Two days in and he already regretted opening the door to the twins. Well, that's not exactly fair to say. Hinata and Xin weren't terrible roommates. They went about their days as usual and didn't bother the two demons too much. They even cooked food. And though neither of them would admit to it, it was nice returning to the townhouse to see their smiling faces.

And then Matsuri showed up.

Gaara should have been more alert but fuck all, he was tired. So when Naruto and Gaara returned from a particular nasty fight with three demons, he opted to lay down in his room for a bit. Hinata was clanking around in the kitchen with Naruto and Xin was in the shower. Another thing to add to the list of Xin's oddities was her freakish obsession with baths and showers. If she wasn't sleeping, eating, cleaning or threatening one of them, she was in the damn bathroom. Not that it inconvenienced any of them, there were two bathrooms, but he just found it quite odd.

There was a quick knock at his door before Xin poked her head in. Her hair and skin was still damp from her shower and she was dressed in shorts and a sports bra. Gaara was beginning to wonder if the woman had anything else to wear. He slid his eyes shut, willing her to just go away. "You doing okay in here?" She asked despite his eyes being closed.

"M'fine, girl," He grunted back. He heard her scoff and the door open wider. Her scent filled the room, seeping into every goddamn nook and cranny. He nearly groaned at that, throwing his arm over his nose to block out the scent. Why couldn't she just leave him the fuck alone? If he said he was fine, that wasn't an invitation to step into the room with him.

"What's with that? I thought we were on a first name basis," he could just hear the frown in her voice. "Do I just walk around calling you 'demon'? That's fuckin' rude. And I'm not even a girl anymore, goddammit, I'm a woman."

"You whine like you're a girl," Gaara pulled his arm away to peek at her face. It was twisted into a scowl and was slowly turning red. One hand rested on the slope of her hip as she regarded him with a glare.

"Fuckin' demons," She grumped, throwing her hands up. "Don't know why I even bothered," She twisted around and left the room, making sure to shut the door behind her. A smile tugged at his lips.

Xin rolled her eyes as she thumped down the stairs. She could faintly hear Naruto and Hinata in the kitchen and snorted. Naruto definitely had some sort of crush on her sister. She wasn't sure if her sister realized this but she sure as hell noticed. It didn't really bother her, maybe she was a bit uneasy about it, but Naruto was such a nice guy. Xin stopped short at the bottom of the stairs. Matsuri stood in the middle of the living room, staring her down with a tight face. Xin could only stare back at the demoness. Matsuri's gaze traveled back up the stairs before dropping back to Xin once more. She sized the smaller woman up, lip curling when she noticed her state of undress.

And then the screaming began.

Gaara sat up the minute he smelled the familiar scent of cinnamon, sand and Suna's sun. A mere second later he heard shouting and then the sound of glass shattering. For a moment he stayed in bed, contemplating his life choices before willing himself to get up. He swung the door open and was practically assaulted by the screams.

"I knew it! I knew it you filthy little liar!"

"Oi! Back the fuck up, back up you psycho!"

"Girls!"

"I will shank the shit out of you!"

"I'm going to rip your throat out you lying whore!"

"Oh please do it because I've been waiting for ya ass! I will gouge your fuckin' eyes out, say I won't!"

Gaara took his sweet time coming down the stairs, accessing the situation with nothing but annoyance. Xin and Matsuri were standing in the living room with nothing but the glass coffee table in between them. Matsuri was glaring fiercely at the shorter woman and Xin was armed with a broken shard of glass. He glanced down at the floor to see a pile of glittering glass, water and trampled flowers. He nearly groaned at the sight, knowing Xin was fully capable of reaching over and stabbing Matsuri. Hinata and Naruto stood by the doorway to the kitchen, wary of getting involved with two angry women. Hinata looked like she wanted to get involved but Naruto's hand on her wrist kept her in place.

"What the fuck is going on down here?" Gaara boomed over the shrill screeching. Their shouting ceased immediately and then all eyes were on him. Matsuri's eyes narrowed dangerously as he approached the two women.

"Explain this!" Matsuri snapped, motioning wildly to Xin. The human regarded her with an annoyed frown. "What the hell is she doing here—"

"Minding my damn business!"

"—dressed like that?!"

Gaara looked quite disgruntled, not really understanding why Xin's state of dress was upsetting her. Xin looked just as confused, eyebrows sitting high on her forehead as they both stared at the angry brunette. "You said there's nothing going on between the two of you yet you two were up there by yourselves and she's barely dressed!"

"For fuck's sake."

"Oh my God."

"Matsuri, we don't have a sexual relationship."

"We barely have a relationship!"

Naruto folded his arms across his chest and leaned down towards Hinata. "They're oddly in sync," He muttered into her ear. Despite the tense situation, Hinata chuckled softly.

"It doesn't make for much of an argument when they deny it like that," She commented back.

"Then explain what the hell you think you're doing here!" Matsuri snapped over their protests. Xin's temper flared, reddening her face in agitation. Her grip around the shard became tight, allowing the jagged edges to sink into her skin. Gaara's face twisted the moment he scented the coppery smell in the air.

He reached over, snatching her wrist up. The moment he touched her, the pain settled in and she unfurled her fingers. Naruto was suddenly there, thrusting a hand towel at Gaara. He pulled the shard out, letting it clatter to the coffee table and wrapped her hand, ignoring her hiss of pain. "Stupid girl," He grumbled down at her.

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"Stop whining. What were going to do with that anyway?"

"Gouge her eyes out if she didn't back up."

Matsuri looked in between them, anger pouring from her dark eyes. "Excuse me!" She nearly screeched, stomping a foot. Xin and Gaara look back at her, both wearing expressions of weariness. "I want my explanation right now," She demanded in a shrill voice. She knew damn well it would be stupid to leave the two alone. That awful human had every intention of taking Gaara and she would rather die before letting that happen.

"Oh fuck your explanation," Xin spat at the brunette, clearly not in the mood. Gaara was putting pressure on the slit in her hand and it was throbbing something awful. Hinata had vanished, searching for a first aid kit and Naruto followed after her. She doubted her sister needed that much help finding the kit but kept her snide comments to herself. It was Matsuri that was pissing her off, not Naruto.

"Quiet, Xin."

"Now he knows my name."

"Stop ignoring me!"

"How could we? Ouch! Do you have to press so hard?!"

"You're bleeding, you moron. Yes, I have to press hard. Shut up."

"Gaara!"

The redhead closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Xin eyed him apprehensively, hoping he wouldn't tighten his grip on her injured hand. "Matsuri," his head snapped towards the angered brunette and her fleeting temper cooled under his acid gaze. "Stop shouting. I'll deal with you in a moment."

"Deal?"

"Hell in a handbag, don't anger the beast."

Gaara tried hard not to snort at her words, knowing they would piss Matsuri off even more. Hinata came back with the first aid kit and Gaara quickly relinquished the woman to her sister. The two vanished into the kitchen, leaving the fuming demoness with Naruto and Gaara. "I want to speak to Gaara alone," Matsuri snapped, glaring at Naruto. If the blond was offended by her tone, he didn't show it. Instead, he threw himself to the couch.

"I'm going to overhear it anyway," He grinned impishly. He folded his arms behind his head and inclined further into the couch.

"Then go out scouting."

"And leave you here with Moon Pie and Shorty? I don't think so."

Matsuri twisted into a fierce sneer and Gaara just let out a soft sigh. "What the hell is she doing here?" Matsuri demanded hotly, hands on her hips. "You told me that you didn't care for her yet here she is. She looks quite comfortable as well!"

Gaara leveled her with a nasty look, causing her to lose some of her nerve. "Matsuri, I don't have to explain shit to you. What that girl is doing here is none of your business. Stop questioning me."

Matsuri frowned tightly and folded her arms across her chest. They could hear the twins in the kitchen. Hinata was lightly scolding Xin for her short temper. Hinata made a particularly dry comment, eliciting a laugh from Xin. Gaara's eyes flickered towards the kitchen, tensed shoulders slouching at the sound of her laughter. Matsuri caught the motion. "Gaara, I don't like this. I don't like this girl being around you so often. Her being here in unnecessary."

"Why?" Naruto prompted.

Matsuri sent him a scathing look but Naruto wasn't bothered by it. He outranked Matsuri by a longshot. Besides, he grew up with scarier women. Matsuri's temper tantrum didn't scare him, if anything, it was rather amusing to watch.

"Because she clearly harbors a crush on him."

Naruto made a weird noise in his throat but chose not to comment. "You're being ridiculous," Gaara grumbled at her. "That girl doesn't have a crush on me. We can barely have a conversation without her threatening me."

Matsuri only seemed more agitated, it was like he had some sort of comeback to everything she said. "Damn it, Gaara, I shouldn't have to explain why this makes me so uncomfortable! I don't trust that girl around you."

"This isn't about you, Matsuri. I've told you that. We're not together, who I spend my time with and I what I do with that person is none of your concern. You're testing my patience."

Whatever sort of argument she may of have died on her tongue. Her mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened in fury. She jerked away suddenly, stomping heavily towards the front door. She didn't bother offering a goodbye, violently slamming the door shut behind her. Gaara didn't have much time to gather himself when Xin poked her head out of the kitchen. She surveyed the room, realizing in satisfaction that Matsuri was gone. "Well, she's always a delight!" She sung while parading into the living room.

Hinata followed after her, shaking her head. "Don't be so antagonistic," She chided her sister, handing her the broom and dustpan. Xin simply grinned but popped a squat, sweeping the shattered glass into the dustpan.

A smile curved at her lips as she tilted her head back to peer up at him. "So, Matsuri thinks I'm going to steal your virtue?"

"Fuck off, girl."

"Alright," Naruto practically sung as he slipped into Gaara's room. "The girls are asleep," He announced, much to Gaara's confusion. "I wanted to talk to you without one of them overhearing. Xin clearly doesn't give a shit about eavesdropping."

"To be fair, Matsuri was shouting."

Naruto snorted and leaned against the door, a serious face taking over his usual jovial expression. "I'm going to ask you something important," He said in a very serious tone. Gaara leveled him with a blank stare but Naruto wasn't deterred. "Is there some truth to Matsuri's words?" He asked, watching closely for anything that could give Gaara away should he choose to lie.

The room was silent as Gaara stared at his best friend. He didn't say anything for a long time but apparently Naruto had the patience to sit and wait tonight. "Matsuri...said a lot of things."

"You like Xin?"

Gaara stilled, finding the wall rather interesting. Well, that was the million dollar question. Did he actually like that harpy? He couldn't like her, he barely knew her. She was too young and all they ever did was argue. Hell, she pulled a knife on him and he tried to strangle her more than once. That was often called abuse. But did that mean he didn't like her? He wasn't exactly sure. "I don't hate her.." He said after a moment.

Naruto was unimpressed, "Would you fuck her?"

He suddenly felt a lot like Jura when he accused the brunet of wanting to do the very same to Xin. No matter how much they bickered, he could actually admit Xin was attractive, even if her eyes were a little unsettling. She was pretty, he'd give her that. And clearly if his subconscious was projecting sexual fantasies onto him during his sleep, that meant he was attracted to her sexually as well. "If she came to me, I wouldn't reject her," He said carefully. Just because he would take her to bed didn't mean he actually liked her.

"I doubt she would. That girl is ballsy but to offer something like that? Nah, she's still just a kid. Besides, she's a priestess, don't they take vows of chastity and abstain from sex?"

"I'm not going to seek her out for sex."

"But you wouldn't deny the opportunity."

"What's the point of this, Uzumaki?"

Naruto remained casual, shrugging a shoulder. "No point, I guess. I'm just curious, is all. You give that girl a lot of leeway. If your people saw how she acted towards you…"

"I know."

"Why do you let her get away with it then?"

Gaara let out a frustrated sigh. "Because she's fun. Because she doesn't expect anything out of me. She doesn't hound me about my responsibilities. She's funny and entertaining," He nearly spat the confession out, as if he was ashamed for feeling anything other than contempt for the priestess.

Naruto stared back at him, somewhat surprised. "She treats you like a normal person," He said after a while. "I guess I can understand that. You're...not tightly wound when she's around. You give her your full attention when she talks. Hell, if she so much as giggles, you're looking over at her."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Gaara asked warily. A large part of him didn't want Naruto to answer. He had an idea what he was going to say.

"You obviously like her."

"Obviously? I'm not some lovesick idiot."

Naruto only held up his hands, grinning sheepishly. "I didn't say that, man. It's alright."

"It's not alright, Uzumaki. She's a human priestess. She's a kid. I don't like her."

"And you don't hate her either."

Gaara didn't bother to reply, stubbornly looking away. "I'm not going to think bad of you just because you might have a little crush on a human girl. I can see how you would like her, she treats you normally. Maybe...it wouldn't be so bad to pursue her.."

The redhead barked a dry laugh. "When this is all over, that girl will be dead," He stated lowly. Naruto only replied with a confused face. "She's being hunted by Masuyo. I think she intends to simply give up for Hinata's sake."

"Masuyo?" Naruto parroted, knowing the name. "..that's the mystic, isn't it? The one Rasa and my father were friends with in their youth?"

It took Gaara quite some time to realize why the name Masuyo sounded so familiar. He could vaguely remember the white haired woman being there throughout his childhood. His mother was never fond of the woman and would keep her children from the woman. And then her health began to decline. Strange. Gaara nodded, telling Naruto the strange story Xin wove for him. It surprised Naruto that Xin trusted Gaara so easily to tell him the story. Hinata hadn't breathed a word about what was going on to him. Maybe it was a testament of how much Xin trusted Gaara. Or maybe Hinata just didn't have enough trust in him.

A heavy and weird feeling settled in Naruto's chest. He shifted almost uncomfortably and sighed. "Mom never did like Masuyo much."

"Neither did my mother. Apparently they were right to dislike her. The woman is batshit."

"Seriously. All of this over some guy? He sounds like a real asshole either way. Both of them want her for their own selfish reasons that Xin isn't even responsible for," Naruto said thoughtfully, rubbing at his chin. "You...you won't let that happen."

Gaar shifted uncomfortably, wishing Naruto would just shut the hell up already. Xin made it clear that there was no need for him to get involved with the situation. She made it clear that she wasn't depending on him to save her. It was clear that she had every intentions of letting Masuyo have her revenge, whenever that may be. Naruto was right. Xin wasn't responsible for Kuraim falling in love and being rejected by Jun. The older miko was the one to retaliate and seal him away. Masuyo was ignored because of Jun. It all led back to a dead woman. Xin was willing to take the fall not only for some long-dead woman but her equally innocent sister.

"No, I don't think I will."

"Are you alright?"

Karin and Tenten practically stormed into the townhouse on the fifth night of the twins' stay. Hinata was busy down at the bakery and Naruto and Gaara were out scouting. Naruto reassured Xin that they would walk Hinata home when her shift was finished. Xin only blinked at them, wondering what the fuss was about. "I'm fine," She said with a wry smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're rooming with a psychopath," Karin deadpanned. "Where the hell is he, anyway? He's supposed to be watching you."

"I'm not four years old, Karin. I don't need a babysitter," Xin rolled her eyes. "He went out with Naruto. They're going to get Hinata on the way back."

Karin huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Let me be the first to say that I don't like this at all," She stated firmly.

"You've said that about a million times, Karin."

"And I'll say it a million and one more time. I. Don't. Like. This."

Tenten pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't bring Karin over here to argue. "Karin, enough. We didn't come here to bicker. We came here to—what happened to your hand?" She stopped short, concern in her eyes. Xin frowned at Tenten and glanced down at her hand, realizing it was still wrapped. It was aching and she hadn't been allowed to do much once Anko and Gai caught wind of the injury.

"What did he do?" Karin snatched Xin's hand up, flipping it to stare down at the slightly red bandage.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Xin rolled her eyes for the second time. "He didn't do a damn thing but pull the shard out. It was my fault. I was threatening Matsuri and I got angry."

"Xin, please stop threatening demons," Tenten sighed heavily, pinching her nose again. She was surprised there wasn't a bruise forming across the bridge. "At least until you can actually purify them."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Tenten threw her hands up but snorted in good nature. "Give me your hand, you awful priestess."

"Fuck you, Sailor Moon."

Tenten laughed softly as she undid the soiled bandage. She tutted at the jagged slice, another scar to add to her collection. Her collection of scars were beginning to grow, she noted uneasily. Her chocolate brown eyes sought out that long jagged scar carved into her forearm. Tenten found herself wincing. Xin was far too reckless. "So, what, you guys are just here playing house?" Karin spoke up, shattering the lighthearted bickering. Xin's light smile dropped, the corner of her lips pulling down as she turned to Karin.

"Maybe we are. Gaara likes to be Daddy."

"Oh God, can we not?" Tenten scowled, concentration faltering because of her disgust.

"This isn't a joke, Hyuga!"

"Your attitude is a fuckin' joke, Uzumaki. Chill out. You've always been difficult but lately you're just being downright unbearable. If you want to be so damn miserable, go the hell home. I haven't seen you guys in damn there a week and the first shit out of your mouth is negativity."

An awkward silence fell over the three women. "I'm just worried about you," Karin said after a long stretch of silence.

"Helluva way to show it, Renamon. Listen, no one likes the situation, okay? No one. But we're working with what we've got. You either need to settle your beef with Gaara or keep your distance. We've got enough going on, we don't need this awful ass attitude you keep projecting onto us," Xin continued to scold the redhead. Karin didn't have an immediate reply but Xin wasn't looking for one. There was no arguing this case. Whether Karin liked it or not, Gaara was involved. He was looking out for Xin and Hinata when he really didn't have to. Why, that was anyone's guess. There was obviously some saving grace about her if Gaara was willing to help her.

And honestly, it was nice having both him and Naruto acting as a shroud against the demons. She wasn't as worried since rooming with them, it was actually a relief. On top of the protection, the two were open about Demonic mythology. They answered any question the twins could think up about the Demon World.

Karin's jaw tightened before she let out a slow sigh. "Fine, Hyuga, fine. But you have to promise to take your heritage more seriously. You're not working hard enough to tap into it. You won't need Gaara or anyone of us so much once you get the hang of it. I'll try not to be so negative and you try harder."

"Alright, Renamon. I'm only agreeing because you chilling out has to be as hard as me trying to control my spiritual ability."

"Shut the hell up. And stop it with the fox nicknames!"

"Never! At least Renamon is cool!"

"Not helping!"

Tenten only smiled pleasantly, expertly ignoring the bickering. She missed this. For a moment, it was just like before. Xin and Karin bickering while she simply sat and listened to them, offering nothing but chuckles at the well thought out and creative insults. She truly missed her friends and it brought her back to their high school days.

The two stayed with Xin late into the evening. Naruto, Gaara and Hinata returned around ten, somewhat surprised to see the trio getting along so well. It was a rarity to see the trio getting along these days, it seemed like all they did was angrily bicker now. But Xin and Tenten sat on the floor of the living room, Xin nursing a ball of spiritual energy while Tenten coached her to feed it more strength. Karin kept her distance but offered whispers of encouragement every time Xin faltered.

A great big grin pulled at Xin's lips as the energy expended. She spread her hands wider to accommodate it's growing girth. Her face light up in absolute delight at the sight, truly amazed and proud with what she could do if she just concentrated. Nice as it was to see her succeeding, her ability to conjure up a large spiritual ball of energy began to weigh on the three demons. Their stomach began to roil uncomfortably and Karin visibly began to sweat.

Xin finally noticed Naruto, Gaara and Hinata. Her concentration broken, the big ball flickered and then trickled back into her hands. She didn't seem upset about it, jumping up to hurry towards them. "Did you guys see that? Who's the awful priestess now?" She crowed, stopping in front of them. She was so happy, it seemed like she would start bouncing any minute. Gaara nearly grimaced at the thought.

"That would still be you," Gaara grunted.

Either Xin was entirely used to Gaara or she simply wasn't letting him get her riled up because she continued to grin. "You'll be the first one I purify."

"I doubt it'll come to that. You'll hit me with a car again before purifying me."

"But I don't have a car anymore."

"Exactly."

Xin let out a snort and waved his comment away. "It's late and I forgot to cook. Are you guys staying?" She glanced over her shoulder, inviting Karin and Tenten back into the conversation. The two glanced at one another before silently agreeing to stay. They watched with morbid fascination as Naruto and Gaara followed the twins into the kitchen. Karin and Tenten opted to wait in the dining room, out of the way. They could clearly see into the kitchen and what they saw..well..it was rather odd.

Xin and Hinata worked in perfect unison, which wasn't a surprise. The two were complete opposites in personality, like night and day, but hell if they weren't on the same wavelength. That wasn't odd, they were used to what they dubbed as 'twin magic'. What was odd was how in sync Gaara and Naruto were to them. It was small gestures, such as Gaara reaching for something Xin was struggling to reach in one of the cabinets. Or Naruto, wordlessly packing ingredients away when Hinata was through with them. Hell, it was Naruto and Xin lightly bickering and Gaara and Hinata teaming up to bring their bickering back down.

Karin leaned over towards Tenten, slightly knocking into her shoulder. "Tenten," She uttered carefully, knowing Gaara and Naruto could easily pick up on her words if they paid them any mind. Luckily, their attention was monopolized. "Does this seem…"

"Weird?" Tenten asked softly, chocolate brown eyes clocking their every movement. She nodded slowly, somewhat uncomfortable with what she was witnessing. Of course she was glad that they were getting along well but maybe they were getting along too well? She directly watched Gaara, eyes narrowed. He probably would have noticed all of her staring but he was too busy preoccupied with watching Xin. It was like he was studying her, committing her face and entire body to memory. Tenten had to wonder what the hell had gone on for the past few days to suddenly change so drastically. The last time she paid them any mind, Xin and Gaara were at one another throats and Naruto and Hinata were politely tolerating one another. Now they moved as if they were friends.

That wasn't right.

Before they could say much else, dinner was finished. It was simple curry, quick and easy but still delicious. They cluttered around the table, Xin sitting next to Gaara and Hinata next to Naruto. The seating arrangements didn't go by unnoticed but Karin and Tenten kept the comments to themselves. They discussed Hinata's insane professors and shift down at the bakery. Gaara and Naruto talked about the two demons they encountered in a seedy neighborhood and even Karin shared tidbits of her day. Xin didn't have much to say since she'd been stuck indoors all day.

"I haven't been able to get over to your apartment yet," Tenten spoke up, looking apologetic. "You'll have to stay here for a bit longer, if that's alright," She turned more towards Gaara and Naruto, knowing it was ultimately up to them to let the girls stay longer than planned.

Naruto shrugged a careless shoulder. "That's fine with us," He grinned widely. "Who's gonna turn two pretty girls like them down? Besides, their food is great."

Tenten looked towards Gaara, as if she knew he would have something negative. He felt her gaze on him, opening his eyes to return the stare coolly. "What?"

"Are you alright with it?" She pressed curiously. She wasn't exactly sure what she would do if he said no. He had as much say as Naruto.

"If they're fine with it," Gaara answered tonelessly.

"That's not really what she asked you," Xin hummed with a slight smile. He didn't give her a verbal reply, opting to snort loudly. Xin took that as answer, chuckling softly before going back to her food.

Karin and Tenten wondered what the hell was so funny. The two left soon after dinner was finished. The women exchanged goodbyes, Naruto simply waved and Gaara let out a grunt before turning and stalking away. Karin and Tenten didn't speak until they were several blocks away, safely out of earshot. "Okay, I know I agreed to chill out but there's no way in Hell you can convince me that what we just witnessed was normal!"

"Karin…"

"Noo!" Karin waved her arms in protest. "You can't, Tenten, you can't! Something is going on in that townhouse and I don't like it."

"You don't like anything," Tenten reminded her sourly. "You agreed to chill out."

"That was before I stepped into the goddamn Twilight Zone! Tenten, you can't tell me that was normal."

"They're getting along, what's wrong with that?" Tenten sighed heavily, already fed up with the conversation. So Gaara and Xin were getting along well. Wasn't that a good thing? Karin was always going on and on about how Gaara could potentially hurt Xin. Not that Tenten blamed the redhead, the two didn't have the greatest track record beforehand.

"Gaara is and always will be a psychopath," Karin stated firmly, pink lips twisting in disapproval. "I don't want him around Xin anymore than necessary. We have to get her apartment ready."

"You mean I have to."

"Well, you're the Dragon Magician."

"Go home."

Despite Tenten healing her hand, Xin still couldn't return to work. It would be hard to explain how the wound healed so quickly. So she was left behind at the townhouse while Gaara and Naruto went out hunting and Hinata went to classes and work. She was going stir-crazy. Naruto and Gaara warned her not to go wandering off by herself when they were busy. Their influence was a big help in keeping the two safe but there was only so much it could do. Some demons may want to try their luck. She was just going to head over to the apartment and grab some more things for herself and Hinata. They were staying longer than originally planned and they needed more clothes.

The apartment was still in a disarray when she arrived. Cringing, she studied the ruined coffee table and couch. Couches were so expensive to replace, she lamented. Dried blood, her own blood, streaked the floor. Her eye twitched at that. Blood was so hard to get out. Sighing heavily she hurried to her and Hinata's room, packing the necessary things they would need for their extended stay. Xin could not believe the odd turn her life had taken. She often found herself comparing her life to manga or television shows. "Why couldn't it be like Yu-Gi-Oh or something?" She grumbled to herself. "Or Tokyo Ghoul...hmm..maybe not Tokyo Ghoul."

Xin's ramblings ceased the minute she stepped out of Hinata's room. Ice froze in veins as she stared out into the living room. She wasn't alone. Masuyo stared back at Xin, a thin smile gracing her lips. Her thick hair was pulled away from her face and she swathed in dark robes. She looked highly irritated, which didn't surprise Xin at all. Masuyo raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the younger woman. "You're much smaller in person."

Xin bristled at the comment, forgetting that this woman wanted to kill her. "Does that fuckin' matter?" She snapped at the demoness.

"I suppose not," Masuyo shrugged leisurely. Her smile didn't falter as she began to move towards Xin. The smaller woman took a careful step backwards, slowly dropping the packed bag.

This could not be good.

Gaara was having a relatively slow day. That didn't really surprise him, mornings and afternoons were always slow. Demons tended to cause havoc during the night. But even so, Naruto and Gaara still went out just in case just something did happen and the others weren't able to react as quickly. It gave him time to think things over. Nothing heavy in particular, most of the time. Usually he thought of Suna, his siblings and whether his mother was recovering or not. Sometimes he thought of Rasa and Matsuri and if he should return to Suna.

But he mostly thought about that damn priestess.

Like, for instance, the fact that she would be staying longer than originally agreed. And it didn't really bother him but he wasn't content with it either. It wasn't like Xin did much to actually bother him, he couldn't be upset with her for existing. Besides, this was mostly his fault. Had he just minded his damn business after first meeting her, he wouldn't be in this mess. Oh no, he just had to know what the hell her deal was. He should've just went on his merry little way.

Because now he was having dreams about her and her fuckin' scent was intoxicating and he could barely think about anything else but her. Naruto wasn't making shit better by asking stupid ass questions that actually made him stop to reevaluate his life choices. And fucking Jura. This all started with him and his stupid ass questions. He hadn't seen his friend in awhile but he was going to make damned sure to punch him in the mouth when he popped up next. He didn't have feelings for Xin. First of all, he was a grown ass man and grown ass men didn't have feelings. Well, at least he didn't. Men like him, awful, terrible violent, men didn't get to have feelings for women like her.

For very young human priestesses. That sentence alone should motivate him to get his shit together. And honestly, just because he found the stupid girl attractive didn't mean anything had to come from it. He firmly told himself that it meant nothing.

The rest of their day, for once, was relatively boring. He could honestly say the highlight was when they dropped by the bakery for Hinata. She seemed happy to see them, armed with a parcel of desserts for the four of them. He threw her glances every now and then, studying her appearance. Hinata and Xin were twin sisters so obviously they shared their unearthly beauty. They shared the same build, hell, even the same hairstyle. There was no denying the resemblance between the two girls but Hinata didn't invade his mind like her sister did. And yet, they couldn't be anymore different from one another if possible. Their personalities were complete opposite and even the way they carried themselves were vastly different.

When it came down to it, Hinata was the more likeable, suitable sister. She was easy to get along with, feminine and nonviolent. Anyone would be insane not to be attracted to the more demure sister. But all he felt was a friendly indifference to her. He didn't have any inappropriate dreams about her nor did her scent drive him up a wall.

This was alarming.

"I wonder if Xin started cooking," Hinata hummed pleasantly as they climbed the front stairs. Neither of them replied, having an odd feeling settle over them as they stepped into the townhouse. It was quiet. When they came back, Xin was either watching television, listening to music or making noise in the kitchen. It was almost painfully obvious that Xin was not there. Hinata quickly toed off her shoes and bounded off into the townhouse, searching for her sister. Gaara and Naruto shared a silent look. Nothing was amiss. No foreign demonic smells, no blood spilled, no Hyuga Xin.

"She isn't answering her phone," Hinata came back moments later, clutching her phone tightly. Her wide eyes darted back and forth between them. Naruto and Gaara shared yet another silent look. "Should I call Tenten or Karin?" She asked quietly, chewing her bottom lip.

"No," Naruto shook his head. "If she were with either of them, she would have answered," He stated, grimacing when the statement caused Hinata to panic. "Hinata, calm down. We're going to go out and look for her, okay? It won't be hard to look for her," He approached the panicked woman.

"Stay here with Hinata. It won't do us any good to leave her by herself. I'll go find her. She was probably going stir-crazy," Gaara said after a moment. Before either could say much else, he turned around and quickly left.

A million things could have happened to that damn woman. She was told specifically not to go wandering off by herself and what does she go and do? Wander off by herself. She could've at least told Hinata she was going somewhere. That girl refused to listen and no wonder her friends were always yelling at her. While it was true that his and Naruto's influence would help keep the majority of the demons away, some demons would test their luck. What's worse is that Masuyo would definitely try her luck with the off chance of Xin being by herself.

God, if anything happened to that girl, Karin would never shut the fuck up.

Two familiar scents suddenly caught his attention. He followed after it, scowling suspiciously when he was led to the twins' apartment. The apartment was in the same disarray they left it in, broken furniture and dried blood but he could hear muttered urgings. He stepped further into the apartment, finding Jura hunched over on the floor by the bedrooms. His shoulders tightened and he slowly peeked over his shoulder, frowning up at Gaara. It was quiet as the two regarded one another. Xin was sprawled out in front of Jura, unconscious with with an almost serene expression. If it hadn't been for the obvious worry rolling off of Jura, it could have been assumed that Xin was just napping.

But she wasn't just napping and Gaara felt a burst of..something in his chest. The irritation he felt for her vanishing quickly vanished, replaced with something so undeniably heavy he can't find words to explain it.

"I..I don't know what happened. I just had this weird feeling to come here and I found her like this. There was someone here, I can smell it. It smells….wrong."

Gaara scented the air, smelling something distinctly malicious in the air. It smelled familiar but he just couldn't figure out why. He almost smelled something pure in the air and had to wonder if Xin tried to fight off whoever had been in the apartment. The tall redhead approached the two, peering over Jura's hunched form into her face. She looked relatively unharmed but something told him that she was anything but unharmed. "Move," He grunted, dropping into a crouch over her. Jura had no choice but to move out of the way, frowning all the while. Gaara slipped his hands under her, sitting her up and propping her against his knee.

He secured her lulling head by her chin, careful not to grip too hard lest he wanted to draw blood. "Xin," He called in a firm voice, trying to coax her out of the odd slumber. He shook her, not too hard to severely jostle her, but enough that her eyes started to twitch under her lids. He kept at it until her lids finally began to pull back, revealing cloudy pale eyes.

If waking up to him surprised her, she didn't show it. In fact, her expression didn't change from the dreamy look it had taken. She stared up at him, lids only halfway opened. Rose tinted lips dropped open partially but no sound came out. She continued to stare up at him, trapped in a drugged state. "Oh.." She finally managed to say, quite lamely. "You don't look a thing like Jesus," She muttered quietly, confusing him. "It's you," She managed to slur, lips seeming too heavy for her at the moment. "It's always you."

He wasn't sure he liked what she was implying. "Xin, what happened to you? What happened here?" He asked instead, ignoring that funny feeling that burned against his ribcage anytime he was in her presence.

"I…I don't know. I can't remember. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, you moron."

"Oh. Why?"

"Because you weren't there when we came back," He answered slowly, like he was dealing with a curious child. She stared up at him, still clearly out of it. An almost sleepy smile formed on her pretty mouth. Her lids flickered for a moment.

"Funny," She murmured, eyes finally catching Jura. "Oh, Jura, hello," She offered her sleepy smile to him. He returned her smile but was still obviously concerned. Realizing he was still holding her by the chin, Gaara let go to slide his hands under her for a second time. He wordlessly picked her up, knowing she was too goddamn out of it to walk on her own. Xin didn't protest, looping her slim arms around his neck easily. She was becoming a bit too accustomed to being carried by him. Her grip on him was lazy but she turned her face into his neck, lips brushing against his throat. Gaara nearly dropped her but managed to keep his hold on the dazed miko.

Gaara paused, looking at Jura. He was confused, which wasn't a surprise, but he also looked...bothered. Gaara frowned tightly, remembering his promise to punch Jura in the face. Too bad his arms were full of a delirious miko.

Next time, he promised.

A portal formed, spitting out a pale faced Masuyo. She nearly hit the ground, catching herself against a tree before she could go down. The smell of burnt flesh followed as she stumbled through the forest, nearly tripping in her haste to just get to her cottage.

She was going to completely murder that holy bitch.

She wasn't sure where the power stemmed from but Xin had caught her by the arms as Masuyo closed in on her. It was obvious Xin couldn't control her power, evident by the shock in her eyes when her hands began to glow against Masuyo's arms. The burning began at a slow, gradual, pace until it was unbearably hot against her arms. The burning continued even after she yanked herself from that damn miko, pure energy trailing upward towards her shoulders. The burning stopped there, the energy dying out but still leaving her arms smoldering and nearly falling off. Masuyo retaliated, gritting through the pain, to wave her hands towards Xin. Dark energy flew at Xin, knocking her clear off of her feet. Masuyo made her escape then, not bothering to look back as the portal swallowed her up.

The demonic mystic threw the door to the cottage open, lumbering in with difficulty. Her arms and shoulders literally felt like they were on fire. She fell to the floor in an undignified heap, silver hair spilling uncontrollably down her shoulders. She hissed as the thick strands fell against the festering burns and violently swept them back. Her hands began glowing, dark energy encasing them. She nearly screamed when she pressed a glowing hand to her shoulder, attempting to stop the burning. The dark energy attacked the light energy digging into her skin, twisting and coiling around the energy until it began to die out. She was able to stop the burning but her upper arms and shoulders would permanently carry scars. They looked positively awful and she wanted to just wring that girl's neck! She got up to do just that, staggering as she did so, only to pause when her mirror began to rattle.

She did not need this right now.

Masuyo snatched the mirror up, still grimacing as pain continued to radiate from her burns. The mirror continued to tremble before Kuraim appeared, grinning as usual. "Masuyo, there you are—what happened to your shoulders?"

Masuyo's face nearly turned red. "That damn miko happened," She snapped, wishing she could just kill those damn girls already. Hell, at this point, she didn't even care about Junko's reincarnation. It was just Jun's reincarnation she needed to kill. It was always Jun.

"Interesting, I didn't suspect she would reawaken her spirituality," Kuraim commented offhandedly, not at all concerned for Masuyo's well-being. "Jun was always so talented in close combat versus Junko," He rubbed at his chin, still grinning at the while. It seemed painful. "However, I'm contacting you to tell you that the seal will break any day now. I expect you to be quite prepared when it finally does."

Masuyo tried not to grit her teeth in agitation. "Of course, my dear."

"And do something about those ugly scars, would you?"

Oh, the nerve.

TeeBeMe: Gaara is going through it and Xin is the only one to blame. We still don't know how Xin feels but like I said, she's kind of stupid. Renamon is also based on a fox. She's a Digimon from Digimon Tamers, the third season. I know Pokemon was always more popular but growing up I actually liked Digimon better. Well season 1-4, I wasn't feeling 5 or 6 but whatever.

Akari: Well, your perverted little heart is gonna love what's been brewing in my mind. WinkWink. For some reason, I can really see him just staring at her and trying to make her understand his crush on her. And then getting annoyed with her because Xin is an oblivious idiot.

EmoTaco101: Xin is a straight asshole, to be honest, don't be like her. I mean, I guess her living her life the way she wants to is admirable. Be like that. Even I don't know how she feels about him and I'm writing the story, lol. Sometimes she's a hard character to write. And I'm glad you like NaruHina! And thank you, they're all kind of hard to write sometimes. Gaara is definitely the demonic knight in shining armor, to hell with what Karin says. Thank you!

Curlystruggle: Naruto is down for whatever, that ride-or-die friend we all need.

Marinaa07: I wanted Gaara to be the dark character in SOC but Xin was more funnier to write as that sort of character. Imma let yall in on secret, I totally have a kink for stories with dark love interest, dunno why. But they're made for one another, never mind the fact that she's an OC lol. It probably is a little sadistic to love the relationship between Jura and Xin but I'm the one who came up with it so that makes me sadist as well. Oh well lol. Thank you, I always enjoy your reviews.

BOSS02109: We stan an idiotic Xin, that's what we stan. Gotta love her though.

Moonlight46: Gaara is about sick of Karin's shit. It's only going to get worse for those two, honestly. It is funny that Xin's so damn oblivious to Gaara crushing on her but can tell Naruto is crushing on her sister. She's a true idiot. I'm glad you were satisfied with the warning too!

Allree: Yall are so fucking nice to me, I swear to God. Every time I post a chapter, I freak out but then yall come with these nice reviews and praises and it makes me so happy. Thank you so much for enjoying my story and its banter and sass.

Savage Kill: Gaara would rather die than to admit what he's truly feeling. Naruto is the only exception to this rule.