Hi everyone! I'm back again for like, my third chapter posting in a three day period. Anyway, I'm really happy with this part. I wrote it a long time ago, and as the script developed, I still felt like this was some of my best political/character work. Tell me what y'all think. I have appreciated all the comments and reviews so far. I try to get back to anyone who contacts me as soon as possible. So, without further ado, enjoy the show! (ttebayo...)

The hour was ripe for good old fashioned payback. Beki had done her reconnaissance on Kiba over the course of several days. She tracked him down to where he lived, quizzed Hinata casually on what locations they used most frequently for training, scouted those locations, and then mapped out what routes he took to each location. Ebisu had given her the day off of training because he was going to be in a very important meeting for most of the day. Her father had also come into town, and her sensei told her she should spend some quality time with him. Beki was determined to do so, once the streets ran with Kiba's tears. That morning, when Hinata told Beki what her squad was doing for the day, she got all the information needed to finally execute her plan.

One thing Beki noticed as she strolled down the street was that people didn't ask a lot of questions in Konoha. She liked that. For all they cared, a teenage girl hauling an economy sized sack of flour was just shinobi conditioning. That was her go to reply if anyone bothered to ask her what she was doing, anyway.

There was a blind spot where a side road turned onto a main street that Kiba took every day. That morning, Beki had watched him leave his house and then raced as fast as she could with a fifty-pound sack of flour to that exact spot. She pressed up against the wall, got into position, and waited for her target. After about seven minutes, she heard the voices of two young men approaching. That would be Kiba and Shino, she thought. Shino met with Kiba halfway through this route. When alone, Kiba walked in the center of the street, but when Shino accompanied them, Kiba walked on the inside of the sidewalk with Akamaru trailing behind him. She took one quick precursory look. They were dressed differently today. Then again, they would be training at the yard on the riverbank. It had rained pretty hard the last few days, so it would be too muddy for leather jackets and parkas. The footsteps pattered closer and closer to her location. At last, they turned the corner and she struck.

It was a beautiful swing. Beki would have knocked it out of the ballpark, a home run with all the bases loaded, ending the game in a roar of applause. She caught him square in the face, the sack exploding with a gratifying puff as it connected. He spun almost 360 and collapsed on the ground.

"Gotcha!" She cried out as she threw the sack on the ground, touchdown style.

"Hey, what the hell?!"

Beki looked up and the smile melted off her face. The two she had attacked hadn't been Kiba and Shino. The guy she thought was Shino was older and taller than she had originally believed, and was dressed head to toe in black and sporting kabuki face paint. The kid she had clipped was her age, dressed all in red. He was face down on the pavement and hadn't moved since she hit him. All three of them looked like they had been in a snowstorm. The kid she hit had flour in his hair and all over his coat, making him look like a depressing snowman. The flour that had been projected in the air by the bursting of the sack drifted softly and soundlessly to the ground, its graceful silence an elegant soundtrack to her stupidity.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry, I thought you were someone else-" Beki grabbed ahold of her hair and started apologizing.

"Hey, what happened?!"

Kiba and Shino arrived on the scene, two minutes later than scheduled.

"Is that the Kazekage?!" Kiba cried in disbelief, then turned on her with a scowl. "Beki, what the hell!"

Horror gripped at her heart and it slowly sank down into her stomach. Adrenaline sent a chill down her spine and her stomach turned. In a terrible case of mistaken identity, Beki had incapped the Kazekage and was literally standing over him holding the bag.

"Don't just stand there, stupid!" Kiba snarled at her. "Go get a doctor!"

"I'm going to want to talk to you when you get back," The tall boy grabbed her by the shoulder and stared her down menacingly.

Beki gulped and ran for the hospital. She bobbed and weaved like a ballerina, leaping over gurneys and around wheelchairs until she found Sakura.

"Sakura, there is a situation," Beki panted. She knew she probably looked crazy. That's how everyone looked when they realized they had done the thing that would ruin their life. "I need you to come with me."

"What is it?" Sakura's face twisted with concern. "What happened, Beki?"

"I'll explain on the way," Beki started down the hallway. "Basically, I accidentally knocked someone out with a bag of flour."

"You what?" Sakura shook her head.

"Okay don't freak out, but I was trying to get payback on Kiba for having Akamaru pee on me twice," Beki closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "I was going to smack him with a bag of flour and it would explode, and everyone was going to laugh at him, then we would all go home happy."

"Except Kiba," Sakura commented.

"Well, he got lucky," Beki forced herself to continue, her voice wavering. "I didn't end up clipping Kiba. I thought it was him coming around the corner but it was kind of the Kazekage."

Sakura stopped dead. Beki slowed down and turned to face her.

"You hit the Kazekage, in the face, with a bag of flour?" Sakura kept her voice even, but Beki could feel the heat building beneath the surface.

"And knocked him out." Beki covered her mouth. Why did she say things before thinking?

"You knocked out the Kazekage with a bag of flour." Sakura repeated.

"I know, I am in so much trouble, but come on, please, he needs medical attention-"

Beki was interrupted by Sakura pulling on her braid like she was ringing a bell.

"Owowowowowowowowwwww," Beki cried as Sakura began dragging her to the steps of the Hokage's mansion.

"Where are they?" Sakura gave the braid another tug. Beki winced before replying in a wounded voice:

"On Destiny Road, just before the bento shop."

"You stay RIGHT HERE," Sakura gave her braid one more tug before she started off down the street. "Don't you DARE move until I get back."

"You're in trouble," The guard ooed at her.

"Buddy, you don't know the half of it." Beki huffed as she rubbed her sore roots.

A few moments later, she heard Seiichiro calling down to her from the Hokage's office.

"What's going on Beki? What are you doing here?"

"It's kind of a long story," Beki called up to him, her lip quivering.

"Well come on up and tell us," Seiichiro beckoned her. "Our meeting hasn't started yet."

The guard pretended to slit his throat with his thumb and Beki stuck her tongue out at him. She went upstairs, her stomach sinking further with each step. This was going to spiral out of control, she just knew it.

"So why the long face?" Tsunade chucked her chin.

"Why haven't you guys started your meeting?" Beki avoided Tsunade's piercing gaze.

"The Kazekage was supposed to be here, but he's late," Tsunade sighed. "Which is really unlike him."

Beki's heart started to race. She had to tell the truth.

"It just so happens that I know why he's late," Beki watched her father's face as she spoke. Immediately, something strange happened. He froze like a deer in headlights and Beki could almost see his ears visibly perking up. He kept his face unreadable as stone and stared her down like a hawk.

"I was going to play a prank on a friend and I ended up pulling it on the Kazekage," Beki had tried to be brave and failed. As soon as the words left her mouth she pulled the neck of her shirt up over her nose.

"Tsukimori Haruka," Her father's voice was slow and steady. "What did you do?"

Beki was instantly five years old again. Her father towered over her like a skyscraper and his voice boomed like thunder. She was more afraid of making him angry than anything the Hokage or the Kazekage could ever do to her.

"I hit him in the face with a bag of flour and knocked him out." Beki cried out, and then braced herself for the backlash.

Her father's jaw dropped. He was dumbstruck. Tsunade choked on her coffee.

"You knocked out the Kazekage and LEFT HIM THERE?!" Her father lost his cool. He smashed his fist down so hard on the table it splintered.

"DAMMIT!" He screamed as he surveyed the damage to the table. "DAMMIT, HARUKA."

Beki started talking so fast, she almost couldn't understand what she was saying:

"He had people with him and they told me to go get a doctor, so I got Sakura and told her what happened and she made me come here,"

"It's a good thing Sakura is so smart," Her father spat. He was trying his best not to scream at her, the evidence of which being a vein throbbing in his forehead. "You just caused a damned international incident!"

"I know," Beki squirmed. "It's really really bad,"

"You are the daughter of a GETSU OFFICIAL and you attacked the KAZEKAGE in KONOHA," He turned away from his daughter and held his head. "This is a cluster fuck."

The color drained from Beki's face. Her father never swore. As in NEVER swore, and within the last ten minutes he had dropped at least four big ones.

"So, should I just go and get my head band so you can cross it out and I can go live my life on the run now?" Beki asked, as serious as the grave.

"No," Tsunade barked immediately.

Beki had forgotten Tsunade was there. She looked at her in confusion, and then turned her attention back to her father.

"She's right Beki," Seiichiro rubbed his temples. "Running is the worst thing you could do now. I have to think up how to address this. I have never been in a situation this bad before."

"Can I just go talk to him?" Beki squeaked.

"No," Tsunade barked again.

Beki jumped, and when her father smacked the table, she jumped again.

"You knocked him out, Beki," Seiichiro cried. "There's no telling what kind of a mood he's going to be in when he wakes up."

,

"I can't believe this," Seiichiro leaned against the table, then suddenly threw up his arms. "Here he is, the Kazekage walking down the street to go to a meeting and BAM! He's knocked out by a hurricane of stupid, AKA my daughter."

Tsunade's phone started ringing.

"That's probably Kankuro at the hospital to tell me what's happened," Tsunade said as she picked it up.

Seiichiro took his daughter by the shoulders and brought her eye to eye with him.

"The Kazekage is a very dangerous person, Beki. I watched him compete in the chunin exams a few years ago. He popped people. Like balloons," There was true fear in his voice. "You stay as far away from this as possible. I will figure it out."

"Dad, I did this, I should be the one to face it," Beki countered.

"If this were anyone else, I would agree," Seiichiro shook his head. "At the rate this is going, you might have to commit Seppuku."

Beki blinked, waiting for the joking smile but there was none. He was serious.

"Oh-okay." A chill went down her spine. She knew she had messed up, but Beki hadn't realized that honor suicide might be on the table.

"Now go on home and stay there. STAY. THERE." He poked her nose, hard. "Wait, no, I'm calling Neji."

"Why?" Beki balked. "I can walk home myself."

"I want him to escort you there," He said as he dialed the number into the secondary office phone. "There's no telling what's going to happen because of this. I would feel better if you had an extra pair of eyes on you."

Or an extra hundred, Beki thought grimly. As Neji walked her home, he kept a vice grip on her arm and walked with such haste he was almost pulling her along.

"Why don't we just run?" Beki suggested sarcastically.

"Because running looks suspicious," Neji had his Byakugan activated and kept scanning their surroundings as they moved.

"And this isn't?" Beki poked his ribs.

Neji stopped and looked at how he was holding her. He adjusted his pace so they were in line as they walked but he did not relax his grip.

"How much trouble am I in?" Beki's voice was soft and she kept her eyes on her feet.

"It's not so much what you did and what your personal consequences will be so much as what this means for the villages," Neji's gaze hovered on a spot for a moment. He assessed the threat, dismissed it, and moved on. "Of all times for Naruto to be out of town- he could have smoothed this whole thing over in a minute."

Beki was growing very concerned. Everyone was acting like the sky was falling and it was all her fault. She didn't want to act like a baby in front of her dad but he was scaring her. Everyone was scaring her. Was the Kazekage really that dangerous of a person that he would start an international issue over a prank gone wrong?

"Neji, I'm scared," The fear got the best of her. Her eyes were watering and her lip was trembling.

Neji's look softened and he smiled comfortingly.

"It's going to work itself out, Beki. Everything always does," He gave her hand a squeeze for reassurance. "Now let's get you in the bomb shelter."

"Not funny Neji, not funny." But she smiled anyway.

…

The day dragged along. Neji hovered over Beki like a buzzard on carrion. Her father had come by and informed her that he would probably have to commit Seppuku. He asked Hiashi to be his second, to which the head of the Hyuga told him it would be his honor. To Beki it all seemed like some morbid joke that at any moment everyone would burst out laughing. They never did. It was unsettling. Hinata had come home having heard everything from Kiba and Shino. She held Beki in her arms as they sat on the couch waiting for news.

"This is getting out of hand," Beki looked outside. It was around sunset. "They're blowing this way out of proportion."

Hinata nodded in agreement and Neji grunted, his Byakugan activated and concentrating to his fullest to detect incoming threats. Beki didn't like the way he seemed so sure there would be assassins.

"I have to go talk to the Kazekage," Beki pulled away from Hinata and stood.

"Beki, everyone says its best for you not to get involved," Hinata protested.

"Look, if he's the Kazekage, he deals with all kind of ridiculous stuff all day long," Beki reasoned. "And he was elected, right? If he was really so unreasonable, they wouldn't have voted for him. I believe that. I believe that enough to take a risk on it."

The Hyugas were silent.

"The guard on the south wall is thin tonight. If we're quick we can have you over the wall and on your way in three minutes," Neji folded his arms.

"You're right, Beki," Hinata patted her shoulder. "It's probably better if you try to get ahead of all this."

"Thanks guys, you're the best." Beki smiled and pulled both of them into a hug.

Neji sighed.

"I'll create a diversion, Hinata you stay here and pretend you're with Beki. If you are questioned about tonight, say she went upstairs to lay down. You stayed downstairs to make snacks. That will give us an opening of about an hour and half. That should buy you enough time, Tsukimori. Go now."

Beki booked it out the back door and toward the south wall. She shimmied up and over it, landing as deftly as a cat. She took off at top speed for the hospital, thankful she had such understanding friends. When she arrived in the hospital lobby, Beki slipped inside amidst the chaos of a changing shift of nurses. She found Sakura and pulled her into a storage room.

"What are you doing?! I have patients I need to get to!" Sakura swung at her assailant, but then saw it was Beki and calmed. "Oh, it's you. What is it this time?"

"I need one more really big favor," Beki pleaded. Sakura eyed her down.

"I need you to get the big scary guy out of the Kazekage's room." Beki jerked her head towards the room the Kabuki guy was guarding.

"Kankuro? That's the Kazekage's older brother and Suna's head of security. He couldn't be peeled from Gaara's side with a crowbar." Sakura explained.

"The Kazekage is awake, right?" Beki begged. "I just need, like, two minutes with him. Tsunade and my dad and Hiashi are all blowing this up and I need to talk to him, man to man. Try to stop this before it requires someone to commit Seppuku."

Sakura laughed until she saw the grim expression on Beki's face.

"I'm serious about the Seppuku thing. That's how hard my dad is taking this," Beki bit her lip. "This might put him out of a job, Sakura. Please."

Sakura thought long and hard. Finally, she shook her head and sighed.

"Fine, I've got something, but you owe me. I want that gold top you wore to the diner last Thursday night."

"It's yours." Tears welled in Beki's eyes. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Beki pulled Sakura into a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek. She pushed Beki away, but flushed all the same.

"Knock it off," Sakura mumbled as she walked out. "This will probably get you five, ten minutes tops. Don't waste it."

"Got it," Beki smiled, then positioned herself around a corner and listened.

"Hey Kankuro, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sakura waved him over.

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" He left his post by the door to walk beside her.

"I figured you would want to speak about this privately," Sakura gestured down the hall.

Beki heard their footsteps fading as they headed away.

"What's going on?" Kankuro's voice was growing softer as they moved out of sight. "He doesn't have any brain damage or anything, right?"

Beki hated herself even more. The big guy was just the Kazekage's worried brother, and by the sound of it was probably a pretty okay person.

"He'll be okay in there for a bit?" She heard Kankuro ask.

"Security here is great, Kankuro. You have nothing to worry about." Sakura opened a door to a staff room. As soon as she heard it click shut, Beki tiptoed into the Kazekage's room. He was obscured from view by a curtain. All she could see from the door was the edge of his bed and the outline of his legs under the blanket.

"You can come in, I'm awake,"

The sudden sound of his voice startled her. Beki froze for a moment, but then remembered how much more afraid of her dad she was than this stranger. She approached the curtain but remained on the other side of it.

"Hi, uh, Kazekage-sama," Beki had no idea how or where to begin. She decided introducing herself was probably a good start. "I'm Tsukimori Beki, I was the one that hit you with the bag of flour earlier."

She saw the outline of a hand silhouetted against the curtain by the moonlight. He pulled back the curtain to get a look at her. All traces of the flour were gone, and Beki got to see what the Kazekage looked like without a dusty white coating. The first things she noticed were his hair and his eyes. His hair was a beautiful shade of deep red, and he had startling green eyes that held an intelligence, no, a wisdom far beyond his years. His expression was calm, but his gaze was keen. He was silently sizing her up. Beki suddenly felt self-conscious; she should have brushed her hair before she broke out of the compound and infiltrated the hospital. He watched her patiently, waiting for her to speak.

"Are you okay?" Was the next thing that automatically burst out of her mouth. At least her subconscious was compassionate.

"I'm fine," His gaze never strayed from her eyes. "They're keeping me overnight to monitor my concussion."

"I'm really sorry about that," Beki wanted to wring her hands, but kept them steady by her side. He was the victim, not her. She needed to face what she did like a man. "The hitting you in the face and knocking you out thing."

Beki struck a deep bow.

"I'm assuming that was an accident," It was a question, but he framed it like a statement.

"Yes, a sad case of mistaken identity," She didn't lift her head. Knowing those green eyes were there made her nervous to look up.

"I can't say that I've been in this situation before, or that I ever will be again," He was perfectly calm. "I'm not angry, and I'm not the type to hold a grudge, Miss Tsukimori."

"I am so happy to hear that," Beki lifted her head with a smile. "My father is the ambassador for Getsugakure and he has been beside himself about this,"

"Was he concerned I would retaliate?" He asked.

"I think it was the uncertainty of what the outcome would be," She explained. "He's worked with a lot of different politicians in a lot of different situations. They aren't a very predictable breed. He's also very old school, with the preserving family honor and everything. Seppuku may or may not have been on the table."

He shook his head and then turned his gaze on her again.

"Come here," He beckoned her with a single wave of his hand.

Beki walked the few remaining feet over to the bottom of the bed and stopped. The Kazekage motioned for her to come even closer. Nervously, Beki took a few more steps. She was now standing right next to him, so their faces were only a foot or so apart. Beki wasn't sure what was going to happen. She couldn't read his face at all, but she knew she was in no danger. Beki was glad she had trusted her instincts about him. The Kazekage actually seemed really interesting, like the kind of person you could have a deep philosophical conversation with. In spite of his lack of eyebrows and the mask-like rings of dark circles around his eyes, he was handsome. Beki would have spent more time on that line of thought, but he finally made a move. The Kazekage reached over on the side table, snatched something, and swung for her face. She was too startled to react, but instead of feeling a weapon plunge into her skin, she felt the lines of a stamp press into her forehead. He pulled away his official seal and put it back on the side table.

"There. Now your father will know we've reached a resolution," The Kazekage folded his hands in his lap.

"Thank you Kazekage-sama," Beki smiled and gave him another deep bow.

"You should go," she felt the eyes peering at the top of her head. "Kankuro is coming back."

"Thank you again!" Beki waved as she slid open the window and climbed outside.

"What the hell are you doing in here!" Kankuro yelled at her as she leaped out the window. He ran over, considering pursuit. After weighing the risks, he shook his head and slammed the window shut. "Sakura said security here was tight. Bullshit."

"She was just here to apologize Kankuro," Gaara reassured his brother. "She poses no threat."

"She isn't a threat? Do you know what a security nightmare this has created?" Kankuro gestured out toward the window. "This girl we know nothing about knocked you out with a bag of flour. That means every asshole with a pantry who wants to make a name for himself is going to come after you. And that's not something we can search people for, Gaara. What are we going to ask? Excuse me, but are you heading home from market to bake a cake, or is this another flour based assassination attempt?"

"I don't mind a little misinformation floating around," Gaara gave a tiny smile. "Now that everyone thinks flour is my weakness, they'll show up without a backup plan. This has actually made your job easier."

"I suppose that's true," Kankuro collapsed into an armchair. "So what's the deal with you?"

"What are you talking about?" Gaara asked.

"This is twice now you've let her get close enough to touch you," Kankuro pointed at him angrily.

"I'm not doing it," Gaara shook his head, slight confusion furrowing his brow. "It's just… happening."

Kankuro narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. This phenomenon warranted further investigation.

…

Beki came through the gate of the Hyuga compound just as her father was about to exit.

"There you are!" He yelled. "I thought I told you to stay put!"

"Look, dad!" Beki pointed excitedly at her forehead. "I talked to the Kazekage and he forgave me!"

Seiichiro squinted, grabbed her wrist, and dragged her into the light. Hiashi and Neji walked over to see what the commotion was about.

"My god, it's his official seal," Seiichiro dropped her wrist. "Beki, how did you-"

"I just told him it was an accident and I was really sorry," Beki jumped up and down. "I told you it would all be alright if I could just talk to him!"

"Well I guess that means this is sorted out," Seiichiro rubbed the back of his head. "You're grounded."

Beki stared at him in open mouthed disbelief.

"Dad! I avoided an international incident!"

"That you caused in the first place!" Seiichiro poked her chest accusingly.

"Fine, I'll go to my room," Beki huffed as she trudged away.

"Don't wash your face. We have to show Tsunade that in the morning." Seiichiro called after her.

"I don't understand," Neji shook his head. "The Kazekage is a no nonsense person. I would have thought that a situation like this would have ended with more consequences. I wonder what has softened him up so much?"

"A woman," Seiichiro and Hiashi said in unison. They both shook their heads and walked off to ponder their own thoughts.

"Why is everyone around here so broody?" Neji asked as he headed back to his room.

…

"Hina chan, I did it!" Beki cried out as soon as she walked in the door.

"You did it!? Oh wow," Hinata looked at the seal. "It's kind of funny he put it there."

"I don't know why either. Maybe that's where they stamp people in Suna," Beki smiled.

"I think he was messing with you," Hinata brushed the hair out of Beki's face.

"That guy?" Beki laughed. "Something tells me humor isn't his strong suit."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have a sense of humor," Hinata folded her arms. "So tell me all about it."

Beki described her infiltration of the hospital, Sakura's assist, and her conversation with the Kazekage. She caught herself smiling as she talked about him. He was not like any of the leaders Beki had ever met. He was a completely different breed of kage. She commented on how he thought before he spoke and how perceptive he seemed. She realized she had been talking for about ten minutes straight and stopped. Hinata was standing there, smiling broadly behind her hands.

"What's with the face?" Beki eyed her suspiciously.

"You liiiiiike him," Hinata mocked Beki with her own words.

"I think you can admire a person and-oh my god, I'm doing it now," Beki lamented. "Shut me up. He's so out of my league."

Hinata laughed.

"It's okay to have a crush on someone you admire, Beki. That's actually the best kind of person to like. They make you want to be stronger and be a better person," Hinata looked at her with a hint of mischief. "The other thing you need to remember is no one is out of your league until you give up."

Beki looked at her friend, at how much joy was on her face, and it was no detective work to figure out who she was thinking of.

"This Naruto kid needs to show up already," Beki started up the stairs, the exhaustion of the day catching up with her. "He's all you people ever talk about. It's like everyone watched this incredible movie and talk about it all the time and I haven't seen it yet."

"I hope he comes home soon, too." Hinata smiled sadly. "Come on, we've had a long day. Let's get some sleep."

"Sounds good," Beki yawned.