Okay, this puppy is massive so I'll keep this short. I cranked this baby out in one day so I'm exhausted, but I'm really happy with it and I think you will be to. I love you all, thank you so much for sending me all the hilarious reviews (Ren is turning out to be one of the most popular characters in the story and is apparently a f**king savage. That made me laugh out loud in a crowded movie theater. Which I think is one of the reasons why you shouldn't have cell phones in the movie theater). Keep the reviews, pms, etc. coming. They are helpful, encouraging, and they earn you shout outs like this at the top of chapters. So, ToTMs, enjoy.

Sweat had already began to bead on Beki's back as she stared down Shinichi. The announcers had just called the start of the match and neither of them had moved a muscle. Her cousin had shuffled his feet languidly and adjusted the halberd on his shoulder, never once taking his eyes off of Beki. The crowd had been silent but as the seconds grew into minutes with no action they began to talk. Beki built up her courage and began to circle him cautiously. Shinichi responded by snorting. He let go of the hilt and wrapped his arm around it instead, giving him an arrogantly casual look to him, as if he were waiting his turn for a sparring match.

"You see Haruka, the truth that I understand and these good people will soon figure out, is your weakness," Shinichi shrugged. "The fighting style you use is highly reactive. If I don't attack, you don't have an opening."

Play it cool, Beki, she thought. He's trying to psych you out. Keep playing cautious. That's the only way we can win.

Shinichi sighed and raised his halberd. Beki dropped into a semi crouch and prepared to rush him, but instead of making a move for her, Shinichi plunged the blade into the ground. It sang as the metal parted the stone. Beki's eyes darted from Shinichi to the halberd as she tried to anticipate his next move. He clapped his hands and rolled his shoulders with a sigh.

"I guess I won't even need this," he gestured to the weapon sheathed in the ground. Shinichi raised an arm over his head, stretched over to the other side, and then repeated the gesture with the opposite arm. "You know, I came here thinking this was going to be a challenge, but all I've seen-"

He was moving toward her so fast she barely had time to respond. It was a cheap tactic and she was furious with herself for falling for it. Beki flung up her arms in an X to protect herself from the overhand blow he had geared up for. Searing pain tore through her side as he sprang the fist he had tucked at his side forward into her ribs with the force of a truck. A gasp of pain escaped her lips but she focused through the pain and struck back. Beki popped her crossed arms forward, knocking into Shinichi's chest to give her some room. She followed with a kick to the chest, which Shinichi leaned backward out of range and then clapped his hands together around her ankle, trapping her. Without skipping a beat, Beki swung her other leg up in the air to kick at his face. Shinichi chuckled and shoved the trapped ankle away from him, throwing her off balance and forcing her to land on the arena floor hard.

Pain radiated from her hip and she scrambled to her feet. Between the throbs in her ears, she heard Shinichi laughing. Beki's face flushed with humiliation and she felt bile rising in her throat. He's toying with me, she thought.

"This…this is kind of embarrassing," Yoko's voice cut through Beki's thoughts. "It seems like he's playing with her."

"Maybe this is some kind of family tradition or something? A gag show?" Shu sounded incredulous.

"No, it feels like Haruka's coming at this with her all but Shinichi's not having it," Yoko said. "I used to try to fight my older brother, and he would put his hand on my forehead. My arms were too short, so I would just be swinging at air."

"Playing keep away, huh? I used to do that with my brother, too," Shu sighed. "I see what you mean. This does kind of have that feel."

Beki spat to get the bitter taste out of her mouth. "You know, I like that you wore white to our fight," Shinichi cracked his knuckles. "Seeing as all this is leading up to our long awaited nupitals. I mean, it wouldn't be traditional but if you wanted we could clean your blood off of it and you could wear that outfit to the wedding."

"I'll never wear white for you," Beki glared, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

Shinichi blinked at her in confusion and then shook his head. "Wait, you are still a virgin, right?"

"We really need to get microphones for our competitors," Yoko sounded annoyed. "I would kill to hear their conversation right now."

"Uh, I'd have to disagree with you there," Shu said. "Based on Haruka's face, I don't think anyone should have heard whatever he said."

Beki snapped her gauntlet's claws back inside and charged Shinichi. She dipped low and went to kick his knees out from under him. Shinichi effortlessly hopped over her drop kick and scooped her up from behind in one solid motion. He folded his arms tightly around her chest and upper arms and picked her up off of the ground so she was left kicking helplessly.

"What, I can't hug my cousin?" Shinichi's mocking tone set Beki's teeth on edge. She took a deep breath and snapped her head back in an attempt to break his nose. Beki felt him lean away and one of his hands shifted from her arm to her chest. He gave her left breast a squeeze and a chill ran down her spine. He's publicly humiliating me.

"Wow, you've grown a lot. It doesn't look like it in this suit but you're all packed in there-"

Beki slammed her feet into his kneecaps as hard as she could. Shinichi dropped her with a cry. She instantly spun around and threw a wild punch at his face. Shinichi angrily slapped the incoming hand away and planted a hard kick to the same hip she'd injured earlier, slamming her on the ground.

"I don't know if I can watch this," Yoko cried. "This is horrible."

"The ninja world is brutal, Yoko," Shu sighed. "Let's see if Haruka can recover."

…

"How is she doing?" Ren shook Neji's arm. "Is she okay?"

Neji activated his Byakugan and honed in on Beki. She was face down on the arena floor, her arms tucked into her body as she tried to build up the strength to pick herself back up. Hidden behind her arms, where the arena couldn't see hot tears streamed down her face. A dagger twisted in Neji's gut as he watched her struggle there and he was completely unable to do anything about it.

"She's strong," Neji said. "She'll be okay."

Hinata gave him a knowing look and twisted at the hem of her shirt. It was painful watching her friend get treated that way. It was Beki's fight, however, and Hinata had to have faith that her friend could turn this match around. Shinichi was a bully the way that Hidiki had been and Beki had proven before that bullies were no match for her. Hinata focused as hard as she could, reaching out into the ether in the hopes that their bond of friendship was strong enough to send a message. You can do this, Beki, Hinata thought. I believe in you.

…

Beki ground her teeth in rage. Shinichi was making a fool out of her in front of all these people. Here she was, lying face down on the ground. She hadn't even landed a significant blow on her opponent the whole length of the match. Worse yet, she was crying. The physical pain she felt was nothing next to the gut wrenching humiliation from being clobbered, manhandled, and publicly ridiculed. She hated Shinichi, but she hated herself even more. This was Beki's moment. It was her chance to shine and rise above all the bullshit Shinichi put her through. What was she doing? Crying, like a bitch.

Get up, the Maiden said. Behind her closed eyes, Beki saw the mangled form of her Drowned self. Hold nothing back, it said. Let your fear give you strength.

Unlike the usual transformation, the Drowned Maiden overcame her all at once. A shiver ran down her entire body from the top of her crown, along her spine, and down her legs until her toes tingled. The moment she raised her head from the floor, the sea of Beki's emotions twisting her face into something monstrous, the crowd went silent.

"There it is," Shinichi hissed. "Here is the Drowned Maiden I've heard so much about. Show me the legendary power of the Asou clan!"

Beki threw herself to her feet and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"This is when the fight gets real!" Yoko cried out. "Finally!"

Shinichi still had that smug look on his face. Beki was itching to tear it off with a swipe of her gauntlets. She opened her mouth again to scream but only water came out.

"Well that's attractive," Shinichi dropped down into a defensive stance and waved for her to attack. "Come on. Don't be shy."

The water that had been pouring forth from Beki's mouth had coated a good portion of the arena in a thin sheet. She charged her cousin and slid on the slickened surface with frightening speed, gauntlets out and ready to strike. The moment before impact, she saw tiny tendrils of electricity branching out around Shinichi's body. He slammed his hands into her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her and sending waves of electricity over her body. She screamed out in pain as her body was knocked back to the other side of the ring. Beki landed on her side and rolled back up onto her hands and knees. It took a tremendous amount of effort to get herself back on her feet but she had decided she wouldn't give him the pleasure of watching her on the ground again.

Shinichi was watching her with a toothy grin. "Surprise!"

"What the hell was that?" Beki said under her breath.

"That, my dear, is the male heir's answer to the Maidens," Shinichi had heard her from the other side of the ring. "After the original Three Maidens died, the male heirs of each clan met in secret and developed a three pronged technique, the Kishin style, to shut down any Maidens that got out of hand. It's passed from clan head to clan head. As soon as I heard you had become the Drowned Maiden, I began to study the counter form."

Shinichi held up his hands in front of his chest. As he drew the hands apart, arcs of electricity jumped between his fingers. "Can you guess what it is?"

Beki's eyes widened in horror. Water conducted electricity and in her Drowned Maiden form, her skin was constantly coated in a layer of moisture. Worse yet, all that water she had spit up in the ring would conduct his attacks right to her.

Shinichi charged her suddenly, his fist raised and sparking. He dove, slamming his fist down on the water covered arena. Beki leapt into the air to avoid the arc only to be smacked down into the floor by Shinichi's follow up strike. The impact knocked the air out of her and as she gasped for breath Shinichi wrenched her jaw open and forced his walled between her teeth.

"Can't have you biting your tongue off," He said as he backed away dramatically. "It would be embarrassing for you to drown in your blood."

Before Beki could roll to safety he sent another current through the water. Every muscle in her body seized and her vision turned bloody. There was a complete loss of control as electricity danced across her skin. Her heart began to race so fast she was sure it would explode. Part of her cheek had been between her teeth and the wallet and the shock made her bite down. She tasted blood and smelled her hair burning. Beyond the buzzing sound and the throb of her heartbeat Beki heard Shinichi laughing. She heard the announcers talking but it was all so far away. Her body was a prison and part of her prayed she would lose consciousness and wake up in her bed back home.

After what felt like an eternity, it stopped. Beki lay there on the arena floor with her heart still racing and her breath coming in gasps.

"I've got to give it to those old crotchety monks, that was damn effective," Shinichi sauntered over to her, leaning his face over hers. "Come on, dear. Just surrender already. It's not attractive to be stubborn."

Beki's vision was blurry, and as she looked up at Shinichi's form it looked to her like her father. His words suddenly came back to her from their training all those months ago: everyone knew she was the Drowned Maiden and would be ready for that. No one would expect her to use fire.

She leered up at Shinichi, gathering the strength to cast a ninjutsu.

"Is this it?" Yoko's voice rang out with disbelief. "Is this the end for the Drowned Maiden?"

"NOT A CHANCE!" Beki screamed, startling Shinichi into backing away a few steps and buying her enough time to get to her feet. She cast a fire ninjutsu that surrounded her in a ring of blue fire. Tiny tongues of flame licked at her hair and skin as the air temperature spiked around her, evaporating the water at her feet and drying her skin. The sudden change in temperature made her flesh tingle. Her eyes began to sting so she clenched them shut against the dry hot air. She watched as the blackness was expelled from her hair and how it curled in the presence of the sudden surge of heat.

Beki dispelled the ring of flames feeling rejuvenated. A small smile pulled at her lips as she saw Shinichi's expression of triumph sour.

"How did you do that?!" He screamed. "What ninjutsu was that?!"

"Nothing special," Beki stretched in an attempt to relieve the soreness setting in from her electrocution.

"No!" He cried again, despair creeping into his silver eyes. "The flames! How are they blue!"

…

Yasahiro shook his head and whistled. "That's a tough break."

Ren, Daiske, Hinata, and Neji all gave him incredulous looks. The rest of the group was too caught up in the fight to have heard him.

"What are you talking about?" Ren asked.

Yasahiro pointed at Beki. "Did you see that? How her fire jutsu is blue?"

"Her father's flames are the same color," Hinata offered. "Isn't it just part of the jutsu?"

"No," Yasahiro shook his head. "That particular phenomenon is called 'ghost fire'. Fire jutsu used by Tsukimori who carry the Burned Maiden gene is always that ethereal shade of blue."

Ren's eyes widened. "So that means that Shinichi-"

"Is pretty much heir to the Tsukimori clan in name alone," Yasahiro sighed. "It figures."

"What does this mean for Beki?" Hinata asked.

Yasahiro shrugged. "Right now, mostly nothing. In the long run, however, it means that if anything should ever happen the clan is going to rally around Beki and not the heir apparent."

"All because her flames are blue?" Daiske asked incredulously.

"No," Yasahiro chuckled. "Beki is already a Drowned Maiden. She carries the noble Asou bloodline and here she is using the ghost fire. Never in Getsu's history has there been a Maiden with multiple bloodlines."

Ren shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "Well, of course she does. Her mom was an Asou and her dad was a Tsukimori."

Yasahiro shook his head. "Wrong again. The clans have mixed before but the children born from those unions were always one or the other. Beki has just demonstrated she is a conduit for both the Drowned and Burned Maidens. You can see by his reaction, all of this is dawning on Shinichi." Yasahiro smiled. "This is going to set him off for sure."

…

Shinichi shook his head and stared at her in confusion as if his brain was unable to compute the sight before him. His hands began to shake so he clenched them until the knuckles were white. "How can this be…?" He said half to himself.

"That was fun," Beki spat a pink foam onto the arena floor. "Now it's my turn."

"It looks like Haruka is back in the fight!" Yoko cried out.

"Things are finally starting to get interesting!" Shu replied. "I love a good underdog story."

Beki's body felt broken. The impacts of being slammed repeatedly into the hard stone had done almost as much damage as the electrocution. If this were any other fight she would forfeit to save herself from accruing more injuries. Now that the battle had turned in her favor, however, Beki could finally see the way out. Her freedom from Shinichi and from pressure by her clan was within reach. She would push through the pain and fight like her life depended on it. Anyone who ever thought they could push Beki around would look back on this fight and say, "let's pick an easier target."

Shinichi still wasn't recovered from the shock of Beki's turnaround so she charged him at full speed. The sound of her approach finally snapped him from his stupor. He reached out and drew his halberd from the stone, swinging it in a mighty arc. Beki bent backward and slid on her heels under the shining blade. It almost touched the tip of her nose as it passed. Before he could recover she was on him, planting strikes into his ribs and back to bruise his kidneys and his spleen. Shinichi grunted in pain and jabbed backward with his hilt knocking Beki away.

Beki's fatigue was beginning to show. Shinichi's next swing almost caught her head on. Realizing her mistake, Beki dropped backward again so the tip of the blade only caught her on the underside of her chest. The sensation of the fabric parting on the underside of her breasts was accompanied by the winter cold rushing into her shirt. Once she had regained her stance, Beki checked the damage. The compression of her shirt still held the tops of her breasts in place but the milky bottoms were exposed. She sighed and shrugged to herself. There was nothing she could do about it and if she bothered trying to be modest about the situation it would probably cost her the match. They're only boobs, she thought.

The next strike of the halberd went wide and Beki took advantage of Shinichi's lack of focus by side stepping the blow. While he staggered, Beki took ahold of the hilt and slammed her forehead as hard as she could into the bridge of Shinichi's nose. He cried out and dropped the blade into her hands as he reached up to stop the blood spurting out his nostrils. Beki weighed the weapon in her hands. It was longer than her father's kanabo and much heavier, but she felt confident enough in their similarities to wield it.

"That had to hurt!" Shu exclaimed.

"Oh man," Yoko sighed. "There goes his pretty face. This is the second competitor in a row Haruka's gone for the face."

"Statistically speaking, she's getting better and better looking than her competition," Shu said.

Beki ran to the other side of the arena and charged him. Shinichi looked up at her in horror, unable to avoid the blow in time. He closed his eyes and readied himself for impact. Instead of running the bastard through with his own blade like she wanted to, Beki rammed the blade into the stone and used the momentum to swing around the hilt to deliver a powerful spin kick to Shinichi's chest. As his body flew out of the ring and onto the snow Beki locked her knees around the hilt and hung upside down. Shinichi opened his eyes and looked at her in terror. Beki remembered her uncle's advice and gave him a big smile. That was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness.

The arena was silent from the crowd to the announcers. Beki dropped down onto her hands and kicked over onto her feet.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Shu's voice was shaky. "The winner by knockout is Tsukimori Haruka."

First, the mumbling kicked up until it was a deafening clamor. Then the cheers and the applause followed. Beki held her arms above her head in triumph, slowly turning to face all of the crowd. She smiled at the VIP box, knowing A and Gaara were behind the glass, and then turned her attention to her teammates and the Konoha shinobi. Beki waved at them, a euphoria washing over her as the adrenaline gave out. The rush made her dizzy and her vision blurred. Beki waved up until the moment that her knees gave out and the world went black.

…

Beki woke up in the hospital two days later. Rather, she had been slipping in and out of consciousness thanks to the painkillers they had pumped her full of since her admission. The staff had just weaned her off of the meds, so at last she was lucid. Everything about the world seemed too bright and shiny and every noise was unbearably loud. The doctor told Beki that she had sustained a cracked rib, deep bruising on her hip, and that the damage to her organs from the electric shock needed to be monitored before she could be released. They kept her hydrated and told her to minimize stress.

Ren was in the hospital for a check-up when they finally lifted the visitor's ban on Beki. She made a beeline to her friend's room and practically threw herself on the bed.

"You've had us worried sick," Ren bonked Beki on the head with her moveable arm. "No one could see you, and because your uncle isn't listed as a next of kin we couldn't find out what was wrong with you, either."

"Sorry?" Beki rubbed the top of her head. "So I guess I won't be participating in the remainder of the finals?"

"Nope, sorry champ," Ren shook her head. "But you took Shinichi out of the running, which is good enough for me. Also, rumor has it both the Raikage and the Kazekage are going to send word home on how baller you were in there. Like, hot damn Beki! When the hell did you get that good?!"

Beki rubbed the back of her head and gave Ren a lopsided grin. "I guess he just pissed me off is all."

"Pssh," Ren sighed. "Remind me to never piss you off."

"Says the girl in three casts because she literally punched her way out of a casket to attempt a murder on someone," Beki folded her arms and made a face at Ren.

"Okay, you got me there," Ren smiled.

"So what all happened after I lost consciousness?" Beki asked. "I can't remember anything."

Ren swung her good leg back and forth. "Well, they took both of you away for medical attention, you know, after they popped your boobs back in your shirt-"

Beki grimaced. "You're kidding. They actually fell out?"

"Yeah, I'm screwing with you. Every fanboy there wished they had though. The picture is all over the papers of you standing there, your arms over your head, your shirt barely holding everything in-"

Beki took her pillow out from behind her and buried her face in it. "My dad's going to make me commit seppuku."

"Uh, bitch, you're gonna be on posters for that." Ren laughed. "Do you know how many little girls I've seen running through town the last two days, the hem of their shirt tucked up into their collars while they push boys into the dirt? Like, seven. They're all braiding their hair now and yelling out that they're the Maiden of this or that."

Beki groaned.

"So there was this little brunette who kept yelling she was the Hungry Maiden, and I was like, I can get behind that shit," Ren poked Beki. "Where do I sign up?"

"Ren?" Beki said from within the pillow. "My head is spinning. You mind if I take a little cat nap?"

Ren shrugged and hobbled off the bed. "Sure. I'll come by and see you in a bit."

Beki waited until the clack of Ren's departure had faded away. She closed her eyes and laid back on the bed with the pillow over her face. The cool of the fabric felt refreshing against her skin. She wondered if she was running a fever. It was true, then, Beki thought. She had officially won her match against Shinichi and all his claims on her were off. In a public arena, while representing their village, Beki had demolished both his reputation and his pride. If nothing else, the trip had been worth it for that victory. She had no idea what kind of repercussions there would be for her dad politically but that was his battle, not hers.

Beki started to feel strangely. The doctor called it an "aura". Ever since the electrocution, Beki would periodically experience unfounded feelings of profound paranoia and dread. They would overcome her suddenly and hold her in a fit of terror for several minutes until they passed. The doctor said that Beki's internal electrical structure had been compromised and would take some time to prepare itself. These feelings of dread were just electrical misfiring that overtime would fade away. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply whilst reassuring herself that she was safe in her hospital bed but then she heard movement in her room.

She sat bolt upright and threw her pillow. It was knocked out the air only a foot from her bed by Shinichi. Beki's eyes grew wide in fear but she tried to calm herself. If her heartrate got out of control they'd have to put her under again.

"Shinichi, what are you doing here?" Beki asked. "Did you want to talk?"

He was in a hospital gown himself and appeared unarmed. As he approached her, however, he kept his right arm slightly behind him. No, Beki thought. He's here to kill me. She dove off of the opposite side of the bed just as he lunged. His movement was interrupted, however, by something that sounded like a chair being smashed apart. Beki's eyes jerked up to see Shinichi collapsing to the floor. Ren stood over his writhing form, chunks of her forearm cast crumbling off her arm and onto the floor.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Ren howled as she kicked the scalpel he had snuck in off to the side. In a feat of superhuman strength, she picked him up with one arm and tossed him into a chair where she proceeded to hit him with her crutch. "THIS IS FOR TOUCHING BEKI'S BOOBS WITHOUT HER PERMISSION. ONLY I GET TO DO THAT!"

Once the hospital staff came rushing in, Ren was found choking Shinichi with her crutch and Beki hovering there beside her, unsure of who needed her help more.

…

"What happened?" Gaara couldn't help but interrupt when he overheard the report to the Raikage that Beki had been assaulted.

A narrowed his eyes as if deciding whether or not to hit the Kazekage for speaking out of turn. "Tsukimori Shinichi apparently subdued the guards posted at his hospital room, located his cousin, and attempted to assassinate her. Her teammate came to her aid and held him off until more help arrived."

Kankuro watched Gaara out of the corner of his eye. To the rest of the world, he was listening to this information with only impersonal professional interest. His brother could see the battle going on inside his eyes, however. The Kazekage wanted to promote good inter-village relationships but Gaara no Sabaku wanted to rush to her aid.

"It's a fortunate thing her teammate was there to protect her," Gaara kept his tone measured so as not to betray the anger bubbling up inside him. "Had something happened to Miss Tsukimori we would have had an international incident on our hands."

"The assailant is being transported from the hospital to a higher security facility until we can get in contact with the head shinobi of Getsugakure."

The Kazekage nodded. "It sounds like you have the situation well under control," He rose from his seat and gave a respectful nod. "If you'll excuse me I could use some fresh air."

Kankuro followed Gaara out silently. He didn't dare speak until they were well out of earshot of any of the Raikage's men.

"What route would they take?" Gaara's composure was slipping. Kankuro detected a hint of the anger his brother had worked so hard to bury.

"Sorry, what?" Kankuro asked carefully.

"To transport Shinichi," Gaara looked at Kankuro, his expression dark. Kankuro swallowed. He had seen his brother like this plenty of times. This was far better under control and much more directed than it once was, but Gaara was furious. When he was furious, it got harder for him to keep the One Tail under control.

"Gaara, what are you planning to do?" Kankuro used no inflection and was careful not to sound alarmed. "You can't kill him."

Gaara closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm not going to kill him, Kankuro. I just-" He clenched his fists. "You have no idea how hard it is for me to just stand by and do nothing. I have to do something. Anything."

Kankuro held his breath for a moment before responding. "Go two blocks east and four blocks south. They'll pass by around there on their way to the holding cells."

"Thank you," Gaara said as he took off.

"Wait!" Kankuro hissed. "I'm coming with you!"

"You can't," Gaara turned and looked at his brother. "You need plausible deniability."

…

They had taken Ren away to put another cast on her arm and the doctors had Beki hooked up to even more equipment and medication than before to monitor her heart. Beki had discovered that it is impossible to keep your heartrate down during an attempted murder. She wasn't allowed to get out of bed unassisted and they warned her excitement would wear her out fast so they warned her to keep her visits with friends brief. Word had gotten out about the incident and her friends had all decided to leave her be for the rest of the day to recover.

That's why she was surprised when she heard a gentle knock on her door because the staff never bothered to knock. "Come in," she called out.

"Is now a good time?" The Kazekage asked as he walked in the door.

Beki gave him a weak smile. "Yes, of course." She waved at the chair in the corner. "Come and sit with me."

Gaara walked over to the bed as the sand dragged the chair over to him. Beki smiled. If she had that kind of power she wouldn't move furniture, either. Plus, it looked so damn cool.

"I hear you had an interesting day," Gaara's face was passive. "Your cousin came to pay you a visit?"

The smile slid off of Beki's face. "I guess he didn't take public defeat as graciously as I thought he would. I mean, people never do, but an attempted murder seems a bit excessive."

Gaara looked down at his hands for a moment and then back into her eyes as he spoke. "I regret to inform you that your cousin had a freak accident while he was being transported to a holding facility."

Beki blinked in confusion. "What kind of accident?"

"It seems he encountered a patch of slippery sand on his way and broke his leg," Gaara said.

Beki narrowed her eyes. "Sand isn't slippery as far as I know."

"It is when it moves suddenly out from beneath a person's feet," When he looked into her eyes, Beki could tell he was watching for a response.

"Let me guess, no one would be able to find this patch of sand now, would they?" She wasn't going to make this easy for him.

Gaara looked at his hands again. "I couldn't sit by and do nothing, Beki. Having to watch him disrespect you yesterday was bad enough but that was your fight and you handled it on your own. For him to come after you again, but this time when you're in a hospital and defenseless was unforgiveable. I'm a man, Beki. I had to do something."

Beki reached over and tapped his chin. He turned his gaze up to her with a hopeful look on his face.

"That's pretty sexy," Beki leaned in and pressed her forehead against his.

"Is it?" Gaara asked as their lips drew closer. His heart raced and the chill of adrenaline ran down his spine as their lips finally met. He was immediately surprised by how soft Beki's lips were and how exhilaration the warm pull of-

"PFFFFFF" Beki pulled away and spat. "Is that sand?!"

Gaara's heart sank and a small flush came over him. "I apologize; I'm wearing my sand armor. Allow me a moment to remove it."

"Wait, you're telling me the whole time I've known you, you've been wearing sand armor?"

"Yes," Gaara blinked. "I'm always wearing my sand armor."

Beki watched in horror as cracks began to form in his face and small chucks of it dropped off. It was like watching the fast forward of a porcelain doll decaying in the elements.

"No, stop, that's creepy," Beki covered her eyes with her hands. Slowly it dawned on her that the entire time she had known Gaara he had been wearing an exosuit of sand. That meant any time they had touched, neither of them had really felt it. There was no way for her to know what he really looked like under there, either. Beki braced herself to see what Gaara really looked like without his outside casing.

"Do you even have that tattoo?" She asked as she peeked through her fingers, only to see he looked exactly the same except a little shinier. And here I thought he just had amazing skin, Beki thought.

"It's not a tattoo, Beki. It's a scar," Gaara said as he narrowed his eyes. "And what's with that face?"

"I didn't know what you were going to look like under there," She smiled sheepishly.

Gaara leaned in closer to her. "Was I really so attractive you suspected my face was too perfect to be real?"

Beki puffed up her cheeks. "Are you really teasing a girl in a hospital bed right now?"

"Yes, because I've seen said girl fight and I know she's too stubborn to be here long," Gaara took her hand and put it to his cheek. "See? Real face."

He watched her face as she traced the curves of his face with her fingers. He hadn't let anyone this far into his defenses before and it was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. Gaara reached up and laced his fingers through hers and held the back of her hand against his skin. "You know, I've never been this intimate with someone before. For propriety's sake you'll have to be my girlfriend."

Beki shook her head and scoffed. "Because I touched your skin? Gaara, that's like, not even first base. I thought we were past that a long time ago but here we are."

He watched her silently, compelling her to give him the answer he was looking for.

"Well, how can I say no to a man that broke my assailant's legs," Beki smiled at him. "Are you going to stamp my forehead again, or what?"

"My brother always did tell me I was terrible at flirting," Gaara admitted.

Beki blinked. "You…you were flirting with me that day?"

"You're cute when you're embarrassed," He gave her a small smile. "Beary cute. According to the Raikage, you've been beary cute for a long time."

Beki flushed and pulled her hand away so she could fold her arms. "Yeah, well so what if I wear teddy bear undies? I kissed the Kazekage today. How many girls can say they've done that?"

"Including you? Twenty three," Gaara looked up at the ceiling as he spoke, as if trying to recall them all.

Beki's jaw dropped slightly in surprise but then she snapped it shut. "You aren't serious," She said but there was a hint of a question to it.

"Of course it's a joke," He sighed. "Now it's I'm so good looking you assume I'm a playboy."

"Look at you, you've got a girlfriend now so all the power's going to your head," Beki rolled her eyes. After a moment of content silence, she reached out and started to pet his face.

"What are you doing?" He gave her a sideways glance.

"It's like your sand armor has sealed in the perfect amount of moisture and protected you from the elements since birth," Beki stroked his face. "It's like the skin of a newborn freaking baby."

There was a knock at the door and Kankuro stuck his head in to find Beki rubbing her cheek against Gaara's face.

"Hi Kankuro," Gaara said casually.

"What's going on here?" Kankuro tried not to sound as weirded out as he felt, but Gaara picked up on his distress.

"Is this not typical?" He asked his brother.

"No, no it's not," Kankuro sighed. "Looks like you managed to find yourself someone just as weird as you. I mean, admittedly she's better at hiding it than you. I was almost fooled, but weird always finds it's way to the surface."

"Hey, have you ever felt his skin?" Beki asked.

"No," Kankuro shuffled. "Brothers don't make a habit of caressing each other. Girls do the communal touching thing but men keep their hands to themselves."

"But his skin is softer than mine," Beki frowned. "If I was less confident I would feel threatened by how freakishly soft his skin is. If I could get a purse that felt like this I would pet it all day."

"And human skin handbags is where we'll have to leave the conversation," Kankuro took Gaara's arm. "You're needed at the Raikage's office."

…

"So I take it if you're petting each other's faces today went well," Kankuro offered. "What did you tell her?"

"That I broke her cousin's legs for trying to harm her, which she found romantic," Gaara said.

"Oh, of course. What woman would find violence offensive?" Kankuro said sarcastically but Gaara ignored him.

"We might have kissed," Gaara watched Kankuro's expression change from smugness to disbelief, filling him with a sense of pride. "And she accepted my offer to be my girlfriend."

Kankuro closed his slack jaw and narrowed his eyes. "It got weird in there. What went wrong with you two and the kissing? Did you bump noses, or-?"

"I might have been wearing the sand armor and she got a mouth full of sand," Gaara sighed. "Which was stupid of me. I should have anticipated…"

"Better than a mouthful of something else," Kankuro said half under his breath.

"What was that?" Gaara asked innocently.

"Nothing!" Kankuro chirped. "Just glad to hear that you've finally figured out where you're going with this thing. All that's left is facing her dad."

"Oh, we're not there yet," Gaara folded his arms. Kankuro gave him a questioning look to which Gaara furrowed his brows. "Have you seen her father? I'm the Kazekage, Kankuro. I'm not stupid."

…

The news of Shinichi's attack had set a glum mood over all of Beki's friends. The Konoha shinobi all hovered around the hotel, trying to make conversations and failing. Neji had agreed with everyone else to just leave Beki be for the rest of the night but the more time passed the more agitated he felt.

Watching Shinichi toy with Beki had ignited a protective rage in Neji that her victory had only slightly quelled. As he leaned against the railing on the rooftop of the hotel he looked around and found that nothing really interested him. Colors seemed as dull as the conversations, words ran together on anything he tried to read, and music just sounded like noise. Beki had been in the hospital two days and Neji hadn't slept since, which he figured probably had something to do with his lack of interest in everything.

He saw Daiske talking with Lee and Tenten and thought of Ren. She was honest, the way Beki was but almost to a fault. Neji found himself stewing on what she had said to him during Beki's match against Shinichi. You're smitten with her, Ren had said. He was just too stubborn to accept it and someone else would scoop her up. Neji remembered the hot ball of nausea and anger that had welled up inside him when Shinichi had handled Beki the way he did. He couldn't remember ever feeling that angry before. She's like a sister to me, he thought. The way Hinata and Hanabi are.

His eyes kept falling on the same empty spaces. One next to Hinata. One next to Lee. The hollow soulless empty space beside him. No, he thought. She isn't just a sister to me.

"Lady Hinata," Neji was surprised by how normal he sounded in spite of the landmine of personal understanding he had just uncovered. "I know we said we would leave her undisturbed, but I'm going to check in on Beki."

Hinata gave him an understanding smile. "Say 'hi' for me."

My god, he thought as he walked out into the street, trying to control his pace. As much as he wanted to run to Beki, Neji knew better. How long have I felt this way, he wondered. Most people spoke of a moment where they fell in love with someone, but try as he might Neji couldn't recall any specific event that had brought it about. It also didn't feel like the overwhelming thought consuming affection Hinata had for Naruto. It had been slow in development and had grown into a quiet affection he had unconsciously been nurturing for quite some time.

That's not very romantic, he thought to himself as he approached the hospital. I can't tell her I feel affection for her. Neji took a deep breath and centered himself.

Beki, there's something I need to speak to you about. No, that's too formal, he thought.

Beki. I love you. That's far too direct. It will put her off, Neji thought.

Beki, everything that's happened while we have been in Kumogakure has made me realize something. I'm in love with you, and I've been in love with you for some time.

Perfect, he thought. I can't start with that, though. I'll have to ask her about her health or what happened with Shinichi first.

Neji walked into the hospital with a small bounce in his step and a lightness in his chest. It was a wonderful thing to realize you were in love and it opened up all sorts of exciting possibilities. Dammit, he thought as he signed in at the desk. I should have brought flowers. No. That's too stereotypical, he thought as he walked down the hall towards her room.

The door was closed, so he raised his hand to knock but paused at the sound of voices from within. Neji activated his Byakugan to see if Beki was meeting with one of the hospital staff. Instead he saw the Kazekage sitting in the chair beside her with her hand pressed to his face. Neji looked up at Beki and saw how she looked at Gaara. Beki did not look at Neji that way. Neji was just a brother to her.

…

Ren went up to the roof around midnight. Sleep was hard for her since she had awakened the Hanged Maiden. First of all, getting comfortable in three casts was a circus act. Even if Ren did eventually settle into a position that wasn't excruciating, the heat generated by the casts was stifling. When sleep did finally claim her, Ren would often awaken after hearing that terrible voice that had awoken inside her that day. It usually didn't say anything. Ren would just hear those horrible, raspy breaths of someone suffocating and would sit bolt up in bed.

At that time of night the roof was usually abandoned but today she saw she had some company.

"I didn't take you for a night owl," Ren hobbled over to Neji and leaned on the railing beside him. "Can't sleep?"

"No," He sighed. "Sleep is definitely off the table for a while."

Ren watched him closely for a moment and then stared off at the city. "So I heard you went to see Beki today. How is she?"

"The hospital staff seemed competent," Neji said. "I'm sure she'll be out soon."

"But what did Beki say?" Ren asked, to which she received no answer. "So what happened? You went to see her but didn't end up seeing her?"

Neji turned his head away. "Someone with more balls got there first."

Ren stood beside him in respectful silence for a moment before reaching into her leg cast and wiggling out a flask. Neji gave her a disapproving look and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"To broken hearts," She raised the flask and took a swig, then held it out for him to take. Neji stared at the flask for a moment. He appeared to be on the verge of turning it away when he sighed and finally accepted it.

"To missed opportunities," Neji said as he took a swig. His expression darkened as he pulled the flask away. "This is juice."

Ren snatched the flask away and shoved it back in her cast. "What did you think was in here, whiskey?! I'm in three casts and I am on a lot of medication that does not pair well with alcohol."

"To your health then," Neji said as he clapped her on her good shoulder and headed for the door. He paused just inside and asked:

"I never did hear how you stopped Shinichi?"

Ren smiled. "I broke my cast over his head."

"Ahuh," Neji said as he closed the door. "All women from Getsugakure must be a little mad."