Soul Marks.

The Soul Mark was a load of shit.

Society put far too much stock in a bunch of words forming on their skins that would lead them to their soulmate one day. And why on earth was everyone so desperate for it anyway? What was so great about finding your soul mate one day? To Gaara, it seemed like a trap and a waste of time.

Besides, with his sort of luck, he probably didn't even have a soul mate. What person, ninja or not, would be unlucky enough to be his soulmate, demon of the sand? That is what they call him, isn't it? Maybe his soulmate would learn of his reputation before meeting and would stay away. Or hell, maybe with his temper and impatient nature, he'd kill his soulmate before she even got the chance to speak the words tattooed into his skin.

But like he said earlier, maybe he didn't have a soulmate. Maybe he was one of the unlucky (or lucky, if you asked him) ones that just wasn't meant for a soulmate.

And then he turned twelve.

His soul mark had the nerve to form on his back, just between his shoulder blades. Not only did he have a soulmate but whoever she was, she had to be fuckin' difficult if the mark formed in such a complicated place. He spent a long time in the bathroom, studying four simple words.

Oh, for fuck sake.

Not only was she difficult, she was a vulgar idiot. Great. As if he didn't have enough on his plate, handling a violent demon sealed inside of him, his soulmate was a vulgar moron. Maybe she should have been the one stuck with the tanuki demon. She was certainly vulgar enough. But he doesn't meet anyone who greets him in such a way, so he goes on ignoring the mark.

Cue the annual Chunin Exams.

It's there when he first encounters his supposed soulmate. Although both of them are ignorant to their connection seeing as how not once did they interact for the duration of the fiasco of an exam. But she managed to stick out in her own special way. Which, with ninja like Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke or Rock Lee, was an amazing feat in itself. He remembered watching her during her preliminary round, the last fight that would take place. After watching her sister be beaten so easily by their own cousin, it was safe to say that most of the ninja chalked her up to be a failure as well.

Until she picked up a piece of rubble and chucked it straight at her opponent's head, warranting an instant KO. It was the shortest match but something about her casual attitude about knocking her opponent out was so off putting and eerie that it actually left a lasting impression on him. Which is impressive since he doesn't care about shit else except for killing Rock Lee and Uchiha Sasuke.

He has more pressing issues to worry about than some girl who liked throwing rubble around.

Unlike all of her girlhood friends, she doesn't really give two fucks about a soul mark. She was concerned about other things, like being a kickass kunoichi. And really, what did a kickass kunoichi need with a soulmate?

It was a crock of shit if anyone ever asked Xin and the others quickly learned not to ask her. She simply isn't interested in knowing who her destiny aligns with. While the other girls bicker over being Uchiha Sasuke's soulmate, she's busy learning how to work enough chakra into her punch to knock someone out cold. They won't even develop their marks until they're around twelve or thirteen so why the girls bickered was beyond her. She just hopes she's not unlucky enough to be Uchiha Sasuke's soul mate. She'd rather die than to be tied to that rude fuck.

The feeling is completely mutual.

A part of her wishes that she's one of the ones who doesn't get a soul mark. That maybe she was meant to be by herself. She couldn't see her being with any of the boys her age so if she's the odd one out, then hell, she'd be fine with that.

Sakura turns out to be Sasuke's soul mate. For some reason or another, that's a win for the pinkette. Xin wasn't so sure as Sasuke didn't have one romantic bone in his body but to each's own, she supposes. As long as it's not her. Naruto refuses to abide by the rules and continues to chase after Sakura, much to her own sister's dismay. Xin offers to knock some sense into him but Hinata refuses. Xin doesn't want to know what that kind of heartache even feels like.

But still, she watches as her friends discover who their soulmate are and a part of her begins to...wonder. They're all too young to pursue any romantic relationship of course but it's nice to know they won't have to go through the aches and pains of searching all over for their soulmate.

She tries to ignore Ino and Sakura's sympathetic looks. Haruka and Seiko offer words of encouragement, though she doesn't need it. She doesn't want a soul mate, goddammit. Lena-sensei insists that things will fall into place, but she doesn't care. What is so hard to get that she just wanted to be a great kunoichi and that she wasn't concerned about some dumb mark tattooed on her skin?

Her soul mark comes when she's fourteen.

Usually the words form along the arm or sometimes they're stamped against the ribcage. But not Xin. Of course not. Unlike everyone else and their complete normality, Xin's mark forms along the curving underline of her breast.

Fuckin' fantastic.

And what's more, it's not even a full sentence. Nope. Just one simple word.

Shit.

Which doesn't bode too well because honestly, whoever the hell her soulmate is could certainly do worse than her! The fact that her soulmate would be so disappointed once they meet is just fuel to the fire. Soul marks and mates and destiny are all just a crock of shit that she didn't have time for.

She's able to hide it since it's printed so intimately against her skin. She's just fine with everyone thinking she has no soulmate, that she's the unlucky one. They whisper and gossip about her like she's fuckin' deaf but she never shows them that they're wrong about her. She doesn't care because while everyone else is so busy worrying about a stupid ass mark, she's busy honing her skills.

Lena asks if she's trying to compensate. Xin swiftly tells her Sensei to fuck off.

She doesn't need a soul mate, goddammit.

Funnily enough, Gaara discovered his link to Xin first. He's fifteen going on sixteen and aspiring to become the next Kazekage. He worked to turn his life around, to change his murderous ways and learn to control the demon sealed inside of him. It's not easy, actually it's downright fuckin' hard but he's trying. He's trying his best and that's more than enough.

He's better.

His village was wary of him but that was to be expected. He'd been terrorizing the village for twelve straight years; they weren't going to forgive him in three short years. These things would take time but that was just fine. For now, he was satisfied that his relationship with his siblings had grown stronger. He eventually even told them about his soul mark tattooed to his back. It surprised them, as they believed he didn't have one but there it was on his skin, clear as day.

Someone was out there for him.

He wasn't in any rush to meet that someone but the fact that there was someone in the first place was simply amazing to them. He tried not to think too often about that someone. Everything would fall together when it was called for.

A simple mission kick started it all.

It was simple, escorting a ninja from Tanzaku-gai to Suna. He was a ninja looking to change residence and swear his loyalty to Suna. Simple enough, a C-ranked mission at the most.

Until it wasn't so simple.

The ninja was an actual runaway in possession of far too many secrets. Of course, the Sand Siblings were unaware of this until the ninja confessed halfway through their journey home. Not only did he have secrets, a tracking team had been sent after him. He wouldn't say where the team was from or what secrets he held but suddenly the mission was a B-ranked mission. Not that the three of them were incapable but hell if things weren't about to get messy.

A team finally caught up to them.

A shitload of weapons landed in front of Temari, stopping her from going any farther. Luckily his sister didn't spook easily. She took a careful step back before wheeling around to see who'd just tried to sever her damn foot from her leg.

Konoha ninja.

Oh great.

No one liked dealing with Konoha's ninja. They were a bunch of morons with no self-preservation about themselves. They accomplished their missions, whether it killed them or not. And fuck were they hard to kill. There was something so deeply rooted in them, so stubborn that they just refused to fuckin' die.

Gaara recognized Xin almost immediately. She hadn't grown much taller but her hair was longer and she'd grown more into her features, but he knew that girl anywhere. The one who'd thrown rubble during her preliminary match and won. She was wrapped in a short black skirt paired with an armored fishnet crop top and a dark purple vest. He couldn't see a soul mark anywhere. Not that he was really looking.

She scanned the four of them, starting with their runaway ninja and ending with Gaara. Her mouth pinched at the sight of him. Somehow their runaway managed to enlist the help from the Demon of the Sand.

"Oh, for fuck sake."

Immediately everything seemed brighter to him as he stared at Xin. Out of everything he could've possibly expected her to say, that sentence was the last. All these years wondering who the hell his foul-mouthed soulmate was, and he'd encountered her all that time ago during their Chunin Exams.

Well, shit.

"Xin, please, let us handle this," Seiko quickly said before Xin could say more.

"Yeah, shut the hell up for once. This doesn't have to be a fight," Haruka sneered at her teammate. Xin only rolled her eyes but obediently kept quiet with crossed arms.

"There's been a mix up," Seiko said while stepping forward from her teammates. "He's a runaway and has many of Konoha's secrets. Please hand him over and we'll have our Lady Hokage send a letter explaining the circumstances."

Temari glanced at Gaara and Kankuro with a frown. They didn't fail missions, but the ninja lied to them about his intentions. And besides, one runaway wasn't worth having to fight Konoha ninja. She knew good and well that if they refused, the trio of girls would take him by force. They couldn't be sure about the redhead and the blonde but they knew the Hyuga would be a problem during a fight. Her brothers didn't offer any protest when she nodded to the terms. "All right, fine."

Seiko smiled cheerfully. "Wonderful!" she clapped her hands together. "Come along, Yamagata. You'll have to answer to Lady Tsunade now."

Yamagata didn't immediately move, causing Kankuro to shove him forward with an impatient scowl. Seiko continued to smile while effortlessly catching him. Like cargo she handed him off to Xin. Without warning, the shorter woman kicked at the back of his legs to force him to his knees. Before anyone could stop her, she took hold of the man's head and snapped his neck. The clearing was silent except for the loud crack echoing off of the trees.

"Ho-ly shit," Kankuro said first.

Now don't get him wrong, Gaara was well versed in the murderous arts. There was a time where he reveled in it and he'd seen others kill as well. He was not new to killing, especially when a mission called for it. But watching his soulmate casually snapping a man's neck without blinking was both off putting and impressive.

The body dropped to the ground and Xin crouched over it. Methodically she began picking through his clothes, casually pulling out stolen scrolls. Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose while Seiko continued to smile. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll be sure to send a letter so that this isn't considered a failure," Seiko said, her smile never budging. Honestly, they weren't sure which was more unsettling, Xin brutally committing a murder in broad daylight or Seiko continuing to smile like that shit didn't just occur.

The Suna team were the first to take their leave. There wasn't any reason for them to hang around since their mission turned out to be a dud. Gaara glanced at Xin one last time, eyes scanning her small form for her soul mark. It was nowhere within plain sight and he figured that it could be on her back or somewhere hidden under her clothes. She happened to glance up, looking at him through thick eyelashes. It was enough to stop him in his tracks, pinning in his place. She said nothing but offered a smile before her gaze dropped back to the task at hand.

And that was that.

He guessed that they weren't meant for one another right at that moment and honestly that was fine. He didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with romantic relationships and who the hell knew when he would have the time. Besides, Xin didn't seem at all pressed about her soul mark anyway since she didn't bother to even display it.

She was pretty and she was a capable ninja so he knew she wouldn't get herself killed anytime soon. They had time to meet again.

They didn't meet again for another two years. Not that it was either of their fault. They simply didn't have a chance with everything that happened over the span of two short years.

Such as the Kazekage dying and being resurrected (and honestly that was fuckin' wild), Konoha being attacked and destroyed by the leader of Akatsuki, Uchiha Sasuke losing his shit and causing issues at the Hokage's summit, several notable deaths that rocked the world and one Shinobi war that involved undead Uchihas, reanimated ninja and that one psychotic Goddess ass that nearly killed them all. There was also that bit where Hanabi and Hinata were both kidnapped by that Toneri weirdo and the moon was nearly destroyed in the bid to get Hinata back. Honestly Xin wasn't sure what the fuck life turned into but it sure as hell wasn't normal.

And during that entire time, she had yet to meet her soul mate. Not that she was just waiting around for him but Hell, you'd think she'd meet him at least once.

He could've died during the war. They'd won overall but lost many Shinobi, including her entire team and Neji. Soul mark or not, no one was safe when Death decided to reach out. Xin always wondered why Tenten's mark was faded against her skin and when Neji died, it all made sense. So maybe her soulmate died in the war but then again, her mark did not fade like Tenten's mark. It was a solid pitch black, standing out against her skin. Even after all these years, she managed to keep it away from curious minds. Even her sisters were kept in the dark.

"You're not the least bit curious?" Ino pressed one sunny day. Xin sat in between Hinata and Sakura on the bench, absently twirling her dango stick.

"Curiosity killed the cat," she answered vaguely, happily reaching for another stick.

"Don't give me that. Something has to be wrong if you don't have a mark."

Sakura glared at her childhood best friend, "Ino."

Xin paused; brows high on her forehead as she regarded the blonde. "I have a mark," she said after a silent second. She didn't really care either way, but she knew her friends wouldn't be happy if she continued to keep her mark hidden away. She'd been focused on honing her skills this entire time and didn't have time for romantic nonsense. But hell, she was one of the best and they were in an era of peace. She had nothing to prove.

"What?"

"What do you mean you have one? What's it say?" Tenten demanded over their combined squabbling. Xin tried her best not to laugh.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hinata frowned softly, feeling the most betrayed.

"How long have you had it?" Sakura questioned.

Ino waved her hands in a bid to get them all to shut up. "I think the real question is—" she reached forward to grab at Xin's bare arm. "—where the hell is it?!" Ino demanded, pointing out that her mark was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't on her ribcage nor her legs as they'd seen her bare flesh as well. Couldn't be on her back either. Xin huffed with a red face, having always hated the placement of her mark.

"Under the curve of my breast," she finally admitted, drawing her finger under her breast to explain its hidden nature.

"Oh, that's intimate," Sakura blushed with a hand pressed to her mouth. "And what does it say?"

Xin huffed for a second time. This was exactly why she wanted to keep her mark under wraps. Not only was it in an intimate spot, it didn't sound all that exciting to meet her. "Shit," she finally confessed with a hard frown. "My soul mark says 'shit'."

There was a collective silence as the other four girls stared at Xin with different degrees of surprise. "Oh dear…." Hinata whispered under her breath. No wonder her sister kept it hidden. That didn't tell of a happy meeting.

"You have got to be lying."

Xin rolled her eyes so hard they could've fallen out of her head. "The fuck would I gain by lying about that, Ino?"

"I don't know but your sense of humor sucks."

Xin snorted and reached for the edge of her top. She curled her fingers under the tight fishnet armor she wore under her crop top and lifted it carefully. Her friends leaned forward to see, watching with wide eyes as the tattooed flesh was revealed. In black letters was one simple word:

Shit.

Plain as day, there it was. With a disgruntled grunt, she pulled her fingers away and readjusted her top. "Now do you believe me?" she asked rhetorically with another violent roll of her eyes.

"Wow," Tenten spoke first, eyebrows raised.

"Wasn't expecting that," Sakura muttered into her hand. "How long have you had it?"

"I was fourteen."

"Four years ago, and you still haven't met him?" Hinata reached over to pat her sister on the shoulder. "I'm sure there's an explanation for that, don't worry."

Xin shrugged carelessly. "I'm not worried, I don't even care."

Ino frowned, "but don't you want to be swept off your feet?"

"Sai doesn't even sweep you off of your feet."

"Okay, if you're going to be a Negative-Natsumi like this—"

"I'm just saying. Sai has the romantic and emotional depth of a caterpillar."

Ino reached forward to pinch at Xin's shoulder. "Oh, shut up," she huffed while dodging Xin's swiping hand. "I'm just saying, we're in a time of peace. Seiko and Haruka are gone but I think they would want you to get on with your life."

Xin stared up at the blonde, a mournful smile slowly making its way onto her face. "He doesn't sound very excited to meet me," she said instead of commenting on the mention of her teammates. She didn't talk much about her dead team and usually avoided it all together. She wasn't sentimental, she just didn't see the point of talking about dead people.

"Like Hinata said, there has to be a reasonable explanation for that," Sakura reassured her with an optimistic smile. "You just have to wait for the right moment."

Xin sighed heavily but agreed with her friends. She knew there was no point in trying to argue their points. It was one of the reasons why she never talked about her soul mark in the first place. She didn't care to hear all of the reassurances that her soulmate would come along and then everything in life would be peachy keen.

They separated after that, each going their different ways for whatever reason. Xin was sure that they each had some date or something, or in Sakura's case, something to do with Tsunade. She hadn't been listening. With another sigh, she made her way to the hospital. Honestly having shit printed on her body couldn't be the worst thing in life. At least she didn't have her own fuckin' name on her like Sasuke. Hell, it was even better than having a long 'umm' like Naruto. Her sister had been really shy back then, okay? It's not her fault and Naruto didn't seem that upset about it.

She wasn't getting any younger though.

Xin pressed her finger to her mouth thoughtfully, too busy zoned out to really pay attention to her surroundings. It didn't come as a shock when she rounded the corner and ran face first into someone. And shit, she must have been walking fast because she bounced backwards and landed square on her ass. So much for being graceful. Xin sat in a heap, looking like the dumbass that she was and groaned loudly. There would definitely be a bruise forming on her ass in a couple of minutes. Opening her eyes and ready to unleash Hell on Earth, she glanced up only to pause.

"Shit."

"I'm just worried, is all."

Kankuro grunted as Temari continued to rant about one thing or another. He was pretty sure that she'd had some sort of disagreement or something with her lazy ass of a soulmate and now he had to suffer through one of her agitated rants. "Worried about what?" he asked, though he knew she'd be pissed that she was being tuned out.

Temari glared at him but sighed instead of lashing out. "About Gaara. He hasn't found his soulmate yet. Everybody his age has already met their soulmate instead of him. It's not like we don't know if he has one or not. He does but he won't look for her."

Kankuro snorted loudly. "What're you talking about? Gaara knows who his soulmate is."

"Excuse me?"

Well, shit. Maybe he wasn't supposed to tell his sister that. At least not yet. Now if she annoyed Gaara about his knowing his soulmate, the youngest brother would know it was Kankuro who spilled the beans in the first place. "Erm...well, yeah. Gaara knows her, he met her before already."

"When?"

"When he was fifteen or sixteen? Before he became Kazekage. Before you jump to conclusions, he knows it's her, but she doesn't know it's him. He didn't get a chance to say anything to her when he realized it."

"What? He's known for that long? Why am I just finding out about this?"

Kankuro rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't be upset, Temari. It's not something a guy would want to talk about with his sister. It's easier because we're brothers, less awkward. No guy wants to talk about soulmates with his older sister."

Temari puffed her cheeks childishly, feeling comepltely offended. She could not believe the nerve of it all. Gaara could talk to her about these things! Besides, she was the only one who actually had a relationship with her soulmate in the first place. She had more experience than Kankuro. She crossed her arms for added effect. "Did he tell you anything about her?"

"Whoever she is, we know of her and that he said she was someone who could take care of herself just fine. Try not to worry so much, you know these things can't be rushed," Kankuro tried to placate her waning temper with easy words. Temari rolled her eyes and tightened her arms across her chest. Honestly, she was more upset that Gaara had kept this from her for so long but told Kankuro. She didn't care what he said about them being brothers, she was their sister. She mattered too, dammit.

"You look pissed."

Temari tried not to violently pout as Gaara stepped out of Tsunade's office. He glanced in between his older siblings, frowning all the while. "You told her, didn't you?"

"It was an accident!"

Gaara rolled his eyes and stepped around the two. "Temari, everything is fine."

"Fine? If you know who your soulmate is then why aren't you with her?"

"Because the time wasn't right. How was I supposed to balance a soulmate with everything that went on?" he asked, not really looking for an answer. "Too much went on right after meeting her."

Temari didn't seem satisfied but there was no arguing his point. Too much had gone on and having a soulmate during everything that had gone on would have weighed heavily on Gaara as a burden. Constantly worrying about her could have cost him. "Okay, fine but we live in an era of peace now. Why haven't you found her again?"

"Why do you think we're in Konoha?"

Temari gaped with wide eyes. "She's a Konoha ninja? I wasn't expecting that at all."

Kankuro blinked, "neither was I."

"Konoha ninja are so…"

"There isn't one word that could accurately describe them," Kankuro dryly commented with Temari readily agreeing.

"Shikamaru is a Konoha ninja."

Temari blushed and pointedly looked away. "This isn't about Shikamaru. This is about your soulmate. Do you think she'll come to Suna?"

Gaara became quiet as he thought about the question. He doubted that woman would just pack her life up immediately to leave for Suna with him. Unlike her peers, she didn't grow up knowing him. She wouldn't just jump straight into a relationship with him without actually knowing him and it was entirely understandable. They were just strangers who knew of one another in passing, nothing more. She probably knew more about him since he was kage.

"Not immediately."

"You're going to have a long-distance relationship?"

"If she's willing."

"And she isn't?"

"I can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She has a right to choose."

That made Temari smile. She reached over and patted him on the back. "I hope she chooses right. She would be lucky to have you."

Gaara didn't get a chance to answer when a short woman came swinging around the corner, lost in thought. She crashed right into him, yelping when she fell backwards on her ass. He stared down at the cringing woman on her ass, watching as she opened her mouth and looked up but stopped abruptly.

"Shit," he uttered before he could stop himself.

Xin didn't say anything, her mind reeling by as the world seemingly brighten around her. She was disturbed as everything just seemed to click into place. She paled considerably, which was almost funny since she was naturally pale to begin but the color did gradually drain from her face. Her big eyes widened even more if that was possible, eyebrows vanishing under the veil of her bluntly cut bangs.

"Damn, Gaara, how hard did you walk into her?" Kankuro peered around his brother to get a good look at her. "Or hell, what are you, eighty-two pounds?" he grinned down at her small form. Temari slapped Kankuro upside the head before shoving him away. It sank in immediately who this girl was just from the odd looks on their faces. Gaara's soulmate had literally run straight into him. She carefully nudged at Gaara's side, hoping he would do something besides staring down at her.

Gaara moved first, sticking a handout towards her. She eyed it warily, still looking quite pale. Slowly she reached for his hand only to visibly jump when an odd feeling rushed up her arm from his touch. She nearly pulled back but Gaara held fast, pulling her to her feet effortlessly. She still had yet to say anything as realization made itself comfy across her features.

Xin tried to pull her hand away again but Gaara still held on, not allowing her to flee. She knew she had a soulmate, there was no denying the goddamn swear word that was printed on her that just left his mouth, but shit she wasn't expecting the fuckin' Kazekage. Of all the Shinobi she could be tied to by the red string, it had to be the Kazekage.

For shit's sake.

"What's the matter?" Kankuro asked, completely missing the mood as he rubbed the back of his head. Temari sighed loudly and rubbed harshly at her eyes. She leaned towards him again, cupping her hand and whispering into his ear, quickly explaining what was going on right in front of them. His eyes widened gradually as Temari hissed into his ear before a shit eating grin spread across his lips. "Holy shit," he snickered boyishly. "That's one way to meet."

"Did you…uh…" Xin began before pressing her lips together. "Did you say 'shit' just now? Is that what I heard just now?" she asked carefully. This entire time she'd been convinced that her soulmate said 'shit' because he'd been disappointed that he was connected to her. She might be a bit of dumbass, but he didn't exactly look disappointed in seeing her.

"I did," Gaara answered truthfully with a hint of confusion. It was odd because he wasn't even the type to swear all that much. Maybe in frustration or in battle but not because a girl had run face first into his chest. This entire time he thought his soulmate was a vulgar idiot because he was unfortunate enough to have the word fuck printed on his skin when she also had a swear word hidden on her somewhere.

What type of chaotic shit…

"Right," Xin nodded slowly. "I thought so," she sounded like she was talking more to herself than to him. "Well, this is an unforeseen development that I was not prepared for," Xin said in the same airy tone of hers, like it was all so hard to believe. She took a moment to look at him from head to toe but his clothes stopped her search short. His long overcoat hid wherever his mark was. "Oh shit," it seemed like it really set in for her at that moment. "My fuckin' soulmate is the Kazekage, oh my God…"

"Maybe we should go…" Temari said carefully, knowing how awkward things could get. She grabbed Kankuro by his arm and yanked him back the way they'd just came from. He loudly protested, wanting to see how things would play out but Temari wasn't having any of that. She continued to drag him with her, sheepishly waving at the two.

It was quiet for a long moment before Xin got her wits about her. "That's the best you could come up?" she asked abruptly, confusing him. "I have to walk around with 'shit' on my goddam body! Do you know how fucked up that is? I thought something was wrong with me this whole time!" she snapped; hand still clasped tightly in Gaara's grip. If Haruka and Seiko were still alive, they would comment that her getting angry was just so typical of her. When she didn't know how to deal with something emotional, she tended to get angry. She really needed to work on that.

Gaara felt his temper flare just a tad. She had no room to talk about fucked up first words. "You have room to talk," he replied in a stone-cold voice. It wasn't like him to usually lose his temper, so he tried his best to get a good grip on it.

"Me asking you if you said 'shit' does not count!"

"What? That's not the first thing you've said to me," he rolled his eyes. "The first thing you've ever said to me was 'oh, for fuck sake'."

Xin blinked up at him, head twitching back on her neck. That was not the first thing she said to him, she would know, it only happened moments ago. She came to a screeching halt, eyes becoming wide. Oh, dear God. What if she was his soulmate but he wasn't hers? Could that actually happen? Was that a thing? For Kaguya's sake, leave it to her to have a difficult soulmate.

"What are you talking about?"

Gaara took note of the panic in her eyes and realized that maybe she didn't remember meeting him all those years ago in the forest. "We ran into each other when we were fifteen or sixteen. Your team was after a runaway ninja," he began to explain, watching as her eyebrows creased. "You snapped his neck."

A lightbulb went off over her head as she recalled that memory. If he thought it was cute, he didn't say as much. "You were the first one to say something after seeing me. You said 'Oh, for fuck sake' and your teammates told you to shut up and you didn't say anything else after that."

Xin was busy trying to recall the entire mission. It was slow to resurface but once it did, she paled once more. Bummer, she was just getting some color back. She remembered now, becoming fed up once she realized that she might have to fight the Demon of the Sand for some dumbass runaway with a couple of stolen scrolls on him. Gaara was right, she could remember that exact sentence falling from her mouth.

Oh, hell.

"So, you're telling me that you've known that we were soulmates all this time? And that we both have swear words on us?"

"Yes and it would seem so."

"Oh my…" she trailed off with a hand pressed to her cheek. Well, this was entirely embarrassing. This entire time she'd been pissed at the swear word when he also had one. It didn't make things better but at least they were in the same boat. "Well…" she blinked several times. "What do we do now?"

Gaara shrugged casually, it wasn't like he knew much about dating his soulmate. "Whatever you want to do," he decided to leave it up to her.

Xin smiled slowly and then with a flirtatious wink, "Ah…well…if you show me your mark, I'll show you mine…."

TeeBeMe: I mean I thought it was funny lol. Imagine two idiots walking around with curse words on their bodies because they're dumb and chaotic.