Gaara rarely drank. In his village, it was extremely difficult for a minor to get a hold of alcohol, let alone drink it unsupervised. Add to that the anxiety most people felt around him and his opportunities for consumption were nonexistent. So, like any teenager with the opportunity, he ceased it. With a bottle of sake in hand, he took to wandering the streets of the Leaf Village.
He had expected a quiet evening. The Leaf Village had a night life but he stayed away from that district. On top of the risk of being caught, it was really of no interest to him. Rather, he stayed to the backstreets and numerous parks throughout the village. Fate seemed to have other plans when he happened upon Lee returning from a mission.
"Gaara-san?" he greeted through the darkness. "What are you doing here?"
"Mission," he curtly replied.
Lee cocked an incredulous eyebrow as he drew closer and saw the bottle in the other young man's hand. "Mission, huh? Is drinking part of your mission," he teased.
"Tch," Gaara scoffed. "No, it's just a perk."
"I don't know what the rules are in your village but here minors aren't allowed to drink," he carefully told the other young ninja.
"I know the rules," he snapped.
Lee frowned. He was aware that Gaara knew very well what he was doing before he asked. He was just hoping to get the sand ninja to at least go inside to drink, rather than do it out in public.
"What're you lookin' at?" Gaara nearly growled. He was feeling a little buzzed, which was pretty good considering how much he'd drank, but with the quantity of healing milk he'd consumed earlier, it wasn't much of a surprise that it would dampen his intoxication. "You're gunna tell on me, or whatever, aren't you?" he demeaningly taunted.
Lee had been considering the best way to do just that because it wasn't like he could force the other young man to stop.
"Hn, you want some?" Gaara offered when he saw the indecision playing across the other's face.
"What? You're kidding," Lee dismissed.
"Unless you can't handle yourself," he taunted.
"That's not the issue here," the taller young man objected.
Gaara scoffed again and turned the corner, hoping to ditch the more obedient ninja. Unfortunately, Lee followed. Apparently, he was going to keep an eye on Gaara. "Either drink with me or don't follow me," he bargained.
Lee considered. "Just a sip," he countered.
Gaara smirked and handed over the bottle.
The taller young man put the bottle to his lips and turned it up but barely any of the liquid touched his tongue. As far as he was concerned, he was just humoring the temperamental sand ninja so he could keep an eye on him. This, however, didn't exactly hold out. It didn't take much more of the other young man's badgering to get him to actually take a couple swallows and they quickly had a situation on their hands.
As they walked, Gaara eyed his company carefully. "You know Calixta?" he assumed.
"Yeah, we train together," Lee smiled.
"Tch, I've heard that before," he scoffed but by this point, he could tell that Calixta and Lee hadn't had sex. "What do you do?"
Both Lee and Gaara expected that if either of them would grow violent, it would be Gaara. That's why when Lee put a little too much force behind a playful shove, Gaara could hardly believe the aggression behind it.
"What the hell was that?" Gaara snapped at the sudden violent shove.
Lee giggled, "Whatever, like you can't take a little shove," he taunted and tried to trip his companion.
"Knock it off!" the shorter teen growled defensively.
Calixta awoke slowly a couple hours after Gaara left. An indefinable anxiety overtaking her. She could tell something was off, but what? When she realized that Gaara wasn't on her property, she put on a robe, woke her dog, and went looking for him.
"Satu, find Gaara-san, please," she urged the little dog, who readily complied. Since she had to wake the pup to find the young man, her anxiety was slightly eased. If it wasn't enough to wake her dog, it might not be that bad.
She found them a few minutes later in the park not far from her house just as Lee was about to attempt a kick to Gaara's head.
"Stop! Lee!" she yelled, which only managed to distract Gaara and because of this, he didn't dodge the blow.
When the blow made contact, she shrieked and pounced on Lee, pinning him to the ground. "Lee-san, what are you doing?"
"We're just messin' around," Lee slurred.
"You're drunk!" she accused as he pushed her off.
"That's silly," he dismissed. "See?" he made another flying kick but this time, she tackled him before it could make contact.
"You mustn't do this! You have to stop!" Calixta pleaded. This time, she wasn't going to chance him getting away and held him to the ground with every ounce of strength she could muster. When Lee seemed to settle down for a moment, she turned her attention to Gaara. That was when she saw the bottle in his hand and noticed his lazy posture. "You too?"
"What? I didn't do anything. He's the one who started throwin' punches; I didn't even swing back," he defensively shot back.
"That doesn't matter! What were you thinking?" she demanded.
Gaara was speechless. His left eye, and subsequently the tattoo above, twitched with irritation, almost anger. She had never raised her voice at him like that. He couldn't believe the protective way she hovered over the other young man. It sparked the short fuse of rage she'd managed to keep cold for so long but just as he was about to approach, to pull her off of him, she spoke.
"Never mind," she turned back to Lee. "I'm taking you home," she told him forcefully, pulling the stumbling young man to his feet.
"That's where I was goin'," Lee told her seriously.
"Of course," she started to lead him away.
"What about me?" Gaara carefully demanded.
"You know I can't tell you what to do," she replied evenly as they walked away. As she led Lee away, she could feel Gaara's anxiety, but knew there wasn't anything she could do about it.
On their way, she managed to get a fair amount of the story from Lee and realized that it was an honest, if mischievous, mistake. She was almost there when she happened upon Guy. When Neji and Tenten had promptly made it back to their bunks, Lee had yet to appear and it worried their sensei. He was glad he didn't have to go very far to find him but when he saw his condition, he was greatly disappointed.
"Calixta-chan, what happened? You know better than to let Lee-kun drink!" he scolded.
"I take full responsibility," she bowed and told him what she knew.
Once he knew, she could sense his disappointment both in her and his student.
Then, suddenly, Lee had another burst of energy. Unfortunately, they were standing next to a small stand that sold wind chimes and he managed to make quite a ruckus before she could tackle him again. Luckily, no one seemed to see fit to look into the commotion because of it's brevity.
"Lee-san, please. You mustn't," she pleaded, holding him close in hopes of physically containing him as well as pushing her charka on him to help calm him.
With those actions, Guy could tell just how sorry she was, even though it was hardly her fault. Even so, he was incredibly annoyed.
"I was just taking him home," she told the sensei.
"I'll take'im," Guy offered.
"No, really. Let me do this," she almost pleaded.
"I'll go with you." He helped her carry his student back to his bunk. To his surprise, once they got him tucked into his bed, she pulled up a chair and sat down. "You're staying?"
"Just for a bit, if that's alright. I want to make sure he's okay," she didn't take her eyes off the dozing young man.
"I don't think that's necessary," Guy coaxed.
Calixta shot him an unsure look but stood. She could tell Guy didn't want her to stay and she was in no position to argue with him.
After she followed him outside, he turned to her. "Thank you for bringing him home."
"After what happened, it's the least I could do. Really, if I'd've known something like this would have happened-" she tried again to manage an apology without actually saying she was sorry.
"Never mind. You're not responsible for either of them and if Lee wasn't so volatile after a few drinks, it wouldn't be a problem," Guy managed.
As far as she was concerned, it was a problem regardless of Lee's reactions to liquor. "I'll be more careful in the future," she vowed.
"Is Gaara staying with you?" Guy pressed.
"I know having him at my place isn't the best idea but it's not like he sleeps. He has no use for the room and board offered to his sister, or any other visitor for that matter. I thought it would be…insensitive to try to make him stay cooped up in one of those places as though he was like everyone else."
"If you don't want him there, I can help you ask him to leave," Guy offered.
"Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of it. I say it's not the best idea, but when I do, it's looking from the perspective of everyone else."
"And from your perspective?"
"Honestly, I can't think of a better place for him to spend his free time while he's here. You may find this difficult to believe but I like having him around. Besides, he likes staying with me."
"You don't think, even after this, that he might need a little more…supervision?" he tried.
"And who would supervise him?" she countered.
Guy sighed with resignation. It seemed she'd picked up some of Kakashi's stubbornness. "Okay, I see your point." He turned to walk away and then turned back. "Take good care of him. Good night."
When Calixta returned to her house, Gaara wasn't there. She took a moment to feel him out, which at this point only took minimal effort. She considered trying to draw him back to her but reconsidered and sought him out herself, leaving Satu behind. By the time she caught up with him, he was on the edge of the forest.
"Gaara!" she called to him as she approached.
He stumbled at the sound of his name. He was so disturbed by how she reacted to him earlier, that he had consumed much of the remainder of the bottle he had taken earlier that evening.
His misstep made her quicken her pace. "Now you're drunk," she told him with an exasperated sigh once she got a good look at him.
He sneered and looked away, continuing into the woods.
"Where are you going?" she pressed.
He didn't answer.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" she hurried to match step with him again.
"You know I can't ignore you," he slurred under his breath.
Calixta made a small sound of disappointment. "At least tell me where you're going," she pleaded.
"Nowhere," he snapped, turning to glare intensely at her.
Sensing the distance he was trying to force between them, Calixta stopped walking with him. "I've been there before," she quietly muttered.
Gaara stopped a few steps later. "Don't pity me!" he yelled back at her.
She wanted to tell him that she didn't pity him but the feelings she had were close enough that she knew he couldn't tell the difference. "It's not a big deal. I took Lee home and put him to bed," she tried.
"Only after you saw his sensei," he snapped back.
"You were following us?" she almost gasped. She had been so caught up in managing Lee and cutting off any negative feelings the incident had given her that she didn't notice him tracking them. "Either way, it's no big deal. Even he said there was no harm done."
"You covered for me," he seethed. "You told him it was your fault." He hadn't heard their entire conversation, only the part where she took full responsibility for what happened.
"Does it matter? I gave Guy someone to blame, that's all. I don't really think it's anyone's fault," she reasoned. "Lee just gets a bit carried away when he drinks. You had no way of knowing that."
Gaara scoffed and started to walk away again.
His insistence to drunkenly sulk aggravated her more than anything. "Don't walk away from me!" she yelled and without thinking, focused her chakra on him, making him stop.
"Let me go!" he demanded.
Defiantly, she walked around to face him, forcing eye contact. "Why do you feel so bad about this?" she demanded.
Instead of answering her, Gaara tried to break eye contact. Had he not been intoxicated, he would have had a much easier time of it. As it was, the action took significant effort but when he forced his eyes away, he also managed a side-step.
The force it took to break her hold caused her to stumble slightly. "Answer me!" she demanded again.
"I don't have to answer to you!" he argued and continued to stumble away.
"No you don't have to, but I was hoping you would," she managed.
When he didn't answer to that, she tackled him to the ground.
"You crazy bitch! Get off me!" he struggled and dislodged her.
"No!" she caught him again and this time wrapped her arms tightly around his torso.
"What the hell's the matter with you!" he tried to push her off.
"I won't let you run away from me!" she yelled into his chest.
"I don't run from anybody," he growled.
"Gaara, please," she pleaded as he fought to get away from her.
"Get off me! Go away!" he ordered.
His order to go away made her falter and she lost her grip, allowing him to escape. "Please, Gaara! I-" she stopped herself before she said anymore but her sudden stop caused him pause.
"You what?" he prompted forcefully.
"Never mind, just go if that's what you really want. I won't try to stop you."
"What were you going to say?" he demanded.
"You don't want to hear it. Just go," she stood and started to walk away.
Unnerved by the omission, Gaara clumsily rushed up behind her. "Tell me what you were going to say," he demanded in a dark voice.
Calixta gave a sigh of resignation and turned to face him. "Gaara, I think I'm falling in love with you," she told him in a trembling voice.
Gaara's eyes grew wide, almost with horror at her words. "You really are crazy," he dismissed.
At that, she slapped him. "Don't pretend like you don't feel it!"
"You can't love me! No one loves me!" he retorted after the shock of the slap wore off.
"That doesn't mean you're unlovable," she managed.
"Yes I am," he scoffed. "Don't you have any idea what I've done? What I could do?" he threatened.
"I know well enough," she answered. "And don't you think people have said the same things about me?"
"You're different. Everyone likes you," he dismissed.
"Never mind what everyone else thinks or what they like. They don't matter," she tried but when she felt like she wasn't getting through to him, she sighed. "Whatever. I'm sorry I said anything," she slouched and turned away, starting to walk home. "Just forget it."
Of course, he couldn't just forget it. He had felt her affection from the first time they met and felt it grow ever since, almost exponentially since his last visit and then even more since he arrived this time. It had just been so long since he'd felt love from another that he didn't recognize it. "You don't know what you're saying!" he accused.
"I know perfectly well what I'm saying. Maybe you don't! Maybe you're too drunk," she barely scoffed. She was on the verge of tears and felt the stinging tingle in her throat as she tried to bite them back.
"You really think you love me, don't you?" he weakly accused, calling after her.
The accusation made her stop. "Don't mock my feelings!" she shouted. "Just because you don't understand them doesn't make them any less real. Besides, I said I was falling in love with you. I don't love you just yet."
Her correction made him falter slightly but what really caused him pause was the tone in her voice and the way it reflected the pain he felt from her. "What is this? Don't make me feel this way!"
"If you don't want to feel what I do, then stop holding on. Let go of my chakra and never look at me again!" she told him bitterly, no longer able to control her tears. "The feelings will fade quickly enough." Then, she started to walk away again, this time determined not to stop.
That's when he decided to follow her. "You don't want me to let go," he nearly awed.
Once he was beside her, she turned away, keeping her determined pace. Of course she didn't want him to let go. Suddenly severing such a deep connection would devastate her in ways she couldn't imagine.
Gaara's frown deepened. The fact that she wouldn't look at him really bothered him so he brought a hand to her chin to try to turn her face. If she wouldn't make eye contact, at least he could see her expression. As it was, with how she was turned and the way her long, dark hair hung down, he couldn't see any of her face.
This time, Calixta wasn't up for giving him what he wanted. She jerked to the side and violently pushed his hand away but didn't say anything. However, his slight touch revealed more than she hoped. He could feel the wetness on her face from the tears she didn't bother to wipe away.
The idea that he had caused her to cry almost made Gaara's heart skip a beat, then the idea that he cared so much about such a thing almost made it stop entirely. "Hey," he quietly interrupted the silence, this time placing a careful hand on her shoulder. With that, he could feel the tension in her muscles.
She almost trembled at his touch and screwed her eyes shut. "What?" she quietly snapped.
Her tone made him withdraw. He didn't know what to say. Then, suddenly, he couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her, turned her to face him, and kissed her hard on the lips.
She made a muffled sound of surprise but quickly gave into the affection, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close so he wouldn't suddenly pull away. The suddenness of his kiss and the wave of emotions he poured upon her momentarily broke her self control and she worried that it would overwhelm him or at least make him second guess himself.
Quite the contrary, he pulled her to the ground and held her tightly.
"Ah," she gasped, breaking their kiss. "Gaara!"
"What? What's the matter?" he breathily asked.
"N-Not here, please," she pleaded when he tried to lay her down.
He appeared disappointed but complied. She had to help him to his feet.
"Come on, let's go back to my place. I'll make you some coffee," she led him to her home.
He nodded and they walked arm in arm back to her house.
"So…did you really mean that, what you said about how you feel?" he asked carefully as she poured him a cup.
"Don't ask stupid questions," she curtly replied. She was tired and after all that, some of his rudeness was starting to rub off on her.
"I didn't realize…" he stared into his cup.
She shot him an incredulous look from across the short tea table. "You didn't realize? Or you didn't want to?"
"I-I don't know…" he honestly admitted and his honesty seemed to please her more than anything.
She smiled gently at him. "I really mean it. I wouldn't say it if I didn't," she confirmed. "I don't want to mess with you or control you or anything. I just want you. Whoever that person happens to be, whatever they've done, all that…is what makes you the person you are and that's the person I'm falling for. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, or makes you think I'm crazy, or whatever," she tried to explain.
Gaara shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with the sudden outpouring. "I-I don't know how I feel about you," he admitted.
Her smile widened. "I know, that's okay. That's why I didn't want to tell you how I felt. I don't want you to feel obliged to feel the same way."
"I don't feel obligated to you," he dismissed.
She took a moment to feel him out, to verify what he said and was surprised and pleased to find he was being genuine.
"So…now what?" he asked when he finished his first cup and started pouring a second, feeling much more lucid.
"You're asking me?" she almost giggled. "I'm as new to this feeling as you are."
"You're kidding," he scoffed.
"You know I'm not. You're the first person who's made me feel this way," she admitted bashfully.
"I know you're being honest…but it's still hard to believe," he managed.
She blushed. "I hardly believe it myself…and I doubt anyone else would believe me."
Gaara laughed at that because he knew how right she was. He had so many questions, like what she saw in him that no one else seemed to or why she put up with so much crap just for him, but it was late and she was starting to doze off even as they spoke. So, instead of asking his many questions, he opted instead to rest her head on his shoulder and run his fingers through her long, dark hair until she was sound asleep, at which point, he put her to bed.
They had sex the following morning but Calixta wouldn't let him drink from her breasts because of her regular clinic appointment. She smiled as he lazily laid naked in her bed, alternating between watching her get ready for her day and staring out the window.
When he wasn't paying very close attention to her, she scooped up his clothes. "I'll be back in a little while," she assured.
As she walked out of the bedroom, he noticed his clothes in her arms. "Hey, what are you doing with my clothes?" he sat up.
"They're filthy. You haven't changed or washed them since you left home, have you?" she playfully accused as she left the room.
"So? What's that got to do with you?" he started after her.
"I'm going to wash them," she replied simply as she grabbed her purse and quickly headed for the door.
"You're what? Then what am I going to wear?!" he demanded as he tried to catch up with her but she was already on her way out the door.
"I have boys' clothes in one of my bottom drawers if you want to get dressed in the meantime," she ducked out the door.
Gaara yelled with frustration as he poked his head out the door, "You have no right to do this!"
She pretended not to hear him.
"Get back here! Right now!" he continued to shout but to no avail. In a rage, he slammed the door almost hard enough to splinter it. Because he didn't want to just sit around her house naked, he went to her dresser and started to look for something that might fit him.
Luckily, they were about the same size and the clothes he found actually fit quite well. A few minutes later, he settled on a white t-shirt and black track shorts. The only issue was that she obviously had wider hips than he did, so he had to make sure the shorts had a draw string so he could secure them around his hips. He had intended to go out that day but his embarrassment at having to wear her clothes kept him inside. Had he gone out, he would have avoided a meeting with Kakashi. As it was, he was the only one there when the sensei came knocking
He didn't want to answer the door when he first heard the knock but when he peeked out to see who it was, he knew he should answer or the man outside might just enter anyway. So, he opened the door but only enough to poke his head out.
"Ah, Gaara-san," Kakashi greeted as pleasantly as he could. "Is Calixta home?"
"No, she's out, said she'd be back soon," he curtly replied.
Kakashi thought for a moment. Calixta was usually back from her appointment by this time. "May I come in and wait for her?" he carefully pressed.
Gaara rolled his eyes. He wanted to just tell the older man to go away but he knew better than to turn away her sensei. "Fine," he opened the door and let him inside.
Kakashi wasn't surprised that Gaara wasn't inclined toward casual conversation. He was, however, surprised to find him wearing something other than his usual clothes. As he waited, he put on a pot of tea and when the silence became too awkward, he spoke. "Were you aware that today is Calixta's birthday?"
"She didn't mention it," he feigned ignorance. Though he knew it was soon, he wasn't aware exactly which day it was.
"She'll be twenty-two," he informed. Since she had only just come under his tutelage shortly before her twenty-first birthday, which was usually cause for great celebration, it had been largely overlooked.
Gaara shrugged to disguise his surprise. He knew she was older than him but he hadn't realized she was nearly a decade his senior. Not that age seemed to matter to her, so he tried not to care.
"You two seem to be getting along very well," Kakashi commented. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"
The teen didn't answer so Kakashi stopped trying. Luckily, they were rescued from the awkward silence a little while later when Calixta returned.
"Gaara!" she called when she entered but the first person she saw was Kakashi. "'Kashi-sensei? Did I forget something?" she tried not to worry as she went through her mental list of thing she was supposed to do.
"Not at all," he eased. "I came to wish you happy birthday and Gaara-san here was nice enough to let me in to wait for you to return. What's that package? Another present?" he asked curiously as he approached his student.
She laughed a little, "No, these aren't mine." Then, she made her way over to the table where Gaara was seated. "There ya go, nice and clean," she winked as she handed over his clothes, which were wrapped in brown paper from the cleaners.
He shot an irritated look at her as he snatched them away, storming off to the bathroom to change back into his usual clothes.
"I was wondering why he was wearing your clothes," Kakashi quietly mused.
"I thought he should look nice for when we go out tonight and I know he wouldn't let me buy him something new so I sort of snatched his clothes this morning to have them cleaned," she admitted.
"So you do have plans for tonight. When I asked him, he didn't answer," he mused.
"Well, I haven't exactly asked him if he wants to go out yet," she blushed.
"You don't think he'll want to?"
"I'm not sure what he'll want to do," she admitted. "But never mind that, what really brings you here?"
Kakashi smiled. "I realized that you haven't gotten any new clothes yourself since you moved to our village. I was hoping that for your birthday, I could take you shopping. Perhaps you could get something nice for your date tonight?" he suggested.
"You don't have to do that. I have plenty of things to wear," she blushingly dismissed.
"But all of it's entirely too functional," he teased.
She smiled. "Yeah, okay," she agreed, sensing his insistence.
"Good, because I wasn't going to take no for an answer," he teasingly replied.
"Alright. I know there's no arguing with you. It's almost as useless as arguing with Guy-sensei." They both laughed at that. "This afternoon?" she proposed.
"That would be perfect. I have a few things I need to do before then anyway. Would you like me to pick you up?"
She thought it over for a moment. "Why don't I meet you at the market? I'd like to have lunch first but I'm not sure what we're doing," she answered just as Gaara appeared, obviously more comfortable in his own clothes.
"Sounds like a plan, see you later," Kakashi waved and showed himself out, forgoing their customary good bye kiss because of Gaara's presence, even if it was only a peck on the cheek.
"Another date?" he sniped when the older man left.
Calixta shot her guest a mischievous look. "Not with him. Sensei and I don't go on dates. It would be highly improper."
"Tch," he scoffed. "With you, I'm not sure there is a proper," he taunted.
She smiled because he was in a feisty mood, which she could only assume was because she stole his clothes earlier.
"So, who's your date tonight?" he pressed, trying to keep the undertone of jealousy from his voice.
"Oh, I don't even know if I have a date tonight. He hasn't asked me and, quite frankly, I'm not sure how to ask him," she admitted.
"Like anybody could say no to you," he continued to scoff. "If you really wanted a date, you'd get it," he accused.
"I'm glad you have so much confidence in me," she teased, pouring herself a cup of tea from the remaining hot water that Kakashi had started.
"So, who is it?" Gaara pressed again.
"You really wanna know?" she taunted.
"Yes, really," he dryly answered, trying to keep his temper in check.
"Really, really? Or are you just jealous?" she continued. "It would be very silly of you to be jealous."
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know. If you don't want to tell me, fine, don't! Just don't be a bitch about it!" he was starting to lose his temper with her and the accusation of jealousy, however true, was wounding to his pride.
"You're not still mad that I took your clothes to have them washed, are you?" she asked with mock carefulness.
"Fine, don't tell me. I don't really care," he snorted. "And no, I'm not mad, I'm just annoyed. You should have asked before stealing my things," he snapped.
"You're right. I should have asked first," she admitted. "I just thought you might want to look nice if you decided to take me out for my birthday," she suggested.
"What?" His anger immediately dissipated.
"It's you. I want a date with you," she stated. "I'll understand if that makes you uncomfortable…but I just thought that since we've never really been on a date, it might be nice."
"Me?" he incredulously questioned.
"If you don't want to, that's fine," she covered. "We can stay in tonight, if you like," she offered instead.
"No, we can go out," he managed, only then realizing that it would be his first date, official or otherwise. With that realization, it also dawned on him that she had been a lot of his firsts: his first kiss, his first sexual partner, the first person outside his family who had shown any sort of concern for his well being, and now his first date. The thought made him a little nervous.
Calixta could sense his nervousness and gave him an odd look but decided not to question it this time. "Come on, let's get some lunch. I hate shopping on an empty stomach," she joked.
With a grumble, Gaara agreed.
It was just ramen but she didn't want to have too much so she could enjoy their dinner as much as possible. Unfortunately for Gaara, it was also the ramen cart that Naruto and Jiraiya were having their lunch.
"Hey! Have a seat!" Naruto greeted as they approached. To his surprise, she waited for a nod of approval from Gaara before taking a seat.
They had pleasant conversation while they ate and Gaara was polite, even if he only offered the occasional minimal responses. Then, a little over an hour later, Calixta asked for the time.
"Oh dear, I should probably go," she stood and pushed her stool in.
"Where ya headed?" Jiraiya pried.
"Kakashi-sensei is taking me shopping for my birthday," she told them bashfully.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll get you something very sexy," Jiraiya teased.
Calixta blushed, "Please, you're embarrassing me."
"Oh, you're so coy," the older man taunted.
"Oh, knock it off," Naruto shoved the old master. "Stop being such a perv!"
As they bickered, Calixta promised to be back at her house in time to go out to dinner with Gaara. Then, she was off to the clothing district of the market.
"So, you got a birthday date with Cali-chan?" Jiraiya teased.
"What's it to you, old man?" Gaara snapped, causing Naruto to snicker.
"Oh, nothing really. I was just curious. Hey, what'd you two spend that money on last night?" he redirected.
Gaara didn't answer.
"Nothin' yet," Naruto answered.
"Oh? Have plans for it then?" he proposed.
Gaara still wasn't inclined to answer, leaving Naruto to field this question as well.
"Haven't decided yet," the blonde managed.
"Well, you better get to it," the older man suggested, "Or I'll be inclined to take it back," he warned before walking away.
"Well, you heard the man, we should get spendin'," Naruto suggested, hopping off his stool.
Gaara grumbled.
"What's the matter? Don't know what to spend it on? I'm sure we could find something," Naruto chided.
The sand ninja frowned as he stood. "I have an idea…" he tried, in an effort to get the other off his case.
"Oh, what's that?" the blonde pressed as he followed.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Gaara sneered.
"'Cause I gotta have something to tell Master Jiraiya when he asks what we spent that money on," he replied childishly.
"Can't you just make something up?"
"I'm not a very good liar," Naruto admitted.
"So, you're just going to follow me around again until I find something to spend it on?" he assumed.
"Pretty much," he gave a wide smile.
Gaara gave a defeated grumble.
"So…what are you looking for? Maybe I could help," the blonde offered.
After about half an hour of window shopping, Gaara admitted his motive, "It's Calixta's birthday."
"Ah! You want to get her a present! That's a great idea!" Naruto celebrated.
The sand ninja made a quiet sound of irritation at the other's enthusiasm, the urge to at least punch him in the face welling up inside him.
Seeing the anxiety on Gaara's face, Naruto continued, "You don't know what to get her, do you?" he playfully accused.
That accusation was the last straw. Gaara turned to the one following him so intently and shoved him hard against one of the buildings, "Damn it! Why can't you just leave me alone! You're so fucking annoying and you have no idea what you're babbling about!"
"Whoah! Hey, settle down!" Naruto raised his hands and waived them in a gesture of innocence.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Gaara pressed harder, barely suppressing the sand that seemed to want to flow out of his gourd.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry…but people are starting to stare. Would you mind letting me go?" Naruto tried.
Gaara looked around to find that the blonde was right. With a grumble, he released the blonde.
"Look," Naruto tried, this time in a more serious tone, "I know Calixta pretty well, I could help you find something for her," he offered.
Gaara rolled his eyes and then took a moment to study his companion. He could tell there was a certain amount of sexual tension between his potential love interest and the rambunctious blonde, but that was it. "Fine," he reluctantly agreed, if only because he had no idea what to get himself.
As they walked, Naurto made suggestions. "What about flowers? I always see her looking at flowers and girls love to get flowers," was his first try.
Gaara glared at the flower vender. "I…" he stopped himself. He didn't want to give Calixta something that was killed in order to become a present. "Too cliché," he dismissed.
"Okay…" Naruto shrugged because he hadn't expected his first suggestion to be heeded. They walked a little further and when they reached another gift shop, he offered another suggestion, "What about perfume? Chicks love perfume."
The shorter teen rolled his eyes. "That implies I don't like the way she smells," he dismissed again.
The blonde smiled a little at the implication.
"Besides, that shit gives me a headache," he walked away from the stand.
To his surprise, when they happened upon a jewelry shop, Gaara actually went inside. Most of the things inside were terribly expensive, which disappointed him because of his limited funds. He watched as the sand ninja glared at the case of rings, dawdled at the bracelets, and finally stopped at the necklaces. He only stayed there for a moment before going back to the bracelets, paying special attention to the charms.
There was one in that case that caught his attention, a little charm, less than a centimeter in diameter.
"See somethin'?" Naruto carefully pried.
Gaara didn't answer immediately but he did eventually answer, "That one," he pointed down at a little silver charm that was shaped in to the same character on his forehead. There were several like it but this one had a little red stone set in the center that caught the light in a way he found oddly pleasing.
Naruto nodded. "You might even have enough for it."
Gaara reached into his pocket and mentally counted the coins. The money given to them by Jiraiya combined with the few coins he'd managed to pick up in the last day was a little more than the cost of the charm.
Carefully, the shopkeeper approached. It was an older woman with a friendly face. "Can I help you young men?"
Since Gaara was staring intently at the little charm, Naurto answered, "Maybe, we're shopping for a birthday present."
"Let me look at this one," Gaara ordered, pointing again at the charm.
"One of my favorites," she cautiously informed as she pulled it from the case and set it on top of the glass. She was about to say more about it but then she noticed the character on his forehead and it made her stop.
"I want to buy it," Gaara informed curtly, not taking his eyes off the trinket.
"Very good," the woman nodded. "Do you need a chain to go with it?"
Gaara thought for a moment. His answer was to look at some of the chains available for sale. He had hesitated at the idea of getting her any sort of jewelry because of the gife Ebisu had given her a piece of jewelry. He quickly passed over the shorter bracelet chains because that would be too similar. That left him with the longer necklace chains.
Most of those were thin and delicate, something he didn't really like. When his eyes found one of medium thickness, his frown deepened. It cost more than he had. So, he moved back to the bracelet chains. He could afford one of the finer chains there but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted something long and sturdy.
"What's the matter?" Naruto asked carefully.
Gaara pursed his lips and moved back to the necklace chains. "I want that one," he pointed, "but I don't have enough," he grumbled.
"Young man," the woman warily broached, "Who are you shopping for?" In her opinion, the chain didn't really match the charm but she got the impression that her customer didn't want her opinion.
Gaara didn't hear her, he was too busy considering ways to steal the object in question.
"It's for Calixta-san. Today's her birthday," Naruto quietly answered, fearful that breaking the other's concentration might cause him to lash out.
"Ah, I see. She's a lovely young woman," the woman nodded and turned back to Gaara. "Tell you what, I'll sell you that chain at a discount if you do me a favor," she bargained.
Gaara looked up with surprise. "What kind of favor?"
"You see, the storehouse behind my shop is used by many of the food vendors to keep their extra supplies and it has a small rat problem. Normally, this wouldn't be a concern for me, since the rats aren't as interested in jewelry as they are the sacks of grain, but occasionally one slips into my shop and they tend to offend the delicate sensibilities of my customers. It's bad for business. If you take care of the rats, I'll sell you the charm and the chain for what you have," she explained.
"Deal," Gaara curtly replied.
"Finally," the woman sighed with relief. "But you better get rid of every last one or the deal's off," she warned almost playfully.
Gaara didn't answer. He turned on heal and went to the store house.
"Thank you," Naruto gave a slight bow.
"An unusual friend you have there," the woman commented once Gaara was gone.
Naruto laughed. "That's an understatement."
"That look in his eyes worries me…but he likes Calixta and she's good people, so he can't be all bad," she reasoned. "Should I gift wrap these things?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," he smiled gratefully. "I'm sure he won't be long."
"I didn't think so, but a pest is a pest and I already had one woman run screaming from my shop today and just as I was about to make a sale, too," she grumbled. "You go keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't miss a single rat," she told him.
"Yes, m'am," he bowed and followed his companion.
Exterminating the rats took a bit of time but minimal effort. When they returned, the charm and chain were in a little box wrapped with red paper and a sparkling silver bow.
"I hope she likes your gift," the woman prayed as she took his coins.
Gaara only nodded as he shoved the present into his pocket and left.
"Thanks again!" Naruto called as he followed.
"Can you please leave me the hell alone now?" Gaara growled once they were back on the street.
"Sure thing. Thanks for letting me tag along," he smiled.
"Like you gave me a choice," the shorter teen grumbled.
"I think she'll really like it," Naruto added.
"I don't care what you think," Gaara snapped and walked away. He breathed a sigh of relief that the blonde didn't follow him.
Calixta returned later that afternoon, arms full of bags. "Sorry I left so suddenly after lunch," she apologized as she headed to her bedroom to put her new things away. "I hope you weren't too bored."
"I was fine," he curtly replied.
She emerged a few minutes later and made them some tea. They talked for a little while before she stood again. "Well, I'm going to get ready for our date," she winked over her shoulder at him and sensed his slight shiver at the action.
"Not so fast," he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his lap where he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forcefully. He grinned when she moaned into the affection and moments later, they were coupling on the floor. Only when he was satisfied with that did he let her go get ready.
With nothing else to do in the meantime, Gaara reclined on her couch and listened to her. He heard the shuffling of clothes from her bedroom, a few little clicks and clinks and the sound of a spray bottle from the bathroom, and throughout the light sound of her humming a happy little tune he'd never heard. The humming tickled his ears and made him smile in secret. He made sure to quell his grin when he heard her emerge.
"Okay, I'm ready," she announced hopefully.
Gaara rose to look and was stunned at what he saw. Every other time he'd seen her, she wore simple clothes, long modest dresses. This number was much more flattering. It was black satin that came down almost to her knees, with thick shoulder straps, which he saw cris-crossed down her back when she spun around. He particularly liked the plunging neckline, that showed off her cleavage and the similar design that showed off her bare back, accented by the straps that crossed and joined at her hips. Just as stunning was the way she had her hair curled in a messy pile on her head, a few locks left to dangle over her right shoulder.
"Perfect," he replied when he made it to his feet, reveling in her beaming smile. "Well, nearly," he retracted off handedly.
"Oh? What's missing?" she fretted as she looked herself over.
Gaara smirked and reached into his pocket as he walked around behind her. Before revealing his surprise, he took a moment to run his fingers over the soft skin of her back. Then, he wrapped an arm around her waist, presenting the little gift in his open palm.
"What's this?" she incredulously questioned as she took the little present.
"Just a trinket," he dismissed.
She shot an unsure look over her shoulder, "I told you not to get anything," she reminded.
"Did you? I'm a terrible listener," he feigned innocence, and poorly at that. "Open it," he urged.
She complied, untying the bow with so much care that she could tell it unnerved him. Then, instead of ripping open the paper to find the treasure inside, she tied the bow around her right shoulder strap as a decoration. Only then did she carefully tear the paper, revealing the jewelry box inside.
Impatient, Gaara snatched the wrapping paper from her hand, crumpled it and threw it in the general direction of the wastebasket, immediately turning his attention back to her just in time for her to open the box.
"Oh my! This is lovely!" she awed, drawing the item from the box by the chain to hold it in front of her face. "You really shouldn't have," she blushed.
"Don't worry about what I should and shouldn't be doing," he dismissed, taking the necklace from her hand and carefully securing it around her neck before moving back around to face her. He couldn't help smiling at the way the little charm sat over her heart, just above her cleavage. "Come on, let's go," he took her by the hand and led her out, barely giving her time to grab her purse on the way.