Hi everyone, I'm back after a brief hiatus. The good news is, here's your chapter! I also uploaded my first requested illustration from the story onto my deviantart (same name as on here, ponchoninjax3). Bad news: Super business continues. I am working late and so I end up getting a good run or swim in after work and then I'm too tired to do much other than watch K-dramas and anime. That being said, I love hearing from you all. Let me know what you think of this chapter, what you think of the illustrated version of "The Run", and any other thoughts or comments you may have. Hearing from you all is super encouraging, and if you have an account on here I try to get back to you within 24 hours. If you don't have an account, but you leave me a review with questions I address them in this section of the following chapter. Thank you guys for all your support, and remember only you can prevent filler arcs.
Beki was furious. Hanabi had set that up on purpose. She was pretty sure Hanabi wasn't smart enough to understood what effects her little tirade would reap, but now she was going to hear it from Beki, who was so upset she was afraid what she would say to the little brat when she saw her. Beki decided it would be better to go to bed and cool off and try to have a calm talk with her in the morning. Her plans were thwarted when she saw Hanabi sitting on Hinata's couch with Beki's crumpled bags beside her. Beki was overflowing with rage but she did her best not to raise her voice.
"So was that what you were hoping for?" Beki slammed the door. "Konohamaru almost got kidnapped by ronin, Hanabi. Did you think that tricking me into breaking his heart wasn't going to hurt him?"
"You didn't even know he liked you!" Hanabi yelled at her.
"Do you know why? It didn't matter Hanabi! Everyone has puppy dog crushes they get over as they grow up and realize it would have never worked!" Beki's voice had a hard quality as she held herself off from screaming.
"I like him! I've liked him for a year and you just show up with your stupid blonde hair and your stupid boobs and I don't exist!" Hanabi's eyes were beginning to well up.
"What you're telling me is that you got jealous because a boy you liked didn't like you," Beki had calmed herself down somewhat but it was impossible to keep the disdain out of her voice. "So you took the logical course of action and did something to punish us?"
"You're just like Hinata!" Hanabi jumped to her feet and took Beki's bags and threw them against the wall. The tea tin clanked against the wall and the top popped open, spilling the expensive green black filaments all over the carpet. Beki didn't move. She didn't say a word. Hanabi was on the brink of sobbing. "I hate you!" Hanabi screamed and then ran out of the house.
Beki sighed, knowing she could have handled that better. Growing up with a single father and no siblings meant that Beki had never developed patience for teenage drama bullshit. When the squads in Getsu were dissolving into love triangles and rivalry, she kept her distance. That probably contributed to the mutual disdain she shared with her peers. She thought they were immature and petty and they thought she was stuck up and entitled. Beki shrugged at the memory and gave a frustrated grunt as she tried her best to salvage the tea. What she ended up with was a tin dented so far inward at a corner the canister almost looked like the letter C, a powder as fine as sawdust all over the rug, and half a tin of now tainted tea leaves.
She didn't want to leave the tea overnight, so she hoisted up the rug and took it outside. As Beki laid the rug over the clothesline to beat it, she heard footsteps approaching.
"Come back later, I'm not ready to talk about it yet," Beki called over her shoulder without looking.
"Is that how you speak to the Hokage?" Tsunade's voice was jokingly stern.
Beki turned and struck a bow instantly. Shit, she thought. I probably look like hell after holding all that anger.
"Don't worry about it, Tsukimori. I know I caught you off guard," Tsunade offered as she eyed the rug. "What happened there?"
"I dumped tea all over it on accident," Beki shuffled uncomfortably. "So what brings you the Hyuga compound? Hinata's out of town."
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Of course I know that, Tsukimori. I sent her on the mission,"
Beki's temper was short and she was on her last nerve but this was the Hokage. As much as she felt like an argument Tusnade was not the person to mince words with.
"I'm actually here for you," Tsunade looked around. "I have a high priority mission I need someone to help with and all the potential candidates are away."
Beki eyed her suspiciously. What mission would be so dire Tsunade would risk all kinds of repercussions for sending a foreign ninja on a mission for the Leaf?
"Okay," Beki replied cautiously. "What is it that you need help with?"
"I'll explain when we get there," Tsunade waved at the house. "Go pack a bag for an overnight stay."
"Um, Tsunade-sama, with all due respect," Beki started but Tsunade interrupted her.
"You won't be leaving the village," Tsunade sighed in frustration. "Just go pack a damn bag, Tsukimori."
Beki slapped the rug a few times for good measure. Normally she would have thought that would be disrespectful, but hey, Tsunade wasn't her boss. Not directly, anyway. She brought in the rug and went up to her room. Her olive green duffle bag was the only one she had handy, so she threw it open on the bathroom counter and tossed in her toothbrush, some face wash, a hairbrush, and toothpaste. She threw the bag on the bed and looked at her options. Beki hated pants, so she usually slept in either a tank top/tshirt (weather permitting) or a nightie.
"Tsukimori, hurry up!" Tsunade called from downstairs. "I've got places to be!"
"The gambling hall can wait!" Beki called back before she could check herself. She instantly clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. This is how I die, she thought.
Instead she heard a soft chuckle.
"You really are Seiichiro's daughter," Tsunade hollered back. "I was beginning to worry Hinata was mellowing you out."
Beki grabbed the white cotton lacy sleeping bra and sinfully soft powder blue tank top she'd worn the night before. She shuffled in her drawer unsuccessfully for a pair of sleeping shorts, so she moved on to clothes for the next day. She gave the room a once over and her eyes fell on the pillow sized white stuffed alpaca with the gentle expression of a guardian angel that she slept with every night. She grabbed it and stuffed it shamelessly into her duffle bag.
"I'm leaving a note on the counter about where you are going," Tsunade said. "Hinata might come home early and that girl is a worrier."
"You are kind of abducting me," Beki joked as she stuffed her favorite champagne colored bra, a lime green racerback tank, and gray leggings in her bag.
"We use the word 'commandeering' in situations like this," Tsunade replied. "I am bringing you back after all."
Beki plodded down the stairs.
"Okay, I'm ready."
Tsunade gave a curt nod.
"Then follow me."
Beki couldn't help but feel excited as she followed the Hokage through the dark and narrow alleys of Konoha. Nightfall had a tendency of rendering even the blandest boulevard into something right out of a noire film. Part of her couldn't help but fall into the fantasy her imagination was dredging up. Any moment now they would come across the body of a murder victim and Tsunade would put her on the case to stake out the possible killer. It would be Shino, Beki decided. No, wait, Beki thought. That would be red herring. Of course the creepy stalker guy couldn't be the killer. It would have to be Ebisu sensei. He was well respected in the community and smart enough to cover all his tracks. Plus, Beki didn't like him. It was her detective fantasy, if she wanted him to be the serial killer that was her own damn business.
"What is going on in that head of yours?" Tsunade knocked her on the forehead. "I've been talking to you for a whole minute with no response."
Beki shook her head and smiled.
"Murder stuff."
Tsunade stood there silently for a moment and then knocked Beki's forehead again. Beki looked up and saw that they were outside the Hokage's mansion.
"Someone was murdered in your office?" Beki asked, still not fully shaken from her mental detour.
Tsunade gave her a strange look and shook her head.
"No, no one has been murdered. Shizune has been deployed on a mission of extreme importance very suddenly," Tsunade explained. "Normally I have one of the genin or the chunin watch Tonton but as I said before they're booked solid."
Beki gave a frustrated sigh.
"You want me to pet sit? Why didn't you just drop Tonton off with me at the Hyuga mansion?"
"Do you want to explain to Hyuga Hiashi why you have a pig running around his gardens?" Tsunade gave her a "go on and try" face.
"I guess you have a point there," Beki shook her head. "But why aren't you watching your secretary's pig?"
Tsunade hovered a knuckle threateningly in front of Beki's forehead.
"Because I am the Hokage and that's one of the perks. I don't have to pet sit, I don't have to move couches, and I don't have to pretend to like people's cooking,"
"Duly noted," Beki shifted uncomfortably.
"Alright kid, here's the deal," Tsunade started walking up the stairs and motioned for Beki to follow. "I already walked the swine so you just have to watch him tonight. Shizune left out food and water, but he's the neediest little bastard you've ever seen. Iruka says you're good with kids so you should be fine."
"That's human children," Beki made a face.
Tsunade looked at her and shrugged.
"Pigs, toddlers, who can tell the difference?"
Tsunade motioned her inside the office and gestured towards the couch.
"I've left out some blankets and pillows, the bathroom's over there, I'll be back early tomorrow morning to relieve you."
Beki eyed her long and hard.
"Do I at least get brownie points for this?"
Tsunade thought about it for a moment and shrugged.
"Sure. We'll say…one free shenanigan."
"Sounds like a deal," Beki held out her hand and Tsunade shook it.
"I'm going to lock you in, okay?" Tsunade walked out the door and started to close it.
"Isn't this place guarded?" Beki looked around suspiciously.
"Yeah, they're on the roof," Tsunade chuckled. "So don't try to steal village secrets or anything."
"Don't you keep those locked up?" Panic was sneaking into Beki's voice. "What if I accidentally see something I shouldn't?"
"Scoop out your eyes," Tsunade laughed wickedly as she locked Beki in.
With the click of the lock Beki sighed and looked at Tonton. He had the expression she had seen on children who thought their mothers had abandoned them in the grocery store.
"It's okay buddy," She sighed. "I'm going to change into my pjs and we'll cuddle up for bed, okay?"
For a moment she felt stupid having such a serious conversation with a pig until he replied:
"Oi," and plopped down by the couch to wait for her.
Beki went into the bathroom and changed into her sleeping bra and tank top. She sighed when she saw that she had forgotten what underwear she had worn after she changed earlier. They were white hipster panties with powder blue lace and a teddy bear face on the front and "beary cute" on the back. Thank god she wasn't going to be around anyone all night. Beki brushed her teeth and then climbed onto the couch. It was unsettling to sleep in a strange environment, so she turned on the desk lamp on Tsunade's desk and curled back up on the couch. She tried to hug her alpaca, but Tonton hopped up on the couch and claimed the place in her arms. Beki had to shift the alpaca down between her legs, which wasn't uncomfortable but it made her feel silly to be "riding" a tiny alpaca in her sleep. Tonton was a major cuddler and within moments was fast asleep in Beki's arms. His soft piggy breathing and warmth soothed Beki quickly into her own slumber.
…
A few hours before:
Kankuro was waiting anxiously for Gaara to get back. To keep himself busy, he was doing some repairwork on Karasu. The door to the hotel room clicked and Gaara walked in, looking slightly dazed and confused.
"You okay, Gaara?" Kankuro put down the screwdriver.
"She called me 'cute', Kankuro," Gaara looked at him. "No one has ever called me 'cute'."
Kankuro immediately snapped out a notepad and a pen.
"I need details while you still remember them, go."
Gaara described the conversation they had and how it had ended with the pinky swear.
"She's an odd little duck, isn't she?" Kankuro said half to himself. "It sounds like she likes you, Gaara. Do you like her?"
Gaara sat on his bed across from Kankuro's. He looked at his brother, honest turmoil on his face:
"How would I know if I liked her?"
Kankuro squared off with him and looked him dead in the eye.
"Do you want to see her again?"
Gaara paused before responding:
"Yes."
"What color are her eyes?" Kankuro pushed.
"Gray," Gaara said automatically.
"Do you really want to get to know her? The good stuff and the bad?" Kankuro pressed.
Gaara paused and thought again before he spoke.
"Yes."
Kankuro threw up his hands and sighed.
"Then yes, Gaara, you like her. Why don't you ask her to lunch tomorrow?"
Gaara's eyes grew wide as if Kankuro had suggested he declare war on Konoha.
"Ask her to lunch?"
"It's not that big of a deal, Gaara. You two are friends and she's the daughter of an ambassador. You have a lot in common," Kankuro picked his screwdriver back up. "For all anyone knows it's just business. Besides, lunch is a pretty noncommittal way to have a conversation and get to know someone a little better."
"But Kankuro, how do I ask her to lunch?" Gaara's face was betraying his distress.
"You're the leader of one of the five main ninja villages, Gaara. Just walk up and ask her." Kankuro made some adjustments to the tension on Karasu's screws. "She likes you. She won't turn you down especially because it's not directly a date. Zero pressure."
"Just like that?" Gaara leaned back on his hands.
"Just like that." Kankuro smirked at his brother and shook his head. Even when he had been elected kage he still couldn't bring himself to think of Gaara as more than just his baby brother. If he pulled this off though, if he managed to go out on this date, Kankuro would be able to look at him as a man.
The next morning when they set out for Gaara's meeting with the Hokage, Kankuro slapped Gaara on the shoulder for encouragement.
"You'll do just fine Gaara," Kankuro chuckled. "Don't sweat it."
No one else would have noticed the slight pinched up quality to Gaara's face that indicated he was nervous, but Kankuro saw it. He really hoped they ran into the girl before they got to the Hokage's mansion so Gaara could focus on the meeting.
"I'm early," Gaara looked up at the morning sun.
"That's what happens when you don't sleep all night and dressed in a rush," Kankuro rubbed his eyes. "Do you want to go get breakfast?"
"No, Tsunade must already be working," Gaara gestured toward the windows of the Hokage's office. "See? Her lights are on."
"Okay Gaara," Kankuro folded his arms. "Do you want me to go do recon on your girlfriend while you're in there?"
Gaara's eyes grew wide and he shook his head.
"Too bad, I'm doing it anyway," Kankuro started to walk off towards main street. The look on Gaara's face was priceless. Kankuro never defied his brother's orders, but he was the big brother and today he was pulling rank. Gaara would just have to deal while Kankuro set this up for him.
Gaara watched his brother walk away in a mild state of panic, which for Gaara amounted to slight concern. He shook his head. He had Kazekage business to deal with. At this hour of the morning, the Hokage's mansion was minimally guarded. A few guards were posted on the roof and the remaining visible guards were stationed strategically along the building's access points. As Gaara approached, they nodded in greeting and allowed him to pass. He climbed the steps to the Hokage's office and mentally prepared himself. Now that Gaara was Kazekage, he needed to do everything in his power to assuage the sore feelings the Leaf held against the Sand for the attack at the chunin exams two years ago. As a start, they would arrange a trade agreement that was slightly more beneficial for Konoha than for Suna and then a pact of alliance. He had to be assuring but not forceful and apologetic but not pitifully so. The men responsible for that incident were dead or missing so all they could do was move forward.
He knocked on the door of the office and waited for Tsunade's assistant to let him in. The patter of feet he heard on the other side of the door sounded like the person was stumbling and bare footed. Before he had time to react, he heard the door unlocking.
"What's wrong Hokage-sama, you party so hard you forgot your keys?" Beki smiled sleepily as she opened the door.
It took a moment for Beki to register that it was the Kazekage and not the Hokage standing before her. As it slowly registered her eyes widened in horror but it was too late. She stood before him in her disheveled tank top and teddy bear underwear and she had never felt so embarrassed in her life. Instinctively she clutched the alpaca she had been carrying idly against her stomach to cover herself.
"Kazekage sama, what are you doing here?!"
Gaara was speechless. He had been mentally preparing for the meeting with Tsunade and had been in full Kazekage mode. Now that he was suddenly faced with Beki he was jarringly set back into his personal life. Worse yet, she was obviously not expecting company. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were still heavy with sleep, and she wasn't even wearing pants. He caught an embarrassing glimpse of a teddy bear face on her underwear before he caught himself and she covered herself. Beki had always seemed to carefree and easy going, but right now she was obviously vulnerable.
"I…I was here to meet with the Hokage," He looked away politely. "I saw the light was on and I thought she was here working early."
"Uh," Beki looked around the room in a panic. "She um, she should be here soon-"
Seeing that he had turned away Beki sprinted for her bag. In the chaos of her sudden movement she startled the sleeping Tonton into a frantic scurry. He got caught between her legs and tripped her. Beki barreled over face first onto the hardwood floor. Physically it made her thighs and her stomach sting but she hardly felt it in the sea of humiliation that swept over her. The shame she felt was paralyzing and Beki realized that she hadn't moved in the seconds since she fell. A hand was suddenly around her arm and she was being helped to her feet. Gaara had moved so silently Beki hadn't even noticed him approach. Once she was back on her feet the Kazekage took a step back from her for propriety's sake. Now that he was inside the room with her Beki's state of undress grew increasingly more nagging, especially since he touched her. Unsure of what to do in this situation, Gaara took off the wrap he wore over his coat and handed it to her.
"Thanks," Beki said as she draped it over herself. "And I'm sorry. I know this is really a strange situation. Tsunade asked me to pet sit the pig since all the genin are out on assignment and so I was just sleeping over in the office until she got here."
"I must admit it's not usual for someone to be sleeping in an office overnight-" Gaara began but the creek of the door opening drew both of their attention.
Tsunade stood in the doorway with a look of disbelief.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"I-it's not what it looks like!" Beki stammered. "He was here for your meeting, I thought it was you so I let him in and I was going to go get changed but I fell and he helped me up-"
Tsunade laughed.
"Don't worry about it Beki, I know nothing indecent happened." She gave Beki a sly smile. "How could anything indecent happen when you're wearing teddy bear underpants."
"I think bears are cute," Gaara said half to himself.
Beki was on the brink of exploding. She was somewhere between absolute despair and unfathomably rage.
"I'm going to change now," Beki croaked as she grabbed her duffel bag and ran into the bathroom.
Beki's hands shook as she took off the wrap Gaara gave her and dressed in her clothes. She brushed her teeth and her hair. Beki let the water run for a moment as she collected herself. Once her heart stopped racing she washed her face and toweled it off with her tank top. If it had been her bathroom Beki would have punched the wall. What had just happened was beyond mortifying. If it had been Tsunade or any other adult that had seen her like that, Beki could have brushed it off. Anyone over thirty acted like teenagers were toddlers and it would have been readily dismissed. The Kazekage was her age, however, which sent Beki right back to the shaem and humiliation she felt as a child when she messed up in school in front of her classmates.
After a few minutes of stewing Beki decided she had been hiding long enough. She walked out of the bathroom with all the confidence she could muster. Instead of side eyes and malicious grinning, she found herself alone with the Kazekage again.
"Where is lady Tsunade?" Beki asked automatically, suddenly much more aware of being alone with him.
He respectfully kept his distance.
"Since I'm so early and the Hokage's assistant is out, she is sending one of the guards for coffee."
"Oh, alright," Beki looked at her feet. "Would you mind telling her I've headed out?"
"Of course," Gaara could sense her discomfort and as much as he wanted to respect it opportunities were too few and too far between. "Miss Tsukimori-"
"Your wrap!" Beki ran back into the bathroom and took it off towel rack. "Here, I'm sorry I almost forgot it."
Gaara reached out and took ahold of the wrap while she still held onto it.
"This meeting with the Hokage will be brief," He kept his eyes on her hands as he built up his courage. "I should be free around lunch. Do you have any plans now that you've finished pet sitting?"
Beki was frozen in place as her heart quickly picked up pace again.
"No, I'm free today," Beki realized she was still holding onto the wrap so she released it. "So should I meet you back here around noon?"
Gaara could hear the blood pounding in his ears. Kankuro had been right. In spite of all the embarrassment Beki had experienced only a short time before she still accepted his invitation to lunch. If nothing else, she must want to be friends, Gaara thought.
"Okay, I'll see you later then," Beki said as she walked to the door.
"And Miss Tsukimori?" He called after her, unable to help himself. "Don't worry about today. I thought you were 'beary cute'."
The look of horror on Beki's face was priceless as she slammed the door shut behind her. Gaara could hear her race down the stairs and smiled in spite of himself.