Okay, if you haven't read up on the section in Love, Hinata where Hidiki is involved, go do that now. I don't spend much time revisiting it in this chapter, and knowing what happened is kind of essentially to the plot here. Things have gotten really busy for me, and I'll try to keep updating but at a much slower pace. As always, any reviews or comments are helpful and very much appreciated. I would love to hear from you all about what you thought of this chapter. Until next time, ponchoninjax3.

Beki had been curled up in bed for two hours when she heard Hinata come home. She thundered right up the stairs into Beki's room with a paper bag in her hands.

"Are you feeling any better?" Hinata asked, her face ridden with guilt.

"Yeah," Beki lied. "You have a good time with the girls?"

Hinata held up the bag. There was a couple of tubs of something in it.

"I brought you home some ramen and ice cream,"

"Oh thank you Hina-chan," Beki smiled weakly. "I was just starting to get my appetite back."

"I'll go heat up the ramen," Hinata walked back down the stairs.

Beki listened to the sound of her pouring the ramen into a bowl, the microwave opening and closing, and the beep of the buttons as Hinata punched them in. The whirr of the machine as it warmed her food was familiar and comforting. A few moments later it let off a loud beep, she heard the door open and close again. Hinata came back up the stairs with the steaming bowl of ramen, chopsticks, and a spoon on a tray. Beki sat up and took the tray from her friend. Hinata sat down on the edge of the bed while Beki took her first tentative bite. Beef broth, Beki smiled. Her favorite.

"So tell me about how tonight went," Beki sipped on the broth.

"We had a nice time," Hinata smiled gently.

"Oh come on," Beki groaned. "Give me more than that. What juicy gossip did I miss out on while I was home?"

Hinata shifted uncomfortably.

"Just tell me," Beki eyed her knowingly. "I want to hear what the other girls think of me."

"Sakura wanted to know what your symptoms were," Hinata explained. "She said they didn't sound like anything too serious."

Okay, Beki thought, Sakura isn't a too faced jerk. She had thought as much, but it was good to have it confirmed.

"Ino wanted to know why you were so comfortable 'getting cozy' with Neji," Hinata continued. "I tried to tell her it was just because you live here so he treats you like a member of the family-"

"But she thought it was something more," Beki finished for her.

"Yes," Hinata replied.

That was no surprise to Beki. Ino was the type to look for relationships where there were none. She wouldn't be shocked at all if a rumor circulated that her and Neji were an item over the next few days. Beki laughed at the thought. Neji would rather be left in the wilderness with his hands tied behind his back and with no supplies than go on a date with her, she was sure of it.

"And Tenten just kept going on about how you took Gaara down," Hinata finished.

"I did not 'take him down'," Beki corrected, although she knew it was futile. She was the flour slayer now.

"Well, you impressed her," Hinata smiled. "You've trained with her squad and she thinks you had an interesting battle mentality. However, the fact that you incapacitated Gaara really earned her respect."

Beki was glad. She spent a lot of time with Team Gai's. She had won her way in with Lee and Gai her first week in town. Now that she knew Tenten approved of her, the whole team felt like a safe group to pal around with. Beki thought initially Neji considered her as an annoyance. Within the last month or so, however, he started treating her the same way he treated Hinata and Hanabi; like his sisters. Beki had always wanted an older brother. They were fun to mess with like a dad, but unlike a dad there were no serious repercussions.

The broth felt good in Beki's stomach. She was now feeling brave enough to start nibbling on the noodles. Hinata continued the outline of their evening while Beki ate. About halfway through Hinata's description of how Shikamaru had come into the restaurant and ended up in a fight with Ino, Beki's stomach turned. She set aside the tray of food as her face twisted with pain.

"Beki, what's wrong?" Hinata's face puckered with worry.

Wordlessly, Beki sprang to her feet and darted for the bathroom. She barely had enough time to flip up the lid and pull back her hair before the ramen and toast came back up. Hinata came rushing in behind her and without a second thought reached down and pulled back her hair for her. They were in that bathroom a long time before Beki's dry heaving was spaced out enough for her get up from the floor.

"I'm going to go get you a bucket," Hinata hurried downstairs and out the back door.

Beki swished her mouth out with water and brushed her teeth. She looked in the mirror and saw how haggard she looked. Ever since the training incident, her appearance had deteriorated. She was looking more and more like the drowned monster and less and less like herself. With that troubling thought in mind, she crawled back into bed and laid helplessly on her side. Hinata reentered the room a few moments later with the promised bucket and a ginger ale. Beki sipped on it downheartedly while Hinata pet her head. Beki lost consciousness sometime around midnight and Hinata followed her shortly.

Hinata woke up the next morning spooning her sick friend. Beki was still warm and feverish. Hinata had tucked Beki in under the blankets. It might be uncomfortably warm for her, but her fever needed to break. Hinata got up and went downstairs to make breakfast. She started a pot of rice porridge and then began prepping ginger and green onions to throw in when it was done. Once she was finished, she got the mail and made tea and toast. It was a little after ten once she finished reading the mail. Hinata still hadn't heard Beki stirring, so she set the porridge on simmer and put the extras in the refrigerator. There was a lot she needed to do, but she didn't want to leave the house until Beki was up. Hinata started wiping down the counters and the table to keep herself busy.

It was around noon when Beki finally woke up. She was still foggy and drained from the fever. Lethargically, she rolled out of bed and started changing out of her pajamas.

"Beki, are you up?" Hinata's supervision via the Byakugan was not her only asset. She had the ears of a hound.

"Yes," Beki groaned. "I'm just making myself decent and I'll be down."

She heard the clack of a bowl on the counter.

"I made rice porridge," Hinata called up the stairs. "I'll fix you a bowl,"

"Thanks," Beki called out. "I'll be right there."

Beki had the chills, so she threw on a pair of socks and put a hoodie on over her shirt. Someone started pounding on the back door with so much force Beki thought they were trying to kick it in. She started making her way to the stairs at the same time she heard Hinata heading for the door. Beki was just about to ask who it was when she heard glass break and the sounds of a struggle.

"Hinata?!" She cried out as she hurried down the stairs. The back door was wide open. The bowl of porridge was shattered all over the floor in front of it. Hinata's and someone else's footprints were smudged throughout, and a smear of it could be seen heading outside. Beki went to follow but then remembered she needed shoes. She ran back by the front door and threw on her boots as quickly as she could and took off out the back door. The Hyuga attendant at the back gate was slumped down beside it, either dead or unconscious. Beki couldn't stop to check; she needed to pursue them while the trail was hot.

When she got outside the gate, she saw the deep impressions of hoof prints that gave way to shallow spread out ones up ahead. So they went by horse, she thought as she followed the trail. Beki knew that the Hyuga family would mobilize soon, so she didn't worry too much about marking the trail as she went. Her main priority was making sure Hinata didn't get hurt in the meantime. They didn't have much of a lead on her initially, but Beki was exhausted from her illness and the fact that they were on horseback made that gap between them grow every moment.

This chase was a test of Beki's determination just as much as her endurance. Her lungs burned and her body ached. Every so often her ankle would wobble or a knee would give out. She would stumble, sometimes she would even fall, but she had no choice but to pick herself up and keep going. Beki had lost her sense of time a few miles into the pursuit, but it was at least two hours later when the hoof prints became closer together. Beki knew she was getting close, so she paused to catch her breath. Her head was throbbing and the world looked fuzzy and out of focus. Once she was breathing normally, she crouched and followed the hoof prints up to the main road leading into a grand estate.

Or at least, it had been a grand estate. The gardens were overgrown, the fountain was cracked and the water coming out of it looked dirty. Shingles had fallen from the roof and a few of the windows were broken. The horse was standing by the fountain, Hinata slung over its back like a sack of potatoes. Beki was just about to call out to her when Hidiki came sauntering out of the main entrance of the house, a bundle in his arms.

"Alright, Hinata," He said. "It's all set up in there now,"

He walked over to the horse and laid out a small blanket on the ground. He hoisted Hinata up off of the horse and laid her down gently on the blanket. Beki weighed her options. She was exhausted and in less than fighting condition. Hidiki, on the other hand, was the glowing image of health and wellness. If Beki tried to rush him now, she would need Hinata to help her overpower him.

He hovered over Hinata's face for a moment.

"Good, you're starting to wake up," He smiled. "Don't worry, you're in a bit of a fog right now, but that feeling will pass."

Okay, Beki thought. So Hinata's not going to be able to help me on this one. Then that just means I have to wait for an opening to blitz him. She looked around at her surroundings. There was a fair sized rock a few feet away. Carefully, she crawled over and grabbed it. Now all she could do was wait for an opening.

Hidiki laid out his bundle. It looked like a medic kit from what Beki could see. There were syringes and tiny bottles lined up and held in place by little elastic straps. He talked to Hinata as he set it up.

"I was really sad you didn't come and see me after any of my letters. I know you must be upset about what happened last time, but you have to understand you drove me to such drastic actions."

He looked her dead in the eye and caressed her face.

"It's always been about you, Hinata, my love. Everything I have ever done, no, anything I will ever do, is for you," He explained. "You are a beautiful flower blooming in a sea of filth, your voice is birdsong, and your laugh is the joy of angels. I like to believe I am not a base man like others, but I don't want you to think that I do not desire your body as well."

He ran a hand along her side before he continued.

"And now that Naruto is gone, we can finally be together. You deserve so much more than that brutish science experiment gone wrong. He is nothing, all he will ever be is nothing. I will be a much better husband, Hinata. You will want for nothing. Your happiness will be my only goal in life."

He reached down into the kit and started taking out different bottles and lining them up on the blanket.

"I do understand what a difficult situation this is for you. You are a noble woman, a woman of your word, and I know you are bound by your family's arranged marriage," Hidiki explained, "So, I have found a way out for you. He saw you naked, so we have to do something even more personal. Something to override even that level of intimacy: I will take you to the marriage bed."

Beki heard Hinata whimper and her blood boiled. She considered rushing him now but the distance between them was too great. He had a needle in his hand and if she came at him it would be short work for him to kill Hinata before she could reach them. What she needed was a complete opening. Maybe when he picked Hinata up and his hands were full; that would be the perfect time to strike.

"This is what I'll be using to help you," Hidiki held up one of the bottles in front of Hinata.

"It's a mixture I've made myself. It's an extract of hemlock I've altered and enhanced with a little something extra. Are you familiar with the process of hemlock poisoning, Hinata?"

Hinata mumbled weakly.

"No? Well, what happens is: you slowly lose the ability to move, then to talk, and then to breathe. Death is usually due to respiratory failure. You can't feel anything, but you are fully cognizant until death strikes. This can be avoided if someone performs mouth to mouth resuscitation, however." Hidiki smiled at the bottle, proud of his creation. "Through my alteration process, I've made sure you'll still be able to feel everything, and the amount of time I will have to help you breathe will be significantly reduced. With a purer strain, I would have to help you for at least an hour. My version will only require about thirty to forty minutes. That doesn't sound like much, but believe me it is. By the end of the field tests, I was exhausted."

Beki's eyes widened in horror as he stuck the needle into the crook of Hinata's arm. Hinata gasped in pain. This was going to complicate things. Beki would have to knock Hidiki out and then breath for Hinata for a half hour. Hopefully the blow to his head would knock him out long enough for her to get Hinata through the artificial breathing process, and for them to hop on the horse and get out of there.

"Oh, I almost forgot the best part," He said as he filled up a second needle with something from a different bottle. "This one is a potent aphrodisiac. I have a lot planned for us tonight, but I guarantee with this, it'll be a night in paradise."

Beki threw up in her mouth a little. This psycho son of a bitch was just like Orochimaru: a self-serving sadist. She quietly spat it on the ground beside her. This guy was bonkers. Absolutely, certifiably, crazy. She crouched at the ready. Any moment now he would scoop her up to take her on their "honeymoon" and Beki then would bash his looney skull in. She gripped the stone and started to quietly make her way to the end of the brush.

Hidiki packed up his kit and tucked it away in his belt. He leaned over and picked Hinata up bridal style. Beki heard Hinata protesting gently, and she prayed she wouldn't say anything as she approached him from behind. Hidiki was sauntering toward the main entrance when Beki lunged from the bushes with all the strength she had left and clocked him over the back of the head with the rock. He stumbled and fell immediately, dropping Hinata on the ground.

"It's okay Hina-chan, I'm here," Beki stepped over Hidiki to get to her friend. "I heard everything. I'm going to help you breathe and then I'll get you out of here."

She crouched down over her friend and pushed the hair out of her face. Hinata's eyes were sharp and alert as she looked at Beki.

"Beki…" She said weakly. "Run…"

Before Beki could respond, she was grabbed by the shoulder and spun around. Hidiki was back on his feet, blood trickling down his face.

"You whore!" He swung his fist so fast Beki didn't have time to react. The blow caught her across the face, spinning her. She hit the ground hard.

"You didn't tell Hinata about my letters, did you?!" Hidiki howled. "You knew! You probably even read the letters and didn't tell her!"

Beki's eyes watered and her face stung. Her vision was blurry and her head was spinning, but she forced herself up on to her hands and knees.

"I'm not going to let you hurt my friend," Beki pulled herself up so she was on her hands and feet. Slowly she stood up to her full height.

Without skipping a beat Hidiki immediately socked her in the stomach. Beki doubled over and coughed, pain surging through her body and weakening her at the knees. She collapsed, still bent over. Hidiki kicked her hard across the face, knocking her back down to the ground.

"Stop interfering!" Hidiki screamed. "Stay out of this!"

Beki knew there was no way she could do that. She was a Tsukimori, and a Tsukimori always stood their ground. Through the endless sea of pain and agony in every part of her body, through the aching and the misery in her head and her lungs, Beki put her hands up next to her face and pushed. Weakly she slid a knee up underneath her for support, and then her other knee.

"If you're getting up, you had better be walking away," He warned.

Beki pulled herself back up onto her feet. She took a deep breath, hoping her stillness would create the illusion of speed when she struck. As fast as she could, Beki swung for his face. He dodged easily and countered with a hit to her solar plexus. The blow knocked the air out of her and she gasped as he grabbed her by the hair

"I'm done playing with you." He started dragging her away.

"Beki…" Hinata cried softly, her voice failing her.

Hidiki took Beki by her hair and shoved her face below the water in the fountain. He had one of her hands twisted behind her back as he held her down. She struggled against him, her free hand pushing up on the edge. She caught him off balance and was able to resurface and get one gulp of air before he thrust her head back down. Beki tried to hold her breath. Maybe I can trick him, she thought. Maybe I can struggle less, and hold my breath, and stop moving. That way, he'll let me go before I'm dead and I can surprise him.

Beki tried it. She struggled less and held what little of her breath she had left. Then she stopped struggling and slumped into the pool. Hidiki continued to hold her head down with all his strength. He wanted to make sure she was good and dead. Her eyes burned. Her body was fighting for her to take a big breath, but she knew as soon as she did her lungs would fill with water and she would drown. It felt like she had been holding on forever when at last she broke. Her jaw snapped open and she inhaled that filthy water, choking instantly. Once she had taken that first false breath, her body tried to take another. Her lungs filled up with more water. She was beginning to black out.

So this is what it's like to die, she thought as the world grew dim. Hidiki removed his hands from her head but it was too late. Beki was done for. Through the mire of her fading vision, she saw a hand reach out to her from the depths. It was mottled and decaying. It cupped her face. Its twin appeared out of the darkness and joined it. Then the creature from below the surface of her mind appeared. It smiled at her as it pointed up. Beki's heart started to race and she felt her adrenaline kicking into gear. The creature let go and pointed to itself, then to Beki. I'm you, it was saying. It swam full force into her, but instead of colliding with her, it disappeared, and at last Beki understood. She had become the Drowned Maiden.

Hidiki had left the blonde whore face first in the fountain. She thought that she could trick him by pretending to drown, but he had held on until he had felt her inhaling the water. Now that she was dead once and for all, no one could get between him and the love of his life.

Hinata was so beautiful in the light of the sunset. Her black hair took on a beautiful fiery glow and her pale eyes shimmered. He was so excited to take her inside. He had spent a week cleaning up the place and setting up the most romantic room in the house. Hidiki knew that this would be her first time, so she wouldn't be very excited about it all at first. He knew that tomorrow she would want more, especially with all the extra features, like the bathtub for two. He was so proud of himself. He even had a bottle of champagne chilling in the sink. He leaned down and caressed her face.

"It's all over now my darling."

An icy cold hand gripped his shoulder and swung him around. Hidiki was faced with a horrifying monstrosity. The blonde he had just drowned now stood before him, her face hollowed out and gaping back at him with the milky eyes of the dead. Her skin was so pale it was nearly translucent, the blue veins the only color to her body. Her hair had turned black and clung to her body like a wet curtain. She had grabbed ahold of him by his shoulders with terrifying strength and opened her mouth, gurgling as water spilled forth endlessly. Hidiki struggled to get away, but the girl dragged him to the ground and pinned him. Her hair hung around his face, closing him off to everything but the terrible visage of her face, twisted in death. She opened her mouth and out poured the same water he had drowned her with. He spat it out and tried to keep his mouth closed, but the force and volume of the water she spewed forth steadily grew. Soon he found himself meeting the fate he had just tried to give her moments before, her death mask a grim reminder of his sin as he passed from this world.

Hinata tried to call out to Beki, but at this point it was nothing more than a whisper. She was soaking wet and hovering over Hideki with her kekke genkai fully activated. Hinata saw Hidiki stop moving. After a moment, Beki turned toward Hinata. Her friend's appearance scared Hinata. Beki no longer looked like herself; she looked like an uninterred corpse. Slowly, Beki crawled over to Hinata. She would have felt more afraid if not for the fact that as Beki moved toward her, she slowly began returning to normal.

"Beki…." Hinata let out a hoarse whisper. "It's getting hard to breathe."

Beki slid up alongside her and rolled Hinata onto her back. Hinata's pulse quickened, but she wasn't sure if it was fear or excitement. Beki pulled herself up into a crouching position, took a deep breath, pinched Hinata's nose closed, and breathed into her mouth. Beki's lips were ice cold and she tasted like pond water. The anxiety of losing the ability to breathe subsided with each breath she was given. A tiny bit of fear remained, but Hinata felt safe in her friend's hands. While Beki breathed for her, Hinata could feel Beki's skin warming up. The musky taste of pond water sweetened until it was sort of pleasant. In the time it took for Hinata to regain the ability to wiggle her toes, most of the light had faded from the sky. While Beki was giving her a breath, Hinata tested her ability to breath on her own by inhaling. She was successful, but it surprised Beki and it ended up pulling them into a kiss. Hinata was surprised by how nice it felt to kiss her friend.

"Well hello to you too, Miss Hyuga," Beki eyed her suspiciously.

"Sorry," Hinata said weakly. "I was just trying to see if I could breathe on my own."

Beki shrugged and stretched.

"I feel like I was run over by a truck," Beki groaned. "How about you?"

Hinata's fingers twitched.

"I don't think I've ever been so afraid in my whole life."

Beki looked back at Hideki's stiff form. She was silent for a while as she stared at him, as if she were waiting for him to reawaken. Finally, she turned to Hinata and said:

"Well, he won't be bothering anybody anymore."

"It's cold out here," Hinata shivered.

"That's just because we're both soaked," Beki sighed. "Sorry about that. Come on, let's get inside."