A/N: For my readers and reviewers, thank you for your support. It's what keeps me going. I know some of you are worried about the direction the relationships are going. I won't spoil what I have in mind, but please bare with me through this journey.
I do not own Naruto or it's characters, but the plot is all mine.
Somehow he managed to finish all of the paperwork, attend the debrief from his trip, and finalized the plans for the ANBU exams early enough that he could make it home for dinner. When he walked through his apartment door, Kakashi expected to find Tenten already at the table or maybe in the kitchen. He was hopeful that she cooled off and things could get back to normal; or at least back to normal for them. Instead, Kakashi entered a dark and empty apartment. He assumed she hadn't returned home since her training bag was not in the closet. Even when she was angry with him, she wouldn't hold it against him for long and she always came home for dinner.
Kakashi couldn't help but to think the worst. She had to be with her admirer. Maybe there was more going on than he realized and this relationship was mutual. Kakashi thought himself to be great at analyzing situations but it was hard to be observant when you're traveling or stuck in an office all of the time. With all of his duties as hokage, he didn't even think about trying to find out more about the flower sender. He paced back and forth in front of the door before grabbing the door knob and yanking the door open. He didn't know where to look but he was determined to find her and face this head on.
Tenten paused with her keys in her hand when the door flew open. She was surprised to see Kakashi standing there with a strange expression on his face. She assumed he would have been at the Hokage's office still catching up on work. But there he was, with a mix of concern or exhaustion maybe and a bit of anger all displayed on his half-visible face.
"Yo." His tone was dry and laced with indignation. He tried his best to hide the frustration that was starting to consume him.
"Hey. You're back earlier than I expected." She tried to smile but the air around them was thick with resentment.
They stood there in silence continuing to look at one another. Tenten had no idea what he had been up to but she could tell something was weighing him down. She nudged her way into the apartment and closed the door behind her.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?"
"I was about to ask you the same. It's pretty late. The weapon shop closed hours ago. Where did you go?" Tenten could hear the annoyance in his voice and she immediately turned defensive.
"I had a lot to do today. Not everyone can avoid doing their jobs all the time." She slung her bag into the closet, walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
Tenten couldn't believe he questioned her. Sure she rarely, if ever, stayed out late without reason in the past, but he's also never cared to ask. Why now? What could he possibly think she was doing? She turned on the shower to full heat, stripped down, and waited for the water to warm up. As the steam filled the small bathroom, Tenten's eyes stung with the tears from frustration that threatened to fall. She was at a loss as to what was happening with her relationship and she couldn't begin to fathom how to fix it. She stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash over her; hiding the flow of tears on her face.
Kakashi sighed after she slammed yet another door in his face. She was acting like a moody teenager and he was tired of the drama. The only logical reason for her to be home so late and be defensive about it confirmed his fears. Maybe he was right and there was more to the story behind those flowers. The thought just added fuel to Kakashi's anger. But he also didn't want another night of avoiding each other. He put his head against the bathroom door, closed his eyes, and listened to the running water of the shower. These were not the problems any of the couples faced in books or movies. He knew something had to change or their relationship wouldn't last. Kakashi decided he wasn't going to let this problem continue to fester any longer.
Tenten was too caught in her own emotions to notice a completely naked Kakashi entering the bathroom. She was so startled when he reached for the shower door that she slipped and would have fallen had she not infused chakra into her feet in time. Kakashi wasn't exactly who she wanted to see but a part of her needed him there. She wanted things to go back to the way they were before he left. He used to be the best at making her feel better, even when he was the cause of her grief.
Her shock at his intrusion didn't phase him. Kakashi half expected to be slapped in the face, so he was glad when she didn't offer much resistance. He entered the shower,closed the door and wrapped his arms around her waist as they both stood under running water. His chin rested on the top of her head while he embraced her from behind. He closed his eyes as she leaned back into him. Tenten loved it when he held her like this. She always felt safe in his arms. It's a feeling that she had missed for some time.
"You remembered our first argument." She allowed herself to smile at the memory.
It was shortly after they returned to Konoha from their mission. She mostly recovered from her injuries, but she had follow up treatments scheduled at the hospital and was ordered by Tsunade to take it easy. Kakashi started to treat her like a frail piece of glass that would break with the slightest touch. He would stop by several times a day to make sure she was resting. And if he caught her doing anything other than lounging around at home, he would nag her until she gave in. At first, all of the attention was nice and she didn't mind having Kakashi dote over her. But after four straight days of him watching her every move, Tenten became frustrated. He was overbearing to the point where Tenten snapped.
"It was the first time you almost killed me on purpose. Since we started dating at least."
"I didn't 'almost' kill you." She paused to stifle a chuckle. "I purposefully missed skewering you. It was a warning."
Semantics, Kakashi thought to himself. Either way, he felt the full wrath of her temper that day. He subconsciously rubbed his right shoulder where her kunai nicked his skin. Back then, he didn't know how to make amends. He was still very new to this serious relationship thing. He thought about just apologizing but he didn't know why he would apologize. He wasn't sorry; he only wanted to take care of her because he cared. He couldn't stand to see her hurt. So he followed his guide to love, Icha Icha Paradise, and decided to use the move Koibito used with Bijin after their first fight. Koibito snuck into the shower and showed Bijin just how much he loved her.
"I'm just glad you don't carry weapons into the shower. Hm, wait. Do you?"
"I should probably start." She may have been joking but, there was a bit of truth hidden in her quip.
Kakashi hadn't changed much in the past two years since the first time he tried this move. He was still socially inept in many ways and everything he knows about romantic relationships comes from raunchy romance novels. Tenten hoped he would have learned more about her and what she needed from him by now.
"For someone so observant and intelligent, you can be really clueless. You made me feel helpless. Like I wasn't able to take care of myself. I was so used to doing everything on my own and you took that away from me." There was a long pause before she was able to continue.
"Or at least that's how I feel sometimes. I'm never good enough. Like you don't think I'm capable of surviving without you. I don't know if an impromptu shower will make all those feelings go away this time."
The switch from past to present tense wasn't missed but he didn't know how to respond. He never intended to make her feel that way. And he never realized that she valued his opinion of her so greatly. She always seemed so self assured and confident. The type of girl who knew what she wanted and how to get it. If anything, she sometimes intimidated him. Between the two of them, Kakashi was the one who should feel inferior. To learn that she's been holding all of these insecurities inside was upsetting. How did he miss all of this?
He tightened his grip around her and kissed her three times on the top of her head.
"I'm sorry I made you feel that way." His voice was so low, the sound of the rushing water almost masked it completely.
Tenten didn't want to be angry or argue anymore. It was too exhausting. She decided to accept his apology and move forward. She grabbed her shampoo bottle and handed it to Kakashi before putting her head under the cascading water. Whenever they showered together, Kakashi would wash her hair. This all started when Tenten was testing out a new seal technique and ended up dumping a ton of mud on herself. She came home, covered in dried mud and her spirit defeated. Without words, Kakashi took her into the shower and washed her hair. It relaxed her and brought them to a level of intimacy they didn't have before. When he finished, she turned towards him and hugged him tight. They stood there under the warm water holding each other, not saying a word until the water started going cold.
Kakashi woke up right before sunrise. With Tenten nestled into the nook between his left armpit and her head on his chest, it would be difficult for him to move without waking her up. So he stayed there, committing to memory every detail about her. How long her eyelashes were and how they naturally curled upwards. The small dimple on the left corner of her mouth. How serene she looked when she slept. He brushed her bangs from her forehead and kissed the crescent shaped scar hidden by her bangs. This caused her to stir and shift her weight in the opposite direction, pulling away from him. Kakashi didn't want to leave, but he was already late for his morning meeting and this was one where he needed to make an appearance. He somehow managed to slip his arm from beneath her and left the bed, but not before giving her another soft kiss on her forehead.
By the time he finished his shower, Tenten was awake but still in bed. He dressed quickly then sat on the edge of the bed, and leaned down to kiss her gently.
"Do you have to leave now?" Her voice was slightly raspy as if she was still asleep. The roughness of her morning voice was a turn on for Kakashi. It took a lot of effort to not crawl back into bed and skip the meeting. She looked at him with pleading eyes full of hope that he would give in to her. At least that's how he interpreted that look. He leaned over her and kissed her again before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Tenten rolled her eyes, smiled, then got out of bed to start her day.
By the time Tenten reached the training fields, Genma was already there, asleep underneath the shade of a large tree. He looked so peaceful so she decided to let him rest for a little while longer. She knew Genma had been working nights while Izumo escorted Temari back to Suna. But he still agreed to help her train for as long as he could. Tenten was grateful for his help and even more happy about the friendship they developed.
They've spent practically all of their free time together for the past two weeks. The night after her fight with Kakashi, Tenten surprised herself when she opened up to Genma about her relationship problems. She didn't tell him who she was dating, but explained all of her frustrations. She found talking to him was effortless. She knew he wouldn't judge her and he proved to be very supportive. Sometimes he was harsh with his criticisms, but it was always followed up with how she could make things better. He was the reason she began to feel comfortable in her relationship again. He was also the reason, for the first time, she felt like she could really make it into ANBU.
Tenten decided to meditate while he slept. Thanks to his help, it only took her a few days to master meditation and she no longer needed a sound trigger as a focal point. Over the past week, they worked on her chakra sensing. It was still difficult for her to sense subtle nuances of chakra when she wasn't meditating, but when she was fully focused, she could feel the chakra not only in Genma but in other creatures around her. She often wondered if this is what Neji felt and saw when he used his Byakugan. A sudden spike in Genma's chakra alerted her that he was now awake. She opened her eyes to find him standing close to her, stretching his arms over his head and yawning.
"You should head home and rest. We can skip training for today." Even though they've had this exact same conversation every day this week, she still felt guilty and would continue to offer to cancel training.
"Trying to get rid of me now?" Genma smiled then shook his head. "No can do, kid. Besides, today is the last day I can really help out before the exams. I've been called in to help with prep so you'll be on your own until the exam."
The disappointment in her eyes was apparent, but regardless of her own feelings, she smiled and nodded. How much she cared about others was one of her more endearing traits, but he wished sometimes she would be more selfish and do what's in her own best interest. She spent so many years surrounded by a team who would not otherwise survive without her. Catering to other's needs would be a hard habit to break at this point.
"You're doing well with sensing when foreign chakra attempts to take over your senses. Now we will test your ability to slow down the take over. If we had more time or you had a better genjutsu teacher, maybe we could get to you preventing the genjutsu all together."
"You've done more for me than anyone lately. I owe you a lot. Any success I have with this test will be because of your help."
He didn't mean to smile, but he couldn't help it. Her praise made him feel proud and drove him to push her further.
"Don't thank me until you're in ANBU."
Without any prompt or warning, Genma started flowing chakra into Tenten's main sensory chakra points.
"We've done enough of the small stuff. I'm going to cast a genjutsu similar to what you'll experience. I'm going to activate the portion of your brain that triggers fears. It will be mild so at most you'll experience something uncomfortable or unpleasant. Nothing terribly frightening. It's up to you to use your chakra to change the hallucinations or gain control of your own actions. Remember to keep calm and focus like you did during meditation."
Tenten could feel his chakra within her. It felt warm and inviting. Something that felt so cozy couldn't be bad, she thought. She started to give into the almost euphoric feeling of being engulfed by his chakra. Although she heard everything Genma said, her surroundings didn't change and there was nothing around her that would invoke fear. She began to think that maybe she had mastered countering genjutsu on her first try. Without warning a kunai whizzed by her, barely missing her right ear. She immediately went into defensive mode as two more kunai were thrown in her direction. She reached for her own kunai normally in the pouch on her hip, but the pouch was empty. She took one direct hit on the arm and the other kunai narrowly missed her leg.
This can't be the genjutsu, Tenten thought. But who would attack them right now in the middle of training. She avoided several other kunai and took cover behind a large tree. It was here where she saw that her scroll was open and the seal removed. The weapons, HER weapons, materialized from the scrolls and all aimed towards her. She frantically looked for Genma but he was nowhere to be found. She had no weapons and her cover wouldn't suffice for long. It took Tenten a few deep breaths to remember what was happening. Genma's chakra that was once warm and inviting turned cold and heavy inside her head. She tried to steady herself, slowed her breathing and focused her chakra where she felt his.
Two shuriken made contact; one in her left calf and the other on her shoulder blade. She couldn't concentrate with all of the pain and the onslaught of weapons. She decided to use her shinobi training and fight her way out. She removed the weapons lodged into her skin and two kunai that were imbedded into the tree trunk. She used the kunai to deflect several of the weapons coming towards her as she jumped to higher ground. She could not have known there would be an explosive tag waiting for her on the branch. The moment her feet made contact, the tag detonated.
Tenten slowly opened her eyes. The tall trees and cloudy sky was hazy at first, but eventually she was able to focus. The pounding in her head drowned out the ambient sounds of the forest. She turned her head to the left to see Genma sitting on the tree stump and twirling a senbon between his fingers. She sighed and turned back to look up at the sky.
"I don't know what happened. I - I guess I panicked. All I could think to do was fight against what I saw instead of focusing on your chakra."
"Your fighting instincts took over. Makes sense considering you've been trained since a genin to attack and survive. There's a reason your team was considered for so many group missions."
"That mentality won't work here though." She shifted her weight over onto her left side, turning her entire body towards him. "Let's go again."
Genma's grin was wide but mischievous. He knew she would say that and he was ready to go. Again he triggered the genjutsu while she was still on the ground. He wasn't sure what fear triggered in their first attempt, but it didn't appear to have mentally or emotionally scarred her. He wished he could promise the same during the test. He watched for her breathing pattern while she laid there, trapped in his genjutsu. For the first several minutes, she appeared to be handling things well. There was no spike in her chakra and her breathing remained steady.
Tenten felt his invading chakra again but this time she refused to be taken by surprise. She immediately focused her chakra to surround it with her own to use as a buffer. She warily walked around the training fields until she reached the river. Tenten sat down on the edge of the river bank and watched the birds play in the water. It felt like she had been in the genjutsu for hours with nothing happening. She was confident the lack of activity meant she was successful in preventing whatever fear would be triggered. As time went on, her guard waned and she became more relaxed.
Behind her, she could hear the sound of leaves crunching beneath slowing approaching feet. She looked over her shoulder only to find Genma walking in her direction. She stood up once he reached her side and brushed the dirt from her pants.
"Nothing happened. Does this mean I did it?" She couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes. Genma, however, didn't say anything. His face held no expression; not even the bored and apathetic look he usually carried. She was confused by his complete silence.
"I missed something didn't I?" Her shoulders slumped and she hung her head low; disappointed in herself for missing something that was probably obvious. She felt her confidence physically leaving her body.
Genma took her chin in his hand to tilt her head up. He looked directly into her eyes with an intensity Tenten had never experienced. His face moved in slow motion closer to her own. There was nothing she could do to stop it from happening. At least that's what she told herself. Before she knew it, his lips were upon hers. Paralyzed from the shock, her body stiffened and she clamped her eyes shut. His lips were softer than she imagined. Until now, she hadn't noticed the soft smell of wood from a pine tree and a hint of smoke. His scent alone was intoxicating. Adding in the pressure from his lips and Tenten's mind spun out of control. She found herself pressing into him to deepen the kiss. When he tugged at her bottom lip, Tenten snapped to her senses and pulled away.
"Wh-what are you doing!" Her pulse raced and her head was foggy. She was panting heavily; struggling to catch her breath. As he approached her again, Tenten backed further away. Nothing about his behavior made sense. It took her a moment to realize this was part of the genjutsu. Genma would never behave this way. She ran across to the other side of the river to put more distance between them and concentrated on her chakra to regain some form of control. He slowly continued his way towards her. Tenten turned her back to him to regain composure. She couldn't concentrate if she watched him approach her. She steadied her breathing to slow her racing heart. It took a few seconds before she could feel her chakra pushing against his.
By then, he had crossed the river and was a few steps away. She turned to face him. Genma wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. They stood there staring at one another. He started to move to kiss her again. Tenten tried to fight it; to push away the heat of his body against hers, his scent, and his lips. But her defenses were draining and she wanted to give in. Tenten was usually stubborn. She put both her hands against his chest with the intention of pushing him away. But her hands seemed to have a mind of their own when she grabbed his flak jacket and pulled him flush against her. Her actions released a spark of lust in Genma's eyes that sent chills down her spine. As quickly as it all happened, everything disappeared and she was back on the ground looking up at the clouds.
"What was that?" Her voice was so soft she didn't even hear herself. She didn't move; her focus remained on the sky and fast paced clouds while she desperately tried to make sense of everything she saw and felt. All the other genjutsu were centered around her being attacked or killed. Why the sudden change and why with him?
Genma stood over her and didn't even try to hold back the smile to show how proud he was. She was able to survive in the genjutsu for three hours; two hours longer than what is necessary for the test. Her heart rate may have spiked a few times, but each time she regained control. If he hadn't expended so much chakra, he would have guessed she could continue for another one to two hours.
He looked down and her and whistled. "Impressive." Genma reached out his hand to help her up. When she didn't move or blink, he worried that something was wrong and maybe she had a harder time in the genjutsu than he thought. He kneeled down close to her, concern spreading across his typically stoic face.
"You alright? It's over now. Whatever you saw is done with. Sit up and take a few deep breaths."
Almost robotic, she turned her head towards the sound of Genma's voice until their eyes met. Her eyes were dull and her face held no expression. She stared back at a confused Genma while her thoughts replayed the scene in the genjutsu. The longer she looked at him, she began to notice the soft glow created by the sun that surrounded him. His facial features were soft yet mature. And the genuine look of concern warmed her heart. This reminded her of a scene from the last Icha Icha movie that Kakashi dragged her to a few months ago.
When she thought about Kakashi, she became hyper aware of her current situation. Tenten jumped up so quickly, she almost knocked over Genma.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry."
Genma let out a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad you're alive. I used too much chakra that time so I need a moment before we can continue. Let's go grab lunch." He grabbed her bag and slung it over his shoulder and motioned for her to start walking.
"Lunch? With you? I um... I - I just remembered I have to work at the shop early today to cover for Jun. Thank you for everything." Tenten bowed several times before running towards town. She was too embarrassed and confused to face him. Escaping was her only option.
With everyone focusing on preparations for the exam, Kakashi found himself with many opportunities to slip away on one of his strolls through the village to "think." He was nearing Yamanaka's shop when an idea sparked. Kakashi ducked behind a building, formed the hand signals, and in a puff he was ready to enter the shop.
The bell at the top of the door chimed upon Kakashi's entrance. The amalgam of scents from the various species of flowers melted together harmoniously. Kakashi took a deep breath around the first arrangement that caught his eye. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps from the back quickly approaching.
"Good evening sir! Looking for something for an extra special lady?"
Kakashi knew it was a risk, but if he wanted the perfect bouquet, there was no one better than Ino. He was certain that she would not recognize Kakashi under the hinge, but to be safe, he decided to make this encounter short.
He cleared his throat several times before speaking. "Yes ma'am. I need an arrangement for my fiance. I do not know much about flowers so I will leave it to your expertise, please." Kakashi knew Ino would take the bait. If there was anything that Ino loved more than love itself, it was being praised for her abilities.
"Of course I can come up with something perfect. Tell me about her and why you're getting flowers?"
Kakashi didn't want to outright describe Tenten. It would be too obvious. Instead, he decided to vaguely describe what he loved about her.
"She has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. She will never give up on her friends and will make any sacrifice for them without question. She's gentle yet stubborn. And she can accomplish anything when she puts her mind to it. She challenges me everyday. Even when I mess up, she's been so patient to work on our relationship. I admire her strength and passion. Her outer beauty is just as extraordinary as her inner beauty. She really is perfect for me. I probably don't deserve her but I just want to surprise her with something nice to show her I love her."
Ino's eyes glistened with tears as she listened to his description. He captivated the inner romantic side of Ino. She sighed. "I hope my fiance feels half of what you feel for her. Give me five minutes and I'll be back with something just for you."
It took Ino less than that to deliver another stunning arrangement of flowers. The reds, orange, and yellows blended perfectly to look like a sunset over a sea of green. Kakashi thanked her several times and even tipped her well before leaving in a hurry. Ino was happy to have helped another customer, especially one that was so deeply in love. She couldn't help shake the feeling that there was something familiar about the brown haired, green eyed stranger but she hoped to see him again soon.