Chapter 2: The second run in with Tenten. Here, Tenten is a chuinin.
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It was out of sheer curiosity, he convinced himself, which permitted him to be bullied by his own student into doing such a nonsensical thing. He had absolutely no faith in the treatment, but Kakashi realized that it wasn't just to humor Sakura as he opened the door.
Tenten gave a friendly smile and Kakashi politely ushered her into his apartment.
She had gotten taller, curvier, showing the distinct marks of a young woman. A young woman who was now not only taking over his coffee table by piling it full of what seemed random objects, but moving it out of the way to make space on the floor.
"So, she threatened you," Tenten stated flatly, knowing full well the only way that he would agree to a Gua sha treatment was if someone blackmailed him. She opened a jar of ointment and motioned for him to lie down on the floor. She had never been one for small talk, but the air around her never seemed to be uncomfortable, perhaps that was the reason she didn't need to fill it with idle chatter. There simply wasn't a need.
Kakashi nodded to her statement as he relinquished his shirt and threw it on the couch with frown. Granted he had given in to Sakura's petulant fit a bit sooner than he would normally would have at the mention of Tenten's name; he still held firmly that it was only because she had threatened to burn his signed copy of Icha Icha Paradise if he didn't acquiesce. Sakura's screeching definitely added a level of early compliance, not to mention the stupid medieval treatment couldn't hurt. Hell, maybe he could actually get a little relief.
He looked at the traditional Chinese soup spoon that Tenten was holding at a weird angle and quickly banished that last thought.
He plopped down on the floor and waited.
"Aren't you going to make a clone so that if Sakura deems it threat worthy again you can just do this treatment at home with out me?" Tenten offered slowly to the man lying prone on his carpet. He had the decency to prop himself up on his elbow and look her in the eye before answering.
"I'll take my chances." He settled back into his position while Tenten rubbed a thick ointment on his skin after quickly palpitating his muscles.
"This might tickle," she said absent mindedly starting in on the methodical scraping, "my clone makes me jump every time I get my back done."
"It's impossible to be tickled by yourself." Kakashi cut in lazily, quite enjoying the smooth scraping tempo on his back.
"I can't tickle myself, but my clone can tickle me," she spoke slowly like a doctor explaining a procedure, "just don't go around telling people how ticklish I am," she added quickly, realizing her admission.
"Bout time I found out something about you, Gai has probably told you all my life story by now."
Tenten snorted out a laugh, "I thought you two were dating the way he went on about how you save all your fortune cookie slips in a small box under your bed and read them out loud to yourself when you can't figure out how to solve a personal problem."
Kakashi froze with fear. Then he turned over and looked her sternly in the eyes with his one beady black one.
"I am not gay." He enunciated firmly.
"Easy, now, you'll get ointment on your carpet." Tenten reprimanded indifferently to the words that he spoke. He slowly turned over completely infuriorated with Gai.
"You do realize that it will look like Ibiki flogged you when I get done with your back right?" Tenten continued her ministrations. "And that the markings are going to last for quite sometime, perhaps weeks?" She sounded like she was reading a disclaimer or warning on the side of a medicine bottle.
She was wiping up the slop that she gooped on his back and was packing up her kit before Kakashi realized that she was done.
"That's it?" Kakashi blinked as he pushed himself into a sitting position.
Tenten slung her bag handle over her shoulder and headed towards the door.
"Don't pretend you are going to miss the torture." Tenten rolled her eyes in a playful way, "and you weren't the only one Sakura blackmailed into agreeing to do this." And with that remark she said, "ja ne," and closed the door. Kakashi was suddenly aware of how much better his back felt as he straightened up.