Hi everyone! I'm really pleased I was able to get another chapter up quickly. I've had a lot of fun writing this arc and based on your feedback, you all seem to enjoy it. Win win! As I've said before, I love hearing from you guys especially when you give me specifics on what you like/don't like, etc. It helps me grow as a writer and let's me know that the time I spend neglecting Tallman to write are worth it. Just kidding. I am more likely to neglect him for Neko Atsume. So anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter, please let me know what you think, and feel free to check out my deviantart (same tag ponchoninajx3). I'm open to taking commission requests of Naruto characters and scenes from the story. Til next time!
Beki walked toward the campfire and took a seat between the Hyugas.
"You okay, Beki?" Hinata put a gentle hand on her shoulder, which Beki immediately shrugged off.
"Let's not make this any weirder than it already is," Beki tugged on Neji's collar. "Hand it over."
He blinked at her in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
"Your shirt. I'm commandeering it," Neji folded his arms and grunted at her. "You said that you're responsible for me, right? So I'm cold. Unless you want me to ask Gai sensei for his tights, you'll cough up the shirt."
Neji was immediately pulled back to the day Beki had come home wearing a pair of the tights and how they had left nothing to the imagination. The idea of her being out in public in such a thing made his skin crawl. With a frustrated sigh Neji unbuttoned his shirt and handed it to her. Beki pulled it on and reached for one of the kebabs they had set aside to cool. No one spoke and Beki rolled her eyes. "Well don't all start talking at once!"
Tenten took the hint and resumed her lecture of Gai sensei and Lee for considering a contest to see how many locals they could bench press. Shino and Kiba started talking to Hinata about a mission they had recently gone on. Neji wracked his brain for something to talk about with Beki. He knew her well enough to know she was embarrassed out of her mind and was doing her best to pretend nothing bothered her. Before he could start talking, Lee had grabbed ahold of his arm and was dragging him away from the fire.
"Lee, what are you doing?!" Neji barked.
"Trying to prove a point, Neji!" Lee wrapped a hand around his neck and another under Neji's knee and then hoisted him up over his head.
"Lee, put me down dammit!" Neji squirmed.
"Watch how many times I can throw him and catch him!" Lee spun wildly and released Neji. Neji flailed wildly as he soared through the air.
"A beautiful throw," Gai sensei wiped a tear from his eye. "BUT YOU CAN DO BETTER, LEE! GIVE IT YOUR ALL!"
"YES GAI SENSEI!" Lee screamed as he caught Neji and threw him again, this time twice as hard and twice as high.
"We have to stop him!" Tenten got up and chased after them. "LEE STOP IT!"
"So I guess we all go, or…?" Kiba gestured after them with his hands.
"Gai sensei, did Lee have any alcohol?" Shino's sunglasses glimmered in the light of the campfire.
"Well, he only had some of this juice-" A shadow fell over Gai's face. "This is a wine cooler."
All at once Kiba, Shino, and Gai were chasing after the group with all speed.
"What's all that about?" Beki watched them running off into the distance.
"Lee is, well, dangerous when he's drunk," Hinata explained. "You know how he regularly is. Just imagine all the discipline and focus removed."
"Oh. Runaway train, basically." Beki took a sip of her water.
"Worse." Hinata sighed. "But this might be a good opportunity for us to talk. Come on," Hinata rose to her feet and took Beki's hand.
"No, really, I'm alright. Let's just stay here-" Beki struggled but Hinata kept pulling her arm, albeit gently.
"Come on Beki." Hinata urged her softly.
Soon the two were back on the sandbar overlooking the ocean.
"Just start talking whenever you're comfortable," Hinata folded her hands and stared off into the sunset.
Beki bit her lip and looked at the ground. Where did she start? With all the struggles growing up of not being able to be herself, or the complications of trying to date someone who was her complete opposite, not just in personality but in ability? She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.
"People always teased my father because of me. I was never very good at behaving like an ambassador's daughter should."
"What do you mean?" Hinata looked at her out of the corner of her eye.
Beki rolled her eyes. "They're supposed to act like you. They speak when spoken to, are shy and feminine and tame."
"You don't think you're any of those things?" Hinata prodded.
"Now that I'm almost an adult I understand, you know, how to pretend to be those things. To act appropriately for periods of time," Beki explained. "Like the night my dad and I had dinner with your family for the first time. I know all my manners and I used them. But that's not how I really am. Not at all."
"So how does that relate to what happened today?" Hinata asked gently, expertly guiding Beki forward.
"Dating Gaara is apparently like being an ambassador's daughter on steroids," Beki sighed. "I had considered the lack of privacy and behaving myself when I'm with him, but I was here on vacation. I was just horsing around with my friends," Beki shrugged. "Yeah, I got a little carried away, but him showing up and responding to everything how he did made me think. I really like him and he's a really good person, but it is so hard for me to keep the filter on and behave myself. Is he dating me for who I am but will expect me to change and become something I'm not to suit his image? I can't do that, Hinata. I can't be a perfect little porcelain doll all the time."
"I think this is just a misunderstanding," Hinata offered. "The Kazekage has never had a date before you, let alone a girlfriend. I'm sure if you take the time and you help him understand and teach him how to communicate with you-"
"It always sounds so easy when people put things like that. Explain this, help them that. Do you know what they called me, Hinata?" Beki interrupted her, a dark note tugging at her voice. "All the officials and ambassadors called me Oni-ni-kanabo. In part to mock my father, and the rest was because I was an unstoppable force. I was a brutish baby ogre that beat up the officials' sons and scared their daughters. How could I ever help someone communicate? I'm lucky if I remember to use my words and not my fists."
Hinata put an arm around Beki's waist. "Liking someone is scary. Actually starting a relationship with them is even scarier. The one piece of advice I can give you is that the more patient you are with him, the more patient he'll be with you and the more you try, the more he'll try. So just remember to be patient and keep trying."
"So what's my next step here?" Beki leaned into her friend, allowing her to both emotionally and physically support her.
"The Kazekage doesn't seem like it, but he is very sensitive. For him to put himself out there so much for you means he must really like you. If he's anything like me, which I'll assume since he doesn't have many friends and is about as socially awkward as I am, he's going to be hung up about this for weeks," Hinata thought aloud. "When we get home send him a letter so he knows you don't hate him and never want to talk to him again."
Beki gave her an incredulous look. "Why would he think that?"
Hinata shrugged. "All I can tell you is that is what I would be thinking in the same situation."
"Fair enough," Beki shrugged. "Thanks Hinata. I feel better."
Hinata patted her back and then paused. "Hey, can I see Neji's shirt for a second?"
Beki blinked. "Oh, yeah, sure." She unbuttoned it and handed it over. "What's up?"
Hinata looked around uncomfortably and motioned for Beki to lean in closer. Beki tilted her head and waited.
"Long live the King," Hinata said in a harsh whisper, and before Beki could react Hinata shoved her off the sandbar into the ocean.
Beki surfaced with the greatest look of shock and awe Hinata had ever seen. She burst out laughing, unable to help herself. She held out a hand for Beki to climb out, braced for possible retaliation. Beki didn't bother, instead she snatched back Neji's shirt and stalked off towards camp grumbling something about how you always had to watch the quiet ones.
...
"All the girls in this tent, Shino, Kiba, you're in this tent, and Lee and Neji will be out here with me," Gai sensei declared after nightfall.
"Why are none of us using the tent?" Neji rubbed his sore shoulder where Lee had socked him. He had dislocated it with the blow and Hinata had to pop it back into place.
"We're taking watch," Lee gave him a groggy thumbs up. "I'll go first…" Lee collapsed from his sitting position into a tiny ball on the ground and began snoring loudly.
"I'll take first watch!" Gai sensei plopped himself on the ground and looked around vigilantly. "Sleep well everyone. We leave at first light!"
The group collectively groaned and filed into their respective sleeping spots.
"Beki, can I have my shirt back?" Neji called after her as she walked into the girls' tent.
Beki gave him an aloof look and shrugged. "You have the fire to keep you warm."
"I'd be warmer if I had my shirt!" He considered chasing after her but the ruffling sounds from within the girls' tent indicated they could be changing. There was no way he would ever risk seeing Lady Hinata or Tenten in partial undress. He would rather weather the cold.
…
"Why won't you give Neji his shirt back?" Tenten gave her a strange look as she unrolled her sleeping bag. "It's going to be cold out there."
"I'll give it back after I've changed," Beki said as she ruffled through her bag. "I don't think you appreciate how much fun it is to mess with him."
"That's not nice, Beki," Hinata frowned. "You're taking advantage of his good nature."
Beki gave them both a suspicious look. "Who was it that told me he used to be kind of an asshole?"
"He's not like that now," Hinata hugged her knees. "He changed after he fought with Naruto."
"I'm not doing anything that Lee wouldn't do," Beki pulled out her pjs and changed out of her swimsuit. "Everyone's just all weird about it because I'm a girl."
"You make it awkward for him," Teten lectured. "He's a gentleman, Beki."
Beki just sighed and focused on changing. Having grown up with a single father, Beki knew she played rough. She spent most of her time with Team 8 and Team Gai and she was pretty sure that Shino and Kiba borderline hated her. Lee was fun but he took everything too literally, so that left Neji for her to poke fun of and tease. Everyone else was just too damn sensitive, apparently.
"So, um, how did the conversation with the Kazekage go?" Tenten was hopeful a change of subject would get the scary look off of Beki's face.
"Well," Beki finished putting on her fleece pullover. "Let's see, are you talking about before or after I was put in time out? Overall I'd say in the history of our conversations, it was a strong two out of ten."
Beki looked at the uncomfortable faces the girls were making and sighed heavily. "Goodnight, ladies," Beki grabbed Neji's shirt and unzipped the tent. She felt so silly storming out of the tent; it wasn't half as gratifying zipping the flap back up as it would have been to slam a door. Lee was out cold near the boy's tent and Gai sensei was staring off into the ocean. Beki figured he was probably meditating or something. Neji was asleep near the fire so Beki walked over and draped his shirt over him. The last thing she wanted to do was to go back into the girl's tent and she was too restless to sleep, so Beki walked off towards the water.
It was a nice night. The sand was warm and the breeze was cool. As Beki grew closer to the water, the salty sea mist kissed her face and her hair. She unbraided the sloppy mess of her braid and let her tresses dance freely in the breeze. Although her village had been up in the mountains back home, a good portion of Getsu was long stretches of beautiful tropical beaches. The water was the color of jade, the sand was powdery soft, and the water was as warm as a bath. Here in the Land of Wind, the water looked like black glass, the sand was course and full of jagged crushed seashells. Even so, Beki welcomed the familiar sound of waves lapping against the shore and the comfort of soft moonlight reflected on the water. When she closed her eyes pretended that Lee's snoring was actually her father napping on the beach and that she was a little girl again with no cares or worries. A sudden gust of wind showered her with salt water. Beki wiped her face on her sleeve and headed back towards the fire. It was too cold for her here. Lately, everywhere seemed too cold.
The moon had risen higher in the sky and Neji had taken up the watch. He had put his shirt back on and was staring blankly into the blaze. "Trouble sleeping?" Neji's voice was heavy. He had probably just woken up for his shift.
Beki shrugged. "I never sleep well in new places." She took a seat next to him on his sleeping bag and stared at the fire. "Does it bother you when I mess with you?"
Neji thought for a moment before responding. "In the heat of the moment, yes, I get irritated. Admittedly, that might be why you keep doing it: because I react. At the same time, Lee messes with me just as much and I know you aren't doing it to be malicious."
Beki squinted as the breeze blew smoke in her eyes and folded her arms against the cold. "So was that a yes, or a no?"
"No Beki, it doesn't bother me that you mess with me." Neji looked at her. "You look cold. Why don't you go inside and get some sleep?"
Beki shook her head. "I'm not ready yet. I think I'll sit out here until my eyes wear out."
Neji nodded and went back to looking in the fire. "This is the first time I've seen you with your hair down."
Beki threw some of it over her shoulder. "Yeah, I don't like it getting in my face."
Neji nodded. He understood the annoyance of loose hair in a fight. "So, Beki. Do you get homesick?"
Beki yawned. "I've never really lived in one place for long. I lived in Getsu until I was about seven, and then my dad started traveling as an ambassador. If I was going to say I missed anything it would be the freedom of getting to move around so much," Beki explained. "I got to see new places, try new things, and if I made mistakes, whatever, I wasn't going to be around long."
Neji adjusted on the lumpy sleeping bag. "Do you feel like you've had trouble with that in Konoha?"
"Yeah. It's like I live in a fishbowl there." Beki said. "What about you? Haven't you ever wished you could get the hell out of dodge?"
"I did when I was younger," Neji sighed. "I used to think I was better than everyone else and they were all holding me back. As I got older I came to appreciate my friends and family more. I learned to be happy where I was and with what I had."
"Maybe there's hope then," Beki stood and headed for the tent. "Maybe I'll sort things out in the next year."
"You'll be just fine," Neji called softly after her.
Beki curled up in her sleeping bag with her head stuffed up with smoke and her hair still damp from the sea water. She was hot and cold and miserable. She couldn't wait to just get back to Konoha. Then again, there was nothing waiting for her there but more sitting around and training with a teacher she couldn't stand. She would get shoehorned in on other people's plans out of pity while she waited for the day for the talks to end so she could go home. Or at least travel with her dad again. Beki was tired of being herself and being rejected or pretending to be something she wasn't. Her mind kept spiraling into unpleasant thoughts when an arm looped around her.
In her sleep, Hinata had slid over her sleeping bag so she was spooning Beki and threw an arm over her. Even in her sleep she could sense Beki's distress and was attempting to comfort her. Beki sighed. If nothing else could be said for this uncomfortable situation she had found herself in, she had met and befriended Hinata. Even after Beki left Konoha for good, she knew she would always have Hinata's love to fall back on. Beki relaxed into Hinata's hold and put her arm over Hinata's. Sleep came suddenly and it finally brought Beki some peace.
…
Lee had finally sobered up and woken up. He waved at Neji to indicate he was ready to take up watch. Neji nodded, pulled his sleeping bag a little further away from the fire, and climbed in. Taking up middle watch was always the hardest. You missed out on critical sleep in the middle of the night in the best of situations, but if you were a worrier like Neji it was twice as hard. For him it was difficult to fall asleep at the beginning of the night and then again after his watch. Come morning, he was sure he would have had only a total of four hours of sleep.
He did his best to empty his mind. Neji listened to the soothing sound of the waves on the shore and breathed slow and deep. Now that he had moved away from the fire, he noticed a scent that had before been overpowered by the smell of smoke. It was warm and comforting mix of vanilla and sea salt. He found himself drifting off much faster than usual which he could only attribute to that pleasant smell. Was it from his sleeping bag? No, he realized just as sleep took hold of him. It was his shirt.
…
In the morning, everyone groggily pitched in to break down the camp, bury the campfire, and clean up the trash. They bought breakfast at one of the restaurants on the beach and started the long trek back to Konoha. There was a small town they stopped at on the Land of Wind side of the border to rest. They had all sat down at tables in a small café when Beki's attention turned to the street.
"Hey, I'm going to run across the street to the post office really fast."
"Why, you forget to pay a bill or something?" Kiba chuckled as he handled his menu.
"No, I just wanted to send someone a postcard." Beki stood and pushed in her chair.
"Um, aren't you not supposed to be leaving Konoha?" Tenten asked cautiously. "Wouldn't sending a postcard kind of blow your cover?"
"I'm not sending it to my dad or the King or anything," Beki sighed. "Just one of my teammates back home. She'd never tell."
The members of the group started to grumble in dissent when Hinata spoke up. "It's okay, Beki. Go on. I'll order for you."
Hinata's disarming smile set everyone else at ease. "Alright," Gai sensei gave her an affirmative thumbs up. "But come straight back, okay?"
"Got it," Beki returned the gesture and walked out the door. Hinata had told her to send word to Gaara as soon as possible and now seemed like a great opportunity. Luckily, the post office had some generic greeting cards in stock. She grabbed a blank and then went over to a side table to write. Before she even thought of what to write she realized she didn't know his address.
"Shit," Beki said under her breath as she scanned the walls for something official looking. There was a wanted poster of a grizzly looking humpbacked man posted on the wall. Beneath all the fine print, it said that any and all sightings should be reported to the Kazekage's office.
Score, Beki thought. Thank you "Sasori" for being so nefarious they keep your poster up in public.
Beki wrote the Kazekage's office's address on the outside. Now for the big challenge, she thought. What to write on the inside?
After a few moments of debate and the realization that other people would probably screen the card before it ever got to him, she decided on something generic. "Thank you for taking the time to come out and see me. I look forward to discussing the challenges of inter-village politics with you again soon. Next time we'll meet at a less chaotic venue. Regards, Tsukimori Beki."
Beki looked at her work and sighed in frustration. It was dry and didn't say a damn thing she wanted to say, but she couldn't risk her true thoughts and feelings being read by the wrong person. Hopefully Gaara would get the point that she still wanted to talk to him and that she wasn't angry. She paid exact postage at the counter and sent it off. The attendant rolled their eyes when they saw a teenage girl was sending a card to the Kazekage but Beki didn't care that she looked like a fangirl. She just prayed they didn't just toss them into the incinerator in the back.
She walked back across the street to find a bowl of soba waiting for her. "Hinata you're a mind reader," Beki said as she took her seat and picked up her chopsticks.
"I have lived with you for several months, now," Hinata sipped her tea. "At least give me credit for knowing what you'd eat by now."
Beki smiled at her. Hinata knew exactly what she was doing and that's why she'd backed her up earlier. Oh, if only the rest of the team knew the kind of shenanigans they were up to behind the scenes.
…
"Here it is," Kankuro dropped an overflowing mail crate next to Gaara's desk. "The latest batch of fan mail we've cleared as not dangerous or offensive."
"I honestly doubt that anything you've read in the 'offensive' ones would even phase me, Kankuro," Gaara reached down and grabbed a stack.
Kankuro laughed. "They bring me the really bad ones, you know. I can tell you, some of the graphic ones have made me blush."
"I understand I'm a public figure but all this just seems…unnecessary." Gaara sighed. "The ones where they thank me for my work and tell me I inspire them are nice, but these romantic ones…they're all strangers to me."
"That's what you get for running around in a leather trench coat and wearing your hear like a rock star," Kankuro picked up a pile and rifled through them for any good ones. "A young, not totally butt ugly looking Kage? Have you seen your competition around here? Most of the eligible bachelors in Suna are either missing eyes or limbs or look like they goat herd in their spare time."
"Or they wear more make up than the women do," Gaara grabbed another stack and used the sand to deflect the card Kankuro chucked at him like a shuriken. The card landed flat on his desk face down. A crescent moon had been drawn on the flap. Gaara picked it up and opened it.
Kankuro watched as his brother read the fan mail and smiled. "You've always been a softie for the ones from the kids in grade school."
Gaara shook his head. "No, that's not it. This one's from Beki."
Kankuro gave his brother a suspicious look. "I thought you said she was all upset over what happened at the beach?"
"Blessedly it doesn't look like that's the case," Gaara sighed. "I suppose I did run off rather quickly when I realized things had gone poorly. She must have wanted to let me know everything was alright."
"What did she say? Anything juicy?" Kankuro leaned over his brother's desk and Gaara swatted him away with the sand.
"No, she's too clever for that. She knew people would screen these before I got them," Gaara took an envelope and a letter out of his desk and began writing quickly.
"Here," He held out the sealed letter once he'd finished. "Have this sent to Konoha for me."
Kankuro reached for the letter and Gaara pulled it away just before he snatched it. "And I swear to God, Kankuro, if you read this-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, you'll flay me alive and wrap the gourd in my skin. You've threatened me with much worse." Kankuro snatched the letter and headed out the door.
"I was just going to say I would hide the remote at the house," Gaara frowned. "Why would I want my gourd to smell like you? I carry this around with me everywhere."
Kankuro stared at him wide eyed. "Damn. That was…that was good."
Gaara watched his brother leave and heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since he had come home from the beach he had thrown himself into his work. He hadn't gone home all night. He had just pushed through paperwork and caught up on reading mission reports. Now that he knew Beki wasn't furious he could take the time to notice the antsy feeling in his legs from sitting too long and the dull ache of his empty belly. After Kankuro got back, he would take his brother to dinner. In part to thank him and in part to pay for his silence.