Hi everyone. Thank you for your patience on these 4th Shinobi World War chapters. Before I officially started this arc I had already anticipated these being tough chapters to write. There's a lot of canon to sift through and additional information I have to stay aware of (troop movements, etc) that aren't directly related to my story but will have impacts later, and so on. Editing chapters of this length is challenging. I like to make sure I end a chapter at the end of an arc, so spacing the content to have fairly even content rich chapters is a priority. I have also been going through a lot in my personal life in that a close family friend passed away within the last week. Finding time and motivation to work on my story between working full time and dealing with funeral arrangements were few and far between. That being said I have put a lot of time and effort into this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. XO, ponchoninjax3.

The shinobi stood, rank and file, for as far as the eye could see. They had been divided beforehand into divisions based on their skills and combat abilities. Ren had been placed in the Fourth Division with the other long-range fighters, while Beki, and Daiske were in the Third Division with other shinobi who specialized in close and medium range combat. While they were being placed, Beki noticed that Yuki disappeared for a while. After everyone had been given their assignments they moved into their respective divisions. Yuki had reappeared by Beki's side as though she had never left. She didn't bother asking but Beki suspected it had something to do with Yuki living off the books. If anyone else paid any mind to the unaccounted kunoichi in their ranks, they didn't say so. Perhaps she was white noise compared to the electricity in the air. The breath of death was on their backs, amplified by the deafening quiet and unnatural stillness of so many bodies crowded together.

All eyes were ahead on the kage stationed above them. It was a surreal experience, Beki was sure, for most of those present. At some point in the past they had all turned blades against one another. Yet here they were, standing side by side at the precipice, former enemies the only thing standing between them and mutual destruction. Beki shuffled uncomfortably. The sun was on the back of her neck, cooking her in her armor. Yuki was being subtle about it but she was scanning the crowd. She chuckled to herself from time to time.

"We're lucky," Yuki said under her breath. "I don't have any enemies in this division. We might just get away with this, Beks."

Beki didn't reply. Her muscles were wound so tight they could have snapped. The heat radiating off her body wasn't just from the reflection of the sun's rays. Beki was uneasy. Any moment now, they would be dispatched off into the world to face an unknown enemy in uncounted numbers. Yuki was confident that she could keep her safe but was there any such thing as being "safe" in a war? Beki tightened her grip on her father's kanabo involuntarily. At last, Yuki noted her tension and offered a hand.

"Pray with me."

Beki took the offered palm, her mother's new gauntlets blinding her in the glare. She shut her eyes tight while her mother muttered. Her nerves were screaming so loudly Beki couldn't understand what Yuki was saying. It was just soothing noise, a protective blanket she was invoking that had no shape.

At last, the kage stepped forward, ready to make their address. Instead of one of the more seasoned leaders, Beki was surprised to see Gaara lead the way. His voice projected well over the crowd absent any equipment. He spoke to the multitude of hatred, the destructive, selfish desires that shinobi and their villages had throughout history. He then brought up how the Akatsuki shared these traits, that their goals had affected each of the villages in turn. Gaara then explained how although everyone was hurt, that they each harbored their own personal and collective pain, it was possible to come together and bear no hatred to one another. This war went beyond the villages. All shinobi had to come together as one to stop this hatred once and for all, to save their friends, their villages, to save the entire world. It was simple and eloquent; full of passion and heartfelt emotion. Cheers erupted across the ranks, rising in a deafening tidal wave of sound. Yuki glanced over at her daughter to make a snide comment about whether Beki was so sure dumping him was such a great idea. At the sight of Beki's face, however, Yuki held her tongue.

Her whole life, Yuki had been gifted. In some ways, the gifts were a blessing, but her prophetic gifts, her supernatural instincts, had often felt more curse than boon. She knew things she shouldn't, saw what she couldn't unsee, floated through life questioning the validity of the reality she was witnessing. The warnings proved wise and the visions were always true. These innate gifts had been trained, however, honed like a sword to be concise as such intangible skills could be. Beki had received no such training. Her time at the shrine seemed like it had been for social visits and not education. Until now, Yuki was uncertain if any of her gifts had passed on to Beki. In that moment, though, she recognized the look on Beki's face. She had seen it in her own reflection: the twisted horror of impending doom. Yuki reached out and took ahold of Beki's hand again but her daughter's eyes remained transfixed, faraway and darkening by the minute.

"Beks?" Yuki squeezed her daughter's hand.

Beki shuddered moments later, shaking her head and glancing at her mother with a confused look in her eye. "Sorry, I think I spaced out for a second."

"What did you see?" Yuki asked.

Beki blinked. "Saw? What are you talking about?"

Yuki shook her head and let her daughter's hand go. She must have been wrong. It was probably just a case of prewar nerves fogging Beki up.

"I just...I can't shake this terrible feeling," Beki looked around and gave her mother a nervous smile. "I mean, everyone's scared. Maybe I'm just soaking it up, you know?"

"Sure." Yuki nodded unsurely and turned her attention back to their surroundings.

Once Yuki was distracted, Beki let the smile slip away. While Gaara had been giving his speech, Beki had sworn she heard bells. She had blocked him out, concentrating on the chiming. When she listened closely Beki could hear singing, too. The sound seemed like it had been coming from everywhere at once. It was beautiful but soft, a chorus of several female voices. The singing wasn't loud enough for Beki to make out what they were saying. For some reason it was strangely familiar, like a lullaby she'd heard as a kid and forgotten about. Yuki had snapped her out of her daydream.

People were coming around and handing out new headbands for everyone: instead of their respective villages, each headband simply had the character for "shinobi" on it. Beki had to respect the effort. Diplomatically, it was a genius move. It would make it easy for the combatants to forget whether a fellow shinobi was from their rival's village and help them focus on the fight at hand. Daiske was a few rows ahead, off to the left, and kept stealing nervous glances at Beki. She did her best to ignore him; Daiske had a tendency to spiral when he was worked up. He was much better off alone, able to process and deal with problems as they came along if he didn't talk about it. If he had a friend around, however, and started to vent, he would fixate on the issue and end up much worse off than he started. The leaders of each division came along after that and introduced themselves to their group. Beki suppressed a chuckle when Yuki choked at the sight of Kakashi.

She swore and did her best to let her bulky daughter conceal her from view. "You remember how I said its better if no one knows me?! Well that's all shot to hell!"

"Shut up, he's talking." Beki elbowed her.

"You don't get it, kid," Yuki hissed under her breath. "I'm dead, remember? I don't have a flag to fly under here. I'm not under the kage's blanket protection. Someone who has a beef with me from twenty years ago recognizes me and figures out I'm that Yukihana, it's open season with no consequences."

Beki tsked fake sympathy. "That's too bad, Yuki. Maybe you should go home-"

Yuki socked her a little too hard and Beki swallowed a yelp. "And let you get yourself killed? Forget it."

As Kakashi explained where they were going and what they were doing, his eyes slowly moved over the group, taking in their faces. Beki noticed his gaze linger a little longer on her and Yuki, who was resting against Beki's shoulder and had her head bowed so low her face was hidden. It was a fruitless gesture, Beki knew. Kakashi was wicked smart. There was no way he was going to assume the black-haired woman with the same height and build that was side by side with Beki was anyone but her mother.

"Ooh," Beki said under her breath. "I think you're in trouble."

The Divisions began to file out towards their respective goals. Once the Third Division began moving, Beki made a point of putting on speed to catch up with Daiske. He still had his permanent frown in place, worry marring his features. Beki gave his shoulder a reassuring sock, smiling under her mask. Daiske took a few moments but his expression softened, too.

"I'm glad we're together, Beki," Daiske said softly, so the other shinobi couldn't hear. "We've always had each other's backs."

"Ever since you tried to stand up to those bullies for me," Beki adjusted her hold on the kanabo. "We make a pretty good team."

He laughed bitterly. "I found out you didn't need anyone to swoop in and save you."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, though." Beki said. "Even if it's just one of us distracting the enemy so the other person can land the hit."

"I love being reminded I'm bait." Daiske scoffed.

"You're much better at it than Ren," Beki laughed. "You would think the child sized shinobi would be the one you bait and switch with, but man is she bad at it."

"Hey, you wanna come kidnap me?!" Daiske imitated Ren's overly intense battle face. "Come on and try!"

They shared a laugh at their friend's expense. Shortly after, they fell silent, consumed by their own thoughts. Yuki had hung back behind them, her eyes never off her daughter, but her own progress never noteworthy in the crowd. She became so numb in the rhythm of her breath, her heartbeat, and the sound of her footsteps, Yuki nearly leapt out of her skin when Kakashi appeared beside her.

"Do you have an excuse prepared for why you're here or can we just proceed on to there's no excuse for you to be here?" Kakashi had matched her half speed pace.

"I wasn't going to let Beki go to war by herself," Yuki shrugged. "I don't think that's so wrong."

"This is a shinobi war, Yuki," Kakashi gave her a frustrated look. "You're out here of your own volition, for selfish reasons."

"I didn't say I wasn't," Yuki kept her gaze ahead of herself. If he wanted to, Kakashi could shut her down right now. The idea of being benched while Beki was on the frontlines was unbearable. Yuki told herself that at least if Beki died in her arms, she would have done everything possible to save her. She could make peace with that. But if her daughter died in a ditch somewhere, alone and forgotten, Yuki could never forgive herself. Yuki would rather rip her own heart out and crush it than let her that happen. That was something she hadn't understood before she had held that little bundle in her arms. It was something she didn't expect Kakashi to understand, so she kept it to herself.

"If you do anything to jeopardize this operation, Yuki, understand I will do something about it." Kakashi kept his voice low and his tone even; the threat implied none the less.

Yuki nodded and gave him a halfhearted salute. "Don't worry. I'm a good little soldier today."

Kakashi picked up speed and headed off towards the front.

After a few hours of travel, once they had officially crossed the Land of Frost's border, the herd of shinobi saw a red flare go up from the Surprise Attack Division. The bodies shifted, moving like a school of fish towards the light. Yuki steadily picked up speed until she was beside her daughter.

"This is it," Beki said breathlessly. "This is where the war starts."

Yuki nodded. "Easy, girl. It'll be just fine. You've been in fights before. This isn't any different."

"I was part of a hit squad, mom," Beki shook her head. "We were sent in to snuff out single or double targets. They were priority, you know, but this….these numbers only mean one thing."

"We're lemmings," Daiske chimed in. "We're up against something bad enough that they're just going to throw bodies at it till the problem goes away."

It frustrated Yuki to hear the two of them be so negative about the situation. She reminded herself they were young, though, and there hadn't been a Shinobi World War for decades. These kids had seen violence, yes, but it was organized violence. They were deployed on missions where what would happen was completely spelled out. The rank system told them how much danger and how on their guard they would need to be. Suspected threats were identified and described for them. Even the terrain was usually dictated before deployment. War was chaos embodied; loosely organized warriors throwing themselves from fray to fray. Allies flowing into enemies, enemies becoming allies, civility suffocating under the cruel reality of humanity. A person had two choices: to do whatever it would take to survive or die. The same went for the people around them. If given the choice, the shinobi would have to do terrible, unspeakable things to save their allies, or cling to their humanity and let them die in theirs. Something needed to be said. The kids needed reassurance, meaningful advice, a mantra to carry while they were in war. There was a slim possibility Yuki could die, albeit it would probably be to protect them, but if that were the case she had to leave some sort of legacy behind her.

After a long silence, she spoke at last: "Don't think so much. War is instinct. Instinct is reaction and thinking is hesitation. Thinking will get you killed out here, so just trust your gut."

Daiske swallowed hard and nodded. Beki stole a nervous glance in her mother's direction but remained silent. It was hard, exposing her nerves to her mother. Yuki had no patience for weakness, and to be honest Beki couldn't stand it either. There was this nagging sensation, though, growing inside her like an evil seed, gripping at her muscles and tugging at her nerves. She was terrified of something floating out there in the abyss. It was a familiar fear, like a nightmare she had forgotten. As they neared the source of the flare Beki accepted that whatever the source of her horror, they would meet it soon. For better or worse, the matter would be resolved.

…

When they reached the location of the Surprise Attack Division, the shinobi of the Third Division fanned out around their leader. Before them were four shinobi that didn't look quite right. Their skin was deathly pale, covered jagged scars that almost looked like seams. Their eyes were unsettling; the corneas were an inky black, making their irises stand out in startling contrast. Yuki squeezed a hand on Beki's shoulder.

"The one with the bandages on his face. I know him from somewhere." Beki glanced at her silently but kept her focus ahead. Yuki searched the man for more clues, her eyes falling on the sword slung over his shoulder. Yuki swore, a prolonged hiss as she dropped lower onto her haunches. "I can't remember his name but he's a swordsman of the Mist."

Kakashi had stepped forward and seemed to be talking with the Swordsman and his smaller companion.

"I guess he knows them, too," Beki offered.

As quickly as the conversation began, it ended. The eyes of the enemy shinobi went blank, their speech ceasing. A mist formed. It was so thick Beki could barely make out her mother beside her. Yuki pulled Beki close and dropped low. Beki reached up and pulled Daiske down beside them. Yuki took a deep breath and exhaled silently. She reached out and arranged Beki and Daiske so their backs were to hers, forming a triangle with their bodies.

"They're hitmen," Yuki said as the death cries began to rise from seemingly everywhere around them. "Protect your vulnerable spots."

Just as soon as she finished speaking, something came shooting out of the mist right for Daiske's face. Yuki threw up her hand with her fingers splayed wide. Daiske was frozen in place, staring down the two ice senbon that had nearly found new homes in his eye sockets. Yuki clenched her fist and the senbon shattered harmlessly on the ground.

"Like that, Daiske," Yuki gave him a frustrated look. "Protect your damned weak spots!"

Beki sensed movement in the mist and swung her kanabo carefully, not enough to expose her ribs but enough to ward off an attack. Whatever it was slunk back into the ether but it wasn't gone. She was doing her best to take her mother's advice, to drown the voice in her head that tried to reason through everything. Beki was trying to just be. So far it was working. Suddenly, Daiske grabbed Beki and Yuki by the arms and pulled them down, putting up a wall of earth in front of them. An explosion went off on the other side. His wall held strong for the most part but the impact loosened some of the dirt. It fell harmlessly on their heads. Yuki grinned and clapped him on the back. "There you go! That's what we need!" The smile slipped off her face as she slammed their faces into the dirt. "Incoming!"

Senbon sailed right where their heads were, lodging themselves in the remnants of the earth wall.

And so it went. The attacks kept coming, seemingly without end. Soon, not only were they avoiding attacks but stumbling over the countless bodies of the shinobi that hadn't been fast enough to react. Beki heard Might Gai shouting encouragements somewhere in the fog. As much as she respected him, a pep talk wasn't going to help her here. She gripped the kanabo tighter, swinging it like a club to shatter incoming projectiles. A hand on her shoulder startled her. Beki spun, kanabo up, but Yuki stopped it.

"I'm going to do something crazy," Yuki looked her daughter in the eye, lowering her kanabo for her. "I'm going to power up and try to draw some of the fire." She looked around at all the young, cut-down-before-their-prime shinobi. "Or we won't have enough shinobi to call ourselves a division anymore."

Beki nodded and watched her mother get swallowed again by the mist. She took a few cautious steps back, watching over her shoulder as Daiske materialized behind her. He glanced at her as he swept the surroundings, nodding in acknowledgement as she pressed her back against his. The mist suddenly grew much cooler, dropping at least ten degrees, so the shinobi's breath began to fog as well. The pair could sense a great source of chakra nearby, slowly moving through the mist. Daiske's eyes grew wide in panic, his head snapping back and forth. He was practically hyperventilating.

"It's mom," Beki whispered. "She's trying to draw fire."

Daiske visibly relaxed and gave her a smile. "Finally. Maybe we'll just make it out of this alive-"

Before he had finished speaking, a pair of great hands formed from the mist and took ahold of his shoulders. The smile faded off his face and Daiske opened his mouth. He screamed as he was ripped out into the nothing, the sound cut short by a deafening thud. Beki was frozen in place with her jaw slack in her mask. She lowered the kanabo reflexively as her brain tried to process what she had seen. Those hands, as big as her head, calloused and rough; she knew them. It was so strange, to recognize a dead man by his hands. As Beki's legs shook, a hysterical laugh fell from her mouth at the irony of it all, the hands came for her.

…

Yuki spotted Kakashi, cleaving through the Swordsman she had recognized from earlier, and was closing in for an assist. Off in the mist somewhere behind her, Yuki heard Beki laugh. It was a high pitched, hysterical sound, completely out of place on the battlefield. Yuki immediately knew that her daughter was in trouble. The sound stopped her dead in her tracks, fear instantly gripping her spine. Yuki about faced and took off at full speed without knowing what was waiting for her out in the fog. She sailed over bodies, their life spilling out onto the ground, their hands reaching up to her in their last moments for aid. Yuki paid them no mind. They were already dead; they just didn't know it yet. If she didn't hurry it would be her daughter reaching for her like that, waving a final goodbye as she was stolen away to the afterlife.

A figure took shape in the mist. It was a strange thing, twisted and malformed by the low visibility. The closer she got, Yuki realized the form was in fact two figures locked together in combat. Or rather, a smaller figure desperately trying to hold off the larger. Yukihana threw herself at the attacker with her claws extended without hesitation. The grizzly looking man reached up a hand and caught Yukihana by the far wrist and threw her sideways. The force of his toss was incredible considering the second he had to execute it. Yuki's momentum was instantly canceled and she fell harmlessly to the ground. As soon as she landed, Yuki was back on her feet and ready to lunge again, her teeth bared in a snarl and her brows knit in fury.

At last she saw why Beki struggled so weakly against her aggressor. The face was older, more haggard than she remembered. His body had become denser over time, making him more barrel chested and his limbs tree trunks. Yukihana would know that face anywhere, though. It was her Seiichiro.

Seiichiro deflecting Yuki with one hand allowed Beki to struggle free of it's mate. She stumbled backward, nearly tripping over Yukihana in the process. It had been almost a year since Seiichiro disappeared. Beki hadn't really seen him; even though she had stumbled across his body that fateful night, she had hardly gotten a good look at her father. It was surreal in a knee locking way, to witness something that had been ashes and bloodstains on the floor whole again. His size struck her for what felt like the first time in her life. He had always been her father, a supportive, protective wall against the world. Now, on the battlefield, he was a colossus, towering above her. He possessed inhuman strength and impossible speed for a man of his stature. Beki was left with a nauseating mixture of joy for their reunion and bone shaking terror at the thought of taking him on. Yuki had regained her footing and stood equally as dumbfounded beside her.

"Sei..." It was barely more than a whisper, half to herself, but Seiichiro caught it. He stared them down through the mist. His gaze was stony, his silver irises suspended like moons in black skies. It was the face of death itself; the Reaper had risen and brought hell up with him. His unreadable expression flickered slightly, a shadow of recognition crossing his face.

"Yukihana," His brow furrowed as he surveyed her. "You were dead...but you aren't one of us."

"I wasn't dead," Yuki took a cautious step towards her late husband. "I was frozen. For twelve years I was trapped in that ice."

"That would explain why you still look the way you did then." His body didn't relax, his voice didn't soften. Slowly, his steady gaze fell on Beki, glancing her over in his armor. "At least you remembered something I told you."

Beki winced as if struck. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

The look Seiichiro gave her could have sent grown men sobbing. "Look at you. You're a disappointment and a failure. I blame myself for letting you grow to be so soft. I coddled you and made you weak."

"How could you say that to me?" Beki swallowed hard at the lump forming in her throat. She glanced at Yuki for some source of comfort. "That isn't really him, is it? Its some kind of illusion?"

Yuki kept her eyes on the Reaper. After a moment, she slowly shook her head. "There's no mistaking it. That's Seiichiro."

Seiichiro kneeled down and picked up the kanabo Beki had let fall out of her hands. Instantly her throat tightened. Unarmed, Seiichiro was challenging. With his trademark weapon, he became a nightmare. "I made you this way," Seiichiro spoke, a shadow over his features. "It's my job to fix it. I didn't prepare you for this world so it's my responsibility to put you down."

"That's enough of that," Yuki stared him down. "I don't know what's gotten into you-"

"I'm dead." Seiichiro was unfazed. "I see things clearly now. No attachments, no sentiment. You're no better, Yuki. You're unfit for this world as well." He moved so quickly Yuki barely had time to knock Beki to the ground and dive out of the way herself. He had crossed the space between them and swung the kanabo so hard it would have broken their spines. Beki was back on her feet and leaping away as he brought down the kanabo where she had been lying helplessly only moments before. The women were on either side of him, circling cautiously. Yuki had her gauntlets out, claws extended, but Beki was completely unarmed.

Beki had spent most of her life training with her father. His movements were all familiar. As she watched him, Beki recognized all his techniques. It was staggering to realize how much he had held back on her all those years. As she got older, Beki thought she was getting better, that perhaps she was approaching his level. That hubris smacked her in the face on the battlefield. The only thing that stopped him from bashing in her head was that she never stopped moving. The difference between his teaching style and Yuki's was Beki's saving grace. Her mother had put an insane amount of focus on speed, whereas Seiichiro's concentration had always been form. It was disorienting to be on the defensive nonstop. Any time Beki thought she spotted an opening, Seiichiro noticed the momentary hesitation before she struck and came down on her.

Sweat was forming in tiny beads on Yuki's back, slowly trickling down, threatening to steal away her concentration on Seiichiro. She would wait until he tried to land a strike on Beki and attack. Without looking, he would seamlessly react. He either deflected Yuki's charge or moved to counter attack. Yuki would barely have time to clear his strike zone before he was on to his next assault. She caught Beki's eye, gave her a steady look, and glanced at Seiichiro. Beki nodded and prepared to attack. Both women launched themselves upon him, Beki low and Yuki high. In one beautiful swoop, Seiichiro caught Beki, and swung her upwards, tossing her bodily into her mother and knocking them both away.

"Pathetic," Seiichiro spat. In that moment, Yuki noticed that in order for him to deflect their combined attack, Seiichiro had dropped the kanabo. Recognizing the slimmest advantage possible, Yuki threw herself back on him. She weaseled her way around him, ducking under his arms, climbing up his back, taking blind strikes, and moving again before he could catch her. Beki righted herself and noticed the kanabo lying abandoned on the ground. She threw herself at the weapon, grabbed ahold of the handle, and struck. Beki put her whole body into the uppercut, rotating the whole length of her back in a perfect arc. Yuki had taken up position behind him, exposing his whole torso to the attack. The ghost of a smile tugged her lips as she waited for the strike to connect.

Instead of a satisfying crunch of ribs, Beki felt the kanabo reverberate in her hands. She was barely able to keep ahold of the club. Trapped between his hands, Seiichiro had caught the kanabo mid strike. Beki's eyes widened in horror but she had no time to respond as he bodily yanked her towards him. Yuki tore at his flesh, watching in despair as the wounds knit themselves almost as quickly as she dealt the blows. Beki stumbled, falling into her father's arms. Seiichiro embraced her. It was gentle at first, enough to draw Beki's arm's around his waist. Then the pressure increased.

"Let her go!" Yuki pounded uselessly. She leapt backward, slashed at his legs, tore at his arms, tried to pry his fingers free. Beki was making wheezing noises as he hoisted her off her feet, crushing her in a bearhug. Hands shaking, Yuki tugged on his sleeve. "Please, Seiichiro, please, I know you're in there. This is my fault. You're mad at me. It has nothing to do with Beki!"

"What are you talking about, woman?" Seiichiro glanced at her, his eyes devoid of any familiar warmth.

"I haven't honored your death," Yuki pleaded. "I avenged you, yes, I sent your killers back to their maker. But there was no body for me to bury! No, that's...you're upset about me seeing other people. I thought you would have wanted me to move on but if I was wrong-"

Seiichiro backhanded her. The movement caught her completely by surprise and threw Yukihana on her rear. She looked up at him, defeated. Her cheek swelled and her eyes stung with blinding tears. In all their years together, Yuki had never defeated Seiichiro. Any time she ever got carried away Seiichiro put her back in place. Because of Yuki's inability to improve, not only was her daughter going to die in the war, it was going to happen right in front of her at the hands of Beki's father. Yukihana knew it was her fault. There would be no coming back from this. Everything she had ever worked for or believed in was crumbling right in front of her. She was a failure. She was a fraud. And now, Yukihana would be completely alone.

Beki saw her opening. When Seiichiro struck Yuki, he'd slackened his grip to only restraining her with one arm. In that lighting instant Beki retracted her arms and threw them around her father's neck. He was going to kill them. He was going to kill Yuki and Beki. In her heart, Beki didn't believe he wanted to. It was whatever this jutsu was, if it was her father in there at all.

For months, Beki had been convinced she personally had killed her father. The gaps in her memory and the damning evidence at the scene had all pointed at fratricide. How many sleepless nights did Beki stay up, cursing herself, lamenting the loss of her only family at her own hands? The circumstances were different, then. Now Beki had no choice but to kill her father. He was insanely strong and a gifted shinobi. Beki had a trump card in her pocket, something her father was unaware of and completely unprepared for. It was the only way Beki could stop him and save the lives of the rest of the Third. Tears burned in her eyes as she nestled her face into his neck. The lump in her throat made her voice crack, betraying how close she was to tears.

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

The hurt Beki had bottled up inside, the anger and humiliation of having to fight so helplessly against her father, exploded. Her skin erupted into a firescape of ruby, ochre, orange, and scarlet. The clothes Beki wore under her armor were instantly incinerated. She felt Seiichiro's body crumble beneath her. When she stepped back, all that remained was his head, a bit of his neck, and a bit of his torso. His opened his mouth and let out a boisterous laugh.

"So, you finally managed to awaken the Burned Maiden," Seiichiro's face broke out into a wide smile. "I knew. From the minute you were born I knew you would do it."

Beki collapsed down beside him, the tears falling freely. They evaporated the moment they hit her searing cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Dad."

"Shhh," Seiichiro shook his head gently. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I...I'm the reason you got killed. Yasahiro played me! He kidnapped you and then-" Beki sobbed. "I couldn't save you. I'm so sorry!"

"I'm sorry for everything I ever put you through, Beki," Seiichiro's body was taking a long time to regenerate. The fire wouldn't completely die, so the new flesh was consumed almost as quickly as it was formed. "I was always trying to protect you. I cut everyone out in my life, my whole family, all my friends...I was so scared if I let anyone in you would get hurt. After so many years in isolation, the loneliness caught up with me. I let my guard slip. Yasahiro was a snake. It was my fault you had to go through all that with him. If only I had been a little smarter, Beki, I could have saved you so much pain." He smiled up at her again. "But look at how strong it made you. What you've gone through could have broken people beyond fixing but you...look at you. You're beautiful; fire incarnate." Seiichiro let out another laugh. "Nothing says 'leave me the hell alone' like spontaneously combusting..." He shook his head and glanced around. "Is your mother still there?"

Beki waved the still cautious Yuki over. She sat down on his other side so he could see her face.

"Yuki," Seiichiro stared up at her. "This explains why you weren't waiting for me on the other side."

Yuki shrugged. "Hell didn't want me. I had unfinished business."

"Yuki, I don't have long, so listen." Seiichiro stared up at her intently. "You died twelve years ago. I mourned you then and I moved on. I had a daughter to raise and a career to worry about. I never stopped loving you, believe me, but I lived a full life. How old are you right now?"

Yuki wiped her nose with the back of her arm. "Twenty-five."

"Go be twenty-five, Yuki," Seiichiro scoffed. "I would never hold it against you for moving on when the whole world left you behind. I can't tell you how much happened in that twelve years; it was a whole lifetime. Our daughter is grown and can clearly take care of herself. Go start over. Be happy. I want that for you. If not as your husband, as your friend."

The mist dissipated and the full carnage of the battle revealed itself. Bodies were strewn as far as the eye could see. Medics were working quickly on the fallen and sealing specialists were taking care of the undead. Kakashi was cleaving through what was left of the reanimated shinobi. Yuki's eyes lingered on him for a moment and Seiichiro noticed her distraction.

"What's going on?"

"Hatake Kakashi is taking care of the rest of the risen dead," Beki stole a mischievous look at her dad. In a voice too loud to be a whisper, she said "That's her new boyfriend."

"Shit, Yuki, the son of the White Fang?!" Seiichiro laughed bitterly. "Talk about moving on up in the world."

Yuki gave Beki a look that could cut glass and smacked her rapidly cooling arm.

"If that's my replacement, I can't feel too bad," Seiichiro shrugged with his shoulder remnant. "He's got impressive hair."

The sealing shinobi finally made their way over and prepared to send Seiichiro off once and for all. Beki glanced over at Daiske, who was gingerly getting himself up off the ground. Overall he looked intact. As scary as he had started off, Seiichiro had proven that this had just been another test.

"I love you, Daddy," Yuki and Beki said at the same time. Beki cringed and looked at her mother in disbelief.

"What?" Yuki shuffled. "I was calling him that long before you were."

"You're a sick animal," Beki shook her head. "Ew, just ew."

And so, Seiichiro once again left the world of the living with the ghost of a laugh on his face.

Yuki bowed her head and prayed. Beki imitated the action and reached out to her mother. Yuki took her hand and squeezed it tight for a few moments. When she finally let her go, Yuki stood. "I'm going to check on Kakashi."

Daiske came hobbling over holding his left arm gingerly with his right. "Ow," He said in greeting.

"You okay, Daiske?" Beki glanced at his injured arm with concern.

"I think I broke it." Daiske winced as he adjusted his hold. "And I might have been spitting up blood back there."

Beki shook her head. "You know you are talking to the worst person about injuries, right?"

"You're so loving," Daiske spat. "Can't you even, like, I don't know, act sorry for me or something?"

"You're lucky I didn't just tell you to walk it off," Beki gave him a wicked smile and ruffled his hair. "You'll be okay."

"Thanks! That's all I needed!" Daiske rolled his eyes. "Was that so hard?!"

...

Kakashi was sitting down beside Zabuza's great sword, panting. He had just finished talking with an Iwa chunin who had gone running off to deliver his message. Yuki glanced around, noticed no one else approaching, and took up the seat beside him. He glanced up at her but said nothing. Yuki reached up and clapped him on the back, slinging an arm over his near shoulder affectionately.

"So the bad news," Yuki scanned the sight of all the chaos around them. "Is that Beki and I just had to fight Seiichiro."

Kakashi blinked away sweat dripping into his eyes. "When...when did he come into the picture?"

Yuki shrugged. "Sometime during the mist."

"What good news could you possibly have after leading with that?" Kakashi asked.

"I might have told him about us and he was okay with it." Yuki looked at her feet and tapped them self consciously.

Kakashi scoffed. "So you're having a conversation with your dead husband and I somehow come into the mix?!"

"Look, I was still feeling a little guilty about things," Yuki explained. "He said that there was nothing to forgive. He and the world had moved on, so I should to."

"Isn't that exactly what I told you?" Kakashi gave her an exhausted look.

"Yeah, its just that it was nice to hear it from the source, you know?" Yuki grinned sheepishly.

"You're going to give me a complex," Kakashi shook his head. "Are you going to start holding seances to see what Seiichiro has to say about everything?"

"Actually, it was you giving him a complex," Yuki laughed. "He kept going on about your perfect hair."

For a moment, Kakashi paused and surveyed the bloody scene around them and tapped Zabuza's sword. "I've been fighting the undead all day and yet, somehow, this is the strangest thing that's happened to me."

"Never a dull moment, right?" Yuki ruffled his hair. "Ew. Its all full of papery bits."

"That would be all the crumbled up dead bodies." Kakashi watched out of the corner of his eye as Yuki's hand paused, her face contorted in discomfort, but then she continued to pet him. "You can't help yourself, can you?"

Yuki shook her head and pouted. "It's just too soft and fluffy!"

...

Yuki came ambling back over. The moment she laid eyes on Daiske's injury, she scoffed. "Didn't anyone ever teach you how to take a fall?"

"It wasn't a fall," Daiske spat. "It was a bear of a man picking me up over his head and throwing me like a ragdoll!"

"Whatever," Yuki sighed. "So we're getting instructions that all severe injuries are to be treated at the medical camp." She turned her gaze on Beki, shuffling her weight from one hip to the other. "Hatake asked if you and I would be willing to accompany the injured up there. Just in case."

Beki nodded. "Doesn't seem like a bad idea. There's no telling who we could run into out there."

...

It was nearly sunset as Beki and Yuki led the Third Division's injured towards the medical camp. It was a slow-moving party with the pair at the lead and a few able bodied volunteers covering their flank. Beki watched her mother fidget as they moved: sheathing and unsheathing the blades in her gauntlets, shaking her hands out, and marching in place a bit.

"We're sitting ducks," Yuki grumbled. "I hate this."

Beki shrugged. "Don't worry about it, mom. Most of the injured could still fight if they needed to."

"We are going so slow," Yuki spat. She kept muttering to herself, glancing nervously about, and Beki did her best to ignore her. What she couldn't ignore, however, was her own nagging sense of unease. They were an army, injured though many of them were, Beki should have nothing to worry about. There was strength in numbers and in the diversity of their forces. Someone in their ranks would be able to perfectly counter anything that should come up. Knowing all this, though, Beki still caught herself checking their surroundings constantly. The sensation reminded her of when she was a child; of the inflated fear while playing hide and go seek. Somewhere out there, Beki couldn't shake the feeling that they were being hunted. Along with it was the sense that the only way any of them were going to make it was if they ran and hid.

Beki caught herself before she let the line of thought spiral too far. To distract herself, Beki thought about the singing she had heard earlier. The tune had been so familiar, yet even after all this time, Beki couldn't quite place it.

"Hey, Daiske," Beki called out over her shoulder. He was walking around relatively unimpeded. He had tied his headband to his flak jacket as an impromptu sling but winced any time his arm bounced against him.

"What's up?" He picked up pace till he was beside her.

"Do you ever remember part of a song, like the tune, but you can't remember the words?" Beki asked.

Daiske thought for a moment then nodded. "I mean, not a lot, but I know what you're saying."

"It happened to me today and it's driving me crazy," Beki grinned beneath the mask. "You think you could help me?"

Daiske laughed. "Do you know how little music I listen to?"

"No," Beki shook her head. "It's something from when we were kids."

"Okay. Shoot." Daiske got a look of intense concentration. "I'm ready!"

Beki began to hum the tune, trying hard to remember. A few bars in, Daiske gasped so suddenly Beki jumped.

"It's that stupid creepy song Ren used to sing all the time," Daiske snapped his fingers. "Crap. I can't remember the words either. It was...it was like a lullaby you would sing to your kids. The words were really messed up though. That's why I always slept on the other side of you when we were on missions as kids. I thought...I thought Ren was pretty screwed up because of it."

Beki sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Ren did sing it a lot, now that I think about it. I think...I think I remember the other priestesses singing it sometimes, too." The two scrambled for a moment, muttering bits and pieces of words to see if they fit. "This is just making it worse."

"Now I'm going crazy," Daiske grumbled in frustration. "Thanks, Beki. Now it's going to bother me till we figure it out!"

"Crack...snap...creak?" Beki furrowed her brow. "There were parts that were onomatopoeia like that."

Daiske rubbed his chin with his good arm and looked around. "I don't see any other Getsu shinobi around. Of course Ren would be the only one in another division."

"Right?" Beki scoffed. "I'd ask mom but I think she'd sock me for distracting her."

"Yeah, she's taking this whole 'run point' thing pretty seriously." Daiske agreed.

"We are at war," Beki raised an eyebrow at him. "And you just got your ass kicked by my dead father."

A shadow crossed over Daiske's face. "I'm still not ready to talk about it."

"He could have snapped you like a twig-" Beki laughed. Before she could finish, her mother's hand was suddenly clasped over her mouth. She threw up a hand signal to let those behind know to stop. Beki followed her mother's gaze until it landed on her mark.

In the woods ahead of them, Beki made out a few forms high in the branches. Three bodies, swaying gently in the breeze, slack like ragdolls. Beki's eyes followed the ropes from around their necks up into the trees.

Yuki stayed quiet, staring long and hard at the bodies. She glanced over her shoulder as one of the other able-bodied shinobi stepped forward to see what was going on. The girl's eyes grew wide and her jaw fell open. Her eyes were glued to the bodies and she muttered something.

Yuki's ears perked up at the sound. "You knew them?"

The girl nodded. "They were all from Kirigakure. They...I didn't think they were that scared."

The dead were on the younger side, maybe in their early to mid-teens. "Deserters?" Yuki glanced at the Kiri kunoichi.

"I…" She sighed. "It's possible. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. Then again, we did just have to fight an army of the dead. Maybe they saw something really horrible."

"No telling what that would be out here," Beki glanced around. The surroundings were otherwise peaceful.

"Let's just get to the medic camp as quickly as possible," Yuki looked at Beki and the Kiri girl. "Let's carry people if we have to. There's a good chance these were just run of the mill war suicides but there's still the possibility they were killed and put here."

"Like a warning?" Beki asked.

"Or trophies," Yuki grimaced. The Kiri girl and Beki shared an uncomfortable look. "Oh, grow up," Yuki spat. "This is war, not a damned escort mission. Welcome to the real world where the enemy is just as likely to use psychological warfare to throw you off as they are to stab you. Gird your loins, grab the wounded, and move."

...

After nightfall, the wounded of the Third Division and their escorts arrived at the medical camp. The remainder of the trip to the medical camp had been quiet and uneventful. Immediately upon arrival, the wounded were divided up in triage. The able-bodied escorts were informed they were allowed to remain through the evening so long as they contributed to patrolling the camp. Beki and Yuki were sitting around a campfire, after just finishing their shift. Yuki was cleaning her gear and nibbling on some rations the medics had left for them. Beki was laying by the fire with her eyes closed but unable to drift off to sleep. It was annoying because she was inexplicably exhausted. The logical explanation for it was the emotional drain of having to fight Seiichiro. The other possibility was that for some reason, turning Burned Maiden had spent through a large amount of chakra. The longer Beki thought about it, however, the less that seemed to be the case. It wasn't localized soreness but a body wide lethargy, as if she didn't have the strength to move.

Other than the sounds of the injured moaning and groaning in pain, the location of the medical camp was a peaceful one. Crickets chirruped and somewhere nearby a nightingale spun a tune. In her daze, the bells and singing came back to Beki. She let herself drift with it, her lips forming the words she thought she had forgotten:

Creak groan creak, the Maiden sways,

With raspy breaths she begs and prays.

Skin bruised black and neck stretched long,

On lonely nights you'll hear her song.

Please be good; it's your mother's hope

To not find you strung from Maiden's rope.

Drip drop drip, the Maiden cries,

Tears her clothes and wipes her eyes.

Pale of skin and hair like ink,

Into milky gaze you will sink.

Come straight home, your mother pleads,

Or you'll be led to a grave in reeds.

Crack snap crack, the Maiden burns,

For days gone by her heart yearns.

Seared flesh and skin so scarred,

Her pain unending and beauty marred.

Do be honest, your mother prays,

Lest you be ash until end of days.

Yuki froze. Beki's voice was barely above a whisper but Yuki could hear the tune. She was swept back to the shrine, the strange song and the bells as she desperately searched for Reika. Yuki realized she knew those words. She had sung that song herself plenty of times as young girl. It was a cautionary song, meant to keep local children on their best behavior using the Maidens as boogeymen. As they got older, they were taught the Maidens were innocent martyrs, defenders of the island and great spiritual leaders. The local's instincts had been right all along, though. Warning their children was smart. Hearing those old lines fall from Beki's lips was surreal, sending shivers down Yuki's spine and setting her hair on end. "Beks?"

"Hn?" Beki's eyes stayed closed.

"Do...do you hear singing right now?" Yuki swallowed, praying that this was just some weird coincidence. Her heart sank as Beki's head bobbed "yes" and pointed in the direction they had come from. As Yuki's eyes followed her daughter's accusing finger, she felt a horrible sinking feeling. "Come on Beks. Let's go for a walk."

Beki grumbled and staggered up onto her haunches, pulling her face mask back on and tying it clumsily. Yuki grew impatient with her daughter's tired stumbling, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her along.

…

After about an hour and a half of stumbling around in the dark, Yuki and Beki ran across a few more bodies. One was hung by its foot and looked like its face had been smashed in against the tree it was suspended from. The other was hanging upside down. The rope he hung from was painfully wrapped around one leg, the noose still around his neck. His own body weight had crushed his windpipe, his fingers bloody and torn from his desperate attempts to free himself. Yuki furrowed her brow and waved Beki closer.

"Glow, Beks."

Beki blinked and raised a hand to stifle a yawn. Her hand bumped her mask and she grumbled, feeling foolish for forgetting it was there. After a moment, the air around them grew warmer. Yuki sensed the heat on her skin and watched as the bodies became more visible in the soft candlelight glow.

"These were obviously not suicides," Yuki turned the first body, observing the caved in skull. "I would say they were freak accidents; traps left long ago and these two poor idiots stumbled on them…"

Beki pointed at the man's face, features only partially distinguishable beneath the damage. "But he was repeatedly struck."

Yuki nodded and took a deep breath. "So, the question is, who's behind it?"

"The Akatsuki," Beki shrugged. "Or agents thereof, right?"

Yuki scoffed. "That's not enough, Beki. Half of fighting shinobi is knowing who you're dealing with. What village this person is from would even be helpful. But rope? This just...at its most basic this is a master trap user-"

"Oh,"

The tiny voice from behind them cause both Beki and Yuki to jump. They turned quickly, fear gripping Beki briefly before she recognized its source.

"Hina chan?" Beki blinked in the reflection of her own light.

Hinata nodded. "I was out on patrol and overheard your voices-" She stopped at the sight of the bodies hovering menacingly behind them, like macabre party decorations. Hinata's eyes searched them carefully, weighing whether the two could be responsible.

"Gross, right?" Beki was perking up at the sight of her best friend. "Mom and I ran into these earlier, too. The first ones looked like suicides, though."

"People don't usually commit group suicides, though," Yuki glanced up at the bodies again. "The fact that they were in a set…. Maybe they were victims, too."

"So they were victims," Hinata nodded, boldly approaching them. Beki's brows knit and she frowned slightly. She hadn't seen Hinata in weeks, and although coming across the pair with dead bodies would be unsettling, this certainly wouldn't be enough to justify such a cold welcome.

"That's all?" Beki cocked her head and gave a small laugh, the hurt clear in her voice. "I haven't seen you in almost a month and this is the 'hi' I get?"

"I'm sorry," Hinata laughed loudly. "I completely forgot myself for a moment there. Today has been a crazy for us. It's good to see you. I'm glad you're okay."

The injured look was still plastered across Beki's face but she shrugged it off. "We're all probably just overtired."

"So what are you two doing so far away from your teammates?" Hinata looked around with a hand on her hip.

"I heard something weird and we came out to investigate," Beki explained. Her thoughts wandered for a moment and she perked up again. "Hey, Neji's in your division, right? Is he okay?"

"Yes, he's fine," Hinata gave her a toothy reassuring smile.

"Well, that's a relief," Yuki folded her arms. "If anything happened to that boytoy the entire village would go into mourning."

"He is pretty easy on the eyes," Hinata nodded.

"Hey mom?" Beki tapped Yuki's elbow. "Why don't you see if you can find a trail? I'd like some time alone with Hinata."

Yuki looked at her daughter, mouth open for an insulting reply when she caught the look on Beki's face. "That's a good idea." Yuki clapped her jaw shut and nodded. "You two be safe."

After Yuki had leapt away, Hinata let out a small sigh of relief. "It's hard for me to be comfortable around you and your mom. She's a difficult person to read."

"Yeah," Beki pulled her mask down so Hinata could plainly see her face. "She's off putting even for me right now. The war's making her all wound up."

Hinata nodded understandingly. She shifted her weight from hip to hip, reaching up into her shirt to adjust the placement of her breasts.

"So, you're on patrol for a while? Your people aren't going to be looking for you?" Beki asked coyly.

Hinata smiled broadly. "Yeah, why?"

Beki shrugged shyly and played with her hair. "Well, it's just, you know, we haven't had any alone time in a while. My mom's gone, neither of our teams are going to be looking for us. I was thinking we could wander off into the woods for a little while and get frisky."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing." Hinata sidled up to her, her hands outstretched affectionately. Beki waited until she was close and grabbed her by the throat.

"Ow," Hinata giggled nervously. "Starting a little rough, are we?"

"Who are you and what did you do to Hinata?!" Beki practically screamed, slamming the pretender into a tree. She never loosened her grip. "Hinata" struggled, trying to tear Beki's hand away from her throat. After a moment, "Hinata" pulled a kunai and sliced at Beki's neck. It glanced harmlessly off the mask sitting protectively in front of her throat. Before she could attack again, Beki turned up the heat.

"Suit yourself," Beki glowered. "Die in silence."

The thing's eyes widened in horror at first, but then there was a glimmer of recognition. It smiled at Beki using her friend's face. "Mother will be so happy to see you."

Beki went full Burned Maiden. The wave of heat distorted the figure. It seemed to melt somewhat, extending and lengthening in her grasp. The color faded away as "Hinata"s clothes fused back against the white body. The face contorted. Half of it was a twisted mess and the other half had ochre eyes full of madness and a mess of hair the color of wilted leaves. He smiled at her and laughed for the last few seconds, until the heat of the Maiden had wiped him from existence. Beki stood there a moment as the Maiden faded away. In one day, she had to kill her father's risen body and now Beki had been forced to kill Hinata's doppelganger. She prayed her friend was fine, that this creature had just been imitating her appearance.

The crunch of leaves behind her alerted Beki to Yuki's return. She glanced at her mother and saw the way the color had drained from her flesh. "What the hell was that?"

Beki shook her head. "I don't know. I really hope Hinata's okay."

Yuki clapped her daughter on the back. "That was a smart way to figure it out, I'll give you that." After a moment, Yuki let out a laugh. "You really had me for a second there. I thought you were being serious about the whole 'let's go bang' thing."

Beki glowered. "I needed something that I knew Hinata would have a strong negative reaction to, something she couldn't hide."

"Sure," Yuki grinned. "All I know is that for a second there I was wondering how the two of you had hid it so well all this time. I mean I get me missing it for the short time we've been together, but I don't know how her family wouldn't have figured it out-"

"Can you drop it?" Beki swatted her hands away. "It was a ruse. End of story."

"Hm…" Yuki furrowed her brow. "Or was it some subconscious projection of your desires?"

"One more word-" Beki pointed at her. "I'm warning you."

"Okay," Yuki threw up her hands. "I didn't hear anything. It's for the best, really. If you and Hinata were sleeping together that might pop up in my daydreams."

Beki screwed up her face in annoyance. "Why would-"

"Are you two alright?" A man's voice called out to them from the brush to their right.

"Depends on who's asking?" Yuki called back.

A pair of men appeared, both sporting exhausted and concerned looks on their faces. "We were tracking a creature; it can take the appearance of other people. They've been attacking and killing shinobi out on patrols-"

Beki nodded. "We're fine. This one was impersonating a friend of mine. If I'd been alone it might have been more trouble."

"Where are you two from?" The other man asked. He was the shorter of the pair and had hair the color of a robin's egg, even in the dim light.

"Third division," Yuki replied. "We were dropping off wounded at the medic camp when we overheard some strange noises out here."

"Well, the two of you got pretty far from the medic camp," The first one said. "Why don't you come back to our camp where its safe?"

"And you two are from…?" Beki asked.

"The Second Division." The blue haired man answered.