Gaara wasn't allowed to completely recover from the more interesting effects of Calixta's chakra before there was a confrontation. Around three o'clock that morning, Calixta started awake to the sound of Satu yapping at noisy footsteps on her porch, followed by angry knocking on her door.
"Open up!" Baki demanded as he knocked. He only waited a second before forcing his way in. "Gaara! Calixta!" he called as he burst into her dark living room.
Calixta emerged a moment later in a loose bathrobe. "Baki-sensei…what a surprise," she grumbled. "And here I thought it was something important."
"Where's Gaara?" he demanded.
She looked around and gave a quick listen, "He's not here," she replied sleepily.
"Then where is he?" he stormed up to her, hoping to intimidate her but it failed, his first indication that Gaara had returned her power.
She shrugged. "I dunno. I was sleeping. It's pretty boring around here at this time of night so he probably went for a walk or something," she suggested.
With that, Baki stormed out, cursing her the entire way. Calixta rolled her eyes and followed a few feet behind. "Why are you following me?" he snapped over his shoulder when they reached the end of her walkway.
"Don't you want help finding Gaara? I don't know if he's told you this but I have sort of a knack for finding people," she bragged.
He didn't really want her help but if she was willing to give it, he thought it would make his life easier. "Lead the way," he motioned and was rewarded by finding his run away student minutes later.
"Gaara-san," she called sweetly through the darkness as they approached.
He had felt her approach but was too caught up in sensing her to notice his furious sensei, which made him falter slightly when he looked over his shoulder to ask her if she slept well and saw Baki quickly approaching him. "Baki-sensei…" he barely gasped.
"We're leaving right now!" Baki informed.
"And if I refuse?" the teen defiantly proposed.
"Then I'll drag you out of here myself," he countered and to prove he was serious, he took Gaara by the collar.
Baki and Calixta had approached so quickly that neither of them really realized that Gaara was still experiencing some of the more noticeable effects of Calixta's chakra. He could still see the auras of those around him, not that very many people were out that late, so individuals with strong auras stood out to him like flares in the night. Baki was no exception. Now that Gaara was aware of his sensei, and how completely absorbed he could become with his lover, the older man's presence seemed oppressive. It almost made it hard for him to breathe. "B-Baki-sens-" he barely managed.
His student's unusual response made Baki take a moment to really look at Gaara. He appeared slightly dazed and his muscles weren't as tense as they should have been given the situation. "What did you do to him this time?" Baki demanded over his shoulder.
"Hm?" Calixta distractedly asked from a few feet away. She was distracted by trying to help non-verbally coach Gaara from his anxiety. He was obviously annoyed with her lack of response but she couldn't bring herself to care. In fact, she found herself annoyed that Baki was still holding on to Gaara's shirt the way he was, only a few centimeters from lifting the young man off the ground. She was also feeling especially defensive because of how lethargic Gaara appeared. The combination made her take action a moment later.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Calixta struck Baki's hand, forcing him to release her lover. Then, before either of them could say anything, she turned to Gaara. "Ai-sama," she began quietly, forcing eye contact. "You should go with Baki-sensei," she requested.
"What? Why? I just got here," he protested childishly.
"I know," she smiled gently, taking his hand and pulling him close. "But you've done what you came here to do. Exiting now won't change that," she assured but then shot a rude look over her shoulder, "however unpleasant it might be." Then, she turned back to Gaara, giving him a sweet little kiss on the red tattoo on his forehead. "I will see you again. Not even this man can stop us," she promised. She was just about to step away when Baki shoved her out of the way so she simply stepped a few feet to the side, almost where she had been standing before.
"Get away from him!" he ordered forcefully.
"Getting more angry isn't going to help anything," Calixta lectured.
"Don't speak to me," Baki snapped, not even looking at her.
"Don't talk to her like that," Gaara's rage finally crashed through the surface of Calixta's chakra that he had been letting himself swim in. He took a forceful step forward and let himself take up a more threatening posture.
"I am your sensei and you will obey me!" Baki asserted. "And if you don't start marching back to our village right now, I will take you and Temari and Kankuro off my team," he threatened.
"You wouldn't!" Calixta gasped.
"That's not fair! They don't have anything to do with it. They didn't even know I was leaving," Gaara argued.
"I know they've been encouraging you behind my back," Baki snapped.
Now Gaara was furious as well and being in the presence of so much anger wasn't something that Calixta was accustomed to anymore. It gave her a familiar old rush that made her body move much faster than her mind. Again, she moved between them but this time she was facing Baki.
"Stop it!" she screamed. "Don't do this! Please!"
"Get out of the way," he tried to push her again but this time she didn't budge.
"No! You're the obstruction! How dare you threaten Temari and Kankuro just to control our relationship!" Then, she laughed incredulously, almost maniacally.
Gaara wanted to act but found himself too stunned by Calixta's outburst to react as quickly as he would have liked.
"Don't you have even a shred of decency?" she raved. "Not that I should expect you to understand. You disliked me even before you knew who I was and the only reason you give a damn about Gaara is to keep him under control!" she accused as she dared to draw closer. "You never trusted either of us even an inch; the thought hadn't even occurred to you!"
Baki was obviously startled as well by the small woman's sudden outburst. "You haven't given me a reason to trust you," he countered as he tried not to take a step back.
Calixta's rage grew as she unconsciously started to channel Gaara's frustrations as well.
"You never looked for a reason and even if there was one, you wouldn't see it! You're too blind to what's happening right before your eyes. You might as well cover up both of them if you're not going to use'em!" she taunted, drawing dangerously close to him. "Why do you want us to fail so badly?" she almost pleaded.
"I don't have to want you to fail. You're relationship was doomed from the very start," Baki assuredly replied. "Gaara had it right before. You're lucky you had what you did."
Gaara faltered at having his own words used against them.
"Don't gimme that shit!" she finally closed the distance between them only to violently shove him backward, surprising the older man with her show of physical strength.
He had sort of been waiting for her to physically lash out at him to give him an excuse to put her in her place. He thought this might be his chance. However, just as he stumbled backward, but before he could manage to initiate his own violent contact, Kakashi walked out of one of the darker alleys nearby.
"I think that's enough," Kakashi informed sternly.
"Good, you're here. You can tell this wench to back off so I can take my student back. God only knows what kind of damage she's caused this time," Baki greeted, his tone curt and snarky.
"Don't call her that!" Gaara finally shouted again, this time stealing some of his rage back from Calixta and using it to allow his chakra to flare dangerously.
Calixta sensed the sudden flare and, knowing he could cause more damage than she could without realizing it, she hurried over and hugged him tightly.
Kakashi shook his head in exasperation and approached. "What did I tell you about trying to keep them apart? I think this only proves my point."
"Kakashi-sensei," Calixta pleaded, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
"And what did I tell you about apologizing?" he turned his mildly disgusted glare on his own student, practically clutching her lover for dear life.
"Of course," she bowed a little and turned back to Gaara. "Please, you should go with Baki now. Like I said, you will see me again. You can count on that," she assured.
Kakashi was impressed that she was so willing to let him go when he obviously didn't want to. "Baki, you should stay the night. It's only another few hours before the sun comes up. Then, you can go on your way. I can even arrange a meal for you if you'd like," he offered generously.
"No! Damn it. I won't be deterred or coerced or bribed into this. This," he pointed at the couple, "is wrong. There is nothing right about it. I should never have listened to you. You're almost as bad as she is," he scoffed. "No, I'm leaving now and Gaara's coming with me."
"Gaara can go but you're wrong," Calixta argued. "There's everything right about this and there's nothing you can do about it!" she taunted before turning back to Gaara and engaging him in a heated kiss.
The kiss would have lasted longer but with Baki screaming and Kakashi rudely clearing his throat, it was a little difficult to keep the moment.
"I-I can't believe you're letting me go so easily," Gaara whispered.
"Shh," she soothed, running her fingers through his hair.
"After all that…you can tell how badly I want to stay here with you, right?" he managed.
"I know. It's painful to suffer such an intense separation but I don't think we'll ever really be parted. Even with as far as you have to go, we'll still be connected," she almost teared up at the thought.
"Ah," Gaara gasped as a sudden warmth threatened to overwhelm him, almost completely quelling his rage. "Cali-…" he trailed off and kissed her again.
"Knock it off!" Baki finally yelled and forcibly pushed them apart.
That made Calixta incredibly angry, the most angry she'd been in a very long time. "Stop it! Just stop already!" she pushed him back and punched him in the jaw. "I sick and tired of your bullshit!" she kicked him.
"Ah, Calixta!" Kakashi rushed over and pulled her away, still kicking and screaming at him. Once he was sure he had a good grip on her, he turned to Baki. "If you're going, just go."
Baki nodded and motioned to Gaara, "Come on."
Gaara hesitated. He was so caught up in watching his lover in the final throes of her fury. He found that though seeing her so enraged disturbed him, she even looked beautiful like that.
Baki grumbled, "Come on!" he ordered, moving up behind his student and pushing him forward.
Crestfallen, Gaara finally did as he was ordered. Unfortunately, Calixta could feel his heartache and it only served to fuel her fury further. After a minute of struggle and watching them walk away, Calixta finally broke free of Kakashi's grapple and ran after them.
"Calixta! No! Come back!" he called as he chased after her, finding her much faster than he expected. Fortunately, Baki had decided to pick up their pace before that and Kakashi managed to tackle her to the ground before she caught up with them.
"Please…let me go…" she pleaded desperately.
"No. You said yourself that he could go, that he should go, so let him go," Kakashi advised.
A sudden anguish overcame her and she turned in Kakashi's grasp to face him. She wrapped her arms around him and started crying into his chest.
"Shh," he tried to soothe, "No matter what Baki wants I know you'll see Gaara again and probably before too long. You better just hope that he didn't get into too much trouble sneaking out to see you like he did."
"He wouldn't have to sneak around if it wasn't for that damned Baki!" she raved, pounding on his chest in frustration.
Kakashi found that, unlike the other day when she'd done the same thing, this time, she was nearly knocking the wind out of him so he had to take her hands in his to try to settle her. "He's just doing his job. He's been put in charge of Gaara and if something happens to him, then Baki will be held accountable," he reasoned.
"He doesn't have to be so cruel about it," she sobbed.
"That is his way. Don't you like to say that all things act according to their nature? Well, that is Baki's nature and it's something you're going to have to learn to deal with if you want to be with Gaara."
"Deal with? How can I deal with someone that there's no talking to?"
Kakashi almost smiled. "I'm sure you'll find a way. Actually, before that whole incident with Shukaku, I think you were starting to win him over. That was quite a set back but I believe you can make up for it. Just give it some time."
"I just wish he'd gone about it differently," she sighed.
"Well, you have to consider that he probably traveled non-stop to get here and that alone enough to try a person's patience."
"He came into my house without asking," she admitted, feeling almost as violated by that fact as she did about the separation.
"Looking for Gaara, I assume," he replied.
She simply nodded.
"I'll see what I can do about making sure that kind of thing doesn't happen again," Kakashi promised. "Here," he helped her stand, "I'll walk you home."
She gave a small nod of thanks and let him lead her to her house. The front door was still open because she had followed him in such a hurry, but Kakashi didn't bother to say anything about it.
"Good night, Calixta. Try to sleep well. I'll be by sometime tomorrow to see how you're doing," he told her.
She gave another weak nod and the whisper of a kiss across his cheek. "Thank you, Sensei."
"What the hell's gotten into you?" Baki demanded as they exited the village. "Wait. Don't answer that. Just tell me why. Why did you sneak out again?" he asked.
Finally, Gaara realized the assumption that his sensei was making. "Because I wanted to give back her power…and see if she still wanted me," he admitted.
"She called you here again, didn't she?"
Gaara laughed. "She didn't have any chakra to call me with. I came on my own because I wanted to."
"Then why didn't you at least let someone know where you were going or even that you were going?" he pressed.
"I left a note," he grumbled.
Baki seethed. "I don't want you to see her ever again," he informed.
"Well, that's just too bad," the teen defiantly replied. "I'm not going to let you stop us."
"You're what?" Baki's rage flared again.
Gaara, who was now growing accustomed to his sensei's rather violent chakra, tried not to snicker at how easy it was to read the older man's emotions. "You heard me. Most of the reason I'm following you right now is for Temari and Kankuro's sake. You know you couldn't have forced me to leave there without causing a lot of damage. Then who looks like the bad guy?"
Baki groaned. He already knew he looked like the bad guy. "I don't need you to tell me what it looks like," he snapped.
They argued like that for the rest of their trip home and when they returned, they were greeted by a very anxious pair of sand siblings. They were so anxious, in fact, that in spite of the fact that they had so much to say, they were speechless when their sensei and brother approached. Neither one looked at all pleased, though Gaara did seem a fraction more pleased that Baki.
Baki left them with curt orders before going about his business. He was still contemplating how to punish Gaara and sorely needed a good night's rest.
"What happened?" Temari asked as soon as Baki was gone.
Gaara didn't care to answer. He was too busy focusing his attention on her chakra. It felt so distant now but at the same time, comfortingly close. He was also over the majority of the interesting side effects of having some of his chakra basically processed through her body but a few still remained. Already mentioned was his ability to still sense her but he could still occasionally catch a glimpse of a person's aura, depending on what they were doing. This also meant that he could sense certain surface emotions of those around him, especially those closest to him, which happened to be Temari and Kanuro. He could sense their concern and anxiety.
"Don't worry," Gaara finally said to them when they took a break. They were all dirty and sweaty and terribly thirsty because Baki had assigned one of the dirtiest, grueling, menial tasks that young ninja had to perform.
"Huh?" Kankuro asked between gulps of water.
"I'm telling you two not to worry," he elaborated.
"Who said we were worried?" Kankuro haughtily countered.
Gaara smirked. "You didn't have to say anything," he muttered. "You were waiting at the village gate for us to return," he pointed out.
"So, everything's gunna be okay then?" Temari asked hopefully. "You two kissed and made up?"
Gaara's smirk grew a little at the kiss and make up part because that was a fairly accurate description of what had happened. "We did. I returned her power and we decided to try to stay together."
"That's great!" Temari gushed.
"If it's so great then why are we moving rocks?" Kankuro almost snapped.
Gaara's smile fell. "Because Baki greatly disapproves," he sighed.
"Well, that never stopped you before," Temari pointed out cheekily.
"Before he didn't try to drag other people into it," he muttered. It was obvious that he preferred their sensei's silent disapproval to what they were experience now.
"Who else got involved?" Kankuro questioned curiously.
Gaara shot a suspicious look at his siblings. "The two of you," he admitted and looked away.
"What? What do we have to do with it?" Temari demanded anxiously.
"He knows you sided with me…He threatened to dump all three of us if I didn't come back with him right away," he informed bitterly.
"He did what?" Kankuro was obviously furious.
"Why are you telling us this?" Temari asked after a second to let the information sink in.
"Because you should know how much of a bastard he's planning to be about this," Gaara replied, "especially if he's going to drag you into it."
"He wants to turn us against each other," Kankuro surmised. "That is a pretty bastard thing to do."
"It just means that he's really serious," Temari noted. "But you two are really together, like you're officially dating?" she wanted to verify.
"Yeah, I suppose so," Gaara mused with a nostalgic little grin.
"Does that mean she's going to stop seeing other people?" Temari asked hopefully.
Gaara shot his sister an incredulously look, "We didn't discuss it," he admitted offhandedly.
"Well, I assume she would," she shrugged, still anxious.
"I don't see why she would," Gaara countered.
"Because you're dating now!" she replied angrily.
Gaara shrugged. "What's it to me how she entertains herself while I'm away?"
"What do you mean, what's it to you? You don't care that she' off having sex with god only knows who? I don't know if you noticed but she has quite a few lovers," she pointed out.
He shrugged again. "It's just sex."
"It's not just sex and you know it," Kankuro interjected. "But I understand your decision."
"You're siding with him?" she demanded of her older brother. "Ugh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"Temari, Calixta needs that kind of interaction to get by," he replied evenly.
She still didn't appear convinced.
"It's probably better that you're angry. It will win you points back with Baki," Gaara almost laughed.
"Actually…" Kankuro began distractedly, "It might be better to play it that way…at least until we see Calixta again."
"What are you getting at?" Temari snapped.
"Just that if Baki-sensei's going to play that way, then we can too. As long as you," he turned go Gaara for a moment, "can handle a little teasing, that is."
"What do you mean?" Gaara tried not to snap.
"I was just thinking that if Temari and I show Baki that we don't really like Calixta either that he'll ease up on all of us, especially if we give you a hard time about it."
"I thought you did like her," Gaara asked suspiciously.
"We do," Kankuro was quick to affirm but then shot an anxious look at their sister. "Well, I do anyway.
"Ugh, yeah, I guess I do too," Temari grumbled.
Gaara nodded in approval.
"But don't you agree that it might be easier on all of us if we did that instead, at least for a while?" Kankuro proposed.
"He'll catch on eventually and then we might be in even bigger trouble," Temari was quick to point out.
"I don't know about you but I can't think of many worse things than what he's been having us do and I could really use a break. Besides, if Gaara and Sensei get things a little more worked out in the meantime, it probably won't be that bad," he reasoned.
After another few minutes of debate they decided to try it so, when Baki came to relieve them that evening they gave it a shot.
"Baki-sensei!" Temari tiredly greeted as he approached.
"You've made a lot of progress today. Which means you should finish this project by the end of the week," he noted sadistically.
"I still don't understand why we have to do this!" Kankuro complained.
"Because when there's a disruption in a team, the entire team suffers," he replied vigilantly.
"But it's not like we knew what Gaara was going to do!" Temari protested.
"But the two of you encouraged him," he argued.
"Well, don't count on that happening again," she vowed with a grumble of indignation. "That's the last time I stick my neck out for a whore."
Gaara shot his sister a dangerous look at her choice of words. For him, the most difficult part of their charade, as Kankuro had pointed out, was his short temper when it came to others insulting their relationship.
Baki looked at Gaara and was greatly pleased that he was so displeased by their conversation. "Good," he looked at Kankuro who readily agreed.
"No kidding, no woman's worth this much menial labor," he complained even though he knew it would upset his sister as well.
Temari just scoffed.
"Regardless, it's time to call it a day. Go home, get something to eat, get cleaned up, and get some sleep. You're going to need it," he almost laughed as he walked away.
Once the three siblings parted for the night, Gaara went to Baki.
"What is it now?" the sensei grumbled as he was leaving his office.
"Don't make Temari and Kankuro move rocks," he requested.
"Give me a good reason not to," he replied.
"Because they didn't have anything to do with what I did. They don't deserve your stupid punishment. I'll finish it myself," he informed.
Baki almost laughed but he was too endeared by his student's loyalty to his siblings. "That's a pretty good suggestion but I'm afraid it won't do. Go rest," he ordered and once again walked away.
With a grumble, Gaara left. He was slightly amused when over the next few months, everyone on his team received from Calixta a birthday card, including Baki. Baki only looked at it until he realized what it was, at which point, he threw it away. When they saw this, Temari and Kankuro made a show of following suit but once their sensei was gone, they found themselves digging through their garbages to retrieve them.
Gaara managed to deal with his siblings faux-disapproval for as long as it took to get their team's relationships back to something resembling normal. This was a great relief for everyone, even those who only had minor interactions with them.
The following morning after Gaara had been taken away, Calixta sat in her bathrobe, smoking a cigarette, and nursing a large cup of coffee as she sat on her front steps. Even though she had been exhausted, she hardly slept. However, that didn't stop her from smiling when Kakashi passed by on his way to meet the three teenage members of his team.
"Good morning, Calixta-san," he greeted as he approached. Her warm little smile lifted an incredible weight off his shoulders.
"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei," she returned and scooted over for him to sit next to her, which he did only after making sure he was up wind from her smoke. "How did you sleep?"
"Not very well…but that's to be expected, right? I'm sure it'll be easier tonight," she assured.
"I'm sure it will," he nodded due to her seemingly positive attitude.
"I-I didn't mean to fight you last night," she tried not to apologize.
"It's okay. I understand. On top of everything else you're still recovering from getting your chakra back so suddenly," he reasoned. "Besides, you didn't sock me like you did Baki. Good thing he doesn't have a glass jaw or he'd probably be in the hospital," he joked but she frowned a little.
"I shouldn't have attacked him like that. I don't know what got into me. I was just so tired of his attitude. He fears me and he hates me," she pointed out.
Kakashi gave a thoughtful nod. "I can't say for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that wasn't entirely you, that perhaps, you were channeling Gaara's aggressions, since he seemed rather docile during the encounter," he pointed out.
She thought for a little bit and realized that he was probably right. Having one's chakra in another's body was bound to have side effects. "Oh, when do you think we'll see each other again?" she fretted, knowing that even another hour would seem like entirely too long.
"I can't say for sure. I think that's something we're better off playing by ear," he admitted.
She nodded and put out her cigarette, tossing the butt into a small container just off the porch. "I figured but I can't help wondering."
"I know," he nodded again and stood. "If you'd like a distraction, I'm starting a new training regimen for Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura," he offered hopefully.
She smiled again. "I think that would be a nice distraction. It's been a while since we've worked together anyway and since we're on the same team, that just won't do," she teased.
"Good to hear. Why don't you join us after you get dressed?" he continued as he tried to leave.
"Actually…there is one thing you can do for me," she began anxiously.
"What's that?" He had been about to say 'anything' but he knew better.
She blushed a little and led him inside, sitting down next to him in the sitting room. "I know I told you that I was going to let my milk dry up since it wasn't useful anymore but it seems that Gaara kick-started the process again last night. It's not much but I did leak a little through my nightshirt. Would you mind?" she pulled at the neckline of her bathrobe.
Kakashi knew he shouldn't have been surprised by this development. It hadn't been that long since she had decided to let that part of her go as well and he had a feeling that was one of her physical characteristics he appreciated the most. "Uh, yeah, sure…" he agreed.
She quirked an odd look. "What's the matter?"
"I'm just surprised it came back so quickly, though I suppose I shouldn't be," he laughed. "I'm more than happy to help you," he gave a cheeky little grin as he pulled away his mask.
She gave a grin to match his and revealed her breasts to him. They were a little swollen, though if he didn't have as much experience with her as he did, he wouldn't have noticed that. What would have drawn his attention then, would have been the way her puffy nipples grew hard from being so suddenly exposed.
She was right about one thing, she didn't have very much to offer him, at least not compared to what he had become accustomed to, but that didn't really matter. Actually, he was pleased that she hadn't permanently lost that part of herself.
Once he was finished, she covered back up and promised to meet with him and the rest of their team in less than an hour.
"Calixta-san, I'm surprised you decided to join us today," Sakura greeted with her usual friendly smile.
"Oh?" she quirked a knowing grin.
"'Cause Gaara was around last night, wasn't he?" Naruto interjected.
She sighed at the name of her lover. "Yes he was, but he's gone now so here I am!"
"A one night stand, huh?" Sasuke teased.
She giggled but then frowned a little. "Something like that but if you really care, I can tell you about all that later," she diverted because she was looking forward to the distraction of training with them.
However, when they broke for lunch, the trio had more than enough questions to bring her back to her reality. She gave a brief explanation of what happened the night before, hoping to placate them.
"So, Baki just came and drug him away?" Naruto nearly awed.
"More or less…"
Kakashi had remained largely silent throughout their exchange, right up until that point. "You didn't mention the part where you tried to take Baki on yourself. If I hadn't stepped in, the three of you would have made quite a mess, I'm sure," he teased.
She took the ribbing in good nature. "Yes, there was that too," she nodded.
"You tried to fight Baki?" Sasuke asked, but only between bites to hide his how impressed he was.
"Well, I just wanted him to leave us alone. I understand why he was there and what he was doing…but he was being such a jerk about it, I couldn't help myself," she admitted.
"So two are official now?" Naurto pressed.
She smiled a little bigger. "Yes, I believe that's a good way to look at it."
That made Sasuke give her a slightly suspicious look but he decided to hold his comment until he had a few minutes alone with the young woman. He knew the matter he was about to bring up wasn't good lunch conversation and would make his comrades, as well as anyone who overheard them talking, at least mildly uncomfortable.
"Well, I'm glad things worked out," Naurto vowed.
She nodded and they finished their meal in peace. However, later, once they were finished, Sasuke offered to walk her home. She thought about asking what was on his mind but she got the impression that he wanted to wait until they weren't walking down the street to talk about it. So, she waited patiently until they were on her porch. Then, just as her hand reached the doorknob, he placed his hand on hers and turned her around.
She gave a perplexed little look of amusement and allowed him to gently press her against the closed door. Then, without warning, he kissed her and rather passionately at that. It was the unusual amount of passion behind his gesture that startled her and eventually made her push him away so that she could catch her breath.
"Ah," she gasped once their lips parted, "What was that?"
He smirked, "Of all people, I should expect you to know what a kiss is. What did you think it was?" he teased.
She waited a moment before replying so that she could get a better read on him. Then, she rolled her eyes, "I know what a kiss is…but there was more to it than that. You can't deny that."
Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. She had made it clear during their training that day that she was once again in possession of her full chakra but he still couldn't help testing her a little. The slight lightheadedness he felt from their short embrace confirmed what he already knew. "I was curious," he admitted even though he was fairly sure she already knew that.
She rolled her eyes and once again reached for the doorknob. This time, she was allowed to let them inside. "About what?" she probed.
"I wanted to see if you'd kiss me back," he shrugged, not venturing very far into her home.
She gave a knowing little grin. "Oh? I don't think I've ever really tried to avoid your kisses. What makes you think today would be different?"
"Because you said that you and Gaara were officially together. I find it difficult to believe that he wouldn't care about you sharing your affections with others," Sasuke surmised.
"If it makes you uncomfortable, we can keep abstaining from our little training sessions," she offered. "Though I think it would be difficult to stop flirting with you cold turkey."
"I'm not talking about my comfort," he countered.
She nodded. "I find it difficult to believe that you care so much about what Gaara thinks of you…except that he might scare you a little," she taunted.
Sasuke scoffed but wasn't about to lie about his more than slight anxiety around the volatile sand ninja. "I just think it would be stupid to tempt fate. You already went through hell trying to get a commitment out of him. Are you really sure it's wise to just go back to the way things were before?"
Calixta pursed her lips in a moment of thought. "Actually…we didn't get a chance to talk about that kind of thing. Though, I know he understands that none of my other lovers pose any threat to him," she giggled. "I think the best way to describe it at this point would be committed but not exclusive because, honestly, I'm not sure I can do that…at least not while we're so far removed from one another…and Baki isn't exactly helping that either. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy; he doesn't like that I 'sleep around' but he won't let me and Gaara be together long enough to see if I can be sustained by him solely," she explained.
Sasuke frowned.
"Oh, you know I hate it when you make that face," she teased and then grew a little more serious. "You used to make it all the time and then it sort of went away…but then you started doing it again after I got back from the festival," she regretfully informed.
"Ya don't say," he grumbled.
"I get the feeling that you went through a process similar to what I did," she surmised as she poured them each a cup of tea in the hopes he would stop looming over her door as though he was about to run away.
He obliged, albeit reluctantly, "And what's that?"
"We both thought that I would be happier as a normal person but we were wrong," she mused.
"It doesn't matter now either way. You decided to go back to what you were," he shrugged.
She very badly wanted to explain to him the motivations behind that decision. She had expressed to him almost as much as Kakashi her desire to lead a normal life so when that suddenly changed, she felt compelled to explain herself. However, she also knew he wasn't up for it so she decided to let it go. "And just about everyone seems to be happier for it," she affirmed.
He shook his head in exasperation. "I guess I'm just surprised he didn't even mention it, that's all. If I were in his position, I would have at least tried to get you to settle down a bit," he mentioned as offhandedly as he could.
She smiled, "I'm sure you would," she affirmed. "But I suppose that is one of the major difference between the two of you."
He scoffed again, "I hope that's not the only difference."
She giggled. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you," she dismissed then gave him another thoughtful look. "Are you really worried about my relationship with Gaara…or are you acting out of a self-preservation instinct?"
"What?"
"Well, it just occurred to me," she lied, "that you might be pushing for me to settle down because you're worried that Gaara might lash out at my lovers, especially my more serious lovers."
Sasuke grumbled. "If I was going to be worried about that, I would have started worrying quite some time ago."
She nodded. "I suppose that's probably true," she conceded. "And…if that's the case, then I'll take it as a form of flattery that you have such a deep concern for my love life," she teased.
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Then he stood.
"Leaving so soon?" she cooed.
"I have things to do," he curtly replied.
She stood to show him to the door but only so she could better control his exit. "I see. Well, thank you for walking me home. Oh," she stopped just as her hand was on the doorknob, "there is one more thing then, since you brought it up."
"What's that?" he asked with a grumble.
"If you're not worried about Gaara lashing out at you for being with me…then why did you start to pull away when you saw that we were starting to get serious?"
"Isn't that the polite thing to do?" he snapped.
She quirked a curious look. "It is but I get the impression that's not why you did it."
Sasuke grumbled again. "I did it because it was the thing to do at the time."
After another thoughtful look, she let go of the doorknob and pinned him to the inside of the door. Before he could protest, she kissed him forcefully, with double the passion he'd presented to her before.
Her forcefulness made him gasp and she deepened the kiss, dragging him to the floor. His eyes grew wide when his butt hit the ground and he broke their kiss. "Ah-ha ha. Look, we both know you're more stable now than you would be if we had sex right now," he reasoned. "M-Maybe another time."
She gave him a sly grin at her ability to force his hand. "As you wish," she helped him stand and straightened his clothes. "Have a good day."
Over the passing months, Calixta's full milk production returned and she resumed her occasional care packages to Gaara, knowing that he may not receive them.
Baki happened to pass the mail currier when the first care package arrived in the Sand Village. He recognized the little milk jugs with note attached on sight.
"Is that for Gaara?" he asked when he stopped the currier dead in his tracks.
"Uh," the currier checked the address, "Yes, it is. I was just on my way to deliver it."
"Give it to me," he ordered.
The currier hesitated but obliged since Baki was Gaara's sensei.
"In fact, if he receives another package like this in the future, deliver it to me instead. I will make sure he gets anything really important," he assured and then went on to his office.
With a grumble, Baki set the package on his desk. His first inclination was to dump the fluid, break the bottles, and burn the letter. Then, he decided to at least read the letter first, knowing that it would be an incredible violation of his student's privacy. He picked up the letter as though it was poisonous.
Ai,
Thank you for giving myself back to me in full. Please, accept this small gift to hold you over until we meet again. I pray that it does get to you intact because I know there are those along the way who aim to interfere with our plans. Please, let me know a time and place where we may meet so that I might keep my devilish deal before my time is up. If that is not possible, I pray that part of you that holds my bargain be understanding of our inability to control the actions of others. If that is the case, I would gladly double my deal to make up for the lost time. No matter what happens, my existence is yours to do with what you will and I know you can feel my dedication even across the most incredible distance.
Cali
Furious, Baki threw the letter down on his desk. He could help the creeping feeling of unease at the young woman's words. He knew nothing of a deal or bargain between the couple and couldn't help wondering what it meant. Part of him wanted to go to Gaara and ask what it was all about but he knew better than to make such a blunt confrontation.
He decided, then, to stash the letter in his desk, which left him to deal with the milk jugs. Normally, once Gaara had finished what Calixta sent him, he would send back the jugs. He had no intention of letting his student have the prize, even without the letter. So, he sat for a long time, simply staring down the little bottles as though they were an opponent in a death match. Finally, he decided to just dump them out and throw away the bottles. He had considered, for a short time, giving them to the medical clinic in his own village because he knew it would do someone some good but decided that was too risky.
However, just as he was about to dump the first bottle down the sink, he let his curiosity overcome him for a moment and gave the fluid a taste. It was sweeter than he expected. He also didn't expect the immediate healing rush that came over him even from just that small taste. It felt good, in his mind, too good and only served to solidify his conviction as he destroyed the evidence.
All of this was unknown to Gaara, which was good for Baki because he might very well have gone AWOL. This continued for the next several months. Baki would intercept Gaara's care packages, read the letters, and get rid of the rest. The letters after the first were more romantic in nature and less revealing, though she did occasionally mention their mysterious deal, which continued to disturb him.
In fact, it disturbed him so much when she mentioned that the time of the deal was coming near that Baki actually sent a letter of his own. However, he wouldn't send this letter to Calixta. He sent it to her sensei instead.
Late one morning Calixta happened to find Kakashi waiting for her when she came home from brunch with Sakura and Tenten. "Kakashi-sensei!" she greeted merrily, as was her custom. "Did I forget an appointment?"
"Not at all," he dismissed as he stood to greet her.
She smiled and let him in, "Then to what do I owe the pleasure?"
He appeared pensive for a moment. "I received a letter today."
"Oh? From who?" she pressed since he brought it up.
"From Baki," he grimly answered.
That made her smile fall. "Oh…is it bad?"
"I was hoping you could help me decide that," he handed it to her.
Kakashi
Over the last several months, I have intercepted the care packages from Calixta to Gaara, along with their accompanying letters. I was disturbed when I read about a deal forged between them that was mentioned in several of the letters. She gave no indication as to what their bargain was and I was hoping that you might be able to fill in the blanks for me. Please respond promptly because apparently, the time is drawing near.
Baki
She frowned and handed the letter back. "I had a feeling that Gaara wasn't getting anything I was sending him."
"You never mentioned any sort of deal between the two of you. It was my understanding that your relationship with Gaara was unconditional," Kakashi lectured.
"My relationship with Gaara is unconditional," she defended weakly.
"Then what's this all about?" he demanded with uncharacteristic firmness.
"The deal I made was with Shukaku," she admitted.
"What?" he nearly shouted. "You made a deal with a demon?"
"I did," she affirmed confidently.
"What kind of deal?" he pressed.
"In exchange for not completely maiming me or killing me just for the fun of it, I told him that I would try to get Gaara to let him out again," she explained. "He gave me a year to do it."
Kakashi appeared pensive for a very long moment and during that moment, she took the time to study him and take in his emotions. Knowing that he probably wouldn't appreciate her probing him with her chakra, she simply tried to get a feel for the emotions he was giving off. It was very little, as usual, but with that she could tell he wasn't angry or disappointed, just incredibly nervous.
"What happens if you don't keep your end of the bargain?" he asked anxiously.
"He promised to track me down and ruin everything important to me," she admitted.
"How could you make such a deal?" he fretted.
"It was pretty easy, actually. I wanted to see Shukaku again and I still do. And, really, for the sake of our relationship, it was the right thing to do. I had to encounter Shukaku some time and while I do admit that it was probably too soon, I still believe that all in all, it was for the better," she confidently replied.
"And what does Gaara think of all this? I'm sure he wasn't pleased when he found out," he surmised.
"You're right, he wasn't but now he is willing to let it happen. I don't think he wanted to admit it to himself at first, but he knew that if we were together long enough, it would happen eventually," she elaborated.
Kakashi gave a tired sigh. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
She appeared guilty and she knew he could feel her guilt. "I wanted to consider it a private matter."
His frown deepened. "What am I supposed to tell Baki?"
"Tell him whatever you like," she shrugged. "The cat's out of the bag now."
"And you expect Shukaku to just let you go intact this time as well?" he grimly surmised
"I do," she nodded.
Kakashi shook his head in exasperation.
"Do you still trust my judgment?" she inquired meekly.
To her disappointment, he actually thought about it for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I think I do," he finally answered.
She gave a weak little smile and nod. "At least there's that."
"I just have one more question then. If Baki isn't going to allow you and Gaara to see one another anymore, how do you expect to keep your end of the deal?" he asked cautiously.
"Either I will or I won't. I'd like to think that if I don't quite make it on time, that I've already proven to Shukaku that I am worth the wait."
"And if you're not?" he asked darkly.
"Then I hope he won't draw too many others into it," she sighed.
"That's a very tenuous stance," he told her.
"I know but I'd like to point out that as long as no one tries to stop us, there will be no need to worry," she added bitterly. "It is only when others interfere that problems will arise."
The uncharacteristic defiance in her tone took Kakashi aback. It seemed she was taking on more and more of Gaara's traits and he was starting to wonder just how much more alike they were going to become. He was afraid that if it was too much more alike that she would risk losing some of her friends that she had worked so hard to earn but he wasn't going to broach that subject now.
"So, what are you going to do?" she pressed after allowing a few minutes to think.
"I haven't decided yet," he told her as he stood. "I'll let you know when I do."
Kakashi's sudden exit surprised Calixta so much that it took her until he was half way to the door before she said something. "That's it?"
"Is there something else you should tell me?" he tried not to snap.
She eyed him carefully, this time not bothering to hide the fact that she was getting a better feel for him before answering. "There's more you want to talk about," she pointed out.
At first, Kakashi only gave her a backward glance. It was extremely rare that she asserted her empathy over him like that. On top of that, it was even rarer that she actually pointed out his feelings. He had always wondered what their relationship would be like if she used her abilities more aggressively. Because she had been so meek toward him for so long, he even wondered if their relationship would ever get to that point. "What would you have done if no one else found out? If Baki hadn't see fit to go through Gaara's mail and got me to confront you about this?" he finally asked.
"We would have met," she replied simply, "and we wouldn't have bothered anybody about it."
"It's not that easy. Baki doesn't want you two seeing each other anymore so it's not like he'd just let you come back for the next Monsoon Festival and I'm pretty sure he doesn't intend to let Gaara come on any missions here any time soon," he pointed out bluntly.
"There's always a way. I'm sure we would both have been able to make it to some out of the way place for a day or so, find an excuse to leave town around the same time, happen to meet in the same place," she playfully imagined but then grew almost grimly serious. "But now that's just a fantasy. Baki's invasiveness has crushed that as well."
"You really think there wouldn't be any complications? Even if no one else found out beforehand, what makes you think that Shukaku would be half as nice to you this time as he was before?" This time he did let himself snap at her.
"First of all," she finally stood and took a few steps toward him. "This is my life we're talking about. Not some mission. Not some covert ninja thing. Okay? And as for whether or not Shukaku sees fit to be nice to me or even kill me, I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew full well it was a gamble and a big one but as far as I'm concerned, it's totally worth it. Gaara is worth it," she asserted and only when she was finished did she realize how much of her own feelings she was showing to him as she spoke.
For a long time after she stopped, he couldn't help just staring wide-eyed down at her. She was like a completely different person, but somehow exactly the same. He had always wanted her to open up, come out of her shell, and express interests of her own. He couldn't help the sigh the came over him when the emotional force directed at him started to wane and he realized that it wouldn't most likely not have been possible for her to reach this point without Gaara and Shukaku. "I understand," he bowed and left before she could say anything more, if there was anything more to say.