Hi again everyone! I would have never thought I would be up to five chapters already. The story will pick up momentum quickly from here; I just needed to establish the relationship between Hinata and Beki before we moved forward with shenanigans. As I have mentioned in earlier chapters, having a main character from another village opens up a lot of opportunities to talk about issues in the Naruto universe. We really only ever get the perspective of Konoha ninja, so I thought it would be fun to have the characters talk some of it out. If there are any glaring questions that always stuck out at you that I haven't addressed or brought up (such as the no pupils vs. pupils situation, and the high percentage of S-Rank ronin from Konoha) PM me and I'll try to add it in. I'm still pretty new to this, so reviews are much appreciated!
Also, In case you haven't noticed, Tale of the Three Maidens (here on I shall refer to it as TTM) HAS COVER ART. I DID IT GUISE. That deviantart I'm always going on about (same ID as here) has finally been updated with the higher res version of aforementioned cover art.
I would like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to lVlulcan for being such great moral support. Thank you friend!
Tallman0029, thank you for finally giving me your official endorsement so I don't look like a raving lunatic. Now there is proof I am your chosen apprentice. *cue Palpatine thunder and lightning, the soft, slightly menacing echo of "do it" in the background*
And as a side note to KindBacon, aka the Kindest of Bacon, yes. Those were Firefly and Sunflowers references. I make at LEAST one geeky reference per chapter. It's fun for me to lace them in there.
On that note, happy reading all!
The next morning Beki rose around eight and met Hinata downstairs. There were scrambled eggs still hot in the pan and fresh bread out to be toasted. Beki made herself a plate and took up a spot next to Hinata at the table.
"Thank you for breakfast," Beki said as she scooped up her first forkful.
"Of course," Hinata said as she read the paper.
"So, I had a question. The book said that there was a really long gap between the fourth and fifth hokage. What digs?" Beki wanted to talk to her about the fight with Neji, but she figured it was better to segue in on something less controversial.
"Oh, if you keep reading it will explain after the fourth passed, the third took up office again," Hinata explained.
"So it went third, fourth, third, fifth?" Beki asked.
"Yes," Hinata answered.
Beki's eyes narrowed as she thought about it. That sounded fairly suspicious to her. Why wouldn't they just skip from the fourth to the fifth? The 3rd Hokage sounded like one shady dealer to her.
"The book also talks a lot about 'the Will of Fire,'" Beki moved her food around on her plate. "What is it?"
"The Will of Fire is essentially a Konoha ninja's strength to fight against all odds, their uprightness of character, and their responsibility to carry on the hopes and dreams of their predecessors," Hinata recited from memory. When she was a girl, it hadn't made sense to her. It was the sort of thing that the teachers had them rehearse over and over again until it was as automatic a response as their own name. After spending time with Naruto, however, she had fully come to understand what all those words really symbolized. His strength gave her strength. It was how she convinced herself to get up every morning and face the day, even in the absence of her one true love.
"Do you have anything like that in Getsu?" Hinata mused.
"Not really," Beki leaned back in her chair. "I mean, everything is inherited there, from government positions to land titles, so I suppose you could say it falls back on whatever your family's code is."
"What's your family's code?" The idea intrigued Hinata. Even before Beki had a chance to respond, Hinata found herself trying to figure out what the Hyuga's family words would be. Probably something about "tradition".
Beki thought about it for a moment before responding.
"I told you before I'm the last in line of the Asou family. If their code was worth a damn, I wouldn't be the last one. On the Tsukimori side I'm a third son's daughter, so their code is probably the smarter of the two." Beki pushed around her eggs some more. "It's a lot of nonsense about not besmirching the family honor and not yielding to your enemies, ever. Nothing super inspiring."
Hinata watched Beki for a while. The two sat silently as they tried to figure out what the other was thinking. Hinata clenched her fists under the table and took an unprecedented first move.
"Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?"
Beki swallowed hard. Hinata was her age, but she was being so mature about yesterday's scuffle. Beki had been mentally prepared for a screaming match or the cold shoulder; anything but this. Hinata was being respectful. Her tone was measured and open, inviting a response and showing no criticism. It made Beki feel even worse about what an ass she'd made of herself.
"I'm kind of sensitive about the whole Ronin thing," Beki started slowly. When she took too long to respond, Hinata offered:
"I noticed. Do you want to talk to me about it?"
In the expectant silence that followed, Beki was forced to fill it with something. She supposed she did owe Hinata, and maybe even Neji, and explanation.
"There are kekke genkai on both sides of my family. The Tsukimori kekke genkai has all but died out. My father is the first in three generations that even shows signs of maybe having some of it," Beki explained. "My mother was the most powerful user of her family's kekke in possibly the entire history of her family. When word got out that they'd had a baby, Orochimaru's men came to take me away. My mother died holding them off while my father got me to safety."
"Beki, I'm so sorry," Hinata said, her voice full of compassion. "I lost my mother young, too. I know how hard that is."
"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Beki looked up from her almost untouched breakfast. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you and Neji. I need to have more of an open mind about all this. If I'm going to be living here in Konoha, I need to set aside my biases. I don't want to make things unpleasant for your family. You all have been nothing but nice to me and I'm just dragging my baggage through your flowerbeds."
"If you want we can go see Neji so you two can talk it out," Hinata suggested.
Beki shuffled uncomfortably. Neji seemed the stoic type to her. She hoped he wouldn't hold a grudge, but then again, she'd made this problem and it was up to her to face the fallout.
"Whether I want to or not, it's the right thing to do," Beki almost choked on the words. She hated taking the high ground, especially when things were her fault. Part of her just wanted everyone to forget about it and move on, but that mindset would only make things worse in the long run.
"I was thinking I should go around the compound and introduce you to the family," Hinata turned a page of the paper thoughtfully. "If you're up for it."
Beki tried not to let it show but the idea of more introductions and remembering gave her a headache.
"Sure, I'll need to get presentable first," Beki rose from the table, guiltily dumping her uneaten breakfast down the garbage disposal. She hated to waste the food, but the morning's conversations had nerfed her appetite.
"Of course," Hinata smiled understandingly. She was glad that Beki wanted to fix things. Part of her had been worried that Beki was a spoiled pompous ambassador's daughter. Hinata had been mortified for her when she went on her little tirade in the street. Then again, Beki had made a few fair points. Perhaps it was the stubbornness that came with the Will of Fire that pushed even the worst of Konoha ninja to great heights. Terrible, but great.
Hinata led Beki around the grounds of the Hyuga compound. They met all of the pertinent people in both the main house and the branch house.
"So Hinata, I know this is totally insensitive but it's killing me," Beki whispered harshly. "What's the difference between the Main house and the Branch house?"
Hinata sighed. Growing up in the compound, one forgot the confusion the division might cause. She should have thought to brief her earlier.
"The Main house runs the family and the branch house protects it," Hinata explained in low tones to avoid eavesdroppers. "It's a way to protect the secrets of our Byakugan."
"Hina chan, you're going to have to do a better job explaining it than that," Beki gave her the side eye. "I'm not that oblivious. They're branded. What's the deal?"
Hinata blushed and looked around. Even though she couldn't see anyone, she knew the possibility of interlopers loomed over them. They'd known each other two days and Beki had already given her a pet name. None of the other girls in town called her a pet name; not even Naruto had a pet name for her. Was this typical for girls their age? Or was it just Beki's battering ram personality?
"I'll explain all the technical aspects later," Hinata dropped her voice to the squeak of a mouse. "It's not something to be openly discussed."
"Oh," Beki tossed her hair and looked around. "Look where we ended up," Their last stop, around lunch, was back at the garment storehouse.
"I figured you would want to check on your kimono," Hinata smiled.
"You were right! Let's go see," Beki skipped inside.
The girls entered the building and chatted up the wise women of the storehouse.
"We have a gift for you," One of them giggled as she handed Beki a long box.
Beki peeked inside to see her mother's kimono back in perfect condition and wrapped in fine linen.
"The linen is to keep it preserved," One of the others offered. "There's a lot of moisture this time of year."
"This is wonderful, thank you all so much for your help," Beki beamed. They had kept the kimono similarly stored, but they had done something to it to bring it back to life. Suddenly the kimono wasn't a drab antique, it was a living breathing thing. The ghost lights flickered in the sunshine and stars she had never noticed before sparkled in the night sky.
"We figured you would want to keep it in Lady Hinata's house with you," another said.
"Yes, thank you." Beki couldn't stop smiling. "What did you all do to it? It looks fresh off the rack."
The youngest of the women winked at her.
"Hyuga family secret."
As they carried the box back to the house, Hinata reviewed the names and positions of all the family members she had introduced to Beki that day.
"Okay, so Umeko is the older cook and Miyo is the younger cook," Beki repeated, doing her best to retain all the new information.
Hinata caught something white and black darting off out of sight up ahead. Her eyes narrowed.
"Hinata? What's wrong?" Beki squinted up ahead. "What do your Hyuga eyes see?"
"Hyuga Neji, you come out right now!" Hinata called out up ahead. She was startled by the sound of her raised voice. She didn't know she could be that loud. Hinata felt her throat afterwards. The strain of yelling would probably leave her vocal cords sore for a few days. Then again, she was surprised and simultaneously angry at Neji for trying to avoid them.
Begrudgingly, he stepped out onto the path ahead of them and waited awkwardly for them to catch up.
"I was not avoiding you, I know what you're thinking," Neji spat out as soon as they got close. "I just suddenly remembered I forgot something."
Hinata suddenly lost her nerve. She had wanted to have Beki and Neji reconcile, but now that she had brought them together she was at a loss for how to proceed. An uncomfortable silence was stretching out between the three, when all at once Neji and Beki blurted out at the same time.
"Look I'm really sorry, what I said was out of line-"
"I let my pride get in the way and I spoke disrespectfully-"
They stopped, fell silent and stared each other down.
"Go ahead."
"No, you go ahead."
"I insist; I was interrupting you."
"Okay. I'm sorry. I forget that I'm a guest in the Leaf village now, and that even though we're all friends I should mind what I say," Beki sighed. "I just got here, and I'm all turned around; there was probably a better way for me to express my thoughts."
"After giving the situation some thought, I realized the same thing. I shouldn't have taken offense. Everyone has said things they don't quite mean when they're tired or nervous," Neji bowed. "I apologize."
"I'll accept yours if you'll accept mine?" Beki offered.
"Sounds like a deal." Neji nodded.
After Neji briefly updated Hinata on the goings on around Konoha that day, the girls returned back to the Hinata's house. Hinata took up some of her knitting while Beki read her textbook.
"Hinata, what did you guys have to do to graduate the academy?" Beki asked as she turned a page.
For the third time in two days, Hinata was left wondering how much she could safely divulge to Beki without breaking shinobi disclosure laws. She had dodged explaining the difference between the branch and main houses of her clan, but it was hard to avoid a question like this. She thought for a moment, and decided on a vague version of the facts:
"Well, there's a written exam, and then trainees have to demonstrate the ability to use a very basic ninjutsu."
Beki knit her brows as she thought. Hinata hated to think so, but the expression Beki made when she was puzzled gave her the appearance it took a great deal of power for her to think through things. It was as if it took all of her concentration and willpower to process new information.
"I guess that's not that different from Getsu," Beki said at last. "Instead of ninjutsu test, they drop us off in the middle of nowhere in the mountains or in the woods. We have to work our way back to town."
"Does a lot of your class graduate?" Hinata wondered. That seemed harsher than what they had Konoha trainees do. "Do they give you supplies?"
"It's a basic kit: flint rock, rope, a couple of kunai, a water canteen, and some rations," Beki explained. "It took me two days. Some kids they had to go out and find after day four. I'd say it's 50/50 on how many of us graduate. The students that don't make the cut go back to school and can try again in three months, so no real repercussions."
The girls chatted a bit longer about their experiences in the academy. A few hours later, they went to the dining hall for dinner. They ate with Hanabi before returning to Hinata's and settling in for bed. Beki was glad both her kimono was fixed and that she had worked things out with Neji. If more of the Konoha shinobi were like him and Hinata, she thought there was a good chance she could adapt to life here in the long run.