tw: brief dive into physical, mental and emotional abuse
Xin was wrong to think of him as kind. He was a lot of things in this world but kind was not one of them, not for a long time, at least. He used to be, when he was still a child and before he had it beaten out of him by life and his father alike. It was for the better anyway, what with the road he went down.
Though, he couldn't' deny the kindness he heaped onto her, for whatever reason. He still wasn't even all that sure why he was so lenient with her in the first place. She was wary of him, which was good but the few times she'd been mouthy to him or Kankuro and Jura would usually warrant some teeth being knocked out of her mouth.
It was hard to say why exactly he was so kind to Xin. He hadn't thought much of it despite his brother's insistent needling. His sister wasn't as pushy, surprisingly but she had a knowing glint in her eyes and in the curve of her smirk. He didn't like those looks much but she staunchly feigned innocence whenever he pointed it out to her.
But the truth of the matter was that he simply wasn't kind.
Gaara stalked into the gentlemen's club hours before it was ready to open. It was one of the business ventures he wasn't so fond of but it did bring in a lot of revenue. He was decidedly more anal about striving to create at least a safe space for the men and women who were employed there. Something Rasa couldn't be bothered with.
Jura and his older sister, Asuna, followed closely behind. Like Temari, Asuna wasn't involved with the syndicate on paper. She was a smart woman, an accountant of sorts that usually dealt with their legal practices. Jura had been wary of it but relented after she reminded him that she was old enough to make her own decisions.
The current manager of the club, a gangly man that had been employed since Rasa was in charge, jumped as the doors slammed open. He was skittish by nature but the sight of the redhead was enough to make him visibly blanch. "Boss! I wasn't expecting you today."
Gaara smiled though it didn't reach his eyes. His stoic disposition was intimidating but a smile from him was generally unnerving. "Oh, maybe I should have called ahead and made an appointment? I hope I'm not inconveniencing you, Izaya."
It was Izaya's turn to smile though it wobbled on his face. "No, no, I didn't mean–erm, well," he stuttered uselessly before taking a deep breath. Asuna offered a quick look of sympathy but kept quiet as he gathered himself. "What can I do for you today, Boss?"
"I'm glad you asked," Gaara quipped dryly. "It's come to our attention that there's been an odd discrepancy with how much that's supposed to be coming in," he explained shortly, expression never betraying his true emotions.
Izaya's smile shifted into something tight. "Oh, well, I'm sure that must be some mistake."
The redhead only tilted his head with an inquisitive blink. "So Asuna must be lying then?" He motioned to the blonde.
"I—" Izaya stuttered. "I didn't say that."
"Well, someone must be lying. Asuna has shown me the numbers and something's not adding up. So it's either you're lying or Asuna's lying. Which is it?" Gaara pressed, still so calm. Asuna, for her credit, remained just as calm. She clearly wasn't as shaken as Izaya despite the fact that if she was the one lying, she'd be killed. Her sympathetic expression remained, knowing that Izaya was simply digging himself deeper and deeper. Perhaps if he'd been truthful from the jump, things might have been made easier for him.
"D'you wanna see the numbers?" Gaara drawled in a slow voice, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. "The employees here work hard, Izaya and I don't appreciate that you've been skimming off the top for the past few months. Small amounts tend to add up in the end." He approached with a casual gait.
Jura glanced at his sister and cleared his throat. "Oi, Asuna. Go grab the assistant manager, yeah?"
Asuna wrinkled her nose but Gaara only nodded, sending her out of the room. Izaya watched her go, his mouth tightening. Honestly, she might've been his only salvation and now she was gone. Gone before he could even really plead his case. Gaara moved closer towards him, garnering his attention again. "I—Boss, please, we can talk about this." His voice was shaky. He knew. "Rasa and I…we go way back. Your father—"
"—is dead."
It all happened so fast. One moment, Izaya was alive and sputtering and then the next, there was a loud bang and he went down. He went down in an astounding spray of blood and brain matter and bone. His body made a dull thump as it hit the floor, blood soaking into the expensive rug. Jura didn't react to the body and neither did Gaara, lazily tucking the gun back in the waistband of his pants.
Gaara inhaled and then exhaled heavily, idly looking down at the body. He twisted his neck to the side, eliciting a satisfying crack. "Jura, call the cleanup crew."
Jura turned and ducked out of the room just as Asuna ushered in another man, younger than Izaya and not as skeevy looking. He wore an expression of confusion, only to blanch at the sight of Izaya sprawled out on the floor wearing a broken crown of bone and blood.
"Mamoru, right?" Gaara was leaning against the heavy oak desk, casually lighting up a cigarette. "Assistant manager?"
"Uh," Mamoru stared down at the body, disturbed and unsure of what to do. "…Yes…" he squinted and answered slowly.
"Are you a thief, Mamoru?"
"No…?"
"You don't sound sure. Are you or aren't you?"
"I'm not."
Gaara's expression was far away but he nodded. "Good. The men and women here, the dancers and bartenders and cleaners, they work hard. I don't like thieves and they don't deserve to be fucked over. Don't do some dumb shit like Izaya here, yeah?"
Mamoru wasn't sure where this was going but he was scared shitless. He didn't like Izaya and the open secret that he was stealing from the club always rubbed him the wrong way but hell if he wanted to see the bastard dead. "Of course not.."
"Great," Gaara blew out a steady stream of smoke. "Congratulations, you're the manager now. Don't fuck up and you won't have to see me much, understand?"
Mamoru was fuckin' terrified because he knew a death threat when he heard it. "I understand."
Gaara offered a slow smile. "Good. Don't worry about that," he pointed to Izaya's body like it was trash. "There will be a crew coming momentarily to clean it up. Don't let anyone in here until the mess is cleaned up. Open late if you must." He patted Mamoru hard on the shoulder as he strode past, another warning and left the office. Asuna and Jura were waiting outside of the club. "Well?" Gaara asked, stubbing the cigarette out on the wall.
"They'll be here within the hour. Should we stay?"
"Don't you have to pick up Momoka?" Gaara looked at Asuna.
"Yes but I'm sure Genji wouldn't mind keeping her a little longer if you want us to wait."
"Nah, take Asuna to get Momoka and go home. I'm sure Mamoru can take it from here. We'll give Mamoru a week or so until we check on him to see if he runs shit to the ground or not."
Asuna bit her lower lip. "Are you sure?"
Gaara shrugged but noticed Jura eyeing him strangely. "Sure. He's a big boy. All he has to do is show the crew where Izaya is. Thank you for your time, Asuna."
She released her lip only to smile. "I'm glad to help."
Jura hadn't said anything when he left first.
Xin was an absolute crackhead when it came to her job. She didn't seem to mind working overtime, he realized. Even when it was Seiko's turn to take on the heavy load, she consistently volunteered to help, staying hours after everyone left.
She worked hard and often not to maintain her shit-hole of an apartment or to go on shopping sprees as a single woman with no real responsibilities. She sent the majority of her money back home in some attempt to beg for forgiveness. She never said whether or not they might even forgive her but they always seemed to take the money.
Gaara waited outside of her office building, reclining against the hood of his car and casually smoking. She peeked her head out first, having received his text message that he was waiting for her outside, and smiled at the sight of him.
It was strange because sometimes she seemed downright wary of him and other times, pleased to see him. He was sure that she confused herself sometimes. He wasn't sure what exactly she was so wary of when it came to him. Was it the fact that he was Yakuza or was it because he was a man that might be interested in her? Maybe both.
"Evening," she greeted in an exaggerated country drawl. "You stopped replying a couple hours ago, thought you might be dead. Or tired of me."
"You and Seiko work too much," Gaara said instead of really acknowledging her words. "Workaholics before thirty, it's both sad and impressive."
Xin snorted and held her hands behind her back. "I wouldn't call it that. I think the others are just slacking because they know me and Seiko will pick up the slack."
"Bunch of assholes," Gaara commented around the end of his cigarette.
"Who're you telling," she mumbled with an eye roll. "They just don't like Seiko and they think I'm some hick from the countryside." She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "S'alright though, we like each other enough."
She took to Seiko's friendship easier than his. It was frustrating but he could understand well enough. Seiko was a woman, after all and it would be easier to trust her.
"Long day?" Xin suddenly prompted, eyes darting across his face.
"Is it obvious?" Gaara asked, bemused and a little disturbed that she could read him well enough.
"No," Xin answered simply. "Not your expression. It's your body language." She reached forward and boldly grabbed his shoulder, squeezing in a quick like massage. Some relief from his shoulder shot down his back and he nearly groaned.
He rolled his shoulders, cracking something in his lower back. She shouldn't touch him like that, shouldn't even be comfortable enough to touch him. "And you can read body language well enough?" he asked pointedly, ignoring the warmth gathering under her hand.
She smiled but it wasn't one of mirth or happiness. It wasn't sadness either, really. It was something like weak acceptance. "Pretty well," she said around her strange smile. It was quiet between the two of them and Xin gradually drew her hand back. "What are you even doing here? I promised I'd tell you when I finished work. I'm not finished yet."
Gaara glanced at her hand, longing for her hand to return back to his shoulder. "You and Seiko eat yet?"
She gave him a strange look. "Not yet. I'm sure she'll suggest something soon though." She grimaced and wondered what she would suggest this time. Ramen, maybe?
Gaara slid off the hood of the car and reached into the rolled down window. He lifted out a bag, three cartons knotted inside. She blinked but said nothing when he offered the bag of takeout to her. "It's only curry."
"Oh." Xin continued to blink but tentatively reached out for the offered food. "You didn't have to—um…" she trailed off with a slight blush dusting at the bridge of her nose. "How much was it? We'll split it and pay you back."
"It's just curry and some gyoza, Xin. Don't worry about it."
"And gyoza? You got us appetizers too?" She raised her eyebrows pointedly. "Come on, you can't expect me to just let that slide."
Gaara chuckled and returned to leaning back against the hood. "Is that what gets you? Gyoza?"
"I mean, food is general, as you guys can tell." Xin grinned but laughed along with him. "But gyoza's my favorite."
"Huh, pretty simple."
"I keep trying to tell you guys that I'm a simple girl. Some gyoza and a nice view of the stars would be the perfect night for me."
He squinted at her and glanced upwards to the sky. "Can you not see them or something?"
"Not the way you'd see them back home." She sidled closer and carefully leaned against the hood of the car next to him. "Tokyo's great but all the buildings and bright lights block the stars out at night. You don't think of stuff like that before it's gone."
Gaara was still looking up. He could see the stars as well as the city permitted but it wasn't something that crossed his mind much. "Never thought about that."
"I'd show you if I could," she nudged against his arm. There was a look in her eyes, mournful maybe. "Well," she took a deep breath and pushed off of the car. "It feels shitty to just leave but I should be getting back inside now. I really appreciate dinner and I'm sure Seiko will too." She held up the takeout bag with a grateful smile.
He finally looked back at her. "It's not a big deal, Xin. Just some food. Let me know when you're done."
"Dinner and a ride home?" She clucked her tongue. "My oh my. You might make me fall for you yet."
Gaara scoffed. "Fuck off, Xin."
"You're sure you're alright for the night? Me and my girlfriend would be glad to give you a ride home," Seiko offered sweetly as they clocked out for the night. It was later than either of them liked and Xin was sure Umino would get an earful from her. Everyone was slacking way too much for her liking.
She cringed at the thought of letting Seiko see where she lived. Sure, she was proud of herself for getting her shit apartment but hell if she'd show anyone, with its raggedy ass appearance.
"I'm fine…I…have a ride."
"Oh?" Seiko smiled.
"Mm. My friend…who bought us dinner."
Seiko clucked her tongue at the mention. "Goodness, are you sure he won't let us pay him back? It was kind of him to bring us food without us even asking!"
"I'm sure," Xin sighed. "He says it's not a big deal." Truthfully it made her fuckin' skin itch. Gaara's kindness was an anomaly to her. Kindness wasn't free and she was just waiting for him to demand something in exchange. Something she didn't want to give.
Seiko was eying her with an unreadable look. "Please tell him I really appreciate it then. Maybe he'll let us repay him eventually."
Xin highly fuckin' doubted that but she smiled nonetheless. "I'll tell him. I think your girlfriend is pulling up," she nodded to the car that slowly pulled up outside of their building. She hadn't asked to meet Seiko's girlfriend yet and she hadn't offered either. She didn't mind, opting to wait patiently for Seiko to one day become comfortable enough to introduce them.
"You're right. You get home safe and I'll see you tomorrow, yes?" Seiko was back to smiling.
"Will do. Drive safe."
Xin watched the redhead go, smiling amicably. She waved one last time before Seiko climbed into the car, driving away with her girlfriend. When Seiko was gone, she texted Gaara that she was done with work for the day.
She wasn't sure where Gaara was or what he was doing but it probably wasn't her business anyway. A small warmth gathered in the pit of her stomach that she tried to ignore. It was wrong, whatever was brewing between them. Friendship, maybe something more but she hoped that it wasn't the case.
It couldn't be the case. Bad things happened when she felt that sort of warmth.
Before she could really fall into bad memories, Gaara was outside. She stared at the car for a long moment and wondered what the hell this was. What was she doing? Did she really need to know what she was doing? Did it make a difference? Did she really need to answer, have an answer?
There was no answer, at least not right now. Not for a while, she thought.
Xin slipped her bag over her shoulder and left work, sporting a grin as she slid into the car, forever grateful that she wouldn't have to take that long ass walk home for the night.
"You're in a good mood," Gaara greeted.
"I'm always in a good mood when I don't have to walk home. I forgot my sneakers again."
He glanced down at her feet and snorted. "You wanna take a ride with me?"
She looked at him, this was new. "Do I have a choice?" It wasn't a rejection but it wasn't acceptance either.
His gaze snapped up to her face, expression drawn as if offended. "You always have a choice."
"Oh."
"So? Yes or no?"
Her answer was yes but she was sure he hardly needed to hear that to know.
Xin missed the simplicity of the countryside but the nightlife of Tokyo was nothing to scoff at. The bright lights and music and people were exciting to watch and Gaara was just fine to let her do just that. It made no difference to him, having grown accustomed to it after all these years.
She was turned completely away from him, lights bouncing off her pale face. For whatever reason, she didn't question where he was taking her, either too preoccupied or just not caring at all. Probably the former since as dippy as she seemed, she wasn't all that trusting.
She did, however, notice when they left Tokyo, driving far past the city limits. She frowned and sat back in her seat, debating on whether or not she'd be able to survive if she barrel-rolled out of the car. He was driving pretty fast but she was a pretty tough woman, she could take a couple of skid-marks.
Gaara sensed her unease and snorted. "Relax, angel. I'm not taking you out here to kill you."
"I didn't say that."
"Yeah but you're doing that twitchy shit with your eyes."
She pursed her lips. "Well if not to kill me, why are we leaving the city? It looks pretty shifty."
"Please explain what I would gain by dragging you out to the mountains to kill you. Seriously." Honestly, she didn't know enough about him to get herself in trouble. Besides, even if she knew something, who the hell was she going to tell? She was a fuckin' hermit.
"Maybe you just want to hurt me a little," Xin suggested in a nonchalant voice.
"Why would I want to do that?"
She had that funny look, that strange far off look in her eyes. She smiled but it was bitter. "Why wouldn't you?"
Gaara didn't immediately reply, wondering if that was a low blow directed towards his background. It was a life of violence and one he wasn't always proud of but something crawled under his skin at the sort of accusation. It wasn't like he wanted this sort of life but what choice did he have?
It wasn't a great legacy that Rasa left behind but it was his. He did what he had to do to maintain the peace and more importantly, keep his family safe. It wasn't ideal but who was Xin to pass judgment? What the hell would she even know about that sort of shit he had to go through to get where he was?
Sure, he had to maim and kill people, not to mention the shady deals and intimidation it took but he wasn't the type to just go around hurting defenseless people. Something chafed at her implications. What the fuck did she even know? She couldn't even handle the simple life she had, opting to run away from whatever problems she had.
Gaara kept his gaze trained forward but he rubbed harshly at his mouth and jaw when he felt his temper steadily boiling. Maybe she sensed it because she frowned.
"I don't..I didn't mean because of the whole Yakuza thing." Her voice was soft but not necessarily apologetic. Just matter of fact.
"No?"
"No," she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." There was a strange tone to her voice now, like she was pleading. She angled her body towards him and reached out tentatively, brushing the tip of her nails against the back of his hand.
He nearly snatched his hand away, disgruntled with her gentle touch. "You can't offend me, Xin." It was a fat ass lie but he wouldn't let her know that. She fuckin' could and she did.
"I'm so sure," she quipped before finally drawing back from him. The rest of the car ride was silent, both of them silently stewing over that stunted conversation. They ended up in a heavily wooded area, causing Xin to frown.
"Gaara, it's pitch fuckin' black out here," she pointed out when she climbed out of the car.
"Nothing gets past you. Don't tell me you're scared, country girl."
She wrinkled her nose and rounded the car to stand next to him. "Who the fuck goes hiking in the middle of the night? I'm wearing heels."
Gaara rolled his eyes and reached his hand out for hers. She stared at it for a long moment before giving in, settling her hand in his. His fingers curled around her, squeezing once before he led her down a well worn path. She followed after him, hand in his but she reached with her other hand for his arm for good measure.
After a rather treacherous trek that almost ended with Xin breaking her ankle, they emerged from the path to a small clearing. It was mostly empty except for a lone picnic table. The stars, however, were in full view.
Xin's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight. "Oh," she exhaled breathlessly. It was so long ago that she looked up with a full view of the sky, it took her breath away. She let go of Gaara's hand and approached the picnic table, climbing on top of it to sit down. She peeled her heels off and rested her feet on the bench. "Wow," Xin breathed, eyes on the stars. "As pretty as I remember." She raised her phone and took a picture of the darkened sky.
"Is the picture necessary?" Gaara asked, coming to stand beside her. He didn't take a seat, leaning against the edge of the table. He was busily lighting another cigarette, seemingly not all that enamored like she was.
"I'm sending it to my sister. We liked watching the stars together."
"The twin?"
"The very same. We spent a lot of time watching the stars growing up. My parents, they're still mad at me but my sister talks to me. At least, when I call her."
He was successful in lighting his cigarette, taking care to blow the smoke away from Xin's face. "Ever think of going back?"
She pursed her lips. "Lotsa times, especially when I first came here. For one, people are rude as fuck in the city," she made a tight face. "But I couldn't just go back, it's not that easy." She had that faraway look in her eyes again, no doubt thinking of something left behind in her little town. "They'd never let me live it down if I came crawling back."
Silent settled over them for only a few seconds before Xin opened her big mouth. "You know, there's blood on your shirt."
At first her words didn't really register to him. But then it did and he felt something twist in his gut. It was a strange feeling, one he couldn't really describe. He probably could, if he dug deep enough but the voice inside his head vehemently resisted.
Xin reached towards him, pinching the collar of his shirt. "Someone pissed you off?"
It wasn't something he really wanted to talk about, at least, not with her. Not because he didn't necessarily trust her, though he wasn't sure if he did or not but something else entirely. He realized in a begrudged sort of dismay that he didn't want to scare her off.
As strange as it sounded, Xin was the only person he hadn't met through dark dealings and shady connections. Every person he involved himself was a part of the empire he wrenched from his father's dead hands. Even his siblings, he loved them dearly, were intricately involved in that world.
And Xin was not. She had nothing to do with his life, just some airhead he happened to bump into one night with a hidden knack for stitching up gushing wounds and tending to bleeding knuckles. She wasn't directly involved with anything and he..he liked that about her.
"There's always someone pissing me off," Gaara answered. "It's not hard." It was better if she didn't know that he was a murderer, though she must have had her suspicions. He neither confirmed or denied them and she didn't press.
Her eyes were on him, big and pale like the moon. They were strange and unnerving but Gaara found that he liked them and didn't bother to turn away when her stare became a little too hard. She was searching for something and he wondered if she would find it.
Instead, she reached over and plucked up his hand, drawing back towards her. He let her do it, rolling his cigarette between his lips while she rested his hand on her knee. She dotted his knuckles with the tip of her finger, eyes studying the ink that's been bled into his skin.
"Is it a requirement for Yakuza to have tattoos?"
The fuck kind of question was that?
His confusion must be obvious because she grinned. "Kankuro said this isn't a mob movie but every movie I've seen or manga I've read, the Yakuza have tattoos. You, Kankuro and Jura have tattoos."
"This isn't a mob movie," Gaara pointed out, echoing the very same words his brother said to her. "But tattoos are common, I guess."
She walked her index and middle finger across the back of his hand and up towards his arm. He resisted the urge to shudder. "Did it hurt?"
"Like a bitch."
That got her to laugh, a loud sort of cackle that disturbed the calm woods around them. It wasn't exactly pretty, not a sound one would expect from someone like her but it's endearing. It did something pleasant to her face, shook away the strange darkness that she constantly shrouded herself in.
"Oh come on," she scoffed. "It couldn't have hurt more than being stabbed."
"And how would you know, angel? You've never been stabbed and I'm almost positive you have no tattoos, unless you're hiding something."
She flushed at the implications but shook her head. "No tattoos for me. I think my parents would officially disown me." She was still holding onto him, her fingers settled over his wrist. "I could totally get one now though, it's not like they can stop me."
"Don't get a tattoo."
Her expression soured. "Hypocrite."
He chuckled. "Don't get a tattoo to spite your parents. What will they say when you go back and they see it?"
The darkness that her loud cackle chased away only moments ago gradually crept back over. "I can't go back," she said after a pause, eyes downcast.
"You sound as if you've been run out of town. You left on your own, didn't you?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"So you can go back, if you want to."
She had that distant look in her eyes again, seeing something or someone who wasn't really there. "If I go back back, I don't think I'll ever get the chance to leave again." That was ominous and foreboding as fuck and he was surprised that it came from her. It sounded wrong to his ears,
"Well," he said after a pause. She had yet to let go of him. "Then I guess there's no reason to go."
And that very moment, a text message from her sister lit her phone up. It's a picture of the night sky from up above the Hyuga's humble home.
When Xin was seventeen, she thought she was in love. And maybe she had been, she'd also been pretty fuckin' stupid back then so, you know, who knows for sure? Temari, ironically enough, had been right to assume Kazuya to be the son of a farmer. How she knew that, Xin didn't know but she was creeped out all the same.
He was sweet and easy on the eyes and she, well, she was a naive dumbass. It didn't take very long to sweep her off her feet and waltz her into a romantic stupor. And you know what, maybe the feelings and affection were real at first.
And then he slapped the living bullshit out of her.
Okay, well, that's not exactly how it went.
It started off with microaggressions. Insults shrouded in the cloak of jokes, snide comments laced with faux concern, the invalidations of her hobbies and the gaslighting. So much gaslighting. Then it escalated into a more physical sense. Light shoving, pinching her waist, plucking the living shit out of her.
The instances were spaced out and seemingly just small hiccups in their relationship. Couples fight, he amended but she often thought of her parent's relationship and could never recall a time her father treated her mother in such a way. But then again, this was her first relationship, so what did she really know?
Yes, yes, she was dumbass. Still was a dumbass, if anyone asked.
All that eventually led up to him slapping her one day. It came completely out of nowhere, though it probably wasn't that surprising that it happened. Still, it stunned her into absolute silence, a rather impressive feat one might say if the act of violence could be excused. And in honesty, it shouldn't have been excused.
Xin always had a strong personality but it only took a little under six years to beat that stubborn personality into something more malleable. Maybe she hadn't been so strong, she sometimes thought, if that's all it took. After all, she let the violence escalate and escalate, somehow always going back to him when all it took from him was a paltry apology.
It wasn't his fault, he didn't mean it, she just made him so mad sometimes. That was funny, she always thought because her temper was something fierce and she never took her anger out on her loved ones.
Until she punched Kazuya straight in the mouth after receiving a sucker punch to the side of the head. It was maybe her reflexes or maybe desperation but she hadn't thought twice about turning and punching him straight in the mouth. She hadn't meant to do it. At least, she thought she hadn't. It was hard to tell since her goddamn brain had been scrambled but she hit him back and for a moment…she felt….empowered.
It only got worse after that though. Whatever they had, it wasn't a relationship, it wasn't love. Couldn't have been. She'd never fight anyone the way she fought Kazuya. He won, of course, more often than not. He was bigger and stronger and he didn't seem to have any qualms about rocking her shit.
She saw less and less of her family and friends too. There was no way her pride would let them see the worst of her relationship. The one they would no doubt try to convince her to leave. She wanted to, on the particularly bad days but where would she go? Who would take her now?
All ugly and bruised and used up? No one wanted that, to see that or deal with it. How could her parents accept her back in their household? How could another man ever want her the way she was?
But Kazuya would always love her, always want her. That's why she made him so angry sometimes. Because she wouldn't see it that way and he had to remind her.
And he did.
Over and over and over again.
On some days, Xin couldn't decide whether she was relieved or not when Gaara or Jura or Kankuro weren't waiting outside of her office. There was always a strange feeling in her chest, tight and hard but she couldn't say for sure if it was a bad feeling or a good one. She thought a lot about that night Gaara drove her out past the city limits. One might think it romantic. It might have been. Could have been. Did that make her upset? Did she want that?
With the fuckin' Yakuza, of all people?
She was really, really bad at making life choices.
You'll find your death in the city, her mother said once she finally scrounged up the balls to talk to her parents. It was true, she guessed, she might find it in the city. But was it any different than back home? She was a reckless girl, always had been and clearly the environment wouldn't change that. She was a dumbass for thinking so but that wasn't new.
"Oi!"
It wasn't Gaara or his brother or Jura waiting for her but Temari. She'd miss it at first but there was a cherry red car parked outside with its top down, a convertible. Or maybe it was a Lexus? She certainly didn't know but it was expensive, to say the least.
Temari was waving at her, her blonde hair pulled back and her pretty eyes hidden behind sleek sunglasses. Those were probably expensive too. She didn't have the same tattoos her brothers had but their sort of wealth spoke volumes.
Xin blew out a big breath between pursed lips. "For fuck's sake…" she muttered to herself. She hurried towards the car, knowing her nosey ass coworkers were probably watching her through the doors. She placed her hands against the passenger side door and leaned into the car. "Temari, what a pleasant surprise."
"You're shit at lying," Temari said with a wry smile. "Are you waiting for an invitation? Get in!" She spoke in the same no nonsense and forceful way Gaara did. Xin wondered as she slid into the car, if he got that from her. "How was work?"
Xin smiled the same sort of wry smile Temari wore. "Do you really care?"
"Oh my, touchy, aren't we?"
She sank into the buttery seat. "What do you want, Temari?" There wasn't much of a point to beat around the bush, not at this point.
"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to be friends?" Temari asked simply. She didn't know Xin's address but she hadn't asked for it. That probably meant she wasn't offering a ride home.
She wondered where the last of the Sabaku siblings planned on taking her. She wondered what route Temari decided to take with her. "I dunno," Xin answered after a pause. "Do you want to be my friend?"
"Who doesn't?"
Now that didn't really answer her question, did it? Then again, she hadn't really answered Temari's question in the first place. Not that she knew how to, really. She didn't know what any of these goddamn people wanted from her. She told them what was up with her medical background, what more was there?
"We opened a new nightclub and I thought it would be fun to feel it out tonight," Temari explained after a brief pause of silence. "See if it's worth the effort to keep throwing money into it."
Xin let out a wheezy laugh. "You…you want to go…clubbing. With me."
"Sure, why not?"
"…why?" She hadn't given any indication that she even liked clubbing, had she? She acted a fuckin' fool that last time, drunk all over the place and throwing back wine like it was a fuckin' shot. She had no experience with this and that was clear.
"I just said I wanted to be your friend."
"Temari, be fuckin' for real."
If she was offended by Xin's blunt and crass way of speaking, Temari certainly didn't show it. In fact, she was grinning, like Xin was amusing. She wanted to punch that fuckin' grin off of her face because she wasn't here to serve as some rich criminal's amusement.
"Gaara did say you were a tough one to crack," Temari said instead.
"Seems like he says a lot about me."
"Maybe but not enough."
Temari took her to some bougie store, one that she most likely owned. She waved away the store attendants briskly, barely sparing them a look as she studied her own clothes. She didn't ask for Xin's opinion either, directing her to sit down on a terribly soft chaise lounge.
She was childishly testing the bounciness of the lounge when one of the girls offered her a glass of champagne. "Uh…" she trailed off, staring dumbly at the offered flute.
Temari was watching her, amusement in her pretty eyes. "Sip gently, Xin."
"Bite me."
The blonde tutted with a smile. "I don't think my brother would approve if I did." She turned away before Xin could shoot back a retort, laughing as she vanished into the racks of clothes.
Nevertheless, she sipped gently just as she was instructed, gradually easing out of her heels. She wasn't in the mood for clubbing, she wasn't in the mood for any of this. "What time are we even going to this club?"
Temari eyed her over a rack of women's tops. "I don't know. Ten? Eleven?"
Xin's eyebrows shot up her forehead. "P.M?"
"When else?" Temari snorted.
She almost groaned but had the decency not to. "Temari, I worked all day."
"So have I."
She tightened her mouth and then took a deep breath, counting back from five. "I'm tired."
"So you'll take a nap when we're done here." She pulled something off the rack, turning back to her and holding it up to show her. It was more or less a black bra, much to Xin's horror, with a diamond fringe dangling from the top of the cups.
"I cannot wear that."
Temari faltered, pouting. "What? Why not? This is cute, if I do say so myself. And you have the perfect tits for it!"
"Temari, I am not thin enough for that, I'm not tall and thin like you are."
The tall blonde made a face at that. "Who said anything about being thin? Only thin people are allowed to wear crop tops?"
"..yes?"
She sucked her teeth. "Says fuckin' who?" Her face was twisted up in annoyance. "You know I modeled before I started designing clothes. Thin and tall," she scoffed. "I was good but my top criticism was that I was too masculine."
Xin blushed and looked away. "Well, nobody's fuckin' perfect, apparently."
That, for some odd reason, made Temari grin. "Exactly! People talk shit no matter what so you might as well enjoy yourself. Who the fuck cares if you're not tall and thin? You've got great tits and a lovely ass."
The blush crawled down Xin's neck at the compliment. She wished she would just shut the fuck up. She didn't need these compliments, they were baseless and they weren't true. Temari watched with narrowed eyes as Xin shifted uncomfortably, her eyes unable to meet hers. She watched her for several moments, quietly assessing her like an experiment. "Who did that to you?"
Xin blinked and glanced back at her, faltering. "Did what?"
"I don't think I've ever met a girl who doesn't like compliments, or being wined and dined. The smallest smidge of attention makes you uncomfortable. You're a pretty girl, Xin but you make yourself so small. Who did it?"
Xin scoffed but smiled, looking down at her champagne. "I did it to myself."
Temari refused to let her take a nap at her apartment. She was convinced that if Xin went back home, she wouldn't open the damn door when she came to get her in a couple hours. She was right to think that and so, Temari took the long drive back to the Sabaku's dwelling. Xin napped on the way there, unaware of just how long the drive actually was. It was better that way, that she didn't know how to get there or where it even was. She wasn't exactly sure if they could fully trust Xin yet but she admittedly wanted to.
"Xin," Temari gently nudged her arm. "Wake up, we're here."
Xin woke gradually, sleep clouding her eyes. She reached up with a soft yawn to her bangs. She threaded her fingers through her bangs, pulling them back away from her forehead as she stretched.
Temari watched her, somewhat amused because she resembled a stretching cat. However, something odd caught her eyes. Very close to her hairline, there was a thin disruption of her smooth skin. It was diagonal, seemingly coming from her ear and reaching up the side of her head, towards her forehead and above her eye.
A scar.
That was….strange.
Temari pulled back in her seat as Xin dropped her hand, unaware of her odd revelation. She took a deep breath and looked around with a foggy gaze. "Where are we?"
"The parking garage. Come on," Temari lightly tapped Xin's thigh, trying to make sense of what she saw. "You can take a nap in the guest room."
Xin grimaced. "The guest room?"
Temari paused, halfway out of the car already. She looked back af Xin, eyes searching for something. "You can….sleep in my room. If you want."
Xin climbed out of the car, easing the door shut only to lean against the side of the car. There were rows and rows of cars. All sorts in every shape and color. Trucks, sports cars, lowkey cars. "Christ and all twelve," she muttered in a mixture of awe and disdain. "Fuckin' rich people."
Temari chuckled, coming around the car to loop their arms together. "Well, what else are we supposed to spend the money on?"
"How about putting it away for a rainy day? Or donating it?"
"Who says we don't?" Temari frowned, leading her out of the garage. She was glad Xin was sleeping and hadn't seen their sprawling estate when they first arrived. That would've thrown her right into another fit because it was admittedly too grandiose. It was more than just an estate, it was a traditional Japanese compound that stretched for miles.
"You do?"
"Course we do," Temari shuffled out of her shoes and Xin followed suit. She watched in amusement as she neatly set her heels up on the shoe rack, taking care to make sure they sat upright.
She glanced around the estate but kept her comments to herself. "People are more willing to look the other way if a generous donation is involved," Temari said pleasantly. "And of course we have something said aside that we keep separate."
Xin only hummed, eyes darting all over the place. She was mostly focused on the expensive looking art and multiple vases of flowers. "You have a nice house," she said after a moment, almost begrudgingly.
"Thank you," Temari laughed and led her towards her territory. "You can sleep in my room for a couple hours. I got some things to do so I'll wake you up when it's time to get ready. Do you want something to sleep in..?"
Xin considered the notion. She guessed business casual wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in. Still, there was something very intimate about that. It was kind of her to offer and she could tell that Temari was trying. "If you don't mind…"
Apparently she didn't because when she led her to her unbelievably large bedroom, decorated in cool tones and looked like an apartment all on its own, she dug around her clothes to eventually produce something that might fit it. And by something, she meant an oversized shirt. Xin wasn't exactly sure if the shirt really belonged to Temari or not, seeing as how it was a man's shirt, but accepted anyway.
"Your bedroom is ridiculous," Xin commented, curling her toes into the soft rug. "We could probably fit my entire apartment in your room alone." She glanced around, surveying all the fine and high end furniture before her eyes landed on the bed. "Is that a King sized bed?"
"California King."
Xin nodded. "Ah."
Temari smiled, watching as Xin quietly assessed her bedroom. She could see the emotions warring on her face but eventually it was her exhaustion that won out. Xin climbed into the bed without so much as a peep, momentarily vanishing under the heavy blankets and mountain of pillows.
"Comfy," Xin said after eventually popping up from the blankets. "I guess money has its perks after all."
"Glad I could finally please you. I'll be back in a little while. Enjoy my bed."
Xin did just that, sinking into the soft bed with an appreciated hum. She drifted off into a peaceful sleep that felt like only minutes but in reality, was a couple hours. By the time she was blinking awake, the bedroom was completely dark. For a moment, panic seized her and she struggled to remember where the hell she was.
The door opened then and Temari came sweeping through. "Are you awake?" She moved closer to the bed, reaching towards the bedside lamp.
"Getting there," Xin grumbled and sat up just as the light came on. She harshly rubbed her face, trying to blink the sleep away. "Time?"
"Almost ten."
Sleeping for about six hours? In someone else's house? She was getting far too comfortable for her liking. Xin shuffled from under the blankets, moving to sit on the side of the bed with a loud sigh. True to her word, the clock on the end table read half past nine.
"Come on, you can use my bathroom to take a shower."
Of course she had her own private bathroom and of course it was massive. Xin tried not to think too hard on that, knowing it would overwhelm her. Instead, she allowed herself to be selfish with the shower, wondering when she'd ever get another chance with such a nice shower.
Steam flooded Temari's bedroom when she emerged from the bathroom, swathed in a no doubt expensive and silk robe. Her hair was only half dry, clinging to her face and neck.
"Aren't you a vision?" Temari asked from her vanity table. She was also wearing a robe, her skin tight leather dress laid on the bed next to the clothes she picked out for Xin.
"Do you always flirt with your brother's friends?" Xin asked offhandedly, taking the offered hairbrush.
"Only when it pisses him off," Temari retorted.
Xin turned away and focused on brushing her hair before it could start curling up from the shower. Temari let her be, focusing on her own hair and makeup. She offered to do Xin's makeup and she let her, promising not to overdo it. Xin helped her into the black dress, laughing as they struggled to get the leather up on her. She filled it out nicely, the shape of the dress accentuating both her feminine curves and muscle mass. Xin stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing Temari.
"You have the best arms I have ever seen on a woman," she said after a moment. "You work out a lot or are you and your brothers genetically made to look like that?"
Temari grinned, spinning in front of her mirror. "Noticing their muscles too, huh?" The blonde winked at her. "We all work out regularly."
Xin ignored the comment, focusing instead on shimmying into the pair of jeans forced upon her. They were as tight as Temari's dress and had a high waist and she struggled for a moment to get them up past her thighs and over her hips. She had to lay back on the bed and let Temari button up the jeans, dramatically sucking in air as she did so and laughing all the while.
The corset top was easier to get into, white with a floral print. The straps were thick despite Temari's insistence for a top without the straps. Xin was positive her breasts wouldn't allow for one without straps so Temari relented.
It didn't escape her attention that she hadn't seen either of Temari's brothers or Jura. She would've asked about their whereabouts but decided not to, figuring she might think too much of Xin's curiosity. Still, she was kind of glad they weren't around at that moment, feeling a little ridiculous in her silly corset top and skintight jeans.
She refused to wear heels and nothing Temari said could convince her otherwise. She relented, begrudgingly deciding to let Xin wear boots instead. They were nice and looked expensive, she thought, realizing that she was meant to keep them along with her outfit.
Her gut twisted.
"How much was all of this?" Xin motioned up and down, watching as Temari fixed her ears with several different kinds of earrings. Heavy hoops through her lobes and studs going all the way up her ear.
Temari gave her a funny look in the mirror. "You think I paid for my own things?
Well, sure, she guessed it would be pretty fuckin' stupid for Temari to pay for the things she designed.
"I just don't want to owe you anything."
A look of understanding crossed Temari's face. "Gaara said you were squirrelly about stuff like that."
"Ah, are my eyes doing the twitchy thing?"
The blonde grinned. "They are, in fact." She jumped up from the vanity and spun to face her. "I know this might be overwhelming but Gaara does like you and that doesn't often happen." She took a minute to think something over. "A lot of our relationships are made through…certain connections."
Xin resisted the urge to smack Temari's hands away when she approached her with some hoop earrings. They were much smaller than the ones hanging from her ears but gleamed nonetheless.
"You, however, you're just a random girl he happened to run into. No former connections at all and he thinks you're funny."
"I'm not fuckin' funny."
That, for some reason, made Temari laugh. "He thinks differently," she shrugged. "You don't have to worry about owing me back. Or him."
There was a dark look in Xin's eyes, one that Temari recognized. "Did that ex of yours..did he make you feel like you owed him for things?"
Xin looked away, her brows drawing together in frustration. She didn't want to talk about that. "Sometimes," she muttered despite her aversion to the subject. Hell, she owed him for the simple fact he hadn't fuckin' killed her.
Temari tutted. "Well, better that he isn't around now. Things are different. I like dressing you up in my clothes, you can keep whatever I give you. It's not like I can't replace it."
"That…doesn't help."
"Well, make it help. Now, let's get going." She grabbed Xin by the wrist and dragged her from the safety of her room.
And Xin went.
Tee: the siblings just constantly showing up to kidnap/hang out with an unwilling Xin is hilarious to me.