Here it is, the essential birthday chapter. I apologize for the really long post, but this might be all you all have to chew on for the next week or so. Things are going to be reaaaaallllyyyyy busy for me for the next two weeks, so I probably won't be able to get much writing done. I still do really enjoy hearing from all of you and it helps motivate me to keep writing. As I said in the last post, it's faster (and easier) for me to doodle comics and such, so if there's a scene you would like to see illustrated just let me know. My devianart is the same tag, ponchoninjax3 if you want to see what I've already done. Also, just let me know what you think of the chapter. Feedback only helps me get better, got it memorized? That being said, I'll see you all in the next action packed chapter of...who the hell am I kidding? See you later, cowboy.
Seiichiro knocked on Beki's hospital door a few minutes later, feeling much older than 35. He had just openly threatened a kage to their face with witnesses to boot. He really needed to find another job. Beki opened the door and smiled up at him wearing the clothes he had given her. The slate of the shirt made her eyes look brilliantly silver and her hair looked like white gold against it.
"They fit perfectly dad," Beki let out a happy sigh. "This is just what I needed."
Her smile was still warm but it too had changed since the last time he had seen his daughter. Instead of the pure joy it had once held, it had now taken on the air of a challenge or a promise. The world may have gotten to her at last, but Beki stood ready to face it. Seiichiro forgot his woes and was the very picture of a proud father as he marched his daughter out of the hospital and straight onto the training field.
"Can I do a few laps first?" Beki stretched. "They've barely let me walk to the bathroom alone."
He gave her a dismissive wave and she took off. The burn in her lungs and the wind in her hair were reminding her why surviving that fight with Hidiki had been a good thing. Being locked up in a sterile hospital room had made Beki quickly forget all the little things that made life worth living. The sharp smell of decaying leaves, a light cool breeze on a run, the soft swish of the grass as you ran through it. Beki hadn't felt this alive in weeks. Once she felt sufficiently warmed up she jogged back over to her father. As she took up her usual fighting stance it occurred to her she was missing something.
"I have to go home and get my gauntlets," Beki looked at her uselessly unarmed hands.
"Today you won't need the gauntlets," Her father's voice was dangerously low. For a moment Beki wondered if he wanted her to try to fight him barehanded. It didn't take a genius to know that a 72 kg girl against a 122 kg man in armor was an unbalanced match.
Seiichiro sensed her anxiousness and laughed softly.
"Here," He held the kanabo out to her.
She looked up at him in confusion.
"It's no use to teach you how to fight against a kanabo if you've never wielded one," He explained.
Beki took it from him. It was much heavier than she had anticipated and her arms sagged in surprise. She swung it up and used the momentum arc it up and over her head. She used her other hand to guide its descent so it rested across her shoulders and back for support.
"Don't hold it up with your back," Her father poked her between the shoulder blades. "Bend your knees a little. Let them support the weight."
"This thing is really friggin heavy dad," She grumbled, a bit of her old self returning. "How am I supposed to swing this thing?"
"You're not," He smiled. "At least not today. For the next few week you're just going to get accustomed to the weight. Carry it everywhere."
"So I just have to lug it around with me?" She asked, blinking in surprise.
"It sounds easy," He explained. "But in a day or two you'll understand how this is a necessary step."
"What about my training?" She pressed. "How is this training?"
"I have to go back to Getsu right away," He gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "But I'll be back in about three weeks. By then you'll be ready to start learning some forms."
"How are there forms for this?" She asked, shaking under the weight. "Don't you just swing the damned thing?"
Seiichiro smiled.
"Try not to brain anybody with it while you're walking around. If you need to go in somewhere small, like a shop, just leave it outside. No one will try to steal that thing."
"Well if they did they wouldn't get very far," Beki puffed. Seiichiro laughed; there was hope for his daughter after all.
…
When Beki got back to Hinata's, Hinata ran up to her and gave Beki a big hug. They sat down on the couch and hugged for at least an hour. Then Hinata got up, made lunch, and they did their best to talk normally like they used to. It was easier now. They had been friends before, but after the events at the Kenji mansion they were closer than ever. If Beki had ever had a sister, this is what she imagined it would feel like. She would lie, cheat, steal, or kill for Hinata, and she had proved it. The best part was, Beki was certain Hinata would do the same for her.
Neji came over and spent the afternoon with them. He and Hinata updated Beki on the goings-on in the village for the last two weeks, and before long they had run out of things to talk about. Neji finally asked what had been on everyone's mind:
"So, you used your kekke to defeat Hidiki?"
"Yes," Beki said, looking at her feet. She had been waiting for one of them to ask her about it. She had chewed this over with her father and Tsunade and the investigators and had hoped she could just put it all behind her. If she had to talk about it again, however, she would prefer telling Hinata and Neji over anyone else.
"I finally figured it out," Beki explained. "It's in my blood; it's part of who I am. I just kind of had to figure that out and accept it. For years I had felt it trying to come out and repressed it. All I had to do was let it out."
"Can you call it out on your own now?" Hinata asked.
Beki closed her eyes and emptied her mind. That was the trick, she had realized. Whenever she meditated, that was what it was like to die: to be void, to be absent of thoughts, worries, or cares. If she emptied herself the drowned maiden would take over. When Beki opened her eyes she knew by Neji and Hinata's expressions her activation had been successful. This was not the full form, the form she had used on Hidiki, so she quickly phased back to normal.
"That's...disturbing." Neji blurted before he could stop himself.
"Thank you," Beki tried not to smile. She knew her grin would be extra disturbing in the quasi-maiden form.
"We should probably go to dinner," Hinata offered, "We've all had a very long day."
They all rose and walked over to the dining hall. By the time they got to the hall, Beki had fully returned to normal. Neji kept shooting her sidelong glances, as if to check her for signs of transformations. Hiashi and Hanabi greeted Beki warmly.
"It was too quiet without you," Hanabi said.
"I see my absence didn't stop you from borrowing my clothes," Beki gave her the side eye.
"They fit better than Hinata's," Hanabi defended herself. "And you never wear this shirt!"
"That's because it's my favorite and I save it for special occasions," Beki booped her nose. "Just ask first, twerp."
Hiashi did his best to ignore the whole exchange; Beki had just come out of the hospital after all. The family did their best to keep the conversation lighthearted. No one spoke of the abduction, the kekke genkai, or the hospital. After her first true meal in weeks and some decent conversation, Beki almost felt as good as new.
After dinner, Beki and Hinata went home. Beki was exhausted, so she took a shower and changed into her nightgown. As she climbed into bed, she was met with the scent of lavender. Beki knew Hinata must have just laundered the sheets for her. The bed was incredibly comfortable compared to her accommodations at the hospital. Beki hadn't slept well at the while she was there, with the lights always being on in the hall and the constant chatter and bustle of the nurses. She had been getting her rest in bursts of about two hours at a time, with annoying spans where she was wide awake with nothing to do. This was one of those moments. Even though she was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted all she could do was stare blankly at the ceiling. After about twenty minutes of that agonizing hell she heard her door creek open. Hinata was peeking in through the crack. Beki rolled over and looked at her.
"What's up?" Beki asked.
"Sorry, were you asleep?" Hinata asked.
"No," Beki sighed. "I don't sleep so well anymore."
Hinata came in the room and climbed into bed with Beki.
"Me too," She said as she settled onto the pillow beside her.
Beki rolled onto her side facing away from her friend and Hinata scooched over so their legs were touching. Hinata threw an arm over her Beki. The weight of her body was comforting, Beki thought. She got caught up in the soothing rhythm of Hinata's breathing and soon she was drifting off. She woke up the next morning, completely surprised she had slept through the night. Hinata was out cold beside her and Beki smiled at Hinata's innocent sleeping face. Her eyes fell on Hinata's lips and Beki was reminded of the kisses they had shared. Beki shook her head. Hinata had been drugged and Beki was punch drunk the entire time. After a few moments of internal argument on whether the kisses meant something or not, Hinata woke up and smiled up at her.
"Hi Beki."
"Morning Hinata," Beki replied.
"What are you thinking about?" Hinata stretched.
"Nothing," she sighed. "Come on. Let's get up."
…
Beki walked around town running her usual errands with the kanabo on her back. She got a lot of strange looks, but no one dared ask her what she was doing. That was probably because the last time Beki had hauled an odd object around town someone got hit with it. Word must have gotten around, because Kiba was seen checking corners before he rounded them. Beki was also wearing her family's uniform, which was much more traditional than what she would wear on a typical day. It gave her a more professional image, and that made it easier to convince people that she was Tsukimori Seiichiro's daughter. He was out of town, but she still stopped by to see Tsunade. The guard groaned when he saw her kanabo and asked her to leave it outside.
"Did you really think I was going to try to get this through that little door?" Beki laughed and set it up against the wall. She held up a finger in warning. "No don't try this puppy out. I know it's tempting, but you'll hurt yourself."
She patted the guard's cheek as she walked inside. She heard him grumble something about "obnoxious kid" before the door closed behind her.
Tsunade was in the midst of her paperwork when Beki walked in. She looked up and set down her pen.
"Miss Tsukimori, what can I help you with?"
"I wanted to say thanks," Beki explained. "For not freaking out a whole lot about the whole...the thing. The thing that happened. That was really traumatizing for me and I wanted to say that I appreciated how you handled it."
"You're welcome. I have to say this is unexpected," Tsunade looked surprised. "This is very mature. I almost wouldn't believe it was coming from you."
"I did a lot of growing up in that hospital room," Beki said evasively.
Tsunade considered her for a moment before she spoke.
"I'm sure you did. I know you aren't one of mine Beki, but you are in my village. If there's ever anything you need, anything you need to talk about, the door is open."
"Thank you Tsunade-sama," Beki bowed. "I'll let you get back to your paperwork."
"You're going to go train?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her, eyeing Beki's slowly healing cracked ribs.
"I'll be very careful," Beki smiled and put a hand over the tender spot knowingly.
"Make sure you are, Miss Tsukimori." Tsunade shook her head. "I can only patch you together so many times."
As Beki walked out of the office she noticed the kanabo had shifted somewhat. She smiled knowingly at the guard, who was standing awkwardly at his post.
"You hurt your back old-timer?" Beki poked his ribs and he swatted her away. "You have to lift with the knees, pal, not the back. Haven't you ever moved a couch?"
The guard grumbled something at her incoherently as she skipped away. As soon as she was far enough for him to let his guard down, she snuck a peek back at him. The guard was shuffling uncomfortably, holding his back like pregnant women often do, cursing quietly. Beki laughed to herself. Some people were just too predictable.
…
Beki's father was still in Getsu and Beki had nothing to do but train. She was starting to feel suffocated, being stuck in a ninja village and not being able to go on missions. Whenever she saw her friends, they had just gotten back from some expedition and had lots of stories to share. She read. She trained. She helped out at the kindergarten. She was excruitiatingly bored. It was Beki's 16th birthday. Hinata had told her she had some errands to run and she wouldn't be back until that afternoon. She had seemed a little nervous today; Hinata went out of her way to be extra kind when she was nervous. Beki tapped her fingers, trying to figure out how she should spend her time for the rest of the day.
Around this time of year back home, they would be preparing for the yearly festival honoring the Three Maidens. Reika would be making Beki and Ren practice the ceremonial dances every day for hours. They would hang out in the kitchen in between rehearsals munching on the moon cakes unfit for sale because they were a little burned or lopsided. Michiko, the graying Miko cook with hands as skilled as a potter, would purposely misshape some of them for the two girls. She had been making them so long, that was the only way the girls could ever sneak any.
Beki would get to stay at the shrine the whole week leading up the festival. It was a sleepover dream. Ren and Beki would stay up for hours talking about everything under the sun, and Reika would only tell them to go to bed if they laughed too loudly behind their pillows. When the festival finally arrived, the shrine would be at its busiest for the year. People from the main village as well as the locals would come to see the dances, buy good luck charms, and ask the Three Maidens to protect them and to grant their wishes. Most of the year the only person she saw visit it was the shrine's pet cat Socks. He was a tuxedo cat, and affectionately got hair all over their robes. He would always come out while the girls practiced dancing. He would run between their legs and yowl happily while they danced, sometimes even swaying with the music.
There was a good chance he was a retired ninja cat. He was very shy, but Beki had heard him talking to Reika before. Beki would always catch him listening in on conversations from the rafters, and on chilly nights he would curl up between the girls' futons as the slept.
The festival always fell on Beki's birthday, so after the festivities had ended the Miko would all gather in the shrine and they would have a special meal in her honor. Michiko made all of Beki's favorites and they would give her presents. Most of them would give her something they made themselves, which she loved: Beautiful paper bookmarks, handmade hair ornaments, and pretty paper fans. Ren would always give her something girls their age wanted or needed, like knee socks or nail polish. Reika would always give her advice. As the head Miko, Reika had allegedly developed the gift of second sight.
The frustrating thing was that Reika was never up front about it. For her fifteenth birthday, Reika had told Beki not to fear the great changes coming to her life. She had said that the shore never fears the incoming tide, because it always recedes again. Then there was something about the darkening of the moon always preceding its progress to shine it's brightest. Beki couldn't remember exactly what it was, because usually she would give the hint at the beginning and turn the rest of the fortune into a sermon.
Tired of feeling sad and homesick, Beki grabbed her father's kanabo and headed into town. It was one of those days where everything was bothering her: the noise of the children running around, someone's air conditioner clicking, a shop keeper's horribly annoying laugh. She pressed on with all her might until someone started blaring records of some warbly teen heartthrob. Beki had enough and decided today she would just go train. If nothing else, then she could at least say she had been productive. She turned around and headed back out of town. Her ribs had healed well enough that she could practice swinging the kanabo in patterns she had seen her dad use. It had rained the night before and the grass was wet and slippery. Mid swing the kanabo's weight threw Beki off balance and she slipped and fell hard on her back. It was a struggle to get back on her feet. Once she had, she looked down to see that she was completely covered in mud and grass.
"I'm just going to go home and go back to bed," she mumbled to herself. The mud dripped off her in clumps as she walked back to the Hyuga compound. It had gotten into her shoes and the squished disgustingly with each step she took. She was trying to figure out how to strip, throw her soiled clothes in the wash, and get upstairs to shower without tracking mud everywhere when she ran into Neji.
"Bad day at training Beki?" He surveyed her muddy clothes.
"Yup. I'm going to go change and lay in bed the rest of the day," She grumbled.
"I have some bad news for you then," He took ahold of her arm and started to turn her the other direction. "I need you to come run some errands with me."
"Can I at least change out of my muddy clothes?!" She snapped.
In an effort to be helpful, Neji very carefully reached out and took her kanabo out of her hands. The weight surprised him and he dropped the top of it on her foot.
She cried out in pain, grabbed her foot, used a few colorful words she'd heard her dad say in bars all directed at Neji. He stood there, eyes wide with shock, as he slowly handed off the kanabo to the two gate attendants behind them. They both backed away slowly and closed the gate, leaving Neji to fend for himself.
"Alright, Beki, let's go," He cautiously extended his hand.
Beki eyed him suspiciously as he took her arm again and led her back into town. She was humiliated that Neji made her walk around in her mud and grass covered clothes. They had to walk all the way to the aviary in full view of everyone. At least when they got there and picked up all the packages for the Hyuga household Beki was partially concealed behind them. Neji made her stop outside the market while he ran in to grab what he claimed where a few odds and ends, which turned out to be a what Beki considered to be a whole damned pantry. So now Beki was walking along, dirty, disheveled, carring her weight in bags and packages when Neji said he just needed to run into the flower shop. It was all the discipline Beki had in her body not to slam all the boxes and bags down and throw a tantrum right there in the street. Instead she took a very deep breath and exhaled slowly while he ran inside.
To top it all off, Beki was getting hungry. She hadn't eaten since she left the house this morning. She looked around at all the delicious options the street vendors had to offer. If they were running all these errands Neji wouldn't mind them stopping for a minute while she got some buns or something. When he came out she suggested they grab a bite and he shot her down.
"Dinner will be ready when we get home, Beki," He said. "You can wait twenty minutes."
Twenty minutes, she thought. Who the hell does this guy think he is telling me when I can and cannot eat? Beki's lower eyelid twitched. No, she thought. I can't lose my temper here. I am a Getsu ninja, and I can't be seen crying and whimpering in the street. They began walking back to the Hyuga compound, and Beki thought grouchy, anti-Neji thoughts the whole way home. When they finally reached the compound Beki awkwardly stumbled through the gate. Neji started sorting the packages right there inside the entrance.
"Can we like, put these down before we start sorting them?" She asked pointedly.
"Almost done," He said obliviously. "Okay, that's all the stuff for Hinata. You can go now."
"What about all this other crap?" Beki snapped, gesturing to all the bags she was laden with.
Neji's eyes grew wide with fear again and he silently pointed for her to go.
She walked up the path grumbling to herself. Naruto was probably sending Hinata a bunch of souvenirs from all his glorious damned adventures and Beki would have to sit there and listen to how wonderful this kid she had never met was for like, the 80 billionth time. She stopped and took a breath before she went inside. It wasn't fair to Hinata that Beki was in a bad mood. In truth, it wasn't really Neji's fault either, but after all the crap he pulled in town, he kind of deserved Beki's wrath. Her foot hurt like hell and he made her walk around in dirty clothes. She opened the door with some difficulty and stumbled inside.
"SURPRISE!"
Beki barely held on to everything as she jumped in shock. All the girls were piled into the kitchen. Something was cooking in a pot on the stove and it smelled delicious. Immediately the other girls were taking things off of her hands and setting them up. These jerks, Beki thought. They had me be the errand boy for my own party.
"Sorry about everything Beki," Hinata smiled shyly. "We had to keep you out of the house so we could get everything set up."
"So I can change now?" She was still miffed, but she couldn't help but break a small smile.
"Please," Ino gave her a snarky smile.
Beki ran upstairs took a lightning fast body shower. She put on a pair of mint green leggings and a dark gray top. It occurred to her that she hadn't dressed this casually in a long time. Since the Hidiki incident, Beki had lived at first in a hospital gown, and then almost exclusively in the uniform her father had brought her. While she was distracted in her thoughts, Hanabi popped into her room.
"Can I borrow the pink one?" She asked, pointing to a pink flowy top in Beki's closet.
"Yeah, take it," Beki shook her head as she refocused to the present.
Hanabi took the blouse and looked up at Beki for a minute:
"Thank you. You're nice, Beki."
Beki looked at her and considered Hanabi for a moment. Then she stuck her tongue out at her. Hanabi blew a back at Beki and ran back downstairs wearing Beki's shirt. Beki went back downstairs and took the last free spot at the table. Hinata had made all the components of sukiyaki, Beki's favorite. The girls munched happily and teased Beki about her temper with Neji.
"Oh, the attendants told you about the meltdown?" Beki laughed. "He dropped the kanabo on my foot."
"Ouch," Sakura winced. "You want me to look at it?"
Beki looked at her foot. It was bruised but she was sure it wasn't broken.
"No, I'm okay. I'll let you know if anything changes."
"Okay, enough with the chitchat," Ino slammed her hands on the table. "It's time for presents."
"Doesn't cake usually come first, Ino?" Sakura snapped.
"Only you would feel like cake after such a rich dinner, Sakura," Ino leered at her.
Beki looked at Tenten, Hinata, and Hanabi. Hanabi was watching the two older girls fight with fascination on her face. Tenten was ignoring the two of them while she fixed her hair. Hinata hovered nervously between them mumbling soothing words.
"How about both?" Beki said as she picked up a present. "Hinata can you grab the cake?"
Hinata nodded and smiled.
"I hope you like it. I made it myself."
The frosting was a lovely shade of powder blue. It was buttercream, but Hinata had iced it as smooth as glass. On top of the cake she had made pretty white roses and it said "Happy Birthday Beki" in a clean measured hand.
"It's gorgeous Hinata," Beki smiled. This wasn't mooncakes but it was just as good.
"Okay open the first one," Ino demanded.
Beki checked the tag. It was from Sakura. The paper was red with little pink cherry blossoms on it. She unwrapped it carefully. It contained a sleek white case. She popped it open and inside was a well-stocked medic kit in miniature.
"Thanks Sakura," Beki said with surprise. "This will come in handy, big time."
Sakura smiled.
"If I know you, you would want something that could keep you out in the field as long as possible. Look in the lid."
Beki did as she was told. The top of the kit had a slot in it for a picture to be held in like a locket.
"It's waterproof too, so whatever picture you put in there will be safe." Sakura added.
"This is a really nice piece of field gear," Beki packed it back up. "I'd say I can't wait to use it but-"
"I get it," Sakura laughed. "No one's eager to get messed up in a fight."
Hinata put the cake on the table with sixteen candles on top. She lit the candles and they all sang her happy birthday. Beki thought long and hard about what she wanted to wish for. She knew the right thing to do was to use her wish for others, but when she thought about it, wasn't a birthday wish the one time you got to have a 100%, outrageously impossible and selfish wish? She smiled slyly and blew out the candles, hoping that maybe she could get another shot with the Kazekage. Beki would be happy with just another chance to talk to him, but being the kage of another village made chance encounters the exact kind of thing she should wish to come true. Ino narrowed her eyes at Beki.
"You were wishing about a boy."
"Maybe," Beki crossed her arms. What the hell, Beki thought. Does she have radar for this? "Maybe not."
"Next one!" Sakura tossed another present in Beki's lap.
"Okay this one's from Ino," Beki said as she checked the tag. The paper was a pretty yellow floral pattern. Beki opened it.
It was a nightgown that wasn't exactly sexy but it wasn't something your parents would buy you either. It fell about mid-thigh, was made out of black silk with pink straps that crisscrossed at the back. The fabric felt incredibly soft.
"You have to wear it for the sleepover tonight," Ino demanded.
"I will," Beki smiled. "I really like it, Ino. My favorite nightie is getting kind of worn out. This'll be a good replacement."
Ino sat back smugly as Hinata handed out the cake slices. Beki picked up the next one. It was small, about the size of a juice box, and it was wrapped in shiny purple paper with a sparkly pink bow.
"Hanabi?" Beki said in surprise. "Sweetie, you didn't have to get me anything."
"Yeah I did," She protested. "It's your birthday."
"Thank you Hanabi," Beki opened it. Inside there was a pair of earrings that looked like tiny kunai. "These are so cute!"
Hinata heaved a tiny sigh. Just when she thought Beki was going to stop wearing things that looked like weapons but weren't, Hanabi went and gave the ball another roll. Beki put them on right away and gave Hanabi a side squeeze.
"So can I borrow your green shorts tomorrow?" She asked.
Beki laughed.
"Yes, Hanabi. Just get them back to me by next weekend."
The next present was from Tenten. It was long and narrow, and the paper on her gift was snow white with tiny gray shuriken on it. Beki smiled. She loved tiny weapon print. She opened it and inside there was a bladed fan. The blades were razor sharp and stuck out at the top of the fabric of the fan. The pattern on the fabric was a deep navy with shimmering silver waves.
"You said you were a Miko-in-training," Tenten explained. "I figured that would be something you would get some use out of."
"The most 'don't f**k with me' Miko ever," Beki said as she snapped it open loudly. "This is badass!"
Hinata's gift was square and covered with pretty lilac paper wrapped in a white bow. Beki opened it and inside were a set of white, black, and red lacey cheeky panties. Hinata blushed and laughed.
"I remember you said you needed some new ones, those were the ones you said you liked, right?"
Beki laughed.
"Yeah, these are the ones I like, but damn. Should your sister even know these exist?"
Hanabi rolled her eyes. The stupidity of older people. She was a sophisticated young kunoichi-in-training, and time and time again they acted like she was some drooling kindergartener.
"Beki, I've been in an underwear store before," Hanabi tossed her hair haughtily. The tone of her statement and the sass in her body language set the whole group laughing. Hanabi simply huffed and rolled her eyes some more. Hanabi helped Hinata clear the table while Beki got the packages Neji made her haul home from the aviary.
"This one's from dad," She said as she popped open the box. Inside was a very large, very warm sweater. Beki laughed.
"I think all dads start feeling like that when their daughters turn sixteen," Sakura said. "On my birthday my dad got me a coat that went down to my knees."
"Not all dads," Ino tossed her hair. "Mine got me a pair of 5 inch heels."
"He's preparing you for your future occupation," Beki said instantly, her internal filter failing at the opportunity for such a burn.
"Oh damn," Tenten laughed.
Ino and Sakura were wide eyed initially, but Sakura busted up laughing and after a sigh Ino chuckled too.
"I'll give you a pass because it's your birthday, but watch it," Ino warned. "I've got dirt on you, you know."
"What dirt?" Beki laughed as she opened the package from Reika and the Miko back home.
"You and Neji!" Ino practically shouted. "That flirtationship you have going on."
Hanabi started laughing.
"Neji is SO not interested in Beki. Like, he would date Lee before he would date Beki."
"You didn't have to be so quick about that, but yeah," Beki winced. "For all intents and purposes we're like brother and sister."
"He yells at her to eat her vegetables," Hanabi blurted over her shoulder as she dried the dishes Hinata was washing.
"That's when he's not telling her to put on a shirt that fits," Hinata added.
"Thanks guys, we get it," Beki grumbled as she laid out the contents of the box. There was an envelope in a strange hand with a paw print on it that said "open on a bad day." Beki shrugged and moved on to the next one. Michiko had sent her one of her old kokeshi dolls. "To watch over you," the note said. Beki smiled. They were probably missing her mischief. Last was Reika's fortune. She opened it with her eyes closed.
"What are you doing?" Tenten asked.
"Back home, at our shrine the head Miko has the power to see the future," Beki explained. "She won't ever tell you the specifics though. Only hints. Every year on my birthday she gives me a hint for what's ahead."
"What's it say?" Hinata called over her shoulder as she washed the last plate.
Beki opened her eyes and read her hint.
"Don't be afraid to give your heart away to people who deserve it."
There was a collective "Aww" from the group.
"Who are you going to give it to?" Ino pressed. "Neji?"
Beki ignored her and grabbed the last package. It was from her friend Ren. It was a copy of the most recent edition of the Bingo Book. The note said "There are lots of bad guys out there! Stay safe! Love, Ren."
"This is perfect!" Beki held it up. "I know a game we can play with this!"
"Hinata, can't I stay a little longer?" Hanabi's pleading bled into the conversation.
"Hanabi, father said you needed to be in bed by 9. It's 9:30 now." Hinata pointed at the clock.
"Ugh, fine," Hanabi grumbled as she gathered her things. "Happy Birthday Beki-san."
"Thank you Hanabi, have a good night." Beki smiled at her as she walked out the door. "Okay, have you guys played 'marry, f**k, kill'?"
"What?!" The girls said in unison.
Beki rolled her eyes.
"So you open the book and take the first three pictures and you have to decide which one you would marry, which one you would sleep with, and which one you would kill based on the options."
"How is this fun?" Tenten asked incredulously.
"You have to explain your choices," Beki sighed with exasperation and shook her head. "Here, it'll be easier if I just show you."
Beki opened the Bingo Book.
"Okay, first three are Deidara, Sasori, and Orochimaru."
"Ew," Sakura said.
"I would kill Orochimaru, marry Sasori, and fuck Deidara." Beki said.
"You would sleep with that?!" Sakura pointed at Deidara.
"Dude has mouths on his hands," Ino shrugged. "That would be pretty great in the sack. I'm siding with Beki on this one."
"Why, what would you do Sakura?" Hinata asked.
"I-I don't know," She waved her hands. "How about I do the next one?"
Beki laughed.
"Okay sure, but now that everyone gets it, everyone has to play."
She turned the page. The next three choices were Sasuke, Itachi, and Kisame.
"Woof," Beki said. "Look at the eyes on that guy. He's seen some things."
"If you mean he's seen the bodies of his family piled up because he killed them, yeah, he's seen some things," Sakura said.
"Oh this is going to be interesting," Beki smiled wickedly. "Make your choices Sakura."
Sakura looked uncomfortable. Ino was watching her closely to see how dedicated she was to Sasuke.
"Kill Kisame, marry Sasuke, sleep with Itachi." Sakura said through gritted teeth.
"I see you like to keep it in the family," Beki joked.
"Sasuke would never forgive you," Ino shot at her.
"Wait, would you do something different?" Tenten asked Ino.
"Well, I mean," Ino stammered.
"You aren't left with a lot of choices here," Beki teased.
"I would kill Itachi, marry Sasuke, and sleep with Kisame," Ino said proudly.
"You would sleep with the fish guy?" Tenten said with disgust.
"Sasuke would love me forever for killing Itachi for him, and how bad could it be?" Ino shrugged.
"Except for the fact that Sasuke wants revenge on his brother and he would never forgive you for taking that from him," Sakura corrected.
"Not to mention sex with the shark guy would probably involve a lot of not so fun biting," Beki chomped her teeth.
"Whatever, this game is stupid," Ino said. "Let's get drunk."
She pulled out a bottle of whiskey from her bag.
"How did you get that in here?" Hinata's eyes were wide with shock and fear.
"I took it from my dad's liquor cabinet, no biggie," Ino smirked.
She passed the bottle to Beki.
"You first, Birthday Girl."
Not wanting to look weak, Beki took a big swig. It burned her throat and made her eyes water but she didn't let on. She passed it back to Ino.
"You next," Beki stared her down.
Ino took a big swig too, then held it out to Hinata. She flushed and looked away.
"I'm not much of a drinker," Hinata said evasively.
"It's a damn party," Ino shoved it into her hands. "Take a swig."
Hinata took the bottle and took a decent sip. She pulled the bottle from her lips and gave a little hiccup. She passed the bottle to Tenten with a sad look on her face as if saying "Please don't let that have been for nothing."
She's too damn cute, Beki thought as Hinata hiccuped behind her hand. Tenten rolled her eyes and sighed. She took a swig off of the whiskey and handed it to Sakura. Sakura put it on the table.
"Don't be a prude, Sakura," Ino slurred.
"Sorry, medic stays sober," Sakura put the cap back on the bottle.
"Fine, spoil sport," Ino turned back to the others. "Let's go get in our jammies already so the real fun can start!"
They all broke off into different rooms of the house. Tenten changed in the bathroom, Sakura changed in the closet, Ino changed right in the middle of the kitchen, Beki changed in the living room, and Hinata went upstairs and changed in her bedroom. They all reconvened in the living room. Tenten was in a pair of cute ruffled shorts and a matching T-shirt. Hinata was in her usual knee length purple cotton nightgown. Beki wore the new black one Ino bought her, just as she was ordered. Sakura was in a pair of white fleece pants with red hearts on them and a matching red tank with a white heart on it. Ino was in a flimsy silk nightie.
"Sorry, it was hard to find anything," Ino pouted. "I usually sleep in the nude."
The whole room collectively groaned and rolled their eyes. The whiskey got passed around again and the girls were starting to feel it. Ino took out a box and a bunch of scraps of paper.
"In the spirit of the game Beki just showed us, I thought we could have a kind of honest hour," she explained. "You are going to anonymously write which girl in the room you would have sex with if you got a chance."
"Well this escalated quickly," Tenten grumbled as she took her slip of paper.
"That's what alcohol does to Ino," Sakura mumbled back as she grabbed a pencil.
"S-so we're all just going along with this?" Hinata stammered.
"I guess so," Beki shrugged. "When in Konoha, you do as the leaflings do."
"But this isn't usually what we do at parties!" Tenten hissed.
"Am I bad influence then?" Beki asked as she twittled her pencil.
"You bring out Ino's competitive side," Sakura said loud enough for Ino to hear.
"I will not be outslutted in my own village," Ino pouted as she wrote on her paper without looking up at her accusers.
Beki looked down at her paper. She wrote Hinata's name, folded it in half and put it in the box. Ino shook it up and tallied the results. One each for Sakura, Ino, Beki, and two for Hinata. Hinata was teased a little for being the most popular girl there. They gossiped a little more, Ino and Sakura got in another argument, and by about 11:30 they were all dozing off. Beki laid on her back on her futon and stared up at the ceiling. Someone had voted for her. She hoped it was Hinata, seeing as they'd kissed. If it wasn't Hinata, that would be super awkward.
"Beki, are you asleep?" Hinata asked from the futon beside her. Beki turned and faced her. Hinata was in the futon against the wall.
"Yeah Hinata?"
Hinata looked down, blushing.
"Did you vote for me tonight?"
"Of course I did," Beki said, blushing a little herself. "Did you vote for me?"
"Y-yes," Hinata smiled. "I voted for you."
Beki smiled back.
"I'm glad."
Hinata smiled at her and held out her arms for Beki to scooch into. They spooned through their futons, and Hinata put her head against Beki's and whispered:
"Happy birthday Beki" and gave her a kiss on the head.
Beki smiled. In spite of the rough start, it had been a very happy birthday.