Her vocal appreciation would have been heard by others had not the ninja from the leaf arrived and started demanding answers.
"Where is she?" Naruto demanded upon entering the sand village, "Where's Calixta?"
Temari heard the shouting and ran up to them. "She's okay, don't worry," she tried to ease.
"He didn't ask if she was okay," Sasuke pointed out, "He asked where she is."
"Right, she's this way," she replied in a small voice as she led the rather large rescue party toward the house Calixta had been staying in.
"Wait," Kakashi stopped her. "Why did you take her in the first place?" Since she was apparently not planning on keeping her from them, he felt the need to ask before they saw her.
"It was for Gaara," she admitted. "The insomnia was started to take a physical toll on him. We heard about her incredible healing abilities and had to see if she could help."
"If it was a genuine concern like that, you should have just asked to take her," Kurenai pointed out coldly.
"We didn't think you'd let her come with us…because of what he is," she told them regretfully.
She was probably right but they wouldn't admit to that.
"Take us to her, now," Kakashi ordered and Temari complied until they came across Baki, who had just heard of their arrival.
"I suppose you're here for the healing woman," he half-grumbled, though he was at least a little glad at the thought of her leaving.
"That's right. Why did you send your students to kidnap her?" Kakashi scolded.
"I didn't send them. They took it upon themselves to take her from your village. Though, it was my impression that after she learned their purpose, she came willingly," he explained.
"Calixta is a unique individual with unique needs!" Kakashi nearly yelled. "You should have returned her as soon as she arrived. You have no idea what kind of damage you could have caused!"
"Damage? She's hardly left the quarters we've provided her," Baki dismissed coldly as he continued to lead them to her.
Kakashi grumbled and breathed a sigh of disgust. "Just take us to her, right now," he ordered.
Baki rolled his eyes and a minute later they were there, "This is it. She's inside."
Kakashi had the others wait outside while he went in. "Calixta?" he called into the dark little house but received no answer. Unnerved, but hoping she was just sleeping, rather than slightly catatonic as she had been when he left her alone for the first time, he continued to the back of the house. He only found a short stack of papers on the little desk to one side of the bedroom.
Temari - dedicated, strong, cares deeply for her brothers, worries for Gaara more than she can safely admit, defensive, prudish but accepting, took responsibility for my abduction, assigned to watch over me during my stay
Kankuro - cleaver, cares deeply for his brother and sister, fears Gaara almost as much as he cares for him, easily influenced by my charka
Baki - cold, stern, distant but cares for his students, only wants me to stay because my milk revitalized Gaara, difficult to read
Gaara - lonely, so very tired, tense, appreciated my healing but was deeply disturbed when he learned where it came from, very angry, felt betrayed, he feels so very much but is incapable of expression for many reasons; I am deeply endeared by the "love" tattoo on his forehead though I don't know if I will remain that way if I find its reason; most intriguing hair color, the dark circles around his eyes fade when he drinks my milk; I can feel the weight of the souls he's slain hanging over him, if not for the strength of the demon inside him, he would not be able to bear the weight, though he might not have to without it; finds me offensive but I believe that is the result of surprise
I do not think he realizes that he beckons me. I WILL see him alone before my 'rescuers' arrive.
There was one more paper beneath that one. This one was intricately folded and tied with a pretty sting. However, he was too caught up in what he had just read to notice it. Had he seen and chosen to unravel it, he would have gained the prize that he had been longing for, the paper with her feelings about him scrawled on it.
But Kakashi was too distraught by what he had just read to look that far. "Shit," he grumbled. "SHIT!" he shouted, storming out of the house.
"Where's Calixta?" Sakura asked carefully when she saw her sensei storm out.
"She's not in there!" Kakashi forcefully informed Baki.
"Temari," Baki turned to his student, "Do you know where she could have gone?"
Kakashi answered before she could, "She went to see Gaara," he grumbled.
The entire party grew horrified and without being asked, Baki led them the extra steps to Gaara's house. Though, once they arrived, he hesitated to enter. It was extremely rare that he entered Gaara's residence without invitation.
"Well?" Kakashi prompted but when he saw the other teacher's hesitance, he approached the door himself. He was surprised when his hand touched the knob, he too felt hesitation, almost as though he was being pushed away by an unseen force. After a moment, he recognized the force as Calixta's chakra. Reluctantly, he withdrew and took a few steps back.
"Kakashi, what is it?" Kurenai asked carefully.
"We…We should not enter…" he regretfully replied.
"After all that? You sure make a big show for nothing," Baki scoffed.
"You know nothing!" Kakashi snapped.
The pair inside could hear muffled voices through the door.
"They're here," Calixta whispered.
"Then we should finish quickly, before they interfere," Gaara nearly growled.
"Not necessary," she dismissed. "They will not disturb us."
"What makes you so sure? Your presence in this village is unapproved. Your companions rushed to your rescue," he reasoned even though his thrusts did not ease.
"My sensei is here…he may not understand completely but he knows better," she added.
Gaara snickered again but believed her because the voices retreated. "You are very loud," he noted with a tone of mild distain mixed with amusement.
"The outbursts you contain are channeled through me," she admitted. "Finish at your leisure. Do not rush for them nor stall for me," she encouraged breathily. Now that her breasts were empty, she was able to coax his face closer to her own so she could kiss him.
"And your leisure?" he haughtily countered.
"My leisure is yours," she answered in a deep voice.
He liked that answer enough to stop speaking until he spilled himself inside her with a forceful grunt, grinding their hips together as he came.
Her cry of ecstasy was doubled because he managed to stifle his and it was heard by those waiting anxiously outside.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "She's at it again. We shouldn't have bothered coming at all."
"Don't say stupid things," Kakashi dismissed authoritatively.
"You mean…Calixta…an-and Gaara?" Naruto barely muttered.
"You know what's going on in there?" Baki demanded.
Sasuke gave a condescending laugh but knew better than to say anything for fear of another, harsher scolding from his sensei.
"What's going on? What is she doing to him?" Baki continued to demand.
The six students present started to giggle foolishly.
Baki's eye twitched in irritation. Unfortunately for him, it was the uncovered eye. "Kakashi, explain!"
The copy ninja cleared his throat. "Right…" He asked Kurenai to stay there with the students while he had a private conversation with Gaara's instructor.
A few minutes later, Baki's face was red with embarrassment and rage. "This is unbelievable! And you want me to just leave her in there with him? I'm sure I don't have to tell you that Gaara is mentally unstable! What do you expect to happen if we leave them together?"
"I don't know but when I went to enter, I could tell she didn't want me to," Kakashi tried to calm the other man.
"Who cares what she wants? From the sounds of it, neither one of them is safe with the other! She's manipulative and he's destructive. If he realizes what she's doing, he'll probably kill her!" Baki insisted.
Kakashi tried not to laugh, "What makes you so sure she's manipulating him or even if she is, that he hasn't realized it?"
"You think he would just let her do that to him?" Baki scoffed.
"Well, from the sounds of things, they weren't fighting." This time Kakashi didn't bother to hide his crude laughter. "Come on, let's go back. Stewing isn't going to help anything."
"You are taking her back! I don't care if she does heal him!" Baki stormed back to the house.
When Gaara and Calixta emerged a few minutes later, the dark circles around his eyes were nearly gone. They received varying looks of incredulity and it was obvious that Akamaru wanted to jump on her again but Gaara's imposing presence inhibited him.
"I am ready to leave," Calixta told them.
"Good riddance!" Baki scoffed.
She ignored him. "I only have a few things I'd like to take with me, if that is alright," she added.
"That's fine," Kakashi told her with a polite nod.
Then she turned to Baki, "Thank you for the opportunity to assist your team." Then she gave Gaara an odd look before speaking to him. "Accompany me?" she held out her arm.
To the shock of everyone, he took her arm and led her to her quarters.
It only took her a moment to pack up her papers and tuck them away in her purse. Before they left, she turned to Gaara again.
"If it pleases you, I would like to send you a care package every month or so," she told him in a quiet voice.
He nodded, "That would be acceptable." He almost smiled but not quite so, she smiled for him.
"That pleases me greatly," she told him. She greatly wanted to hug him but knew how it would embarrass him but he felt her urge welling up in him and that was enough. Then, she turned to Temari and the recently arrived Kankuro. "I realize events did not go as you had hoped but I think perhaps they were better. Thank you for the memories."
With that, the party from the Leaf left.
"Gaara, are you okay?" Baki managed to ask.
"Quite good," he replied before walking away, not bothering to revel in the looks of incredulity he received for possibly the warmest response he'd ever given them.
Once they were a safe distance from the village, Kakashi approached Calixta. "How are you?"
"I am well," she told him with a small smile. "I'm sorry to have worried you."
"It was not your choice," he pointed out.
"That is true. If I had the opportunity to tell you, I would have. I left as best a trail as I could," she told him.
"That you did. Akamaru and Kiba were easily able to pick up your scent by the milk you left behind," Kakashi told her.
"Though, once I was told of the situation and I could sense their insistence, I felt…compelled to continue with them without a fight," she admitted. "I hope that doesn't displease you."
"All things considered, it could have been worse. We were all very worried about you but I'm glad it was largely unwarranted," he sighed.
"When we return, I could assemble a full report, if you like," she offered.
"You are expected to provide such a document after an event like this. Though, you might want to leave out some of the more…intimate details," he managed.
"Of course. I will try to exercise some of the discretion you've taught me," she impishly replied.
A few minutes later, when Calixta was distracted with chatting with the students, Kurenai approached Kakashi, "Did I just hear you tell her not to give a detailed report?" she carefully questioned.
"She has an incredible memory. I asked her once to tell me about one of her encounters…and let's just say it was detailed enough to make even me blush," he admitted. "For the sake of Gaara's modesty as well as those who will be reading her report, it's probably better that she leaves certain things out."
That made Kurenai laugh. "Okay, okay."
That evening they made camp and after spending nearly an hour alone off with Kakashi, Calixta stayed up late sitting around the fire with the other students.
"So…" Naruto finally had the courage to broach the subject, "Did you and Gaara really…?" he trailed off, embarrassed.
"Really what?" she wanted to make him say it.
"Fuck'em. Did you fuck'em?" Sasuke rudely answered.
"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped.
"If it were in my nature, I would slap you for such crude language," Calixta told the dark-haired teen in a stern voice before turning back to Naruto. "Gaara and I spent some intimate time together, yes. But that's all I will say on that because I'm sure that's more than he'd prefer I admit to."
"I'm sure and you've slapped me before so I know it's in your nature," Sasuke scoffed. "Does he know how much of a slut you are?"
The look he received for that almost made his heart stop. It did make his next breath catch in his throat and he was caught completely off guard when Kiba retaliated for her by punching him in the side of the head hard enough to knock him over.
"What the hell?" Sasuke demanded.
"Watch your mouth!" Kiba scolded.
"Kiba-san, please," she stopped him from further action, "I appreciate your willingness to defend my honor but Sasuke-kun is merely revealing his own limitations by the way he speaks."
"How dare you!" Sasuke stood and stormed off.
"W-Wasn't it scary?" Hinata asked quietly after a few seconds of silence.
"Scary? How so?" Calixta questioned.
"Gaara's a pretty creepy guy," Naruto added. "How'd you deal with'im?"
"He's human just like the rest of us," she shrugged. "And I pose no threat to him. He even told me that he wanted to hate me but couldn't bring himself to," she told them seriously.
"Really?" Shino questioned, obviously surprised, "I thought he hated just about everybody."
She gave a sad little laugh at that. "It would seem that way…but only because he shuts himself off so completely. I don't care to influence how you feel about him. It's not fair for me to do that, but if you can find it in you not to hate him…I think it would help him."
She received some strange looks for that but no one argued. A short while later, she excused herself for bed but not without talking to Kiba for a short moment.
"Would you mind if Akamaru sleeps with me tonight…I could really use the comfort," she asked him in private.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'm sure he'd sneak over to you anyway," he laughed. His pup had already spent most of the evening asleep in her lap.
"Thank you," she kissed him gently on the forehead and went to bed.
Their return to the Leaf Village was uneventful and Calixta was debriefed by the elders. When she returned to Kakashi's she had two lower ranking ninja with her.
"Who are your companions?" Kakashi bitterly joked.
Calixta gave a sad little smile. "I have been given my own home."
"I see," he nodded.
"They're here to gather my things," she told him.
"I see," he nodded again and showed them inside.
"I sense your discomfort. What's the matter?" she asked him once they were alone.
"I wasn't expecting this so soon," he admitted. Even though he had been considering the request himself, out of respect for her progress, he hadn't filed one yet and even if he had, he expected it to take at least a week to process.
"As long as it is convenient for you, I would still like to be your student," she told him hopefully.
"I would still be willing to be your sensei," he agreed.
She hugged him warmly. "Thank you," she nearly whispered. "You've been so good to me. I feel like I owe you the world," she told him.
"You don't owe me anything," he answered surely. Actually, he felt that he had gained as much from their time together as she did. When the three accompanying her were finished loading their things into a large cart, she stood with a sigh. "I will be spending most of the day settling in but I was wondering if I could come back here for dinner. I don't have any kitchen supplies yet?" she gave a shy smile.
"I would be delighted. What should I make?" he offered.
Her smile widened. "Would you mind if I cooked for you one last time?" she asked hopefully.
He nodded. "As you wish," he conceded.
She hugged him again and left and for the first time since he had been living in his own home, Kakashi felt lonely.
She returned, as promised, later that day and happily set to work making their meal.
"I'm going to miss this," Kakashi admitted as he poured them some sake.
"As will I," she sighed, "but since we enjoy it so much, perhaps we shouldn't stop. I know your students would miss our semi-regular dinners as well."
He gave a sad smile, "That they would."
She looked at him, slightly perplexed. "But that disappoints you…why?"
"Since when are you a mind reader?" he laughed.
"You know I've always been able to sense the emotions of others. Because of all the time we spent together, you are easier for me to read than others."
"You used to tell me that I was very difficult to read," he told her.
"That is still the case much of the time…but you have opened up to me as time passed, sometimes more than others."
"You're saying that I've let my guard down around you," he surmised.
"And I said it was only sometimes," she corrected.
"And that right now is one of those times," he added.
She gave him a warm smile. "I suppose it is. Does that bother you?" she asked genuinely.
"What do you think?" he asked with equal genuineness because he wanted to see if she could sense that feeling as well.
She studied him for a brief moment. "I don't think so now but if you had asked me that a couple months ago, I think it would have."
"I think you're right," he agreed.
"You're birthday's coming up, isn't it?" she asked suddenly.
"What's it to you?" Actually, he was endeared that she knew.
"I love cake," she grinned mischievously, "any excuse for it really, but there should be a reason and birthdays are the perfect reason."
"Two weeks," he affirmed, "Thursday," he added offhandedly.
"What flavor do you like?"
"You're not going to throw a party or anything, are you? I hate stuff like that," he told her seriously.
She believed him. "A small cake? Perhaps even just two cupcakes?" she proposed.
That made him smirk. "Orange."
"What?" she blinked with confusion.
"I like orange cake," he elaborated.
"Orange it is then. I've always rather liked that color anyway and orange blossoms are so pretty."
He just shook his head with a mixture of awe and exasperation. As they sat down to eat he broached something that had been on his mind. "There was something I wanted to confess," he began carefully.
"Oh? What's that?" she asked, worried by the sincerity in his voice.
"When we were at the Village Hidden in the Sand, they first took us to where you were staying but, well obviously, you weren't there. I saw the notes on the desk and I was so worried about finding you that I couldn't help reading them, hoping for a clue as to where to find you."
"Is that all?" she asked impishly. "How much did you read? There really wasn't much there," she almost giggled.
"Just what was there, what you wrote about Baki and his team," he answered simply.
She smiled knowingly at him. "No worries. I figured that since they weren't stacked properly that someone had gone through them. I'm glad it was you and no one else and I'm sorry if my words worried you," she apologized genuinely.
"What worried me was the idea of you and Gaara alone together," he admitted.
She nodded, "I understand…but in the future, don't waste your worry on that," she advised.
"I don't intend to," he assured her. "I trust your judgment," he added and felt a slight warmth well up inside him. Had he been the first one to tell her that, he would have been privileged with a much more intense reaction.
They parted with a sweet kiss a few minutes later.
It was strange for Calixta to live alone after so long of living in the company of others. Her new home seemed too big and foreign to really call a home, though, she knew that feeling would pass with time. Even with all that, she was excited to be living on her own and was looking forward to growing as a person because of it.
However, her first night alone was not without at least one visitor. Just as she was sitting down with a cup of tea and a good book, she heard a shuffling on her steps just for a rather boisterous knock on her door. Setting down her book, she answered the door to find Jiraiya grinning down at her.
"Good evening," she smiled up at him.
"I heard they gave ya your own place," he poked his head in.
"Would you like to come inside?" she asked, slightly amused by his forwardness and the scent of alcohol on him.
He nodded and stumbled inside.
"I was hoping to wait to have company until things were a little more put together," she admitted.
"Aw, I don't care about stuff like that," he dismissed, slumping down on her couch.
"Of course not," she agreed.
"You drinkin' tea this late?" he half-joked.
She nodded. "Would you like a cup?"
"Naw," he dismissed. "Just wanted to stop by and give you a house warming present," he pulled out a medium-size bottle of sake.
She grinned knowingly at him. "Thank you," she gave a slight nod and took the bottle only to set it on the table. Then, she went to get two saucers so they could drink together.
They cuddled, joked, and messed around on her couch for most of the rest of the evening but when she grew tired, she decided it was time for him to leave.
"It was very nice of you to visit, but I really should be getting to bed. I have a lot to do tomorrow."
"Aw," he complained, "You don't wanna spend the night in this big house all by your lonesome, do you?" he tried.
She gave a warm smile. "Sure I do. It's my first night alone," she reasoned.
He frowned playfully at her.
"Any other night, you are welcome to stay. Call this evening….an exception," she continued.
Finding that he actually admired her fortitude more than he was put off by being kicked out, he acquiesced. "I understand," he nodded.
"Thank you," she beamed, glad that it didn't take more than that to let him see where she was coming from.
"Though, if you do want company, you know how to find me," he added mischievously.
"I wouldn't hesitate," she assured and he beamed back at her as she showed him the door.
A couple days later, Calixta walked out her door one morning and tripped over a package. "Huh? What's this?" she looked over the brown paper package as she rubbed her bruised elbow.
There was a little note tucked under the string wrapped around the package saying, "Happy house warming!" in pretty handwriting.
It wasn't signed, leaving her to guess as to who left it behind as she unwrapped it to find two dozen cookies. She took the package inside and took a couple for the road, munching on one as she made her way to the clinic for her regular morning appointment.
She left the clinic feeling giddy and practically skipped through the streets. Though, when she realized her enthusiasm was drawing quite a bit of attention, she decided it was best to reel it in a bit and settled for just a spring in her step.
On her way back home to put the last few of her things in place, she happened upon Ebisu.
"You look pretty happy today," he greeted with a smile.
She hugged him and took his arm while they walked. "It just feels like a good day. I feel like a new person."
"I heard you got set up with your own place. How ya likin' it?"
"It was a little weird the first night or so but I think I'm liking it," she smiled. "Would you like to see it?"
"I'm on my way back to the academy right now but if I could stop by later?" he asked hopefully.
"That'd be great!" she agreed because it would give her time to finish putting things away.
She walked him back to the academy and noticed that more students than usual were paying attention to her but she shrugged it off. Ebisu, who was usually more in tune with these things than she was, didn't notice either. In fact, he was too busy staring at her to notice much of anything. It weirded her out so much that she left the school with hardly a good bye and without confirming their plans for later, which was probably a good thing because Ebisu was starting to consider blowing off the rest of that day's duties in favor of spending the rest of his time with her.
As Calixta hurried home, she happened upon Azuma.
"Hey, Calixta, what's the hurry?" He had never seen her look so anxious.
She appeared startled by his concern. "Um, I-er…I-I don't know," she managed.
His worry grew. "Is there something the matter?"
"I'm not sure." She eyed him carefully as he took a drag on his cigarette. "Do you…um…Do you sense something strange?" she vaguely asked.
He looked her over. "Other than your apparent distress, no. I sense nothing," he shrugged.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why do you ask?"
She appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I had a strange morning, that's all. Probably just adjusting to living alone, that's all," she dismissed.
He nodded with understanding. "I see. How's that working out for you anyway?"
"Takes a little getting used to, but I think it's working out," she forced a smile.
He sensed the force behind her smile but let it go.
"Can I bum a smoke?" she asked suddenly.
"Yeah, sure. Helps with the stress sometimes," he added offhandedly as he pulled out a cigarette to light it and hand it to her. "I didn't know you smoked," he commented when she didn't cough after the first drag.
"I haven't since I came here but I used to," she told him regretfully.
He gave her an odd look, thinking that reverting to old habits like that might indicate a deeper problem. "Oh?"
"Yeah, it was a great way to kill the time I spent alone," she added as they sat down on one of the benches outside the park.
"You really that stressed about living by yourself?" he pressed.
"I didn't think it would take such a toll on me," she admitted. Their conversation was starting to really get to her.
"Well, it has been quite some time since you've lived alone, hasn't it? And I've heard that you don't deal with solitude very well," he carefully added.
She frowned. "Yeah…apparently I need to be around others…"
He could feel her near-despair and wrapped his arm around her. "It's okay. We're a social species, you're just more social that most," he reasoned.
His affection warmed her heart and she rested her head on his shoulder as she finished her cigarette. "Thank you for the comfort," she shyly smiled upward.
Her smile made his heart flutter and without thinking, he lifted her chin and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. Unfortunately, his timing was very poor.
"Azuma?" Kurenai gasped when she saw their embrace.
"Ah, Kurenai," the man greeted with a smile. "Good afternoon!"
Calixta shifted uncomfortably when he didn't withdraw his arm. She felt the other woman's disappointment and irritation.
"I guess you forgot about our lunch date," Kurenai sighed.
"Oh, yeah," he scratched the back of his head, "Haha, sorry, guess I did."
Kurenai scowled at them.
"I-I have to go," Calixta suddenly stood and backed away from Azuma. "Thanks for the smoke," she hastily told him. "Good day," she gave a slight bow and hurried away even more disturbed than when she happened upon him.
When she reached her home, she ran inside and slammed the door. Her mind raced for quite some time until she could calm herself down enough to think straight, which wasn't until evening.
Still feeling anxious, she put on a large cloak and headed to Kakashi's house. She took the most isolated route she could think of and managed to avoid encountering anyone along the way.
Kakashi started at the sudden urgent rapping on his door. "Calixta, what a pleasant surprise. Do come in," he motioned.
"Thank you," she told him as she removed her cloak and hung it near the door.
"You appear a bit frazzled. Is there something the matter?" he pressed.
She looked pensive for a moment. "I'm not sure…I think….I think I might be regressing," she woefully told him.
"Regressing how?"
"I think I'm losing control of my chakra again. I don't think moving out on my own was a good idea," she elaborated.
"Settle down," he eased, pouring her some tea. "Now, what gives you that idea?"
She recounted her day to him.
"Ah, I see. Well, if you want my opinion-" he began.
"Yes, please, that's why I'm here. You're the only one I trust with these things," she interrupted.
He gave an affectionate little chuckle. "Well, my opinion is that you're over reacting. It may be that your control has started to slip a bit but that's likely due to your living alone after so long. A certain period of adjustment was expected."
She appeared relieved if only a little disappointed. "What should I do?"
"My advice is to increase your meditation regimen and don't shirk on your social activities," he advised.
She nodded with as much confidence as she could, "Yeah, okay." Then, since she hadn't had an intimate encounter that day, due to her anxiety, she scooted over to him.
He recognized her advance and pulled down his scarf so she could see his smile and make the next logical step. She did as he expected and kissed him. She found comfort in their warmth and familiarity of their embrace and it made her bold enough to lay him down.
"I-I can feel your attraction," she admitted almost shamefully.
"Oh? You've felt it before," he shrugged, "Is this different somehow?"
"I've never felt it like this before. Are you letting me feel it more than before?" she asked.
"I have been able to let my guard down a little more lately," he admitted. "Does that make you uncomfortable?"
She blushed. "No…it's just unexpected. You've always cut yourself off from me so much. Is it because we are no longer living together?"
"Perhaps," he non-committally agreed.
His evasiveness endeared her more than she expected. "Perhaps then, some day, I will know the extent of your feelings," she teased.
"Perhaps," he repeated before bringing her face down to his to reinitiate their kiss. As they progressed, he could feel his affections amplified and reflected back to him. He could tell that she had let her chakra control slip in recent days but continued to reason that it was due to her period of adjustment.
She left later that evening and didn't bother to wear her cloak. It was late enough that there was hardly anyone out and didn't happen upon another on her way home.
For comfort, she had another couple of cookies after meditating and going to bed. Her visit with Kakashi eased her anxiety enough to allow her to sleep. However, try as she might, the next couple of days were the same story but she was afraid of disappointing Kakashi or having him think she wasn't trying so she redoubled her efforts every day.
The third night, after she went to bed, she awoke with a start from the sounds of someone shuffling around in her new home. Hastily, she grabbed her bathrobe off the chair next to her bed and carefully snuck out into the hall. That was as far as she needed to go to see who was stumbling toward her bedroom.
"Jiraiya?" she blinked into the darkness.
"Ah, Calixta-chan!"
"What are you doing here?"
"You said I could come back anytime. I knocked but you didn't answer," he lied.
She knew he was lying and let it go. "I appreciate the thought but you're too drunk to mess around," she told him affectionately.
He stumbled toward her with a stupid grin, "Gimme some of that sweet milk and I'll be sober enough." He reached out and started squeezing her breasts, knowing the attention to trigger her let down reflex.
She just laughed and took him by the hand, leading the greedy man into her bed. He was right, the milk did sober him up but she didn't let him stop there. She made sure he finished what he started which resulted in him passing out while still suckling from her. She just smiled and tucked them in, snuggling up next to him and falling asleep.
Jiraiya walked her to the clinic the following morning feeling more than a little dazed but delighted that he was not hung over. She made sure he wasn't waiting for her when she left after her regular appointment.