"I have to leave for a couple of days," Kakashi began one day over lunch.
It wasn't the first time something like this happened and she was starting to get used to finding substitutes for the man who shared his home with her. "Sounds exciting," she teased.
"I want you to try something while I'm away," he told her.
"What's that?" she perked up curiously.
He almost felt bad now because of how excited she looked by his impending request because it wasn't going to be any fun for her. "I'd like you to abstain from sexual activity while I'm away."
"How long did you say you were going to be gone?" she asked dryly, suddenly much less excited.
"Two days, three at the most. If it lasts longer than that, simply do what you need to. I'm just curious to see how long you can last while I'm not here to keep an eye on you."
"Well, if you're not going to keep an eye on me then how do you know I'll do what you ask?" she haughtily proposed.
"I'll know," he told her simply.
She frowned because she believed him.
"Don't worry. When I get back, I'll make it up to you. I promise."
"You bet your cute ass you will," she grumbled through her last bite.
***
However, Kakashi happened upon one other person before he left. Actually, he had been looking for any one of his three students to spread the word that he would be away. He happened upon Sasuke.
"Okay, yeah. I'll let'em know," he agreed readily.
"Oh, Sasuke," Kakashi looked around carefully to make sure no one was listening to them, "One more thing. If I could ask you a favor?"
"Anything, Sensai. What is it?"
"Check up on Calixta while I'm gone. I asked her to do something for me and I'm a little worried…just make sure she's managing okay while I'm gone."
"Don't you think Sakura would be better suited for that? They are sort of friends now," he nearly spat.
"Not in this case I'm afraid. Besides, Sakura-chan is quite busy with some business of her own where you are obviously not as busy."
Sasuke grumbled but agreed to stop by once a day to make sure the young woman was fairing well enough to be left alone.
The following afternoon, Sasuke found himself in front of his teacher's door. He knocked once quietly and then again a little louder before he got worried enough to sneak around and peek into the windows. Sure enough, she was sleeping in her room. Annoyed that she didn't hear his knocking, he pounded on her window. "Hey! Wake up, lazy ass!"
She started awake so suddenly that she shot upright and her head whipped around. As she attempted to discern what had so violently pulled her from her nap, he got a pretty good look at her. Unfortunately, or otherwise, she wasn't exactly clothed. She had decided to take her snooze in only her bra and panties, leaving his nose to drip a little at the sight of her.
"Damn it! Open the door!" he yelled through the window, pointing in the general direction of the front door.
She blinked in surprise at him about three times before rushing around to open the door. He breathed a sigh of relief when she listened but it stopped short when he realized she hadn't bothered to put anything else on. This time, he decided to try to face her. At least she wasn't completely naked this time.
"Put some god damn clothes on!" he scolded.
She frowned. "Is that why you woke me up?" She was obviously confused.
"Ugh. No, it's just something you should remember to do before answering the door. I'm here because Kakashi-sensai wanted me to stop by while he was gone to make sure you were getting by okay here by yourself," he informed.
"Okay…" she looked around. "Do you want to come in?" she asked, carefully stepping to the side.
He cocked an eyebrow.
"I made cookies earlier," she told him.
"Are you going to get dressed?" he pressed.
"Only if I'm having company," she countered.
"Fine. Go put something else on," he slipped past her and inside.
She closed the door behind them and went to her room to dress. He locked the door and sat down at the kitchen table.
To his dismay, when she returned, she'd only managed to slip on a sundress. But, it was better than nothing, so he let it go especially since she was now serving the promised snack.
"You look like you have something on your mind. I know you don't exactly trust me the most but I'd be happy to listen if you want to talk about it," she offered.
He eyed her evenly. He had a lot on his mind and there was no way he was going to share very much of it with her. However, there was one thing. "You gotta talk to Naruto or something," he told her.
"About what?"
"You know, about you. He can't figure it out and nobody wants to tell him. You have to say something. He's driving everyone crazy."
She gave a sigh of resignation. "Alright. I'll see what I can do. You know him pretty well; how do you think he'll react?"
Sasuke shrugged. "He'll call you a pervert."
She laughed a little. "That's it?"
"Pretty much. As long as you don't do your weird abilities on him, he should be just fine," he jabbed.
"Another difference between the two of you," she noted.
"What do you mean?"
"You would have disliked me regardless," she mused.
"You don't know that," he pointed out.
"Sure I do," she shrugged.
"Then how do you know?" he haughtily countered.
"Because you don't seem to like anybody," she laughed.
He finished his cookie and left with hardly a word after that only to return as promised the following afternoon that his teacher was gone.
This time she was awake but in less of a pleasant mood.
"Come to check on me again I see. How nice. I'm fine. Good bye," were her words as she swung in the hammock outside the house.
"You don't sound fine," he snapped back. "What's wrong?"
"When's Kakashi-sensai supposed to get back? Did he tell you?" she asked suddenly.
"He said two, three days," he shrugged. "What's the matter? You miss'em or something?" he rudely suggested.
She sneered at him out of the corner of her eye. "Go away."
He didn't trust her behavior. "Sure thing but…could you get me a drink or something first. I just came from training and I didn't stop for anything on the way."
She appeared disappointed but didn't argue as she swung herself out of the hammock and went inside. He was shortly behind her. "Here," she tossed him a can of soda before flopping down on the couch.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he pressed as he popped the top.
She sighed. "Fine, whatever. Like you give a shit anyway," she grumbled
"I give a shit 'cause Kakashi-sensai told me to check on you to make sure you're okay while he's gone," he told her matter-of-factly. "Apparently, he doesn't trust you to take care of yourself," he scoffed.
"He told me not to take care of myself," she said in a low voice that he barely heard.
"That's ridiculous," he told her.
"You always find me ridiculous. Why should this be any different?"
"This is different. I can tell. Tell me what it is," he ordered.
"Toss me a soda," she requested.
He did but it was a trick toss and she was too distracted to catch it, leaving it to burst open on the arm of the couch she was laying on, drenching her. She shrieked and leapt to her feet.
Sasuke just laughed at her.
"Ugh, damn it!" she whipped around to face him.
As soon as he saw her thin white blouse sticking to her bare skin beneath, he stopped laughing.
"What the hell! Look what you did! I'm soaked!" she complained.
"I'm trying not to," he grumbled as the corner of his right eye twitched.
Now it was her turn to laugh. She was so frustrated that seeing how easily she could still get to him was amusing to say the least. "Oooh," she pouted, "But look," she bounced over and squished her breasts between her forearms, showing off both her ample bosom and her hard nipples. "It was really cold too," she cooed.
"You had your chance. I'm outta here," he abruptly turned away from her and started toward the door.
"I knew it…" she must victoriously.
"You don't know anything."
"I know you're still attracted to me and it just kills you, doesn't it?" she accused.
"Tch, I can't help the stupid little games you like to play," he countered.
She laughed. "It's not that. Not this time it isn't. It was the first time we met but not now."
He rolled his eyes and tried to leave again.
"If you'd tell me what it is, I could try to conceal it for you," she offered.
"You can't trick me no matter what kinds of stupid mind games you try to play. I know that whatever attraction I feel toward you is because of you," he replied flatly.
"Did Kakashi-sensai happen to tell you what he asked me to do, or rather not to do, while he was away?" she asked curiously.
"Behave?" he dismissed.
"He asked me not to engage in 'sexual activity'," she made silly quote fingers in the air at his words.
"So? God, you're such a whore," he sighed. "Just cause you can't have sex doesn't mean you won't use your abilities. I'm not stupid."
"Sweetie, whores get paid in cash for what they do," she told him frankly. "And maybe you are a little stupid because yes it does. I don't want to tempt fate like that, if you know what I mean."
"This is pointless," he tried once again to leave.
"No, the point is that whatever you've felt toward me since I've started staying here has been all you."
"Right, because I made you answer the door in your underwear and stick your tits in my face," he yelled and then blushed in spite of himself.
"There," she smirked, crossing her arms over her chest out of courtesy to him, "was that so difficult?"
"You're unbelievable." Sasuke's hand actually reached the door this time.
"Thanks for the visit," she feigned cheerfulness as he left.
Sasuke slammed the door. "Damn it!" he thought to himself as he ran away from his teacher's home. "Why does she have to be like that? It's so stupid and so distracting!" The real downfall, even greater than the embarrassment and the anxiety, was that it made him less comfortable in his teacher's home, a place that he had previously felt unusually safe, except perhaps from the teacher himself in which case he could handle.
When he left, she was very disappointed with herself. She should have just told him what was wrong and dealt with his disparaging remarks but she just couldn't do it and she knew she'd have to deal with whatever reaction Kakashi had to that behavior instead. That is, she'd have to deal with that when he returned and it was starting to look like she was going to go another night unsatisfied.
***
Kakashi returned the following afternoon and encountered Sasuke on his way home. "Ah, Sasuke-kun," he greeted happily, "Are you going to check on Calixta?" he assumed.
"Yeah. I didn't know you were back."
"I just returned. How was she?"
"Annoying," he rolled his eyed. "But I think she's fine."
"Oh? I was unaware that the two of you weren't getting along, or is this a recent development?" he tried.
"It's nothing," Sasuke attempted to dismiss.
"I don't believe you," Kakashi told his student.
"I don't really want to talk about it," he tried again.
"I'm sure you don't but I wouldn't ask if it didn't have to do with Calixta. You know her circumstances are…peculiar and you don't have to worry about me telling anybody, if that's what you're worried about," the teacher coaxed.
"Did you ask her to do something while you were away?" the student carefully began.
"I did. Did she speak to you about it?" he inquired hopefully.
"She mentioned it," the dark-haired teen conceded.
"What did she say about it?"
"She only mentioned it yesterday because I asked why she was acting so weird. Well, weird for her."
"Wait," Kakashi actually stopped walking to speak. "Weird how?"
"I dunno, just weird. I didn't spend a lot of time with her so I can't really say exactly," he diverted.
"Sasuke, this is important and I know you're more observant than that. Please, elaborate," Kakashi implored earnestly.
The sincerity in his instructor's voice made him cave. "She was…" he closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered, "listless, mostly, and very easily provoked."
"You were provoking her?" Kakashi cocked an eyebrow which was lost in his facial coverings. However, the surprise in his voice was not lost.
"She-" he began.
"She started it," Kakashi finished for him, "I'm sure." He just let that one go because he knew he'd get more out of the young man if he allowed that premise. Overall, it wasn't terribly important which one of them started it. More than anything, it would reveal something about his student's character that he might not have predicted. "Anything else?" he asked the more important question.
"I don't know if you told her it was okay or something but she answered the door in her underwear. That was weird," Sasuke looked away, trying not to blush at the memory.
Kakashi grinned at the idea. "I don't recall every giving her that impression. I hope you let her now how improper that is," he half-joked.
"I mentioned it," Sasuke replied.
"Well, if that's all then, thank you," the teacher nodded.
The teen gave a slight nod as he breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the awkward ordeal was over, and turned to leave.
"Actually, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi stopped him and silently reveled in the air of sudden disappointment that overcame his student.
"Yes, sensai?" he turned reluctantly.
"Would you mind looking in on her one more time before I go home," he proposed.
"Why? Aren't you just going there anyway?" Sasuke incredulously questioned.
"Well, yes but this is more important and it won't take very long. Just do as you have for the other days I've been gone."
"Sure, but why?" he pressed.
"Her relationship with me is different from that with you. I want an assessment of how she's fairing right now without assistance. I've already promised to assist her upon my return and from what you've told me I think it would only aggravate her further if I don't keep my word." And as amusing as that would be, he knew she wasn't ready for that. "Think of it as a reconnaissance mission. Just go and check on her and then report back to me. If you find her too disagreeable, you don't have to linger. Only stay as long as you need to."
"Yes, sensai," he reluctantly agreed and went about his original task.
"Oh, but one more thing. Don't tell her I'm back, okay? It won't help anything."
"Okay."
When he approached the house, it was quiet. Almost too quiet. He knocked carefully on the door.
"Who is it?" a quiet voice called.
"Sasuke," he called.
"Go away," she called back.
"I'm not leaving until I see you," he answered.
"It's unlocked," she replied.
He entered and locked the door behind him.
"You've seen me," she said when she heard his foot steps.
He had only just caught sight of her sitting in a chair she had pulled over to look out the window when she said that. "Yeah, and you look like hell."
"Whatever." She continued to stare out the window.
"You wanna talk about it?" he offered if only because she had done the same a few days ago.
"Not really. I'm just biding my time. Did you know that one of the easiest ways to keep from doing something is to indecisively debate whether or not to do it?"
"You're thinking about breaking your promise to Kakashi-sensai," Sasuke surmised.
"It wasn't a promise. It was just something he asked me to try," she replied flatly.
"Semantics. You're gunna bitch out," he dismissed.
She sighed and her gaze fell for a moment. "Perhaps."
"And in the meantime, you're just going to sit around and be lazy," he continued.
"Why are you so nasty to me?" she asked quietly, still not looking at him.
"What have you done to deserve my pleasantness?" he scoffed.
She shrugged. "When we first met, you said that Kakashi-sensai would like me. Do you still think that?" her voice was still very flat and even.
"I dunno. It seems he likes you well enough," he tried.
She gave the slightest of nods and then was quiet.
"Do you think he dislikes you?" Sasuke questioned.
She shrugged again. "He's distant. I can't tell. I suppose it's better that way."
"Yeah." Sasuke looked her up and down. "Have you even showered since he left?"
"What's the point?" she sighed.
"Because it's gross. Later," he turned and left. As he exited, he was disappointed that she didn't even look at him or try to stop him. As he approached his teacher, he realized he liked or was at least accustomed to the way she would badger him and it bothered him to see her so apathetic.
"Well?" Kakashi looked up from his dirty manga.
"She doesn't look so good. She hardly even moved," he told his teacher.
Kakashi frowned.
"But you're place is spotless," Sasuke noted offhandedly.
The teacher stood in silent contemplation for a moment. "Did she say anything?"
"She's thinking about giving up," the teen replied. "And she think you don't like her."
That left the teacher with something to consider. Part of him wanted to keep an eye on her from a distance to see what she would do. "What do you think, Sasuke? Do you think she'll give up?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno. She said she's biding her time. She's using her debate about what to do to kill time until you get back. I think she's hoping not to make up her mind before you get back."
Kakashi gave her points for an interesting approach. "Thank you, Sasuke. I may ask of you again this evening if you don't already have plans."
"I don't have any plans. What do you have in mind?" Sasuke cautiously agreed.
"I'm not sure yet," he answered simply and then dismissed his subordinate.
As he approached, he snuck up to look into the window. She was right where Sasuke had left her and he was right. She didn't look very good. In fact, she looked mentally checked out. With that, he decided to go inside.
She didn't stir when he entered so he snuck around in front of her.
"'Kashi-sensai?" she asked vaguely when he came into her view. It was almost as though she didn't believe her eyes.
"Yo," he greeted with a mock salute.
"Did you just get back?" she asked, still obviously distant.
"Just now. How were things while I was gone?" he inquired knowingly.
"Quiet," she replied simply.
"Did you do anything fun?"
"No."
"Did you do anything? Well, anything besides compulsively clean?" he tried again.
"No."
That thoroughly disappointed him. "What did you do, exactly?"
"Nothing, really," she admitted. "I spoke with Sasuke-kun when he came to check up on me like you asked."
"Oh? What did the two of you talk about?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh, you know. He'd give me that look. We'd try to have a conversation but one of us would say or do something stupid and it would degrade from there. He'd call me something nasty; I'd make an innuendo. He'd leave. That's it."
He didn't like the way she was speaking. In the time he'd known her, even that first single afternoon, she was not prone to that kind of telegraphic speech. He also didn't really care for the offhanded way she spoke about everything, as if nothing mattered.
"Calixta-san, how do you feel?" he pulled a chair up a few feet near hers and sat down.
"I don't wanna talk about it," she dismissed with a whisper.
"Okay…What do you want to do?" he asked.
She didn't answer for a long time. As soon as he asked, she started looking back out the window. "I don't know," she would have laughed if she had it in her.
"You mean you really don't know what to do or you don't know where to start?" he continued trying.
This time she didn't answer at all and that made him want to slap her. "You're being rather difficult," he pointed out.
"Permission to apologize?" she dryly mused.
He pretended to consider for a moment. He would have let her do it if he thought she was sincere but he knew that she was being facetious. "I'm going out for a bit then," he told her as he stood.
She gave him an odd look but didn't argue. "Okay. Will you be back tonight?" she asked, once again resuming her distance.
Kakashi shook his head in exasperation. "Calixta! Listen to yourself!" he scolded, raising his voice.
"Huh?" she blinked at him a couple of times.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"Sasuke woke me…when he came to check on me," she said but she neglected to mention that was more than a day ago.
"Oh," Kakashi replied as he recalled that his student hadn't mentioned such a thing. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Weird dreams, but okay yeah," she shrugged again.
"What did you have to eat today?" He was starting to become more worried than annoyed that he had to ask these kinds of questions.
"Eat?" She paused to think. "I didn't eat today. Wasn't hungry."
"Did you eat last night?"
"Probably," she dismissed.
"Calixta, if you can't take care of yourself for a few days while I'm away, I'm not sure how well it's going to work to have you live here," he told her evenly, hoping a deeper discussion would snap her out of her daze a little.
"But you told me not to…" she barely replied.
"I told you not to have sex or do stuff like that. I didn't tell you to lock yourself away for three days," he scolded.
His reprimanding tone made her shrink slightly. "You said…" she thought for a second, "no sexual activity," she quoted.
"That's what I said," he confirmed, annoyed.
"Look, I know I probably should have done the ninja thing and go behind your back to get some while you're gone but I wanted to see if I could do what you asked."
He frowned and even through his scarf she could see it.
"Is that what you wanted?"
"It was one of my expected outcomes," he admitted.
"Are you disappointed?"
"I haven't decided yet. You still haven't told me why you didn't at least leave the house," he pointed out.
"Better safe than sorry," she shrugged. "Besides, you gave me Sasuke. I wasn't completely alone."
"You would have been if it wasn't for him though," he muttered.
"I've been shut up before, way worse than this too. At least this time I knew I could step outside and get a breath of fresh air if I needed it. That hammock of yours is quite comfortable once you get the knack for sitting in it," she pointed out in a tired, but playful voice.
"So you did do something while I was gone," he teased, feeling a little more relieved that his patience with her was seeming to bring her out of her stupor.
"It was almost nice to spend some time by myself with nothing particular to do for a while. It's been so long since I've been by myself I think I almost forgot what it was like but-" then she stopped herself.
"But what?"
"It's not important, please," she nearly pleaded.
"After all that, I'd really rather you tell me," he coaxed.
"Just that the memories come back quickly. I saw so many things here that reminded me of other places I had stayed for lengths of time."
"It appears that old habits come back quickly as well," he sighed.
"And he was like so many of the others…" she started to trail off again.
"Hey, listen, why don't you take a shower, put on something nice, and we'll go get something to eat, okay?" he hopefully proposed.
"Sure, I could use a little placating right now anyway," she sighed, swinging her legs off the chair.
"Now, now, it's not nice to belittle my efforts so bluntly," he teased.
"I'm s-" she almost apologized but stopped herself in time. "Of course," she nodded politely and started to stand only to find that her legs were so tired from sitting in the same position for so long that they wouldn't carry her weight.
"How long were you sitting in that chair?" he asked as he watched her try and fail again.
"This chair?" she distractedly asked when she managed to get to her unsteady feet.
"Yes, that chair," he motioned again for emphasis.
She stared at it for what seemed like forever before answering. "I don't remember," she admitted and tried to leave but stumbled.
"You really are impossible," Kakashi told her as he scooped her up into his arms.
"I'm s-" she almost did it again. "I know," she replied with a sad little smile. "Lucky you."
He drew her a bath and helped her into the tub before going off to start some tea. The bathroom and kitchen weren't very far apart; in fact, they shared a wall, so he left the door open and they talked while she bathed and he cooked.
"I'm sorry it was Sasuke that I got to check up on you," he half-lied. "Is there someone else you would have preferred?"
"Anyone else in the world?" she scoffed.
"Oh? I didn't realize there was such a divide between you," he lied. "But that doesn't really help me any."
"If Sakura-san ever speaks of me, what kinds of things does she say? Are they good things? Bad things? Perhaps she avoids the subject entirely. I wouldn't blame her for that," she babbled.
"If she speaks, she speaks well of you. I think I've even heard her stand up to Sasuke on your behalf at least once," he mused.
"Really?" she awed.
"Of course. Sakura-chan is a very sensitive person."
"Then why not ask her?"
"I wanted him to get an opportunity to get to know you. I thought it would make things easier between you," he reasoned. "And since you said he was mildly reactive to you before, I thought he would make a suitable temptation."
She gave a groan of frustration. "'Kashi-sensai, can I tell you a secret?" she asked carefully.
"Of course."
"Sasuke will probably kill me if he finds out I told you this but…more happened during my trip here with them than just him being kinda awkwardly attracted to me," she admitted.
Kakashi rolled his eyes and mentally slapped himself for not realizing it himself. Then, with little prompting, he was able to get her to rehash the story for him in vivid detail.
"That was…detailed," he blushed and was glad she couldn't see him. "Tell me, do you remember all your encounters so vividly?" he half-joked.
"Wouldn't it be rude to Sasuke for me to simply dismiss everything that happened between us even though, or perhaps because, it was such an intimate experience? He doesn't deserve to be forgotten," she sighed. "I'll save the forgetting for others who deserve it more."
"But you were just complaining about how mean he was to you."
"It's because he's still attracted to me. Now it seems he can't help it," she told him guiltily, glad that she didn't have to look anyone in the eye while saying it.
"Are you sure it's just him?" Kakashi chided.
"Unfortunately for him, I don't have anything metaphysical to do with it this time." She giggled a little. "It's a little funny actually, sometimes. For a while there he thought it was still me messing with him, this time on purpose."
Kakashi tried not to laugh. "You should have said something about seducing him during that mission," he pointed out.
"I didn't seduce him. Seduction is an active action. But, more importantly, to what end? It wouldn't have helped anybody. It would have only caused more damage. I'm only telling you now because it's relevant. If I had known you were setting us up like that before you left, I would have said something then," she told him.
"I see," he muttered.
"Please, don't punish him for not saying anything. He was so embarrassed and he already hates me enough as it is," she regretfully remembered.
"We'll see," he eased.
"You might teach him how to flirt though," she playfully grumbled.
"Sasuke has his ways. He's more used to beating the girls off than trying to lead them on though," he told her.
"I had started to notice that. Which is another reason I feel bad about what happened. Sakura-san knew and she let us go, no told us to go. I think she just wanted to get it over with. I know she has a great deal of affection for him that runs deeper than most of the girls that follow him."
"When you put it like that you two might have more in common than you think," Kakashi mused.
"Just try telling him that," she laughed and then started slightly at the whistle of the tea kettle.
"Are you almost finished?" Kakashi poked his head in after taking it off the heat.
"Y-yeah," she distractedly replied. "Are you sure you wanna go out?" she carefully asked.
"Why? Would you rather stay in tonight?"
"Oh, no. It's not that," she managed. "But…aren't you worried about me embarrassing you?"
He wouldn't have heard her if not for the echo created by the bathroom walls. "I thought you would have realized by now that I am extremely difficult to embarrass."
"It's just that I'm still a little socially awkward sometimes…"
"I've got your back, don't worry. I won't let you embarrass yourself," he tossed a towel at her. "Tea's ready, come on."
"Yeah, sure."
She dried their hair as they sipped and chatted. "Why are you taking me out tonight?" she asked curiously.
"Because it has become obvious to me how important social interaction is for you," he answered.
"Oh…" she sighed. "Didn't it say anything about that in all those papers they gave you? I mean, the longest they ever left me completely alone was a few hours."
"It did, but sometimes those old fogies like to exaggerate. My object was to test your limits and see how well you've adjusted to 'life on the outside' as you call it," he told her.
"Of course. I don't suppose I did very well," she surmised from the series of disappointed looks he gave her earlier.
"I'm not sure. I'm tempted to say that you had an easier time being sociable when I first met you."
She laughed at that. "Well, look at it this way. Before, I knew how other people felt, often not just about me but in general. Now, I'm flying blind."
He nodded at her reasoning. "That doesn't explain why you avoided going out like you did. It's not logical considering what a lack of social interaction does to you."
"It's like I said before. Better safe than sorry."
"You didn't think you could avoid a sexual encounter?" he surmised, somewhat incredulously.
"While I don't know anybody here, a good number of them seem to at least know of me and that leads to…expectations. I'm sort of stuck then between slut and tease no matter what I do."
"We'll work on that, don't worry," he eased.
"I'm sorry you got stuck with me. I was probably easier to deal with before," she gave a sad laugh.
"Hey, what did I tell you about apologizing?" he playfully snapped at her.
"Oh yeah," she gave him an odd look that told him she wanted to say she was sorry for apologizing but knew better. "So, where are we going?"
"Oh, I know a little place," he vaguely motioned.
She smiled a little and considered pretending that he was taking her out because that's what he wanted to do.
They left a short while later. She wanted to walk arm in arm with him especially when they strolled through some of the busier parts of town but decided against it.
"Tell me, Calixta, are you happy here?" he asked suddenly.
"Happy?" she repeated strangely. "I'd have to say that I've been the happiest here since I was when I was child."
"That doesn't like sound you're very pleased."
"I'm still getting comfortable in my own skin. I haven't even decided yet if I'm happy with myself. How can I know if other things make me happy if I don't know that first?" she proposed to him.
Kakashi shook his head in exasperation.
"I'm as happy as I've ever been…but I can't help thinking there more than what I've tasted," she told him quietly.
That made a lot more sense to him and put him at ease. "Here we are. It's just a raman cart but they make the best in the village," he boasted.
"What do you mean just a ramen cart?" the old lady behind the counter scolded.
"My apologies. I meant no offense," Kakashi bowed slightly to emphasize his sincerity.
"I know," she teased him. "Who's your lovely lady friend?" the woman inquired knowingly.
"This is Calixta. She's from-" then he paused for a moment to turn to her. "Well, I know you've been many places. Where do you call home?"
She faltered for a moment. "I-…I hope to someday call this place my home," she shyly admitted and at that the old woman was overwhelmingly endeared.
"Have a seat, my dear. I'll make you something special," she told her and started cooking without waiting for confirmation.
"Anything will be wonderful, I'm sure," she took her seat.
"I'm sure," Kakashi laughed, "You've cooked everything we've eaten since you started staying with me."
"Kakashi-san!" the old woman scolded. "You're living together? And you make her do all your cooking? What kind of scoundrel are you?" she demanded and even though her tone was authoritative, it was also somewhat playful.
"It's not like that. Calixta here is something of a student of mine and she has no where else to stay," he managed but the woman didn't seem to be buying his 'good intentions'.
"The elders arranged it," Calixta interrupted.
"And I'm sure he's a terrible cook," the old woman playfully chided.
"I'm attempting to keep her from that tragedy as long as possible," he admitted.
Their conversation would have kept their light tone from there had not another teacher and his students decided to stop for dinner as well.
"Ah, Kakashi-san! What a surprise!" Guy greeted heartily.
"Who's that girl?" Lee whispered to his teammates.
"That must be that weird girl Team 7 took in," Tenten whispered back.
"She doesn't look that weird," Lee observed.
"Perhaps she is Kakashi-sensai's girlfriend," Neji dryly contributed, eliciting slight giggles from his teammates.
"Good evening, Guy, kids," he nodded to them.
"I haven't seen you since that day in the meeting hall," Guy observed, sitting a few feet from Calixta.
Kakashi shot him a look that said, "What are you doing?" but didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, as I was unable to see at the time, I do not recognize you," she told him.
"Now, now, Calixta, you did it again," Kakashi scolded, slapping the back of her hand with his chopsticks. "And this time you were a little snotty about it which doesn't help at all."
"Ow, okay," she shook her hand and rubbed her knuckles.
Team Guy gave the pair varying looks of incredulity.
"She didn't do anything," Lee attempted to defend her.
"You're not allowed to apologize?" Guy surmised, not taking his eyes off the young woman.
"I'm afraid not and that is the second slip I've made today," she admitted.
"It's okay. It's been a long day," Kakashi eased.
"Why not?" Lee interrupted.
Tantan just shook her head in exasperation, allowing Neji to field the question. "If she does it all the time, it would be annoying."
The two adults present tried to ignore the remark while his two teammates turned their eyes to Calixta to see if she was offended. Quite the contrary. She was laughing a little at what he said which sufficiently diffused the tension.
"Regardless, I am Guy and these are my students: Lee, Tantan, and Neji," he introduced valiantly.
She gave Guy an odd look and then tried to go back to eating.
"What was that look for?" the man in the bowl cut couldn't let it go.
"I do not wish to do anything that would make you look anything less than stunning to your students so I'd like to let this go," she told him evenly.
Kakashi shook his head, making a mental note to let her know that in those situations, it's okay not to speak one's mind, that it just might be better to say it was nothing.
Guy eyed his students whose attentions had obviously been piqued. "I appreciate your respect for my students but a stranger's remarks won't effect them so greatly. They respect me more than that," he boasted and Lee readily agreed with matched enthusiasm.
"I was just wondering…were you one of the other three volunteers?"
"No, I'm afraid I wasn't," shook his head, still smiling.
She nodded. "I didn't think so," she made a quick glance at the students who were listening while they ate before looking back up into the green-clad man's eyes. "Did you knees meet the ground during my little…exhibition?" she asked almost innocently.
The three students gasped.
"Calixta!" Kakashi scolded. "Guy, I'm really sorry. Don't dignify that with a response," he advised.
"No, Kakashi, it's okay. I'll answer her. Yeah, I fell that morning. I wasn't expecting the way your chakra hit me but I can guarantee it won't ever happen again," he promised proudly.
The strange young woman gave a respectful bow and let it go because she knew she was in enough trouble already. She and Kakashi finished their meals a few minutes later and took their leave.
"So, how out of line was I?" she asked almost hopefully.
"When you say it like that, it makes me think you're rude on purpose," Kakashi warned.
"Perhaps a little but I have to test my boundaries somehow…especially since you don't approve of me seeking inward solace," she reasoned.
"What you call inward solace, most people call behavior indicative of mental illness," he pointed out.
She laughed at him. "Do you think I was too rude?"
"Actually, you really were out of line. I don't really care that you asked him that. I do care that you did it in front of his students. That's inappropriate," he told her harshly.
"Shall I apologize to him?" she asked honestly.
"Not yet," he shrugged and then when they were a little over half way back to his home, he told her to go back and say she was sorry.
Team Guy was just getting up to walk away from the ramen cart when she caught up with them. "Guy-sensai!" she called after them.
"Did you forget something?" Guy taunted, making his students laugh.
"I was extremely rude to you. I apologize," she bowed slightly and broke eye contact.
"Forget about it," he dismissed and led his students away.
"Sensai, that girl was really weird," Lee complained.
"She is an odd young lady but through no fault of her own. She's apparently still learning how to get along with people, that's all."
"She tried to insult you," Neji interjected.
"Perhaps," he shrugged. He wasn't sure that was the case because he got the impression that if she really wanted to embarrass him, she very well could have or, at the very least, made a much better show of it than she did. "Perhaps she was testing my boundaries…or maybe even her own boundaries. After all, Kakashi didn't send her back to apologize until well after they had the opportunity to talk about what she said."
"What makes her so different anyway?" Tantan carefully questioned.
"We'll save that discussion for another time. Tonight, you guys need to get some sleep. We have a mission in the morning, remember?"
On her way back to catch up with Kakashi, Calixta literally ran into someone. It was Ebisu. She hadn't noticed him because he had just turned the corner and he would have noticed her sooner if not for the sunglasses he was still wearing. She was moving so quickly and he was paying so little attention that she knocked him over, landing square on top of him.
"Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry!" she apologized without thinking and this time didn't even notice. "Are you okay?"
At first he was stunned by the sudden assault, now he was gawking at her. "Um, well…yeah. Yeah, I think I'm okay," he sort of stammered, hoping his nose wouldn't start to bleed as he peeked down her shirt at her ample bosom. "What about you? You were in quite a hurry."
"I was just trying to catch up with someone but, yeah, I'm okay," she replied, not really thinking that they were still laying on the ground where they fell until people started to stare a bit. "Oh, geeze," she stood and brushed herself off before offering him a hand to stand up. "I'm such a clutz. I get to thinking about stupid stuff and forget to look where I'm going."
"It's quite alright," he managed. "I wasn't paying very much attention either so I'd say we're both at fault then."
She laughed with him and their mood lightened.
"Where were you going in such a hurry so late? That is, if you don't mind me asking," he tried.
"I was on my way back to where I'm staying," she vaguely replied, wondering if he realized who she was. She hadn't seen him around before but he obviously wasn't new to the village. "Well, I was trying to catch up with somebody…but they're probably already there by now," she laughed a little at herself when she realized that she wasn't quite sure why she had been running in the first place.
"Are they waiting for you?" Ebisu tried to hide his disappointment.
"Well, not really," she told him with a strange tone he couldn't identify. That was because of the warring notions behind the idea that Kakashi was there and he was waiting for her but not waiting for her. There was disappointment, frustration, and anguish but there was also a newly foreign sense of freedom and pleasure.
"Might I walk you there then?" he boldly proposed, hoping not to blush too much.
She gave a wide smile. "Yeah, okay. That would be nice."
Ebisu thought his heart was going to stop for a moment. "So…you were going this way?" he asked almost stupidly as he pointed in the direction he'd been knocked.
"Um, yeah, I'm staying with…my instructor for the time being," she elaborated carefully.
He nodded in approval. "What's your name?"
"Calixta," she replied simply. "And yours?"
"Ebisu," he answered.
"How can you walk around in those sunglasses? It's so dark!" she teased.
Actually, he was still wearing them to disguise the fact that he had been out for a few drinks before heading home. "You get used to it," he replied.
She shrugged.
"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new to the Hidden Leaf Village?" he couldn't help asking.
"I'm only recently come to this community in the last month or so," she told him.
"No wonder I haven't seen you. I was laid up sick for a while there."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, the healers here are great. It just took a little time. I'm all better now," he boasted.
"That's good to know," she smiled because she already knew that and possibly better than he did. "What about you?"
"I've lived here most of my life," he told her. Then, he couldn't help staring at her a little.
"Do I have something on my face?" she asked politely.
"Oh, no," he blushed and looked away. "It's just that…I hope you don't mind me saying…you're very pretty."
Her smile waned slightly but only for a moment. "I do mind. But thank you," she eased and carefully slipped her hand around his arm.
Ebisu could feel his heart racing as she touched him.
"We're almost there. Just down this way," she guided.
When they turned Ebisu felt his heart flip-flop again. There was only one instructor he knew that lived the direction she was leading them. "So…you're instructor is Kakashi?" he carefully surmised.
"Indeed."
"What do you think of him?" he couldn't help asking.
"It's not my place to evaluate him," she pointed out.
He found her answer a little too respectful. "That's not really what I mean. I was just wondering what kind of impression you had of him. Do you get along with him?" he tried again.
"Well enough," she shrugged.
He frowned.
"He's not mean or rude if that's what you're asking," she almost laughed.
"Oh, no. Of course not," he covered even though that had sort of been what he was asking. "I know Kakashi. He's a good man."
She nodded. "What about you?"
"What do you mean?" he started at the sudden question.
"What kind of a person are you?" she asked again.
"Oh," he laughed a little. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm just kind of a dork," he admitted and the endeared smile he received made him lose his thoughts.
"And here we are." she said when they reached the bottom step.
"So we are," he disappointedly observed.
For a moment she looked pensively between the house and her companion, deciding what she should do. Unfortunately, before she could say good night and give him his chance to steal a kiss from her, Kakashi poked his head out.
"Are you two going to stand out there all night?" he teasingly interrupted before they could get any further.
"Ah! Kakashi-sensai," she greeted suddenly and without thinking took a small step away from the man standing with her. "I was just about to come inside," she told him.
Ebisu, though he felt a little awkward in the situation as it was, felt more strange about how tight a leach the younger, though often more mature, man appeared to keep this young girl on. "Good evening, Kakashi-san," he greeted.
"Good evening," the silver-haired man greeted the older man. "Calixta, were you going to invite your company inside?"
"I-Inside?" she repeated, obviously not expecting that sort of invitation. Then she looked at Ebisu, "Would you like to come in, I guess?" she asked shyly.
"If you'd rather I didn't, that's perfectly fine," he told her evenly.
His willingness to retract gave her some confidence. "Please, come in," she requested quietly before leading him in.
"Ebisu," Kakashi nodded when the older man entered his home. "I just started a kettle, have a seat."
As they sat and chatted, the pair recalled how they met for the curious, if not concerned, instructor who seemed to approve of the ordeal. However, once he was finished with his cup, Kakashi attempted to take his leave of them. His student and the older man seemed to be hitting it off and he wanted to give her the chance to socialize unsupervised.
"It has been a rather long day. I'm going to retire for the evening," Kakashi announced as he stood.
Calixta gave her instructor an unsure look.
"Unless there's something you need of me," he told her when he saw the look.
She eyed Ebisu carefully for a moment. "Pardon me just a moment, please," she bowed politely and led Kakashi far enough away so that they would not but heard conversing.
"Are you setting me up again?" she carefully accused.
"My dear, I don't set you up. You set yourself up. Don't forget that. And you were the one who brought him here."
"He walked me home," she desperately reasoned.
"He likes you," Kakashi shrugged.
Calixta almost glared at him.
"I'm going to be up for a while if you need me," he told her and walked away.
Ebisu desperately wanted to ask what that was all about but he knew better. By now, he could tell there was something unusual about her, aside from the fact that she was stunningly attractive, and whatever that something was made her relationship with Kakashi complicated.
However, much of his anxiety left when she retuned to sit with him because she sat much closer than she had before.
"Hey, sorry about that," she froze for a second because this time she actually caught her slip and wondered if she should do anything about it. Since Kakashi didn't appear out of nowhere to scold her for it, she decided to let it go. "Every village is so different. I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay."
He noticed her sudden hesitation but she continued before he could say anything about it. "I understand. Where are you from anyway?" he couldn't help asking.
She bit her lip for a moment. "I…I'd rather not say," she told him, a little bit of the pain in her chest seeping into her voice.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize," he tried to cover.
"No, you're fine. It's a simple question. Let's just say that I haven't been there in so long that I'm not sure it would be right to call it home," she admitted.
"So you're a wanderer then," he teasingly surmised, hoping to lighten the mood again. "How exciting."
She laughed a little at his teasing in spite of herself, only just realizing how nice it was to speak with someone who didn't take her very seriously. Well, that wasn't entirely true. It was clear that he respected her but that didn't mean he was going to let her make him all stuffy or serious. "I suppose you could say that," she agreed with a nod.
Their conversation was much more causal from there and lasted another half an hour before Ebisu took his leave for the evening but not before attempting to make sure their paths would cross again. He wasn't able to get a date out of her but he was sure that if they saw each other again, she wouldn't hesitate to approach him.
Then, after clearing the table, she stripped down and knocked on Kakashi's bedroom door.
"Enter," he called.
She did, to find him shirtlessly reclined on his bed reading a dirty manga. He didn't look up at her so she went over and pulled the book from his hands. As she carefully set it on his night stand in such a way as to save his place in the book, she caught him watching her out of the corner of her eye. Just as she felt he was about to say something, she put her fingers over his covered lips. "No talking, okay?" she tried but she felt him frown. "Not 'till we're done," she added and finished the process he'd started of undressing him.
He was obviously intrigued by her sudden aggressive attempt at dominance. Well, near dominance. They both knew she was smart enough not to actually try to overthrow him but after the last few days culminated through the events of that day gave her the desire to assert herself. At first, he considered putting her in her place again but after everything that happened it was painfully apparent that she would concede to him and most likely without any real resistance.
So, instead, he decided to continue the theme of the evening and let her do as she pleased. He even helped her by slipping off his pants when once she got them undone. It was only when he was naked with her, save that damn bandanna covering his eye, that she noticed he was fully erect. She made a quick glance at the book on the bedside stand and wondered if his readiness for her was intentional or incidental. Not that she was going to ask.
Rather, she skipped foreplay almost completely as she straddled his lap. A moment later, she was lowering herself onto him, a sign that she was all too ready as well. They remained nearly silent through this but that ended abruptly when their bodies became flush with one another and she started to roll her hips in rhythmic circles against his. This caused them both to groan deeply and before he knew it, her lips were crashing down onto his with a kind of passion that he hadn't seen in her before.
Her passion nearly overwhelmed him and a moment later, he was gripping her generous hips and moving with her toward satisfaction. It was strange. After everything that happened, he half-expected her to let go of the tight reign she'd had on her chakra, either accidentally or on purpose, and attempt to use it on him. And since, he had no intention of fighting her in the least, she could have done so easily.
However, that was not the case. She was coming at him with everything she physically had but that was it. There was an almost eerie absence of chakra behind what she was doing. Regardless, there was still that electrical feeling whenever their skin touched, which was a near constant sensation for him at this point.
Then a little while later, just when he thought that she had started an electrical fire in his brain, he came inside her with a forceful grunt. She gave a satisfied sigh and rolled off him almost immediately in favor of laying her head on one of his pillows beside him.
"I heard you apologize to him," Kakashi pointed out.
She gave him a funny little look. "I know. I didn't catch myself before I said it and I thought it would make things more awkward if I explained so I let it go. Is that okay?"
"I'll let it go this time."
"So, you were listening to us?" she surmised.
"No. I just heard that part before I closed the door," he answered honestly.
"Why did you do that anyway?"
"Do what, exactly?"
"Have him come inside and then leave us alone. Was it some kind of test or something?"
"I'm not testing you any more than usual," he half-teased. "Besides, far be it for me to cut short the first normal interaction I've seen you have with another person."
Calixta appeared startled. "Really? Did I do okay?"
Kakashi laughed at her for not realizing it herself. "Ebisu seemed to think you did just fine. Tell me, did you happen to work any of your special magic on him? He looked especially charmed by you," commented playfully.
"Of course not!" she nudged him.
"Why not make a move on'em? I'm sure he wouldn't have minded."
She blushed a little. "I thought normal relationships didn't start that way," she countered.
"Some do. Some don't," he shrugged.
"Well, I don't think that's how I wanted that one to start," she answered with more resolution than she thought she could muster.
"Fair enough. What did Guy say when you apologized to him like I asked you to?"
"He told me to forget about it."
Kakashi nodded. "He's usually pretty good about stuff like that," he yawned. It was clear that her mind was still racing but she didn't really want to elaborate on her feelings at the moment. "Why don't we call it a night."
"Just one more thing, before I forget," she stopped him.
"What's that?"
"Sasuke asked me to speak with Naruto about the nature of my abilities. It seems he's been pestering people about it."
"Well, if he's going to hear it, wouldn't you rather him hear it from you?" he surmised.
"Of course, Kakashi-sensai. Thank you, I had a good time tonight."
"Good. Sleep well." he wished as she exited.
A couple days later, when Naruto came to Kakashi's house one afternoon without the others, he gave her the chance to try to set things straight. To her relief, as she observed him before her attempt, she noticed that he had matured rather significantly in the months since they first met and she hoped that would make her job a little easier.
"Naruto-san," she began carefully.
"Yeah, what is it?" he perked up because the honorific she used was more respectful than he was used to hearing.
"I…wanted to talk to you about something," she gave a quick glance at Kakashi, who gave an encouraging nod.
"Sure, what is it?" he eagerly asked.
"Well…I've heard that you're…curious about my abilities," she hedged.
"Yeah, of course I am! You know that!" he enthusiastically replied.
"Well…if you'd like, I could take sometime now to try to explain them, at least a little, for you," she tried.
"That's be great!" he leaned forward.
"Perfect," she mused dryly at his enthusiasm. "Can I ask you a few things first, though?" she tried.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Naruto, have you ever had feelings for someone that were different from friends or family, maybe more than that?"
He thought for a long moment. "I don't know what you're asking," he admitted, much to her disappointment.
"Naruto-kun, have you ever had a crush on someone?" Kakashi fielded.
"Why? What's that got to do with-?" he defensively sat back.
"I just want to know if you've ever had that feeling before," Calixta tried to ease.
"It looks by that reaction that he has," Kakashi surmised playfully.
"Do you know what made that crush feeling different from other ways you've liked people?" she continued her questioning.
Naruto thought for another long moment but this time generated a more sufficient answer than the first time. "They're…deeper, like in here," he pointed to his chest.
She was oddly pleased by his answered even though it wasn't quite what she was looking for. "That's great," she smiled warmly and unwittingly made his heart flutter a little. "Anything else?" she prompted.
"I dunno. What're you getting at?" Naruto tried to circumvent the logical progression and skip right to her conclusion.
She pursed her lips. "Do you ever want to do certain things with a crush that you wouldn't with, say friends or family?" she tried again.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in playful suspicion, "You mean pervert stuff?" he bluntly surmised.
She blushed a little. "Yeah, like that," and then to throw him a bone for being so cooperative, "and since you know what I'm talking about, you don't have to answer that last question."
"So you're a pervert. How's that make you any different that every other grown-up?" Naruto haughtily challenged.
She almost laughed at him. "Most of my abilities…are centered around making other people have those kinds of perverted feelings," she admitted to him.
"Why would you want to have abilities like that?" he scoffed.
"Trust me when I say I didn't. It just started happening one day and I didn't even know what was going on. It's pretty much under control now though, right?" she looked at Kakashi.
"Yeah, that's right," he confirmed.
"Huh. Ya know, I have a jutsu kinda like that," Naruto mused.
"You do?" she blinked in surprise.
"Yeah, check it out," he smiled.
Kakashi was about to stop his rambunctious student but wasn't quite quick enough to act before the puff of smoke.
"See?" a very female and very naked Naruto cooed at her.
Calixta's eyes grew wide as saucers. "N-N-Naru..to?" she barely choked out.
Naruto laughed at her. "Hah, looks like you really are a pervert! This usually doesn't work on girls!" he giggled and pointed to the slight trickle of blood running down from her nose.
"Well, well," Kakashi marveled. That certainly gave him a lot to think about, and for more than one reason. "Naruto, why don't you give Calixta a quick kiss to thank her for sharing so much with you and change back?"
"Yes, Sensai," he winked at his teacher and turned back to the stunned young woman still staring stupidly at him. With a slight smirk, he leaned forward and lightly brushed their lips together before pulling back and changing back with another puff of smoke.
Calixta sat in incredulous shock. "What was that?" she said after a moment.
"That's my Sexy-no-jutsu," Naruto bragged, deciding to save the harem-jutsu for another time.
"Here," Kakashi handed her a tissue when it looked like the little stream from her nose was about to drip onto her clothes.
"Oh, yes, thank you," she blushed and finally tore her eyes from the blonde. "Why can you do that?" she asked the blonde suddenly.
"What do you mean why?" Naruto laughed a little.
Kakashi answered for him, "Among many uses, generally, it's used as a distractionary technique when the situation requires a more creative touch."
"I see…" she eyed Naruto carefully again before smiling.
"So you can turn anybody into a pervert?" the young man asked, obviously intrigued by the idea.
"Well, sort of, yeah. I guess that's pretty much it," she admitted.
"That's weird," he laughed a little. "But everybody has their thing, right?"
"That's right," Kakashi agreed readily.
She smiled and they felt the fluttering in their chests again.
"So, is that why I feel all funny when you smile at me sometimes?" Naruto asked suddenly.
"You what?" she carefully tried to clarify.
"Yes, we're still working on that," Kakashi told his younger student.
"What?" Calixta demanded.
"I wasn't sure if you realized you were doing it," Kakashi told her.
"Doing what?" she continued to demand.
"Well, it seems that when you feel a certain way about somebody, it sometimes can be felt by that person," Kakashi elaborated.
"That's impossible," she dismissed. "I'm in control of that now."
Kakashi's eyes softened. "This is a little different than what you've been working on," he tried to ease.
"How is it different? It sounds exactly the same!" she was nearly panicking now.
"Whoah, Calixta, settle down," Naruto tried to soothe. "It wasn't like a bad feelin' or anything and I didn't feel like a pervert for it, I promise."
"Naruto, please," Kakashi pushed him back away from her a little. "This is completely different. Before you were channeling other people's feelings."
"And now?" she incredulously prompted.
"Now, I can't say for sure, but I think we're feeling what you're feeling. Not a lot, and only sometimes," he theorized.
"What I'm feeling?" she repeated with near horror.
"Please, settle down. This isn't serious, at least not as serious as you're taking it," he told her evenly.
"I don't want other people to feel what I feel. No one should have to feel the way I do," she weakly protested.
"Hey now," Naurto interjected, much to his teacher's displeasure. "What I felt wasn't bad. Actually, it was kinda nice," he told her. "It felt like…like a hug but from the inside," he tried.
Actually, when she had smiled at them, she had wanted to embrace the younger man but held back. "You might be right," she turned to Kakashi with a serious face. "We have to find a way to stop it," she told him.
Naruto was obviously displeased by her reaction, or what he perceived as an overreaction.
"I really don't think it's worth worrying about at this point. It only seems to happen to people that you're pretty close to anyway, people who have something of a right to know how you feel," Kakashi reasoned.
She appeared crestfallen. "I worked so hard. I thought I was there. Well, not there, but as close to there as I've ever been. Now this?" she felt hot tears stinging her eyes.
"Calixta," Naruto interrupted her self destructive reverie, "I don't know where you're going but you're here right now and everything I've seen has told me that you're a good person. Maybe it doesn't matter where you are, just that you have good people to get there with," he lectured.
Her brow furrowed and her frown deepened. Then, her eyes closed tightly, allowing the tears to run down her face. She gave a heavy sigh and suddenly relaxed. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Besides, if you're really working that hard you shouldn't beat yourself up. No matter what you do, there will always be more. That's how it is for everybody," he told her.
That last bit really got through to her and she reached out to pull the young man into a warm embrace as she had wanted to before. This time, they didn't feel any strange feelings from her.
"Thank you," she whispered into his hair as she held him tight.
He accepted the embrace initially but when he shifted and she didn't let up, he tried to pull away. "Hey, it's okay, really. Come on, lemme go," he pleaded playfully.
She gave him another tight squeeze, not really realizing that she was smushing his face into her breasts, before letting him go.
A small part of Naruto wanted to keep his face right where it was but the rest of him took the chance to withdraw and left a short while later.
"That was interesting," Kakashi mused.
"Why didn't you say anything if you were getting feelings from me?" she asked.
"At first I wasn't even sure what it was. Then I wanted to see if you were doing it on purpose or not. Now that you know about it, you should be able to control it a little better," he offered. "More importantly, what a reaction to Naruto's sexy jutsu!" he teased.
She blushed deeply. "I don't know what came over me," she stammered. "I've never behaved like that before."
Kakashi laughed a little. "I believe you. Why didn't you tell me you liked women so much?" he pressed.
"What? I don't know. It never came up. Is it important?" she asked almost guiltily.
Kakashi smirked. "It just makes things much more interesting," he told her before turning female himself.
She gasped and her nose started to bleed again. "Don't do that!...at least…not without warning me first!" she stomped her foot.
"Aww…" he cooed. "Don't be so cross. Here, come here," he grabbed her hand led her close.
She had that strangely stupid look on her face again as the distance between them grew smaller.
"Hello?" he waved a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Calixta!" he tried.
She just nodded in agreement and finished the motion of pressing their bodies together.
This greatly concerned Kakashi, who had only hoping for a bit of fun. He took her by the shoulders and shook her. "Calixta! What's the matter?"
"Nothing…You're very pretty," she idly commented.
With a sigh of disappointment, Kakashi transformed back and a few startled blinks later, she gave him an odd look.
"What happened?" he asked when she seemed to be reoriented.
"I-I dunno. It was strange, like my brain, well the thinking part of my brain, shut off," she told him.
"It seems you have a very interesting reaction to jutsus that fit into the same category as your own," he mused. "It sounds like you experienced something very similar to what that of those you encountered before your training."
"That's what it feels like?" she awed.
"Didn't they do any tests like that while you were with the elders?" Kakashi questioned.
"A few, but they said nothing ever came of it," she shrugged.
"Well, we can't say for sure that's what they felt. That's just a guess."
That left her wondering. "Do it again," she requested breathily.
"What?" he blinked incredulously down at her.
"Please, do it again," she urged.
"But why?" he tried.
"It felt…good not to think so much," she admitted. "Please, just this once," she added when he looked unsure. "You need to study the phenomenon more closely anyway, right?" she pleaded.
With a reluctant sigh, he changed back again and watched in amazement because he could practically see all substantial thought leave her mind.