Xin's P.O.V

Tapping into spiritual energy is harder than I originally thought. For one, no one but me and Hinata were actually priestesses. Apparently spiritual energy was different from Neji's regular ass energy or Tenten's Divine Power. Karin and Suigetsu were obviously useless as all Hell. Xiurong finally suggested that we visit the Hyuga family once more. Someone had to know something about spiritual energy. Neji thought it would be a good idea to speak to Tsubame, our paternal grandmother. Which would have been fine and everything, except visiting my grandparents up in the sticks is the entire reason why I'm in this mess in the first place.

"At least try to fix your face," Hinata hummed serenely as we approached the house. Luckily I didn't hit any stray demons on the way up here but that still wasn't enough to lift my mood. Tenten was nice enough to lend us her car for the trip up here and that made me even more paranoid. The last thing I needed was to wreck Tenten's car. She loved her fuckin' car and would probably buss me in the head with that damn crystal ball of hers if I ruined it.

"Tsubame better know some shit. I did not take this trip all the way up here for nothing," I sniffed distastefully. Hinata laughed at my sour mood and led the way towards the kitchen. Tsubame's old eyes sized us up as we walked into the kitchen, a look of thought on her face. Tsubame didn't necessarily have a favorite grandchild. It really just depended on her current mood. For the most part I got along with her but she had a sadistic sense of humor.

"Well," She turned towards the kitchen table and slowly settled down, her look of thought still in place. "You girls must want something important if you bothered to make the trip all the way up here," She commented simply while we settled across from her. "It's not like anyone ever bothers to visit just because."

"You live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by wild animals, whose fault is that?" I asked blankly. Hinata sighed heavily, already ready for our banter. I think Tsubame enjoyed our back and forth though.

"Youth today, so soft," Tsubame shook her head. "So you saw a bear or wild boar. I told Hiashi not to raise you in the city but does he ever listen to me?"

"Good thing he didn't," I snorted. "We'd be hermits."

"At least you wouldn't be scared of a bear."

"Yeah because who's afraid of a bear or two?"

Tsubame smirked and shook her head. "Would you like a cookie?" She asked sweetly, pushing a plate of seemingly innocent cookies towards us. Hinata, the sweetheart that she was, reached for a cookie. I grabbed her arm and pulled it back. Without breaking eye contact, I grabbed a cookie from the plate and rapped it against the table. It didn't crumble like it should have, instead emitting a hollow noise.

"Grandmother," Hinata admonished lightly as I tossed the brick-ass cookie back to the plate. Tsubame folded her arms stubbornly and huffed, turning her nose up.

"Well, had you visited when they were fresh…"

"Oh for Heaven's sake!" I threw my hands up. Hinata only hummed loudly, probably proud that I hadn't said for fuck's sake for once. "That's not the point, ya old bat."

"Xin."

"Then what is, you useless idiot?"

"Grandmother."

I folded my arms across my chest and glared down at her rotten cookies. Hiashi always said Tsubame liked being difficult and maybe that's why he was so emotionally stunted. His father was an asshole and his mother had a twisted, difficult sense of humor. My dad never had a chance and for that, my sisters and I didn't either. And I mean, sure, my sisters probably seemed normal as hell next to me. I just tended to loudly project everything that was wrong with me. People often thought that coming from money meant you had the perfect life. And I mean, I guess life was easier since money was at our disposal but well...where did that leave us psychologically?

"You're here for a reason," Tsubame uttered not unkindly. "Not that I mind the visit—why didn't you bring Hanabi—but why are you here?"

"We know about Jun and Junko."

Tsubame didn't react, not that I thought she would. A lot of people thought Hiashi got his iron will and spine from his father. Fuck no he didn't. That was all Tsubame. "Well, they are our ancestors. You should know a bit of our history."

"No you senile old bat, we know about them. As in, we know they were twin priestesses and all about demons," I rolled my eyes and shifted in my chair. I wouldn't put it past her to throw one of those brick ass cookies at me. She's thrown harder things before.

Tsubame met my gaze with her own gaze of stone. "And how do you know about that?"

"Jun told me."

"Jun has been dead for over five hundred years."

"Yeah, you tell that to her. I'm sick of all her freaky dreams/flashbacks. We also asked Tenten, Suigetsu and Karin about it. They filled in the blanks. Mom too."

Tsubame's face settled as if she smelled something foul. "Kiyone and I told Manami not to let you two become so close to those three but does she ever listen? Of course not. Now you girls know things you have no business knowing…"

"This isn't about our Mother," Hinata spoke up, squaring her shoulders. "Jun and Junko wanted us to know about them because something from their past is hunting us down. We can't depend on the others all of the time and Xiurong said it's possible to protect ourselves."

Tsubame's shoulders tightened but she sat back, trying to convey her usual air of impassiveness. "You girls have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"Well, if everyone would just stop speaking in rhymes and riddles, we'd probably know. But that's besides the point. Whatever we're getting into, we're in it already. Deep. We were already attacked by demons and I've been pretty much threatened by a Satan reject."

"Satan reject?"

"The one who's responsible for their deaths is coming after us."

I watched my grandmother's face turn grim. Well, that wasn't a good sign. "I see. So what is it that you want from me? I can't protect you."

The fuck was wrong with my family? Mom pretty much said the same thing. And okay, I got it, if we hadn't gone digging through our family's History, we'd be fine. But to hear your mother and grandmother say that they couldn't protect you...well…it just sucked. They weren't even going to try. "Can't or won't?" I scowled at her. Tsubame didn't immediately reply and I rolled my eyes. "Never-mind then, we'll do it ourselves. As usual," I sighed and shook my head. "Can you at least tell us how to awaken spiritual energy?"

Tsubame leaned across the table, poking at my chest. "It is awakened, you twin morons," She snapped nastily. "You just have to learn how to control it."

"How?"

"Do I look like a priestess to you? You're the miko, that's up to you. Don't you feel something odd beneath your skin and in your veins?"

"Moon dust and pure snow."

Tsubame glanced in between us, a thin brow quirked. "Call upon the oddity hidden under your skin and direct it to do as you please. To purify, to protect, to heal. You decide what to do with the energy. Call on it."

"Well that was helpful," I scowled the entire drive home. Hinata didn't say much, staring down at her hands. She was frowning softly, nose wrinkled in thought. She kept repeating Tsubame's words to herself. Her behavior didn't really worry me. We both tended to mutter and talk to ourselves when trying to solve a problem.

"It's there, we just have to call it...perhaps we should try to meditate?" Hinata pieced together slowly as I pulled into the parking lot of Tenten's apartment building. She insisted that bringing back the car tomorrow morning was fine but I wasn't in the mood for that. It was late but Neji or Tenten would drive us back. If not, then we'd just walk back.

"We could try it," I shrugged, open to anything. I wasn't going to shoot down her idea when I hadn't thought of shit. "It's better than nothing," I slid out of the car and waited for her to round the car. She smiled slowly, like she expected me to shoot the idea down. "It's a pretty good idea to start with," I continued to compliment her. We turned towards the building when something heavy landed in front of us. Fear didn't settle in my chest this time. Maybe it was the long drive that took all of my energy or something because I just felt annoyed and tired. I wanted to go home and just lay the fuck down.

An overgrown wolf looking creature stared down at us. I backed Hinata up towards the car, wondering if we should risk trying to jump back into the car. The wolf demon pulled it's lips back into a drooling snarl, revealing rows and rows of far too many teeth. It was wonder that it could even close it's damn mouth in the first place. "Perfect," I drawled, pressing my arm across Hinata's chest. Her fingers curled into the sleeve of my hoodie. "So sis, should we make a run for it? Or…" I trailed off sardonically. "Either way, someone's going to yell at me for this."

"How...how could this possibly be your fault?" Hinata asked slowly, other hand inching towards her pocket for her cellphone. Clearly Tenten and Neji were fuckin' oblivious to what was going on out here. "We're literally outside their apartment building. It's not like we decided to walk home from work or something…"

"Yeah I guess so—argh!" I shoved Hinata down to the ground as the wolf demon took a dangerous swipe at us. I yanked her to the side and shoved at her back, propelling her forward as the demon took yet another swipe. Three of his claws caught my arm, shredding the sleeve and my skin. I shrieked and nearly fell to my knees from the pain. Blood immediately began spewing from my arm like a broken fountain. Hinata turned at my shriek, face paling at the sight of the blood.

She ducked under the demon's arm and darted back towards me. Sweat broke out across my forehead and glancing down, I noticed an odd glow emitting from my ravaged arm. "That can't possibly be good," I uttered solemnly. For some odd reason, my voice sounded far away. Hinata yanked me to my feet, hands tightening around me as the demon looked at us. "Oi, Hinata, is...is the world spinning? Because….cause…..the world is fuckin' spinning, Hinata, it's spinning. Are you spinning the world?"

The apartment doors burst open and Neji and Tenten came charging out. Fuckin' finally. A dome of energy formed around us but I barely even registered it. My fuckin' arm felt like it was twitching under the mess of blood. "I think my veins are falling out," I muttered blankly. Hinata crouched over me, arms wrapped tightly around my torso. She was busily looking down at my arm, barely registering that Neji and Tenten finally came to our defense.

I sagged into Hinata's embrace, sweating deeply. They made quick work of the wolf demon and ran towards us. The barrier fell and Tenten crouched over us, letting out a groan when she got a good look at my arm. "Shit," She swore through her teeth. She's been cursing a lot lately. I mean, she was no saint but she didn't curse as often as I did. "Neji, get her upstairs. She's got poison in her and it's traveling fast."

I didn't physically feel my cousin pull me into his arms. That was alarming but I didn't panic. I just...I felt I was far away and was looking at everything through a murky fish bowl. I could hear Hinata and Tenten talking as they practically ran up several flights of stairs but don't ask me what they were saying cause hell if I knew.

I was too busy foaming at the fuckin' mouth.

Their voices all mixed together to form garbled nonsense but it was easy to put together that they were straight up panicking. Not that I blamed them. I was frothing like a rapid fuckin' animal and now my body was jerking around like I snorted thirty lines of cocaine. Whatever was in me needed to be removed soon. Neji grabbed at my arm, holding it up and barking at Tenten to get herself together. I was going to die. The poison was in my system and I'm going to die. I'm twenty-one and I'm going to die.

Something heavy pressed against my chest, pounding against my rib-cage. It was urgent and it tasted like pure snow but fuck, it burned. My insides were on fire and it suddenly felt like something was surging up my throat. Hinata must have known something was up because she dove forward to grab me by the shoulders. She hefted me up and turned me to the side just as I opened my mouth and threw something up. It fell out in lumpy chunks of gray, thumping against the floor loudly. I was gasping and choking and heaving because what the fuck was that?

I barely had time to examine whatever the fuck I just spit out because my arm suddenly felt like it was on fire. A scream tore it's way from my throat, cut off by Hinata planting her hand firmly against my mouth. Neji grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me back down. I continued to scream against Hinata's hand, eyes screwed shut so tightly that tears squeezed from under my lids. It felt like my skin was being peeled from my bones. It felt like I was being stabbed repeatedly in the same spot. It felt like I was fuckin' dying.

I felt the familiar sparks of Tenten's energy dancing across my skin. I felt the spilled blood being sucked away and the torn skin being pulled back together. It was over in mere seconds but I could still feel the sensation of my arm being shredded open like I was made out of paper. Hinata and Neji pulled away but Hinata remained close by, helping me sit up. Tenten was looking down at the mess of lumpy throw up, frowning softly. Neji sat back, eyes closed like he was meditating or some shit. Hinata grabbed at my arm, inspecting it. It seemed fine save for the jagged scar from my wrist all the way to my elbow. Well, that was neat.

"What happened?" Neji's eyes popped open. He looked annoyed and Hinata glanced over her shoulder at him, frowning.

"Oh no you don't," She uttered, hands tightening around me. "This is not our fault at all. All we did was get out of the car. You two should have been more alert," Hinata yanked her arms away to stand up. She twirled around on them, hands folded across her chest. Holy shit, Hinata was actually reprimanding them. Shit was real.

Tenten took a deep breath and waved her hand over the mess on her floor. A red bubble formed around it. She pinched her fingers and pulled her hands apart, like she was pulling a rope taut. The bubble shrank until it popped into nothing. Well that was weird. Tenten leaned over and ran her hand up my arm, frowning tightly at the feel of the scar under her fingertips. "Do you feel alright, Xin?"

"I feel like a chestburster just came out of my mouth," I said sourly.

"You and your references."

I smiled slowly and reached up to rub my face. "Tsubame wasn't all that helpful," I started to say, deciding to steer us out of confrontation mood. I reached up to grab Hinata, yanking her to sit down on the couch. She did so but her arms remained folded stubbornly. "I mean she was but she wasn't."

"What did she say?" Neji asked slowly, tightly coiled like he was ready for a confrontation. He was eyeing Hinata down, probably a little caught off guard that Hinata actually put him in his place for once.

"That we're morons," Hinata replied while I sat back into the couch. "And that our spiritual power is already awake and we have to call on it."

"And how are you supposed to do that?"

"How's she supposed to know? She isn't a priestess," I snorted, repeating Tsubame's words. "She told us we had to call on it and direct it. Wasn't much help but Hinata suggested that we try to meditate right before the fuckin' wolf attacked us."

Neji and Tenten exchanged a thoughtful look before they both nodded that meditating was a good start. I rolled my eyes, like we needed their permission to do so. Entitled idiots. "Would one of you give us a ride home?" Hinata asked with a tight jaw. I only stared at her, wondering if she was really that irritated. Tenten agreed to take us home, offering a slow smile. Hinata didn't seem to buy into it though, briskly keeping to herself.

The car ride home was silent as all hell.

End P.O.V

Matsuri scowled harshly as she surveyed the tidy apartment. If Xin and Hinata's scents weren't all over the place, she would have thought no one lived there. Everything was just so...clean. She folded her arms across her chest and continued to look around. Hinata was gone for classes but Xin was actually in the bathroom, unaware of the intrusion.

If Gaara and Jura found out that she'd gone to the human's residence by herself, they'd both flip. It wasn't like she was going to hurt the little ingrate. At least not at the moment, of course not. She just wanted to speak to the cretin without either men butting into it. She didn't understand their need to keep her away from Xin. The girl wasn't a physical threat to her.

Matsuri just wanted to understand.

The bathroom door swung open and heavy steam billowed out. Matsuri didn't move an inch, watching quietly as Xin emerged from the bathroom. She lazily rubbed a towel against her hair, eyes closed while she hummed a catchy tune to herself.

She wasn't anything special, Matsuri frowned. She's known demoness whose beauty was so famous that they started wars. This woman...well…she was much too small, first and foremost. She wasn't exactly thin nor was she fat. Her hips and thighs were thick in what older women would deem perfect for childbearing. Her legs and stomach were tight with muscle, which was somewhat impressive. Her ankles and wrists were thin and Matsuri marveled at how easy it would be to break them. Her breasts were surprisingly heavy but Matsuri had seen heavier. Her hair was odd for a human, resembling blue ink like the night sky. Paired with her porcelain skin, it was almost unnerving. But it was her eyes. They were too large and though they seemed mostly trusting, there was something dead in that girl's gaze.

Matsuri did not like Xin one bit.

"Oh," Xin's eyes popped open. "Matsuri, what a surprise," She greeted tonelessly, eyes searching the living room. Matsuri's eyes narrowed, she was alone. "Can I...help you?" Xin raised one brow, settling her a hand on the curve of her hip. Matsuri supposed Xin was quite pretty, for human standards, but she was nothing special. It wasn't enough to have Jura's attention. Or Gaara's attention, for that matter.

"What did you do to him?" Matsuri sneered down at the younger girl. Xin's face pinched into itself in thought before it loosened up again. Her eyebrows dropped closer to her eyes in a slight furrow and her lips pulled into a pout.

"I hit him with my car."

"What."

Xin sighed and threw the damp towel over her neck. She blinked hard and rubbed at her face. "I didn't do anything to him. He's a grown man, he does what he wants."

Matsuri moved closer, looming over her. Xin didn't have it in her to point out that she literally faced down not only Gaara, who was scary as fuck, but four other demons with every intention of killing her. Matsuri was not scary. Well, actually she did have it in her, she just didn't feel like the ensuing argument that was sure to follow. She doubted a demon would take kindly to her blasé attitude.

"You're lying and I don't take kindly to liars," She spoke calmly but Xin wasn't fooled. "He's been acting out of sorts and you seem to be a common factor."

"You seem to be getting on my damn nerves," Xin replied in her same blank tone. She was growing tired of these demons trying to muscle in on her. "Let's be real, Matsuri. This isn't about his responsibilities and obligations he has back home, wherever that may be."

"Suna."

"Suna, Hell, same thing," Xin waved her interjection off. "This is about you thinking I'm going to steal him away. And I guess that's understandable seeing as how you decided to put your relationship on a break. Stupid choice, by the way."

Matsuri visibly bristled and her hands tightened into fists. Xin caught the motion and glanced around her living room. She could probably use her TV remote if things got ugly. Her eyes sought the sight of the nice vase of pretty flowers on the coffee table. If push comes to shove, she'd break that pretty vase over the demoness' head and use the shards to gouge her eyes out. Hinata really liked the vase but she would understand if Xin had to use it to defend herself against this crazy demoness.

"He's a demon. I'm a human. It's not like we would ever work so you don't have to worry about me moving in on your boyfriend. I don't know how many times I'll say I don't want anything to do with the guy."

"That's it?"

"What is?"

"The fact that you are a human and he's a demon. That's the only reason you're not interested? Then obviously you must be interested on some level."

Xin blinked at the taller demoness, frowning thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion but...no. Just no. I'm not interested in psychopaths who like to choke women out. If that's your thing, by all means.."

She was abruptly cut off when Matsuri reached forward to wrap her hand around Xin's neck. It wasn't enough to cut off her oxygen but it was enough to bruise her. "You watch your tongue, you pathetic cretin," Matsuri hissed down at her, losing her waning patience. "I will not stand here and allow you to disrespect him in any way, do you understand?"

"I see that you also have a thing for choking…"

Matsuri's fingers tightened around her neck threateningly, halting any of Xin's dry humor. "Let me go," She snapped through clenched teeth, seriously thinking of gouging the demoness' eyes out. The brunette only let out a scoff, not afraid of the human. Xin's hand suddenly shot up, open-palmed. It collided just under Matsuri's jaw, snapping her mouth shut and throwing her head back. Her hand unraveled instantly and Xin backed out of her reach.

Matsuri recovered with a vicious snarl, watching as Xin leaned over the couch. She dug into the couch cushion, producing a butcher knife. Why the woman had a knife hidden in her couch was beyond Matsuri but it was enough to make her pause. "You touch me one more time and I'll make sure you never touch another thing in your life. You demons have freaky healing powers but I doubt you can regrow a fuckin' limb. Keep your distance."

The dead look in her gaze intensified, severely unnerving Matsuri.

"Now let's get something straight," Xin began to talk, hand tight around the knife. "You're the one who worships that man, not me. Know why? Because I don't like him so I couldn't give two fucks about disrespecting him. There is nothing going on between us. The most we have is a very shaky, unstable and questionable friendship. If you want to know why he keeps coming around, you need to ask him instead of trying to threaten me."

Matsuri glared hatefully at Xin but wisely kept her distance. That girl punched her straight in the chest knowing she was a demon. She could kill her but she had a feeling the girl would not go down without a violent fight.

"I get it, you're angry. Your relationship is shit and you made the universally stupid choice to put it on a break," Xin continued to talk, ignoring Matsuri's souring temper. "That doesn't mean attack the first woman he interacts with. He's tried to kill me several times, you don't have to worry about me stealing him from you even though he's not yours."

"Excuse me?"

Xin shrugged indifferently. "Come on, everyone knows that going on a break never works. It's a last ditch effort and barely works. Ever watch Friends? Never really ends well. Men don't take breaks. He only agreed so you could finally figure out that you're not compatible," Xin continued to speak in her toneless voice, watching as Matsuri's face turned red before her eyes strayed to the side.

"You don't know what you're talking about! It would do you well to keep your baseless assumptions to yourself if you know what's good for you!" Matsuri thundered, shoulders shaking in sheer anger. Xin, who'd been twirling the knife leisurely and looking off to the side, paused. Under her haze of anger, Matsuri wondered how Xin managed to not cut herself.

"It's not…" She began to say only to stop. She inhaled deeply, letting out a heavy sigh. "Fine, whatever you say. Just leave me the fuck alone, alright? I have to get ready for a shift at the gym so are we done here?"

Matsuri's nose wrinkled at the mention of Xin's gym. She'd seen the girl at the gym, taking an active roll in its operation. "Boxing? How...primitive…" She looked down her nose at Xin. Seemingly used to the reaction, Xin flagged her off. Matsuri shook her head and despite Xin still having that knife, took a step closer. "Break or not, you stay mindful of what I said."

Xin rolled her eyes and hummed, not really caring for her threats. "Yeah? And you remember that I will cut your hand off."

Matsuri left with a sneer, leaving nothing behind but their threats.

Xin watched as Neji ambled into the bakery, frowning with a tilted head. Neji usually didn't come to the bakery without anyone dragging him there. Deciding that it was time for a break, she grabbed one of the serving trays. She set the tray down loudly against the table before plopping in the seat across from him. Neji quietly looked down, studying the tray of coffee cakes and coffee. His eyes slowly ascended, gaze sweeping over her face. There was a slight discoloration at her jaw, most likely from her shift at Primary Lotus. She looked a little banged up but she seemed pleased.

It was a stark contrast to the girl she used to be. Angry, annoyed and difficult. Living under her parents had made Xin into a spoiled but annoyed woman. All she wanted was to live her life and make her own choices. Xin was rebellious, always had been. While he, Hanabi and Hinata were comfortable with being directed in life, Xin was sick of it. And while their family might frown upon her choices of work, there was no denying that she quite satisfied with her independence.

"I'm sorry for the way I've acted lately," He all but blurted as she pushed the cup of coffee towards him. Xin's face broke into confusion but she didn't say anything. "This...the world Tenten and I are involved in…it's not safe," He spoke quietly, hands sliding around the cup of coffee. "I want to keep you and Hinata safe."

Xin didn't immediately reply, opting to quietly stare at him. "Demons are dangerous," He said in a low mutter, eyes looking towards her arm. Her long sleeve covered her arm but the scar was there. "But Naruto and Gaara...they're more than dangerous than the average demon."

"What makes them more dangerous?" Xin asked instead of fighting with his statement. "You guys don't explain things, you just say something and expect us to accept it. Not that I'm defending either of them but..why are they any different from a demon who wants to kill me?"

"Because they aren't mindless and don't need to devour you in order to gain power," Neji replied, deciding that he would answer her questions if he could. She had a point. They barely explained anything to the twins lately. They just ordered them around with barely any explanation. "Gaara and Naruto are the type to start and end wars. No matter how laid back Gaara seems or how goofy Naruto is, a demon is a demon."

Xin sat back in her chair, hands cradling her cup of coffee. She knew Gaara was dangerous from her own experience and she figured Naruto was dangerous as well since he was also a demon. But...she never thought of how dangerous they were. "How do you know that?" She asked slowly, frowning.

"They aren't the only demons we've befriended from the Demon Realm. They're far older than us and they've experienced different things. Killing is nothing to them, it's a normal occurrence for the both of them. Gaara more so than Naruto but even so….they have a dark past and I don't want either of them near you and Hinata. Nothing good will come from it."

She wanted to argue his point. Gaara was an asshole and he might have tried to strangle her but he did save and protect her, along with Naruto. They came to her bakery and walked her and her sister home. They couldn't be all bad, could they?

"The portals that keep opening all over the city, that's not normal," Xin said instead of further questioning him about Gaara and Naruto. Neji had his opinions formed on the two. If Xin wanted to know more about the two demons, she'd have to ask them herself. Whether or not they answered her inquiries was an entirely different story.

"No," Neji reached towards the coffee cake. He didn't often bother with sweets but he liked coffee cakes, at least. "Demons are not really allowed to cross over to our world, since they tend to kill humans. They can with permission with the head of their villages and cities but from what I understand from Gaara and Naruto, these demons are acting on their own in order to massacre the humans."

"Do you think the portals are being opened up by one person alone?"

"Perhaps….it's hard to tell at this point. Portals are hard to track where they came and we usually arrive when the portal closes," Neji mumbled after swallowing a mouthful of the coffee cake.

"Do you think the portals have anything to do with...us?" Xin asked carefully. Neji tilted his head to the side. "All of this weird shit started to happen the more Hinata and I became aware of being miko and a lot of demons are hunting us down to eat us, right? Do you think that maybe….it could be Masuyo and Kuraim?"

Neji looked thoughtful, thinking her words over. It was a good point but he saw the flaws in her reasoning. "Kuraim probably wants to kill you himself so I doubt he'd open portals up with the intention of letting another demon kill you."

"What about Masuyo?"

"It's a strong possibility. She's a mystic so she certainly has the means to open portals. I could ask Karin and Sui about it and talk it over with Tenten. There's flaws in the idea but it shouldn't be ruled completely out."

Xin felt a little proud of her thoughts but understood that she could be wrong. "Do you think Kuraim will find us?"

"I…." Neji trailed off, looking away. A dark look shadowed his calm eyes, causing Xin's stomach to sink uncomfortably. "I do. I think he's getting closer to finding the both of you but it doesn't matter. We're going to make sure we finish what Jun and Junko started. We'll do what they couldn't do and kill the bastard."

Xin smiled very slowly.

Gaara swung the front door open, frowning as he did so. That girl ranted and raved about him constantly 'breaking in' when she was too stupid to even lock her door. Anyone could fuckin' walk right into her apartment but she always whined at him for using a portal to gain entrance. And just what the fuck was he doing here anyway? He remembered telling himself that he was done with Hyuga Xin. There was nothing to tie the the girl to him anymore and yet, here he was, striding into her home as if they'd been friends for years.

It was mostly Matsuri's fault. She had casually made a passing comment about Xin smelling of demonic poison. And though he tried to ignore the tidbit of information, he found himself wondering what the idiotic girl had gotten herself into this time. He decided that he should at least check on her to make sure she wasn't completely dead. He owed her that much for somewhat having a hand in throwing her life out of whack.

She was in the living room with a bucket of water and a mop. Gaara found himself wondering if the girl had any other hobbies besides cleaning, baking and hitting people. She stood, slightly distracted with something on her phone while clutching the mop with her other hand. She hadn't taken notice of him. "At least lock your front door, idiot," He sneered at her, finally alerting her to his presence. Xin snapped her head up, not expecting to see him there, and threw her phone straight at his face. Luckily he caught the airborne device, snatching it easily out of the air before it could smack into his face.

"Fuck," She cursed loudly, holding her hand to her chest. "Put a goddamn bell around your neck if you're going to sneak up on people! What's the matter with you?" She fumed with a red face. "And what'd I say about breaking in here with those freaky portals of yours?"

Gaara casually tossed her phone in the air, catching it with an air of indifference. "I didn't use a portal. I used the front door, why don't you lock your door?" Gaara asked in a calm manner. Now that he was in her vicinity, he could smell the lingering smell of poison wafting from her. "Clearly anyone could come in here. You're just asking to be killed."

"Yeah? Well, what do you care?" Xin huffed, folding her hands over the top of the mop. "I'm used to leaving the door unlocked for Karin, Sui and Tenten. Old habits die hard," She shrugged with the same air of indifference that he maintained.

"Old habits will get you killed."

"Why, Gaara, it sounds like you do care. Imagine that," Xin's grin was languid as she leaned forward on the mop. "Did you come to lecture me about the dangers of your world and my unlocked door or is there another reason? Don't tell me you actually enjoy hanging around me. Naruto, I could believe but you? Ha."

A smirk pulled at his lips. "Don't be ridiculous," He replied simply, ignoring Xin's quirked eyebrow. "Matsuri made a passing comment and I simply came to make sure she didn't kill you as well," He told her, not wanting to tell her he was really there to see why she smelled of demonic poison.

"Did she tell you I threatened to chop her hand off?"

"Yes, she mentioned that. She didn't seem happy about it."

"She threatened me first. Convincing her that there's nothing going on between us is difficult when you keep popping up here every time I turn around," Xin reminded him with a sniff before straightening up again. She plunged the mop into the soapy water. "Now sit down at the table and don't dirty my floor."

"What I do with my time is none of her concern," Gaara spat vehemently. He turned towards to the dining room table and sat down. It surprised her that he easily did as she told him to do. She didn't comment, knowing he'd say something snarky in return. The demon placed her phone on the table, ignoring her look of annoyance as he did so.

"Yeah, sure, too bad you won't explain that you don't want a relationship with her anymore and that's why what you do with your time has nothing to do with her. You're stringing her along," Xin hummed absently as she began mopping the floor. She mopped so much, her friends often joked that she would wear the floor away.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her and finally noticed the long jagged scar running the length of her forearm. That, he noted, hadn't been there the last time he saw her. He scented the air and pinpointed the lingering smell of poison coming from the scar. "What happened to your arm?"

Xin paused for a second to look down at her arm. It was almost like she'd forgotten about it. "Oh," Xin puckered her lips. "A wolf demon took a swipe at my sister so I pushed her out of the way and took the hit instead," She explained shortly with a shrug. Gaara frowned, eyeing the scar with a thoughtful look. "Do you have any siblings?" Xin suddenly prompted, eyes trained on the floor.

"Yes. A sister and a brother. They're both older."

"Ah, so you're the baby then. Are you spoiled? My little sister is spoiled but I think that's more so because she's more well-behaved than I was at her age," Xin had a fond look on her face. "She's sixteen. Are your siblings much older than you?"

"No, my sister is two years older than me and my brother is one year older," Gaara replied, watching as she circled the entire living room. "Where's your sister?" He asked as she steadily made her way back towards him.

"She went to my aunt's house with Neji. I think he said they're going to dig through the archives my Uncle had before he passed. They think they might find something to help us with our spiritual energy," Xin explained offhandedly. "I need to sweep in the kitchen again," She muttered more to herself than to him.

"Do you have an obsession with cleaning?"

Xin looked at him, studying his face. It almost seemed like she was waiting for him to start teasing her about her need to constantly clean. "Yeah, I tested positive for OCD when I was younger. I have this...need for cleanliness…." She hunched her shoulders, ready for some sort of insult. She obviously couldn't control her need to clean and was often made fun of while growing up.

Gaara nodded, eyes scanning the freakishly clean living room. The floors were practically shining. "Rasa would love to have you clean his rooms, even if you are a human. You do a better job than his demons underlings."

"Rasa….Matsuri mentioned him when you were all at the bakery. Is that like….your boss or something?"

"No, he's my Father."

"Oh...you didn't sound too fond of him."

"Because I'm not."

He shot her a meaningful look. "I see…." She trailed off, knowing it wasn't a good idea to ask him anything else about Rasa. "Tell me about your home. It's called Suna, right?" She decided to move onto a different, less sensitive topic. "What's it like?"

"There's sand everywhere," Gaara replied dryly.

"Like a desert?"

"Yes."

"Like...the Sahara desert? Just sand and shit?"

Gaara snorted and pressed his hand to his face in an attempt to stave off his laughter. The fact he was even enjoying her company was mind-boggling. He'd only come to see why she smelled of demonic poison. She explained nearly five minutes ago and yet he was still here, answering her fleeting questions. She was smart enough to leave the subject of Rasa alone, which surprised him. She seemed like the type to ask your deepest, darkest secret with a straight face.

"Yes, actually. The city settled in a desert oasis."

Xin made an interested humming noise. "I was born and raised in Tokyo," She shrugged indifferently. "Seems boring next to you being raised in a desert oasis though. How did you meet Naruto?"

"I tried to kill him."

"...was there like a special reason for that...or?"

"Our countries waged war against each other a very long time ago."

"What country are you from?"

"Wind."

Xin stopped, lips pursed in thought. "Sounds like you've lived a pretty interesting life," She commented while studying her floors. She had an itching need to make another round but squeezed her hands around the mop handle.

"And yet I've never met a woman quite like you."

Gaara didn't look away when she turned to stare at him. She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not but it sounded odd coming out of his mouth. She didn't understand the demon at this point. She usually wasn't one to hesitate on being upfront but for some reason, she found herself quite nervous about his answer to her next question.

"Gaara..why do you keep coming back? You have the information you wanted about me. You don't have any obligations to me. Convincing Matsuri that you aren't interested in me is difficult when you keep coming back like this," She mad it a point to look away. Gaara continued to stare up at her, an unreadable look on his face. He watched as she fiddled with her mop. She seemed even smaller than usual, hunching in on herself self-consciously. He doubted her defensive stance was from being self-conscious, she was probably just waiting to argue with him. "I mean I know you aren't interested romantically. You're too much of a psycho but you keep coming back. Why?" Xin pressed on. He almost bristled from her psycho comment but once more found himself snorting at her utter lack of respect.

Women like her, tiny little things, were supposed to fear him. They were supposed to obey him. They didn't get away with speaking out of turn to him. They didn't survive being strangled by him. They didn't question him and stick their nose into his business.

He should have just killed her. Miko or not, she wouldn't survive having her heart ripped out. In fact, he still could kill her. There was no Karin or Neji around to stop him. He could kill her and be rid of her entirely. There wasn't a damn thing stopping him from reaching over and plunging his hand into her chest, nothing to stop him from tearing out her heart and dropping it to the floor.

He'd be rid of Hyuga Xin.

A loud vibration from his pocket distracted the two of them. Xin looked completely surprised to see him pull a cellphone out of his pocket. He stared down at the flashing screen, silently reading the incoming text message from Naruto.

'Multiple portals opening downtown. Get your ass in gear.'

"You have a cellphone?" Xin asked with a voice of disbelief. She watched with wide eyes as he easily tapped away the phone before moving closer to stand over him. The last thing she was expecting was him knowing how to use a phone. Karin and Suigetsu had cell phones but they live in the human world. Gaara lived in a fuckin' desert his entire life, what the hell did he know about phones?

He glanced up at her, head tilted to the side. "Obviously," He snorted and climbed to his feet, towering over her smaller form. "Just because we are demons do not mean we are ignorant to technology. You think humans are any smarter than demons?"

"I don't know, you're the ones mindlessly killing humans and eating them. That doesn't sound like such a smart thing to do."

"Humans sometimes eat one another. Cannibals."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

Gaara didn't answer, deciding to slide his phone back into his pocket. He turned for the front hall with a tight frown. Her latest question hung over them but Xin seemingly forgot all about it, still marveling over his knowledge of technology. "It's time for me to leave," He announced, although he wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to do so.

She didn't really seem to care, waving fleetingly as she muttered to herself about demons and technology. He left the way he came, making sure to twist the lock on the doorknob, at least. Stupid woman was going to get herself killed. As he closed the door, he heard an angered shriek from the living room. "Motherfucker didn't take off his shoes! I just mopped, goddammit!"

Her question of why he insisted on coming back was left unanswered.

For the both of them.

TeeBeMe: Xin asked for none of this lol.

Akari: Listen, I said I have a height kink, don't judge me! I'm actually pretty sure so that's probably why. I dig tall people. I have a like/hate relationship with Matsuri. Like she bugs me but only because I love Xin. I wasn't all the fond of her in the anime though so there's that. Poor girl doesn't deserve my abuse but Imma abuse her anyway. It is funny that Jun is so trusting but Xin is paranoid as all hell. They're opposites in some ways lol. Hinata is a sweet character but I like to think she grows a little more confident in herself as she gets older so that's why she seems more confident, I guess. I hope she isn't OOC.

BloodyCamellia: Well who doesn't loooove reviews? I sure do! But even if this fic only has a few reviews, it's still enough :) I'm glad you like Xin, whether it's this version or SOC's version. I think she's funnier in this fic though. The two are pretty hostile when they first meet, I just think it's funnier that way. I kind of dig couples that hate each other at first but are lowkey attracted to one another. Now we just gotta see who cracks first. I am leaning towards M-rating, seems like mostly everyone would prefer it.

marinaa07: Matsuri is just so in love, she's willing to be led on, that's her problem. I love Jura too, he's such a sweetheart although I'm starting to think he's a masochist for being attracted to a woman who has no problem punching him in the face. Maybe that's his kink lol. Xin might be a human but she isn't a pushover, she has no problem throwing a punch. That's probably gonna get her ass into some deep shit though. her and Gaara bickering is one of my favorite things to write. They're hilarious together.

DemonoftheNight3: Thank you dear, I can see that too! Especially Xin. She just haaaates being compared to Jun. I think a human/demon relationship is pretty interesting too. Even more so since the human in a priestess. I blame that on watching InuYasha while growing up. The anime has some influence on the story.

moonlight46: I love her sassyness too, it's so fun to write! She's so fed up and that's making her even more sassier. Everyone seems so concerned about Neji...lol.

So I'm leaning towards changing the rating to M. Mostly for violence and gore but maybe a lemon splashed here or there. I have to psych myself up to write those, man, the whole time I was writing the lemon for chapter 29 of SOC, I was giggling like an idiot. We'll see, maybe, if yall really want it. But M-rating for violence and gore for sure. Thank you for your support and I'll see you next update.