"Fish, fish, fish..." Xiaomei repeated without a hint of care, her school briefcase swinging happily in her hands along with several other food items stuffed in a light plastic bag. Once again, she was on her weekly trip to the market. One would think that by her size, she would have barely eaten, if she ate at all that is. It was one of those days, where if she looked back just a few years, months even, on this very date, that she would have been nowhere near where she was now. A year before now, on this very day, was more than just a memory to her. It was a skin etching experience. Every action she'd done then was the equivalent of a needle marking her with another tattoo. No matter how much she tried to hide it, if they looked hard enough, a person could easily spot the imperfection and torment her with it. It was nothing new to her, yet she still seemed to be bothered by it. It was because of those irremovable tattoos that she had grown into the person she was now. She was alert by all means. Once glance and she could total her surroundings in seconds. It was her memory, her damned excellent memory. Too excellent. Despite all the people she'd passed in her life, living or dead, she held herself higher. She ignored her flaws, if no one knew about them, why treat them as if they were still there? Compared to nearly everyone, she was better--faster, smarter, stronger. What else did a person need to live?

That one question made her pause. A million answers came to mind--love, care, hope, will, shelter, water, and even clothing, but she pushed those answers away. She had a conscience, but she so desperately wanted to get rid of it. Every chance she'd gotten, she'd pushed her conscience away. It would ruin things for her. She'd get caught up in the idea of wanting to be nice. She'd get guilty, and guilty was not her forte by any means.
In pushing the climbing guilt away, she'd realized that not only did she stop in the middle of a market, but she'd also mustered up a scrutinizing stare toward an innocent orphan, who was probably making his way toward her in request of money, which by the looks of his holey clothes, dirt covered face, and parentless presence, he really needed. She blinked. He blinked. She watched as he looked at her judgingly, eyes wandering first from her obviously well-kept and polished shoes, to her fresh-out-of-the-laundry uniform, and lastly to her clean skin which could practically be noted as radiant compared to anyone else around them. He had probably sheltered here his whole life and had never seen anyone as nicely dressed as she. Already forming an idea of what her personality was like in his head, he couldn't help but glare at her...and to be honest, it was cute. She had even cracked a bit of a smile.

Turning to take out the money she had left for fish and be a generous soul, the sound of cluttered footsteps brought her attention back to the empty space in front of her where the child had stood only seconds ago. She stared at the empty space in disappointment. This was what always happened when she tried to be nice. Somehow, just one look at her and she just came off as a person of wrong whether it be danger or just plain rude. Sheesh, what had she done? 

Her smile disappeared. What had she done? 

'Too much,' she berated as she stuffed her money back into her pocket and returned to her original quest--fish.
After a few dozen minutes searching, she'd finally found what she wanted. Anyone that had at least glanced at her couldn't have missed the gleam in her eyes as she stared at the wide variety but small supply of fish before her. It'd been two months since she'd last eaten fish. She hated fish. The slime, the smell, the work needed to prepare it--she despised the animal, but two months, and oddly, she'd found herself craving the dish without any regret, and she'd probably throw out the leftovers the next morning.  Just the thought had her biting her lip mercilessly as she tried to find a type of fish she'd actually want to eat, but honestly she couldn't tell the difference from each by taste; she simply knew that some were bonier than others, some were bigger than others, and some were more expensive than others. She just wasn't a fish eater. So, without hesitation, she began placing all kinds in bags, determined to experiment and see which she liked best, so she'd know what to buy the next two months or three or four that she craved fish again. The process wasn't delicate, and when she'd finished, she stared at the bag like a predator not even looking up at the vender.

"How much will this be?" She questioned excitedly, tucking in her lips for a small . No reply came, and she asked again, her eyes now scanning over the fish she hadn't chosen. She asked another time. "How much is this?" Her eyes cut between the bag of fish and vegetables concocting some sort of soup she'd try to make and probably fail at. 
"Hrm.." She twitched at the small moan and finally tore her eyes from tonight's meal to a young man leaning back on his chair...asleep. Really? Really?! She glared and drooped to the floor, quietly pulling a small rock into her hand. She eyed him, aimed, and threw the small projectile at him, quirking an eyebrow as she saw him twitch, but there was no resistance. As she had planned, the rock had hit him square in the forehead, rendering his eyes wide open and an unimpressed stare directed toward her. "Yes?" She kept herself from rolling her eyes at his attitude with a sigh and held up her bag of fish unhappily.

"This. How much? And can you filet it for me?" She asked through gritted teeth. He on the other hand seemed to look at her as if she were stupid and pointed toward a sign that hung opposite of her, snatching the bag from her hands and getting out his knife. Mentally she dug a hole for herself as she read through it, lists of prices along with the picture of a variety fish hanging practically in her face. 'Xiaomei, who can total her surroundings in seconds...but can't find a price in minutes...nice one...' She gave an apologetic smile but as she took in her surroundings she didn't miss the blanket and pillow lying underneath one of the stalls. "You live here?" Unphased by the question, he continued slicing professionally. Her eyes narrowed at his knife, posture, and speed. He was slicing too professionally. 

"Ah, yes. I can't really afford a house now can I?" 

"You can stay with me." He paused, cutting his eyes towards her. She gave a trying smile, and continued. "I have an extra bedroom in my apartment from when my sister lived with me." 'Lie,' she thought. 'You know exactly why you have that extra room.'

"No thanks." He continued slicing the fish, forcing himself to be unaware of her presence. Yet again, her kindness was denied. It was free of charge; she thought people liked free things? What was up with this? She pressed further.
"At least one night. I heard it was going to rain later tonight, and these tarps," She pointed toward the makeshift tent he'd built over his stall. It would only keep out certain amounts of rain, too much was exactly that--too much. "Aren’t going to keep you dry. You could at least close shop early for once night. Yes?" He sighed and set the knife down, leaning against the stall. His dark eyes stared into her, the dark hair also a match.
"And what's to keep me from stealing anything and everything you have?" He challenged.
"Simple," She smiled. "I have nothing worth stealing."

That night was less awkward that had thought it would be. He had no idea what she was talking about. Nothing worth stealing? Though the apartment was small, the walls were lined with paintings, some of which he could certainly turn in for a good amount of money. The place was practically a house worth cash, and if he could just get rid of her he wouldn't have to spend his nights in that cold market... She wasn't lying. The rainy nights had definitely been anything but a plus. He remembered nights where he'd fallen asleep dry, but woken completely soaked and shivering. He would have to push back the dark abyss of hair that would stick to his forehead and go, yet again, for a dip in the nearest water source in attempt to clean himself, but if he had this apartment...none of that would even matter anymore. 

With no hint if nervousness, he turned toward the hallway ready start business and end it. All doors but one were closed, and as he neared the door, her peeked through the hinge cracks where he saw her laying out the bed, along with towels and other necessities he'd need that night. As she patted the mattress, she turned swiftly, catching his eyes for a fraction of a second before stepping out of the room with a generous smile. 

"There you go," He couldn't help but stare at her dark chocolate locks that were practically borderline black. Her eyes were just as dark as his own, secrets hidden within them. She had a small figure, but if he remembered the amount of groceries he'd seen her with, she was obviously a big eater. "Oh, why don't you take a long, hot shower? It's been a while, I'm guessing, and I'm going to go out to buy a few more things. Take your time." She moved past him and slipped a light coat on before grabbing her key and leaving. As he heard the door lock behind her, Tao wasn't sure what to think of this girl. She'd just left him--a complete stranger--in her own house, alone. He could easily rob her home, he could easily destroy her whole identity, and he could easily kill her if he wanted. So what made her think otherwise? He pondered incomprehensibly. No one was that nice to strangers. What made her think he'd refrain doing any of those said things? Shaking his head, he made way into the guest room, picking up a towel and extra male clothes. With a raised eyebrow, he walked into the shower anyway, assuming they belonged to exes that she'd held dear.

Stripping, Tao the water, and while waiting for the temperature to arise, he stared into the mirror opposite of him. He looked...rough. There were obvious dark circles around his eyes (not they weren't there normally anyway), and his face smudged with bits of dirt, not as much as others. He was sure the unappetizing smell of fish hung around him, but he'd grown so used to it, he could no longer detect the scent. His muscles were still there though...he made sure of that. Cowering now of all times was stupid. He closed his eyes thinking back a few months before now. Things were completely different back then. He was always clean. He'd probably more outfits to last him three years, but each had been used but once. He remembered his brothers. Not literally, but close enough to be. Very childish. 

Sighing, he slapped himself a few times before ending the stream of water and stepping out. That same moment, he heard the sound of oil cracking on a pan. She was back? She was cooking as well, apparently.

How he had missed the strong stench of fish, he'd never know, but it was overwhelming as he dressed and dried off.  He opened the door, not sparing a glimpse her way, and went straight to the guest room, his eyes confused by what they were seeing. All his things from his vender's stall lay in a pile on the floor of the room along with a few bags filled with from what he could tell were men's products. Footsteps sounded and he spun.

"I hope you'll be okay with everything I bo-"

"I told you I wasn't staying here." She nodded as if agreeing he'd said that.

"Yes, but it would be stupid to go back there, too. Plus, this will save you from dirtying your hands with that." She murmured. He squinted in confusion. That as in cutting fish or that as in...killing her? Widening his eyes, he stared at the girl with an all new perspective. She knew? Did she know? He glared, taking no time to push her against the wall with a knife to . Without removing his eyes from hers, he flipped off the light switch, shooing away any nosy neighbors.

"What makes you think I won't kill you now?"

Xiaomei stared at him from under his touch. The knife to was no new feeling at all. Remaining calm, she challenged him with her pupils--he would let her look elsewhere anyway. If she really wanted, he'd kept her hands free and she could easily break out of his grasp (probably to be pulled into another, but oh well). 

"That thought never crossed my mind but, let me ask you this. Did you really care about making a living selling fish that you'd caught from the same water you bathed in?" She challenged, though she wasn't sure why. A rub in the wrong direction could easily anger him enough to twist that knife in and out of , but that feeling had returned. She didn't know what it was...that feeling...excitement? She froze. It couldn't be; her heart kept the familiar rapid beat that it used to, her chest rising and falling notably fast. The smile that would have crept onto her face is she wasn't shocked. Her eyes widened. Excitement. That's exactly what it was. Tao seemed to have misunderstood.

"Finally understood what you're dealing with?" He questioned, pressing the knife as his body closer. Oddly, they were touching now. His hands rested on her should (though steadying the knife) while his face was only a mere few inches from her own. His torso was pressed so close that she questioned if there was even room for air. His other hand rested above her head, fisted along with his arm inches from her right cheek.

"Just stay," She whispered, keeping her eyes on his own. "is it that hard to do?" He froze, confused as to why she wasn't taking his threat seriously. Did he have something on his face? No...he'd just showered. Gently, she placed a hand around his wrist, slightly pulling for him to back down, and he didn't know why, but he did. At this, she smiled and dusted herself off. 

"Well, food's ready if you want any. I don't think I'll eat any, so I hope you like fish? If you have any left overs, just stick it in the refrigerator. I'll dispose of it later." She informed him and turned to leave and walk into what he assumed was her own room. Tao, however, was in awe. She'd just stood up too without any violence, and was still offering her place. He sighed. He guessed he'd just found a new residence. 

Shutting it behind her, Xiaomei stared wide-eyed with her back against the door. Had she just? A man had just held a knife to and within a time of panic, she had actually imagined herself kissing him?
"You're insane, Xiaomei," She muttered. "Truly insane."

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