Kankuro, like Gaara and Jura, made for an intimidating figure. Especially when he was storming towards her, looking like he was about to knock her head off of her shoulders. Masaru shied away, which didn't surprise her.

Seiko, however, didn't seem all that surprised to see him. In fact, she simply watched as he stomped straight up to Xin. Maybe she was even smiling but Xin wasn't sure, she wasn't paying enough attention.

Kankuro grabbed Xin by the elbow, not even bothering to acknowledge the other two. "Come on, Xin." He yanked her away, turning back towards his car.

Seiko waved amicably but Masaru only scowled. She turned to look at Masaru, still smiling but her gaze was empty. "You should be careful, Shibata-san."

He tore his eyes away from Kankuro and Xin's retreating figures. "What?"

"Men like that, they're dangerous and have no qualms about killing a random office worker. You should probably be more respectful of Xin."

Masaru was absolutely speechless because that sounded like a straight up threat. "What."

But Seiko deemed the conversation over. "I hope we can get along, Shibata-san." She didn't even say goodbye, simply turned and walked off, leaving him standing there, gaping like a fish-faced idiot.

Meanwhile, Xin was just as offended as Masaru. Kankuro hadn't said a word, just shoved her into the car and drove off. This was kidnapping. She was being kidnapped, for fuck's sake.

"Um…"

"No."

She slumped into the expensive leather, feeling like a scolded child. Men were such pushy, bossy assholes sometimes. He hadn't even told her where he was taking her.

Oh fuck. What if he was taking her to the outskirts of town where they owned an abandoned building? What if he was going to torture her? For what, she had no idea. She hadn't done shit to offend him or Gaara. She even patched his violent ass brother up again! She did not deserve this.

"I just want you to know that if you plan on torturing me, I will shove my heel through your eyeball," she whispered threateningly. She doubted he'd let her get the drop on him but hell if she wouldn't try.

Kankuro snorted and tried in vain to mask his amused smile. "Doubt you'd be able to reach."

Xin sputtered before she let out a cackle. "Fuck you, criminal."

He didn't say anything back, simply chuckled in amusement. They drove in silence for another five minutes before they reached their destination. Somewhere in downtown Tokyo, they were parked outside of a sushi restaurant. She stared up at it blankly, still sitting in the car.

The door was suddenly wrenched open and Kankuro plucked her out like she were some wayward child and not a fully grown woman. She floundered, offended but he plopped her on her feet. "Um…"

"Gaara and Jura said you're inclined to good food," Kankuro said simply, stalking forward. "What're ya waiting for? Come on!"

Xin's gluttony won out because she trailed behind with her head down, mumbling and muttering. She was inclined to good food, dammit. She needed to get better values. Kankuro was smug but nice enough to hold the door open for her, snickering when she hurried by.

And like that fried chicken and those sweets, the sushi was fantastic.

"It must be nice to be rich," she mumbled into her onigiri. The menu didn't even have prices on it. Just a bunch of fancy shit that she'd never seen before. Sushi should never be so complicated but this was the Big City and all.

"I guess it is," Kankuro replied, though she wasn't specifically looking for an answer. "Never thought much about it."

"Rich people never do."

"I'm sensing some hostility."

"You kidnapped me."

Kankuro shot her a look. "I didn't kidnap you. I just forcibly removed you from one place."

"And then took me to another place, yes, kidnap. Glad you know the definition." She glanced down at the array of sushi crowding their table. She obviously hadn't had sushi in a long time. And any sushi she had was homemade, nothing as nearly as fancy as this. "Anyway," she sighed. "What's this about?"

"What do you mean? You didn't object too much to my brother taking you out or Jura," Kankuro replied, ruthlessly plucking up the sushi she'd been reaching for.

She stared back at him, squinting. "Your brother and Jura didn't drag me away and force me into their car."

"Ah, still on the kidnapping thing."

"Mm."

Kankuro only nodded, looking thoughtful. "Didn't feel like saying hello to your coworkers. Gaara said the guy was a pussy," he said casually. Xin sputtered around her chopsticks. "You swear like a sailor but pussy is the word that throws you off?"

Xin choked and when he didn't offer any assistance, beat her chest. "Oh God, not like this." Leave it to her to choke on food and die. At least it was good food. "He said Shibata was spineless…" Her face flushed, grimacing at all the insults lobbed at Masaru. It was clear none of these men liked him.

"Sure. A spineless pussy," Kankuro said evenly.

Xin sighed again, this time loudly. "Kankuro, please. Why did you bring me here? Are you trying to feed me good food before you tie my ankles to cement blocks and drop me in the ocean?"

"Where'd you get an idea like that?"

"I've seen the mob movies."

He rolled his eyes. "This isn't a mob movie, Xin. I'm not here to drop you into the ocean."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I want to know what the hell you want."

"Peace and silence."

He blinked, baffled and caught off guard by her quick wit. He almost cackled but thought better of it. Gaara and Jura were right about one thing, she was funny. "What do you want from my brother?"

"I want him to stop bleeding all over the place," Xin replied sourly and in all seriousness. There was a small voice that often whispered that perhaps Gaara purposely allowed himself to be hurt so that he'd have an excuse to see her. She dismissed it immediately, of course, because it was fuckin' ridiculous.

The first time was just by chance and she'd been the one to force her kindness on him. The second time was a little far-fetched as removing stitches were easier than applying them. The third time, well, he claimed it was a coincidence and had no choice to believe him but….

Well, she wasn't sure.

"Do you take anything serious?" Kankuro grouched. This was probably his karma, he thought. His siblings asked him that very same question growing up, time and time again because of his stubborn immaturity.

No wonder they resorted to smacking the shit out of him after a while.

He couldn't smack the shit out of Xin. One, because they were in public and it was generally frowned upon to hit a woman. Whatever. Two, because he had the feeling that Gaara would not take kindly to that.

Interesting. Very interesting.

"Sure I do," Xin said with a careless shrug. "Like my paycheck. I take that very seriously." A grin pulled at her plump lips. "As for your question, I don't want anything from him."

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"Bro, who hurt you?"

Kankuro couldn't help the little huff of laughter that escaped him and cursed himself for it. The likable little idiot. "You seem like a blunt woman."

"What do you think I want from him?"

"I don't know, Xin. Money, power, prestige—"

"Prestige. From a mob boss."

"Yes, he's successful, high in rank and influence—"

"Prestige means to rise from favorable attributes. I don't think beating the shit out of people qualifies."

"What are you, a fuckin' dictionary?"

Gaara claimed she was from some little rural town in Osaka somewhere. Weren't countryfolk supposed to be more simplistic? He assumed this conversation would be an easy one but clearly that wasn't the case as Xin enjoyed verbally sparring.

She grinned at him, probably well aware of his line of thought. Cityfolk were the same, they always thought she was just some country bumpkin with barely two brain cells to rub together. Xin was a dumbass but she wasn't stupid. Far from it, really.

She raised a spoonful of miso soup to her lips and loudly slurped the liquid up, cackling at the scandalized look that the gangster sent her. It almost caused her to go careening off her chair.

"Are you finished?" Kankuro hissed over her wheezing.

"I'm never finished," she chortled but tried her best to calm down. "Kankuro," she sighed his name as if she truly pitied him. "I really don't want any of your brother's material possessions. I don't want his money or his power or his prestige. I didn't come to Tokyo to seduce the Yakuza."

She probably wouldn't have a hard time, if that was truly her goal. For all her annoying mental and emotional attributes, her physical attributes were admittedly top-tier. A very pretty woman with a very pretty shape was a dangerous thing. Beauty killed the beast, once upon a time.

"But you came here for something."

She clucked her tongue. "You men are nosy," she said instead. "Your brother has been the one to give me things and offer me rides home. I didn't ask for any of that. I tried to tell him no. I can't control what a grown man does with his time and money."

"And Jura?" he pressed, still uncertain.

"Jesus fuck, Kankuro. Your idiot coworker and partner in crime was the one who destroyed my property and threatened me. He was the one who wanted to apologize with dinner."

"You didn't have to oblige."

"He didn't have to wave a gun in my face."

"You enjoy being difficult, don't you?"

Xin smiled but didn't bother to reply, they both knew the answer to that. "So, I suppose you're opposed to the idea of a friendship?"

"Is that what Gaara and Jura promised you?" His tone was dry, still accusing her of something. She wondered what type of people they dealt with regularly for him to be so distrustful. Jura did point out that their inner circle was small, not that she blamed him.

She was distrustful, after all, of practically anyone.

"That's all I can offer."

Kankuro leaned back in chair, blatantly watching her. He didn't know her well but she really didn't seem to be the sneaky type. She was far too straightforward and blunt for that but he still wasn't wholly convinced.

Everyone in this world wanted something for themselves. Even if it meant snatching it out of the hands of someone else. He'd seen it many times before, and had done it many times himself. He didn't, for a second, believe that Xin was above everyone else.

"Okay, Xin," he said after a long moment of silence. "Whatever you say but if you ever try to pull some slick shit on any of us, especially my brother, I will kill you. You're a pretty woman and you'll make for a pretty corpse."

For the first time, she had no comeback.

Xin was…at a loss.

Kankuro straight up threatened to kill her. And hadn't felt any remorse about it. It was the first time she truly felt unnerved in any of their presence. Sure, Jura stuck a gun in her face and that had made her a little nervous but she was able to laugh it off.

She had not, in fact, laughed Kankuro's threat off.

This was a bad idea, she was right all along. Inviting danger into her space like this, again, was a terrible, awful, no good idea. If Gaara or Jura didn't hurt her, Kankuro would.

Her eyes were itching and she realized somberly that she was on the verge of crying. This wasn't fair, she didn't ask for this. Any of this. She hadn't done anything wrong to warrant this sort of treatment. What was it about her that made men want to bend her until she broke?

She stood in the middle of her shit apartment and dropped her head, hand pressed firmly to her eyes. A few tears escaped, gliding down her cheeks before she took a deep breath. Crying never did her any good before and it wouldn't start now.

"Fuck," she grumbled irritably, blinking hard. "This was a mistake…" she trailed off, looking around her apartment. "Another mistake."

Maybe she should leave Tokyo. It was clear that she didn't belong in the Big City but she didn't dare return to Osaka. Kyoto sounded nice or maybe Kobe. Maybe all she'd find was more trouble. It would be wise to avoid Japan's major cities.

Gaara was wrong. She was made to be alone, she had to be alone because when she wasn't, this shit happened.

She reached up towards her neck, fingers laying flat against the raised skin there. She could still feel the heat and agony pressed into her neck. Into her ribcage. Her hip. Could still recall the smell of burnt skin and the sound of her flesh sizzling. She cried then but it had done nothing.

There was no way she'd go back to that.

She went through the motions of her nightly ritual. Reading and then a little TV, ate the leftovers from the sushi restaurant Kankuro sent her home with. Her mind was practically blank as she carried on. She watered her plants and cleaned her tiny apartment. Undressed and showered. The usual.

It wasn't until she was sitting on her bed that she looked at her cellphone. Six upgrades behind, Gaara teased. Who cared? It was a phone, she could text and she could call, that's all she needed.

One unread text message.

She didn't open it. She didn't look at it. Instead, she picked through her sparse contacts for his name, jabbing at her phone to delete his contact information.

There.

One mistake was rectified.

The next couple of days were…peaceful. It was like before she fell in with Gaara and his band of miscreants.

It was…stale.

Seiko eyed Xin warily. She liked the dark-haired woman. Though she tended to keep to herself, she'd been nothing but kind and helpful, thoroughly training Seiko. Manager Umino hadn't been lying when he said she was the one of the best.

And maybe it was presumptuous of her but Xin seemed…down these past couple of days. At face-value, she seemed her regular peppy self but if one were to pay closer attention, look a little deeper…

Something was wrong.

"Say, Hyuga-san?" she prompted one day. "It's about time for lunch. There's a nice cafe down the street. Would you like to join me?"

Xin paused, eyes staring blankly at her computer screen. She seemed to grimace for some reason but smiled nonetheless. "Okay."

Behind her, Masaru scowled enviously. Seiko smiled at him but pointedly did not extend the offer to him. He stewed in his quiet jealousy.

True to her word, the cafe was nice, Xin noted. She stood next to Seiko in line, her eyes roving over the menu mounted on the wall. The prices weren't too bad, she guessed but she rather not splurge either way.

"My treat," Seiko beamed cheerfully before quickly placing two orders of bento lunches for them along with two fruit smoothies. Xin gaped at her but the tall redhead only hurried her to one of the tables.

"Un, Fujino-san, that's unnecessary, really," she tried as the redhead all but manhandled her into the seat. She plopped down across from her, still smiling cheerfully. What the fuck.

"I insist, Hyuga-san. You've been nothing but nice to me during my training, even when I made that mistake the other day." The mistake that almost cost their office the whole work day. "You're a really nice woman and I wanted to show my appreciation."

Xin flushed and avoided Seiko's gaze, mumbling bashfully. "It wasn't your fault and it was an easy fix." It was her fault and it hadn't been an easy fix. The blunder actually surprised Xin because Seiko seemed more than capable. It almost felt as if she meant to make the mistake.

Weird.

Anyway,

Seiko cleared her throat. "I just—well…this might seem forward of me but you seem…down lately. I know we don't know each other well but…erm..I'd like to be friends so…"

Xin eyed her warily. Why did everyone suddenly want to be her friend? She was not that interesting of a person. She barely liked herself. "I'm fine," Xin answered shortly and a little curtly. She said nothing else to the rest of Seiko's words. "Just…you know…."

Seiko nodded even though Xin was being vague. "Is it…that number you were nervous about texting the other day? He texted you back, didn't he?" She was pushy, Xin realized, in a soft sort of way. It reminded her of her sister.

She shrugged, eyes looking around the sunny cafe. "I, un, I deleted his number. I don't think…well…it's better this way."

"Did he say something to upset you?"

"Upset me? No, no. I just…I just don't think there's any need for a relationship between us, you know."

"Were…you hoping for one?"

"Nah," Xin said. "I'm not cut out for relationships. Tried it once. Didn't work out too well." She smiled prettily at the waitress who brought their lunch, offering a sweet thank you. The waitress blushed and quickly turned away.

"Oh, you shouldn't let one bad experience ruin it for you," Seiko chided carefully. "Your soulmate is out there!"

Xin scoffed with raised eyebrows. "Soulmate?"

"Don't tell me you don't believe in soulmates!"

"I don't believe in anything."

Seiko stilled, chopsticks clenched tightly between her fingers as she stared at Xin. "My, that's…bleak."

It was enough to make Xin laugh, her face breaking in humor. Seiko didn't see what was so funny, lips pursed as the other woman continued to laugh. She wondered what might've happened to Xin to have such a bleak outlook on life.

Her laugh tapered off into a tired sigh. "I guess you believe in soulmates, Fujino?"

Seiko nodded. "Of course."

"Lovely."

The redhead shook her head. "I think you should give him a chance, Hyuga. He could be your soulmate. I know it must be scary but it can be just as fun. Don't shut yourself away from the notion."

Seiko just didn't understand and that was okay. She shut herself away from that notion long ago, long before she even fled Osaka. It was for the best.

"No soul. No soulmate." She didn't have to look at the redhead to see the disappointment on her face. She could sense it just fine.

Their trek back to the office was a little more somber, Seiko obsessively texting on her phone. Satisfied with whoever she was texting, she pocketed her phone and looked down at Xin. "I'd like us to be friends," she bit her bottom lip. "So, if it's okay with you, please call me Seiko."

Xin stood in front of the door, eyes blank as she stared up at the other woman. Slowly, she smiled demurely. "Okay, Seiko. Call me Xin."

It was raining.

From her desk, Xin watched the unforgiving downpour. She practically glared at the rain, a stubborn set to her jaw. "You won't break me," she whispered conspiratorially. She knew the Universe was trying to set her ass up.

"Goodness," Seiko was also watching the downpour. "I didn't know it was supposed to rain today." Despite her statement, she readily pulled out an umbrella from her bag. "Xin, will you be okay going home?"

Chin resting in the palm of her hand, Xin continued staring outside. "Sure, sure," she lied easily. She was just going to wait it out after everyone else left. It had to let up eventually.

Seiko eyed her. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

The redhead sighed but took her leave first, vanishing off into the downpour under the protection of her stupid umbrella. Xin pinched the bridge of her nose. Did she even own an umbrella?

"Interesting that she calls you by your first name."

Xin nearly jumped out of her skin, using her hips instead to swivel around in her chair. Masaru was eyeing her warily, a tight frown set on his lips. She only stared back at him, why hadn't he left yet?

"It's not that interesting."

"You don't let me call you by your first name."

Oh, Jesus.

She pursed her lips and took note that the office was eerily empty. Oh, fuckin' fantastic. Really. The Universe was clearly sick of her shit and decided to turn against her, fickle as it was.

"It's different, Shibata. Don't take offense," she said carefully. There were cameras in their office space, right? He wasn't going to skin her alive and wear her face as a mask, was he?

She watched way too much of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

"How is it different?" He was practically sneering at her and something uncomfortable bloomed in her gut. Gaara and Kankuro called him a spineless pussy but he didn't seem so spineless to her right now.

If it came down to it, she was going to bash his shit in with her stapler.

"I don't know, we're both women," she shrugged curtly. "She wants to be friends."

"I wanted to be your friend. I've said that for the past five or six months!"

She eyed him, unimpressed with his words and his temper. "Don't yell at me," she snapped. "And you don't want to be my friend at all, Shibata. I'm not stupid."

Before he could reply that no doubt suggested that she was quite stupid, her phone rang. Masaru was still sneering at her while she reached for the phone, not recognizing the number. She usually didn't pick up random calls but decided that the Universe was stepping in to save her sorry ass.

"Moshi moshi..?"

"You haven't called me."

Xin felt a rush of heat shoot up from somewhere below her waist. "…Who is this?" she said around a grin, momentarily forgetting that she deleted the number from her phone for a damn reason.

Gaara let out a dry laugh. "Very funny, Xin. You at work right now?"

"…Maybe."

"It's raining."

"That it is. How observant of you."

"Do you have an umbrella?"

"I don't."

"It's supposed to rain all night so if you were hoping to wait it out, you're shit out of luck."

Was she that predictable? She didn't reply, mouth pinching stubbornly. She was not going to ask this man shit. "Guess I'll just get rained on then."

"You'll get sick."

"So?"

He sighed loudly into her ear. "I'll be there in five minutes."

"What? Five—no." But the resounding click shut her up. He'd hung up on her after promising he'd be there. Again. Even after she ignored and avoided him for the past few days. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck.

"Lemme guess," Masaru sniped with a scowl. "Was that Gaara? Or was it one of the other two gangsters you seem so chummy with all of a sudden."

"Shibata…"

"I bet they call you by your first name too, don't they? Is that what gets you going, Hyuga? Criminals?"

She was appalled but wasn't exactly surprised with his crass accusation. Small men like him were known to act like children when they didn't get their way. And unfortunately she'd been continuously shooting him down while allowing these other random ass people to get away with what he was owed.

He suddenly rounded his desk on her, causing her to quickly shoot up to her feet. She learned that sitting down while an angry man approached was never a good idea. "Shibata," she tried to keep an even, calm tone. "It's okay."

"Is it?" Masaru huffed, folding his arms across his chest. Well, that was a good sign, at least but she still kept a careful gaze on his arms. He was irritated but not exactly angry. And that was good, irritated could be reasoned with.

"What do you want me to do?" Her tone was still calm, placating even.

"I want you to call me by my first name." That was a strange demand. Simple as it was, it made her stomach turn. She didn't want to call this moron by his name and she didn't want him to call her by hers. "Masaru," he said, as if she were dumb.

"Un…"

His hands fell to her shoulders, heavy and unsettling. "Masaru. Say it. Ma-sa-ru."

Xin leaned back against her desk, fingers discreetly searching for the stapler. Or maybe she could hit him with her keyboard. "Let go first."

"No, say it first."

"Let go."

They were at a standstill, both stubbornly waiting for the other's resolve to crumble. All she had to do was call him by his name, a simple demand, really. But Xin was a stubborn woman when it came down to it. A trait that often bit her in the ass but a trait she would not rectify.

So caught up in their standstill, they didn't hear the front door swing open or the approaching footsteps. Gaara suddenly appeared, dry from the rain and casually smoking despite seeing several no smoking signs.

He hadn't expected to see Xin and Masaru in a standstill but he wasn't necessarily surprised. She hadn't answered when he texted her of his arrival and never one to be patient, found his way inside.

"Oi." There was no need to raise his voice. The two stopped in their struggle, Masaru's fingers digging painfully into Xin's shoulders but they both turned to look at him. "You like having your hands connected to your body? Cuz' I'll cut the shits off if you don't take them off her."

Masaru snatched his hands away so quickly that Xin almost stumbled into him. She stared up at him, scowling harshly. She should have just cracked him over the head with her stapler. Clearly he only understood violence.

"C'mere, Xin."

Xin carefully gathered her things and for once, did as she was told. She all but scampered towards the tall redhead, wrinkling her nose when she caught sight of his cigarette. "You aren't supposed to smoke in here," she chided softly. It seemed like an odd thing to fixate on but it was either that or the pain in her shoulders.

He only glanced down at her with an amused quirk to his lips. "You want me to hurt him?" he asked instead in a casual drawl, nodding towards Masaru.

Masaru made a strange wheezing noise in his throat. Xin glanced back towards him, not exactly concerned but weirded out by the sound. Her lips thinned distastefully and she sighed. "No, of course not."

That seemed to disappoint Gaara but he simply nodded again. He looked at Masaru overtop Xin's head, expression blank. He looked the other man up and down, amusement curling his lips around his cigarette as he scoffed. "Pussy."

And then he carefully wrapped Xin up and spirited her away, leaving Masaru behind once again.

Xin wondered how much an umbrella like that cost. It was big enough to fit at least ten people underneath. Despite that, Gaara kept a secure arm around her waist, pinning her to his side as he walked her out to his car. He opened the door for her, keeping the umbrella over them both and gently closed the door once she was settled in.

"Did you have to call him that?" Xin finally cracked after several silent minutes of driving. His hand was still bandaged, she noted but it wasn't speckled with blood. That was good, he hadn't agitated his raw knuckles so far.

"I could've punched him instead but you said no," Gaara replied simply.

"Your hand is still healing."

"I'm ambidextrous."

"Oh, you absolutely are not."

"I could be."

She was grinning and laughing and she felt something in her chest, in her soul. She thought back to her conversation with Seiko at the cafe. Soulmate. Seiko insisted rather forcefully that she indeed had a soulmate out there.

She wasn't foolish enough to believe that this particular man was her soulmate. She barely knew him and he…he was..well…a criminal, to say the least. Besides, she claimed quite dramatically, in having no soul. It splintered and she left the sharp pieces back in Osaka.

Gaara followed Xin to her front door, keeping the umbrella over her. The rain beat mercilessly against the umbrella but they remained dry. He watched as she rooted around in her bag, producing her key and busied with trying to fight the door open. Like their first night meeting, the door was stuck and resisted.

"What did my brother say to you?"

Xin paused in her struggle, her back to him and head ducked low. "What do you mean..?"

"He took you out to eat but I haven't heard from you at all. What did he say to you?"

She still wouldn't turn around to face him, eyes glued to the doorknob instead. She tried once more to wrench the door open but it wouldn't budge. "He said…"

Gaara reached forward with his wrapped hand and shoved the door open. Xin sputtered and toppled forward but he caught her at the last second, arm wrapping around her, hand splayed against her stomach. He pulled her back roughly and she rocked backwards on unsteady heels, her small back colliding into his chest.

"Oh, that's firm," Xin thought, her mind going blank. "Um," she laughed nervously. Her traitorous mind urged her to turn around, to see his expression, to see if he liked the way her back curved perfectly into his chest—

Nope.

No ma'am. No sir.

Xin wriggled out of his hold and skittered into the genkan, kicking her heels off. She didn't invite him in but it didn't matter either way because he followed all the same. He shook his umbrella out and slipped out of his shoes, closing the door behind them as Xin hurried into her apartment.

She vanished into her room as he shrugged out of his coat, draping it over the back of the couch. He wasn't surprised that she had no coat hanger but decided not to tease her about it.

Meanwhile Xin was peeling herself out of her clothes. Gaara had done well in keeping the rain away but the damp air had sunk into her shirt and she was just now realizing how it clung to her skin. She made a face and shook her head, shrugging out of her shirt.

Purple bruises dotted along her shoulders, the aftermath of Masaru's psychotic temper tantrum. She eyed the bruises in the mirror. It wasn't the first time her body bore the anger of a man. Most likely wouldn't be the last.

She finished undressing and redressed herself. She glanced into the mirror, just a simple shirt and a pair of thick tights. She eyed her legs, watching as the fabric stretched across her thighs. Her mind wandered and she wondered if Gaara liked…

No, no you don't.

She banished the thought and quickly returned to the living room. Gaara was standing, glaring down at her couch in pure hatred. "Do you like hot cocoa?" she offered with an amused expression.

He shrugged and followed her into the kitchen. "You haven't answered my question," he said as she bustled about her small kitchen. Apparently, Xin preferred to make hot chocolate from scratch.

"What question?" she asked airily, rhythmically stirring the pot.

Gaara snorted and leaned back, grimacing when the chair groaned in protest. "What did Kankuro say to you?"

"Do you like whipped cream for your hot cocoa?"

"Xin."

"Is that a no?"

"I don't care about whipped cream." Not unless he was eating it off of—

Ah, no. Bad thoughts.

She decided for him, dousing an ungodly amount of whipped cream on top of their cocoa. She turned and offered him the mug before joining him at the tiny kitchen table. "How do you know he said anything to me?"

"You texted me and when I replied, you didn't say anything back. At all." He was plainly staring at her, watching the gears turning in her head.

"How do you know that has anything to do with your brother?" Unlike him, she didn't stare at him. Her eyes darted around the kitchen, mug carefully lifted to her lips.

"Doesn't it?" If Xin knew how to do one thing, she knew how to make some bomb ass hot chocolate because wow. His stare dropped to the mug, clearly caught off guard by the delicious taste.

"Why don't you just ask him if you're so concerned?"

"Because I want to hear it from you."

She busied herself with her hot cocoa, eyes still straying. "I waited days for even a crumb of attention and when I finally got it, you went all silent on me. The same day Kankuro took you out to eat."

Xin finally looked at him, her gaze uneasy. Again, she wondered what these men found so interesting about her, what drew them to her. "He just…you know, warned me not to pull any slick shit on you."

"Slick shit?"

She grimaced and her look of uneasiness became more irritated. It was clear he wouldn't let up on her. "Yes, you know, swindling you out of all your money and power and prestige and what not."

Gaara snorted and leaned back in his chair. "You barely let me buy those sweets for you. You really think that's what I believe?"

"No but your brother does," she waved a hand lazily. "I told him that that's not what I wanted but I don't think he believed me much." Her face must've done something because his face hardened. That was her problem, her expressions always betrayed her.

"What did he say?"

He was beginning to sound like a broken record, one that demanded answers. "Well," she licked her lips, tasting the chocolate and whipped cream. "He just…warned me that if I did try something funny, he would then…kill me."

To his credit, Gaara's expression didn't change much. There had already been a hardness to his eyes before she confessed.

"He said, uh, I'd make for a pretty corpse," Xin said with a nervous giggle. "I wasn't all that flattered," she tried to joke but he hardly reacted to it. "I thought it would be best then, to keep my distance since then…"

"Was it?"

"Mm?"

"Was it best to keep your distance?"

She peeked up from her mug, her leg bouncing nervously. What did Seiko say that day at the cafe? That she'd been down lately? Maybe her somber mood had something to do with deciding to keep her distance in the first place?

"I don't…really know," she said slowly, watching as his jaw clenched. Maybe that thrilled her a little bit. "I don't think so. My…friend said I've been down lately."

"You made another friend?"

She shot him a look, scowling at his amusement. "I don't get why everyone wants to be my friend in the first place. Well, maybe save for Kankuro."

At the mention of his brother, Gaara's amusement faded. "Xin…"

"I didn't come here to steal someone else's success and wealth, bloodied or not. If that's what you think—"

"I don't."

And it was the truth. He didn't, not even for a split second, believe that Xin had some nefarious plans hidden behind her strained smile and gentle hands. If she was plotting something, she made for a hell of a good actress.

"Good. Because I don't want anything from you."

"Not even friendship?"

She puckered her lips in thought. "I think that's all I can offer you. If that's not good enough, I don't know what the hell else to tell you." It still made her nervous because wasn't this how it started? A friendship that could potentially lead to something more? Maybe she was just jumping the gun, maybe she was simply projecting.

"You're a nice woman," Gaara said. "Don't worry about what my brother said."

She smiled but it was weak at best. "That's kind of hard, seeing as how he literally threatened my life." She tapped obsessively at the side of her mug. Her leg was still bouncing.

He had the urge to reach over and settle a hand over her knee or worse, her thigh but thought better of it. That was far too bold for their blossoming friendship. "I'll make sure he doesn't," he tried instead, eyeing her tapping fingers.

Her fingers didn't stop their tapping. "Oh? And what if you want to hurt me? Who makes sure you won't?"

"Why would I want to hurt you?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

Truthfully, he'd hurt a lot of people but it was never for senseless reasons, though it didn't excuse the fact. The point, he reasoned, was that there was nothing to gain by hurting Xin. No money would come of breaking her slim fingers and watching her eyes fill with desperate tears would only unnerve him.

"Is that why you left home?" He was pushing his luck but he had to if he was ever going to wheedle her past out of her.

"Maybe."

It was a step in the right direction because he was sure she'd avoid answering the question. Still, his stomach turned at the thought. Sure, he was a little inclined to her but why would anyone go out of their way to hurt her?

"I see," he said amicably. It was best not to ruffle her feathers anymore than necessary. It was the right choice because she smiled at him, careful yet tender.

When they finished their hot chocolate and the rain calmed somewhat, he decided it was time to go. Xin followed him to the door as per usual, toting a hot thermos with her. "What's that?" Gaara shrugged into his heavy coat, nodding to the thermos.

"Oh," Xin's fingers tightened around it. "It's the rest of the hot chocolate. I thought Kankuro and Jura might like it."

"Ah, a peace offering."

She wrinkled her nose. "I hope your brother fuckin' chokes on it."

Gaara laughed loudly but took the offering, tucking it away in one of his large pockets. "I'll tell him you said that."

"Please do."

This seemed to be a reoccurring thing between them, Xin standing in her doorway with Gaara. The air felt heavy on both of their shoulders but neither could say why. They'd taken a further step in their timid friendship though Gaara couldn't say for sure what he really wanted out of it.

It was clear that she had no inclinations towards a romance but it'd be a lie if he denied having a tiny crush on her. Even so, she set her boundaries and he'd respect them. If by chance, she decided that maybe there was something more to their friendship, he was never one to deny a pretty girl what she wanted.

"Thank you for the ride. Again." She grimaced and motioned to the backdrop of pouring rain. "You really did come through. And, um, for…you know, my idiot coworker."

Ah, right. He eyed her shoulders, remembering Masaru's ironclad grip on her. With her pale pallor, he wouldn't be surprised if bruises were already blooming along her shoulders. "You sure you don't want me to hurt him?"

Because he really wouldn't mind breaking his fingers, at the least.

Xin sputtered and shook her head. "I'm positive. Please don't beat him with a metal pipe or something."

"I was just going to break his fingers but your idea works too."

She couldn't stop her giggles even if she tried. "Just because I laughed doesn't make it right," she was quick to point out. "It's fine, seriously."

He wasn't so convinced, he knew what Masaru was all about. The type to get angry and upfront with a woman but shied away in the presence of other men. He knew that type well and judging by her almost blase attitude, she did too.

"You should be careful of him."

"He's harmless."

"Until he's not."

Well, that was a good point, Xin conceded but what could she do? Quit? Now wasn't the time to look for another job. Plus, her job paid well and actually paid her for overtime too. She could handle Masaru's childish temper tantrums all in the name of a reasonable paycheck.

"I was going to hit him with my stapler when you showed up."

Gaara chuckled. "A doctor with violent inclinations. Ironic."

"I'm not a doctor."

"So you say."

The damp air began to settle in once more, sinking through the material of her shirt. Xin folded her arms under her chest, folding in on herself in an attempt to stay warm. She shuffled forward discreetly, as if to bask in his body heat instead of simply retreating back inside.

"Hopefully you won't leave me waiting around for a call or text," Gaara said only half jokingly.

"Well, do you have any more family members that might come around and threaten me?"

"My sister but I don't think you'll have to worry about her."

"You're sure?"

"No, honestly."

Despite his answer, she laughed. "Okay, tough guy. I'll hit you up if that's what you want." She wasn't even sure what she would say to him but she promised she would try. Maybe once he realized how fuckin' boring her life was, he'd move on.

Which, oddly enough, left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Don't leave me waiting," Gaara gently cuffed her under the chin. "And stay out of trouble. Try not to be alone with that shithead coworker of yours."

Her lips thinned distastefully. She'd have to deal with Masaru's temper tantrum and she wasn't happy about it. She'd have to make sure Seiko was present or hell, maybe even Manager Umino. Still, did she want to cause that much trouble?

"I'll handle him," Xin said with a reassuring smile. How? She wasn't sure, that was a problem future Xin would have to deal with. Maybe Masaru would be remorseful enough to apologize without a fuss. It was a far-fetched possibility but not entirely possible.

Gaara didn't look so convinced, staring down at her blandly. "I can still break his fingers. Or beat him with a metal pipe, like you suggested."

"That wasn't a suggestion and you know it," she poked at his chest. A strange feeling settled over her, realizing that she was being a little too forward with him considering their newly cemented platonic relationship. "You stay out of trouble yourself, criminal."

He left her with one last genuine smile, sauntering off into the rain under the hidden veil of his umbrella. She watched him go, leaning against the doorframe with an unreadable expression. She wasn't sure if she'd made the right decision when it came to this particular man but she was hopeful.

But she reminded herself that sometimes hope was a dangerous thing to have and closed the door.

When Gaara returned home, his siblings along with Jura were just finishing dinner. His older sister noticed him first and smiled. "There you are." Had she been born a boy, Gaara was sure she'd be the one in charge and not him. She was just like her brothers, intelligent, cunning, strategic and brutal. Her only shortcomings that disinherited her was that she'd been born a woman. Like Gaara told Xin, women weren't head of organizations like theirs.

Still, that didn't mean she wasn't a part of their lifestyle. She most certainly was, just not on paper. He trusted his sister as much as he trusted his brother and Jura.

"Where've you been?" Temari asked when he leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. "We saved you some takeout."

He glanced at Kankuro and felt the urge to slap his brother upside the head. He had the distinct feeling that Kankuro had something to do with Xin's sudden radio silence for the past couple of days. Realistically, it shouldn't have bothered him in the first place but the fact was that it did, it did bother the living shit out of him.

His brother hadn't set out to hurt him, he was only trying to protect him like he'd been doing since Gaara was born. Like he always protected and looked out for him but did he really believe Xin had ill intentions?

It was far too easy to read Xin's emotions. When she was uncomfortable, it was obvious. When she was happy or nervous or irritated, it was obvious. She was literally an open book and if she truly planned on swindling Gaara out of all he had, there was no way none of them wouldn't figure it out first.

She was too simple and he didn't mean that as an insult. She was just too upfront for her own good.

Instead of answering, he pulled out the thermos of hot chocolate and handed it to Kankuro. The brunet eyed it apprehensively but still took it. "What's this?" Though he was already unscrewing the top.

"Hot chocolate."

Kankuro gave him a strange look but sniffed it, confirming that it was just hot chocolate. He didn't smell anything out of sort, it wasn't even spiked much to his disappointment. He took a careful sip and made a noise of content. That was some good ass hot chocolate. "Where'd you get this?" He passed to his sister to have a taste.

Gaara almost didn't want to answer. "From Xin. She said she hopes you fuckin' choke on it. Her words. Not mine."

Jura snorted and instantly began choking on his food, not that any of them paid him any mind.

"Who's Xin?" Temari asked innocently, eyebrows shooting up her forehead. This was the best fuckin' hot chocolate she ever tasted.

"Xin?" Kankuro repeated in a pointed tone. "Are you sure it's not poisoned? Temari, don't drink anymore and give that back." He reached for the thermos but she twisted out of reach, smacking his hand away.

"Why would you think she'd poison it? Any specific reason, Kankuro?" Gaara folded his arms across his chest.

Temari glanced in between her brothers. "Hello? Who's Xin? What am I missing here?"

But they ignored her and continued to stare at one another. Jura also watched the two, grimacing a little but didn't say anything. Regardless, he accepted the thermos when Temari quietly handed it to him. It wasn't often that any of them really bickered with one another but it did happen. Though not over a woman, nonetheless.

"You barely know the woman to accept anything she's made," Kankuro pointed out. Jura paused, thermos pressed to his mouth.

"I watched her make it."

Kankuro sighed. "You went back to her apartment? Again?"

"Again? Who is this woman?" Temari pressed but her question went unanswered like the first time.

"She needed a ride."

"From where?" Temari asked but again, was ignored.

"Did she ask for a ride home or did you offer her one?"

"Would my answer make a difference?" Gaara squinted at him. He didn't want to be annoyed and angry with his brother because his intentions were good. Despite that, he was entirely annoyed and angry with his brother. Trust was not something that came easy to any of them, which was understandable. He didn't even fully trust anyone besides the three individuals sitting at his table currently.

"Look, man," Kankuro gave up. "She seems like a nice girl and all but I don't think we should just trust her. Just because she's some country hick doesn't mean she's innocent. We don't know what she wants for sure."

Temari sucked her teeth in disapproval at the country hick comment.

"Did you ask her what she wants for sure?" Gaara asked pointedly. He knew his brother and his brother was pretty blunt himself.

"Of course I did."

"And she said?"

"That she wanted peace and silence and for you to quit bleeding all over the place."

Again, Jura snorted and began choking on the hot chocolate. Temari decided to be concerned, smacking him on the back. "I think Gaara said this woman wanted Kankuro to choke, not you."

Despite the situation, Gaara laughed.

Kankuro slumped into his chair and groaned. "I'm just looking out for you, you know we can't just trust anyone."

"You don't think I can handle some woman that barely clears 5'0? I could pick her up and throw her if she pissed me off."

Kankuro rubbed at his forehead. "I'm not saying you can't, I know you can. I'm just saying we should be a little more careful with her. We don't know what she's capable of."

"We know she's capable of making some bomb ass hot chocolate," Jura spoke up, looking into the thermos as if it had all the answers. "What'd she put in this? Crack? It's crack, isn't it?"

Gaara snorted. "It's not crack."

Temari sighed loudly. "Will someone tell me who this woman is? What did she mean she wants Gaara to stop bleeding all over the place? What's going on?"

Gaara finally sat down with them, reaching for some of the takeout. He wasn't all that hungry but Temari would scold him otherwise. "She's just a woman I met."

"She's the doctor that's been patching him up recently. According to her though, she's not a doctor," Kankuro explained more thoroughly, shooting his younger brother a look. "She's downright obsessive in pointing that out."

Temari made a face. "Is she a doctor or not?"

"Who fuckin' knows, we don't know anything about her except that she lives at a shitty apartment," Kankuro answered in exasperation.

"She has two sisters," Jura piped up.

"Excuse me?" Kankuro scowled at him.

"Mm," Gaara nodded. "A twin sister and a younger one."

"And how the fuck do you know that?"

"Because I asked," Gaara shot him a pointed look. "Her parents own a market and she ran away from home, didn't say why though. Her parents weren't happy about it."

Evidently not even Jura knew that. The burly brunet frowned in confusion. Something like satisfaction curled up in Gaara's gut and settled there, all snug but he didn't say anything. He wasn't going to say why he was satisfied but deep down, he knew.

"I see," Temari said after a long moment. "And is this woman…" she trailed off with a thoughtful look. "Is she pretty?"

None of them answered but that only made her grin. She glanced in between the three of them but had the distinct feeling that Kankuro probably wasn't interested, pretty girl or not. Gaara and Jura, however, might be a different story.

"Well," she huffed and leaned back in her chair. "I'd like to meet this woman since she's got everyone in such a tizzy."

"Shut up, Temari," Kankuro muttered petulantly.

Gaara didn't answer and that wasn't lost on her. "Oh, I know. I have a fashion show coming up. Invite her to that. Does she like fashion? Doesn't matter, bring her."

"I don't think she'd like something like that," Gaara said, thinking of Xin's aversion to anything flashy or expensive. Unless it was food. Something like one of Temari's fashion shows would definitely freak her the fuck out.

"Oh, come on. You guys can stay backstage if she doesn't want her picture taken or something like that. You're lowkey when you attend anyway. I promise I won't bite."

"I warned her that it's possible you could threaten her like Kankuro has."

"I was just looking out for you!"

Gaara ignored him, causing him to pout like a child. "I'll ask her but don't be surprised or upset if she says no."

"Fine, fine," Temari waved the warning off, certain this woman would say yes. Who didn't want to attend a fashion show? Either way, she'd meet her eventually. "What did you even say to her, Kankuro?"

"…that she was pretty and she'd make for a pretty corpse."

"Oh my God."

Temari absolutely could not wait to meet this girl.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Xin shivered violently before sneezing. "What the fuck was that?"

TeeBeMe: don't be fooled, Xin's finna to be Kankuro's BFF, he just doesn't know it yet.