggested they take a break. He just couldn't see himself with her in the long run romantically. They always made better friends but Matsuri was determined to make a love story out of them.
"You seem to know a lot about relationships yet you are single," Gaara commented blandly, hoping she'd take the bait. Xin was by no means unattractive. In fact, he was sure that for human standards, she was actually quite appealing. But for demons, well, she was too small and fragile looking. On top of that, her eyes would turn any demon away. They were too…pure, wide and trusting.
Xin, weird woman that she was, simply grinned. Most women took offense when their status was brought up. "I don't have much experience truthfully but I've seen enough of shit like this. So, what is it, you got commitment issues or you just don't want to be with her specifically."
"I think you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, human," He had enough of her questions. Something told him to just tell Suigetsu to fuck off earlier when he approached the two of them. He didn't owe the man a damn thing but he agreed to see the twins home anyway. Hell, he didn't owe the twins either. Now that she revealed her heritage to him, he had no reason to see her again. Yet, here they were.
Xin's grin didn't falter. She made a humming noise and nodded. "Probably a bit of both," She commented casually. "You should probably just tell her the truth. You shouldn't force a relationship."
He didn't bother to reply, eyes narrowing slightly. Ahead of them, Naruto closed in on Hinata, grabbing at her arm to pull her to his side. Xin's grin finally dropped in favor of a frown. She liked Naruto, he seemed rather nice and laid-back but he was a bit of a flirt and there was no way in Hell she was going to let him make a move on her sister. But then Gaara casually slipped his arm around her shoulder, halting any shout of protest bubbling from her throat. She wasn't sure what pissed her off more. The fact that he wrapped his arm around her or the fact that he could effortlessly do so because of her height.
That's besides the point.
"There's demons nearby," Gaara explained shortly, watching as Naruto practically hunched over Hinata. "It'll help if your scent is somewhat masked under ours," He explained, feeling how stiff her shoulders became under his arm. He didn't really blame her. The last time his hands had been this close, they were wrapped around her neck.
"What makes us so tasty to demons? Don't they eat all humans in general?" Xin asked, trying to relax under his hold. His arm, she noticed, was quite heavy. "Shouldn't you go make sure other humans aren't being currently eaten?"
"Tenten and Neji are heading towards them," Gaara answered simply. "Supposedly devouring the flesh of a priestess gives demons a….power boost of sorts. That's why I said only weak demons seek priestesses out. Or, demons who are not satisfied with their natural power and class."
"Class?"
"Classification based on power. S, A, B, C, D, and E. S being the highest, E being the weakest."
"What's your class?"
A slow smirk was the only answer she received, causing her to frown in thought. Clearly he wanted to keep her in the dark about his class. He had to be a high class since stating that he was above eating miko. "How come demons don't try to eat Tenten? She's blessed with Divine Power," She pointed out, remembering Tenten's origin story. Shouldn't they keep Tenten away from demons as well?
"Tenten was blessed by a Dragon King, impressive, but not the same. Miko are blessed directly from the Gods. Her family won favor but miko are born with their power. They're as close as a human can get to being a God," Gaara explained, wondering why she seemed to have so many questions. Suigetsu, Karin and Tenten should have already told her all of this. He frowned thoughtfully. Their insistence of keeping the miko twins in the dark would be the death of the girls.
He could understand Xin's frustration with the group. They were being treated like children despite being adults. The three were essentially trying to force them into a lifestyle they did not want. Of course he could also understand their side as well. Xin and Hinata were ignorant of how dangerous the demon realm was. He tried not to think about it. The friction in their group had nothing to do with him. In fact, after he and Naruto delivered the troublesome twins to their apartment, he was washing his hands of Hyuga Xin.
"Dammit," Xin swore quietly the next afternoon. After pulling a double for the bakery, Anko decided the twins needed a day off. She even contacted Gai at Primary Lotus and practically threatened him into giving Xin a day off. You'd think a buff owner of a gym wouldn't be terrified of a bakery owner but Anko was crazy and Xin didn't blame Gai.
"What's wrong?" Hinata poked her head out of the bathroom, hair wrapped in a towel and mouth full of toothpaste. Their parents would be mortified at the sight of their eldest daughter.
Xin turned to her sister, holding up a large jacket that clearly didn't belong to either of them. "Gaara put it on me to hide my scent. I wanted to give it back last night but he has this awful habit of vanishing like he's Harry Houdini or some shit."
"I'm impressed, you almost got through two sentences without shoving a curse word in there. What would Miko Jun and Junko say? Such a foul-mouthed descendant."
Xin snorted at her sister's words and shook her head. A lot of people didn't know that Hinata had quite a sense of humor. She laid the jacket on the back of the couch and hurried to her room to get dressed. They had a morning and afternoon of errands to tend to, despite having the day off. Once they finished their errands, they planned on heading to Dragon's Way.
She came out moments later, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a plain white shirt. Xin glanced down at the couch, frowning at the sight of the too large jacket. She hummed quietly and ventured towards the closet by the door. She reached in and pulled out a jacket that belonged to Suigetsu. Hinata came out of the bathroom, dressed smartly in a pretty blue blouse and dark pants. She looked elegant and Xin almost regretted ruining the outfit. "Here, it smells like Sui."
"I'm not sure if I want to smell like Suigetsu."
Xin snorted and shook her head. "We have to at least try to hide our scent, right? I'll wear Gaara's jacket for now and you wear Sui's jacket. It's black so it'll match," She explained, holding the jacket out. "At least it'll seem like we're putting an effort, right?"
"I suppose so," Hinata conceded, taking the jacket. It didn't ruin her outfit but she hadn't planned on wearing one. She could see Xin's logic. Xin shrugged into Gaara's jacket, rolling the wide sleeves up to her elbows. It practically swamped her, causing her to look even smaller than usual. She gathered her bag, threw her phone and list of errands into the bag and the two were on their way.
"Did you call Xiurong and let her know that we'd be stopping by?" Hinata asked as they turned the street leading down to Dragon's Way. She had a protective arm wrapped around Xin's arm. It wasn't like there was much she could should a demon attack them but at least she had a firm grip on her sister. If all else failed, she would run and drag her sister with her.
"Yeah, she said it was fine," Xin shrugged indifferently and slipped into the restaurant. Dragon's Way was just closing up and Tao, Tenten's father, waved at the twins. He motioned for them to head towards their living room, where Xiurong was probably waiting.
"Plum blossoms!" Xiurong exclaimed as Xin and Hinata stepped into her home. She threw her arms around their necks, gathering them to her chest in a motherly hug. "It's wonderful to see you. You haven't been by the restaurant in such a long time," She chattered animatedly before releasing the girls. "Please, sit, sit."
Xin and Hinata did so, making small talk as Xiurong bustled back and forth from the kitchen. Just as she was coming out with a tray of tea, Tenten and Neji came thumping down the stairs. Xin noticed them first, as Hinata was busily reaching for an offered teacup. Tenten blinked at them, nearly being run over by Neji. "You didn't tell me you were expecting the twins, Mama," Tenten uttered carefully. Hinata finally looked over her shoulder and offered a quick smile. Due to Suigetsu's insistence (once more) the group had decided to give the twins more space. They worried for the girls but hounding them and arguing was not going to help the girls.
"I wasn't expecting you two either," Xiurong commented cheerfully while sitting down. "But you're here so come sit. I feel we have much to discuss and—" Xiurong paused and turned just as Karin and Suigetsu came from Dragon's Way. "Hello," She greeted in her same cheerful voice. Xin noticed blankly that Xiurong had brought seven teacups. "Come sit, yes?"
The four did as they were asked, sitting down with the twins. "Is that my jacket, Hina?" Suigetsu spoke up first, shattering the awkward silence that had fallen over the group. Hinata looked down at herself, forgetting that she was wearing his jacket.
"Oh, well, yes. I hope you don't mind, you left it at our place and Xin thought it would be a good idea to hide our scent under another demon's scent."
"Yeah?" Karin leaned closer towards Xin, glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose. "Whose jacket do you have on, Xin?"
Xin reached up, pushing Karin's glasses back up her nose. "It's Gaara's jacket," Xin answered casually, watching as Karin's eyes narrowed. "Don't you start your bullsh—" Xin paused and thought better of cursing in front of Xiurong. "Don't start your mess, Rin."
Karin scowled at the nickname and opened her mouth to argue with Xin but Suigetsu grabbed her and pulled her back to his side. Xiurong looked around the room, humming in thought. "There is friction that was not there before."
No one jumped to explain and it irritated Xin. They had so much to say for the past couple of days. Now that Xiurong was there, they had nothing to say. "Well, don't all speak at once," She slumped into the couch. "You guys were very vocal the other night. Don't let the two of us stop you, it hasn't before."
Xiurong looked in between the young adults, frowning at their stubborn ways. "Well, alright then," She said after a long moment. "Plum blossom, you said you had to ask me something about dreams? What's that about?"
Xin shifted, suddenly not as willing to talk about her odd dreams since she had an audience. She knew it worry her friends even more if she told them she was having more of these odd flashbacks. Plus, there was also that one dream when Kuraim basically threatened her for whatever reason. Whatever Jun and Junko did to that man, he was still angry about it five hundred years later. Way to hold a damn grudge…
"I've been having these weird dreams. They show me things from Jun and Junko's lifetime. That's how I figured out Karin knew them and that there was another Ruolan," Xin began to explain. Xiurong didn't react, only nodding her head. "But before these dreams started to happen...I had a different a dream. There was this man, a demon. He was looking for something and I felt like he was looking directly at me," Xin's fingers began twitching nervously around the teacup. She rolled her lips together, suddenly feeling very sick. Karin had gone pale, eyes slightly wide. She sat backwards into the couch and looked at Suigetsu. He looked disturbed, jaw set firmly. "He's been trying to track me down for a long time but he's getting closer. He said that we can't hide forever and that we'll pay. I don't know what for…."
"What did he look like?" Xiurong's eyes had gone hard. She was sitting up, shoulders squared. She flipped her palm upward and waved her other hand over it, summoning her own crystal ball. It manifested from her hand, growing in size until it was an orb of swirling blue light. It hovered above her lap before settling into her hands.
"His skin was red and his eyes were light blue. He had these really big horns coming out of his forehead, like a ram's horns," Xin began to describe the demon that was apparently hunting them down. "But then he wavered and suddenly...one of his horns was a bloody stump and the left side of his face was scarred," She reached up towards her face, pulling her skin down in a twisted grimace. "I had another dream last night. Jun and Junko wanted to meet with a demon. He wanted to establish a village in the human world but Junko didn't trust it. Jun wanted to give him a chance. The demon had a demon woman with him and she felt like a priestess but he called her a mystic…"
"Do you know their names?"
Xin glanced around, taking note of Karin and Suigetsu's grim expressions. Tenten and Neji's faces were pinched tightly while Xiurong remained mostly calm except for the hard look in her eyes. Her fingernails tapped against the glass of the crystal ball, creating a beat that the swirling magic trapped inside seemed to react to.
"Kuraim and Masuyo."
Xiurong stopped her tapping, lips pinching. She began to mutter something, far too low and in a different language. Xin was sure that it was Mandarin but she couldn't remember. The Chinese language had far too many dialects to keep up with and if she was correct, Xiurong could speak more than one dialect. The blue magic swirled almost violently, a stark contrast to its usual calm, almost sleepy-like, swirling. Xiurong's nails flicked towards Xin, directing the crystal ball towards Xin. The younger girl seemed uncomfortable as the orb floated in front of her but she didn't lean away. An image of a man appeared in the magic with a self-assured smirk. "Is that the man you saw?"
It was Kuraim. Blue eyes, bloody stump, grimace and all. "Yes."
Karin placed her hands in her face, sighing heavily. "I knew that bastard wasn't dead," She uttered into her palm, sounding fed up and tired.
"Language, Flamingo Lily," Xiurong lightly chided the redhead. Suigetsu leaned over, wrapping an arm around Karin to offer some sort of comfort. Hinata looked around, frowning slightly. Xin was still staring into the crystal ball, eyes wide and unblinking as if she was trapped in a trance.
"What happened between him and the miko twins?" Hinata prompted, not in the mood for suspense. She hoped their wasn't some obscure rule about keeping that from them. She was quite sick of these surprises and if there was another rule keeping them from the truth, she was calling it a night and going to bed.
"Kuraim did want to establish a village in the human realm. He became...friends with the priestesses, I suppose. Uneasy but there was some type of friendship there. Junko was never comfortable with it but they had less problems from rogue demons in their area because of Kuraim's settlement so she accepted it. Yuuta, I'm sure you saw their older brother, flat out didn't like it but there was nothing he could do," Karin jumped into the explanation, knowing Xiurong wouldn't be able to explain it like she could.
"I think Kuraim developed feelings for Jun. She was a wonderful woman, after all. She was more...free-spirited than Junko. She showed him kindness easily and he mistook her kindness for something different," She paused, blinking hard. "Jun was free-spirited but she still took her role as a priestess seriously. Often times, priestesses will take vows of chastity and devote their life to their job. On top of that, Jun did not feel the same for him. Their friendship was mostly rocky because as miko, they did not agree with a demon's way of life. Kuraim, although tolerant to the twins, was a cruel man and hated humans. Even so, he still believed he loved Jun."
Xiurong motioned for her crystal ball to return. "Jun rejected his advances and Kuraim was livid that a human like her wouldn't return his feelings. He was powerful, rich and his village of demons obeyed him with no problem. She was just a lowly woman with some purity running through her veins. Things get a little murky at this point but I think Masuyo convinced Kuraim to launch an attack on the human village. Half of the village was slaughtered, including their brother. Jun and Junko were nearly unforgiving...it was…I wasn't expecting either girl to react so violently….they fought through throngs of demons to get to Masuyo and Kuraim…."
"Jun was the one who tore off Kuraim's horn and scarred his face like that. She and Junko managed to seal him away but Masuyo escaped. Unfortunately, that's where the twins met their end. Ruolan was too late to save them from death but she knew they would be reborn so that's why she decided to cast a spell on their souls to protect them from Kuraim and Masuyo."
Xin and Hinata sat in stunned silence. "I knew telling them wouldn't be a good idea," Tenten scowled in Karin's general direction. The demon's head popped up, eyes narrowed.
"Are you saying this is my fault?" She asked, eyes lighting up like scorching flames.
"I never said anything but the fact that you're getting so defensive says a lot," Tenten sniffed, folding her arms across her chest. "You were the one who kept pushing to tell them. You were the one who told them to go ask their parents about their family's history."
"That doesn't make this my fault. Xin already knew Gaara way before I said anything. She was gonna find out anyway since she insists on being friends with the psycho," Karin snapped angrily.
Xin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Hinata glanced at her, worried that she would lose her temper and throw her teacup of scalding tea at one of them. "You've befriended Gaara, Plum Blossom?" Xiurong prompted, ignoring her bickering daughter and Karin.
"No, I wouldn't really say that. More like we keep running into each other, is all," Xin replied blankly, not in the mood to explain her relationship with Gaara. For one, she didn't understand the nature of their relationship. Were they friends? She didn't necessarily hate him like in the beginning but she was...confused about him.
Xiurong made a humming noise but didn't comment any further on it. "I suppose the dreams are Jun and Junko trying to warn you of what's to come."
"You think so?" Xin muttered, remembering her fear of having to wrestle Jun for their souls. "How does...how does having her soul work out?"
"What do you mean, Plum Blossom?"
"Is it my soul or is it hers? Is it half of mine or is it half of hers? How does this work out?" Xin spat the words out like acid fire. As her body stayed relaxed, her rambling was the only indication that she was nervous.
Xiurong frowned with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "I obviously did not know Jun or Junko personally but my mother had enough of Ruolan's memories to tell me about them. I believe your souls are more so...intertwined. Just because you are her reincarnation does not mean you are her or Hinata is Junko."
"No but they're paying for the choices they made," Neji grumbled distastefully. His cousins didn't deserve any of this. Tenten and Karin constantly went back and forth about who's to blame for this entire debacle. When it came down to it, it was Jun and Junko's doing.
Karin turned towards him, scowling harshly. Demon or not, he didn't care for her anger. "Just what are you trying to say?" She inquired icily.
Neji met her gaze. "I'm not trying to say anything," He drawled almost lazily. "This is Jun and Junko's doing. My cousins are not at fault and shouldn't worry about being hunted down by some psychotic demon with a five hundred year old grudge."
Karin visibly bristled and her pupils thinned into slits. Her hair seemingly twitched before two large fox ears sprouted from her skull. "They did everything they could that day and look how they ended up! Dead!"
"And at the rate this whole situation is going, Xin and Hinata will be joining them for something they had no part of," Neji snapped, voice never rising. "They didn't do everything they could that day. Had that been the case, Kuraim and Masuyo would be dead along with Jun and Junko. Their best was sealing him away and letting Masuyo escape."
Karin's gaze could have sent him straight to Hell. "I will not sit here and listen to you badmouth Jun and Junko."
"Then don't."
Xin raised a slow brow, looking in between the two. She'd never actually witness her cousin clash with Karin like this. Neji could be an asshole but he usually kept his cool among their group. It was usually her or Tenten going at it with Karin. But Neji usually remained indifferent to all the fighting. To see them go at it was odd. "You guys…." She trailed off but they continued bickering.
Xiurong calmly watched the exchange, eyebrows slightly raised. She leaned towards the twins. "Is this how they've been behaving recently?"
"Basically," Hinata sighed.
Xiurong nodded and waved her hand. The crystal ball shuddered before jerking upwards. It shuddered for a second time, blue magic beating against the glass. A blinding light flashed and then liquid drops rained down on them. Karin and Suigetsu's skin began to sizzle while Tenten and Neji looked physically sick. The twins, on the other hand, remained unaffected and confused.
"Mom!" Tenten shouted once the blinding light subsided.
"What just happened?" Xin looked around at her friends in concern. They were getting on her last bit of nerves but that didn't mean she wanted to see them hurt in any way. Unless she punched them in the face.
"It's a spell that imitates a miko's touch of purity," Xiurong explained shortly. "Now, are we quite finished behaving like children? Yes? Good. I understand your points of concern for Hinata and Xin but let's not forget that they are fully capable of making their own decisions. That doesn't mean you can't give them advice but all of this arguing and blame-game is ridiculous. You're adults, act like it." It wasn't often that Xiurong spoke sternly but when she did, it was best to heed her words. She, like Hinata, had patience but she was no Buddha.
"Well…." Suigetsu said after a long pause. If anything, Suigetsu seemed to be on their side the most. He constantly came to their defense, putting him at odds with Karin and talked them all into giving the twins their space. "What are you girls going to do?" He asked slowly, hoping he wouldn't get his head chewed off first.
Hinata and Xin glanced at one another, thinking the situation over. "There isn't much we can do," Hinata began to say, tilting her head to the side. "But we can't just...not live our life and expect any of you to stop your lives for us. It's not fair and it's no way to live. You know how much independence means to the both of us and they way you've been acting so far has been clashing with our independence."
Xin, who'd been looking down in her cup of tea, frowned softly. "A miko's touch of purity…" She muttered. "That's how Jun and Junko protected themselves and their village, right? By purifying the demons?"
Xiurong smiled almost knowingly, as if she'd been waiting for one of the twins to make the connections. "Yes, that's how they protected themselves. They also had Karin, Suigetsu and Ruolan but they mostly took care of themselves."
"Do you think it's possible for us to learn to protect ourselves?"
Xiurong's smile morphed into a full on grin. "Why, of course you can."
TeeBeMe: I kind of feel bad for making Matsuri so bitchy. It's not her fault, yall. She's just frustrated, she's in love with an asshole, after all. Xin is also an asshole so just imagine having to deal with that. Gaara and Xin are truly a nightmare together, lol. She's really a sweet person, I swear. Hopefully I'll be able to utilize her sweet personality once she simmers down.
There's so much that I have planned for this story and Gaara and Xin's relationship and it frustrates me that they're in their early stages of their relationship. I just want them to kiss already. I don't want their relationship to develop too quickly but I'm not sure if I can handle writing a slow-burn, I want them together already dammit! Gaara still acting pretty funny but Xin is already 100 percent done with him and all of his shenanigans. Also, I clearly have a height kink. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Read, review, follow and favorite! Remember, I loooooove reviews. Who doesn't? See you next chapter.