Xin had one of two options.
She could either wait for Rasa to lose his patience and just kill her or she could try to get the hell out of there. Either option would probably result in her death, she realized at some point. It was a depressing thought to have but it was the ugly truth. She didn't see herself getting out of this alive. She'd been in Suna for two days now and Gaara was still a no show. So, she could wait around for death or she could go down in a fiery blaze of glory, waving her middle fingers around and screaming 'fuck you!' to Rasa and the rest of his merry band of morons.
With that in mind, Xin laid in her cot, her back facing the door. Another demon had been ordered to sit outside of her door to keep an eye on her. He had a stupid look in his eye and Xin figured he might have been entertaining the idea of devouring her.
Not on her watch, motherfucker.
Her body sagged into the cot before she let out a pained, pitfil wail. A second later the door swung open, the demon stepping in. "What's wrong with you, miko?" he grunted at her back, scowling angrily. She only groaned in reply, not turning over. Grunting again, he reached for her shoulder, easing her on her back.
Xin took her chance, rolling over and springing up towards the demon. Hand outstretched, she slapped it against his mouth. He stumbled back in surprise but Xin didn't give him a chance to fight her off. With a strong burst of energy, she purified him. The demon dropped to the ground, body going limp as he hit the floor. Xin scrambled to her feet, eyes wide as she stared down at him. For a moment, her stomach turned and her vision wavered.
She killed him.
Hands shaking, Xin tried to steel her nerves. She had to do it, she rationalized. He would've killed her given the chance. She had to escape.
Her eyes snapped up, focused on the opened door. Freedom stared back at her, willing her to make an escape. It was foolish, she had no idea what was waiting for her outside of the room but she couldn't wait for Death to come for her. If she was going to die, she was going to greet Death kicking and screaming.
Stepping over the demon, Xin abandoned her shoebox of a room. She quickly made her way down the long stretch of a hallway, knowing she had to move fast. Someone probably felt that burst of pure energy and it wouldn't be long untithey came looking around. Much to her dismay, she soon became lost, having taken far too many different turns. She stood in the middle of a random hallway, biting her thumbnail, and vaguely listened to the sounds of muffled shouting. Her stunt had been discovered.
Xin rushed down the hallway, coming to a single large door. Hoping that Rasa or Masaru wasn't hiding behind it, she slipped by the heavy door. The room was dimly-light with just a few candles scattered about. It was mostly empty, the only thing standing out was the large, circular bed in the middle of the room. Xin nearly assumed that the room was empty but caught sight of a head poking out from underneath the heavy blankets.
For a moment, she almost thought it was Temari. The features were similar and the hair color was the same but it was not her. Xin quietly approached the slumbering woman, her curiosity getting the better of her. She leaned over the figure, studying her.
It had to be Karura.
Xin stared down at the woman, frowning softly. She didn't look sick, per say, but she looked...troubled. Xin leaned closer, an odd feeling washing over her. It felt like...despair, agony and...evil was radiating from her. Xin's brows drew together, the awful feeling felt so familiar to her, she just couldn't understand why.
Reaching forward with hands glowing dimly, she nearly pressed her hand to the woman's chest but was stopped when the woman suddenly moved. She caught Xin's wrist in a surprisingly tight grip, eyelids peeled back slightly to look up at her. She looked groggy but that didn't stop her from holding onto to Xin like her life depended on it.
"What are you doing?"
Xin was freaked the fuck out but she hoped it didn't show on her face. "You...you're not sick," she came to the realization. "You're dying."
The woman she assumed to be Karura only stared up at her, words failing her. She dropped her iron grip on Xin, allowing her to press the tips of her fingers to her chest. The minute she came into contact with Karura, a painful feeling surged up her arm. She ripped her hand away, stumbling backwards. The two stared at one another, no words between them. Xin was about to speak but stopped, hearing shouts drawing closer to the room. Panic seized her, forgetting about Karura. Eyes scanning the room, they landed on the window to her right. She turned back towards Karura, knowing Rasa would have her immediately killed for being in the same room as Karura.
"Tell Rasa it's not a sickness—you aren't sick," Xin said quickly, moving towards the window. "Karura? Do you hear me? You aren't sick," Xin stated firmly, throwing the window open. She hastily clambered on the windowsill, straddling it as she stared out into Suna.
She had no idea what she would do but she couldn't stay here, not when she killed a demon and barged in on Karura.
With that in mind, she jumped out of the window.
"She escaped?" Naruto squawked in confusion. "How could she escape? She's five foot nothing and weighs about a hundred pounds!" he waved his arms around, continuing to shout. They traveled three fuckin' days to come save her and she wasn't anywhere to be found.
"She...well, she's not to be underestimated," Temari said with a sigh, shoulders sagging. "Rasa has completely lost it. She's made a fool of him and he isn't happy about it."
"When is he ever happy?" Gaara asked blankly. "When did she escape?" he pressed, a headache coming on. He wasn't sure why he was even surprised. Xin really wasn't to be underestimated. She must have been left by herself in order to plan out an actual escape. She tended to panic a lot but once she was settled and by herself, she was tenacious in getting what she wanted.
"Yesterday morning."
"Yesterday?" they simountisenly repeated.
Temari rolled her eyes, "repeating me isn't going to make it any better."
"We have to find her," Naruto slapped his forehead.
Gaara growled, "No shit."
Naruto dragged his hand down his face, shooting Gaara the stink eye. "Oi, don't get angry with me. You're the one who was tricked by Matsuri."
"Tricked?" Temari parroted.
"Yeah," Naruto sneered, folding his arms across his chest. "She claimed she wanted to talk to him but decided to attach her face to his instead."
The older blonde blinked before a laugh escaped her. "Oh...oh wow, that makes more sense," Temari shook her head, pieces have fallen into place. "Xin saw you two. She got upset and that made it easy for Masaru to knock her upside the head. She thinks...she thinks you and Matsuri are together and that you weren't coming to take her back."
Naruto and Gaara glanced at one another, fed up with the turn of events. "No wonder she ran off. She was under the impression that she was going to be left here!"
"We have to track her down before someone finds her and hurts her."
"She's already hurt," Temari added calmly. "Masaru kept slapping her, Rasa punched and slapped her and Kenta...well..they fought so she's a bit banged up," Temari explained, pulling at the sleeve of her shirt. "She really does have balls made of steel. That girl mouthed off any chance she got, even if she was dazed…"
Naruto glanced at Gaara, weary of the tight set of his shoulders. "All that fighting happened in the span of three days?" he asked, worried yet impressed that Xin managed to ruffle many feathers.
"Three? Try one. All that fighting happened the first day they dragged her here."
Naruto slapped his forehead. "So we've got an injured miko running around Suna, either terrorizing the villagers or being terrorized."
"This'll be fun."
"Tons."
It wasn't.
Xin's chest heaved as she pressed her back against a building. She was exhausted, covered in sand and sweat and she was almost certain that she was suffering from sunburn. Her energy was low, which gave her the advantage of sneaking around Suna undetected. Escaping had to be the dumbest thing she's ever done. Even though she managed to escape Rasa, she was stuck in the demon realm. It wasn't like she could just walk up to a random demon and ask them to open a portal to the human realm, Tokyo, to be exact.
She was dumb, sure, but she stuck it to Rasa and that's all that mattered.
"Oi, why are you hiding in the dark, pretty girl?"
Xin blinked back into reality, staring up at two demons. One had strong features that reminded her of a warthog while the other one looked relatively normal except for the dangerous horn protruding from his forehead. She did not have time for this. The warthog grinned widely, leaning down and shoving his face into hers. His friend leaned into the wall, blocking her escape. Xin scowled up at the two, eyes glinting in the dim light. "Oi, Bebop, Rocksteady, back off."
"There's no need to be so mean," Rocksteady grinned down at her, crowding her.
Bebop took a long sniff of her, snout-like nose nearly pressed against her forehead. "You smell…." he trailed off, taking another long sniff of her. Drool began dropping from his mouth in long, disgusting strands. "...delicious."
Eyes wide, Xin reacted quicker than Bebop moved. She ducked and rolled out of the way, dodging the clawed hand crashing into the wall. "You smell delicious," Rocksteady repeated as Xin straightened up.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard him the first time," Xin snapped, taking a cautious step back. Her eyes darted back and forth frantically, trying to figure out how to get away. She clearly wasn't stronger than either demon and she was already running low on her energy. One thing she really needed to work on was using her energy without exhausting herself so quickly.
Bebop charged towards her, hands outstretched. Xin steadily reminded herself that she would have to keep herself safe and not depend on anyone coming to save her. She had to remind herself that while she wasn't exceptionally strong, she knew how to defend herself.
Xin feinted to the right, foot twisting in the sand as she stabilized her stance. She threw a hard punch to his jaw, spiritual energy bursting from her fist. Bebop fell backwards, caught completely off guard as his face began to burn away. Before he could screech in pain, Xin delivered a swift kick that knocked him out cold.
Her head snapped up to look at Rocksteady, hair falling into her face. A strange look overtook her face as she stared at the demon, waiting for him to make a move. The element of surprise was now gone and she wasn't sure if she had it in her to conjure up another burst of energy.
Rocksteady stared back at her, clearly disturbed by what she'd done. He eased forward, never breaking eye contact as he grabbed Bebop. Whatever this girl was, he wanted no part of it, whether she smelled good or not. It wasn't worth having his jaw burned off of his face.
Xin watched them retreat, taking a deep breath once they vanished out of sight. With that last burst of energy, she could barely hold herself up. She stumbled into the wall, leaning her full weight against it. Before she could stumbling off into another dark alleyway, a strong hand grasped her by her bicep.
Xin turned sharply, eyes wide. For a moment, she was sure that she was staring up at Rasa. Fear churned in the pit of her stomach but upon closer inspection, it wasn't Rasa. He didn't look as...mean as Rasa. Only slightly irritated. "That was impressive but I gotta tell ya, miko, I didn't enjoy hunting you around Suna," he tightened his grip on her bicep and pulled her away from the wall. "So try not to...what is it that you do?"
Xin sighed tiredly, "Purify."
"Right. Try not to purify me. I'm just doing what the old man told me to do, alright? Besides, I suggested that we just leave you to Suna. I mean, you wandered right into the badlands so someone would have eventually killed you," the man went on, tugging her out of the alleyway.
"Who're you? Xin slurred, sounding completely exhausted. She was sure that the only reason she hadn't collapsed yet was because of the grip on her arm.
"Kankuro, the second and mostly forgotten child of Rasa."
"Well, that's depressing," Xin quipped while being dragged through Suna. "I can relate. I'm Xin, second and disappointing child of Hiashi," she introduced herself. Kankuro glanced down at her, an amused grin threatening to break his annoyed facade. "So, is he mad enough to kill me?"
Kankuro scratched his jaw with his other hand. "Probably. You made a fool out of him, miko."
"That was the plan."
He glanced down at her. "I like you. Shame you gotta die."
Xin only nodded, "Real shame."
The conversation stopped there, silence filling the air as Kankuro escorted Xin to her death. Villagers ogled the odd sight of Kankuro walking a bedraggled girl through the village, smelling of snow and lunar dust. As they neared Rasa's domain, they could make out the older demon's figure standing at the top of the stairs. Xin readied herself to be slapped, it seemed like everyone's favorite pastime. Kankuro guided her up the staircase, pausing in front of his father. Xin quietly wished they wouldn't make her kneel to Rasa, her knees were bruised and bleeding and kneeling in the hot sand would make everything worse. Masaru stood behind Rasa, grinning all the while.
For a long time, no one said anything. It seemed like everyone was content to stare at Xin. It was beginning to make her uncomfortable. And in uncomfortable situations, Xin tended to just blurt words out. "Are you going to kill me now? Cause if not, I'll die of sun cancer," she jerked her thumb upwards towards the sun.
"You've impressed me, miko."
Xin blinked, Kankuro choked and Masaru blanched but Rasa only nodded. "You brainwashed my son, purified Kenta, killed a demon and escaped from me. Well done."
"Seriously?" Xin squawked in disbelief.
"But it will not happen again. You're going to stay put and wait for death like a good little human," Rasa stated, waving at Masaru. The demon quickly composed himself, stepping towards Xin. He circled her and pulled her arm from Kankuro, bounding her by the wrists. "I won't be made a fool again, miko. Stay in your place."
Masaru grabbed her away from Kankuro, grinning all the while. "Careful, Masaru," Kankuro spoke casually, eyeing the other demon. "I just watched her knock a demon's jaw off," he advised him, not liking the look in his eyes. Masaru scowled down at Xin's head but said nothing else, roughly dragging her inside. Kankuro and Rasa watched them go, both of them looking equally thoughtful. "That's an interesting woman right there," Kankuro decided after a long pause.
"Very. Now go get your sister and tell her she doesn't have to look for the miko," Rasa ordered curtly. He patted Kankuro on the shoulder. "And good job."
Kankuro left after that, rolling his eyes. He wasn't sure why it was his job to track wayward women around but he couldn't question Rasa. Luckily for him, it was easier to track his sister down. She was down in the southside of Suna.
"Yo, sis, call the search party off," Kankuro waved her down. Temari stopped in her tracks, clearly confused. "I found the miko. She was in the badlands, can you believe that?"
The blood drained from Temari's face as she regarded her younger brother. "Where is she now?" she demanded tensely, hands twisting at her sleeve nervously.
"I took her back to Rasa. He actually told her that she impressed him. We were all shocked. I also watched her knock a demon's jaw off. That girl is a hellcat."
Temari bit her bottom lip. "Well...alright. You go on ahead...I'll catch up in a bit…" she trailed off, hoping Kankuro wouldn't question her. He didn't, thankfully, and left her. Temari let out a string of quiet curses. She didn't bother checking the badlands because she thought Xin would be smarter to avoid the slums.
Apparently not.
Now she had to find Gaara again.
Xin didn't fight Masaru as he, once again, manhandled her down several hallways. She wasn't sure if it was because her hands were tied behind her back or the exhaustion that weighed her down, but she didn't fight him. "You're good, miko, I'll enjoy breaking you," Masaru announced smugly, shoving her back into her tiny room. It smelled of death, she noted numbly. "Rasa was impressed with you but that won't save you from death."
"My name is Xin," Xin found herself saying, annoyed that everyone insisted on calling her 'miko'.
Masaru grinned impishly, stepping so close to her that his breath fanned against the back of her neck. "You'll die here, Xin," he breathed almost sweetly against her skin. Xin tensed up, whirling around to scowl up at him. She didn't care if her hands were bound behind her back, she'd kick the shit out of him.
"You hate living in Gaara's shadow, don't you?" she asked quietly, looking him straight in the eye. "You do everything Rasa says but he's only concerned about Gaara. You wanted Matsuri first, didn't you? But she's so far up Gaara's ass she's never even considered you," still bound, Xin took a step closer to Masaru, nearly standing under his chin.
Her eyes were hard, scrutinizing. "That's what you meant when you said he can't have everything. You want to see me die because you think it'll hurt him," her voice came out in a soothing tone but held so much malice. "My death won't change anything," like before, her eyes were glinting ominously. "You'll still be stuck in his shadow and I'll be dead. You'll still be pathetic."
A vicious snarl erupted from Masaru as he slammed into Xin. He knocked her straight off of her feet and onto the bed, both of them scrambling. Xin was at a severe disadvantage with her hands secured tightly behind her back but that didn't stop her. She bucked against him, using her hips to throw him off.
Xin jumped to her feet, darting towards the door. Masaru, from his place on the floor, reached for her. He caught her ankle in a tight grip, claws sinking into her skin. Blood spurted from the punctures but he paid it no mind, yanking her backwards. She toppled over, grunting as she hit the floor. Masaru pulled himself to his knees, ripping his claws from her flesh. He reached for her, claws cutting deep rivulets into her legs, waist and arms.
"You speak of things you don't understand," Masaru snarled, leaning over her. His nails sank deeply into her waist, drawing a painful gasp from her. Blood leaked out, soaking her stained skirt and the floor beneath her. She squirmed under him, dragging his claws back and forth in her skin. Masaru pressed his face to her neck, inhaling deeply. "Wretched bitch," he rasped into her neck, sharp teeth sliding dangerously against her flesh. He moved back slightly, flipping her over onto her back. "I'll enjoy breaking you."
Xin hooked her legs around his waist and twisted her hips, flinging him off of her again. It was awkward trying to fight him off with her hands tied together but that wouldn't stop her. He insisted on 'breaking' her and she wasn't sure if he meant he would outright kill her or if planned on torturing her but she had no plans to find out.
She sat up at the same time he did and hurried to shove her foot at his face. Her foot connected with his face, disorientating him for a moment. She kicked him again, foot crashing against his face for the second time. It wasn't hard enough to break his neck but it gave her enough time to struggle to her feet.
Masaru took a disoriented swipe at her, claws cutting through the rope binding her hands together. She stumbled towards the door, ignoring his angry snarls and insults thrown at her back. She heard him clamber to his feet just as she fell against the door. She had just a bit, a lemon-sized bit of power still nestled inside her….
The door was wrenched open almost violently. Xin let out a small shriek at the feel of falling, grunting when she landed against something hard. It certainly wasn't the floor, her muddled brain reminded her, it wasn't as cold. She'd spent enough time with her face on the floor to tell the difference.
Hands grasped at her biceps, stained immediately by her blood flow. Masaru's snarls had ceased, suddenly he was as quiet as a church mouse. She couldn't be bothered to turn around to see why, opting instead to look up.
"Oh…" she mumbled almost dumbly. "Gaara."
Demons were a special breed, often ruled by emotion. Although each demon would deny a claim like that. They were fiercely protective of what they deemed as theirs and didn't take disrespect lightly.
It was even worse when a demon developed romantic feelings towards another being. Even the slightest form of disrespect was enough to set a demon off. Gaara, unfortunately, happened to be one of the worst cases when it came to things like this. As Matsuri said, he felt too deeply but luckily the handful of people he'd lose his temper for were all respectable, powerful demons and demoness.
Xin, however, was not.
Xin was tiny, fragile and so human that it almost hurt. She was easy to bruise, to bleed and to break. And it was clear that the past couple of days had been spent trying to break her. She looked horrible, sporting a large smattering of bruises, deep gouges that ran red, dried blood from halfway healing cuts and on top of all of that, she looked absolutely exhausted.
The little human stumbled, laying her full weight on him as the world tilted on its axis. Her head was spinning and she wasn't sure if her mind just conjured up Gaara in a moment of desperation. "Hello, you," she muttered in a daze. "I've missed you, so nice to see you. You're getting my blood on you, you should probably let go."
He could only assume that if he let go, she would drop to the floor. Masaru finally gathered his wits, warily watching Gaara overtop of Xin's head. One of Gaara's hands dropped to her waist while the other reached for her face, thumb pressing against her bottom lip. "I'm sorry for taking so long," he muttered quietly, eyes focused on nothing but her. In her daze, Xin puckered her lips against his thumb. He distracted himself by rubbing soothing circles into her waist. "What was going on in here?"
"Oh," Xin blinked her big eyes at him. "Masaru was going to….." she blinked again. "Break me? I'm not sure what he meant but his claws hurt.."
Gaara nodded along to her words and then slowly guided her to the side, pushing her into Kankuro. Xin didn't seem to mind, turning her airy smile on him. He, however, seemed entirely uncomfortable with the prospect of holding the miko but said nothing. "Take her to my room," Gaara waved them away, stepping into the room.
It was like someone leaned over and flipped a switch in Gaara. He'd gone from being completely calm to nearly suffocating them all with his energy. It bared down on them angrily, threatening to overwhelm them all. The door closed behind Gaara, somewhat muffling the feeling of drowning.
"Well," Kankuro shifted Xin, carefully sliding his hands under her. "Masaru is probably going to die. Let's get going," he hummed in an upbeat tone. If Xin wasn't so out of it from blood loss, she probably would have given the demon a strange look. He turned away, going down several hallways and eventually running into Temari. "Oh, good," Kankuro grinned at the sight of his sister. "Here," he handed Xin over like she was some sort of package and not a human being. "Clean her up, she's bleeding all over the place."
"Do I look like a nursemaid?" Temari scowled irritably but accepted the bundle that was Xin. She was alarmed, however, to see that Xin was really bleeding all over the place. Xin had fallen out of consciousness some time ago, her head resting against Temari's collarbone.
"No, you look like a Temari," Kankuro grinned impishly, glad that she was too busy holding Xin that she couldn't hit him. "I have to go back and stop Gaara from killing Masaru…."
Temari paled but nodded stiffly, turning back around. Kankuro watched her go, noting how entirely comfortable his sister was carrying Xin around. Vaguely he wondered if his sister had fallen for the human's ways like their brother had.
It wasn't his business.
Xin's eyes popped open rather easily. She blinked several times, confused and unaware of her location. The bed underneath her was far too soft and large, she realized, rolling to her side. She pressed a hand to her face, feeling something tight and constricting around her arms, waist, hips and legs.
"—alive?"
Xin blinked again, dropping her hand and looking to her left. Kankuro was next to her, lounging rather casually against the headboard of the bed. She should be alarmed that she'd been in bed with a demon but Xin only regarded him with a blank gaze. Kankuro stared back at him, hands folded neatly in his lap. "Close enough," he decided with a shrug.
"So I'm not dead?"
"Not yet."
Xin only huffed, slowly sitting up to her knees. She realized that the tight restrictions were thick bandages to stave her heavy bleeding. She also realized that her dirty clothes had been swapped for cleaner fabrics and she'd been bathed. She squinted up at him, wondering if he actually had the audacity to bathe and change her while she was clocked out.
"Temari said you smelled like the badlands so she cleaned you up," Kankuro pointed out, noticing her look of disdain. "I just got put on babysitting duty."
"Oh. Why?"
"Because you're a flight risk. Every time you're left by yourself, you're causing trouble."
"No, Genius, I know that," Xin rolled her eyes and instantly regretted it. "I mean, why as in why are you on babysitting duty?"
"Because Gaara and Rasa are probably screaming at each other and Temari is the peacemaker. Usually I make everything worse with my comments so I was kicked onto babysitting duty."
"Gaara?"
"...Is that seriously all you heard?"
Xin smiled tiredly and shook her head. "I just..I thought he was a hallucination, is all…" she muttered to herself. She stiffened suddenly, an off look taking over her face. "Take me to Rasa."
"What?" Kankuro only blinked at her as shifted closer to the edge of the bed. "I know you're a bit screwy, miko, but there's no way—"
"My name is Xin, dammit! And I'm not screwy, I have to talk to your whackjob of a father so get your shit into gear and take me to him right now!"
Kankuro stared down at the human, completely speechless. He, like many other demons, had never come across someone quite like Xin. He outclassed her and could have easily killed her at that moment. She was weak and helpless and depend on others to protect her. For some odd reason unknown to him, that didn't stop her from yelling her demands at him.
Wordlessly he slid off of the bed and reached for her, easily scooping her up. "Fine but if Rasa tries to strangle you on sight, I'm not fighting him off."
"No wonder you're the forgotten child."
"That was just low."
"I know, that's why I said it."
Kankuro snorted as he carried Xin through the long hallways. He really did like her, she was surprisingly snarky and quick-witted. It was a shame that she most likely wouldn't live much longer. Even if Gaara finally showed up, her death sentence had already been signed. It was inevitable and Kankuro pitied the loudmouthed runt.
He wondered what it was she wanted to even talk to Rasa about. There was no way in Hell she was changing his mind. The only one who could successfully change Rasa's mind about anything was Karura and she was far too weak to put up with his attitude at the moment. Kankuro's stomach sank. His mother's illness was getting worse with each passing day. It wouldn't be long before it took her completely…
As they neared Rasa's rooms, they started to hear shouts full of rage echoing and bouncing off the walls. Xin frowned softly, reaching up to wrap her arms around Kankuro's neck. She pulled herself up, reclining in his arms as Kankuro slipped into the room. It was like a throne room, she noted, now that she wasn't being carried over a shoulder.
"Kankuro," Rasa noticed them first, eyes narrowed. His gaze dropped down towards Xin disapprovingly. Gaara turned, eyes going wide at the sight of them. "Is there a reason you brought that in here?"
Kankuro made a face, already aware that Xin was about to cause a scene. "That has a name, dammit, and it's Xin," she snapped with a snarl. If Kankuro hadn't been holding her, he would have smacked his forehead in exasperation. If she wanted to talk to his father, snapping at him wasn't the way to go.
She was eased carefully to her feet, a hand pressed firmly to her back to keep her balanced. "Okay, just hear me out," Xin started first, not moving away from Kankuro. "Hopefully this will prove my innocence…" she muttered the last part, forgetting that they could all hear her just fine. "Your wife isn't sick," she uttered slowly, cringing at the look of absolute hate in Rasa's eyes. "She's dying."
Rasa lunged for Xin, hands outstretched towards her neck. She let out a startled yelp as Kankuro grabbed the back of her bandeau bra and yanked her backwards. Gaara jumped forward, grabbing his father and pulling him away from Xin. "Tread lightly," Rasa snarled hatefully. "You speak of things you don't know."
"But I do!" Xin cried over Kankuro's broad shoulder, perched on the tips of her toes. "Gaara, do you remember when Masuyo cursed me to die?" she turned her gaze on the redhead, finally acknowledging him. He held her stare, something odd in his eyes as he regarded her. Quietly, he nodded. "Okay, I had to have the darkness purified or I would have died," Xin quickly continued, somewhat nervous under Gaara's odd gaze.
"When I left, I left through the window in Karura's room. I...she woke up and I...I touched her and it hurt so bad. There was so much...pain and evilness coming from her and that's when I realized it. It isn't some weird sickness that's been plaguing her. Masuyo cursed Karura to die slowly."
The room was silent as the demonic family regarded the little miko. The only one who didn't seem as surprised was Temari. It made a lot of sense and she knew she'd been right but her stubborn father never listened. "Mom...she'll die?" Kankuro was the first to speak up, eyes trained solely on the girl he pulled away from his father. Xin tilted her head towards him, light eyes shining.
"...Yeah, I think so…" Xin trailed off quietly. "But I can fix it!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I can heal her, I can purify the darkness in her."
Rasa's anger slowly died away into suspicion. "You think I would actually trust you near Karura?" he asked flatly. "You're a miko and she's a demon, you don't heal us. You purify us."
Temari looked in between the two, nervous as to what Xin would say next. Karura had a chance to live and Rasa was going to throw it away because he had trust issues. Xin blinked at him, lips pinched. "I just said that I could heal her, why would I lie?"
Rasa's suspicious look didn't waver. "Why wouldn't you?"
Xin finally stepped around Kankuro but didn't stray from his side. Whether any of them admitted it or not, Xin had the upper hand. Karura was important to them and she basically held her life in her hands. "Because I'm not an evil person. Mean? Yes. Sarcastic? Of course—"
"Insane?"
"Shut up, Gaara," Xin pouted at him. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm not wicked, that's not what being a miko is about. We help people, even if maybe they don't always deserve it," she cut her eyes at Rasa. "I'm not saying Karura doesn't deserve help because she hasn't done anything to me. I'm saying you don't deserve my help."
Kankuro grabbed at her arm, ready to pull her out of the way again if his father attacked. "The past...three days, was it? I don't even know what day it is but the past couple of days has been absolutely Hell for me. I've been slapped, punched, body slammed, gouged at and someone tried to rape and eat me. For whatever reason, that shit is normal to you. That's not normal to me, scare tactics and torture is not normal. That's not leadership, in the human realm, we call that dictatorship.
I think I have every right to say fuck you and your wife's life at this point. And what would you do about that? More torture? You can't always get what you want because you might be physically stronger than someone else. You can't just bully people because you don't know who's help you might eventually need."
The room settled into another silence, this time awkward. Xin stood her ground, not willing to budge. She'd meant what she said and she wasn't going to let Rasa bully her any longer. She hadn't done a damn thing wrong. Of course she had every intention of healing Karura but that didn't mean she would do it without ripping Rasa a new one.
"Hmph," Rasa scowled at the tiny human but didn't argue her point. "Leave me for the time being, miko," he growled in a way that reminded her of Gaara. She blinked at the order and glanced in between the siblings, wondering if it was alright for her to leave on her own.
"Uh…" Kankuro grabbed at her elbow, turning her towards the door. "C'mon, midget, I'll take you back and you can tell me all about being a miko," he suggested, dragging her away. Xin sputtered, looking over her shoulder at Gaara. She wanted to hug him and slap him at the same time but wasn't given the chance so far.
"Midget?!"
The door eased shut behind the two, Kankuro's laughter bouncing off the walls along with Xin's yelling.
Xin pushed the tray of food away and slowly climbed off of the bed. After leaving Rasa to stew, Kankuro stayed with her for a little while in Gaara's room. They two got along surprisingly well seeing as how they'd just met only hours ago. But even so, he eventually left her on her own after having food delivered for her.
Xin studied the large bedroom, marveling at the furniture and all the trinkets decorating the room. She was so used to having Gaara around in the human realm that she'd forgotten he had a life in the demon realm. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She wasn't sure what was going to happen at this point. Would he send her back to her realm on her own? Would he come back with her? Where in the world did they stand and just what the fuck took him so long?
Xin made her way to the floor-length mirror attached to the wall, self-consciously checking her appearance. She looked like absolute hell, sporting blood stained bandages and different colored bruises. She wanted to strangle Temari for putting her back into that same slave-girl outfit, broadcasting her awful injuries.
She cringed at her reflection, there was no saving her appearance. At least she'd been bathed and no longer smelled like the badlands, whatever the fuck that smelled like. It pissed her off that she was even fretting this much over her appearance. She hadn't cared until Gaara finally came around and that irked her.
Xin spent the last month trying to convince herself and everyone around her that she didn't feel anything for Gaara. But the truth of the matter was that she did actually harbor a crush on him. It made sense why she didn't fight him off when he kissed her or why she'd gotten so upset over him kissing Matsuri. It made sense why she desperately insisted that she could be his, if he wanted. It was embarrassing but she wanted that psycho bad and she wanted him to want her just as bad.
Unfortunately, it seemed like he wanted Matsuri more. They were both demons, had more in common and had a history together. What the hell did she have with Gaara? A mutual headache?
Suddenly she didn't want to see him so bad.
Her eyes swept the room, entertaining the idea of escaping out of the window once again. Usually she was fearless but at the moment, all she wanted to do was crawl under her blankets and hide out in her bed all day. She didn't want to face Gaara because that meant facing rejection and Xin did not do well with rejection.
She was so busy fretting that she barely heard the shuffling behind her. She heard it at the last second and glanced behind her in the mirror, excited and nervous to finally talk to Gaara. While she was nervous to deal with him in the romantic sort of sense, she was still happy to see him. "God, Gaara, finally—" she came to a screeching halt, a frown pulling at her lips as she stared into the mirror.
Masaru stood behind her.
Xin whirled around, staring up at him silently. He looked mostly okay except for the nasty mess that was now his face. Four claw marks six inches deep ran the length of his face, disfiguring the left side permanently and pulling his features downward. Xin cringed at the bloody gashes in his face, backing up towards the mirror.
Masaru scowled at her menacingly, hands balling up into fists. "You," he sneered angrily. "You did this to me," he accused her, taking a heavy step towards her.
"Me? I didn't do that, it isn't my fault," Xin argued incredulously, back pressed tightly against the mirror. "If you want to pick a fight and blame someone, go find Gaara."
"It is!" Masaru snapped with a vicious snarl, slamming his hands against the mirror. Xin flinched, hoping the glass wouldn't shatter with her trapped against it. "It's your fault, you had to fight back. You couldn't take what was coming to you."
"I wasn't going to just sit there and let you murder me," Xin hissed back, pressing her hands against his chest. She was at a disadvantage here. While she did have energy to purify, she was planning on using it for Karura. She wasn't that great of a healer compared to her sister and she would need every ounce of energy to help Karura. She could try to catch him off guard and punch him in the face but she was trapped against the mirror with no room to actually swing.
Now would be a good time for Gaara or anyone to come by.
"They're with Karura, they won't be concerned for you for some time," Masaru smiled, seemingly reading her mind. His smile pulled uncomfortably at his scars.
"Torturing or killing me won't make a difference, Masaru," she tried softly, knowing that physically fighting him wasn't going to work. Hell, he probably wanted her to put up a fight.
Masaru let out a chuckle but it sounded empty to her. He curved down over her, mouth hovering far too close to hers. "No, but it'll make me happy."
Realization set in almost immediately. Her eyes grew wide at the statement and she pressed harder against his chest. This psycho was truly going to kill her over something she had no control over. "Get off of me," she uttered tensely, trying to shove him away from her.
The two struggled, Xin throwing errant punches and slaps in a bid to get him off of her. Masaru restrained her with ease, pinning her arms to her sides. He lifted her with ease and threw her to the bed effortlessly. Xin's injuries began bleeding heavily, soaking her bandages as she scrambled away. He caught her and pulled her back, pinning her hands above her head.
Panic settled in as she continued to struggle against him. She felt her hands tighten together and realized in the back of her mind that he restrained her. If she wasn't so panicked, she would have asked where he was constantly getting all this rope to bound her together. "It'll be better if you stop struggling," Masaru pressed his face into her neck, rasping against her skin. A coldness took over, nestling into her veins and freezing her blood. This could not be happening right now. She'd done all that fighting back to avoid this very thing only for it to happen with Gaara just hallways away.
"Masaru, stop," Xin tried to urge him away, her voice taking on a desperate tilt as his claws sank easily into her torso. She cursed Temari again for putting her into such a skimpy outfit and damning her to a fate of dying in a slave girl outfit. "You can't do this, it won't solve anything."
"I can do this," he hissed back, watching as her face contorted into pain.
"Stop it," Xin snapped under him, feeling disgust settle at the glee hidden in his eyes. "I don't want this. Stop," she pleaded to deaf ears. He plucked his claws from her skin, gently drawing the bloodstained tips across her abdomen. It felt absolutely disgusting and she wanted it to stop the moment it began.
"I don't care about what you want," Masaru bit just under her bustline, drawing blood and a pained gasp from her. The scent of her own blood was overwhelming, causing her mind to spin and her stomach to lurch. "It's not about what you want. It's about what I want," he whispered in a soft tone. "And I want to break you."
Gaara sighed heavily, rubbing at the back of his neck. He loved his mother but sometimes he wished he could avoid seeing her. Not because he didn't want to see her but because he didn't want to see her in such a weakened state. She hadn't been well since he was young and now it was discovered that it wasn't even a sickness.
Karura had been slowly dying for years and they'd all been too ignorant to tell the difference. It took Xin, who was spacey, to discover that it was a curse and not a sickness. Rasa was absolutely livid, making him even harder to deal with. They weren't sure if it was because he'd been tricked by Masuyo or if it was because Xin had been the one to tell him but he was pissed beyond Hell.
Temari had tried to tell him, she revealed during their heated argument. She tried to reason with him and allow Xin to heal her earlier. Even if she had been unaware that Karura was cursed, she still had the idea that Xin could potentially heal the sickness they believed was plaguing her. But, of course, Rasa and his ridiculous ego and trust issues nixed the idea immediately. They were running short on time and Karura could have been healed.
This family was a nightmare.
He'd finally been released from sitting with his family as they argued and debated on what to do. Rasa was still iffy about letting Xin near Karura but Temari and Gaara were all for it. Gaara trusted Xin not to harm his mother, even though Xin had been harmed time and time again in Rasa's care. She really wasn't an evil person and she understood that Karura deserved no backlash. Kankuro had joined the conversation halfway through after revealing that he left Xin in Gaara's room with some food. No one would be dumb enough to go into Gaara's area to harm the miko.
Clearly they didn't know just how dumb some demons were.
In hindsight, he should have known something was bound to go down. Xin was a danger magnet and it was sad because she just couldn't help it. She was just trying to live her life as normally as possible but there was something lurking around every single corner. And Xin, oblivious as she was, wandered right into danger each time. So knowing that simple fact, he should have known that something was bound to happen.
About halfway to his rooms, he reached out towards her energy. It still wasn't as high as it should have been but it was so much better than when he first arrived home. It felt like it was the size of a candle's flame when he first encountered her all those hours ago. It worried him that she insisted on healing his mother when she herself needed medical attention. However, he knew it would be unwise to take her to Hinata and bring her back fully healed. Rasa was seemingly unaware of Hinata's presence in Suna and it would stay that way.
But then he felt another energy signature intertwining with Xin's energy. He paused, caught off guard, and wondered who the hell was with her at the moment. Kankuro had gone off towards him own rooms while Temari stayed with Karura and Rasa. He closed his eyes, concentrating on identifying the energy.
And then his blood ran cold.
Gaara ripped through the hallways, ignoring other demons as they scrambled to get out of his way. They didn't have to feel his energy to know that Gaara was on a murderous mission. It was in his eyes, in the way his shoulders were squared, as he raced by them towards his room.
He threw his door open and hurried towards the bedroom of his territory, blood feeling cold and heavy in his veins. It was clear Masaru wouldn't stop until Xin was dead or he was dead. Kankuro had stopped him earlier from killing him, insisting that while he was annoying, Rasa preferred to keep him around. It was because of Masaru that Gaara could easily shuck most of his responsibilities. He was always willing to pick up Gaara's slack, Kankuro reminded him, and that was the only reason Gaara hadn't torn his face from his skull completely.
But now this motherfucker had snuck into his rooms while he was busy with his family to harm Xin and Gaara would not let that slide. It was bad enough that he'd been caught wounding a dazed Xin earlier. Gaara had spared him, been lenient, and ordered him to stay away from Xin.
He was expecting a scene like much earlier, some sort of scuffle taking place. He was not, however, expecting to burst into his bedroom to see Masaru pinning Xin down on his bed with his hands wrapped around her throat, half-naked, and grinding his hips into hers. Xin was mostly hidden from view, her legs trembling around Masaru's waist, hands bound tightly above her head.
The ice in his veins suddenly felt like fire. It was like something had ignited something within him, an uncontrollable rage that could not, refused to be tamed. It rolled off of him in waves and he watched as Masaru's hips came to a slow stop. He sat up and slowly turned towards him, eyes unbelievably wide. Xin's face came into view, eyes popping open as the anger washed over her as well.
Underneath all of his rage, he could feel his heart twist. She looked terrified, unshed tears clinging to dark lashes as she stared back at him. She trusted him to take care of her, to keep her out of harm's way and he failed. He failed to keep her safe from Rasa, from Kenta, from Suna.
He saw red.
Gaara barreled into Masaru, eliciting a choked gasp from him as they tumbled off of the bed. Xin rolled over, dodging any flailing limbs as she curled into a ball. They hit the floor harshly, Gaara on top as his wrapped his hands around Masaru's throat. "I'll kill you," he snarled, blue eyes shifting into a vibrant gold. His pupils mutated and the whites of his eyes burned away into black as Masaru struggled under him.
Xin unfurled from her tight ball, rolling off of the bed. She hit the floor with a dull thump, landing on her knees. She was deaf to the snarls and cursing coming from her left as she struggled to her feet. She wanted out, she wanted to get away. She was tired, exhausted of Gaara's family and associates. She was seconds away from saying 'fuck Karura, send me home'.
Xin stumbled out of Gaara's rooms, bound hands now pressed to her chest as she leaned against the walls for support. A blood trail followed her uneven steps, leading anyone after her if they wanted. But she didn't care at the moment. She just had to get the fuck away.
"What the fuck—Xin?"
Hands suddenly reached for her, blood staining them when he came into contact with her skin. Bleary eyes turned upwards to look at Jura. He sliced her the rope binding her wrists together, watching as her arms fell back to her sides. "Oh, hey," she muttered. "Welcome back, I guess."
Jura let out a string of curses, momentarily looking over her head into the direction she'd just come from. He could hear the sounds of a fight and felt Gaara's murderous energy. "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble," he looked back at Xin, hands reaching to pick her up. She looped her arm around his neck, holding onto her wrist with her unoccupied hand.
"Are you new here?" Xin snorted, sagging in his embrace. "Besides, you said to keep my mouth shut," she pointed out. "I did this time. I was just defending myself. And anyway, where have you been?"
Jura glanced down at her, noting that other demons made sure to stay out of his way. "I was in your realm, remember? I found Matsuri...she's being held hostage by Tenten and her mom."
Xin blinked, letting the words settle in. "She's being held hostage by Tenten and Xiourang…?"
"Yeah, they've got her in this bubble. Apparently it was your sister's idea to keep her stationary. She was cursing up a storm when I got there but Tenten's mother didn't even react. That woman is terrifying," Jura explained with a slight shiver. Xin let out a tired laugh, she could just see Xiourang carrying on as if there wasn't an angry demoness trapped in a bubble in her basement. God, she missed everyone.
"Listen, Xin, I talked to Matsuri and—"
"Oh what the absolute hell?"
Temari was suddenly there, hands on her hips as she regarded the two. "I just cleaned you up!" she growled, stomping up to them. Jura almost fought the blonde off when she reached for Xin but thought better of it. "How a human manages to get into so much trouble is beyond me.."
"I think Xin just has a special knack for it," Jura pointed out wryly, following after the blonde as she stormed away.
"It's true, I do."
She was settled onto another soft bed and nearly sank into it. Now that her adrenaline had worn off, the pain from fighting with Masaru once again, began to settle in. She could hear Temari muttering in distaste as she stripped the ruined bandages off to access the damage. Her healing cuts had split open once more along with the new gashes.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Temari grumbled with a scowl. "Xin, what happened?"
"Masaru happened," Xin huffed, shying away with Temari came at her with a bowl of healing salve. She did not like that shit, it felt really cold at first and then heated up like a damn hot iron. Jura noticed her squirming and sat down next to her, holding her in place. "He really has the obsession with Gaara…"
Temari nodded along to her words, cleaning the gushing wounds. "He must have thought hurting you would hurt Gaara. Instead, he signed his own death warrant. I doubt Gaara will let him off easy this time, even if he likes to do all of Rasa's dirty work…"
"You think so?" Xin cringed, taking deep breaths.
"Well, for one, no one was permitted to go into Gaara's rooms while he wasn't presence," Temari began, trying her best to be gentle. "That's just blatant disrespect. Shortly after Kankuro returned you to Gaara's rooms, both he and Rasa made it clear that you were to be left alone. So Masaru disregarding that is disregarding their authority…"
"Yeah and you don't disregard Rasa's authority…not in his domain," Jura added onto her words, hands rubbing soothing circles in Xin's shoulders. "Which is surprising that you're still alive given how you behaved this entire time."
"Rasa can fuck off," Xin grumbled with a sniff, tears gathering as Temari applied the salve. "And so can Masaru. I'm tired and I want to go home…" she muttered sullenly as Temari began to bind her wounds with fresh bandages.
"I know," Jura caressed her head soothingly, shifting his fingers through her hair. Temari watched the motion with hawk-like eyes, wondering what was going through Jura's head at that moment. "You'll go home soon, don't worry," he reassured her in a soft tone. Temari almost wanted to slap his hand away from Xin. It was just too...intimate, for her tastes. She was bias, obviously, quietly wondering when her brother would claim the young miko. By the look on Jura's face, Gaara needed to act quickly.
"Now," Temari sat back from the miko. "You're going to stay here with me until Gaara gets here. It's become quite clear that leaving you on your own spells trouble."
"I didn't even do anything this time," Xin grumbled as Jura helped her sit up. "Where's Gaara, what's taking him so long?" she asked distractedly. She was fine with Temari and Jura but she was at her breaking point. She knew Gaara, she felt entirely safe with him and she just wanted to go home.
"He'll be along shortly," Jura murmured softly, hand caressing the crown of her head.
"As soon as he's done with Masaru, he'll come. In fact," Temari cut her eyes at Jura. "Why don't you go check on him, Jura? I'm sure that Masaru is dead by now."
Jura's hand stilled on the crown of Xin's head, eyes slowly traveling towards Temari. She was staring back at him, gaze still hard. He opened his mouth to protest the notion, there was no need to go looking for Gaara when he was angry, but thought better of it. Temari was staring at him hard, waiting for him to fuck up. "Yeah, alright," Jura dipped his head in a nod. The last thing he needed was to deal with Gaara after murdering someone. He was going to be in a foul mood, especially since Xin was involved. He heaved himself up, brushing his fingers against her jawline before bounding off after Gaara.
Temari watched him go before fixing Xin with a curious look. "Xin? Is there something going on between you and Jura?" she asked carefully. She liked Xin a lot, that much was obvious, but she wouldn't condone it if Xin was leading either demon on. She was playing a dangerous game if that was the case.
"Me and Jura?" Xin's face pulled. "Not that I know of…." she trailed off with genuine innocence. Temari continued to stare at her, lips pursed. If Xin spoke the truth and nothing was truly going on, then it was Jura who played a dangerous game.
There was no such thing as sharing. At least, not when Gaara was involved. Some demons didn't care if there were other liaisons in the relationship. Some relations were formed for the sake of power or other necessities and it wasn't frowned upon to seek physical relations elsewhere. Gaara, however, had a problem with relationships like that. He was a possessive demon and with Xin being human and significantly weaker, he was also freakishly protective.
Temari made a long noise in her throat but left it alone. If Jura wanted to gamble his life for a few stolen moments with an oblivious human, that was his business.
Xin took a deep breath and heaved herself up off of the bed, stumbling slightly. Temari reached thoughtlessly forward, catching her by the shoulder to steady her. "Where do you think you're going, miko?" she asked with an amused smile.
"This has been a ball, really, fighting for my life has just been oodles of fun but I think it's time I get back home. Let's get to Karura so I can heal her. I miss my sister."
Temari stood, amused smile now gone for a frown. "What about Gaara?" she reminded Xin of his impending arrival. "Besides, shouldn't you rest first? Maybe get some sleep? You look exhausted."
Xin only shook her head. "Sleep is for the weak," she insisted stubbornly. "And he'll catch up. Just take me to your mother."
Although she was apprehensive about it, Temari did what she was asked of, leading the tiny human out of her rooms. They didn't say much as they traveled through the candlelight hallways. Other, lesser, demons made sure to stay out of their way. At this point, it was quite obvious that the human miko among them was not one to be messed with. She was physically weaker, smaller and more fragile than any of them but had proved more than once that she would not back down. She fought with Masaru, seriously injured Kenta, purified a demon and made a fool of Rasa.
Human or not, the miko was not to be underestimated.
"Temari," Rasa peeked over his shoulder, scowling at the sight of his daughter and the miko. "I told the miko to get out of my sight."
"She insisted on coming to heal mom."
"So you take orders from a human?"
"When she has my mother's life in her hands? I don't see the problem."
Rasa's backs shuddered in anger. He turned fully, glaring hotly at the two women standing before him. Xin only huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Rasa, I just want to go home. Please move so I can heal Karura and then I'll be on my way. You won't have to worry about me after that."
Rasa crossed the room, leaning down until his face was mere inches from Xin's face. Temari grabbed at Xin's shoulder, ready to yank her backwards if she needed to be saved. "You're wrong, miko," he sneered down at her, baring sharp teeth at her. "You've done something to my son. Something tells me this won't be the last I see of you."
Xin had no comeback for that, admitting defeat by looking away with a stubborn set of her chin. She huffed for the second time and stepped around the older demon. She approached the large bed, settling down at Karura's bedside. The blonde demoness looked very much the same, deathly pale and exhausted looking. Rasa and Temari joined Karura and Xin, leaning over the two to watch over the healing.
Xin frowned sadly down at the woman, wondering what she'd done to deserve Masuyo's anger. She could only imagine how long she'd been suffering for. She almost felt guilty now, realizing it had probably been years and years. The miko reached forward, nails scraping against the demoness' chest. She cringed at the feeling of despair that washed over her. That definitely wasn't sickness radiating off of Karura. It was death, agony and despair. It was...horrible. She laid her hands flat against her chest, eyes closed in concentration.
Xin could see the dark energy poisoning Karura's body. Black tendrils twisted around her ribcage, hid under her organs and choked at her heart. Karura wouldn't have lasted much longer if she'd been left to fester, she realized. She wasn't particularly powerful but she would be enough to expunge the darkness from Karura.
So that's what she did.
The blunette leaned forward, feeding Karura her energy, pumping her to the brim with pure energy. Her energy fell into the demoness in a fluid stream, a distinct difference compared to the clumpy dark energy filling Karura. Purple energy surged through her, seeking out to destroy the pollution almost violently. It chased after the dark matter, twisting around and choking it. It bit, clawed and tore at the opposing energy, cleaning her insides almost immediately.
Blood began to gush from Xin's nose but she held fast, not finished. Temari nervously watched the scene, wanting to pull the miko away but not wanting to hinder the healing process. She and Rasa waited anxiously as Xin repeated the process several times.
And then it was suddenly over with Xin sitting back with an exhausted sigh. Sweat gathered at her brow and blood continued to pour from her nose but she couldn't feel any of the dark energy that once polluted Karura. She saved her, she saved a demon that meant nothing to her.
Karura suddenly sprang up, shocking all of them. Hunched over, she noisily gagged loudly. Dry heaving almost violently, she threw up chunks and chunks of dark matter into her lap. Temari and Rasa reeled back at the sight while Xin visibly cringed at the sight.
"Ew," she broke the silence first. She reached forward, hand outstretched to the mess in Karura's lap. With the last remaining bit of her energy, she purified the polluted sac. It was quiet once more as the foursome regarded each other. "Well, that was fun," Xin uttered while standing up, thoughtlessly wiping the blood from her nose. "You're healed Karura. Try not to piss off Masuyo again, yeah?" she muttered with a blank look.
She stepped away before anyone could say anything, deciding to give them time without her watching. She managed to get to the door by herself, resting her weight against it. Healing Karura quickly took its toll on her as it needed all of the energy she managed to save up. It wasn't much to begin with and she knew that but she promised to save the older demoness.
Xin opened the door and stepped out of the room, head spinning. She wanted to lie down and rest for a bit but hell if she would do that now that Temari was also occupied. Gaara had yet to show up and Jura wasn't around either. If she decided to take a catnap, who knows what she'd be waking up to.
Instead she pressed her back to the wall and slowly slid down. No one would try to kill her right outside of Karura's rooms, right? She sure as hell hoped not. Her head dipped forward, hands pressed to her face as she took deep breaths. She was so focused on breathing that she didn't hear the quick footsteps coming her way nor did she hear them come to an abrupt halt in front of her.
Hands wrapped around her biceps, nails threatening to sink into her skin. She heard muttering before she managed to pull her hands away from her face. Head heavy with exhaustion, it almost bounced off the wall when she managed to sit up properly.
Golden eyes stared back at her, startling her enough that she pressed backwards against the wall. It took her a minute to realize that the golden eyes belonged to none other than Gaara. She remembered very vaguely that his eyes were golden when he argued with Jura in the bakery.
"Oh, Gaara…" she sagged against the wall. "It's great to see you, you know, we haven't gotten the chance to really talk. Now that you're here, I can finally ask: just what the fuck took you so long?"
Gaara let out a dry laugh, not the least bit surprised. He uncurled one hand from her arm, reaching up to swipe errant locks of hair out of her face. "I'll explain things," he reassured her, tucking hair behind her ear. She didn't look convinced, a soft frown marring her lips. Quietly, she shrugged.
What was there even to explain? He and Matsuri were a clearly a thing, end of discussion. She didn't need him to tell her that, she'd seen it with her own eyes. He didn't have to explain anything to her, it's not like they'd been planning on an amorous relationship anyway. Besides, did she even want anything more with him? Look where having a simple friendship landed her. Right at Death's door. She could only imagine how everyone would react to a romantic relationship between them. They might just skip all of the torture and outright murder her ass.
But still...Xin stared at him with bleary eyes, dark lashes brushing against her cheeks when she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Your mom is okay…" she mumbled tiredly, reaching a hand up to touch his hand. At some point he pulled back only to cup her cheek, quietly accessing her bruised face. "I healed her."
"You...you actually healed her?"
"I did, tell her to stay the fuck away from Masuyo, yeah? That bitch is crazy."
Gaara continued to stare at her. He trusted Xin when she insisted on healing his mother but knowing that she'd actually done it...with no problems, he felt overwhelmed. His mother had been sick and suffering for years upon years and now suddenly she was...fine.
"You should go see her," Xin insisted, shifting around until she was slumped more comfortably. Truthfully, she wanted to get the hell out of there already but what's a few more minutes?
Before Gaara could say anything, Temari joined them in the hallway. She paused at the doorway, eyes quietly studying the two on the floor. "Rasa is coming," she murmured softly, warning Gaara away. He ignored her warning, staring straight at his father when he also joined the gathering.
"I want to speak to you," Rasa said slowly, looking impassive. "Alone," he cut his eyes at Xin. She, in turn, shrugged carelessly and slowly climbed to her feet with Gaara's help. Temari instantly reached for her hand, pulling her towards Karura's room once more.
"Mom wants to thank you.."
Xin looked over her shoulder at Gaara, noting that he and Rasa were looking at each other with a disdainful expression. Neither of them protested the notion of her talking to Karura and so she didn't say anything either.
Karura was now sitting up in bed, propped against what had to be damn there a thousand pillows. Xin thought it was a bit excessive but hell if it was any of her business. She looked more alert but exhausted at the same time. Xin could understand, throwing up a polluted sac of shit tended to do that to a person.
Her eyes seemingly brightened at the sight of Xin. "So this is the famous miko," she mused, voice sounding scratchy from years of disuse. Xin tried not to cringe st the sound. "I understand that you're the one who realized the truth surrounding my illness."
"Well, it was coming from a place of experience," Xin replied as Temari helped her to sit down. Maybe she was underestimating just how tired she was. Maybe she should have demanded that Gaara take her the fuck home already. "Masuyo is a vindictive witch, isn't she?"
"I would say she's more than vindictive," Karura commented dryly. "But let's not talk about that woman now. Let's talk about you. I think it's right to assume that your stay here wasn't pleasant, seeing as how you literally jumped out of the window," Karura pointed out, glancing towards the window Xin had escaped from. Xin's mouth curled but she said nothing. "I would like to know why you healed me regardless of how Rasa treated you."
Xin shifted, eyes dropping to her lap. She picked at her skirt almost childishly, like she was embarrassed. "Well...it's the right thing to do, I think. Sometimes it's better to rely on the kindness of strangers."
She was pretty sure that she pulled that particular quote from a movie or song but it wasn't like either women knew that.
Karura blinked, rolling the quote around in her head. "You're far wiser than I originally thought," she said after a long moment, eyes twinkling.
"She can't be that wise since she jumped out of a window," Temari rolled her eyes, arms crossed stubbornly.
"You sound concerned, Temari," Xin mused, tilting her head up to look at the taller blonde. She looked back at her, brows furrowed in thought and looking completely like Karura. It was odd to see, Xin pursed her lips but didn't say anything about it.
"Just making an observation, is all."
Karura shifted a little, sighing heavily. "I've been told during one of my bouts of delirium that you're rather close with my youngest son. That's...hard to believe."
Xin rubbed at the back of her neck, shrugging almost helplessly. "I mean...he doesn't hate me.."
The older demoness hummed in thought. "I see...well, in any case," Karura suddenly leaned forward, her expression shifting into something hard. "My son is not an easy man to deal with, I'm sure you know. What's worse is that you're human."
Xin wasn't sure if she liked how the word 'human' rolled off of Karura's tongue. It sounded..fragile coming from her. Temari glanced at Xin, frowning softly. Maybe she didn't know Xin as well as Gaara or even Jura but the miko had shown that being just human did not stop her. In fact, she was convinced that if Xin honed her spiritual abilities, having the 'human' label wouldn't mean shit.
"I don't see what's so bad about it," Xin idly played with a lock of her hair, eyes falling on Karura. "I saved you from dying when no other demon could. I proved to your husband that I'm not as weak and helpless as he originally thought. So, really, what's worse about it?"
Karura's eyebrows were high on her forehead as she regarded the younger girl. She didn't know Xin, she knew next to nothing about her except that she was a human miko with an odd relationship with her son.
But...she liked her.
"You're an absolute moron."
Gaara glared at his father, deciding that acknowledging his statement was a waste of time. He didn't need anyone telling him that he was a moron. He was well aware of it.
"Of all the women to get tangled up with, you choose a human girl. A miko. Have you completely lost it? Do you understand how much of a hindrance she is to you? How she'll make you seem weak?" Rasa went off in full rant mode. Gaara didn't say much, knowing his father wouldn't let the matter go until he shared his thoughts. "Do you have any idea what it will do to your reputation? Think of your reputation, your respect. You're willing to throw it all away for some human girl? What is the matter with you? I should have killed her the moment Masaru dragged her in here."
"Clearly you wasted your efforts. You're losing your touch, old man," Gaara arrogantly folded his arms across his chest. He knew Rasa, he knew the games he played. He wanted him to get angry, to show emotion to prove that Xin was no good. He wanted to show Gaara exactly why Xin needed to die. "She's been here for three days and she's managed to make a fool out of you."
If looks could kill…
"Watch yourself, Gaara. It isn't too late to snap her flimsy neck."
"Like I haven't already tried…." Gaara muttered to himself, thinking of the several times he managed to get his hands around Xin's neck. "You really think mom would approve of you killing the one girl who actually saved her?" A shit eating grin pulled at Gaara's lips. Sure, he couldn't really talk some sense into Rasa but Karura was a force to be reckoned with. He was sure that once her energy was restored, she'd have some words for Rasa.
Rasa's lip curled at the sight of his son. "You little shit.." he spat distastefully, wondering when his son turned out to be such an asshole. "Listen here, boy, whatever dark little thought you've got brewing when it comes to that girl, you need to end it. She's a human miko, you're a demon. It's not meant to be. She will die because of you. Know that."
The door opened and out stepped Xin and Temari before any more could be said. Xin looked absolutely exhausted and like she could just drop at any given moment. Temari had a hand pressed to her lower back, ready for the miko to just drop. "Gaara, your mother is very lovely but can we go?" Xin asked, nearly swaying on her feet. "In case no one noticed, I just got my ass kicked for three days and used the last of my energy to pull a sac of polluted shit out of your mother."
The demons stared at her quietly but Xin stubbornly stood her ground. Gaara moved first, reaching for her only to pause when Rasa squinted harshly at her. "Know this, miko," he squared off with the smaller girl. "You have not won simply because you healed Karura. I cannot kill you at this moment but your time will come. Be ready."
Xin quietly stared up at Rasa, looking somewhat resigned. It looked as if she was now realizing why Jura tried so hard to warn her away from Gaara. It wasn't Gaara that was just dangerous, it was his entire life. "Steer clear of Masuyo," was the only thing she had to say. She wasn't going to argue with Rasa, arguing with the man only resulted in her getting punched and slapped. She didn't have the energy to argue with the stubborn demon.
Gaara grabbed her then, easing her away from Rasa. "I'll be back soon," Gaara said more to his sister than to his father. When she gave him a short nod, he turned away and finally led Xin away.
"Gaara, I said I wanted to go home. Why aren't you conjuring up one of those weird portals you're so fond of?" Xin griped impatiently. Gaara ignored her, carrying her easily through Suna. "And I'm capable of walking!"
Gaara glanced down at her, not believing her for a second. "You don't have any shoes on and you're exhausted," he reminded her with a blank look. "And what's up with the outfit, anyway?"
Xin let out a loud groan, thumping her head against his collarbone. She unfolded her arms and threw them around his neck, adjusting herself so that her face tucked into his neck. "Temari said it's all that would fit," she whined dejectedly, breath tickling his neck.
If his grip tightening bothered her, she didn't say so. "She definitely lied to you," Gaara grunted, getting further and further away from Central Suna. "And we're not going back to your realm until you're healed."
Xin pouted childishly, unknowingly pressing her lips to his neck. Gaara roughly readjusted her, causing her to sit up higher. She blinked at his movements, tilting her head back to look at him. "Am I too heavy?"
"No."
Xin didn't say anything else, feeling the odd vibes radiating from him. She wasn't sure what she'd done to turn his mood but decided to just be quiet until they got to whatever he wanted to go.
"Just remember when I say this but we were completely against this," Gaara finally spoke up once they started up towards a house on the outskirts of the village. Xin only hummed, not sure what he was getting at. Gaara nudged the door until it swung open, stepping uninvited into the house. "Oi! I'm back!"
"Gaara, you can't just barge into someone's house like you own the place," Xin began reprimanding him as he carefully eased her onto her feet. He hummed distractedly, hand pressing to her lower back to keep her on her feet just in case she became woozy. She was oblivious to the hurried footsteps coming towards them, looking up when she heard a sharp gasp.
Hinata and Naruto stood in front of them, looking surprised and ecstatic at the same time. Xin blinked at the sight of her sister, numbly wondering why the hell Hinata was in the Demon Realm. "Xin, you look like absolute hell," Naruto spoke first, shattering the silence. Hinata turned sharply towards him, lips pursed at his comment. "What? Look at her, moonpie, she does!"
Xin turned too quickly to Gaara and stumbled a bit. His hand moved from her back to her arm, steadying her as the room spun. "Gaara...what the hell is Hinata doing here?" she snapped once the room stopped spinning. He pulled her more towards him, allowing her to lean the majority of her weight against him. "Don't you realize how dangerous that is?" she continued as if he wasn't basically holding her up.
"Remember what I said? We were completely against this but your headstrong sister threw herself into a portal after we left."
"She did what?"
"She threw herself—Xin, are you alright?"
Xin's eyes began to flicker almost erratically and her eyelids began flickering just as fast. Hinata and Naruto turned back towards the two, expressions creased in worry as Xin pulled away from Gaara. She closed her eyes hard, breathing heavily. "I...uh..I.." she stuttered over her words. "I'm...fine...I'm fine..." she managed to piece together. Xin took one more step and then promptly dropped to the door.
"Xin!"
TeeBeMe:...least they're all reunited, right? Bebop and Rocksteady are references to the mutants in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, lol one of my favorite cartoons growing up.
Hope you guys enjoyed.