Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I had some great ideas and a little free time so I was able to get this chapter out this week. I hope you all enjoy it! I've been loving hearing what everyone thinks of what's been going on. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this next part!

Ishida had stopped by the local shrine that morning and burned some incense for Seiichiro. He had gone early in the morning, when the only other person around was the priest. Ishida had never been religious, at least not in the way his predecessor had been. For many years, Ishida had believed that the reason Seiichiro spent so much time at the shrine had been a habit the man had formed courting Yukihana. Even after she had died, however, Ishida caught Seiichiro in prayer often. Burning the incense was meaningless to Ishida but he knew it would have meant the world to Seiichiro. The fragrant smoke filled the air with a scent like mahogany.

For months Ishida had been a nervous wreck coordinating the search efforts for Tsukimori Seiichiro. He had fought tooth and nail at court to continue funding the operation long after the courtiers had found the notion boring. The phone calls and letters he had sent back and forth between villages was staggering but to Ishida it was worth it. If it could have guaranteed his return, Ishida would have doubled the amount of work he put in. Instead of success, however, he was dealt a bitter blow. For nearly a decade, Ishida had followed dutifully along behind his mentor, the dashing but rugged ambassador. So, different had they been people jokingly referred to the mild mannered and ever-proper junior ambassador as Seiichiro's secretary. Ishida hadn't minded; even being Seiichiro's secretary would have been an honor in his eyes.

The twenty-eight-year-old Ishida Toshio was born a nobody. His family was an offshoot of a branch of a minorly important clan, with no legendary trade skills or remarkable wealth. They had enough to send him to the academy and university beyond that. He had excelled at school, especially in the areas pertaining to the nobility and law. Ishida's skills were impressive enough that at the unheard-of age of eighteen, he was appointed to a position as junior ambassador. His knowledge of theory was dashed against the reality of practice, however. Ishida had made bitter enemies at court within months to the point that they had plotted to have him murdered.

Seiichiro was a junior ambassador at the time as well. His childhood spent in a noble clan had prepared him for the two-faced behavior at court. In terms of threats against his life, no one at court dared to go after the hulk of a man directly, and his previous career as a ruthless shinobi discouraged any subterfuge against him. Somehow, the man caught wind of the plots and the identities of the power players, including Ishida's immediate supervisor. He had waited until the last minute to act, allowing him to swoop in like the cavalry and save the day.

Ishida's supervisor had called him into the office and immediately locked the door behind them. The supply closet had opened and three men dressed completely in black had stepped into the room. Two of them had grabbed Ishida as the other wrapped a noose around his throat, saying "Today is the day you hang yourself." The door was kicked in with such force it knocked Ishida's supervisor off his feet and into the opposite wall, knocking him unconscious. Seiichiro had stepped through the door in full armor with three other shinobi in tail. The men holding Ishida threw him through the floor and attempted to escape. Ishida watched from the floor as Seiichiro knocked two of them together, his hands wrapping around their heads like they were dolls. The three other jounin with him grabbed the third and then tied them all up to bring them in for questioning. After they were all subdued, Seiichiro had walked out the door as if nothing were amiss.

They had promoted Seiichiro instantly out of a mixture of fear and respect. To keep the two straight shooters out of other people's way, Ishida was reassigned as Seiichiro's junior. Ishida could still remember the day he first walked into Seiichiro's office as his junior. The man was handsome and rugged, more suited as a warrior than a diplomat. Too large for an office chair, Seiichiro was seated across from the door in a great black leather armchair. He was partially dressed in armor and had a cigar hanging out of the corner of his mouth. It took a full two minutes for him to look up and notice Ishida standing there in his best suit with a briefcase. He looked up at Ishida with eyes like burnished steel, jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the vacant desk in the back, and said "Get to work."

Seiichiro was everything a man should be: strong, intelligent, and he didn't mince words. Ishida was fiercely loyal to him and had always hoped to pay Seiichiro back for giving him everything he had. As Ishida stood there in that lonely shrine, he thought of how he had failed Seiichiro. Despite all his work, Ishida hadn't been able to rescue his senior. He stood there and thought of the immense leather armchair, worn in and scented of the cigars Seiichiro still snuck from time to time. There would be an emptiness in that office, an unfillable silence now that Seiichiro's deep growl of a voice was silenced forever. Ishida's mind roiled with all these thoughts and memories and his heart sank. The priest had stepped out of the room so there was no one to notice the tears Ishida was mixing into the incense ash.

…

To say Beki felt disoriented would be an understatement. The fight with Gaara had immediately been followed by a woman claiming to be her long dead mother harassing her. As she wandered towards home, Beki's brain was a muddle of both problems: how to handle Gaara mixed in with whether this woman was her mom until the words jumbled together and none of it made sense. Worse yet, she would have to relive all this again when she got home. Beki would take one step through the door and Hinata would know something was off. She had dodged the bullet after the fight earlier but Beki knew she wouldn't get that lucky twice.

Emotionally and physically Beki was becoming a mess. She hadn't trained in months and could feel herself going soft. The lack of activity made her feel restless and added to the overall anxious state she seemed to exist in. As she stood under a tree a few hundred feet from the Hyuga compound entrance, Beki mulled over what she could do.

"Why are you lurking off by yourself?" Neji's voice pulled Beki out of her head. "Did you and Hinata get in another spat."

"No," Beki shook her head. "That isn't it. I just...I'm in a mood and I don't want to talk about it, you know?"

Neji's first instinct was to ask her what was wrong but he bit his tongue. That was exactly what she was trying to avoid. The best he could come up with to recover was: "What can I do to help?"

Beki took a deep breath and put a hand over her eyes. The bag strings itched in her hand and the muscles of her back were crying out for attention. "Could you do me a favor and go get the kanabo?"

Neji blinked in surprise. "You want to go train? I'll go with you-"

"I need to be alone for a bit." Beki turned to face him. She looked sick again; her skin had taken on an ashen pallor and she had lost a lot of weight. Her hair looked duller and there was a deadened look in her eyes, like a doll's. Her overall expression could only be described as tormented. Neji had no idea what was going on inside Beki's head but it frightened him.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way but I'm not comfortable with that." Neji folded his arms. "I'm not going to make you go in there and talk to Hinata. You don't even have to talk to me but I'm not letting you go out alone right now."

Beki rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to do anything crazy, okay? I just need a big stick that I can go hit stuff with until I feel better. Where's there to worry about with that?"

Neji could hear the offended tone in her voice and scrambled to recover. "Well, I um, you haven't trained in a long time. You could hurt yourself and no one would be around to help you or even know where to look for you."

Beki considered this for a moment then sighed, throwing up her hands in resignation. "Fine. Can you take this in the house and get the kanabo for me already?"

Neji looked down at the sandals on her feet. "Do you want me to grab your shoes, too?"

"I burned through my last pair," Beki explained as she handed him her bag. "I'll just go barefoot."

"Now Beki-" Neji immediately went into lecture mode but Beki clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Can you just do this for me? Please?"

Neji sighed and nodded. Beki removed the hand from his mouth and he walked toward the gate. She buried her face in her hands and let out a frustrated groan. Never in her life had she felt so mistreated. Everyone was behaving like she was a fragile minded child. Beki was going through a lot right now but that didn't mean she was incapable of making rational decisions. Once again, all Beki wanted was for things to back as close to normal as possible. The sooner she got back into her training the better. Neji had a point that it was dangerous but he should trust her to know her body and make the call on when to quit on her own.

Beki walked further into the shade of the tree to wait for Neji. As the minutes dragged on, Beki heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction. Out of curiosity, Beki leaned around to see who it was. The figure was familiar but out of place enough to draw Beki from under the tree.

"Ishida," Beki said as she approached him. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I thought it high time I came to see you." Ishida looked her over and cringed at the sight of her current state. Beki had always been so vivacious, her energy permeating everything around her like a strong smell. The girl that stood before him was a sad reproduction of the original. The form and figure were dead on but she was flat and lifeless by comparison. He kept his tone measured and made his best attempt not to let on anything was amiss. "How have you been?"

Beki heaved a sigh. "I'm managing. How about you?"

"You know how it is in court, Haruka. No matter how great our personal tragedies, the show must go on." Ishida squinted in the bright light and gestured towards the tree. "I think you had the right idea earlier. Mind if I join you?"

Beki shook her head as she walked back under the canopy of leaves. "I'm waiting for someone but I think he'll be a while."

From that vantage point, Ishida could get a good look at the compound Beki had been living in. To call the place expansive would be an understatement. It was half fortress, half estate. By appearances alone, his charge was living under their roof to a standard that suited her position. Ishida sighed and shook his head. Once again, Seiichiro proved he knew what he was doing by leaving his daughter there. "The Hyuga have some lovely property."

Beki nodded. "They've taken good care of me. I live with the heiress and I'm treated as a member of the family. The patriarch reminds me of my father in many ways." Beki gave a sad smile. "I don't get away with anything in that house."

Ishida shuffled at the mention of their mutual loss. "I suppose you've been wondering what's going to happen regarding your position?"

Beki shrugged. "It's crossed my mind but I've had more pressing issues to deal with lately."

"I understand," Ishida followed her lead and proceeded cautiously. "Traditionally, I would take your father's position and you would return to Getsugakure to serve at court."

Beki nodded and watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye. She respectfully remained silent but she chewed at the inside of her cheek.

"Court is the last place I'll be sending you." There was a hint of anger in Ishida's voice, a righteous determination Beki had never heard from him before. The surprise left her speechless as he continued. "I've already submitted all the necessary paperwork and argued the case. I had to call in nearly all the favors I've accumulated over the years but you will directly succeed your father as senior ambassador."

"What?" Beki found her voice at last. "But how?"

Ishida shrugged. "Enough gold in the right pockets and the laws don't matter." Beki looked at him, appalled. "This is exactly why you have no business in that place. It's a den of vipers." He tipped his head to the side, allowing the light to catch the nearly imperceptible rope scar around his neck. "I learned the hard way. I hadn't even angered anyone important and I almost paid with my life."

Beki looked up at the compound hoping to see Neji there. He still hadn't appeared through the gates so she had no escape from the conversation. "I don't know what to say, Ishida."

"You don't have to say anything." He glanced over at her again and still saw that disappointed look on her face. "Please don't be surprised. Part of you has always known this is how the system works. Don't feel sorry for me, either. I may not get the opportunity to live the morally upright way your position has allowed you to be. That doesn't mean I don't have my own code or get to enjoy the satisfaction of beating these monsters at their own game."

"You're right," Beki shook her head and let out a cynical laugh. "I don't know what I was thinking. I was almost murdered for a job I hadn't been officially given yet."

"Now your head's on straight." Ishida sighed. "I know this is not the best time to be discussing all this and you have a lot on your plate already. I can't do this alone, Haruka. I need you to step up to the plate and take your father's place. Those who arranged his assassination are still at large and you and I are the next targets on their list."

Beki nodded. It felt reminded her of the feeling she got the first time her squad was assigned a mission. There was a sacred solemnity, a silent acceptance that their lives were on the line but they were willingly throwing themselves into the gauntlet. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"For your capture of Yasahiro's surviving accomplice and the defeat of his cadre, you'll be promoted to jounin. The promotion to senior ambassador should follow that announcement shortly. I will carry out the ceremony along with some witnesses from Getsu to keep things official. From there you will resume your father's negotiations with Konoha and Suna. You will also assume his duties regarding assets in this part of the world."

"As in shinobi assets?" Beki raised an eyebrow. "Like routing squads and such?"

"Your duties will usually consist of existing as a point of contact. If a squad is being rerouted or we have an update regarding the details of their mission, that information will pass through you. It will also be your responsibility to report any suspicious activity in this part of the world." Ishida explained.

"That will be a conflict of interest," Beki shook her head. "I've been in Konoha too long for me to be a reliable source."

"I'm not talking about Konoha," Ishida looked around. "You've already had run ins with Akatsuki, from what I've heard."

Beki's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak. Ishida held up a hand. "I will bring your father's notes for you. This is not something to be discussed out in the open. You must understand going into this that there has been a lot of activity that your father kept you out of the loop. It was necessary due to its dangerous and top secret nature." He explained.

Beki nodded and took a deep breath. It sounded overwhelming but at the same time she knew that this is what she needed. While her father was missing, throwing herself into her work had been a good distraction. This time around, taking up the position would give her a sense of purpose. "I understand. So, what's the plan for finding out who was behind everything at court?"

"I do have to warn you that a lot of what you will be doing is drawing attention away from me," Ishida looked at the girl who it seemed so recently had only come up to his knees. "Up until now, you've been asked to be the ambassador's quiet, well behaved daughter. From here on in you'll need to become an ambassador in your own right. You need to turn heads. I'll be conducting my investigation from Getsu, and the more eyes you can draw away from me, the better."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Beki's face was drawn with grim determination. Ishida couldn't help but notice the steely shine to her eyes and the set of her jaw were just like Seiichiro's. He smiled to himself. He'd seen that expression many times before and it always forewarned that the gates of hell would open son. "While I was covering for dad I held those meetings with the Hokage and the Kazekage. I have a fair idea of what's in store for me as ambassador when it comes to working with them. It's nothing I can't handle."

"I'll keep in constant contact," Ishida said as he considered the girl for the first time as an adult. For a decade, she had been this bumbling, chattering whirlwind of dirt and noise darting around Seiichiro's knees. She had climbed furniture, tried to tackle dignitaries, and wandered around the office without pants for far too many years. Even when she became a shinobi, Haruka had been an awkward eyesore. He remembered attending the graduation ceremony with Seiichiro and noticing how much taller and more muscular she was than all the girls and most of the boys. He had never really taken the time to have conversations with her. Countless discussions with Seiichiro had been curtailed by her bursting into the room with some convoluted question. Actually talking to her now, listening to the way she thought, Ishida felt he had done the girl an injustice. Somehow, she had grown up to be just like her father. That alone demanded some respect. He held out a hand to her. Beki took his hand firmly and they shook.

"We have work to do, Ishida," Beki said as she released his hand.

"On that note, what have you been wearing to these meetings?" Ishida eyed her attire skeptically. "I hope you've been making a respectable attempt at representing our village appropriately."

"I've been wearing a dress," Beki folded her arms. "But from here on in I'll be wearing my father's armor."

Ishida shook his head. "I know you worshipped him Haruka but you will look a fool-"

"The stories were true," Beki said as she watched Neji finally coming out of the gates, struggling under the weight of the kanabo. "After he died, the armor came to me. It attached itself to my body and changed shape until it fit my form."

"As incredible as that sounds and I am sure that will be a great story to tell at parties, I begged your father for almost ten years to please put on a damned suit and act like a diplomat-" Ishida began, falling right back into lecture mode.

"I'm a Tsukimori. We're stubborn to the bone," Beki flashed a smile at him that had a chilling resemblance to her mother's. "You won't have any more luck with me than you did with dad."

"Fair enough," Ishida folded his arms. "By the way, there's something I should probably tell you. It's about your mother. She's alive, Haruka."

"So, it's true then," Beki sighed. "I ran into her earlier. I still can't believe it, Ishida."

"I know," Ishida repeated her sigh. "How much do you remember about her? Did that woman look the same as in your memory?"

Beki screwed up her face as she tried to recall the face from her childhood. "I mean, the woman looked like the one in our pictures. She didn't act right. I don't remember my mother being that way. She was so...not like I remembered."

"You aren't going to want to hear this but it really is Yukihana. What you'll hate even more is you should spend some time with her. Your mother was almost head priestess of that shrine and she received specialized training that could benefit you." Ishida explained.

"What could she possibly teach me?" Beki leered ahead. "I don't need anything from her."

"That's where you're wrong, Haruka," Ishida said as he gave Neji a nod in greeting. "Your mother knows how to train Maidens."

Neji was flushed from the effort of hauling the kanabo along. He had it poised across his shoulders as Beki customarily carried it. The distribution of the weight was unnatural and threw off Neji's balance. It also made Neji a hazard as he walked along, nearly decking Hanabi when he turned a corner. Beki was deep in conversation with a man he'd never seen before but the two appeared to be familiar.

"Ishida, this is one of the Hyuga I've been staying with, Neji. Neji, this is my father's junior ambassador, Ishida Toshio." Beki introduced them.

Neji gave a polite bow, nearly falling over in the process. "Here," Beki stepped forward and hoisted the weight off his shoulders with as much effort as taking a child's backpack. Neji would have felt embarrassed if it weren't for the disturbed look Ishida were giving Beki.

"You can carry that thing?" Ishida's voice was full of disbelief.

Beki blinked innocently. "Of course. Dad was training me to use it."

"But that's twice your size!" Ishida shook his head. "You're an ogre, just like your father. I'm going to start calling you Onihime."

Beki shrugged. "This is the shinobi world, Ishida. I'd rather walk into meetings with the kage as the Mini Reaper than another stooge in a suit."

Ishida's knee jerk reaction was to lecture her about respecting her elders. The smile she shot him reminded him he had essentially just told her they were equals, however. He sighed and gave the two a polite bow as he excused himself. It would take a lot of work shaping Seiichiro's daughter into an ambassador of his caliber but she was already showing potential. The work she had done during Seiichiro's absence had been comprehensive for someone of her experience. She had caused no major incidents and had already formed bonds with both kage. If Ishida kept her safe from the capital and was diligent about his investigation, there was a good chance the pair would see their way out of this situation alive.

…

Beki and Neji walked along to a spot in the woods that was informally used for training. Beki had taken off her sandals and tied them to her belt. They bounced along with each step, which constantly drew Neji's attention to her bare feet.

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Neji eyed the detritus covered ground, waiting for an errant rock to pierce her flesh.

Beki stretched, both arms slung over the top of the kanabo she had across her shoulders. "I'm fine. Hey, what took you so long, anyway? Was the kanabo really that heavy?"

Neji flushed. "Sure."

Beki narrowed her eyes. "Okay, now I'm really curious. What happened?"

Neji flashed her an angry look. "When I walked in the house I ran right into Hinata and the bag fell out of my hands. There were bras everywhere, Beki. Hinata gave me this confused look so I tried to explain that they weren't mine, they were yours. That only made things worse. Lady Hinata then accused me of stealing them from your room. I told her that I didn't steal them from you and that you had given them to me."

"So that cleared it all up?" Beki laughed.

"No," Neji looked away, his face red with embarrassment. "Lady Hinata gasped in horror and asked if that meant we were 'that intimate'. I told her that we weren't and tried to scoop them up quickly so I could run them up to your room. Lady Hinata said that was completely inappropriate, me handling your underthings, and tried to take them out of my hands. Then Naruto walks in and sees Hinata and I grappling over a bra- "

Beki had stopped walking altogether. She had put the kanabo down and was leaning against it for support, her knees weak as she collapsed in laughter.

"How is this funny?!" Neji cried. "I have been shamed!"

Neji's cries fell on deaf ears as Beki began to roll on the floor, hysterical to the point of snorting.