Hi everyone. I'm really excited about this chapter and I had a lot of fun writing it. I have been getting some really great feedback so I would like to take this chance to say thank you to everyone who has sent me reviews. Just know that I really appreciate them and it makes me really happy to hear what you all think of my story. Plus, when I get feedback, that lets me know if I'm on the right track and my writing gets better. That being said, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and I look forward to hearing from you!
"The horse has left the stable, I repeat the horse has left the stable," Hanabi whispered into the headset she was wearing as she watched Beki walk out the gate. "And my god that dress looks bad on her."
Tenten groaned audibly into her headset.
"I knew she should have picked the other once. Why didn't I say something?!"
"How does she look? Excited? Anxious?" Neji was positioned halfway between the Hokage's mansion and the restaurant the date would be held at. He and Tenten had made the reservation for a secluded booth in the back of the room and for the couple to be let in from the back entrance to avoid prying eyes. All Neji's plans would be for nothing if he didn't at least make it seem like he wanted the date to go over smoothly.
"She looks like she hasn't slept in a week and her dog died," Hanabi scoffed.
As the team made a series of empathetic noises into their headsets, Neji silently lifted his fist in the air and pulled it down in a reverse fist pump of victory.
…
Lee stood beside Gaara under the shade of a tree just off of the main road.
"She's on her way," Lee smiled reassuringly. "And the restaurant staff has already been alerted to let you two in through the back. You won't be interrupted by gawkers or fans looking for autographs!"
Gaara nodded gratefully.
"I really appreciate all your help," He explained. "I'm sure the date will go a lot more smoothly with all of you guiding things in the background."
"Everything is going to be great. This can't be any harder than running a ninja village, after all," Lee gave him a thumbs up. "And Beki is a kind person. If you just be yourself with her she'll be happy."
Gaara folded his arms out of habit.
"You'll be heading to the restaurant now?"
"Yes," Lee saluted him. "Now remember, our objective for dinner is not just conversation, it's going to be an opportunity for you to protect her."
"She won't be put in any danger during this, will she?" Gaara couldn't imagine that even the best date would be remembered fondly if someone was bodily harmed.
Lee shook his head. "Of course not. It will be something tiny and inconsequential, really, but according to Tenten girls appreciate when guys take care of little unpleasant things for them. You know, like killing bugs for them or taking phone calls from their crazy aunt so they don't have to. That sort of thing."
Gaara's imagination switched from protecting her from thugs in an alleyway to squashing bugs and having to sit through a phone call with her father. That didn't really seem like protecting Beki to Gaara, but he was sure that Team Gai had planned appropriately. With a bow, Lee ran off leaving a cloud of dust and gust of wind behind him. Gaara brushed the dirt off of his sleeves and shook his head. The clack of heels against the pavement steadily grew louder from the direction Lee had headed. He anxiously watched as Beki approached in a bright red dress. Beki looked at the ground as she walked lost in her thoughts. Gaara felt his heartbeat pick up speed and clenched his fists subconsciously. He had been less nervous about meeting heads of state than he was right now. Beki was always lovely, but in this moment the sun shone on her hair and it glowed like a golden halo around her head. Just the sight of her left him speechless.
Beki approached him and he gave her a slight smile. At last he found his voice and he began to say "hello" but she walked right by him. Gaara blinked in surprise and called out her name. Beki stopped and faced him with a surprised look on her face.
"Oh, I'm sorry," She walked over to him. "I wasn't expecting to run into you out here." A sick feeling washed over her with her embarrassment. She had been so caught up in her thoughts she didn't even notice the Kazekage, which in his usual all red ensemble was a hard thing to do.
"I thought I would meet you halfway," Now that Gaara could see her up close Beki looked a little flushed. There were also hints of dark circles under her eyes. It must be the heat, he thought to himself as he took her arm and guided her into the shade as they walked. Lee had reminded him to compliment Beki often, so he said: "I like the color you're wearing."
"It's not weird that we're matching?" Beki gave him an uncertain look.
"Not at all," he shook his head. "Red's my favorite color."
Thank you, Tenten, Beki thought. Talking her into that red dress earned Tenten plus ten best friend points in Beki's book. "So, where are we headed?" Beki adjusted her collar self-consciously.
"I'm not a local but I've heard that the food at this restaurant is top notch," Gaara tried to paraphrase what Lee had told him so it sounded like his own words. "It's just off of Main Street, and the staff are aware we're on our way so someone will lead us in from the back."
Even though Seiichiro was an ambassador he never expected VIP treatment. He had taught her to wait in line like everyone else but she supposed it would be a little different for a kage. Beki wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, so she offered "For privacy, right?"
Gaara realized that Beki might feel like he was trying to avoid being seen with her and mentally scrambled for a moment before replying:
"I would just like us to be able to enjoy our date like a normal couple with nobody interrupting and taking up our time together unnecessarily," Gaara explained. "Often when I'm out in public people approach me to ask me questions or strike up a conversation with me. Usually I don't mind, but in a situation like this I would rather avoid people than have to shut them down."
Beki nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense."
The alleyway along the side of the restaurant was narrow but clean. Beki knew if her father was aware she was letting a boy lead her down an alley all alone she was pretty sure he'd keep her leashed at all times. Her gut was telling her it was safe to trust Gaara, and her gut had never led her astray. In fact, the maître de that greeted them at the back door was more prim, polished, and polite than the one Beki had spotted greeting patrons at the front door. The employees in the back respectfully kept their eyes on their work as Gaara and Beki were led through the kitchen doors to a booth that was obscured from the view of the rest of the dining room by a large decorative screen. Gaara watched Beki as she slid into her seat for any signs of her being offended. Instead, she gave him a big smile and said in a conspiratorial voice:
"I have to admit this is pretty nice."
"You could get used to this kind of treatment?" Gaara couldn't help himself.
"Totally," Beki said as she picked up her menu.
"You'll have to keep going out with me then," Gaara kept his face as emotionless as possible as he spoke.
Beki made a face indicating she was aware she was being teased. "You're lucky this is only our second date or I'd hit you for that."
"Assaulting a kage is a serious offense," Gaara looked at the menu. "You might be barred from buying more groceries the next time you do."
Beki folded her arms. "You know, you think its so funny, but what you don't know is I make the best damn chocolate chip cookies in the world. Why do you not know that? Because I can't buy flour. So the whole world suffers in the absence of my cookies because SOMEONE couldn't dodge a blonde with a bag of flour."
"Have you ever considered that I might have let you hit me on purpose?" Gaara put down his menu as the waitress approached.
Beki looked at him slack jawed. Before she could reply the waitress had arrived to take their orders. Beki had given up on being a dainty lady on this date after looking at the menu. Everything looked delicious, but there was no way she could eat any of it without getting messy. The restaurant specialized in appetizers, noodles, and finger foods. She knew Gaara had been trolling her pretty hard since they met, so she had to wonder if this wasn't some sort of test. It was a tossup between soba and udon, so Beki went with udon. If things got awkward she could just chew on the thick noodles for as long as she needed. Gaara ordered steak sliders, the waitress took their menus and then left them to bring their drinks.
"Wait, what did you mean by you let me hit you?" Beki eyed him suspiciously.
Gaara had wondered if she would remember that comment in spite of the interruption.
"I'm the Kazekage. Do you think someone could hit me unless I wanted them to?" He made a point of avoiding answering the question outright. He himself was unsure how Beki had managed to not only hit him that day but completely incapacitate him. In all honesty his statement wasn't inaccurate. Perhaps his subconscious had allowed her through his defenses. It was anyone's guess.
Beki tapped the tabletop with her unpolished fingers. She cursed herself for not remembering to paint her nails earlier, then chastised herself for getting distracted.
"What reason would you have for letting me hit you?"
Gaara gave a slight shrug and folded his hands.
"Why do you think?"
Beki's eyes narrowed. "This conversation is going to go nowhere if we just keep answering each other's questions with questions."
"Then how about we change the topic. We should be trying to get to know each other's personal information," Gaara said. "For example, I don't know your favorite color."
"To be honest, I don't really have a favorite color," Beki stopped talking to accept her tea from the waitress. "I either like colors that are really bright or really subdued, like neons or neutrals."
Gaara rubbed his temples.
"I understand you're an ambassador's daughter and you're used to answering things diplomatically, but this is a one-word answer. We've all been through this, as children we're asked to pick a favorite so when we're getting to know people that's a safe and reliable course of conversation. So when you ask me what my favorite color is, I say red. So when I ask you again what your favorite color is, you say…?"
Beki smiled. Without realizing it, her rambling nervous answer had exasperated him. She could put one tally on the mental scoreboard she was keeping of their snarky exchanges. He was still in the lead, but who knows? She thought. The night is young.
"Gray," Beki smiled and Gaara held out his hands in front of him.
"Was that so hard?" He asked.
"And lime green and electric blue and petal pink and tropical orange and royal purple and gold and ruby and sapphire," as she named every damn color she owned a single article of clothing in, Gaara heaved a sigh and rested his cheek on his fist in exasperation. Yes, Beki thought. Another tally.
…
In the kitchen, Lee and Neji hovered over Beki's order of udon. They had explained to the chef and the waitress that they were trying to help the Kazekage out on his date and so they had allowed them to loiter back there. Neji pulled out the saran wrapped parcel from his pocket. He sighed with relief when he saw it hadn't leaked. Lee's eyes widened and he leaned closer to inspect the object.
"Wow! Are you sure that's not the real thing?" Lee poked the package.
"No, I special ordered this at the wagashi shop. The apprentice there is talented and often bored, so he was more than happy to oblige this…odd request." Neji unwrapped the sphere.
"It looks just like an eyeball, though," Lee looked at Neji with uncertainty. "You're sure it's not?"
Neji sighed. "For the last time, Lee, it's a treat made with gelatin and mochi. A real eyeball would have all sorts of stringy bits on it and would undoubtedly not smell like mochi. Smell it."
Lee gave it a whiff and his eyes sparkled. "You're right!"
Neji rolled the "eye" into the udon. He couldn't believe Lee. Even if Neji did want to ruin Beki's date, he would never put an eye in her noodles. Not only was that mean, she would probably get sick. He grabbed a pair of disposable chopsticks and rearranged the noodles on top of the "eye" so it was hidden in the dish. Now it was just a waiting game.
…
When Beki saw the waitress coming with their food her stomach rumbled. Even though she had snacked before she had left the house, Beki's nervousness on the date had burned through her reserves and she was now starving. The waitress set their dishes down in front of them, bowed, and retreated.
Beki's mouth watered at the smell of the delicious hearty broth. She picked up her chopsticks and fished out the end of a noodle.
"So is it just you and your brother in Suna, or do you have more family?" Beki asked as she raised the noodle to her mouth.
Gaara put his napkin on his lap. "Our sister, Temari, lives with us as well. She's the oldest."
"So you're the baby?" Beki said after swallowing her chunk of noodle.
Gaara gave her a sidelong glance. "I suppose you could put it like that."
Another tally, Beki smirked and resumed eating her noodles. As the noodle unwound within the bowl, something caught her eye. Something was obscured in the bed of noodles. She put down her chopsticks and picked up a spoon. As she fished around in her bowl, Gaara leaned towards her to see what had her attention.
"What is it?" He said as she fished something up out of her bowl.
Beki's eyes grew wide as the bright brown eye of a cow peered back at her from her spoon. She dropped the spoon back into her bowl and clapped her hands over her mouth. Beki closed her eyes tight as her stomach turned violently.
"Its an eye," Beki whispered between her fingers. "There's an eye in my noodles."
The two of them sat there as a silence grew between them. Gaara's eyes grew wide as he realized this was probably the chance to protect her that Lee had been alluding to.
"What would you like me to do?" He asked.
Beki shook her head and kept her eyes closed. "I don't know, make it go away!"
Gaara fished it out of the bowl with the spoon and picked it up with the sand. He had the sand form a hand and then clenched a fist around the eye. The sand squeezed, but Gaara didn't hear the pop he had been expecting. The sand hand unfurled and he saw a mushy mess like ground rice and jello.
"Beki, this isn't an eyeball."
"What?" She snuck a peek. "What are you talking about? Of course it is!"
"No, look," The sand hand extended across the table so she could see it.
"What are you doing?! Don't bring that over here!" Beki shrank into her seat.
Gaara gave a slight sigh. "Trust me. Look at it."
Beki bit her lip and looked at the mushed mass.
"This is probably just broth that coagulated with another additive and it just ended up looking like an eye." Gaara explained.
"How do you know for sure?" Beki watched as the sand retreated back into the gourd.
"It didn't pop when I crushed it," Gaara explained. "Eyeballs pop. They're basically a membrane full of fluid."
"Oh," Beki shuffled uncomfortably, feeling an annoying combination of nausea and embarrassment. "I'll, uh, I'll be right back."
She stood and headed towards the ladies' room. Maybe she could figure out a way to splash water on her face without messing up her makeup. Gaara watched her walk away and instantly he got the nagging sensation he had done something wrong. Almost on cue, Lee snuck in from the kitchen.
"How did it go?"
"The eyeball?" Gaara asked. "That was the 'opportunity', right?"
"Yes!" Lee gave him a thumbs up. "It was gelatin and mochi."
Gaara thought about it for a moment and nodded. "That makes sense."
"So, how did it go?" Lee nudged Gaara's shoulder.
"Well," Gaara picked at his food. "It frightened her and she asked me to make it go away. As I was disposing of it I realized it wasn't an eyeball and tried reassuring her by explaining why it couldn't be an eyeball."
Lee nodded emphatically. "It sounds like you handled it perfectly!"
"I hope so," Gaara watched the screen for any sign of her approach.
Lee scooted back into the kitchen just as Beki approached the screen. Her makeup had been messed up so she had just decided to take it off. Fortunately, she had make up remover in her purse, but unfortunately without the cover-up she looked half a cadaver.
As soon as Beki sat down Gaara noticed she looked sicklier than she had earlier. Instead of the flush she had earlier, Beki looked pallid and the rings under her eyes were darker and more noticeable. The scare with the "eyeball" had probably turned her stomach, he decided.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Beki sighed knowing that she looked deathly. "Yes, I'm fine."
Gaara nodded and dropped the subject, which surprised her. Maybe he was just asking to be polite and really hadn't noticed her transformation from tired teenager to walking corpse. Beki clung to that optimism after they left the restaurant and headed to the movies. The date had started out so fun, Beki thought. Maybe they could pick up that same rhythm again by watching either a comedy or a movie that was so bad it was funny. Beki loved to do that with her dad. They had been thrown out of theaters before for heckling the bad acting and special effects of several b-movie premiers. Maybe she could do the same thing with Gaara, albeit much more quietly. He had surprised her several times with what she now realized to be sarcasm. The Kazekage would probably be hilarious if they found the right movie to roast.
The two walking a long avenue that was uncharacteristically empty. Beki figured it was due to the unseasonably hot day they were having and the fact it was a work/school night. Everyone was probably going to stay home tonight.
Team Gai watched the two make their way down the street with anxious looks.
"The two of them are keeping their distance, huh?" Tenten's voice was full of concern.
"What could we do to push them closer together, I wonder," Neji "accidently" bumped into Lee as he wondered aloud.
"I know!" Lee jumped up. "I've got this! LEAF WHIRLWIND!"
Lee jumped out of the bushes far enough away from the couple they didn't see or hear him. He spun through the air, creating a powerful whirlwind.
Beki had been telling Gaara the story of how she had come to live with the Hyuga when a strong wind picked up. She had the habit of talking with her hands, so there was nothing to stop the sudden gale from picking up the hem of her skirt and hurling it into the air.
Gaara had been looking at her as she spoke but the sudden movement caught his eye. He caught more than a glimpse of her electric blue underwear, if you could call anything that skimpy underwear, before she managed to slap her skirt down into place.
"Where the hell did that come from," Beki was red with embarrassment as she held the hem of her skirt balled up in fists in a vice grip at her sides.
"No idea," Gaara looked away as he tried to dismiss the image of her tiny lacey underthings from his mind. Those were nothing like the underwear he had seen her in before. The bear underwear had been innocent and adorable. The kind of underwear Beki was wearing today were definitely the kind a grown woman wore and the thought of them kept pulling Gaara's mind down the path of indecent thoughts. He clenched his fists. What had just happened was an accident and it would be wrong of him to enjoy it, especially as much as he was enjoying that memory now.
…
Tenten bopped Lee over the head.
"What were you thinking, using a whirlwind on a girl in a dress? PERVERT!"
Lee covered his head defensively as tears flowed freely from his eyes.
"I thought it would push them closer together."
"The idea was good but the execution needs work," Gai sensei nodded.
Oh god no, Beki thought. He's kind of blushing. He saw. He saw everything. The embarrassment kept either of them from talking until they reached the movie theater.
Instead of moving for the ticket counter, Gaara led her straight to the doors. "I already bought the tickets," He explained.
"Oh, okay," Beki shrugged. She should have expected that he would be a planner in nature. To have a job like his, Gaara probably had every aspect of his day penciled out let alone what he would do on a date.
The title on the marquee of the theater they stepped into was unfamiliar to Beki. She didn't get out much to see movies because of her rigid training schedule and the fact that most of her friends preferred more active activities. They were the first ones in the theater, so they had their choice of seats. They picked seats in the very back row toward the middle.
"Oh, I wasn't thinking," Gaara looked at her. "Would you like anything from the concession stand?"
Beki's stomach rolled at the idea of more food. "No, I'm okay. Thanks, though."
Slowly, the theater began to fill with other couples and groups of teenagers. Beki began to grow suspicious. "What kind of movie is this?"
"The technical name for it would be a 'thriller' I believe," Gaara folded his arms. "I don't watch a lot of movies. This will be interesting."
A chill went down Beki's spine. She would never admit it to the Kazekage, but she was a total chicken. Even if she was well aware that everything she saw was fake, late at night her imagination would run wild and she couldn't help but see monsters in every shadow. The last time she saw one, she made Hinata stay in the room till she fell asleep.
It turned out the movie was not about shinobi at all. A group of teenagers went looking for their missing parents in an abandoned palace in the mountains. They were hunted by oni and the angry spirits of the royal family members and their attendants who had been cursed and died there. It was so frustrating to Beki how powerless they all were in their situation. One of the girls had shut herself in a wardrobe to avoid the maid with the mangled face.
Gaara was leaning on the armrest with his chin on his hand. Beki had leaned all the way back in her chair and slightly behind Gaara so she only had to watch the movie around his head.
"Why would she corner herself like that?" Gaara mumbled to himself.
A moment of heavy silence followed and then the doors of the wardrobe flung open, revealing the mangled maiden's face. The girl had only a moment to scream before the maiden howled her otherworldly scream and climbed into the wardrobe with her. Blood trickled out of the bottom of the doors. Gaara turned and looked at Beki over his shoulder. She realized she had grabbed ahold of his sleeve so tightly it probably pinched his arm.
"Does this frighten you?" Beki couldn't tell if his tone was mocking or genuine.
"I just get wrapped up in the action, is all." Beki released his arm and folded her hands in her lap. The scene had switched to one of the smarter boys as he snuck his way into the room the oni kept so closely guarded. The walls, floor, and ceiling were covered with the bodies of the fallen teenagers and their parents. He approached his father with a look of horror on his face. He looked peaceful in death, in spite of the spikes through his body. His eyes snapped open and he whispered to his son "run."
Beki squealed when his eyes opened suddenly and hid behind Gaara again. He gave a soft chuff and adjusted so he obscured more of the screen for her.
…
The ending of the movie had Beki completely fixated. The smarter boy managed to escape with the girl who turned out to be the descendant of a kitchen maid who had escaped the original curse, burned down the mansion, and headed home. When the boy had opened the door to his house and walked inside, the crazy ghost of the princess stood in his living room and said "welcome home."
When they walked out of the theater night had fallen. Beki instantly noticed that the creepy factor on Konoha had been dialed up to a 9 after watching that movie. Half the damn town looked haunted or abandoned in this light.
"So, uh, can we get some air?" Beki grabbed his hand and started walking toward the park. "I feel like a walk."
The park had large open spaces and even at this hour there were bound to be lots of people. Angry ghosts and oni only attacked people who were alone. Until she got her wits back, Beki wanted to be around people. They walked along the path amongst the other couples, families, and friends enjoying the ebb in the heat. Beki was so fixated on the movie she had failed to notice the silence that had fallen between them. Gaara had noticed it, and he couldn't help but worry that he had made the wrong choice in movie. In spite of her realistic outlook on life, it seemed like Beki struggled separating reality from fiction in movies. He had read somewhere that was due to a heightened sense of empathy. That in turn made him worry Beki would think he wasn't empathetic at all for not fearing for characters on a screen.
Their stroll led them onto a bridge over the river that ran through the park. Beki's pace slowed and she leaned against the railing of the bridge.
"But HOW did the ghost get out and beat him home?" She half asked herself.
Gaara blinked and frowned slightly. "I believe that was just a dramatic device."
"They should have done something to make that ending make sense, like he took something from the mansion or it turned out the girl he rescued was actually the ghost princess all along," Beki pushed herself up so she was sitting on the railing. "I guess they were doing scary stuff just for the sake of being scary, but that's sloppy writing if you ask me."
Gaara felt relieved. Beki had been lost in thought again, just like she had been earlier when she walked right by him in the street. He watched Beki as she mumbled to herself. She was really more suited to moonlight, Gaara decided. Beki was pretty during the day, but at night she was downright ethereal. Her skin became fine porcelain and her hair was pure moonlight.
Beki caught him smiling at her. He didn't have a big smile, it was shy and small. It reminded Beki of the shy preschoolers she worked with at the academy. He was the Kazekage but when he looked at her like that she couldn't help but think he was cute. His features were still too boyish for him to be considered handsome. The fact that he was probably making fun of her in his head was the only thing that kept her from getting completely wrapped up in the moment.
"What are you smiling at?" She watched him suspiciously.
"You," He said in complete monotone.
Dammit, she thought. I can never tell what he's thinking. I've repeatedly made an ass out of myself tonight. He'll probably tell the other kage and ambassadors what a fool Seiichiro's daughter was. Beki sighed. She deserved it.
Team Gai watched the pair on the bridge.
"They're missing something," Gai mused.
"Has Gaara had a chance to demonstrate his manliness at any point?" Neji asked. "They saw that scary movie and he took care of the eyeball, but what about his strength or his reflexes."
"You're right!" Lee punched the air. "He hasn't had a chance to show his amazing talents with his sand!"
"Lee, what are you doing?" Tenten looked frightened as he pulled something from the bushes.
"Oh these?" Lee held up a set of massively heavy dumbbells. "These are just my walking dumbbells. They weigh 50 pounds each. Featherweight, really. One of these should be plenty!"
"What do you mean 'plenty'? What are you going to do?" Tenten tried to get in Lee's way.
Lee dropped one of the dumbbells and it dented the earth beside him. He lined up his shot like an expert javelin thrower. Neji had silently picked up a pebble from the ground and activated his Byakugan. He would only need to adjust Lee's angle slightly to change Lee's target from Gaara to Beki. Gaara would more than likely still catch it, but the shock might be enough to get Beki to lose her balance in the process. Neji had seen Beki get her hair wet when some of the academy students had been playing with squirt guns. They went home with broken squirt guns and she had been grouchy the rest of the day.
Lee's arm began moving forward to throw the dumbbell. Neji flicked the pebble and it hit Lee's forearm. He deactivated his Byakugan and watched as the dumbbell sailed straight for Beki.
"Heads up!" Lee screamed realizing too late that the dumbbell was heading for Beki.
"Huh?" Beki held up her hands instinctively and caught the bar of the dumbbell harmlessly in her hands. The momentum of the impact, however, carried her right over the side of the bridge and she landed in the water with a splash. Gaara leaned over the railing with an impending sense of doom in his chest. Team Gai all ran up to the bridge together with looks of concern on their face. Beki almost immediately resurfaced with a gasp for air, her clothes soaked. Her hair had turned black and was plastered around her face and shoulders.
"Beki, are you okay?" Gaara called out.
"Okay, I'm wet now," Beki whined. She looked up to see not just Gaara, but all of Team Gai looking at her over the railing of the bridge. All night long Beki had made mistakes and embarrassed herself. This went above and beyond though. All she wanted to do right now was run away and cry. In her heart she knew that wasn't the grown up thing to do, so she took a deep breath and said: "I'm going to go in the bathroom and try to dry off. Of something."
"I'll come with you!" Tenten cried out and ran down to meet her at the riverbank.
Gaara watched helplessly as his date trudged off through the park soaking wet and with the most disheartened face he'd ever seen.
"She looks just like a wet cat," Neji mused aloud.
"I ruined everything." Gaara stared off after her. "At the restaurant, I described how an eyeball pops the way only someone who has popped eyeballs could, I took her to a movie that scared her and teased her about being scared, and now this. I didn't protect her from the dumbbell."
"I don't know what happened," Lee stared at his hands. "I was aiming for you."
Gaara shook his head. "It's not your fault. All you have been trying to do all night is help me. I'm just…incompetent."
"I'm curious," Neji asked. "Your defenses are usually so automatic. How did you not sense that dumbbell coming?"
Gaara thought back to how beautiful Beki had been sitting on that railing in the moonlight.
"I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings at the time."
…
The bathroom was blessedly empty when Tenten helped Beki stumble in.
"Beki…" Tenten watched the tears welling up in Beki's eyes.
Beki pulled away from Tenten and started to wring out her hair in the sink.
"Beki, it's okay," Tenten put a hand on her shoulder.
"No, it's not," the tears started falling down Beki's cheeks but she wouldn't let herself sob. "I've just made an idiot of myself right and left. I was stupid to think that a bumbling cow like me could date someone like him."
Beki let out a sob and then bit her lip. She hated crying, but it was too late. She had started and now she couldn't stop. She put her face in her hands and let it out.
"You are not a bumbling cow," Tenten put an arm around Beki's soaked shoulders. She felt the water transferring to her own clothes and made herself ignore it. "I have it on pretty good authority that Gaara feels that way about you."
"What are you talking about?" Beki wiped her eyes and blew her nose into a paper towel. "He's the Kazekage and I couldn't even keep it together one night."
"For one thing, you're pretty," Tenten searched Beki's eyes desperately for some sign of acceptance. "You're also really funny, and you didn't let someone's violent murderous past keep you from giving them an honest chance."
"Was he really that bad?" Beki asked as she wrung out the skirt of her dress.
Tenten had gone completely quiet so Beki looked at her. Tenten nodded violently. "Yes. He was that bad."
"I mean other than the eyeball popping comment I would have never guessed," Beki smiled weakly at Tenten.
Finally, Tenten thought. Beki's making a joke. She didn't know if she could handle Beki sad for very long. It was like seeing a sad animal in the zoo.
"Um, Tenten," Beki's face was flushed with embarrassment. "Could you watch the door while, I um, I wring out my underwear."
Tenten's eyes widened and she instantly did an about face. "Y-yeah of course."
…
Gaara was waiting for her about twenty feet from the restroom. He was struggling with mixed emotions: frustration with himself for making such foolish mistakes during the date, regret that he had dragged Beki through such a horrible night, and sadness that he would never get to enjoy her company again.
Beki stepped out of the bathroom at last with Tenten at her side. The girls exchanged a few words and then hugged. Beki walked towards him with her shoes in her hands. Her clothes were damp now but not dripping. Interestingly enough, her hair was still dark. The momentary curiosity was instantly swept away by the reminder that he had ruined his chances with her.
"I imagine you would like to go home," Gaara kept his gaze on the ground.
Beki held up her ruined shoes. "Can't run around town barefoot."
Gaara offered his arm and she took it. The sand cloud formed and he began to fly her home, careful not to go too fast. He didn't want her to catch a chill in her damp clothes. They both wordlessly watched the world ahead. Gaara wasn't sure which would be more painful: to memorize the feeling of her arm around his or to try to block it from his memory.
His face was almost a blank, but Beki caught the hurt and disappointment in his eyes. As hard as all this was for Beki, she couldn't imagine how much harder this was for Gaara. She wanted to console him, but now didn't seem like the right time.
…
The Kazekage set them down just outside the gates of the Hyuga compound. He struggled to find the words to express how he was feeling. He wanted to apologize more than anything, but behind that he also wanted to plead for her forgiveness and ask for another chance. Gaara knew he didn't deserve another chance, but Beki had made him happy. He selfishly wanted more chances to be happy with her, however after tonight it was clear that wasn't in the cards. He finally found the words to say and looked her in the eye.
What he found was concern. Not pity, not anger, not disappointment.
Beki leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek "It'll all go better next time."
"Next time?" Gaara blinked in surprise.
"Our next date," Beki brushed some of her still wet stringy hair behind her ear. "I was having a fantastic time with you. I just can't believe all those freak random accidents kept happening."
Gaara felt like he had been spared the executioner's chair. Beki gave him a worried look.
"Did you not have a good time?"
He shook his head. "I really enjoyed myself. Other than when the accidents happened."
"Alright," Beki gave him a small smile. "So you'll send me a letter next time you know you'll be in town?"
"Of course." He was on autopilot. Gaara was still trying to process how he had not been dumped after a night that awful. Lee was right. Beki really was kind, and Gaara was realizing after how terrified he'd been of screwing up that he was genuinely interested in her.
Beki gave him a soft pat on the cheek and went inside. Gaara stared at the gate a full five minutes before he had the wherewithal to fly back to his hotel. As soon as he told his brother about how the night had gone, Kankuro folded his arms and said:
"You're right, she should have dumped you. I can't believe you took the advice of those jokers about dating and you didn't even ask me!"
"You don't have a girlfriend, Kankuro," Gaara sat on his bed. "They at least had a girl on their team."
"I don't have one girlfriend, Gaara, I have many," Kankuro waved his hat at him. "Your brother is an absolute slayer. If you had come to me, I would have told you how to lay the romance on so thick she would have been putty in your hands."
"Why would I want putty in my hands when I have all the sand I could ever want?" Gaara gave him a confused look.
"Metaphorical putty," Kankuro sighed as he turned out he light and climbed into bed. "We have a lot of work to do with you."
Gaara was exhausted, but fortunately he had plenty to think about for the rest of the night. Some of it was the softness of Beki's lips on his cheek, some of it was how pretty she was in the moonlight, more of it was how funny she had been about the movie, and more than he liked to admit was about what he had seen when a chance gust of wind came by.