----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bee-uty & the Beast
Kraen
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Two
Gai winced as he tightened the bandage around his chest. His little collision gave him a few cracked ribs, ones that he now nursed in the comfort of his inn room. After he finished, he walked over to the washbasin and took a few moments to freshen up; washing his face and then using a rag to clean the rest of him. The inn only had a community bathroom, so for now he had to settle with the small bowl and water pitcher for his bath. Once he was clean, he gingerly dressed into a set of casual clothes: a white t-shirt; a green, long-sleeved, button-up shirt and black slacks. Satisfied in his appearance, he walked to his door and exited into the hallway. Just as he closed his own, the door across from him opened, presenting Hani who was dressed in a simple, magenta kimono.
"Gai!" she titled her head to the side and gave him a pleasant smile. "Are you feeling better?"
He placed one hand on his hip and with the other, he used it to thrust a thumb towards her. "Nonsense, I did more damage to that well, than it did to me," a sparkle flashed across his beaming smile.
"Good!" she reached up nonchalantly and fixed one of his stray hairs; then grinned at him, as she looked him over. "Are you ready for dinner? I'm starving!" she wrapped an arm around his bent one.
He blinked at her subtle signs of affection; but held his tongue as she led him out of the inn.
"So Gai," taking a metal fan from one of her sleeves, she began fanning herself with it. "Tell me about yourself."
He looked at her, uncertain of what she was asking, "About me?"
"Yes, like your role as a sensei. I read in the mission briefing that you had your own team."
Gai gave a large grin, "Ah, yes. My wonderful pupils! Let's see," he placed a finger on his chin. "There is Tenten, a very talented weapons mistress. She will hit a bull's-eye 100 out of 100 times!"
"Amazing!" gasped Hani. Though she was mildly interested, she was trying to sound more impressed than she truly was.
"And Neji, a very gifted ninja with the bloodline limit of the Byakugan!"
"Extraordinary!"
"And of course, my adorable Lee!"
Hani lifted an eyebrow before she responded.
"Though he is incapable of using genjutsu or ninjutsu, he has become quite the taijutsu expert and I believe that one day soon, he will surpass me."
"Well, it sounds like your students are very talented," she paused. "Expect for Lee."
Gai shot her a quick look, "Hani, I know that you may be a lady; but, --"
"Let me finish. Though Tenten and Neji may be talented, Lee has been given a gift."
Gai raised his eyebrows in question.
"Most ninja, who have natural talent, tend to take advantage of what they have. Someone like Lee, who must fight everyday to make himself stronger, learn to appreciate life so much more." She gave Gai a friendly smile, "If I had to choose, I would rather be like him."
Gai's chest swelled with pride.
"Now, what about you; what are your abilities?" she asked as they entered a simple restaurant and walked to the bar.
"As I'm sure you read in the mission report, my specialties lay in taijutsu and opening the eight gates."
For privacy, they sat on stools away from the rest of the other patrons. Hani placed her fan back into her sleeve.
"As I understand, that jutsu can be damaging to your body, am I correct?"
"Yes it can, and opening all eight would be fatal."
She nodded, "How often can you open the gates before resting?"
"Twice, but the second time doesn't last as long and it will do twice as much damage to my body."
They both looked to the restaurant worker who approached them from behind the bar.
"I'll have an order of nikujaga," smiled Hani.
"And I'll have beef donburi, please."
The worker brought out two small cups and a sealed bottle of saké that Hani promptly opened and poured for both her and Gai.
"So Hani, what are your abilities?"
She put down her drink and was quite for a moment.
"As a team, I feel it's important I know of your skills beforehand. Your datasheet in the mission envelope had almost everything listed as 'classified'. Other than exhibiting a fair amount of stamina, I have no idea what you are capable of."
She smiled sweetly to him, "I am neither a genjutsu, ninjutsu or taijutsu user."
Gai's eyebrows raised in surprise, "How is that even possible? You said you are a ninja, yet you have no ninja abilities?"
"Oh, I can perform the basics in all three jutsus. But I am not a specialist in either of them."
He stared at her dumbfounded, 'She must be ranked no higher than a genin!'
She smiled at his complete bewilderment, "I have my own abilities, Gai. I am not a third rate ninja, like I must appear."
"Then please share with me."
She sighed as she really hated giving out classified information about herself, but he was correct in his statement; he did need to be informed of her abilities for the mission. She swallowed the last of her drink before speaking, "I am an expert at stealth and disguise. I pride myself on the fact that not even my own village, a ninja village, knows I am a shinobi (with the exception of the Hokage). My main focus in a mission is to enter and leave, without anyone knowing I had even been in the area. That is the main reason I don't wear a headband. I feel it's inappropriate for a master of stealth to wear something that declares to the world, 'Hey! I'm a ninja!' I've also been trained on royal etiquette, which has allowed me to blend into the emperor's castle."
Gai's eyes widened, 'She's done missions for the emperor?!'
"In addition, I have extensive knowledge in poisons and venoms. Throughout my life, I have been exposed to numerous toxins, building immunity to all of them. I can also identify most poisons by scent or taste."
"That is impressive," he said, trying not to gape.
She sighed and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, "This is actually the first mission I have been on since my vacation."
"Vacation?"
She nodded, "I was on vacation for a month, after returning from a two year mission."
"Two years?! I was on a three month long mission once, and I thought that was lengthy. What did you have to do that required that much time?"
"I can't talk too much about it; but it involved information gathering."
"Did you have to use interrogation?"
"Gods, no --" She gave him a small wink, "You'll be surprised at what you can hear amidst the bed sheets of a diplomat."
Gai's face blanched.
"There is also something else about me -- worth mentioning," she poured them both another drink. "I want you to pick a man in this room; any man. It doesn't matter who."
Gai tilted his head in confusion, "Are you going to start a fight?"
She chuckled, "No, just pick someone."
"Then I pick myself! I am eager to be tested by your abilities!"
Hani nearly joked on the sip she had taken, "No Gai, not you -- ANYONE but you."
A little disappointed, Gai looked around and randomly picked a man from across the room. "That one."
She looked over her shoulder at the man he pointed to. "Good, now please stand back."
He remained where he stood, a look of confusion across his face.
"Go on. Take one large step backwards."
Reluctantly, he complied 'I really hope she isn't going to damage the restaurant. There isn't enough money in the mission budget to pay for repairs.' He observed her as she turned towards the man he had picked. After a few moments, he looked between the two, but could see no change. 'Whatever she does, it's very subtle.' Then a movement caught his eye and his attention was directed to the man, who had stood from his seat and was staring intently towards her. He watched as the man approached with an almost mesmerized expression on his face. Gai returned his attention to Hani, who had a small smile of her own. When the man finally reached her, he hesitated slightly before leaning forward and whispering something in her ear. She responded by shaking her head and waving a dismissive hand. With a look of disappointment, the man turned and walked to the door, leaving the building.
"What just happened?" asked Gai as he took a step forward.
Hani quickly turned to him, "No wait!" she held up her hands in an attempt to keep him at bay, but he closed the distance in one large step. Her head sagged and her arms dropped to her side, "Shit."
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She reached over and grabbed the saké bottle and then poured herself another drink – downing it in one swallow. "You'll find out soon enough."
"I don't understand, Hani. What just happ –" he paused as he suddenly felt an unusual sensation build within him. He turned his head to the side slightly as he tried to asset what that sensation was. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but could feel it building in intensity.
Almost instantly, he recognized it: lust. His eyes widened as the realization took him. "Hani, what is going on?"
She sighed, "What you are experiencing is a little ability that has graced (or cursed) the female members of my family."
He started to grit his teeth as the sensation built to a near overwhelming drive. He looked at her and found himself desiring her a great deal. He turned his attention to the other women of the room and felt no similar sensation for them. He had to will himself from reaching out and grabbing her. "Hani, this is very uncomfortable," he bit his lip to try to distract his yearning. "What is going on?"
She looked to the restaurant worker and informed him they would be back shortly; then took his hand (causing him to gasp) and led him outside, "Come on. The cold night air should help." Once they had exited, he could feel the fresh air begin to calm him. "Hani, please explain what just happened."
She came close to him, so others couldn't hear, "The women of my family inherit an ability that allows them to emit a," she paused, looking slightly embarrassed. "A sex pheromone. The ability is called, Zeru-roiyaru by my family."
He raised his eyebrows in shock. 'Zeru-roiyaru – Royal Jelly?' This was the strangest thing he had ever heard.
"With chakra, I am able to control where this pheromone travels. Like that man in the restaurant, I was able to target him by molding my chakra as a tunnel towards him."
"Then how did I get caught up in it?"
"I can only control it to a certain degree. There is always a two foot radius around me of residual pheromone and you stepped into it before it had a chance to dissipate."
Gai was shocked, 'That was only the residual?!' He regarded her, "How powerful is this ability?"
"If I released enough of it," she hesitated. "I could literally drive a man insane."
His eyes widened, "What is a defense against it?"
She gave him a considerate grin, "Aside from not being a man and not having the need to breath, there is none."
He crossed his arms and looked down to her with an impressed expression, "Excellent stamina, a poisons expert and the ability to charm any man – Tsunade-sama was right. You really are dangerous. I thank Kami-sama, we are on the same side."
She gave him a wink, followed by a beaming smile.
After a few exchanged words, Gai and Hani reentered the restaurant to eat their meal. Across the road, a hidden, cloaked figure stepped from his hiding place and dashed down a darkened alley.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading!