Masaru resorted to giving her the cold shoulder, which she thought was rather ironic given the circumstances. Against her better judgment, Xin didn't report him to Manager Umino but she was far more wary of her coworker. Clearly the motherfucker was unhinged as hell if he was going to throw a tantrum over names. Her friendship with Seiko, on the other hand, was flourishing. The redhead reminded her a lot of her sister and so it was easy to get along with her. Though admittedly her steadfast cheerfulness no matter the situation was strange.

Truthfully, it was a little unnerving but sometimes she thought she needed that frightening cheerfulness. It was clear life hadn't kicked Seiko's ass and who was Xin to rain on her parade? Just because she was miserable as fuck didn't mean she could go around ruining the happiness of others. She was a grump but she wasn't cruel.

"Manager Umino says I've got overtime tonight," Seiko sighed from her left hand one sunny afternoon. "Goodness, I hope I'm not here all night."

Xin didn't immediately reply, too busy practically vibrating from absolute delight that she was no longer stuck with overtime. She warned Seiko that overtime was usually done alone and the newest hire was unfortunate to always get stuck with it. Of course, immediately following her elation, she felt bad for Seiko. How many times had she been forced to work late, by herself with no help? How many times did she have to power walk her ass home because it was late and she was an oblivious moron? None of her coworkers offered her any sort of help or assistance, whether they liked her or not. And besides, wasn't that why she ended up meeting her new criminal friend?

He seemed put off when she explained her reasoning for being out so late that one night and even irritated that she was only out so late because of overtime and without a coworker. She waved it off, pointing out that it was paid overtime but that didn't seem to smooth out his irritation.

Xin took a deep breath and closed her eyes, wishing she was more of an asshole. "Well, go tell Manager Umino that I'll stay behind too and help you. I'm sure we won't be here all night if we work together." She offered the slim redhead a reassuring smile.

Seiko perked up, pretty eyes glimmering like expensive jewels. "You will? Oh my goodness, Xin, you're the best." She jumped right out of chair to hurry into Manager Umino's office before Xin could change her mind. Xin watched her go, only slightly regretting her good will. No one showed her the same kindness she often longed for during those long nights. She knew exactly what it felt like to feel so lonely and she didn't want Seiko to feel that way. She wanted to show Seiko that same kindness she wanted.

From her other side, Masaru grunted in annoyance. "You shouldn't spend so much time with her, Hyuga." He hadn't been talking to her and she wasn't upset about it but clearly he decided to break his vow of silence.

She turned to look at him, relieved that he wasn't throwing a hissy fit over names at the very least. "Un?"

"Fujino. You shouldn't spend so much time with her, people will start to talk." He finally decided to start talking to her again and this was the bullshit he came up with? What was he even talking about? Fujino was a nice woman, probably the nicest one in their office, there was no reason to talk about her or look at Xin funny for befriending her.

"Talk about what?"

Masaru's face wrinkled and he looked at her the way he always looked at her, like she was a fuckin' idiot. He shook his head. "C'mon, Hyuga. You know why. She's…" he made a strange gesture with his hand. Whatever he was trying to hint at went straight over her head.

She stared at his hand, squinting in confusion. "She's what?"

He leaned forward and she leaned away. "You can't be serious, Hyuga. She's…into women."

She wasn't sure what she was expecting to say but it certainly wasn't that. "Oh." Xin slumped a little, almost disappointed with that weak ass gossip. Not that she wanted to gossip about Seiko but really, that was it? If people were going to whisper about Seiko, it should be about something that had a little more shock value to it. Like, maybe she was a murderer or something.

"Oh?" Masaru repeated as if offended by her bland reply. "Hyuga, everyone's going to think you're like her if you keep spending so much time with her."

Xin turned back to her computer, beginning to mentally check out from that stupid ass conversation. "How do you even know she's into women?"

"You can tell."

Xin wrinkled her nose but didn't immediately reply. Did Seiko have 'lesbian' printed on her forehead or something? Even if she was into women, what did Xin care? It wasn't like it was her business and it didn't change the fact that Seiko was an absolute delight. "So you just get like, what, the vibe from her?" She hadn't gotten any vibes of that nature. Is that why Masaru seemed to have some weird ass vendetta against Seiko? She wasn't so oblivious that she hadn't noticed the strange animosity towards the redhead. And for her part, Seiko didn't even seem to give two shits about Masaru. It kind of reminded her of the way Gaara, Jura and Kankuro treated him. She just…brushed him off.

"Like I said, you can just tell," Masaru answered. Whatever vibe he was talking about, she wasn't getting it.

"Oh," Xin repeated almost dumbly. "Well, okay."

"Okay?" Masaru hissed at her. "Hyuga, be fuckin' for real right now. You don't want anyone thinking you're like her, do you?"

Xin scowled at her computer screen. Another reason to dislike him. "Shibata, she likes women, she's not diseased. I don't care what anyone thinks. She's my friend and she's a good person. She's not hurting anyone and it's not anyone's business what she likes." She shot him a dirty look.

Seiko returned just then, still her chipper self. Masaru instantly turned away from Xin, putting an end to their conversation. She didn't really mind but thought it was rather cowardly of him to end it after talking about Seiko but that was the thing about gossip, no one wanted to be caught gossiping. Seiko threw herself down into her chair but rolled it towards Xin, smiling brightly. "Manager Umino says okay to you staying with me." She reached over to grab Xin's hands, a motion not lost on Masaru. "Thank you so much, Xin. You're truly the best."

Xin chuckled but shook her head.

"Are you hungry?" Seiko asked about two hours into their late shift. They were the only ones left but they were sure that it would only take another two hours before they finished. "We could order some delivery." Seiko had the strangest habit of constantly wanting to feed Xin. She never let her pay for lunch, not that Xin really wanted to and she was always fussy when she tried. Maybe the redhead could sense that she was a broke ass bitch and felt bad for her.

Xin glanced at her bag where her wallet was stowed away. She only had plans to stop by the convenience store once again for something quick and more importantly, cheap but takeout sounded pretty good right now. She pursed her lips in thought. "Only if we go half," she decided after a moment.

Seiko pouted as if it was such a bad idea. "Fine, fine. How about some Korean food? I've got a craving for kimchi." She didn't even bother to wait for an answer, swiveling away to reach for her cell phone hidden in her bag. "What would you like?"

"Oh, um, I don't know. I've never had Korean food but I think I might like kimchi. Just order anything for me."

Seiko's face twisted in confusion when she spun back to Xin. "Never had Korean food? Goodness, you're missing out! Don't worry, you're going to love this." She popped out of her seat and flounced away, already on the phone with a Korean restaurant.

Xin watched her go, amused with her horror that she never had Korean food. With Seiko busy, she glanced at her phone, amusement still bleeding from her lips. She tapped thoughtlessly at one of her keyboard's keys, thinking. She seldom texted Gaara, still feeling a little odd about it all but she did send him good morning texts or goodnight texts. Sometimes she'd text him throughout her work day, complaining about small things or the outrageous price of onigiri at the convenience store.

She asked about his days and sometimes jokingly asked if he killed anyone or brutalized them. He always had some snarky comment back for her but made it a point to avoid answering those questions straight forward. She noticed, of course but never pressed on the matter. It was for the best, she constantly reminded herself.

I have overtime tonight.

You want me to come get you?

Noooo, I volunteered to help Seiko. I think we'll finish in two hours.

That's nice of you, angel. You sure you don't want a ride?

Xin paused, staring at the message thread with the barest hint of a smile. His insistence on the nickname angelface or angel always served to light some sort of warmth within her. She wasn't sure why he even called her that, she was no angel and there was nothing angelic about her but she was almost…afraid to question it. What if he dropped the nickname entirely if she asked about it? The truth was that she liked it. She liked the nickname and maybe she liked that a fuckin' criminal was the one calling her that. It made her feel…good about herself. Like maybe she was a good person despite her often dour thoughts.

Sure I'm sure. We're getting Korean food, I've never had it.

She could practically hear his laughter and the teasing that was sure to follow. Who hasn't had Korean food? The same girl with the cheap ass lumpy couch and the old phone six upgrades behind and the shitty apartment miles and miles away from her parents.

He didn't reply but that was fine because Seiko was coming back with her usual sunny disposition. "If we go half, it's 4145 each," she explained while reaching for her wallet. Xin grimaced, because what the fuck did she order but gave in anyway, handing over the banknotes. "I can't believe you haven't had Korean food," Seiko said.

Xin smiled at her. "I lived in a small town, we didn't have a Korean spot. Oh but we did have this great ramen stand." She remembered the very last time she'd eaten at the stand before leaving, a sunny afternoon with her sisters, a fresh bruise blooming along her ribcage.

"You weren't born in Tokyo?"

"Nope," she chuckled, feeling like a broken record. "I was born in a small town in Osaka."

"Oh, like those kinds of towns where everyone knows everyone?"

"Pretty much."

"That must've been nice, growing up in a tight-knit community," Seiko leaned forward on her elbows, her hands cupping her chin. "I barely talk to any of my neighbors. Maybe just a nice hello but I don't even know their names."

Xin could probably name every last one of her town's inhabitants if she thought about it. But when it came to her current neighbors, she didn't know any of them except for the nice old lady who lived across the street from her. And even with that, she'd only just met the woman recently, helping with her groceries when she happened to get home on time. "I guess city people tend to stick to themselves," she prompted, now that she was thinking about it. Her mother would have a fit if she knew Xin hadn't introduced herself to any of her neighbors the first damn day she moved in.

"I like to call it polite indifference."

That was a good way of putting it, Xin mused. She wondered if it bothered Seiko, seeing as how she was such a friendly person. Her straightforward request of asking for a friendship was even weird and a little off putting to Xin. At the same time, it was charming, she would've fit in nicely back home.

When their food arrived, Xin was overwhelmed with the sheer amount that Seiko ordered. They carried the two delivery bags to the breakroom and Xin stepped back to watch Seiko arrange all the food as if it were some grand feast and not some quick dinner. "This is definitely unnecessary," Xin said with her hands on her hips. She didn't recognize any of the food, save for the kimchi but it all smelled so absolutely delicious. "This is far too much."

Seiko flapped her hands carelessly. "Is not," she answered simply. "Besides, anything we don't eat we can just take as leftovers! Sit down, let's eat."

It really was strange how everyone new in her life wanted to feed her. Maybe she'd lost some weight since coming to Tokyo. That wouldn't be much of a shock, giving the fact that she was getting by on scrapes. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to keep a whole check to herself for once and get some actual groceries. Her mother would have a fit if she could see how she was eating. Convenience store onigiri? Instant ramen noodles? They were a simple family but a good home cooked meal was a staple in the Hyuga household.

But Korean food was pretty fuckin' spectacular too. There was a small part of her that warned against eating too much of the food. She'd definitely take some home now.

"Thank you for staying with me tonight," Seiko said during a brief pause. She smiled but it was a little strained. "I didn't think anyone would bother to really help out."

"They won't," Xin shrugged dismissively. "I was the one getting all the overtime before you came. No one volunteered to help. I don't blame them, I guess. Who wants to work late?"

Her smile faltered and she grimaced. "Well, that's pretty shitty of them. Did you have someone to pick you up when you finished?"

"Nah, I just walked home. Don't you lecture me, I've already heard it. It's dangerous, anything could happen. I know."

"Sorry for being concerned," Seiko quipped with a soft huff. "Whoever lectured you was right though."

Xin shrugged and pointedly looked away. She didn't want to talk about that particular person, not right now, at least. She cleared her throat. "You know, I heard something about you today…"

She wished she hadn't seen the stiffening of Seiko's shoulders but she had. "Oh?"

Xin nodded and looked the redhead in the eye. "I hear you like women, Seiko. Is that true?" Sometimes her mama would scold her that she was too blunt. Not everyone would appreciate her blunt ways and she knew for a fact that it was true. Seiko was the first to look away, her pretty eyes glittering with something that looked like sheer disappointment and resentment to Xin. In turn, she felt guilty for causing the redhead to look so down.

"You don't want to be my friend anymore, do you?"

Xin realized in dismay that this wasn't the first time Seiko had lost a friend over this. She didn't even sound surprised, just miserable.

"Of course I still want to be your friend."

She felt even worse when Seiko's head popped up in disbelief, her once sorrowful eyes wide with wonder. "You do?"

Xin sat back in her chair, slowly chewing her kimchi. She really liked the kimchi and wondered how much it cost. "Course I do. Maybe I shouldn't have asked like that, I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with it."

Seiko shifted and her eyes dropped to her lap. "You're just saying that."

They hadn't been friends for long but Xin could admit that she liked Seiko. She liked their friendship and she liked Seiko's forceful cheerfulness. She liked having another woman around to talk to and she liked…not feeling so alone. "Why would I just say that?" Xin scoffed. "Your preferences don't have anything to do with me."

"You aren't worried that I'm going to be attracted to you?" Seiko pressed.

"Well, I wouldn't blame you. I've been told I'm very pretty." She smiled when Seiko inevitably laughed at her joke. Proud to see the redhead lose some of her stiffness, she leaned forward and patted her knee. "There's nothing wrong with you, Seiko. Is that why you insisted on soulmates? You met your soulmate?"

Seiko grinned so hard Xin feared her damn face would crack in half. "I have…." She poked giddily at her food. "She's the best. I'm really lucky."

But Xin's mouth twisted plainly but not in a rude way. It was almost placating. "I think she's the lucky one."

Gaara called her the minute she stepped into her apartment. She nearly dropped her leftovers when her phone began ringing and vibrating in her bag. It caught her off guard whenever her phone rang or chirped with a text message. "Yes?" She asked in a breathless sigh, agonizing over the thought of nearly losing her leftovers. Seiko had been sweet enough to give her the majority of the kimchi, much to her delight.

"Are you alright?"

It must've been her breathlessness that worried him, probably thinking someone robbed her ass on the way home or something. They weren't getting much if that did happen, maybe getting away with a couple of bucks and more importantly, her food. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted. "It's just—un—my food. My leftovers, I almost dropped them."

"Ah, how tragic."

Xin set the bag down on the table, huffing at his sarcastic tone. "Oh, leave me alone. What do you want? Did you get hurt again?"

There was a strange shuffling on his end and she was almost positive she heard a painful groan. "I'm fine, I was just calling because my sister wanted to extend an invite."

"An invite?" She felt her gut twist uncomfortably. She hadn't heard anything from Kankuro, she realized at that point. She wasn't sure what to make of that, if Gaara had something to do with that or not.

"Mm. She has a fashion show coming up and she wants you to attend," Gaara said. "She said it would be fine to stay backstage and out of the way." There was another shuffling in his background and then something cracked.

Xin frowned because she was positive that it sounded like a bone breaking. "Backstage…?"

"Mhm."

"No one's…going to take my picture or anything, right?"

"Not if you don't want them to."

"I don't."

"Okay, so they won't."

That sounded easy. Why did he make things sound so easy? She pursed her lips in thought. "Your sister isn't setting me up for some bullshit, right?"

Gaara chuckled. "She isn't. She just wants to meet you."

"And your brother?"

"He'll behave."

Xin's gaze was empty as she tapped her fingernail against the table. She did like his sister's fashion brand though she couldn't afford shit. Besides, she's never been to a fashion show either. There was no telling when she'd be invited to another show. And maybe it would be nice to get out of the house during the weekend. Pretty soon she'd get cabin fever if she didn't figure something out. "O…kay. When is it?"

"Saturday, at eight."

She tapped her nail a little faster. She didn't have anything worth wearing to a fashion show but she could splurge a little more on a nice dress. She could probably find something nice and…affordable. "Okay, I'll come. But if your brother threatens me again, I'll hit him over the head with a glass bottle." And she meant that shit, she was tired of being threatened. Especially by men who were bigger than her and thought they were owed her submission.

Gaara laughed and she wondered what he'd do if she really did crack his brother over the head with a glass bottle. He probably wouldn't be much of her friend anymore, not that she would blame him. He reassured her that it would be fine and after promising to pick her up Saturday night, let her go for the night.

She puttered around, eating her leftovers and cleaning like she usually did. There wasn't much to clean since the apartment wasn't all that big but Xin always had a thing about cleanliness. She remembered shards of glass and blood and insisted on cleaning it up despite the blood gushing into her eye. That had been the last straw, she remembered, not that she'd been the one who decided it. She was watering one of her plants, eyes vacant as she recalled that particular night. She couldn't remember much of the pain, it was probably shock that numbed her to it.

"Bad thoughts, bad thoughts," she mumbled to herself. She didn't have time for bad thoughts, didn't have the emotional strength for the bad thoughts.

Instead she tried to think of what to wear for Saturday. She couldn't just wear anything in her closet. It had to be somewhat nice and presentable. Why the fuck did his sister even want to meet her in the first place? It was probably Kankuro's fault. She wasn't sure how but she blamed him regardless.

A plain black dress would do the trick. Couldn't go wrong with that.

She wondered what Gaara would think of—

No, you better not.

It was safer to not wonder.

Saturday afternoon, Xin found her way downtown. It occurred to her that she didn't actually know how to get downtown from her apartment. The nice little old lady across the street was sweet enough to give her directions though. She wandered almost aimlessly around downtown, ducking in and out of shops. She already made peace with the spending that was about to dent her wallet. It wasn't just a dress she needed, she probably needed heels to go along with it and probably some makeup.

Sitting down on a public bench, Xin wondered if she would actually find something. A part of her was beginning to regret that she even agreed to go. What the hell was she thinking?

"Well, well, well!" Seiko suddenly appeared out of thin air, smiling that cheerful smile of hers. It was strange to see her dressed out of their uniform, dressed instead in a beige wrap dress that complimented her slim and tall figure. "I wasn't expecting to see you today."

She felt especially dressed down in her old jeans with the holes at the knees and a white shirt. "Yeah, well," she replied shortly with a shrug. "I was looking for a new dress."

Seiko's eyes were sparkling. "Oh? A new dress for a date?"

"Oh, be for real," Xin snorted and rolled her eyes. "It's not like that, uh, I'm going to a fashion show. A friend of mine…his sister invited me."

"Oh." There was something smug in Seiko's tone but Xin decided to ignore it. "I don't see any shopping bags, having trouble? I could help," the redhead offered with her ever present smile and cheerfulness. "What were you thinking of?"

Xin shrugged carelessly. "I'unno, just a black dress."

Seiko scoffed and reached for her, the bangles cluttering her wrist knocking together musically. "Don't be ridiculous, a black dress? Come on." She didn't give Xin enough time to think or reject her, pulling her up on her beat up sneakers.

Xin obediently followed because…well…why the hell not? It's not like she was having any luck by herself, maybe Seiko had more of an eye for fashion. "What were you up to?" Xin asked as they walked by several shops.

"Oh, well, I needed a new outfit too. Date night tonight," Seiko explained. "I'm not sure where we're going though, it's a surprise."

Xin chuckled and wondered if Seiko would introduce her to her girlfriend. "What's your girlfriend like?"

"She's an absolute diva," Seiko replied but she was still grinning. "She's the bossy type with a real forceful attitude. She always stood up for me when others would pick on it. I used to let people walk all over me until she practically forced me to start standing up for myself."

"You've known each other long?"

"Yes, since we were in middle school. She was very upfront with her sexuality while I hid. I was always jealous of that."

"And now you're dating, no wonder you believe in soulmates."

"Exactly! See, now you're getting it. Don't you worry, I have a feeling that we're going to meet yours, maybe you've already met him."

Xin scoffed but didn't bother to argue with Seiko's dippy reasoning and reassurance. There was no need for a soulmate, she didn't care to let anyone that close to her. At least not anymore. Though she had to admit that Seiko's unwillingness to give up was a little endearing.

Seiko looped their arms together, tugging the shorter woman close. She dipped off suddenly, tugging Xin into an expensive looking boutique. She grimaced but didn't protest, knowing it was for the best for an expensive ass dress. One that she would never wear again. "Don't worry, we'll find you something. It can't be hard, given your body shape. You have the sort of curves that always compliments a dress."

"I was told every dress I wear, I make it look slutty," Xin replied thoughtlessly, already picking through racks and racks of clothing.

Seiko paused, scowling softly. "That's ridiculous, Xin. Who the hell even told you that?" It was strange hearing her swear, even if it wasn't the more raunchier kind of cursing that fell easily from Xin's mouth.

She grimaced at a sparkly dress, one that kind of reminded her of a disco ball. It wasn't hideous per se, it was just…attention grabbing. Something she wanted to avoid and so she left it where she found it. "Just…someone I used to know."

Seiko huffed. "Well, they're an asshole, whoever they are," her expression cross. Xin chuckled softly but didn't agree nor disagree. Curves that once gained her attention had been turned against her, several insults lodged so deeply into her brain that it barely occurred to her that someone else might think differently. It didn't bother her much these days to think poorly of her figure.

Seiko picked several dresses, piling them into Xin's arms as she sent her into the dressing room. "Is this really necessary?" Xin sighed loudly, changing into the fifth dress. Seiko was surprisingly bossy herself.

"Course it is," Seiko replied. "It's a fashion show, you can't go overdressed but you can't underdress either!" Seiko insisted before gasping dramatically. "What if you get discovered?"

"Discovered for what?"

"Modeling! This could be your big break!"

Xin whipped the changing curtain back, looking unimpressed. "Oh, be serious, Seiko. Aren't models supposed to be tall and slim? You'd make for a better model than me. Can you lace the back up?"

Seiko clucked her tongue in disapproval. "Don't be ridiculous." She spun Xin around and began to carefully lace the dress up, twisting it into intricate crisscrosses against her pale back. "I think you'd make a phenomenal model." The dress was blood red, almost to the point of being black. It draped loosely against her breasts but tightened at her waist. It was short but still managed a slit that nearly ran up to her thigh. It was a pretty dress, sultry even. It might've been too pretty for her.

"I look ridiculous."

"You look great!"

Both women paused, staring at each other. "What do you mean, ridiculous? You're a total knockout," Seiko insisted, scandalized that Xin would disagree. "You don't like it?"

Xin eyed herself in the mirror, spinning on bare toes. "I look slutty," she decided after a moment of scrutinizing herself.

Seiko stared at her reflection. "So?"

So….

So what?

"…You like it?" Xin asked carefully. God, she was so fuckin' pale. She looked like a damn ghost standing next to Seiko's tanned figure.

"Of course I do. Do you like it?"

Honestly, she did. Six months ago, she wouldn't have dreamed of wearing a dress like this. But it was different now and there wasn't anything stopping her from wearing a dress like this. Something giddy bloomed in her stomach, unfurling until she could barely stand it.

"I like it."

"Need help. Come in."

Gaara read the text three times over by the time he reached Xin's front door. It was unlocked and he let himself, frowning at the quiet apartment. He glanced around, searching for something out of place. But her apartment remained intact, no signs of a struggle or anything like that. "Xin?" He stepped carefully into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. There was a rustling from behind one of the doors as he neared it. The door swung open and Xin popped her head out, smiling in relief. "Are you alright?"

"Mm? Oh, sure, I'm fine. I just…uh…" She stepped out of her bedroom. She was somewhat dressed, only she was holding her dress pressed to her chest. "I need help tying up the back of the dress. Could you…"

Gaara resisted the urge to follow the curve of her breast peeking out from the side of the dress. This was going to be a long night, he realized mutely before motioning for her to come closer. She did so, easily and with a relieved smile before turning to present her back to him. Her dress revealed the majority of her back, the material resting just below the small of her back. She took a moment to readjust the material of her chest before he began carefully lacing the dress up, just like Seiko had done only hours ago.

The living room was silent as he laced her up, the pads of his fingertips brushing against her back every so often. She dutifully ignored that though, instead focusing on the end of her braided hair. The long braid sat over her shoulder and she ignored the urge to check to see if the scar on her neck was still hidden.

"This looks like the work of my sister," Gaara finally said, shattering the strange silence that fell over them.

"Does it?"

He finished lacing the dress up, the ends of the twisted into a pretty bow. His hand dropped to the edge of her waist and he brazenly dipped his thumb under the dress, pulling the material back enough to read the tag. Just as he expected, Vixen was sewn into the tag. There was a muffled noise from Xin and he watched as the back of her neck flushed red. "I was right," he said. "That might actually make her like you."

"Well," she cleared her throat and spun to face him. "I aim to please." No wonder the goddamn dress cost as much as it did. "Hopefully, I do the dress some justice." Her lips were painted the same blood red as the dress and her eyes were accentuated by black liner sharp enough to cut a motherfucker. All in all, she thought she cleaned up pretty well.

Gaara let out a low sounding hum, head tilting to the side in thought. He really hoped his siblings wouldn't run their mouths tonight. "You look great, Xin." She looked more than great but he had the distinct feeling that anything more would make her uncomfortable.

Her eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you." It was the right thing to say, he decided and offered a small but kind smile. "Okay, I'll put my shoes on and we'll get going." She darted around him and went pattering off to the genken for her heels.

Gaara followed after her, standing next to her and instinctively offering his arm when she teetered on one foot. She grabbed his arm with a grateful smile and wriggled into her shoes. "Where's your coat?"

"Coat?" Xin's nose wrinkled and realizing she was still holding onto his arm, pulled her hand back. "I don't need one, it'll ruin the outfit."

Gaara rolled his eyes, having heard the same reasoning from his sister one too many times. It was an argument he could never win and he had the feeling he wouldn't win it with this particular woman either. Deciding to just give up on it, he hurried her into the car. They weren't running late or anything but if he lagged behind, Temari would no doubt call him to hound him into hurrying the hell up. There wasn't much that could get his sister worked up but for some reason, she'd been excited to meet Xin ever since she agreed to come to the fashion show.

It wasn't necessarily Xin herself that Temari was interested in. Women weren't uncommon dalliances for her brothers, though she never seemed particularly impressed with any girl that might catch their eye every now and then. What had Temari's interest was the ire drawn between her two brothers every time Xin was mentioned. For whatever reason, Kankuro was convinced that Xin set out to snatch everything they worked for, everything their father once worked for. He insisted that a girl who had nothing, who came from nothing and essentially was nothing, desired everything.

But Gaara staunchly disagreed.

Thus, her interest in this new woman was born. Neither Gaara nor Kankuro spoke much about her, leaving her in the dark about Xin's personality. Jura was a little more forthcoming about her, telling Temari of shoving a gun into Xin's face only for the woman to giggle like a madwoman.

Who the fuck laughs in the face of a gun?

Even worse, Jura continued, that she drank plain water when they were eating fried chicken together. What kind of unhinged power play was that? She wasn't sure if Jura was only half joking but she could admit that it was an odd thing to do, insignificant as it seemed.

Each man had different opinions on this woman but Temari decided that she'd need to meet her before settling on her own opinion and next move. Usually if Kankuro's words fell to deaf ears, she was the one who advised Gaara and he usually listened. If she deemed Xin to be a hindrance, he would follow suit. Begrudgingly but out of three of them, Temari was fantastic at reading people and he trusted her wholeheartedly.

She remained staunchly neutral to her brothers' slight squabbling and Jura's quips. The three of them were all convinced that their differing opinion on Xin was right. Just an ordinary girl, a basketcase and a gold digger. She couldn't be all three at once and someone had to be wrong. Gaara wasn't necessarily worried per se about his sister meeting Xin. Though he did wonder if Xin would really smash a bottle over his brother's head if pushed enough. That probably wouldn't endear her much to his sister.

He avoided the front entrance of the event space, noticing Xin grimacing as she watched the glitz and the glam taking place. He bypassed it all without a second glance, parking behind the building. "I think I saw some celebrities…" Xin trailed off as she followed behind into the building, damn there breaking her neck to stare at the crowd.

"You did," Gaara replied, undeterred. Inside, he led her to the back area, which to her astonishment, was total chaos. People were rushing around, armed with clothes or makeup, men and women were half dressed while music played loudly. It was all so…overwhelming. She didn't even snatch her hand away when Gaara reached for her, too busy observing the controlled chaos. No one seemed bothered and so she didn't worry but she was glad for the rather calm environment her job afforded her.

He led her towards the only woman in the entire place that seemed calm. She was tall with a toned and lean figure, her dark blonde hair was straight and swayed a little past her shoulders and she had the prettiest dark teal eyes. She was beautiful, Xin thought and didn't realize until the last second that he was leading her straight towards the pretty blonde. It took her a second to realize that the shape of the blonde woman's eyes were similar to that of Gaara and Kankuro.

Oh. This was his sister.

She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting from the last Sabaku sibling but it certainly wasn't this. She never met siblings before that looked so fuckin' different from one another. How the fuck could a blonde, brunet and redhead all be related? Something wasn't adding up, one of them had to be dying their hair because what the fuck.

"Oh," the blonde turned fully and offered a radiant smile. "You must be the one I've heard so much about."

Immediately, Xin's expression soured. "Whatever Kankuro said is only partially true."

That served to amuse her. "He said you were a gold digging heathen."

Xin squinted, mostly unimpressed with Kankuro's stupid ass comment. He made it all too clear what he thought of her. "I stand by my statement."

Temari wasn't sure if Xin was being serious or not, confused as to why she'd be okay with being called a heathen. Maybe it wasn't the first time she'd been called that, which was fuckin' rude. She cleared her throat. "Well, I'm Temari and it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Xin and I don't want your money. Or your brother's money."

"Oh." Temari's eyebrows shot up her forehead. "Straightforward, aren't you?"

"Honesty is the best policy."

Temari was smiling but her eyebrows were still high on her forehead. She turned to Gaara, still smiling. "I don't know what to make of this girl." He only nodded, completely understanding his sister's predicament. He felt the same way when he first met Xin as well, caught off guard but interested enough. And maybe that's what pulled people into her.

But Xin only smiled plainly despite wanting to grimace. She needed to stop being so goddamn enigmatic with these nosy ass criminals. "There's nothing to make," she said carefully. She was an ordinary girl, goddammit, nothing to make about that. But Temari didn't seem so convinced. She plainly eyed Xin, head tilted to the side. It was a little unnerving, being so blatantly watched like that. She wasn't smiling anymore but she didn't look upset either. Inquisitive, maybe.

Kankuro appeared then, waltzing up to them like he hadn't threatened Xin the last time they met. Standing together, she hardly saw any resemblance between the three siblings. It was fuckin' weird because why didn't they resemble each other? Maybe it was the shared sharpness in their features but that was about it.

"Xin," Kankuro greeted blandly, looking down his nose at the shorter woman.

Xin's upper lip curled. "You."

Temari managed to resist her smile, looking between her brothers and Xin. "Kankuro, be nice. She's a guest and I specifically asked for her to be here."

"Yeah," Xin echoed with raised eyebrows. "Play nice, you degenerate."

"Okay," Gaara grabbed Xin by the arm and pulled her away before his brother could strangle her. Temari followed the motion with her eyes but decided not to comment on it. "We'll talk more after the show." He pulled her away but Xin turned her head back towards his siblings only to stick her tongue out at Kankuro. He gaped at the childish antics and Temari guffawed by the sheer childishness of it.

"I hate that woman," Kankuro scowled.

Temari chuckled, neither agreeing or disagreeing. It was still too early to pick sides, she decided. Though, the fact that Xin opted on wearing one of her dresses scored her some brownie points.

Truth be told, Xin wasn't all that interested in fashion. She knew enough but it was never a true passion of hers. She had simple taste in clothing and besides, it wasn't like she could afford this type of high fashion. Still, she found herself almost entranced with everything going on around her. The models, both male and female, were so beautiful that it seemed unnatural. Modesty wasn't much of a problem for any of them, she noted as they dressed and undressed several times. It was fascinating, she decided but not enough that it would sow more than a passing interest.

"Are you sure you want to stay back here?" Gaara asked. Like Xin, he was hardly interested in fashion but it was his sister's current dalliance and he liked to think he was supportive enough. Unlike Xin, he was hardly fascinated with the chaos around them.

"Back here's fine," Xin replied. There was no way in hell she'd risk being in the background of a photo. And in the sort of dress she was wearing? Hell yes, she wanted to stay backstage, out of sight. "I'm not sure your sister likes me." Temari was even harder than her brothers to get a read on. While she seemed, at the very least, amused, it wasn't certain that she liked or disliked Xin. Maybe it was too soon to tell. Truthfully she was just used to people liking her, even if she wanted to be left alone. She didn't want to be disliked.

Gaara eyed her for a moment, wondering if Xin truly cared. "She doesn't dislike you, at the very least." That was clear enough, to him, at least. If Temari decided that she didn't like Xin, it would've been made clear. Their conversation hadn't been long enough to warrant a final verdict. But the fact that Xin showed up in the first place, fashioned in one of Temari's dresses probably helped the cause. Plus, Xin was pretty straightforward and that was a trait all three of them tended to appreciate.

"You guys are…full siblings, yes?"

He gave her an odd look. "Yes?"

She made a face, eyes squinting. "You three barely look alike. You kind of have the same sharp angles and eyes but I wasn't expecting your sister to be blonde. Is that her natural hair color?"

"It is. She takes after our mother and Kankuro after our father."

"Ah, so I guess you're in between."

"I'm guessing your younger sister resembles you and your twin?"

"Totally. We could've convinced everyone we're triplets if she had the same hair color." She was already picking through her phone gallery, finding a picture taken of all three of them together. Gaara leaned over instead of taking the phone, studying the offered picture. Three girls beamed at the camera, their faces so similar that they did seem like triplets. But unlike her older twin sisters, the youngest of the Hyuga sisters was a brunette. "She got that from our dad. And the height too." It was true, Hanabi was nearly ten years younger but was their height. It was an insult but she loved Hanabi all the same. She showed him another picture, this time with her parents.

"The resemblance to your mother is almost unnerving," Gaara commented, eliciting a grin from Xin. It was like her mother slapped her face onto all three of her daughter's heads.

But Xin only laughed. "I know, right?"

They weren't alone for long as Kankuro joined them, eyeing them coolly. "The show's about to start," he announced, nodding to the giant monitor.

Sure enough, their sister had taken center stage on the freakishly long catwalk. She was dressed in a halter neck jumpsuit, black and sleeveless, that showed off her impressive shoulders. Xin wondered if all three worked out together. Xin watched Temari talk but her words barely registered. Something obviously about fashion and her appreciation for the guests showing their support by showing up. "Your sister is really beautiful," she admitted out loud. She decided not to comment when both men smiled simultaneously.

TeeBeMe: This chapter was a lot longer but I decided to cut it in half so it wouldn't seem like it drags on for too long.