Hi everyone, back again with another chapter. Hope everyone's had a good weekend. It's very late and I'm still emotionally processing the season finale of Game of Thrones, so I won't get a lot into the commentary tonight. Just know that I deeply appreciate any and all feedback I get from you all about the story. It helps me develop as a writer and kind of helps guide me. It truly brings joy into my day when I get that little notification someone has left me a review. It also motivates me to get back to writing, which in turn makes me guilt Tallman0029 into writing. Its a win win situation, really. Enough extortion. Enjoy the chapter!

On the remaining stretch of the journey back to Konoha, Lee and Gai sensei led the group, the rest of the boys followed behind, and trailing in the back were the three girls. Tenten and Hinata had been talking about their teammates' recent exploits, a conversation that although Beki could have participated she opted not to.

"Oh crap, I nearly forgot that the harvest festival is next week," Tenten clapped a hand against her forehead. "I've got to fish all my stuff out of storage."

"Wait a second," Beki's sudden intrusion into the conversation made the other two jump. They must've forgotten I was here, Beki thought. "So there's a festival next week? No one's said anything about a festival before."

"It's one we hold in Konoha every year," Hinata explained. "Its sort of a harvest festival but over the years it's become more of a cultural festival. It should be really informative for you."

"The Senju and the Uchiha founded Konoha, brotherhood, unity, solidarity, yada yada yada," Beki cracked her knuckles. "Or are we talking the good stuff, like tea, textiles, and traditional cakes?"

"Do you like taiyaki?" Tenten asked. "Because they have maple and adzuki taiyaki that are so good you'll cry."

"Oooh," Beki grinned. "I guess I'll go if there's taiyaki."

Hinata shook her head. "Well we know how to lure you somewhere."

"Or bribe me," Beki corrected. "I might never betray my village but I would be tempted if there was enough taiyaki involved."

"Get her hungry enough and she'd do it for a bowl of noodles," Hinata sighed.

Tenten was feeling slightly uncomfortable. Hinata had always been so quiet. When Beki was around, however, Hinata not only talked a lot but the things she said were hard to determine if they were a joke or serious. Almost as soon as Tenten stopped talking, however, Hinata brought her back into the conversation with a gentle smile.

"So what are you planning on wearing to the festival, Tenten?"

"Oh, um, I don't know," Tenten shuffled. "What are you guys wearing?"

"I was just going to wear a yukata," Hinata turned her attention to Beki. "Are you going to wear that kimono you wore to dinner when you first came to stay with us?"

"Pff, no," Beki laughed. "I hate that thing."

"But it's so pretty!" Hinata protested. "It's from your village. You should wear it and show it off."

"Look, that thing is probably a hundred and fifty years old and you saw what happened the last time I wore it," Beki kicked a rock. "My dad said if I did anything else to that kimono I'd be buried in it."

"So do you have something to wear?" Hinata asked.

Beki thought about it. The last couple times her father had come out to Konoha he had brought a bag of her possessions. He had remembered to pack her swimsuit but Beki couldn't remember if he'd packed her yukata and all its fixings.

"I'll have to check when we get home," Beki shrugged. "If I have something it's in the closet."

"Sounds good," Hinata nodded and turned back to Tenten. "So are we all going to the festival together again this year?"

"As far as I know that's the plan," Tenten cupped her hands over her mouth. "We're all going to the festival together next week, right?"

"Sure, I guess," Kiba called over his shoulder.

"I didn't have any plans," Shino nodded.

"Yes!" Lee punched the air. "I plan on winning at 20 games this year!"

"I hope there's a shooting gallery," Beki grinned. "I slay with pop cap rifles."

The conversation in the group dissolved into groups discussing their mutual interests and plans for the festival. It helped pass the time and soon they found themselves walking back through the gates of Konoha.

"You kids head on home," Gai waved. "I'll let Tsunade know we all made it back okay."

Good, Beki thought. I have a lot of planning to do.

…

"It was just here!" Beki pulled her hair in frustration and dropped down to the floor to look under her bed. "Hinata, did you see where I put my yukata? I swear I laid it out on the bed!"

"It's hanging over the bannister," Hinata called from her bedroom. "Are you okay, honey? You seem really stressed about the festival."

Beki let out a groan and trudged out of her room. She had on an antique silk slip she had inherited from her mother to keep the yukata from getting sweaty. It was still warm for fall and the last thing she wanted to do was bring the Hyuga laundry experts a yukata that reeked of pit funk.

"Do you know how to tie an obi?" Hinata stepped out of her room in her yukata. It was a pretty plum color that brought out the color of her eyes. She was holding up the obi in question, which was patterned in gold and a rich cream.

"Yeah," Beki held out her hands and opened and closed her fingers in a "gimme gimme" gesture. Hinata handed it over and Beki started wrapping her in the fabric. After two minutes she had it tied in an almost pristine bow.

"Okay, your turn," Hinata picked up the bubblegum pink obi Beki had laid out on the bannister. It complimented the pink peonies on Beki's turquoise yukata. Beki held still with her arms slightly away from her body as Hinata tied her bow.

"So, I was thinking it might be fun if we did each other's hair," Hinata suggested. "I never wear my hair in a braid, and I could put your hair up for you."

"Fair enough," Beki shrugged. "Doing my hair will take a lot longer than yours. I'll be able to braid your hair in thirty seconds. Let me do your makeup, too."

Hinata took a deep breath to bolster her courage. "Naruto told me I need to try to be more adventurous. If you do my hair and makeup for the festival, I think that's a good first step."

"Agreed," Beki smiled.

Hinata finished tying the bow and crouched a little so Beki could start braiding her hair. Beki decided that with Hinata's bangs a French braid would be prettiest. She started at her crown and braided Hinata's long flowing locks into a perfect black rope. Hinata walked into the bathroom and smiled. "This is really pretty. Thank you, Beki."

Beki sat down on the edge of the tub and patted the spot next to her for Hinata to sit. Beki only put a little mascara and some lip gloss on Hinata. She was pretty enough she just needed a little polish and nothing more. "So what are you planning for me?"

"Shh, you can see when it's done." Hinata smiled as she started separating Beki's hair into sections.

When Hinata was putting in the last few bobby pins, Hanabi came storming up the stairs.

"Oh my god, are you two ready yet?!" Hanabi was in a powder pink yukata with dainty white flowers that in no way matched her attitude. "Why do you even bother, she'll look like an ogre anyway, Hinata."

Beki rolled her eyes and sighed. Monster tween was back.

"Hanabi that is so rude and inconsiderate," Hinata poked Beki with the bobby pin. "Oh Beki! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!"

"Yeah yeah, let's go," Beki waved her away and stood up. As they walked out the bathroom Beki grabbed a quick peek of herself in the mirror. Hinata had put Beki's hair up in a tasteful and artful bun. It made Beki look much more sophisticated than she felt.

Hanabi went bursting through the front door. "There, I got them for you. Happy?!"

Neji shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't tell you to chase them out of the house, Hanabi. I just asked you to find out when they would be ready-"

He stopped abruptly when he caught sight of Hinata and Beki. He gave them a gentle smile. "You both look lovely. I almost didn't recognize you, Beki."

Beki looked down at her sleeves. "I know, right? It's like they dressed a manatee like a mermaid."

"Or an ogre like a lady," Hanabi shot out of the corner of her mouth. Hinata very gently bopped her on the head. Instantly she began to rub the spot with a look of concern on her face and whispered apologies.

"Well, the rest of our teams are waiting for us," Neji looked at Hanabi. "Are you coming along, or are you meeting your friends?"

Hanabi gave an angry sigh. "Dad says I have to with him."

Hinata patted her head. "You'll have fun."

"As if," Hanabi stalked off towards the main house.

"God help the boy who develops a crush on her," Neji said under his breath.

"She'll eat his heart out while he's still attached to it," Beki murmured back. Hinata shot them a look indicating she knew they were saying something impolite but she herself was too polite to say anything. Beki smiled. "Let's get this show on the road then."

…

Beki had seen the preparations around town leading up to the festival: half constructed stalls, piles of timber and canvas, and strings of lanterns snaking along the streets a little further every day. Now that the festival had officially started, however, she got to see all those parts come together and become magic. The normally sleepy town was bustling with locals and visitors alike. The air was filled with delicious and exotic smells and the voices of stall keepers trying to bring in customers.

Everything seemed brighter and more colorful. People sounded happier. There was laughing, singing, and everyone looked so nice in their festival best. Beki was no stranger to festivals but something about coziness of the Konoha festival was charming. She was so caught up in taking it all in she fell behind Hinata and Neji. They caught sight of their teammates and waved. Kiba, Shino, Lee, and Tenten met them halfway and began exchanging pleasantries. Beki was so distracted she walked right into Neji and almost knocked him over.

"Oh sorry," She said as she steadied him and looked up. "Hi guys."

The four of the teammates looked at her in confusion.

"Sorry, but who are you?" Kiba asked.

"Very funny," Beki laughed but her grin faded when she saw they were still confused.

"It's Beki," Hinata hissed under her breath.

Kiba shook his head. "No way this is Beki. She's too clean."

Beki folded her arms. "That's really funny coming from a guy that urinates publicly."

Shino shook his head. "No, that's her."

Beki blinked in confusion. "Wait, you guys seriously didn't recognize me?"

Tenten smiled awkwardly. "Well, you kind of look the same way all the time. You don't have your braid, or your clothes…"

"Or your usual stink." Kiba added and Tenten elbowed him.

"No, it's cool, I get it." Beki feigned composure. "I look completely different all dressed up."

"Well, if you think it's just us, why don't you conduct an experiment?" Shino adjusted his glasses. "Approach people you know and see if they recognize you without talking."

Beki waved a hand dismissively. "That's not necessary, I mean, it was an honest mistake."

"So are we doing the usual? Walking the length of the festival to scope it out and then doubling back to shop and snack?" Kiba asked.

There were mumbles of agreement and the herd began to move along the street slowly. Beki was aware the rest of the group were making comments about their surroundings but she stewed on her own thoughts. Was it really just the group? She noticed Konohamaru with his teammates hovering over a stall. He glanced up and caught her eye so she waved at him. Konohamaru returned her gesture with a confused look. My god, she realized. He didn't recognize her either.

By the time they had walked to the end of the festival grounds Beki had waved to at least ten people she would have sworn could have recognized her. When she called out or waved to them, they all had ignored her or given her the same confused "Who is this bitch?" look.

At the end of the festival grounds was where they were holding traditional dances. Back in Getsu, Beki's favorite part of the festival had been jumping in and dancing along even if she didn't know what she was doing. The group had dissolved and everyone was starting to shop at the stalls so Beki grabbed Hinata's arm and tugged.

"Hey Hina chan, let's go dance!"

Hinata flushed and shook her head violently. "No, Beki. I don't dance in public."

Beki tugged her harder. "Come on, it doesn't matter if you don't know the dances. We'll just hang toward the back and follow."

"Beki, no!" Hinata pleaded as Beki wrapped her arms around her waist and started to drag her to the dance circle.

Neji watched the struggle and shook his head. A soft chorus of chuckles caught his attention. A group of boys around Neji's age were pointing at Hinata and Beki and cracking jokes. He recognized Shikamaru and Chouji and approached them. "What's the joke?"

"Just how the cute blonde girl is manhandling your cousin, is all," Shikamaru leaned against the wall of a nearby shop. "We were betting its Naruto in disguise. He's the only person who could get away with that."

Neji shook his head. "Don't you recognize her? That's Beki."

Chouji balked and squinted. "But she's so clean!"

Neji sighed. "Of course it's her. You see her face almost every day. A change of dress and hairstyle shouldn't make her that unrecognizable."

Shikamaru gave him a skeptical look. "That's big talk coming from someone who saw her walk out of her house before and after. I want you to look at her right now and tell me to my face that if you hadn't seen her leave the house and had just bumped into her in the street that you would still recognize her."

Neji watched Beki adapting to the festival dance and then executing the steps with uncharacteristic grace. The illusion of her dance and dainty dress was only interrupted by the violent way she would reach out and yank Hinata back into the circle whenever she tried to slip away. Truth be told, everything about her was different. The restrictive movement of the kimono forced her to abandon her usual swagger and carry herself like a lady. Everything about her today was neat and polished; even the raucous quality of her voice was softened under the music and bustle of the festival. Shikamaru was right. If Neji didn't know it was her from the get go he would have never guessed it was Beki.

"You're right," He admitted. "She is awfully clean today."

Their attention was pulled back to the circle with the pterodactyl cry of Hinata completely losing her cool. Beki's raw physical power was unable to contain Hinata after her limit broke for social contact for the day. She scrambled back down the street with unnatural speed while crying "I'M SORRY" over her shoulder as she ran.

"DAMMIT HINATA!" Beki stomped her foot like a frustrated child and stalked out of the dance circle after her with a murderous look.

"Wait, no, I see it now," Chouji nodded his head. "That's definitely Beki."

Neji sighed. "I'm going to go after her. You know, before she decides to take out all of the bridges in town just to spite us."

…

Beki tailed Hinata through the festival. After five minutes, however, she realized she must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. The usually familiar streets had become an unnavigable sea of people. Her hip kept getting jabbed into the sharp corners of stalls and her tabi socks were gray from all of the people who had accidentally backed up and stepped on her feet. Someone's shoulder caught her right in the solar plexus and knocked the air out of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," A familiar voice said as a hand wrapped around her arm. "Are you alright."

"Yeah, Sakura, I'm okay," Beki wheezed. Have you seen Hinata?"

Sakura gave her a perplexed look. "Um, no…?"

Beki sighed as she realized Sakura didn't recognize her either. A spiteful bubble began swelling up in Beki. She had been in Konoha for months, had dinner with these people, and been on missions with them. A little make up, a different hair do, and a different outfit apparently were enough to completely erase her identity. It was ruining Beki's day, so she decided to ruin their day, too.

"You look sad. Is it about your haircut?" Beki said in a sympathetic tone as she let herself get carried off by the crowd. She heard Sakura yell angrily after her, something along the lines of "What are you saying about my hair?!"

That made Beki feel a little bit better in a vindictive sort of way, but it in no way fixed her frustration over Hinata bailing on her or for realizing she was so damn forgettable. Well, at least she hadn't said anything really mean to Sakura. She would figure out who Beki was, after all and at least this way she might pull her punches when she came for payback. There was an ebb in the tide of people so Beki dipped off to the side of the throng in an opening between shops. The other people milling about looked like they were waiting for people they knew. This is a perfect spot to mellow out for a bit, Beki thought. She watched the whirr of people going by. What had seemed so bright and lively before was overstimulating and was making Beki motion sick. The swirl of colors was nauseating and the nose was starting a pounding in her head. Beki closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. It was slow and steady, in through the nose and out through the mouth. She would breathe in for four counts, hold her breath for four, and then exhale for four counts. The anxiety finally began to dissolve.

"There you are," The sound of Neji's voice made Beki's eyes snap open. He was standing in front of her with a shimmering goldfish swimming in a cellophane bag.

"Neji, did you win me a fish? You're so sweet." Beki held out her hand and he gave her a strange look.

"I won this for Lady Hinata. She could use a pet." He corrected.

Beki dropped her hand but kept the smile. "Neji, did you win Hinata a fish? You're so sweet."

Neji sighed. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"I was looking for Hinata and I lost track of her. Have you seen her?" Beki asked.

"No, but my money is on 'she ran home as fast as she could and is hiding in a closet'," Neji patted her shoulder. "Do you want to stay here while I go get her or do you want to come with?"

Beki wanted to just go home, and she didn't mean to Hinata's house. When she thought about it, though, her anxiety was stemming mostly from the expectations she had put on people. She had expected her "friends" to make the festival fun the way her dad and her friends back home used to. These clowns couldn't even manage to recognize her when she did something different with her hair. Even Hinata had let her down. Beki was uncomfortable and feeling alone and Hinata bolted on her. The last thing Beki wanted to do was to tail around with Hinata and Neji for the rest of the festival.

"I think I'm going to find the others," She lied. "We'll all probably run into each other later."

Neji watched her for a moment as though he were trying to determine if she was lying. He shook his head. "Alright. Once you find them, try to stick with the group. Not that it's dangerous. It's just easy to get lost in these crowds."

"Sounds good. See you later, Neji," Beki waved as he dissolved back into the crowd.

I need some air, she thought.