Mixing Chakra
Kakashi woke up early in the morning after another night of nightmares and night terrors. He was convinced that everything was getting worse in the last few weeks, and he was sure that everything had to do with the fact that the life he was having was already starting to change. Until not long ago, he could cope with his fears. He just accepted every high-risk mission, knowing that his life would hang by a thread at every moment. This way, he could handle the anxiety that surrounded him. He was convinced that it wouldn't take him long, at this rate, and doing what no other Anbu agent wanted to do, to reunite with Obito and Rin and finally be at peace, even if that was in hell. But the knowledge that soon he would be transferred to some other area and that training this girl meant his last mission as Anbu had a terrible and frightening effect on his already complex psyches.
Perhaps the doctors at the Konoha hospital were right, and the medical visit had to be extended to something more than a simple clinical analysis. Maybe the time had come to visit a doctor who would try to fix his mind even a little bit because those nightmares in recent days had returned and were even worse than before. Obito's death and how he had received the Sharingan was repeated endlessly along with Rin's anguished face.
Rin.
Rin was his worst nightmare, She was the night terror that paralysed him, and it always started the same way. First, Rin's smiling face, with the smile that lit up the day and drove him day by day to fulfil the promise he had made to Obito. The girl's hands reaching forward, trying to get him, first warmly, then desperately, stained with blood. The smile turned into a grimace of pain and hatred, the guilt that crossed his entire being. Rin's body posing on his with all the weight of the Earth, leaving him breathless, paralysing his chest, forcing him to use the Chidori to survive again and again night after night, and finally, with his consciousness awake, the room lit up by the electricity that his own hand emitted attacking the emptiness of his room.
Kakashi knew he had to do something about it, but he didn't know what or how to, so instead of taking care of himself, he did what he did knew: he woke up, took a shower and went straight to the Hokage Tower to speak with the Sandaime about his mission.
The conversation didn't go as Kakashi expected. The Hokage was still convinced that he was the only one capable of training the dancer and making her a real kunoichi. Kakashi spoke to him about his doubt about his capacity in preparing her in the sex field. He only got a loud laugh from the village leader, "The fact that you never went in one of those missions doesn't make you less of a man." for Kakashi, that was not a solution. When he showed his discomfort about the exchange between the ballet company, the Anbu group and the tea houses, he only received as an answer that business was business and he didn't have anything to do with them and that he was still too young to understand. Young or not, Kakashi understood there was no way out; they offered Tiān'é nothing else but more of the same. But what finally ended up taking out Kakashi from his comfort zone was that Hiruzen told him what he already imagined: Tiān'é was only going to be capable of being instructed in the traditional art of Taijutsu. It was not that Kakashi didn't like Taijutsu and good hand to hand fight, but he had to confess that he relied much more on the techniques the Ninjutsus and Genjutsus had to offer. It was much safer to go to the battlefields with some extra tricks under the sleeve.
Kakashi went home disappointed and deeper in thoughts than before. He walked the streets of Konoha, not paying much attention to anything, thinking how was he going to solve the problems that Tiān'é represented for him at the moment, when without realisation, he found himself at the training fields of the academy. He couldn't avoid watching the kids that one day would take his place, the new generation. They were all playing and having fun while training, excited as any boy would be without fully knowing what the future would hold for them.
He saw Uzumaki Naruto there and the last of the Uchiha's; they both were trying their jutsus guided by Iruka Sensei, and they were like night and day. Kakashi pitied the Jonin who would be their teacher in the future after graduation.
However, what caught Kakashi's attention the most was a singular boy training alone with one of the wooden dummies. He wasn't using any jutsu or special Genjutsu, he was just using his chakra to improve his Taijutsu. Though a bit messy and vague due to the lack of knowledge and experience, his movements were good, and he was making a great effort. He called Iruka and asked about the black-haired boy with fire in his eyes. Kakashi learned that the kid was only capable of doing Taijutsu and that he was far away from matching his peers but worked harder than anyone. He was determined to become the strongest shinobi from Konoha, and that for sure, after graduation that year, he was going to be assigned to Guy Sensei. Kakashi only nodded his thanks and resumed his walking home. If somebody could train that boy, it was his one-sided rival Guy without a trace of doubt. Maybe, Kakashi thought he should go and talk to him and ask for some advice, but that could mean a few things that he wasn't sure he had the patience to endure. Instead, what he ended up being sure about is that if that boy who would bearly reach the dummies was training that hard, then he wouldn't give up so easily on Tiān'é. Kakashi knew that he had no choice, so instead of fighting against the tide, he would put his efforts into making the best for the girl. At least, that way, he would not add a new guilty conscience to his already endless list.
The training time arrived soon, and Kakashi was already planning how it would be. He should instruct Tiān'é in the art of fighting, but he would have to change his strategy first. Instead of teaching her how to give the first punch, he should teach her how to control her chakra, and he only knew one way for that. Luckily it was late enough to find people around.
Kakashi was about to knock at Tiān'é's door when it suddenly opened revealing the girl with braided hair dressed in sweatpants and a black shirt. She wasn't wearing the leotard today.
"Yo..." Kakashi said, lifting his hand, "Why aren't you wearing your leotard today?"
"Hello, to you too, I'm fine, you?" Tiān'é greeted annoyed.
"Ok... Hello Tiān'é. How are you tonight?" Kakashi sighed, already tired. "Why aren't you wearing your leotard?" he asked again.
"I didn't think it would be necesary." She simply answered.
"Go and get change. Put that leotard on and hurry up." Kakashi ordered.
"Seriously?" She was being again too talkative. Kakashi wondered himself if she would change her personality as soon as leaving the house, just like she had done the night before.
"Yes, seriously." He said, putting his hand on her shoulders to push her into the apartment again.
"Are you coming in?" She asked, walking backwards.
"No, I'll wait here." Kakashi didn't need to be in that apartment again, and he had no plans of getting closer to Tiān'é. She was only a mission, and that's how she was going to remain. In the meantime, he checked the surroundings: no Anbus, no shinobis, no civilians. Good.
Ten minutes later, Kakashi and Tiān'é were walking together to the lake. Tonight, she would learn how to deal with her chakra, something that every person has, but doesn't know it's there.
"We are not going to the training field today." Tiān'é noted.
"No." Kakashi answered, walking in front of her.
"Where are we going then?"
"Somewhere else"
'It's a surprise?" Kakashi wished he could seal her mouth.
"You could say so," he said enigmatically, "It all depends on you."
"Why are you always so crypt..." Tiān'é was interrupted by the view in front of her. They were in front of the lake in Konoha. It was the first time she had the opportunity of watching it under the moonlight, the silver reflection on the water had a magical effect, and the mountains on the other side made it look like a painting.
"So..." Kakashi began, "is this a surprise?"
"It's so beautiful," Tiān'é expressed in awe, "I love it."
"Well... let see what you think by the end of the night." he said, letting a chuckle leave his mouth.
Kakashi walked near the shore of the lake and waited for Tiān'é to do the same. She took her time, but finally, she went to him.
"Remember when I asked you if you had the stomach to face everything that will come after this training?" Kakashi asked, watching at the moon.
"I do." Tiān'é answered shyly. Kakashi could sense the personality change coming.
"You didn't answer," he continued, "I need that answer to go on, because from now on things are going to change," he was nervous too, "for both of us."
"Kakashi..." He looked at her for the first time at the sound of his name, "I don't have a choice, if that's not enough answer for you, then I don't have anything else."
Kakashi sighed again. In his defence, he gave the girl all the chances to run away, reject the training, or escape to who knows where, but she decided to stay, so it was out of his hands now.
"Ok..." Kakashi said, "Do you have any idea of what chakra is?"
"No??" Tiān'é recognised, "should I?"
After a brief but exhaustive explanation, Kakashi told everything about chakra control to Tiān'é, who never interrupted him and only listened, trying to absorb everything he was saying. He knew it wasn't easy to understand how the chakra worked in each body and how to make use of it. For Kakashi, using his chakra was like breathing, but for Tiān'é was a whole new concept, one she wasn't assimilating as he expected.
"Let me show you," Kakashi said, he didn't want to use the Sharingan, he was not going to talk about it but summoning a bit of electricity wasn't going to hurt anyone, so as easy and slowly as possible, he created a little Chidori in his palm.
"Wow..." Tiān'é said amazed, "And do you expect me to do that?"
"No, you are not going to be able to do any Jutsu," Kakashi said, letting the Chidori go, "but you will be able to work on your energy to potentiate your fighting skills."
"That's not very impressive." She was disappointed. Kakashi didn't expect that answer.
"Well...no if you don't acknowledge your limitations, but if you succeed tonight, you will change your mind" he was sure she wasn't ready to succeed, but at least she was going to start with something.
"Ok, Kakashi," she said, and he reluctantly smiled a bit, "I'm ready."
Two hours had passed since Tiān'é started to try to summon a tiny bit of chakra, it was impossible, and she was beginning to get mad about it. Kakashi would sense it in her body language, even if she was silent. It was time to do something about it if he planned to give the next step that very same night.
"It's not working, Kakashi." Tiān'é said frustrated.
"Don't say." Kakashi answered ironically, walking to her, "Ok, let's try again."
Suddenly, Kakashi was standing behind Tiān'é; he knew this would be awkward, but it wasn't going to be the most uncomfortable thing between them, so he didn't think it too much.
"Here we go," Kakashi said, realising some air through his nose. He stood close to Tiān'é, he could almost feel her back rosing his chest, and he could sense her shake involuntary due to the closeness between them. "Try to relax." He said in a soft low voice. A voice that was unknown even to him.
"Uhum..." She only responded.
"Open your arms, spread your legs and bend your knees like I instructed you yesterday" He was still too close. She did as she was told with her eyes closed, "now, concentrate on your breathing."
Tiān'é started breathing deeply as Kakashi told her. He could sense her temperature rising as she was trying to do as she was told. Meanwhile, he began to feel his own pulse accelerate, the girl was starting to create energy out of anything, and he could sense the chakra starting to build in her lower belly. Without touching her, he put his hands there, he used his own chakra to check if she was doing it ok; the heat from his hands made Tiān'é falter a bit. He smiled to himself. Incredible, she was doing it ok. She just needed a little push.
"Now," Kakashi said calmly again near her left ear, "spread all that energy in your belly to the rest of your body."
She tried too, but her chakra was erratic. Kakashi put his hands over hers to guide her energy through. She made it. Kakashi slowly walked away from her, the space between them became colder. Tiān'é opened her eyes. She was glowing, not literally, of course. But she had the glow of someone capable of covering themself in total energy. Kakashi knew that feeling.
"I made it", Tiān'é expressed, almost breathless, "Kakashi, I made it."
"Yes, you did," Kakashi said, clearing his throat, watching her with a mix of pride and fear at the same time. "Now, step two."
"What?" She was tired as hell, and there was a step two, "a step two?"
"Yes, step two," Kakashi said with his eye closed smile; she was not going to like this. "Take out your slippers and pants." he finished extending his arms to receive the garments.
"What?"
"Your clothes, come on, we don't have the whole night." Kakashi ordered. Tiān'é obeyed and, finally and reluctantly, gave Kakashi her clothes, standing alone with her leotard on.
"Ok, what now, Kakashi?"
"Now, you swim or sink." Kakashi finished sitting by the lake.