Hi everyone! This chapter is on the shorter side because I don't like posting 6000-7000 word chapters. I haven't heard otherwise from all of you, so I just have assumed you prefer the 3-4k chapters. That being said, look forward to another chapter hopefully later this weekend. I look forward to hearing what you all think!
Beki woke up the next morning to someone laying down in bed with her.
"Good morning," Hinata said softly.
"Hi Hina chan," Beki grumbled into her pillow.
"Did you miss me when I was away on my mission?" She asked sheepishly.
"Yes, Hina chan, I was empty and incomplete without you," Beki said flatly.
"I suppose things have been pretty exciting around here, outside of your date with the Kazekage" Hinata looked around the room for telltale signs of disaster. "I noticed my sister won't set foot within fifty meters of the house."
"Your sister turned into a flaming hormonal puberty monster because Konohamaru was in love with me," Beki was finally starting to rise from her comatose state.
"Wow," Hinata looked down at the comforter. "I guess it's a good thing I woke you after I made breakfast because it sounds like we have a lot to talk about."
Beki followed Hinata downstairs and took her place at the table. Hinata set down Beki's mug of coffee in front of her and took the seat across from her. In the many months they had spent living together Hinata had figured out how to subtly manipulate Beki. It was much easier to get her to talk about something or to go somewhere when she was promptly fed and caffeinated first thing in the morning. Hinata had also taken to carrying a bag of almonds in her kunai bag to throw at her roommate throughout the day whenever she got testy.
"So let's start with the bad news," Hinata took a bite of her toast, watching Beki expectantly.
"I guess my little secret admirer was Konohamaru, who it turns out Hanabi has developed a colossal crush on, she found out and got me to admit I liked the Kazekage in front of him," Beki explained.
Hinata's eyes grew wide. The bad news was the wrong place to start. She was gone three days and Beki gone on a date with the Kazekage, started a blood feud with her sister, and broken the heart of a young boy. She would have never claimed that their lives were uneventful, but usually that much action would have been spread out over at least two months.
"So then Konohamaru got upset and ran off into the woods. He bumped into some ronin from the Rain village and I got there just in time to scare them off," Beki continued. "Afterwards, I sat him down and had a talk with him about his feelings. I told him he couldn't feel that way about me anymore and I could never like him like that."
"Aw," Hinata pouted sympathetically. "First loves are hard."
"Oh, like you can talk," Beki attacked her toast. "You're still with your first love."
"I got very lucky with Naruto kun," Hinata looked dreamily into her cup of coffee. "What about you Beki? Who was your first love?"
Beki laughed awkwardly.
"My dad. He was the only guy I was ever around and I always thought he was so charming and handsome. He says when I was really young I used to ask him if we could get married. I figured it out as I got older that you don't marry close family."
Hinata gave her an odd look.
"Oh no, we are not having the marrying-your-cousin conversation again," Beki stared her down.
Hinata bit her lip. Beki kept giving her a challenging look then relented and continued her story.
"So anyway, yeah, had to hold the kid in my arms as he bawled his eyes out," Beki took a bite of eggs and sighed. "Was the highlight of my week, right up there with finding a dead baby bird in the woods and my favorite hat blowing away in a freak gust of wind."
Hinata patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Was he okay afterwards?"
"I told him I understood if he didn't want to talk to me anymore. He said he still wanted to be my friend." Beki replied.
"Aw," Hinata pouted again. "So what happened with Hanabi?"
"She went off on me when I got back, said she liked him first and I didn't even notice him and blah blah blah threw my stuff all over the room and ran out in a huff." Beki drummed her fingers on the table.
"My, that's...that's unlike her," Hinata looked worried. "I should talk to her."
"No, I'm going to talk to her," Beki shut her down. "She has a problem with me so she'll talk with me, woman to woman."
…
Hanabi was training. She had felt bad about blowing up on Beki a few nights before but she didn't know what to do about it. Frustration and a nagging sense of rejection hung over her like a wet coat.
"Need a sparring partner?"
Hanabi turned to see Beki in her training clothes. Acid bubbled up in her stomach and she swallowed to keep it down.
"Yeah, I guess."
Beki squared off with her. She had trained with Hinata and Neji enough to know she was going to walk away bruised up from this, but there was no other way to get Hanabi to open up. Beki braced herself to get her ass handed to her on a plate by a thirteen-year-old girl in knee high socks, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.
Hanabi started off easy on her, the same way Beki always did when she was fighting someone she knew was below her level. Quickly she upped the ante and started to strike at her at double the speed and intensity. Beki's previous training with Neji and Hinata had helped her develop something akin to an anti-Gentle Fist strategy. She called it the "Keep the hell away and don't let them touch you" defense.
"So are you going to talk to me about the other day?" Beki narrowly dodged a strike to her solar plexus that would have made her cough up her breakfast. Hanabi's face was pinched up with concentration as she kept fighting.
"I liked Naruto and he liked Hinata. I liked Konohamaru and he likes you." Hanabi began to strike more quickly and more powerfully but her form started to suffer. "What am I doing wrong? Why don't they ever notice me?"
Beki mis-stepped and took a full force hit to the face. It hurt like hell, but Beki rolled with the momentum and tucked into a roll. She landed on her butt and crossed her legs, twisting to face Hanabi.
"Hanabi I am not trying to compete with you," There was a big angry red handprint across her cheek. It was already starting to swell. "I'm not going to be in Konoha forever and I would like to leave here with some good memories. Let's not fight anymore, okay?"
"Okay," Hanabi said and walked over to Beki with her hand out. Beki took her hand and let her pull her to her feet.
"I've got to get an ice pack for this," Beki laughed self-consciously. "You hit really hard, Hanabi. God help anyone who gets on your bad side."
"I'm sorry I yelled at you Beki," Hanabi hung her head in shame.
"I get it Hanabi, I was your age not a too long ago," Beki pat Hanabi's head. "Just talk to me before stuff turns into a problem, okay? I didn't know Konohamaru liked me and had someone told me I would have had that conversation with him a long time ago."
"Okay," Hanabi smiled shyly.
"What happened here?" Neji stepped off of the path and walked towards them with a bag over his shoulder.
"Neji, Hanabi hit me," Beki used her best tattletale voice. Hanabi instantly puffed up and turned to defend herself.
"We were sparring!" Hanabi cried, too distracted to notice the hand looping around her ankle until it was hoisting her in the air. "HEY! PUT ME DOWN!"
Beki smiled down at Hanabi with self-satisfaction. "Don't take your eyes off your opponent, half pint." Hanabi wriggled in frustration. To be honest she kind of deserved it and at the same time it was nice for Beki to be paying attention to her again, so she tolerated it.
"Where you going with the bag?" Beki gestured to Neji's load. "Getting sent off on a mission?"
"No, Team Gai has earned some vacation time so we were planning on heading to a beach in the Land of Wind," Neji explained. "The water there apparently has curative properties and-"
Beki was gone. Hanabi had been unceremoniously dumped on the lawn on her rear.
"Where did she go?" Neji looked around only to have a bag thrown at him.
"I'm ready, let's go!" Beki punched the air.
"Beki, you can't come with us," Neji scoffed. "Tsunade's not just going to let you leave the protection of the Leaf-"
"She will if her chaperone comes with!" Hinata had appeared with a purple duffle bag over her shoulder. "I have some vacation time I would like to take, in fact, all of Team Kurenai does. I'm going to call Shino and Kiba and see if they'll come too!"
Hinata ran off towards the main house and Neji clenched his fists. "You're a terrible influence, Tsukimori."
Beki shrugged. "Why, because I've taught her to be spontaneous and fun?"
"No, you're teaching Lady Hinata to be hare brained and impulsive." Neji sighed. "To be fair, however, I haven't seen her this happy since Naruto left. So, good work. I guess."
Beki beamed. "It's what I do."
Neji had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Before he could put her in her place Hinata's returning footsteps drew their attention. Hinata smiled warmly. "Shino and Kiba said they would both love to go. They'll meet us at the gate in twenty minutes."
"Good," Neji sighed. "That gives us enough time to talk to Gai sensei and Tsunade sama about Beki coming along."
"So I guess I'll see you all later?" Hanabi shuffled as she watched them run for the gate.
"We'll bring you back something nice, promise!" Beki called over her shoulder as the gate closed.
Hanabi sighed as she watched the three people she admired most leave her behind again. Maybe once she was older they would take her seriously and let her hang out with them, but based on her own behavior over the whole Konohamaru thing she knew she had some more growing up to do.
…
Might Gai was going over the itinerary of the vacation with Tsunade when the gaggle of teens spilled in the office, much to the door guardsman's chagrin.
"You kids just can't barge in here-" He barked at them but was waved off by Tsunade.
"Well, what is it?" She eyed the crowd suspiciously.
"Go, Neji," Beki shoved him forward.
"What?!" He hissed over his shoulder.
"You're the oldest!" Beki said in a harsh whisper. Hinata gave him a thumbs up and added "Go, Nii-san!"
Neji sighed and stepped in front of the group. "If it is acceptable, Tsunade sama, Team 8 would like to join us on our trip to the beach in the Land of Wind-"
Tsunade pointed a finger accusingly. "Then what's Tsukimori doing here?" Beki instantly dropped to her knees and bowed deeply. "Please Tsunade sama, I want to go with them! We'll be supervised the whole time and I'll never leave the group! I promise!"
"Beki, you are the daughter of a foreign ambassador on Konoha soil," Tsunade huffed. "Why on God's green earth would I let you leave the Land of Fire and risk something happening to you?"
Beki looked up at her pleadingly. "Tsunade, I will even commit social suicide and wear floaties if you'll let me go."
"I like her spirit, Hokage sama," Gai gave her a thumbs up. "If you'll allow her to go, I'll take full responsibility for her."
Tsunade sighed in the face of so many expectant pouty kids. What could it hurt? Konoha had a good relationship with Suna, Might Gai was more than capable of watching Beki, and she would be constantly surrounded by at least three Konoha ninja. As much as she had promised Seiichiro she would make sure she would keep Beki safe, it was just as important that the girl didn't feel like a prisoner under Tsunade's watch.
"Fine," Tsunade folded her arms. "But you stick to Gai sensei like glue and wear your damn floaties."
"Yes!" Beki punched the air. "To the beach!"