"You seem disappointed," Kakashi noted after he told Calixta who he had chosen to accompany her to the Village Hidden in the Sand.
"It's just that Ebisu and I haven't exactly been getting along the best lately," she replied.
"Then the two to three days it will take you to get there should give you plenty of time to work things out," he pointed out. "Would you rather I have picked Sasuke?" he teased.
"Actually, in this instance, I might prefer Sasuke," she told him sadly.
"It can't be that bad," he eased. "Maybe if you didn't turn down his dates all the time anymore, you two might be on better terms."
"It's not the same anymore," she muttered.
"What's changed?" Kakashi pressed.
"Sasuke isn't emotionally invested in me in the same ways as Eibsu," was her vague, but telling, reply.
"You're not being straight with me here," Kakashi pointed out. "Are you doing it on purpose or because you're really that confused?"
Calixta sighed heavily, allowing her shoulders to slump. "Is both an option?" she dryly laughed. At that point, she knew she had a choice, she could tell Kakashi what was on her mind or she could risk irritating her sensei by keeping it to herself. "Before Gaara came into my life, Ebisu and I were getting closer. Since then, he's pulled away and rather quickly."
"From the sounds of things you were also putting some distance between you," he argued.
"He's not the only one and you might be right. It might be just as much because of me as it is because of them. Only three people treat me the same way now as they did before he was here: Naruto, Master Jiraiya, and you," she pointed weakly. "Everyone else, something's changed. It's almost painful to have so many people pull away from me so suddenly," she complained.
"I didn't realize. Perhaps if you didn't display his mark so openly," he motioned to the way she toyed with the charm around her neck as she thought of him.
"I told him I wouldn't take it off until I saw him again," she replied quietly. It was a promise she had made without thinking.
"I'm sure he wouldn't know if you removed it every once in a while," he reasoned carefully.
"I'm sure he would," she smiled and received a look of disbelief. "It's okay. Sasuke hardly believes it himself. I told him I could prove it to him; you know he's gotten very good a copying my abilities," she digressed for a moment, "If I were you, I'd make him do something with it, practice on someone besides me."
"How do you know he doesn't?"
"Because his chakra rarely changes. He doesn't absorb anyone else's but mine. He can tell when I've recently been with someone else because of the changes in my chakra," she explained.
"What's this got to do with Ebisu?" Kakashi gave her an odd look.
She blinked for a second, "Nothing, really. I'm just saying. I only brought it up because Sasuke said he wouldn't even fool around with me while I wear it. Anyway, about Ebisu, I think he was starting to have more than a crush on me. He started saying really romantic things, told me I was a saint or an angel or something. Now he questions my sanity. He reminds me of a few people I knew before I came here. He wants to be supportive, I know that for sure…but he doesn't want to understand what's happening."
"I see, well, I'm sorry but I can't change who goes with you on such short notice, not unless you want to arrive late to the party. Besides, it sounds like this'll be the perfect opportunity for you to work things out," Kakashi reasoned.
Calixta nodded, "I understand. Tell'im we'll meet at the west gate, just after sunrise," she requested.
About a day after Calixta and Ebisu left for the Sand Village, Kakashi sat down with Sasuke. That afternoon, Kakashi really wasn't up for beating around the bush, so he got right to what was on his mind.
"How's your independent training with Calixta going?" he asked.
Sasuke started at the suddenness of the question but quickly recovered. "I think I've gotten as much out of her as I can," he answered evenly. "But we do still practice occasionally."
"That's not what I hear. Calixta mentioned that you cut her off," he teased.
Sasuke looked away. "It was no longer productive."
"Not productive, or not fun?" the instructor haughtily inquired.
"I'm sure she's still fun," he dryly replied, completely unamused by the playful way his sensei was broaching such an embarrassing subject.
"So then, can I assume that you've grasped her abilities well enough that you no longer feel it is productive to train with her?" the grey-haired man pressed.
"So it would seem," Sasuke lied.
"Then you should really take this to the next level," he advised.
"The next level?" the teen blinked stupidly. He knew what that had meant when Kakashi said that to Calixta, which gave him a pretty good idea what it meant for him.
"Well, yes, I mean, what good is an ability only half-cultivated? If you really think you can handle it, I think you should push yourself," he suggested.
"I don't know if I'm ready for that yet," Sasuke blushed.
"But you just said-" he argued.
"I-It's not just me," the dark-haired teen managed, in spite of his inability to make eye contact.
"Oh? So it is unproductive for Calixta as well then? Or is it something else?" Kakashi pressed.
His sensei's insistence took Sasuke aback for a moment. "I've never tried to put it into words before…but something's changed about her since she and Gaara got together. I could feel it even after the first time they were together and it's only grown since then."
"What is it? What do you think has changed?"
Sasuke sat in contemplation for a long moment before answering. He only wanted to have to explain it once. "It used to be that after we were done training, so to speak, her chakra felt more stable. She said it was that way after most of her encounters, unless something went wrong or got weird or something," he looked up to see if he was making sense.
"And now?" Kakashi prompted after a quick little nod of understanding.
"After they're together, she's the most stable I've ever felt her and being with other people seems to mess that up…So, I told her we were done, at least for a while," he hastily added.
Kakashi frowned. She had never told him that and even though she had shown him how she felt, the impression was too chaotic to convey that kind of balance. He wondered if it was intentional on her part or if she had yet to realize it herself. With as distracted as she was by the novelty and intensity of the feelings she was experiencing, he allowed himself to believe she was barely aware of it at best.
"Is there anything else?" Sasuke shifted uncomfortably.
"So for her sake, you stopped. That's very admirable of you. Though, at this point you could likely have anyone you wanted, at least for a little while," Kakashi half-taunted.
"Sensei!" Sasuke gasped with disbelief.
"I know that just because the two of you have spent so much time together doesn't mean you've changed your values to match hers. You would use it to take advantage of someone else if the situation called for it," he stated.
"I-I suppose that if it was the most efficient approach, I would be obliged to take it," Sasuke warily agreed.
"Abilities like those would be perfect for an assassin," Kakashi commented, "When I told that to Calixta, she slapped me," he laughed.
"Yeah, I can see her doing that," the teen nodded.
"But you didn't even flinch at the idea," the older man pointed out.
"I'm not an idiot," he dryly replied.
Kakashi's smile grew. "No, not usually. But in all seriousness, you really think he's good for her?"
"I don't know for sure…but judging from that, I'd be willing to bet he is. And she seems to be fairly good for him. He actually had a conversation with me while he was here. We didn't talk about anything important, but he didn't threaten to kill me."
Kakashi laughed. "I suppose that's something." Shortly after, he thanked his student for his candor, assured his privacy, and said good bye.
"Oh," Sasuke remembered something else. "There is one more thing. I'm not sure if it's important, but it is kinda weird," he turned back for a moment. When Kakashi seemed interested, he continued. "He says he can tell if she's been with someone. I don't know if that's true, but it's not something I've ever been able to do."
"Interesting, thank you," Kakashi nodded and closed the door.
After a few hours of thinking, he decided to ambush Jiraiya at the ladies' bath again to get another perspective.
"Kakashi, to what do I owe the pleasure?" the old master asked sarcastically.
Since the older man didn't seem inclined to relocate, Kakashi settled into a peeping spot of his own.
"You want to talk about Calixta," Jiraiya grimly assumed.
"I didn't say that but yes," he nodded.
"You didn't have to. That's what you wanted to talk to me about the last time you interrupted me here. It's not fair you know," he gruffly accused.
"Excuse me?" Kakashi barely asked, worried that he had offended the other man in some way, and might not get the discussion he desired.
"You come here to talk to me about the most beautiful young lady I've ever met. It makes things here look a bit less exciting by comparison."
"Oh, I didn't realize…" Kakashi managed, bewildered by the other man's wilted fantasy. "Perhaps another time then," he shifted to his feet.
"You're already here. You might as well get it over with," the older man snapped playfully.
"Uh, okay. Thanks," Kakashi sat back down.
"She let me peep at her once. In fact, I think she came to the baths because she knew I'd be watching," Jiraiya mused. "Just watching her wash her hair, I'm not sure if it took twenty years off my life or gave'em back," he chuckled.
The younger man swallowed hard at the thought. "She never mentioned that."
"That one's got hips like her. See'er on the right, with the short blonde hair?" he gave a vague hand motion for emphasis.
"I suppose she does," Kakashi mused and then shook his head to gather his thoughts, realizing that Jiraiya was using the distraction to keep their discussion from getting too serious. "I'll try to make this quick. I only really have one question. What do you think about her and Gaara?"
Jiriaya smirked. "That kid's a brat," he laughed. "But he seems to amuse her well enough."
"You think that's all it is?" Kakashi pressed, stunned that the old master might be oblivious to the deeper feelings the young woman had for the unstable sand ninja.
"Of course not. That little shit can tell who she's had sex with, ya know," he added almost bitterly.
"So I've heard," he wryly replied. "I take it you don't like him."
He laughed. "Actually, I can't bring myself to dislike him very much. Between his battle with Naruto and now this, he might shape up to be a decent person. He's just incredibly rude to me, that's all."
Kakashi found himself laughing with the older man. "Ah, I believe I understand. Thank you," he earnestly added.
"You remember what I said last time, right?" Jiraiya asked chidingly.
"Yeah, I've been thinking about it a lot lately," he admitted as he shifted to his feet.
"Leaving already? You're gunna miss my favorite part. Tsunade usually gets here about now," he winked.
"I believe I've intruded long enough. Have a good evening." Kakashi took his leave a moment later. He wondered if maybe he should have at least tried to find someone else for Calixta to go with but pushed the feeling aside because the damage was done.
Eibsu and Calixta hardly spoke during their first full day of travel. It was only as they were making camp for the night that they said anything of any sort of meaning to each other. Sometimes Satu ran along beside them, other times she carried her.
"I can tell you don't really want to be here so if you wanted to take off for about a week or so, we could meet up on our way back," she bargained. "No one will ever know," she promised.
"You wanna get rid of me that bad?" he assumed.
"No, if I wanted to get rid of you, I wouldn't ask what you wanted to do," she answered smartly, "and you'd already be gone by now."
Ebisu frowned with disappointment. "Why are you antagonizing me?"
"Because that's what you want me to do," she laughed.
He could tell she was trying to push him away, not that she was trying to hide it. "Thanks, but I'm gunna stick around at least until we get there. I hear this festival's a pretty big party so I'm not going to bother keeping track of you. If you need me, come find me," he told her evenly.
Calixta smiled. "Yeah, okay. That works too," she nodded.
"So, that is it? Are we even still friends anymore?" he sneered.
"Would you believe me if I told you that's entirely up to you?"
"I should expect you to say things like that, like you know so much," Ebisu scoffed as he started the fire.
"You don't want him to be a good person, so why should I even try?" she finally snapped.
"Stop acting like you give a damn about what I want," he retorted.
"I still care for you but you need to realize that things aren't going to turn out how you want them to. You've already started blaming me for it so I thought a little extra consideration on my part might let you know I'm not completely indifferent toward you," she reasoned carefully.
"Well, don't bother. You've already cut yourself off from me so much that a few empty gestures really won't do much good. Do what you want. I don't care," he walked away to set up the rest of his things.
He was right about one thing, she had cut herself off from him, but it was more of a defense mechanism than a conscious act. He was directing so much negative energy toward her at that point that she had to or she might break down and cry right there. Her poor pup suffered the brunt of his aggravation as a result and she spent most of the rest of their trip comforting the little thing so she wouldn't run away or snap at Ebisu.
They were around halfway there when Gaara realized that she was getting closer to him. It hit him while they were eating one evening and he actually gasped aloud at the notion.
"What is it?" Kankuro asked carefully.
Gaara didn't answer because he didn't hear the question. He was too focused on verifying his initial hunch.
"Oi, Gaara!" Temari waved her hand in front of his face.
That gesture managed to get a fair portion of his attention. "What?" he hissed listlessly.
"Is there something the matter?" she pressed.
Gaara looked out of the corner of his eye at his brother, who appeared genuinely confused by the look. "She's getting closer," he muttered.
"What?" Temari questioned impatiently, "Who are you talking about?"
"You mean Calixta, don't you?" Kankuro surmised from the expression on his brother's face.
"No, that's silly," Temari dismissed. "Why would she come here?"
Just then Baki appeared behind her. He had been keeping an eye on Gaara all day, waiting to see if his student would notice her approach or if he could be surprised. "Because I told her about the festival," he suddenly interjected.
"You what?" Gaara suddenly leveled his gaze on his sensei. He wasn't sure if he was angry yet but he felt tricked, and that was enough to make his temper flair. When he eventually decided he was not very angry, he stood.
"Where are you going?" Kankuro asked cautiously.
"I'm going to meet her," he curtly replied.
"No, you're not," Baki was quick to argue.
"Why not?" Gaara stopped but didn't turn back.
"You still have obligations to fulfill between now and when she gets here, not the least of which is cleaning your house because that's where she'll be staying, I'm sure," Baki informed flatly.
The young ninja could tell he was being tested. His sensei was trying to gauge what kind of attraction he was dealing with and, more than that, he was testing Gaara's assertion that he was not under the young woman's control. So, he reluctantly turned back, knowing that more compliance now would earn him greater freedoms in the days to come.
"Good. That bed isn't going to move itself," he winked and almost laughed when the innuendo made Gaara blush angrily. So, before the young man stormed away in a rage, he added, "She'll need some place to sleep so you'll have to find some kind of bed for her to use while she's staying with you," he seriously advised.
"You're letting them stay together?" Temari gasped.
"You didn't make any complaints when Gaara stayed with Calixta on your last mission together," Baki reminded.
Temari frowned.
"Good, I'm glad that's settled. Now, you better get to work, she'll be here any day now," he chided and walked off.
Gaara gave a sigh of defeat and walked away. When his siblings opened their mouths to speak, they immediately started to taste sand. It wasn't enough to cause any real harm, just a threat they both yielded to. Neither said a word as their younger brother went home.
"That was weird," Kankuro quietly said a few long minutes later.
Temari rolled her eyes. "I can't believe he's encouraging them!"
"Sounds like you did too," Kankuro chided.
"I didn't encourage them…he just wouldn't let me discourage them," she weakly reasoned.
"I'm gunna see if he needs any help," the older brother finally decided.
Temari nodded and finished her meal by herself.
The following afternoon, as Gaara was utilizing his sand manipulation to sweep his floors, there was a knock on his door.
"Enter," he called from across the room. "What do you want?" he growled when he saw who it was.
"I was wondering if you had a place for her to sleep set up yet," he broached.
"Why the fuck do you care?" he snapped defensively.
Kankuro took a moment to apologize for the intrusion and let him know that if he was going to find a spare bed, he should do it soon because with the influx of travelers during the festival, stuff like that would quickly becoming a short supply. He received a curt thank you and no acknowledgement for the apology. "If you want, I can go get that stuff for you. I don't have anything else to do today," he offered.
Gaara rolled his eyes. "Will it get you out of my house without having to hurt you if I say yes?"
"For a while at least," he smiled.
"Fine," he agreed and when his brother was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief, which only lasted about ten minutes because there was another knock on his door. "What is it now?" he yelled.
"It's Temari. Can I come in?" she asked hopefully through the door.
"Whatever," he agreed with a grumble. "What's that? What do you have there?" he hurried over from across the room to see what his sister was carrying into his home.
"When you moved out on your own, I always wanted to give you a house warming present but well, I never knew what to get you that you might actually use," she began carefully as she pulled a coffee maker from the box and started setting it up for him in his kitchen. "The place looks good, not that it ever looked bad."
"I don't care what you think of it," Gaara growled as he followed her into his little kitchen. "So, you got me a coffee maker?" he almost laughed when he got a good look at it.
She motioned to the box and he reached inside to find just about everything else he would need, coffee, filters, even a few different flavored creamers. Before he could argue, she started a pot. "There should be a few cups in there as well, wrapped in paper," she motioned again.
Curious, he reached in again to find a set of four black coffee cups. "Why four?" he asked.
"Because that's how they're sold," she replied simply.
"Thank you?" he gave her an odd look.
"Whatever," she dismissed.
Just as they were sitting down for a cup of hot coffee, Kankuro returned. "What's all this?" he asked as he carried in a bundle of sheets.
"Coffee, you wanna cup?" Temari offered.
"No, thanks," he nodded before turning back to their brother, "Where do you want this stuff?"
"Just stack it there by the door," Gaara replied.
Kankuro nodded and obliged. Then, he stepped back outside for a moment to bring in the mattress.
"Thanks," he didn't look at his brother as he spoke.
"Whatever," he shrugged. "See ya later," he ducked back out.
A few minutes later, Temari stood and rinsed out her empty coffee cup to set in the sink.
"What's the matter?" Gaara finally asked with a tone that said he thought he shouldn't have to do such a thing. He felt that she should either speak her mind or let it go.
"I hope she doesn't disappoint you," Temari said quietly as she gathered her things to leave.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he stood between her and the door.
"Just that if you actually give a shit about her, I don't want you to be disappointed if things don't work out," she managed.
"I appreciate your concern," he sarcastically snapped, "but you're assuming I want more from her than what we already have," he added smartly.
She only nodded and he allowed her to leave.
Finally, as he was sitting in his doorway, watching the sky darken, Baki approached.
"How close is she?" he asked as he drew closer.
Gaara closed his eyes. "She's stopped for the night but she'll be here tomorrow, probably before noon," he answered.
Baki gave an impressed nod. "Thank you for humoring me today."
Gaara scoffed. Once he had gotten home, he realized that he would have to clean up if he was going to have company, something that never happened before.
"She's your first houseguest, isn't she?"
The young man nodded.
"Once the festival starts, I want you to take it as a vacation, okay? I don't think you've ever had one of those either," he half-joked.
"Why are you doing this? Is this some sort of test or something?" the teen finally snapped.
"Not at all," Baki looked up at the sky. "As much as I don't care for her myself, it's apparent that keeping you apart would be even more painful than sleeping with scorpions," he continued almost teasingly.
Gaara almost laughed but managed to keep it to himself. "If you say so," he shrugged instead. With the sun finally set, he went back inside without so much as a glance at his sensei.
Baki didn't care; he had gotten his point across and that was all that mattered to him.
The following morning, Ebisu was the first to wake and not of his own will. At first, he smiled when he heard Calixta moaning in her tent a few feet from his own but he quickly realized that she wasn't thinking about him. It made him grumble as he wiggled out of his sleeping bag and exited his tent. "Ah-hem," he forced a cough as he started to stoke the fire. If she had just stopped then and there, he wouldn't have said anything about it. She did quiet a bit after the sound but didn't seem to care.
He let her go for another few minutes but after that, he couldn't take it anymore. It took most of his self control to tap rudely on the side of her tent, rather than kicking it, as he initially wanted to. "Hey!" he persisted when she didn't acknowledge him but still didn't receive any response from inside other than that of her waking puppy.
Another grumble later and he was on a knee and opening the flap to her tent. He went to grab one of her ankles through her sleeping bag but something stopped him. She was so still, save a little twitch or gasp every so often. His eyes tracked up from her feet to see only her head and one of her hands was uncovered. Her face told him everything, "She's still asleep…" he gasped quietly to himself.
As soon as the pang of guilt hit him for assuming the worst about her, she started to actually stir. He froze, wondering if he should wait and see if she went back to sleep or just bolt. This moment of indecision, mixed with curiosity, was what got him caught.
"Ebisu?" she asked as she slowly cracked one sleepy eye.
"Uh, yeah…"
"I'm sorry I slept in. I'll be ready to go shortly," she promised when she noticed the sun was already on the rise.
A brief moment of shock rushed through Ebisu at the idea that she didn't realize what she was doing. "Y-Yeah, okay…don't take all day," he muttered, closing the door-flap.
As promised, she was ready in a matter of minutes and they ate their breakfast as the walked.
"How'd you sleep?" he finally asked once they had found a good path, unable to help himself any longer.
She gave a distant little smile before answering, "Better than expected," she admitted. Satu added her own happy little yap of affirmation.
"That's what it sounded like," he teasingly chided.
A momentary critical look later, Calixta frowned at him. "I'm sorry…I didn't realize. You should have woken me sooner then," she tried.
Eibsu sighed; it wasn't as much fun when she backed down immediately. "I thought you were masturbating," he boldly admitted, hoping to elicit a better response from her.
She blushed deeply, "Uh, no…I was…dreaming," she stammered.
"About him?" he didn't bother to look at her as he asked.
"He knows we're coming now," she told him seriously.
"Wait, he didn't know you were coming?" he accusingly inquired.
"His sensei sent the invitation, as a surprise…maybe even as a test," she mused.
Ebisu gave an indignant grumble. He didn't like the idea of catching the young sand ninja off guard about these kinds of things because it just made him that much more unpredictable.
"He was letting me know that he's conscious of my movements…at least when we're this close," she added.
"How does that make you feel?" he pressed curiously.
"What, are you my therapist now?" she teased.
"You're the one who brought it up. I was just trying to make conversation," he shrugged, trying not to care.
"Well, since I'm not sure you'll believe me no matter what I say, I might as well tell you the truth. I didn't think I'd like such a thing but actually, I find an odd sense of security knowing that he can sense me that well," she admitted.
Ebisu shook his head in exasperation.
"I know it's hard for you to understand and if I could show you how I feel, I would…but I already showed one person and I don't think Gaara would appreciate me even doing that," she added almost regretfully.
"Who's that?"
"It was Kakashi-sensei," she admitted.
Ebisu shrugged. He knew that even though the younger man and Calixta slept together fairly often, their relationship was clearly defined as professional within the limits of her abilities. "You always told me how much you hated it when your lovers were possessive or jealous," he reminded. He was fairly sure they both knew that it was reminders such as those that kept him from trying to make their relationship into anything more than a very loose courtship.
"And you think that Gaara is those things?" she assumed knowingly. She intended it to be a rhetorical question and was about to agree with it but he spoke first.
"You didn't see the way he looked at me when he answered the door the day before your birthday," he informed, "but I know you noticed how he reacted to just the idea that you and I had plans."
"Actually, you're right and I was about to agree with you…but he did let us go without making a big deal about it," she added. "Come on, let's pick up the pace. I bet if we don't slack off, we can get there in time for lunch," she coaxed but mostly because she was tired of cooking for him.
He nodded and it practically became a race from there.
"So," Ebisu continued when he caught up with her the first time, "what makes him so special then?"
She gave him a hopeful little smile, "You figure it out," she suggested, realizing that Ebisu would feel much better about the whole thing if he came to the realization himself. She just wished that she would have realized that sooner, that way she wouldn't have wasted the effort of trying to get him to listen to her.
Gaara's estimation was off by about two hours. He had expected her to arrive around eleven but he was left waiting at one. Having grown weary of pacing near the western gate, he sat listlessly on his front steps.
"We should check in with Baki before parting ways," Ebisu advised.
"Of course. I believe his office is this way," she led him away.
"You know your way around here pretty well for only having been here a couple days months ago," he commented.
"I didn't do much while I was here but I did pay attention," she curtly replied.
Gaara heard her voice at the end of the street and without even looking to make sure it was her, he bolted over. He smirked at the small sound of surprise she made when he appeared suddenly before her. It only took her a second to regain her composure and smile widely at him as Satu barked and tried to jump from her arms to his.
Ebisu was about to say something when the short sand ninja looked up at him, making distrustful eye contact. Then, before he could speak, Gaara scooped up Calixta and disappeared, leaving a little message in the sand where they had been standing. It said, Later, Loser. He growled and kicked the sand, effectively erasing the message.
"Sorry about that," Baki suddenly stepped out of his office.
The younger man leveled his gaze on the sand ninja, "It's nothing. If you saw that I got her here unharmed, that's all I need. He can have'er," he gave a dismissive motion in the direction Gaara had carried Calixta.
Baki nodded. "You've come a long way. Have you eaten lunch yet?" After a few more minutes of coaxing, he managed to get the annoyed leaf ninja to come with him for lunch and a drink.
Gaara didn't waste time in taking her to his home, plopping her down on the bed, and lifting her shirt. "You're already leaking," he taunted, happy that Satu seemed content to nap on the front porch in the sun.
Calixta who was already flushed with excitement, blushed a little deeper from mild embarrassment.
"And so full…" he gave the one he wasn't lapping at a slight squeeze.
She gasped at the sudden pressure, not just on her breast but around her entire being. Her eyes grew wide as she looked down at him. `
When Gaara saw fit to peek upward, he saw her staring at him, well, not exactly at him. It was almost as though she was looking right through him, or maybe into him. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously a few minutes later.
She gave an affectionate little giggle. This was one of the things that she really liked about him. For some reason, he didn't seem to care whether or not she used her chakra when they were together. She knew from experience that she could ask her partner not to care but that always backfired. Not that her past lovers hadn't tried to do as she asked, some of them doing fairly well. However, she was quickly realizing how poor a substitute that was to having Gaara not care either way.
Her giggle and the way she was light scratching his scalp made something in Gaara's brain snap and before he realized what he was doing, he was pushing her down onto her back.
"You never wear pants," he commented when he started unbuttoning her fly.
"They're more comfortable to travel in," she managed to reply. That was another thing that endeared her toward him. When she used enough force to make most people forget their own names, he said the strangest things. That didn't necessarily mean he could remember his name but it did intrigue her.
"Why did you bring him with you," he asked through a little nibble.
"Ah, finally a serious question," she teased. "He was sent with me, to make sure I got here in one piece."
"When does he leave?"
"When I do. He's staying for the festival but I think that's about all we'll see of him," she mused almost sadly.
"Good," he grumbled. "I must have over estimated how much he liked you."
"Or under estimated," she added quietly but even if he did hear, he wasn't inclined to respond.
He found he had to hold her hips to keep her from wiggling too much. "Excited, ne?" he taunted as he switched breasts half way through finishing the one he started.
"You did get a jump start on me this morning," she reminded.
Gaara grinned against her breast, "I was wondering how that worked out for you. I hope it wasn't too inconvenient," he added hopefully.
"It was the best dream I've ever had," she told him as seriously as she could through the little sounds of pleasure he caused in her.
"A dream? You were asleep?" he nearly awed.
She nodded and reached down between her legs to start rubbing herself through her pants.
Her abandon made Gaara light headed and he had to ease up a bit or risk losing his bearings entirely.
"But I woke up before we could finish," she ventured, wondering that since it wasn't an outright lie, if he would pick up on it.
If he did, he didn't seem to care. "When are you ever finished?" he smirked.
Using the hand that was still in his hair, she tried to pull him upward.
"Is something that matter?" he asked knowingly when her swollen nipple popped from his lips.
"Kiss me," she requested in a husky voice.
He licked his lips at the thought but fought her anyway. "No, I'm busy," he told her childishly. Then, before she could speak again, he went back to what he was doing, even more determined than before. He could feel her desire to kiss him welling up inside him but his mouth was already on her skin and taking in every bit of her essence as he possibly could.
She pulled his hair, almost desperately, at his defiance. So, to placate her somewhat, he took his other hand from off her hip and grabbed her hand, the one that was just leaving the warmth between her legs. Without hesitation, he put it back in place, with his lying protectively on top, encouraging her to proceed.
When she moaned, rolling her head from side to side, at the feeling of his hand mimicking her own, adding his own pressure and warmth, he felt a warm pulse in his groin. The feeling made him gasp and almost forget what he was doing.
"That's not going to work," he chided a few a moments to start becoming accustomed to the feeling.
Calixta whined fitfully, "It's not intentional."
"Then what is it?" he prompted.
"You want it to…" she continued to whine.
He knew that wasn't a lie but he found it curious that she was so much more eager than he was. "What's the rush? We have a whole week," he teased.
She looked down at him, baffled, but only for a second. After a second of eye contact, she understood what was happening. He was pushing his desire onto her to strengthen his own resolve; he was feeding the leech, so to speak, to see what would happen. He wanted to see if he could overload her senses but he knew he had to pace himself to do such a thing.
To his surprise, once she caught on to what he was doing, she started to help him. He could feel her acquiesce and it sent a ripple through him. This sensation, however, left him feeling oddly lucid and when he looked up at her face, he could see she was practically swimming. It was only because of how focused her gaze on him was. Every other part of her became instinctively responsive to his advances.
Without thinking, she slipped her hand out from beneath his to place hers on top and guide his motions. When her gasps and moans started to become urgent, Gaara pulled back a bit, marveling at the way her body arched toward him when he raised his head to look at her. She made no protest and he knew it was because he still kept one hand between her legs.
"Could you cum like this?" he asked curiously. It was something he'd been thinking about for at least the last several minutes but he couldn't quite tell so he decided to ask.
She almost laughed because that was just what she had been trying not to do. "If you kiss me I won't be able to help myself," she playfully admitted.
Gaara actually took a moment to think about whether or not he wanted to test that but before he could decide, she spoke again.
"Is that what you want?" she asked in a serious, husky voice.
"Don't you know what I want?" he retorted almost dangerously. "And what about what you want?"
Calixta closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying herself as much as she could. "I-I don't understand what you're feeling," she admitted. She felt so much both from him and from within, that she was having a hard time making sense of it all so quickly. "You're satisfied…but you want more…" she managed.
"Sounds like you understand pretty well to me," he shrugged and started lightly patting her crotch.
"Knowing something and understanding it are two different things," she tried not to snap.
"Semantics," he dismissed as he went back to her breasts to finish what he started.
It took her until he was nearly finished before she realized what he wanted. He certainly wouldn't complain if that was all he got out of this initial encounter so he wanted her to do as she pleased. He wanted to hold himself back some to savor every moment he could and part of that was enjoying the pleasure she got from him from such minimal attention.
With that, she let go of trying to control her orgasm, letting him take the remainder of her resolve as his own and a minute or so later, she was coming for him. As she felt post-orgasmic euphoria start to wash over her, she also felt how pleased he was and wrapped her arms and legs around him to hold him close.
Before she was completely recovered, he detangled himself from her grip and scooped her up.
"I have legs ya know," she teased, a dazed little smile dancing across her lips.
He just laughed at her contrived indignation and dropped her in the tub. "Get cleaned up, we're goin' out tonight," he told her before walking out but he stopped just as he ducked around the door frame.
Calixta giggled almost stupidly as she undressed, tossed her clothes out the door, and started the bathwater. When the water was quieted a few minutes later, she could still hear him sitting down outside the bathroom.
"You don't have to sit outside," she told him playfully.
"I will sit where I please," he evenly replied.
"So you will," she nodded. "Then I'll put my request this way: Would it please you to call me Cali?"
"What for?" he almost snapped. "That's what that old man calls you."
"He does it because he thinks it's cute and I let him because I like that name better. It's what people called me before my chakra was unlocked. It means star where I'm from," she told him.
"What's the rest mean?"
"Fallen," she replied quietly.
"My name means self-loving demon," he answered. "Should I change my name as well?" He liked who she was and what she was. The idea that she wanted to shed her identity really bothered him.
"I could call you Ai-sama," she offered impishly.
"What?" he exclaimed incredulously.
She giggled a little before growing serious again. "Besides, I don't want everyone to call me that, just you," she added.
"What about the old man?"
"He, like you, will do as he pleases but if you asked him not to, he might very well oblige, at least when you're around," she answered smartly. "But would you really want to reveal that much of us to him like that?"
He nodded, which went unappreciated. "Hurry up," he told her as he stood and walked away. She emerged a little while later, wrapped in a towel, and searching for where he had dropped her things. "That's my towel," he pointed out as he watched her search.
"There wasn't another one," she answered distractedly. "But don't worry, I'm sure I can find one while we're out."
He quirked an odd look but she didn't see it because she had her back turned as she rooted through the larger bag she brought. He really wasn't worried about it, just giving her a hard time for so easily using his things.
"What should I wear?" she asked him seriously.
"I don't care. Wear whatever you want," he scoffed. There was no way he was going to get pulled into a discussion like that.
"Okay…Is there anything I shouldn't wear?" she tried again.
"Wear what you want. Don't try to conform to the village standards," he advised. "Others will be able to tell you're trying to fit in when you clearly don't."
At first she was offended by the way he said that but when she realized he hadn't meant it that way, she nodded.
"They will think less of your village if you don't display some personal pride," he added.
With an armful of clothes and a slipping towel, he watched Calixta scurry off to his bedroom but she only stayed there for a moment before going to the bathroom. Again, she only stayed there for a second before emerging.
"What's the matter?" he asked when he saw how perplexed she was.
"You don't have any mirrors, do you?" she almost giggled.
"No…" he replied. "Should I?"
Amused, she set her clothes on the kitchen counter and dropped her towel. "You'll just have to tell me if everything's on straight then," she taunted.
He had been thinking about where he could find a mirror for her right up until she said that. Then he decided he might never get one. Knowing it would be hot, Calixta chose a sundress and tied her leaf crest around her waist.
He nodded in approval as she picked up her things to stash them back in her bag.
"So, where are we goin'?" she asked cheerfully as she put on her sandals and called Satu off the porch.
"The festival starts tonight with a feast," he answered.
There were so many different kinds of foods that she didn't know where to start. Once she had a full plate, they sat down outside one of the little diners. "All of this looks so good! You're going to have to roll me home," she giggled. "Aren't you getting some? Or are you still full from earlier?" she teased.
"You're not going to be able to eat all that by yourself, even if Satu helps you and I have to roll her back too," he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and grabbed a shrimp from her plate.
When they were finished eating, they wandered around, looking at some of the shops, and talked.
"You've still got that necklace I gave you," he finally mentioned.
"Of course I do. It's very easy to keep track of when I never take it off," she pointed out.
She was too busy admiring the little charm around her neck to notice others approaching them on the street. So, she gasped with surprise when he grabbed her and finally kissed her. She melted into his embrace without thinking.
"Maybe we shouldn't say hi," Temari quietly requested as she walked with Baki, Ebisu, and Kankuro in their general direction.
"Nonsense," Baki dismissed.
"He's just showin' off," Kankuro laughed. "Can't say I blame'im."
Ebisu rolled his eyes but didn't offer his opinion.
Gaara continued to ignore them until they were standing only a few feet away and Baki was conspicuously clearing his throat.
"Fuck off, I'm on vacation," he snapped with a brief glare over his shoulder.
With a shrug, they walked way.
"Told ya," Temari grumbled.
"That was very rude," Calixta pointed out as she watched them walk off, obviously disappointed.
"If you're gunna be here the whole week, I'm sure you'll see plenty of them. For tonight, I want your full attention," he answered surely.
"Fair enough," she nodded. His insistence and the way his chakra lightly flared gave her a warm little rush.
"It's getting dark, come on," he led her down the street to the city center. It was decorated with different colored lamps and various other ornaments, whose meanings she was left to decipher on her own, and at the center sat a dry fountain. He led her to the roof of one of the buildings overlooking the square.
When she saw that others were also quickly starting to gather, her curiosity grew. Because he enjoyed her almost childish anticipation so much, she decided not to ask what was going to happen, rather sit and watch to see for herself.
Once the last rays of sunlight were gone, torches were lit and a group of people dressed in elaborate costumes filed into the center around the fountain. Without any cue she could see, the music started and the people started dancing. She found the whole thing so delightful that she almost got up and started dancing herself. "This is marvelous!" she told him, unable to tear her eyes away. If she had, she would have noticed he wasn't watching the spectacle; he was watching her.
Gaara couldn't help laughing a little as Satu barked excitedly at the commotion and danced around, trying to see and hear more without falling off the roof.
She was practically feeding off the enormous energy created by the crowd. Gaara, himself, had never enjoyed the festival. For him, it was just another thing that he wasn't allowed to be a part of. There were times when he tried, but it never panned out. She was experiencing it for the first time, her experience completely untainted and Gaara was allowed to experience that through her.
About an hour of dancing later, she turned to him. "How long will they dance?" she asked, awestruck.
"Until it rains," he answered simply.
"How long does it usually take them to get it to rain?" she tried again.
"You don't actually believe they make it rain," he scoffed.
"Have the rains ever come when they didn't dance?" she pressed.
"They've always danced. They do it every year," he dismissed.
"And it rains every year?" she surmised.
"Of course it does but it's not because of them," he insisted.
Calixta gave a playful pout, "If you were the Kazekage, would you tell them not to dance because you think it doesn't effect the weather?"
Gaara laughed incredulously at her and loud enough to draw a bit of attention, not that either cared. "Me? Kazekage? Yeah fuckin' right!"
His laughter made her impudent. "I never said you could be the Kazekage. I'm only asking you to think from that perspective," she pointed out petulantly.
"No, I'd let'em dance if they wanted to," he replied with a chuckle.
"And why is that?" she asked, hoping for some sort of revelation about how it brought people together.
"Sometimes people collapse out of exhaustion," he gave a dark smirk. "When I was eight, the dance lasted over a full day. I was…surprised," he almost said disappointed, "at how many of them were able to keep going for that long."
Just then, they felt the first tiny drops of rain, followed shortly by a torrential downpour that showed no signs of ever letting up. It caused, along with its own commotion as huge rain drops landed on everything and everyone all at once, a great cheer from the people below. She turned to watch the crowd as their joy washed over her and when Gaara didn't think she could smile any wider, he turned her face back and kissed her. Before either of them knew what was happening, they were making out on that rooftop in the pouring rain.
Once they were soaked to the bone, they decided to walk home.
"I'm totally drenched but it's so warm," she marveled.
"The first rain is always warm," he told her.
"There's a metaphor somewhere in that," she teased.
"More than one," he muttered, obviously disillusioned with such things.
She shouldn't have been surprised that most of the roofed establishments provided towels at the entryway and they procured several before making it to his porch where they could actually dry off. He wanted to stay out longer but he knew she was tired both from her journey and the excitement that followed so he decided to call it a night there.