Hi everyone. Things are still busy for me (summer courses and such) but I managed to crank this out over the last couple of weeks. Thank you for your patience with the delayed update schedule. I've really appreciated hearing from you guys during the break. Your thoughts and feedback are still an important part of the process for me. If you have an questions or comments about the story, feel free to review or PM me. Even though it's taking me longer to write these chapters I'll still try to respond to you within 24 hours. With that in mind, please enjoy!

"Where are you off to so early in the morning?" Hinata poked her head through Beki's door.

"My mother wants me to train with her," Beki said as she shuffled into her pants. "I guess she knows how to train Maidens. I'm hoping she can help me so I stop burning up all my clothes."

"Getting self-conscious about being naked in public all the time?" Hinata gave her a small smile.

Beki shrugged. "I don't particularly care but I imagine it isn't proper for an ambassador to be starkers."

Hinata yawned. "Well, just know that no one in my family gets upset about that. When you have a byakugan, you get used to accidentally seeing people naked."

Beki paused and gave her a strange look. Rather than elaborating, Hinata gave her a small wave and ducked back into the hallway. Beki heard her open her bedroom door and Naruto grumbled something before it closed behind her. That morning Beki had struggled deciding what to wear to train. She had no idea how intense her mother was going to be and she didn't want to show up over prepared. Instead of her good gear, Beki chose the old Tsukimori uniform her father had bought her. It was comfortably worn in so if Beki needed to move quickly, she could, but if it got torn up or dirty Beki could patch it easily.

As she walked out of the room, a box under her bed drew her eye. Beki stepped back inside, leaned down, and pulled the box out. Inside the box, Yukihana's gauntlets gleamed in the morning light. Beki had religiously polished and cleaned them so that even after two months of neglect they were still in pristine shape. The gauntlets had always been a comfort to Beki, a memento of her mother's that she could take into a fight. There had been times when Beki was deflecting a blow that she swore she could feel her mother with her. Now that she had her mother in person, it seemed wise to return them to their owner.

Beki walked downstairs and set the box on the kitchen table. She made herself some eggs and toast and washed it down with a small cup of coffee. While she was washing her dishes, there was a small knock at the door. Beki crossed the kitchen and opened.

"Hey Neji," Beki stepped aside for him to come in.

"Your mother is waiting for you outside the gates," Neji gave her a confused look. "I thought your mother was dead?"

"Apparently she isn't," Beki started to put on her shoes. "And as thrown as I am by the whole situation, she can train me how to control the Burned Maiden."

Neji looked over his shoulder towards the gates. "Can we trust her? Is it really your mother?"

Beki nodded. "Ishida told me it was true. He was miffed about it, too. Him and my mom never got along, I guess."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Neji asked with a friendly voice but did a poor job hiding his concern.

"It's fine, Neji." Beki grabbed the box on the table and walked out the door. "I'm sure you have better stuff to do, anyway."

Neji closed the door and followed Beki down the path. "I haven't seen you wear that in a long time." He gestured at the uniform.

"She didn't tell me what we were going to be doing. I'm comfortable in this, so I figure it'll live up to whatever she expects me to do. Besides, I'm so attached to this stupid thing maybe it'll keep me from blowing up." Beki sighed. "I tell you what, I miss the Drowned Maiden. My clothes would get soggy but soggy dries."

When they reached the gates and stepped outside, Yuki was standing there waiting for them. For a moment, Beki was tempted to turn around and go check her closet. Yukihana was wearing almost an identical copy of the outfit Yasahiro had bought for Beki during the chunin exams. The whole set was a brilliant white and made Yuki glow in the morning sun. The sleeveless leotard was made from a fine wetsuit like material and the pants were a soft linen. Beki couldn't help but notice they looked a lot like what the priestesses wore on the shrine back home.

"There you are," Yuki smiled. Beki realized with some annoyance her mother's teeth were almost as white as her outfit. Her eyes drifted over to Beki's side. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Neji, this is my mother, Asou Yukihana," Beki gave her an odd look. "Wait, would you be Asou?"

Yuki shrugged. "If we're getting technical, I was born an Asou, so it would never be incorrect to call me that name."

Beki gave her a noncommittal nod and continued. "Yuki, this is my friend, Hyuga Neji."

"She's told me so much about you," Yuki surveyed Neji the way a cat observes a mouse.

Neji gave her a polite bow. "It's nice to meet you-"

Yuki took ahold of his face and raised him out of the bow. "I see now. Up close you're definitely a boy."

A slight flush came into Neji's face. "Can you let go of me, please?"

Yuki flashed a vulpine smile and held fast. "Look at how handsome you are! I could just eat you all up!"

"YUKI!" Beki cringed at the sight of how her mother squished Neji's face. "Let him go!"

"Well you don't like him, and he isn't interested in anyone in town," Yuki gave his cheeks a squeeze. "Maybe I'll keep him for myself."

Beki walked over and swatted Yuki away. "I don't care that you're only technically three years older than him, this is creepy!"

"Why's that?" The smile never slipped from Yuki's face, which set Beki's skin aflame.

"You can't just have casual intimate relationships with my friends!" Beki put her hands on her hips and stood at her full height. Yuki cocked her head and seemed to look past Beki. That was when she noticed Neji had disappeared. When Beki peeked over her shoulder, she saw him hovering behind her so that Beki obscured him from view.

"Your mother is terrifying," Neji said under his breath. "Help!"

"Weren't we supposed to go train?" Beki seethed.

"Fine, you spoil-sport," Yuki sighed. "Let's get going." She turned and began to walk down the road towards the forest. Beki followed suit. Once she had fallen in stride beside her, Yuki turned and looked over her shoulder. "See you later, cutie!"

Beki turned to look at Neji but he was already well on his way home. She shook her head and heaved a sigh as she turned her attention back to Yuki. There she was, beaming like an idiot at her daughter.

"What's so funny?" Beki snarled.

"Nothing," Yuki grinned. "Just enjoying your company."

Beki felt a pang of guilt at being so suspicious of Yukihana and remembered the gauntlets. "Hey, I have something for you."

She held out the box to her mother, who reached out and took it with a look of mild surprise. "What do we have here?" Her expression changed as she opened the box and caught sight of the relics of her past. "You've had these all this time?"

Beki shook her head. "Dad gave them to me when he brought me to Konoha."

Yuki nodded and surveyed them. "You've taken good care of Frostbite."

Beki raised an eyebrow. "Frostbite?"

Yuki looked at her with a gleam of mischief in her eyes. She slid on the two gauntlets. On contact with her skin they began to smoke. A layer of crystalline ice encased the metal in a thin layer as Yuki extended the blades. The ice grew out along the catlike curve of the metal claws until they resembled tekko kagi. Beki stared at the sharp pairs of ice knives in shock.

"Your dad must have had work done on them to build up the claws," Yuki surveyed the metallic centers of her claws. "They weren't strong enough to use in a fight on their own."

Beki shrugged. "I didn't know that's how those were supposed to be used."

Yuki shrugged. "If nothing else, you took great care of them." She shook her head. "I wish I'd woken up with these. It would have made cleaving my way out of that base a cakewalk." Yuki retracted the metal blades inside the gauntlet and the ice blades shattered, sending ice chips flying in all directions. Beki sputtered as a few caught her on the face and melted on contact with her skin.

"So, what's the plan today?" Beki shuffled uncomfortably. "For the training, I mean."

Yuki stretched languidly. "Today is baseline day. We're going to find a clearing and you're going to come at me with everything you've got."

Beki recalled the smoldering ruins of the shack after she unleashed the Burned Maiden. "Everything?"

Yuki grinned. "I would be disappointed if you held back."

...

The clearing had seen plenty of sparring matches. The grass had long since worn away, forming a natural battle ring of chalky dirt. The trees were all far enough away that they wouldn't catch fire during the fight. Beki took a deep breath and centered herself as Yuki positioned herself on the far side of the ring. Her mother bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet, stretching her arms and neck.

"Okay girlie, show me what you've got." Yuki dropped low and her entire aura changed in a flash. Yuki's playful demeanor had completely disappeared, her eyes full of the menace of a predator.

Beki suddenly wished she had brought along the kanabo. She knew Yuki was her mother and this was just an easy day but she couldn't help but respond defensively. Beki felt in as much danger as she did on away missions. Her father had always said her mother had been fast but there was a chance that her time in the ice had dulled her skills. Beki charged Yuki at full speed, ready to throw an elbow. When it came time for her blow to strike, Yuki was gone. Before Beki could register what had happened, a hand wrapped around her ankle and bodily flipped Beki through the air and painfully onto her face. She looked up and saw Yuki dropped impossibly low.

"Stop screwing around," Yuki's voice was forceful, the sudden shock of which sent a jolt through Beki. It was as if her mother had become a completely different person. Beki felt compelled to follow her command and forced herself up onto her feet.

"I'm a Maiden with twenty years of experience," Yuki spat. "Nothing less than the Burned Maiden could stand a chance against me."

Yuki's hair hadn't changed color and she was asking Beki to transform. It almost seemed like a trick. Beki recalled Shinichi's suppressive electric attacks and wondered if her mother had something similarly devious in store. Considering she hadn't been able to track her mother's movement, however, Beki didn't have many other options. Beki closed her eyes and searched for the Burned Maiden. She sifted around in the corners of her mind, groping in the darkness, but felt nothing. Beki opened her mouth to speak but was knocked down before she could say anything.

"What the hell?!" Beki spat, rising to her feet immediately. "You told me to transform!"

"It shouldn't take that long," Yuki grabbed Beki by the collar. "You need to be able to shift into your full Maiden form at will."

"I could with the Drowned Maiden," Beki shook her head. "This is different. I can't talk to her."

Yuki narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Beki shook her head. "The Drowned Maiden was always there, like my subconscious. It talked to me sometimes. Ever since the Burned Maiden awakened, I haven't heard the Drowned Maiden. I can't reach the Burned Maiden either. When I try to find it inside myself, all I hear is silence." Beki looked up at Yukihana, searching her face for recognition. All she found was an expression Beki could only guess was disdain. "You can't talk to the Yuki-onna?"

"I am the Yuki-onna," Yuki cocked her head. "Although I suppose what you're describing is entirely possible. I awakened my powers to their full capacity as a young child. I can understand how you might assign a later awakened power as a separate identity for yourself."

"So, this isn't normal?" Beki scoffed. "I am crazy, then."

Yuki shook her head. "Not necessarily. It could just be a tool to help you visualize your powers and jumpstart the transformation. I suppose it may also be a coping strategy to deal with the transformation itself."

"What do you mean?" Beki rubbed her back. Yuki's last attack and planted Beki square on a rock the size of a grapefruit. It was going to bruise for sure.

"You have a perception of yourself and what you're supposed to look like. This usually coincides with an idea of what we stand for and the kind of person we typically tend to be. Having the Maiden portion of yourself be separate from your perception of yourself is a way to help your brain deal with the discrepancies between the two." Yuki explained. "So, either you need to come up with your Burned Maiden persona or you need to abandon that strategy altogether."

Beki shook her head. "I don't know how to do that. The Drowned Maiden was always just…there. How do I make another one?"

Yuki shrugged. "Like I said, if it's too hard, find another way to tap into the power."

"What do you suggest?" Beki asked and Yuki cold clocked her across the face. "What the hell was that for?"

"Get pissed off," Yuki reached out to grab ahold of her and Beki swatted her hands away. Yuki threw up her hands and turned to walk away. As Beki opened her mouth to speak, Yuki turned and delivered a roundhouse kick right to Beki's face. Beki was once again knocked to the ground.

The pain was intense, radiating from her cheek and nose. Somehow Yuki had managed to hit the exact same spot she had punched Beki on a moment before but this time with the force of a meat cleaver. Beki tasted blood. As she lay there, too injured and humiliated to move, a dull heat began to grow inside her body. Beki could hear Yuki's purposeful footsteps approaching. All she could do to defend herself was to curl up in a ball with her knees against her chest. Yuki kicked Beki's shins. What started as a gentle tap turned into full out blows.

Beki remembered her father's training. She had thought he was a ballbuster, sending her home with cuts and bruises all over. By that standard, Yuki was downright abusive. The agony in Beki's face had ebbed enough that she was feeling the damage to her shins. Beki could either roll onto her shins, exposing her ribs to protect them from further harm, or sacrifice her arms to protect her legs.

"You're pathetic," Beki heard a cruel voice. It took a moment for her to realize that it wasn't coming from inside her. "No wonder your father had to die for you." Yuki scoffed. "What a colossal disappointment you've turned out to be. If I hadn't seen you come out of my body, I would have to call into question whether you were actually my child."

"Go to hell," Beki growled from between her knees. "Who do you think you are?" The heat spread through her body, the warmth soothing her wounds and easing the pain in her legs. "You call me useless when you were trapped in your own damn jutsu for twelve years. Kicking me around is supposed to impress me?!" Beki pushed herself up onto her knees only to take a boot to the face. This time she held her ground, rolling with the blow only enough to keep it from knocking her down completely. "And how dare you bring up my father. You talk like you know him. After you disappeared he had to work nonstop as both the ambassador and as a parent." Beki looked up at Yuki, pure animosity in her eyes. "My father wouldn't have had anything to do with you if he'd lived. You wouldn't have deserved him."

Yukihana's expression was unfazed. She gave Beki a small shrug and folded her arms. "Funny how if you were so important to him he left you in a foreign village for two years. Maybe he couldn't stand watching what a failure you were anymore. Having you out of the picture must have made his life so much more enjoyable."

Beki saw her opening and lunged for Yuki, clawing for her face. Yuki caught her wrists and held her off with the effort it would have taken Beki to restrain a preschooler. Beki wanted to hurt her, wanted to make Yuki bleed for the lies coming out of her whore mouth. There was a soft sizzling sound and Beki felt something drip down her arm. Beki looked down at her arms, now softly aglow and radiating enough heat to distort the air around them. Yuki's hands were coated in a thick layer of ice, which was melting as quickly as she could generate another layer. Beki's eyes found her mother's and Beki was disgusted by the self-satisfied gleam she found there.

"Was that so hard, pumpkin?" Yuki grinned.

Beki's stomach turned and she backed off. She had played right into her mother's plan. How could she have foreseen the lengths Yuki would go to trigger Beki's awakening?

"So, there you go," Yuki shook the lukewarm water from her hands. "Getting angry triggers the transformation. No soul-searching necessary." She looked up at her daughter and gave her a bright smile. "I think that's a good start. It's clear we need to work on streamlining your shift to Maiden form. From there, we'll work on building your endurance and your speed."

Yuki's words rolled right over Beki. As she settled back to normal, Beki's stomach was in knots. Her shins ached and she was sure her face was swollen. The way Yuki had spoken to her was with so much resentment Beki had been forced to respond in kind. All that hatred had come spewing out, leaving a feeling of shame and emptiness in its wake. This encounter solidified Beki's observations about the staggering differences between her parents. At the moment, that translated to just how much of the shaft Beki got in being left with Yuki and not Seiichiro. A firm pat on the back knocked Beki back to her senses.

"Good work," Yuki said as she walked back towards town. "Let's go get some lunch. I'm thinking another tonkatsu bowl."

Beki stared at her in disbelief. "How can you be like this?"

"What do you mean?" Yuki blinked innocently.

"Two minutes ago, you were beating the crap out of me and saying some of the cruelest trash I've heard in my life," Beki shook her head. "And now you're telling me 'good work' and taking me out for lunch? Are you a sociopath?"

Yuki sighed. "Look, sugarplum, let's get something straight right now: when we are training, my job is to prepare you to be the baddest bitch on the battlefield. Look at yourself; you're seventeen years old. They murdered your old man and the only reason you got away was on a fluke. They weren't expecting you to go Burned Maiden on their asses. You won't get that lucky again." Yuki put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, considering her daughter. "We don't have time for me to ease you into this. I'm not going to hold back. I must be the toughest opponent you ever face. At the end of this, if you manage to defeat me, I don't think there are many shinobi out there you'll need to worry about."

Beki shook her head and heaved a sigh. "This is a lot to deal with."

"I know," Yuki reached into her pocket and pulled out a glove. She filled the glove with ice and tied off the end, offering the impromptu ice pack to her daughter. "You'll get through it."

Beki took the glove and held it to her throbbing cheek. The sensation was so soothing, a soft groan escaped her lips. Yuki chuckled and Beki tossed her a scathing look.

Yuki shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, you're going to look back on today and laugh."

Beki sighed. "If you say so."

…

Beki knew her face was messed up based on how hard everyone was working to avoid staring. Yuki was completely oblivious to the attention and ordered for them both with a charming smile. Beki held out the thawed glove for Yuki to refill. It crackled to life as the fingers filled with ice. Beki's face throbbed. She knew she should leave the ice off for ten minutes but she figured with her Maiden form so recently activated, she didn't have to worry about nerve damage.

Yuki tapped the table absently. "So, I've been meaning to ask you about the redhead."

Beki's eyes remained closed as she let the ice pack do its work. "Are you talking about Gaara?"

"I don't know the kids name," Yuki shook her head. "The one I saw you chewing out the other day."

Beki groaned. "That's right. You saw that."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Yuki rested her chin on her hand. "He looked awful rough."

A bitter laugh escaped Beki's lips. "That's funny coming from you."

Yuki shrugged. "The kid's got a face tattoo. What am I supposed to think?"

"It's a scar," Beki said. "Before you ask, it's a long story. One we don't have time for."

Yuki leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "Did he like, run into some decorative fencing or something? A tragic scrapbooking accident?"

"What are you getting at here?" Beki opened her eyes just enough to scowl.

"Tell me about him. How long have you guys been together, what his kill count is, that sort of thing," Yuki sipped at her tea.

"His kill count?" Beki shook her head. "Aren't shinobi not supposed to brag about that?"

"Why are you answering my questions with questions?" Yuki cocked her head. "Afraid I won't approve?"

"For your information," Beki pointed at Yuki. "Gaara is the Kazekage. He's brilliant, gifted, and considerate."

"And garishly red," Yuki said half under her breath but Beki ignored her.

"I've been dating him for two years." Beki talked over Yuki's comments. "Anything else you'd like to know?"

"What were you guys fighting about?" Yuki asked. "It looked like it ended nasty."

Beki buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath. She didn't want to talk about the fight, especially with Yukihana, but there wasn't a clear way out. The best she could do was to gloss the situation over to make it sound less horrible.

"He wants me to move in with him," Beki explained. "Because of the whole Yasahiro situation. Gaara thinks he can do a better job protecting me. I don't want to do that because I'd have to give up my job or get rid of the underlying problem."

"Do you guys always fight like that?" Yuki swirled the tea in her cup and watched the leaves pirouette in liquid.

"No. Right now he's stressed out because he's worried about me and I'm stressed out for obvious reasons. We normally communicate well."

It was at this point Yuki began to look uncomfortable as if she smelled something foul. Beki gave her a questioning look. Yuki put her cup down and checked to make sure no one would be walking by. "So, I have to ask. You know, for mom reasons. Have you slept with him yet?"

"Excuse me?!" Beki spat.

"I don't need details, just have you guys done it yet?" Yuki kept her voice low and kept scanning the restaurant self-consciously.

"Yes, okay?" Beki hissed. "That's all you're getting out of me."

"Thank God," Yuki leaned back and sighed. "I didn't want to have that talk with you right out of the ice. Glad your dad took the bullet on that one."

"He didn't," Beki closed her eyes and returned the ice pack to her cheek. "Dad didn't find out we were dating for over a year."

Yuki laughed. "So, how'd that go for Red when your father found out?"

"He almost strangled him." Beki shook her head at the memory. "And that was after Dad threw his kanabo like a javelin and took him out of the sky like a damned bird."

"I would have paid good money to see that," Yuki grinned. "The kid's lucky. If that happened when your father was younger Red would have been an unrecognizable mess they'd find after the winter thaw."

"I just can't picture dad being that way," Beki shook her head. "He was always rational and responsible."

"Good thing for you," Yuki's smile had taken on a hint of sadness. "We had our fun but looking back it wouldn't have stayed that way. We would have had to grow up. It sounds like your dad did a good job of it but I might have been resentful, being forced to be an ambassador's proper wife."

"I should have been a proper ambassador's daughter," Beki offered. "I failed miserably at that."

"Doesn't sound like it," Yuki gave her a warm look. "You did land a Kage after all. That means you must have absorbed at least some of your father's advice about diplomacy." Yuki's eyes dropped to Beki's chest. "That or your mother's endowments benefited you big time."

"You're such a creep." Beki growled.

Yuki smiled wickedly. "All the best people are, pumpkin."