The next week was uneventful, until Beki found another letter from Hideki tucked in the doorframe of Hinata's house. Following Neji's lead, she used her sleeve to grab it and hunted him down.
"Neji!" She ran towards him waving the note in the air. "Here's another one!"
Neji was in the zone. He had been meditating for an hour to hone his focus. The courtyard was abandoned, and the day was beautiful. Neji was absolutely calm. He lowered himself into position.
"8 TRIGRAM 64 PALM!"
Beki had just come within striking distance, taking a blow directly to the face. The bitch slap knocked her three feet into the air and back onto her bottom.
"AHAHOW," Beki rolled onto her side holding her cheek. A string of curses flew from her mouth that made Neji blush.
"Beki! Are you alright?!"
She glared at him, her cheek already swelling.
"Are you deaf?! I called out to you and everything!"
Neji blinked down at her. He had sworn he was alone in the courtyard. His hearing was usually excellent; maybe she had called out to him from too far away.
"I'm sorry about that," He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. "I swear I didn't hear you coming."
She sighed.
"It's okay. It must be something I'm doing. Hinata clocked me three days ago during training."
Neji couldn't imagine Lady Hinata accidentally hitting someone and being able to live with herself afterwards.
"So what did you need my help with?" Neji brushed the dirt off her shoulder.
"Thanks," Beki held out the letter, still locked in her sleeve covered lobster grasp. "I think you-know-who left another letter."
Neji scowled and gingerly took it with his sleeve. He reached into his kunai bag and took out a senbon. He broke the seal and used the point to open the letter.
"Why are we using our sleeves, by the way?" Beki asked. "Is he a poisoner?"
"Not just a poisoner, a sadist," Neji sighed. "It's like a game for him."
"Oh," Beki eyed her sleeve suspiciously, then carefully rolled it so none of it would accidentally come into contact with her. "So what does it say this time?"
"More of the same, only with more urgency and less courtesy," Neji slapped the letter shut. "I can't believe he found another way in. What really concerns me is that he's already escalating. Before, he waited outside, now he's forced it into the house. The next letter you might find may well be in Lady Hinata's bedroom."
Beki stepped in closer and looked up at Neji, searching his face as she spoke:
"Does this mean we can tell Hinata now?"
Neji held her gaze for a moment before he looked off towards the main house and sighed.
"I need to consult Hiashi on how to proceed, given this recent development. I'll let you know what he decides."
"I would talk to him soon," Beki crossed her arms. "Hinata's on her way home now, and if you don't say something, I will."
Neji grabbed Beki's shoulder.
"Beki, please. It's hard for you to understand because you weren't here when everything went down the first time. As a personal favor, do not say anything to her. Not yet."
Beki stared him down. Neji didn't back down from her gaze this time, so she relented.
"Fine, but you had better keep me posted."
"Fair enough," Neji let her go. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."
Neji walked towards the main house and Beki watched him go. It was strange for her to be caught up in another family's intimate affair like this. Part of her felt like she needed to put some distance between herself and the issue, but at the same time, because it affected Hinata she wanted to be even more involved. Beki walked back to Hinata's house, rubbing her puffy cheek. She would have to ice it before Hinata got home or she would have a cow.
Her first order of business was to remove her shirt with surgical precision. Beki didn't want there to be any contact between the potentially contaminated shirt and her bare skin. It took a full five minutes to take it off, but she was successful in avoiding any exposure. She was left standing in the kitchen wondering if laundry soap would be enough to remove any harmful substances Hidiki might have had on the letter. She shrugged and tossed all of her clothes in the wash and ran upstairs to shower. The entire time she was in there, her thoughts were plagued with all the possible ways Hidiki could break into the house. The Hyuga clearly weren't doing a good enough job maintaining the perimeter, so she would have to do a sweep on the house to make sure it was secure.
After she had tossed on some comfortable leggings and a baggy tshirt, Beki went about locking every window in the house. Most of the windows slid open. She would have to tell Neji they needed wooden rods to stick in the track to make it so they couldn't be slid open from the outside. She heard Hinata coming up the drive, so she grabbed a book and hopped on the sofa, trying to look as casual as possible.
Hinata walked through the door and sighed as she tossed her keys in a bowl on the kitchen table.
"Hey Beki, how was your day?"
"Pretty uneventful. How about you?" Beki turned a page in the book.
"Long and tiring," Hinata sat down on the couch across from her. "Kurenai sensei hasn't been feeling well, so we trained with Asuma sensei and his team."
Hinata patted Beki's leg.
"Do you mind starting dinner tonight? I'm going to go shower."
"Yeah, sure," Beki tossed aside the book and walked into the kitchen. "Curry sound okay?"
A cloud of worry crossed Hinata's face.
"How hot do you make it?"
Beki sighed.
"I promise I will cut the spice in half. You leaflings have the heat tolerance of ducklings."
Hinata laughed softly and went up the stairs, calling out behind her:
"Don't let Rock Lee hear you say that."
Beki spent the rest of the night battling her inner need to warn Hinata about the impending danger of Hikidi and the need to keep her promise to Neji. Hinata could sense Beki was troubled and kept trying to lure it out of her. Beki could feel herself cracking under the scrutiny of Hinata's lavender orbs of innocence, so she turned the conversation to the one topic that would take the heat off of her:
"Had any letters from Naruto lately?" Beki asked.
"Yes!" You could almost see the gears switch in Hinata's head. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and she couldn't stop smiling while she talked. "He was telling me about the beach town they're training in. It sounded so charming! It's around the time of year that all the turtle eggs hatch on the beach. The ones that hatch during the day don't usually make it, because seagulls and all kinds of other predator animals are hovering around waiting for them. Naruto was telling me how he witnessed a whole nest of them hatch at night, making it all the way to the water unmolested. He called them clever little ninja turtles."
Beki just smiled to herself and nodded her head while Hinata went on for about ten minutes without stopping.
"Oh, sorry. I completely forgot. You have another note from your secret admirer," Hinata handed Beki a crudely made red envelope. Beki opened it and pulled out the note.
"You are very strong and you work hard, signed your secret admirer," Beki read. "Awww."
"Their craftsmanship is getting better," Hinata turned over the envelope in her hands. "Last time it was just a piece of construction paper they'd folded in half and taped shut."
"I know! It'll be presentable in no time!" Beki tucked the note into her book.
"Have you figured out who it is?" Hinata cocked her head.
"No, Iruka sensei asked me if I could help grade some papers for him last Friday. I scoped out the kindergartener's handwriting and I haven't spotted a match yet." Beki leaned back in the sofa and sighed.
"Have you checked the girl's?" Hinata suggested. "Your secret admirer could be one of the girls wanting to grow up big and strong like you."
"No, I should, you're right." Beki furrowed her brow as the thought. "I guess I would be kind of inspiring to the tater tots."
"I can't wait to find out who it is," Hinata smiled. "Having a secret admirer is so exciting."
Beki felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
"Yeah, it is." As long as you know you have one, she thought.
…
Beki was on her way home from shopping for training clothes. Ebisu was a big fan of making her run drills through woods full of thorny brush and sharp branches. She had torn through at least three shirts and a pair of leggings since she had been put under his tutelage. There had been a sale at the store that Beki had been unaware of when she went in. Apparently, every damn kunoichi in the village got their gear there. By the time Beki arrived, almost everything was gone in her size, the lines were out the door, and she had to deal with equally irritable pushy women the whole time. She was trying really hard not to let it ruin her day, so she had decided when she got home she was going to have a nice cup of tea and a soak in the tub. About halfway there, once her mood had finally taken a turn for the better, she heard someone yell out something. Immediately afterwards, she felt something warm splatter on her head, shoulders, and patter against her bag. Beki looked up to see Kiba and Akamaru fly by and her face fell with horror.
"No," She said as she put down her splattered bags and pulled at her shirt to get a look. Her worst fears had been confirmed. Out here, while minding her own business, at least fifteen minutes away from the nearest training ground, she had been peed on.
"YOU JERKS!" Beki screamed, all of her recently regained composure lost. "WATCH WHERE THE HELL YOU'RE MARKING!"
When she got home, she pulled her probably soiled new clothes out of the bags, tossed them in the wash, and stuffed the bags in the garbage. Hinata sniffed.
"Uh, Beki? What's that smell?"
"Akamaru peed on me. A lot." Beki's voice was full of revulsion as she peeled off her pee splattered shirt and stuffed it in the washer.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Hinata cried and ran over to her. "Here, just give me your clothes and I'll get the load started. You go upstairs and get cleaned up."
"Thanks," Beki finished peeling off her remaining garments and handed them to Hinata. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a five-hour shower."
Hinata watched her friend run up the stairs and shook her head. Nothing was worse than being peed on. She would have to talk to Kiba about that. Since she was doing a load already, Hinata tossed a bunch of her dirty clothes in with Beki's. They would just have to sort it all out later.
…
Beki was walking home from training. Today had been especially brutal. Ebisu had actually opened the session up to hand to hand combat. Beki had done really well at first, surprising Ebisu with some of the boxing her father had taught her, but then she got cocky. She left herself open and he took the opportunity to knock her legs out from under her. She had landed hard on a half rotten tree root and gouged her leg. He had dressed it quickly and ended training for the day. It stung like hell with every step she took. For the first time in over a month, Beki wanted to cry all the way home. The only thing that made it okay was that she was going out with Hinata and the girls tonight. Beki was in the middle of planning her outfit in her head when heard a bark and a cry. To her horror, she immediately felt the spray of Dynamic Marking. The splatter had caught her mostly on the front this time. Some of it splashed her face, more of it landed right onto her leg dressings.
"OH MY GOD," She screamed. "THIS IS THE LAST STRAW KIBA. YOU HEAR ME!? YOU ARE A SHITTY PET PARENT WITH IRRESPONSIBLE POTTY PRACTICES, AND I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS. MY VENGEANCE WILL BE SWIFT AND MERCILESS!"
Off in the distance, she heard him chuckling. That made her burn with rage. Akamaru would be spared; he was merely a tool Kiba used in his reign of terror. Since the debacle with her attempt at vengeance on Ebisu, Beki had backed off the revenge train. As she watched them leap off into the distance, however, she felt that shit chugga chugga right into the station.
The whole way home she plotted. By the time she got to a mortified Hinata, she was less concerned about the fact that there was dog pee in her wound, and more focused on how to get all the parts required for her plot.
"Beki, you do know we have to meet the girls in twenty minutes," Hinata followed her upstairs.
"Yeah, Hinata, I know," Beki threw her clothes on the floor of the laundry room. "I'm going to shower before I kill something. If you wanna speed things along, grab some clean clothes for me to hop into when I'm done."
Hinata nodded. Beki had worn a white lace shirt last week Hinata thought was pretty, so she pulled it out of the freshly laundered clothes that were folded and stacked on Beki's dresser. While she was fishing through it, she grabbed Beki a pair of underwear, a bra, and leggings. She walked back into the bathroom and left them on the counter for Beki.
"I'm going to go get ready now," Hinata called around the corner as she left the room. "Yell if you need something."
Hinata sipped a cup of black tea as she surveyed her options. She didn't usually like to drink caffeine this late, but they had started training extra early that morning. She needed the pick me up. She set it on the dresser as she pulled out a top from the closet to give it a closer look. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the cup tip. With lighting fast reflexes, she grabbed the cup out of the air. She had prevented it from falling, but the tea sloshed all over her. Black tea soaked through the bottom of her blouse and all down her right side from her waist to her knee.
"Shoot," She swore as she hurried downstairs. She tossed the mug in the sink and stripped down. If she didn't treat the tea now, the stain would set and ruin all her clothes.
"You okay?" Beki called from upstairs.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just spilled tea all over myself." Hinata sighed with frustration. "Can you grab me a change of clothes while you're up there?"
"What do you want?" Beki called from Hinata's room.
"There should be a bunch of stuff on my dresser," Hinata said as she tossed the clothes in the washer and switched out Beki's clothes to the dryer. "I need…I need one of everything."
"Did you tip a pitcher on yourself?" Beki called out in disbelief as she tossed the clothes over the balcony onto the bottom stair.
"No, I'm just gifted I guess," Hinata said as she pulled on the clean clothes. Instantly she could tell something was wrong. Her underwear was way too small in the back and were too form fitting. Beki had already come downstairs and was halfway out the door, so Hinata didn't have any time to change. She raced out after Beki, feeling more uncomfortable than she had been in months.
As they walked through the empty streets to meet up with Ino, Tenten, and Sakura, Beki noticed Hinata's discomfort.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Beki cocked her head.
"No," Hinata shifted uncomfortably. "My underwear isn't fitting right."
Without any warning, Beki reached over and pulled at the waist of Hinata's skirt and peeked down the side.
"What are you doing?!" Hinata flushed red as Beki let the waistband snap back into place.
"They aren't fitting like your underwear because they're mine," Beki said as casually as if she was commenting on the weather.
Hinata was mortified. It must have been her mistake. Normally the girls did their laundry separately, but when she helped Beki out the other day, she had run a load of their clothes together. She must have mistakenly sorted some of Beki's underthings into a pile of her own.
"Oh my god Beki, I am so sorry," Hinata was crimson. "I…I'll get you another pair."
Beki looked at Hinata like she was talking crazy.
"Hinata, it's just a pair of panties. Wash them and forget about it."
Hinata was having trouble understanding why a single girl would have underwear that fit the way these did. They were somewhere between regular underwear and a thong, skin tight cotton trimmed with lace.
"Why do you wear these things?" Hinata tried to adjust discretely.
"They're for when you're wearing leggings or tight stuff like that," Beki explained casually. "Better that than everyone sees your panty lines and know exactly what kind you're wearing."
Hinata blinked with confusion.
"You would rather have people think you're NOT wearing underwear?"
Beki smiled mischievously.
"You know, give it an air of mystery. Am I wearing panties? Or is it just stealthy underwear? Who knows?!"
The girls finally reached the karaoke place and joined the other girls in their room. They had already ordered ramune and snacks. They immediately got lost in a sea of power ballads, shish kebabs, and fizzy drinks. Hinata forgot all about the awkward underwear situation until they were walking home.
"Beki, do you think I could get away with wearing leggings?" Hinata asked shyly.
"I don't see why not," Beki stretched. "They're really comfortable and easy to move in. Plus, they show off your assets."
Hinata wondered if Naruto would like her in leggings. They didn't show a lot of skin, but Hinata had never worn anything that tight before. Most of her clothes were roomy and comfortable. She had been wrong about the form fitting underwear, though. She had noticed them every second at first, but now that she had adjusted to them they were pretty comfortable.
"This weekend can you help me pick out some?" Hinata looked at Beki meekly. "And maybe some underthings to go with them?"
Beki rolled her eyes.
"Panties."
Hinata flushed scarlet.
"It's just a word, Hinata. They're 'panties'. Come on. Say it."
Bile rose in Hinata's throat. She wasn't wearing her hoodie, but if she had been, she would have thrown up the hood and pulled the cords tight. There was nowhere to hide in her "on the town" outfit.
"P-p-panties."
Beki sighed.
"See? You didn't die."
I almost had a heart attack, Hinata thought to herself.
"Yes, Hinata, I will help you pick out leggings and panties this weekend. On one condition."
"W-what's your condition?" Beki was making her nervous. Then again, any conversation about things as intimate as underwear- no, panties- made her unbearably uncomfortable. She just hoped Beki was going to ask to go for smoothies after.
"We get a matching set," Beki smiled sweetly. "That's the kind of thing sisters do. I never had a sister, and I figure you're the closest thing I'll get to ever having one."
The idea of picking out underwear specifically to match another person was out of Hinata's comfort zone for sure. That would mean Beki would know what underwear Hinata had, and vice versa. Then again, she was right. They already lived together like sisters and shared almost everything. It might be fun.
"O-okay. But nothing to skimpy. Promise?" Hinata held out her pinky.
"I swear," Beki smiled and hooked her pinky with Hinata's. "No dental floss."
"What?" Hinata blinked. What did oral hygiene have to do with this?
Beki rolled her eyes.
"I have so much to teach you, girlie."