It took over an hour of waiting after she was finished for Jiraiya to get bored enough to wander off to do other things. Calixta breathed a sigh of relief as she exited but only made it half way home before she happened upon someone else. This time, she received a warning before being glomped by Akamaru. He couldn't help barking enthusiastically as he ran up to her to jump on her and lick her face.
"Ah!" she nearly shriek, throwing the dog off her but he didn't relent, simply jumping on her again and this time diving down her shirt. "Ugh, Akamaru!" she scolded pulling him from her blouse.
"I'm s-" Kiba began.
"So sorry, yeah I know," she almost snapped at him but then when he visibly started at her harsh tone and the dog started to whine, her features softened. "Forgive me. I've had a trying morning."
"Of course," Kiba gathered his disappointed pup, keeping his eyes respectfully downcast.
She gave a sigh of exasperation. "It's okay. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"It's okay," he eased. "Everyone has a bad day once in a while."
His attempt to cheer her up worked, if only a little.
"Why don't you walk me home, if you have the time?" she offered.
Kiba perked up. "I'd love to!"
His enthusiasm bothered her a little but she let it go. She noticed that he walked a little closer to her than usual but her short temper earlier seemed to dampen his enthusiasm. Then, once they reached her front steps he gave her a quick, shy little kiss on the cheek before leaving her be.
Normally, she wouldn't have thought twice about his advance. Since she had been so forward with him in the past, such an affection would have been warranted, if not expected. So, she tried to shrug it off as that possibly combined with her slightly waning control and spent the rest of the day meditating, making sure to visit Kakashi that evening for another intimate visit.
The following morning, there was a polite knock on her door. She was pleased to see Tenten standing on her porch. "Good morning, what can I do for you?"
She smiled at the older girl. "Guy-sensai wants to know if you'd join us for training this afternoon."
"For what purpose?" she questioned carefully.
"The exercise he designed is for four people, two teams of two, and we need a fourth," she explained.
Calixta nodded, hoping this was the distraction she was looking for. "Sure, sounds good. I'll join you after lunch?"
Tenten nodded and said her good bye.
Calixta didn't know that it was actually Kakashi's request that she join Guy's team for training. He too was hoping that the training would provide an outlet for her anxiety and frustration and help her workout whatever was causing her chakra control to slip.
She met them at their usual training ground that afternoon only to be led to the edge of the forest, where Guy intended them to start their exercise. They drew lots randomly and Calixta was paired with Tenten, which gave her mild relief. Sensing her discomfort, Guy pulled her aside for a moment before starting.
"I know in the past I've told you to only use taijutsu while training with my students but at this juncture, I think it would be unfair," he began.
"Unfair? Don't you think it's unfair for me to use my other abilities?" she tried.
"That was before. Now, I think that to make this exercise fair you should be able to do whatever you think would be appropriate within your means. It would put you and your partner at a distinct disadvantage to limit you like that and I want both teams to have an even chance of winning," he explained.
She gave a nod of understanding. "Okay," she nodded with forced confidence.
He decided not to say anything about her obvious anxiety because Kakashi had warned him about her recent lack of confidence.
The two pairs parted ways shortly after.
"Okay," Tenten began, "we have to come up with some sort of tactic before they catch up with us or else we don't stand a chance. Neji can see for like forever so it has to be really good."
Calixta nodded in agreement. "You know them better than I do. What do you think they'll do?"
She thought for a moment. "Most likely, Lee will ambush us and let Neji sneak attack from behind," she informed.
The older girl pursed her lips thoughtfully. "If that's the case, then we need to catch them off guard."
"That'll be really hard with Neji's eyes," Tenten reminded.
"That's why what we're doing has to look like something else," she continued.
"Like a distraction. Good idea. First we need to come up with our plan then work the distraction around it, I think," she added.
Calixta nodded again. "Sounds good. What should our attack be?"
They discussed their options for several minutes but they ran out of time before they heard Lee's approach. It was obvious that he was trying to sneak up on them but he wasn't doing a very good job.
"This isn't good. They're already on the move and we don't have a plan yet," Tenten fretted.
"Then we'll just have to improvise," Calixta told her confidently.
"What'd you have in mind?" she anxiously countered.
"How's your substitution jutsu?"
"They're not going to fall for that," Tenten dismissed.
"They will if they're distracted," Calixta reminded.
"It'd better be one hell of a distraction," she scoffed.
"Let me worry about that. If there's one thing I can do, it's distract people," she smiled mischievously.
Tenten knew that was true but still wasn't sure. She pushed her doubt aside, figuring that she could blame a failure on the older girl's inexperience, and they each summoned a substitution of themselves.
They had the substitutions hide nearby since they had no chakra to sense while the two young women stayed in the clearing.
"Okay, they're getting close. Now what?" Tenten pressed.
"I think that since the substitutions don't have a chakra to sense, we should let them do the ambush. We'll provide the distraction. When the subs appear, the guys will thing that we are the substitutions and attack them instead. By the time they realize their mistake, we'll hopefully have them," she reasoned.
Just as she finished, they heard Lee's footsteps from one side and Calixta could sense that Neji was close as well, even if he was much quieter.
"They're here," Calixta whispered.
Tenten panicked for a second because they hadn't quite worked out their distraction. "Shit," she muttered. "What do w-" was as far as she got before the boys started to emerge from the underbrush.
Calixta felt a little bad for interrupting her teammate but she knew action had to be taken before they lost all advantage. She took the younger girl by the cheeks and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
Tenten forcefully pushed away but was only allowed to go so far. The physical strength of the young woman holding her made her gasp, "What are you doing?"
Luckily, because of the gasp, Tenten's voice was hushed enough that the approaching males didn't hear.
"Distracting," Calixta whispered back, "play along or it won't work," she quietly urged into the younger girl's ear. "Pretend you're into it."
Tenten almost laughed. She didn't have to pretend. It just took pushing down the majority of her inhibitions to concede to the request. To justify their actions, she told herself it was for the sake of the competition and when she started to let go, she found it easier to comply. Before she knew it, they were practically making out.
They eyes of the two young men watching them grew wide with awe. Had the two women been paying closer attention, he would have heard their mutual gasps of surprise at what they saw.
Just as Neji snickered, he heard someone drop down behind him. "Shit," he muttered as he turned around to find Tenten standing behind him with a triumphant smirk. She nudged him with her staff toward the clearing. Seeing no immediate way to defeat her, he went along.
Lee had a similar experience with Calixta pointing him toward the clearing. When the two young men made eye contact, they took action in the form of attacking the women behind them only to have them turn into blocks of wood. By the time they turned back around, the real Tenten and Calixta had daggers at their throats.
"We got you. Surrender," Calixta told them.
Reluctantly, they agreed.
"Fine," Neji grumbled and the two young women lowered their weapons. "That was despicable," he growled, then, turned to Tenten. "I expect that from her but I can't believe you'd stoop so low."
"I-I-" Tenten faltered. She respected Neji greatly and his disfavor pained her.
"You're just angry that you fell for it," Calixta sauntered over.
Neji scoffed.
"Oh? Perhaps you're jealous that I wasn't on your team," she taunted with half-lidded eyes.
"Hardly, I would never-" he tried to defend.
Calixta giggled and turned to Lee. "You're not jealous, are you, Lee-san?"
Lee blinked in disbelief. "I-I don't understand," was all he could manage because of the strange rushing he felt throughout his being.
"Calixta, we won. We should go back to Guy-sensei," Tenten urged.
The older girl gave the younger a sideways glance. "Yes, of course," she started toward the edge of the forest where they knew he would be waiting.
"Why did you do that?" Neji demanded when he matched step with her.
"Hm?" she coyly prompted.
"Don't play coy with me!" he grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her to turn and face him.
Calixta giggled again and took his hand in hers, "Don't be so cross. You have to lose sometimes and I doubt you'll fall for such a trick again in the future. Think of it as a learning experience," she encouraged sweetly.
Neji was pulled his hand away, disturbed by how little conviction he managed in the gesture. "Stop it! The exercise is over!" he grumbled.
"Shhh," she eased, placing a careful finger on his lips. "It's not over until we've proven that we've won," she reasoned.
Lee was unnerved by this exchange. He had never known Neji's conviction to waiver even slightly but he couldn't manage to say or do anything about it. Actually, he felt drawn to Calixta and a slight pang of jealousy that his teammate had engaged so much of her attention. "C-Come on, let's go," he barely urged and then started walking again, not realizing that it was because she was still standing in front of him and that he was actually moving toward her rather than their sensei.
"Of course," Calixta gave a sweet little smile over her shoulder at Lee and started walking again.
When they reached the edge of the forest where Guy was waiting, he was surprised to see them so soon.
"That was quick. What happened?" Guy prompted.
"They cheated!" Neji quickly accused.
"Cheated? How's that?"
"She used her stupid charka!" the young man with vacant eyes continued.
Guy smirked a little. "Is that so? Why don't you start from the beginning?"
Before Neji could continue further, Calixta took the opportunity to explain what had happened. "I assure you, it didn't take any of my special chakra to accomplish our tactic."
Tenten blushed furiously throughout the explanation and only managed to nod in agreement.
Guy nodded in approval. "I see. Well, you won't fall for that again, will you?" he teased his male students.
"That's what she said," Lee muttered.
"And she'd better be right. I expected that to take longer than it did so I don't have anything else planned for today. You may all take the afternoon off," he told them, receiving thanks from all as they parted.
Once they were out of sight and earshot of Guy, Neji pushed Calixta up against the wall of one of the buildings. "If you ever try anything like that again, I will cut you down myself!" he nearly growled.
Calixta gave a gasp at his sudden contact. "Ah, please, don't-" she tried to argue.
Neji was annoyed that she didn't try to fight him. He knew she had considerable physical strength and could at least push him away if she wanted to.
"Neji!" Tenten tried to scold but to no avail.
"You stay out of this. After all that, I'm tempted to think you're just as bad as she is!" he retorted harshly.
"Please, Neji-san," Calixta pleaded breathlessly, "It was my idea. She was only playing along to distract you," she tried to reason.
He growled again and pushed her harder against the wall until Lee pulled him away himself. "Neji, back off," he insisted.
He did but only because he was forced to. With a sneer, he stormed off.
"I'm sorry about that. Neji hates to lose. It doesn't happen very often so he's not exactly used to it," Lee tried to reason.
"Of course," Calixta managed. "It was never my intent to anger him. I only wanted us to stand a chance against you two," she told him with uncharacteristic meekness.
"I know. It's okay, really. He'll get over it before ya know it," he smiled.
She smiled back and he felt his stomach flip-flop.
"I'm gunna go make sure Neji's okay," Tenten told them before running off in his direction.
Calixta's smile fell a little.
"They'll be fine," Lee assured and her smile returned.
"I hope you're right. If the notion that I would ever cause the slightest schism in your team I would never have accepted to train with you," she told him.
"Don't worry about it," he told her again but before he could continue his reassurances, his stomach growled. "Why don't I walk you home? Then, I have to get a bite to eat."
She agreed and was surprised that he took her arm to walk her home. However, he made no other advances and simply took him as being polite so since she knew he was hungry, she invited him in.
"Would you like to come in?"
"Aw, that's okay. I gotta go get somethin' to eat," he politely refused.
His refusal gave her confidence. "I dislike eating alone. If you'd like, you could eat here," she offered.
He smiled widely because he remembered how Naruto bragged about how good her cooking was. "Sounds good!"
They chatted while she cooked and ate and they both found their conversation comfortable and pleasant. Calixta also found that Lee was even more like his sensei than she expected, especially when it came to being influenced by her chakra.
"Lee-san, I have a confession to make," she carefully began.
"What's that?" he responded with equal carefulness.
"I wasn't exactly honest earlier," she admitted.
"About what?" he pressed anxiously.
"About using my chakra during training."
"You did? I thought I felt something but I wasn't sure," he told her.
"It wasn't until after we already had you though," she reasoned. "I didn't have to…but I wanted to make sure we really had you. I thought at least Neji would try something on our way back. It was more like insurance than anything else."
"You lied," he accused quietly.
"I just wasn't entirely honest. I told Guy-sensei that I didn't use it during the diversion and I didn't," she rationalized.
"You lied to Guy-sensei!" he yelled angrily as he stood.
"Lee-san, please," she pleaded but he was already leaving.
"Respectful honorifics don't make up for what you did," he told her and stormed out.
She chased after him, so upset that she stumbled down the steps, leaving her to grasp at his ankle in a futile effort to stop him. "Please, don't go!" she continued to plead. "I need your company."
He shook her off him. "I can't keep the company of someone who lies to Guy-sensei!" With that, he was gone, leaving her to sob outside her house alone.
However, when she noticed that she was starting to draw attention, she ran back inside and threw herself on her bed where she cried until she passed out. When she awoke later that evening, she ate another couple of cookies while deciding what to do. Less than an hour later, she decided to go to Guy's home to admit her error and submit her apology.
Since it was the middle of the night, her knocking woke him and he answered in his pajamas. "Calixta-chan?"he blinked into the darkness.
"Guy-sensei," she panted, out of breath from running to his home.
"What's the matter? What is it?" he pressed.
"I…I know I'm not…not supposed to apologize," her words were broken because she was still trying to catch her breath in addition to trying to control the tears welling up in her eyes. "But I have to."
"Hey, calm down. Whatever it is can't be all that bad," he tried to ease but found it had little effect. "Why don't you come in and we can talk?"
She shook her head fitfully, feeling that she didn't deserve to even set foot in his residence.
"Okay, here," he stepped outside and led her to a bench on his porch. " Now, what is it?"
"I lied to you…earlier, during training," she elaborated.
"Oh?" his concern shifted gears. "How's that?"
She took a moment to explain what had happened. "I'm sorry. I should have been truthful. Please, forgive me." She couldn't even make eye contact with him anymore. "Here," she handed him the leaf crest he had given her. "I don't deserve this."
He pushed it back into her hand. "I forgive you," he told her simply.
She blinked up at him in surprise which allowed the tears welling up in her eyes to flow freely down her cheeks. "R-Really?"
"Of course. It was a small transgression and since it apparently bothered you so much, I doubt it will happen again," he reasoned.
Without thinking, she hugged him, burying her face in his chest. "Oh, thank you, thank you," she repeated until her voice failed her.
"Shh," he soothed, petting her hair affectionately, and when her sobbing waned, he pushed her away. "But did you really have to do it in the middle of the night?" he half-teased.
She felt bad for waking him. "I-" she almost apologized again but stopped herself. "I didn't think about what time it was," she admitted.
"Obviously," he laughed. "Since you're here, is there anything else you want to talk about?" He had a hard time believing that was all it took to disturb her to such an extreme. It seemed more like the straw that broke the camel's back.
She gave him an almost fearful look. "I…I don't think that would be appropriate," she managed.
"Oh? You think I'm not as open as Kakashi about certain things," he observed.
She still appeared unsure. "I feel my control slipping. I don't know why. I don't know what to do," she fretted.
"Well, you just moved out on your own," he tried to reason.
"I don't know if it's just that. I hope and pray that's all it is…but, oh, I just don't know anymore!"
"Hey, it's alright. You're a strong person. If you weren't, you wouldn't have made it this far and you certainly wouldn't have apologized to me," he told her seriously. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you can work through it."
"Maybe…but how long will it take? How many relationships will I destroy in the process?"
"I think that you'll find your relationships to be stronger than you give them credit for."
She smiled warmly up at him. "Thank you," she told him quietly.
"It's nothing. It's the least I can do. All things considered, you taught my students a valuable lesson today," he reasoned.
She laughed a little at that and it seemed to lighten the mood but her smile quickly fell and she broke eye contact, shame overcoming her features.
"What is it?" he lifted her chin to force eye contact again.
For a brief moment, her lips trembled with indecision but when she sensed the anxiety, it caused her to take action. She lunged upward and kissed him forcefully.
He made a sound of surprise and pushed her away. He was obviously speechless with a mix of emotions. He was put off by her forwardness but at the same time endeared by her situation. "Calixta," he gasped.
"Guy-sensei…I know you don't like such forwardness but I felt compelled to take action and…well, it was the least forward thing I could think of to get my point across," she blushingly told him.
He leaned away a little more, "And what point is that?" he hesitantly inquired.
She appeared a little hurt by his need for verification. "I…I want you…intimately…" she managed.
Her admission made him blush. He wasn't sure how to respond to her.
She sensed his hesitation and scooted close to him again. This time she tried a more subtle approach by placing her hand on his thigh and gently running her fingers along the seam of his pants.
Her touch nearly made him tremble as it sent chills through his body. Placing a careful hand on hers to keep it from moving any higher on his leg, he gave her an even look. "I don't think we should."
She appeared crestfallen and wanted to pull her hand away but the fact that he didn't remove it for her made her leave it be. "That's why I want you," she told him quietly.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," he barely told her.
"You're not inclined toward me…it makes me feel safe engaging with you," she elaborated.
"Safe?" he almost stuttered.
"Yes, of course," she nearly laughed, "Your strength toward my charka makes me confident that you won't bend to it as others do."
He sighed at her persistence. "I will accommodate you," he agreed.
She appeared genuinely surprised by that and perked up immediately. "Really?"
"You persisted thinking I wouldn't?" he almost laughed.
"It was worth a try," she shrugged.
He shook his head in exasperation and led her inside. Once inside, he told her, "Go to the bedroom, take off your clothes, and get into my bed," he told her.
She laughed a little at the forwardness of his language, nodded eagerly, and scampered off. Guy joined her shortly after with a few things from his bathroom. He lit a candle and told her to lie down on her stomach. She found that odd but complied in spite of the urge to ask him if he didn't want to face her.
Carefully, he crawled onto the bed and pulled the sheet down to the small of her back, resting just above the curve of her ass. Then, he poured some warm oil into his palms and, after rubbing them together, he started to rub it into her back. She gasped at the feeling of the warm oil and his strong hands on her tense muscles.
"Relax," he told her in a soft voice as he ran his thumbs up either side of her spine. She moaned at the attention as she felt her tension start to leave her.
He worked her back, shoulders, and arms until all the knots are gone. Then, he covered her back and moved down to her feet. However, before he could really get started there, she gasped and sat up, covering her chest.
"What's the matter?"
"I…I forgot to express my milk before rushing over here," she looked guiltily down at his sheets. "It usually doesn't let down so easily but I was so relaxed it just sort of happened. I seem to have leaked a little."
He didn't understand until he looked down at where she had been laying to see two wet spots where her breasts had been. "I see," he managed swallowing hard. "But you're not-um…That is, you can't-"
"No, I'm barren," she assured him.
"Well…we can't just let you leak everywhere," he almost laughed. "What should we do?"
She blushed deeply. "Would you like to drink it?" she asked shyly.
Even though he had been half expecting such an offer, the way she spoke it took him off guard. She seemed to think that even just asking would offend him even though he felt that the offense would be his if he didn't accept. After a moment of consideration, he agreed. "Sure, I'll give it a taste."
She gave him a wide smile and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. It's so much easier on me that way."
"As opposed to?" he prompted as he hesitantly moved closer.
"The machines they have at the clinic or doing it manually, like with your hands," she managed.
He nodded. "So…I just…suck it out?" he hesitantly asked.
She smiled warmly at his shyness. "Pretty much." She gave him guidance as they went along and he was surprisingly receptive to her words.
Guy was surprised that when she laced her fingers in his hair to cradle his head, he wasn't startled or worried at all. In fact, he found it very comforting.
Once she was empty, he had her lay down on her back so he could pick up where he left off, with her feet. From the intensity of her reaction to his attentions there, he thought she might have had an orgasm but he didn't dare to ask. He even caught her biting his pillow a little when he ran his thumb up and down the arches of her feet.
Those reactions waned slightly when he started to work on her calves and move up from there. He was slightly disturbed when he felt compelled to move upward more quickly, to give her a different kind of massage. He got the impression that she desired that, but knew better than to ask. Even if she did, he knew he would refuse. She had placed great faith in his resistance to her chakra so even if it was his deepest desire, he would have denied it, himself, and her.
Fortunately, he did not have to make such a choice because by the time he reached her thighs, she was sound asleep. He smiled down at her, endeared by how peaceful and innocent she looked, and he wondered what she would have been like had her circumstances been different or at least a little less complicated.
Guy let her rest like that for nearly an hour as he folded her clothes and did a few other things before wrapping her in his blanket and taking her home. He wanted to let her stay the remainder of the night but he knew better and needed at least another few hours of sleep.
When Calixta woke late the following morning, she almost believed that the events of the night before had been a dream but the scent of the strong man on the sheet she had been wrapped in assured her of the reality. It seemed his very essence was in every fiber of the fabric and she couldn't help staying in bed long after she awoke to savor it.
After her morning duties, she knew she should return the sheet, if only out of courtesy for the other man's things. However, the scent and the feeling of the sheet relaxed her in ways she could not explain and felt compelled to keep it. So, instead, she opted to replace it with one of her own of the same make and dimensions. Such things were standard issue and she figured he wouldn't mind the substitution, if he even noticed it.
She took one of her sheets, folding it carefully, and left it on his doorstep with a short note of thanks. It was meant as a private note, but it didn't stay that way.
Kakashi had been keeping an eye on her and her rather unusual gift intrigued him so he couldn't help sneaking a peek. What he read intrigued him further and he stuck around for Guy to return that afternoon to harass him about it.
"Kakashi?" Guy was surprised to see the other instructor lounging on his porch reading a dirty manga, well, the dirty manga was not a surprise. "To what do I owe the surprise?"
"I had an amazing time last night. No one has ever made me feel so good. I hope you won't be offended if I pay you another visit," Kakashi quoted.
Guy blinked with confusion. "What are you babbling about?"
Kakashi made a lazy motion toward the folded sheet with the little note pinned to it. Guy gave him a suspicious look and examined the note. There was more on it than what Kakashi had recited but that was the most interesting part.
"This was not for you," Guy accused.
"It is Calixta's handwriting. I'd recognize it anywhere," he offhandedly told the other man. "I didn't realize you two were so close," he almost laughed.
Guy rolled his eyes with immense irritation. "Is there a point to this?"
"Since she is my student, I feel it is my place to pry. I didn't realize you and Calixta were so close," he chided.
"If there's something you want to know, just ask. You know I don't like these kinds of games," he nearly hissed.
"I just want to know if you fucked her, that's all," he offhandedly answered.
Guy sneered and barely stopped himself from punching the other man. "No, I didn't," he barely answered.
Kakashi shrugged. "That's too bad. I'm sure it would have been good."
The dark-haired man picked up the sheet and started inside. "Why not ask her yourself?" he asked suddenly when his hand reached the knob.
"She'd tell me far more than I care to know. You keep things simple. That's what I like about you, Guy," he complimented and feeling he had far overstayed his welcome, he hopped off the porch and went about his day.
"Tell her to use an envelope next time she wants to leave me a note," Guy offered as he closed the door behind him.
Kakashi opted not to bother Calixta about her evening with Guy. He knew their relationship was tenuous anyway and that it was probably better, at least at this point, not to push it. However, he still observed that she was growing increasingly anxious and that her chakra control was still slipping. It bothered him greatly and decided to pay Guy another visit a couple days later.
"What is it?" Guy answered the door gruffly. After their last conversation, he was still a little irked that the other man had invaded his privacy, however slightly.
"I know you're still annoyed about the other day…but I was hoping I could talk to you about Calixta," he broached carefully.
Guy rolled his eyes and let Kakashi inside if only because he didn't want to have that conversation out where others could hear them.
"I don't necessarily want any details about your encounter with her. I know you're a private person and I don't really want to invade your privacy," Kakashi hedged.
"Quit beating around the bush. I hate that more than your prying," Guy tried not to snap.
"Of course. When you spoke with Calixta, what did you talk about? What did she say?"
Guy took a minute or so to rehash the events of their training session before going into their conversation that evening.
"I'm surprised you told her it was okay to use her abilities," Kakashi observed.
"I wanted the exercise to be fair. It would have been a distinct disadvantage for her team if I limited her so severely. Her taijutsu is remarkable and I know she's started to grasp the basics of ninjutsu and genjutsu but her strange chakra is her trump card. If I asked her told that back, then I would feel obliged to ask the members of my team to hold back on their strengths as well and that would have defeated the purpose of the exercise."
"I understand. Were you aware at the time of her slipping control?"
"I'm afraid not. Though, I'm not sure I would have limited her even if I did. I think exercise would be the best way for her to master control of her chakra," Guy observed. "It is my observation that you have taken a similar avenue to help her control her abilities."
Kakashi nodded at that. "That is true. So, she came in the middle of the night to apologize for her mistruth?"
"Indeed. I tried to invite her in but she seemed apprehensive about entering so we spoke out on the porch. That was when she expressed her concern for chakra control. I tried to reassure her but it seemed to do little good. Should I not have told her it was alright to use her special abilities?" he suddenly questioned. "Even if it did teach my boys a valuable lesson," he added offhandedly.
"I don't think so. I'm just trying to figure out what's got her so bent out of shape. I don't think that it's simply because she's living alone now. She's more than capable of taking care of her needs. I made sure of that before agreeing to let her go." He left out the part about not being consulted about her relocation.
"What do you think it is then?"
"I don't know. She hasn't mentioned anything unusual that would have triggered her slipping control."
"You're really worried about her, aren't you?"
"It is my responsibility to worry about that kind of thing," Kakashi remarked.
"It's more than that. You really care for her, don't you?" Guy pressed.
"I'm sure you've noticed that it's very easy to become…emotionally invested in her," he covered.
"Indeed," Guy gave a minimal response to cover his own emotional interest.
"In the note she left you, she said that you made her feel better than anyone has ever been capable of," he carefully broached. "I'd like to know what you did that was so special."
Guy looked away. "She was extremely agitated. I helped her relax," he tried.
"How did you manage that?" Kakashi pressed.
"I gave her a massage, nothing elaborate, just worked out the knots in her muscles," he unwillingly elaborated.
"Interesting approach," the white-haired man nodded. "Most would have given into her more…carnal wiles," he observed.
"She proposed it, but she places great confidence in my resistance to her chakra. Even if that was what I wanted to do, I wouldn't have. I believe it would have been detrimental to the situation," he continued.
Kakashi nodded respectfully. "I can understand why she would want to see you again then," he almost laughed. "If she does, I would appreciate it if you let me know…especially if she exhibits any peculiar behavior or expresses any further concern for her slipping chakra control."
"Of course," Guy nodded.
"Based on your time with her, do you have any speculation as to what has caused her distress?" Kakashi asked.
"I can't say. She wasn't very specific. I don't think she knows what's causing it. If she did, then I believe she would have a better handle on it."
"So you think it's an external force affecting her control?" Kakashi assumed.
"I don't have any real basis for such an assumption or that kind but based on what I do know about her, it seems unlikely that it is a personal breakdown," Guy theorized.
Kakashi nodded. "I was starting to get that impression as well. It's been about a week since she moved out of my place and I've left her alone longer than that. She seems to think that's what's causing it but I think that's just the most obvious excuse and she's using it because she can't think of any other reason."
They spoke like that for another few minutes before Kakashi took his leave to go visit Calixta. She had just gotten home from the market and was unpacking her groceries when he knocked on her door. She could tell it was him from the way he knocked and called for him to enter.
"Good afternoon," she greeted happily.
"Good afternoon," he returned the pleasantry. "How have you been?" he asked as he started looking around. In addition to the things he knew she already had, there were several new items in her home.
"I'm getting along. Sometimes, it's harder than others but I know if I keep trying, I'll make it," she forced a smile for a moment but then stopped because she knew he could feel it was forced.
"You've gotten a few new things since moving in here," he commented.
She nodded. "I'm still surprised that I've received so many housewarming gifts," she told him.
"You shouldn't be surprised. You've made many friends," he offered.
This time she smiled genuinely and showed him some of the things she'd received. "Oh, and these cookies. They came with an anonymous note and are quite delectable," she offered him some on a plate.
Kakashi tried one and found it average at best but she seemed to enjoy them quite a bit. He left shortly after but returned the next day with her primary physician while she was out and had her examine the gifts Calixta had received. For the most part, she found nothing unusual. Most of the items she had received were decorative and reasoned that if any of the gifts were affecting her, it was most likely the cookies. However, she did not want to make any sort of conjectures without more information so she took one of the confections for further analysis, telling Kakashi that the tests would take at least a day to perform. She wasn't comfortable with estimating how long it would take to analyze the results and draw a conclusion, if one was available. He thanked her and they parted ways.
That night Calixta felt her control slipping further but managed to contain her chakra for the most part. The following day, however, she had felt she was having even less success so she called on Ebisu to help her out. He was more than happy to oblige, of course, which normally wouldn't have bothered her, but she found his enthusiasm slightly unnerving. Trying to put it out of her mind, she made dinner for them, enjoyed the last of the cookies for dessert and they retired to her bedroom.
Their love making session was intense and enjoyable for both of them. It would have been more so had they not been interrupted. A short while after they began, there was a familiar barking outside her window. Without thinking about her state of undress, Calixta went to the window, opened it, and poked her head outside to find Kiba and Akamaru standing outside.
Before she could say anything however, because he knew she would be overly polite, Ebisu looked out the window and shouted, "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
"Ah!" Kiba made a sound of surprise. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him," he tried to scoop up his dog, blaming the intrusion on him even though he too felt the draw of the young woman's chakra and hadn't really realized where they were going until they were already there.
"Get out of here!" Ebisu scolded.
"Ebisu, please, calm down," Calixta urged to little effect. "He's just a boy."
Eibsu scoffed. "He's more than that and you know it," he snapped at her before turning back to the window. "Leave now and I won't tell your mom," he threatened.
Kiba gave a mute nod, gathered his pup, and ran off. However, he couldn't bring himself to go very far, only far enough not to get into trouble. The last thing he needed was to explain to his mother what he was doing at the beautiful young woman's house in the dark of night.
From his vantage point, Kiba was able to observe that he wasn't the only one to interrupt the couple that evening. He almost gasped when he saw Master Jiraiya walk up to her house and enter without so much as a knock.
This time, they were nearly finished when they were interrupted and this time by the older man barging into her bedroom.
"What's all this?" Jiraiya bellowed, completely undeterred by their state.
"What the hell?" Ebisu nearly shouted. "Don't you have any manners, old man?"
Jiraiya gave a hearty laugh. "Calixta, my dear, why don't you shoo this boy away and you can have some real fun with a real man," he haughtily ignored the man on top of her.
Calixta was about to try to get him to leave them be as well when she was once again cut off by Eibsu.
"I don't have to sit here and be insulted by the likes of you," Ebisu stood and took up a threatening posture.
Jiraiya scoffed. "Tch, like you could take me. Why don't you run off before you hurt yourself," he taunted.
Ebisu's anger flared and he started to take a swing at the larger man only to be stopped short by Calixta. "Please, don't do this. It's not worth fighting about!" she pleaded.
Jiraiya laughed heartily. "My dear, it won't be much of a fight. I'll have him out of your hair in no time, I assure you."
"How dare you? What right do you have to come in here and say things like that?" Ebisu tried to take another swing and was once again stopped.
"That's right, sweetie," Jiraiya continued to laugh, "You best stop him before he hurts himself. We both know he can't handle the likes of you anyway."
This time, Ebisu was too quick for her to stop him but the older man was ready for it and easily deflected the blow.
"Stop this! Right now!" Calixta stomped her foot for effect but it hardly seemed to get their attention. Seeing that her protests had little effect on them, she gave a scream of frustration as she gathered her robe and stormed out. Seeing that they had decided to follow her, but still seemed inclined to fight over her, she turned back for a short moment before exiting her home, "You are both truly impossible!" She slammed the door, only then noticing that while Kiba and Akamaru had apparently left, several others had either taken his place or were approaching. There was a couple of the people from the market that she had charmed during Kakashi's experiments and the three members of Team Guy as well as Naruto and Sasuke.
"What's going on?" Sasuke nearly growled when he noticed the others.
"I dunno. I just kinda started walking and didn't realize where I was going until I got here," Lee managed.
"Tenten?" Neji almost laughed when he saw their female team member approaching as well.
"Neji? Lee?" she stopped gasping names in surprise when she saw how many others were there.
"Calixta, what's going on?" Naruto tried to question when she emerged from the front door.
She didn't reply. Her eyes grew wide with horror and she bolted.
"Hey! Get your ass back here!" Sasuke called after her and almost started to chase her but stopped himself when he realized he wasn't the only one who felt compelled to do so. He figured that if he gave into that compulsion, then others would be more likely to follow.
Just then, Ebisu and Jiraiya emerged from the doorway.
"What's going on here?" Ebisu demanded, his frustration reaching a breaking point.
Seeing the crowd made Jiraiya examine his reasons for coming to her and realized that they weren't entirely his own. "This isn't good," he muttered.
"What is it?" Ebisu pressed. "Do you know what the hell is going on here?"
The older man sighed. "It would be best if all of you just went back to your homes and pretended this didn't happen," he advised.
For the most part, the crowd obeyed the request. They knew about Calixta's abilities and once they realized that it might have been her that drew them from their homes, they shook it off and left. As they were leaving, Ebisu ducked back inside to finish dressing himself.
"Naruto," Jiraiya began, "If you wouldn't mind, please go get Kakashi-sensei. I believe this concern is his to deal with."
"Yeah, okay," the blonde nodded and ran off to his instructor's home.
"Do you think she's okay?" Ebisu questioned Jiraiya, since he seemed to have an idea as to what was happening.
"Calixta…she tried to warn me…but I thought she was over reacting," he sighed, seating himself on the front step.
"Over reacting? About what?"
"Don't tell me you didn't feel it too," he gave a sad little laugh, "No, perhaps you didn't. Ever since she moved out on her own, her chakra control has been slipping. I think what we just saw was the effect of her losing control. It makes sense that it happened while you two were having sex," he mused. "She really cares for you. You know that, right? No matter what happens, don't forget that."
"Don't tell me what to do," he snapped but tried to keep the advice in mind. He stayed there with the older man out of concern for the young woman who had won him over so thoroughly.
Sasuke, who had only ducked around the side of the building while the others were leaving, heard this exchange and decided to go after her. Unlike the others who had been drawn to Calixta that evening, Sasuke recognized the energy that had drawn him there and he came out of morbid curiosity rather than sexual interest. It was that same interest that made him follow her into the woods.
Calixta ran until her legs gave out and she sat sobbing on the forest floor. "Why? Why?" was all she could choke out until she heard laughter a moment later. "Who's that?" she shouted into the darkness. "Who's there?"
The laughing presence had just been about to reveal itself when Sasuke approached. Then, out of curiosity, it stayed hidden.
"Calixta?" Sasuke carefully approached.
"Stop laughing at me!" she screamed and tried to scramble away but was too fatigued to get very far.
He gave her an odd look because he had been far from laughing at her. "Calixta!" he scolded. "Running away isn't the answer!"
"Don't tell me what to do! You of all people know how hard this is to control. I thought I had it. I was a fool, an utter fool! Give me your kunai and I'll end this now," she pleaded.
Sasuke was about to give further words of consolation as he approached but she suddenly reached out and took one of his knives. "This is absurd! Stop your foolishness!" He reached for the weapon but she scrambled away.
Then, they both heard the laughter. "Don't stop her." A female, a few years older than Calixta appeared a couple feet from them. "This should have happened a long time ago," she hissed disdainfully.
"Y-You?" Calixta gasped, nearly dropping the knife she held pointed at her stomach.
"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded.
The woman laughed.
"Why are you here?" Calixta barely asked.
"You know this person?" Sasuke turned to the younger woman.
"I'm glad you remember me," the woman laughed again. "Who is this boy who cares so deeply for you? No doubt one of your many victims," she scoffed.
"I am no victim! I am her teammate!" Sasuke answered forcefully but received another condescending laugh in response.
"Don't worry about him," Calixta dismissed before turning to Sasuke. "You should leave. This doesn't concern you."
"Go ahead, finish what you were about to do," the woman urged. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to get a front row seat."
"What is this? Who are you?" Sasuke continued his unsatisfied demands.
Naruto arrived at Kakashi's house and gave him a quick rundown of what little he knew of the situation as they ran to Calixta's house. On their way, they ran into Calixta's physician who was in a hurry to get to Kakashi's.
"Doctor, what is it?" Kakashi prompted when he saw how much of a hurry she was in.
"We were right…It was the cookies. Something was wrong with them. They were tainted. It's what's causing her loss of control," she reported.
"We have to find her," Kakashi resolutely replied. "Naruto, you said she ran off after all the commotion. Which way did she go?" he hastily asked.
The young man pointed, though he was unsure as to exactly which way she'd gone.
"You two go tell Master Jiraiya and whoever else is waiting at her home and let them know what's happened. We have to find her and let her know it's not her fault," he told them before running off to find her.
"I'm an old acquaintance of Calixta here," the woman in question finally answered.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke pressed now that he was getting answers.
"I thought I told you, I'm here to watch her do what she should have done a long time ago," she seethed before turning back to the woman kneeling on the ground, "Well? What are you waiting for?"
"You've been watching me?" Calixta suddenly asked.
"I've been keeping an eye on you," she admitted.
"I don't know who you are or what your real purpose is for being here and frankly I don't care. My patience is running out. Leave now before I make you leave," Sasuke threatened.
She laughed at him. "I'll leave as soon as she's finished what she started."
Sasuke snarled and reached for another knife as he lunged at the mysterious woman antagonizing Calixta.
"No!" Calixta tackled him to the ground. "No! Please!"
"She's antagonizing you. If she won't leave, I'm going to stop her," he snapped.
"No, she's suffered enough pain," Calixta pleaded.
"What are you babbling about?" he shook her off him and managed to grab his other knife from her in the process.
"You're not going to go through with it, are you? You coward!" the woman accused. "You're worried about my suffering? What about Kujo's? Or that of your parents? Your dishonor is infamous and it follows you like a train of disaster! You have the audacity to think that just because you've moved to yet another village that you're a different person! You even nurse these people like some kind of blasphemous mother figure. You're no healer! You're the same manipulative tramp you always were!" the woman yelled.
Again, Calixta lost control of her tears. "You're right! I don't deserve the trust, the time and energy of these people," she sobbed. "I never meant to hurt anyone but what I mean to do doesn't seem to ever matter. It all turns out the same!" She turned back to Sasuke and tried to wrestle one of the knives away from him again. "Give it to me! Let me end this here and now!"
"You're crazy! I don't know what this is all about but I do know you're not the same person that we brought here. You've changed, gotten better. You've gained control over your chakra and its effects on others," he tried to reason with her but it was difficult while fighting her off.
"Don't you see? It was only temporary. I can't keep it up and I shouldn't burden others with it any longer!"
The mystery woman was greatly amused by this exchange. Her amusement doubled when a slip of the hand caused the knife to slip and stab Calixta deep in the side. She laughed loudly at the younger woman's cry of pain. "That's right! Die slowly! Bleed your tainted blood all over to prove what a mess you're entire existence as been!"
Just as she was reveling in her apparent success, Kakashi appeared and cut her fun short. At the sight of the man she recognized as Calixta's caretaker, she started to flee.
"Kakashi-sensei! Don't let her get away!" Sasuke ordered.
"Get Calixta to the hospital!" Kakashi called back as he chased the other woman.
"Hold on," Sasuke nearly pleaded.
"So warm…" she whispered, loosely grabbing at his shirt.
He wasn't sure if she was talking about him or the feeling of shock that was likely overcoming her. "You're wound's not that bad. They'll fix you up at the hospital. You just have to hold on."
She gave a sad little smile and lost consciousness. In spite of himself, Sasuke found himself praying that she would hold on at least until they got to those who could help her.
Calixta awoke late the following day. "Wh-Where am I?" she blinked, obviously disoriented.
"Shhh," Kakashi eased. "It's okay. You're in the hospital."
She bolted up right but the sudden dizziness this caused had her laying back down a second later.
"Take it easy. You're gunna be okay," he told her.
"Sena, what happened to Sena?" she suddenly fretted.
"She's in holding awaiting a hearing," he told her.
Calixta appeared concerned by that. "I don't think that's necessary."
"You may not think so but our laws frown on the poisoning of our citizens," he informed.
"Poisoning?" she blinked with incomprehension.
"Yes. She gave you those cookies and poisoned them so that you would lose control of your chakra," he explained.
"What? Really?" she appeared startled.
"Yes. Really. What happened wasn't your fault," he assured her.
She sat in silent contemplation for a long few minutes before speaking again. "That doesn't change everything that happened. All those people. I was supposed to be their friend and even if it wasn't my fault, I betrayed their trust," she barely said.
"Now, don't be so hard on yourself. They were confused but that's about it. In fact, if you're up to it, I believe there are some people waiting to see you," he told her with a sly little smile.
"People? Who?" she questioned carefully.
"Why don't I let them in? If you get tired, I can send them away," he reasoned as he went to the door and let those waiting inside.
She was expecting only one or two people, perhaps Kakashi's three students so she was more than stunned when a small parade of people entered her small hospital room. In addition to Kakashi's three students, there was Guy and Kurenai with their teams as well as Ebisu, Jiraiya, and several others. She gasped with surprise. "My goodness."
"I told you the wound wasn't that bad," Sasuke teased.
She blushed at his thinly veiled concern.
"You really had us worried there," Guy chided.
"I-I," she almost apologized. "I didn't mean to," she managed.
"Of course not," the man in green nodded.
"Is there something the matter?" Ebisu stepped up to the side of her bed.
"Oh, no, of course not. I just wasn't expecting so many people," she replied.
"You underestimate your friends," Jiraiya chided. "And I apologize for my behavior last night. I was boorish at best. I hope you can forgive me," he gave a slight bow.
She blushed. "Of course. I hope all of you can forgive me."
"Kakashi-sensei told us it wasn't your fault. Don't feel bad about what happened," Lee told her. "And I'm sorry about yelling at you the other day. If I had known-"
"Please," she cut him off. "You were right about what you said, regardless of my condition."
At that Akamaru gave a little bark. It was obvious that he wanted to go see her but was unsure because of her injuries.
"It's okay," she patted the bed next to her, "Come on over," she told the pup.
He hopped off of Kiba and snuggled up next to her.
A few minutes later Tsunade came in "Okay, well, Calixta is quite tired. Now that you've all seen that she's okay, I think we should let her rest," she shooed the company out of her room.
"Come on, Akamaru," Kiba motioned. His dog whined but started to comply.
"I don't usually allow pets in the hospital but in this case I could make an exception, if that's alright with you, Kiba-kun," Tsunade conceded.
"I'll come back for him tomorrow," he promised.
"Why did you ask all of them to come here?" she carefully accused Kakashi once they were alone again.
"I didn't ask anyone to come. In fact, I tried several times to get them to leave but they just wouldn't listen. They said they wouldn't leave until they were sure you were okay," he insisted.
"Oh, I see. Well, thank you…for everything," she blushed.
"Thank you. I should have listened when you told me you concerns. I dismissed you too easily because you worry so much about everything," he managed.
"How could you have known? I mean, I didn't even realize what was happening. I was going to kill myself right there in that forest." She gave a deep sigh of regret. "Please, thank Sasuke for me. He saved me from myself," she pleaded.
"I will do no such thing. That is something you will have to tell him yourself," he insisted.
She gave a confident nod and they said their goodbyes so she could rest for the night.