Lightning In The Hidden Leaf

4 - Calista From The Hidden Lightning

"There he is," says Jeriya when Kakashi arrives back at the Inn.

"I heard Master Jiraiya vomit and went to check on him. It was then that I noticed you weren't in bed. I worried maybe something has happened."

Kakashi shakes his head. "I just went out to get some fresh air and thought there might have been trouble nearby. It's all good though."

"Fantastic. So can we get back to sleep now?" says Shikumaru.

"I don't know I'll be able to," says Jiraya. He is sitting with elbow on the table, chin in hand, gazing out the window. "Kakashi. Shikumaru. I think I saw her."

"Saw who?" says Shikumaru rubbing his eyes.

"The wandering gypsy. She stole my heart at the bar earlier tonight. You guys missed out."

"More like we lucked out," says Shikumaru. He places his hand on Jiraiya's back and guides him back to his bed. He is still a little drunk and therefore easy to persuade.

"Maybe you lucked out because your committed and don't want to get in trouble with Temari. But Kakashi and I are bachelors so anything goes."

That's right. Kakashi has got to be in his early thirties. I have never seen him with a woman before. I wonder if there is a reason for that, thinks Shikumaru.

"The sun is coming up," says Kakashi.

"So? We don't have to check out until noon tomorrow," says Shikumaru.

"This might sound surprising but I have window of time to sleep and if I miss it, I won't rest until the next night."

"That does sound surprising," says Shikumaru as he gets back in bed.

"I'll catch up with you in a few hours," says Kakashi and he gently closes the door behind him opting to take advantage of the hot spring. He will be back home in a couple hours and it won't be long unit the Hokkage sends him on another mission.

He has his hand on the changing room door when a voice stops him from entering.

"You're not stalking me are you?"

While her hair is pulled up into a high bun, there is no mistaking those dreadlocks. It's the same woman Kakashi spoke to only a moment earlier. She is wearing a kimono which is pulled tightly around her waist which accentuates her hour glass figure.

"I guess I could say the same about you," he says closing the door to enter the men's changing room, opting to talk to the woman.

She laughs under her breath and Kakashi isn't sure why, but he finds it delightful.

"Listen. I wanted to thank you. And apologize. This is one of things I hate about the job. I don't get to know my... clients... too well. I don't think about it too often, but sometimes some clients weigh heavily on my conscious. I don't want to know how many decent men I have take advantage of." She pauses to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry that you and your friends almost got caught up in that. There's nothing I can do though, not without getting in trouble with the boss. And thank you for the nice offer. I decided to ditch the others for a night and treat myself with the compensation I earned tonight. What they don't know what hurt."

"I'm glad you're enjoying your night and there is no need to apologize," says Kakashi. "But I think you underestimated me."

She cocks her head to the side, unsure what he's talking about.

"You just referred to me as a decent man but you don't know me. That means you made an assumption and well, you said yourself what they say when you assume."