Author's notes: THIS CHAPTER IS CRACK. I'm beginning to think the whole story will be, but crack is good. =D

Chapter Three

"The Nanites are an amazing branch of robots. Because of their varying microscope size and construct, they can be used in literally hundreds of ways. Some of them including recycling scrap metal from offlined robots, performing medical procedures that used to be very invasive…"

"That should be a robot you can trust," Tenma whispered as he leaned closer to Hoshi sitting next to him in the lecture hall.

"Do you want to be the first human test subject?" Hoshi growled out. It had been a few weeks since her birthday, and to her greatest annoyance, Tenma would always insinuate about her so-called automatonophobia (Which she still insisted she did not have, thank you very much!) Still, she should probably be thankful he didn't outright tease her about it. Should be, but she wasn't. "I'll be all too happy to administer the injection into your Ventrogluteal. Or would you prefer that I administer it in your Gluteus Maximus. I'll make sure you can't sit down for the next week."

"Quiet, you two!" Elefun shushed from the row below them, feeling much like a chaperone during the Nanite Seminar. And unfortunately, it hadn't started more than twenty minutes ago, and had more than two hours left. He was grateful there was a detailed handout, but it would be so much better if he could hear for himself.

For a few moments, relative silence fell while the lecturing professor continued unaware of the two verbally sparing doctors in the audience. Then once more Tenma leaned over to the medical doctor, who was listening intently while mindlessly doodling on her computer tablet. The fact that the white screen was slowly being filled with stick doodles proclaiming the name Tenma being hit in the head with skillets and poked with what looked like oversized needles made him hesitate for a moment. But only for a moment."Does that mean you want to touch my butt?"

CRACK!

Everyone in the lecture hall jumped, a few with a small screams. All attention was drawn to the pair, where Tenma was holding his head while Hoshi stood over him -cracked tablet in hand. "Hoshi!" Elefun scolded, shocked by his niece's actions.

Hoshi was deaf to his admonishment as she continued to smack Tenma, though not as hard as before. "No! I! Don't! Want! To! Touch! Your! Butt!"

"What is going on!" one of the security guards roared as three security men rushed towards them. Two quickly grabbed each arm of Hoshi and dragged her kicking and screaming out of the lecture hall.

~ O ~ o ~ O~

A few hours later after explaining to the Chief of Security why she had started smacking Tenma with her Tablet-which had Chief Stone all but laughing strangely enough- Hoshi had a proverbial slap on the wrist and a scolding not to attack one of the Ministry of Science's finest scientists 'in public' before she was released to see her patient.

"Are you going to hit me some more?" Tenma scowled as Hoshi walked through the door, still looking more than a little frazzled, her usually neat bun holding back her black hair undone partially and her face still flushed.

"No," she said, and Tenma was surprised the flush wasn't from anger, but what sounded like embarrassment. "I'm here to make sure I didn't give you a concussion." She took a pen light out from the pocket of her lab coat and stepped to the bench he was reclining on. She paused when he saw him tense slightly and sighed. "Relax, Tenma. I'm sorry, okay? I overreacted."

Tenma snorted, "That first slap was overreacting. After that it was overkill." Still, he relaxed slightly and allowed her to assess him; he forced himself not to dwell on how soft the pads of her fingers where as she gently tipped his face upwards.

"Next time make sure I'm not holding something dangerous," she said with a slight smile.

"I didn't think tablets were dangerous!"

"You never visited a psych unit then. Everything can be considered dangerous."

There was a lapse as Hoshi went from examining his eyes to gently palpating his scalp, being careful to avoid where she knew a bruise would be. Which Tenma tried to convince himself did not feel good, the small nails scratching lightly causing his eyes to close in pleasure "Doctor or patient?" he asked to distract himself. There was a long pause before Hoshi's fingers purposely traveled towards the knot that was pretty obvious on the side of his head and poked it sharply. His eyes flew opened as he jumped back. "Watch it!"

"Doctor, idiot," she huffed as she stepped back, crossing her arms. "Though the way you keep antagonizing me I'm about to commit you!"

Tenma paused as he watched her brown eyes glaze over slightly and a smile started to cross her lips. "You're imagining it, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," she answered, fully smiling now as her eyes came back into focus. "I'm not sure if we could treat your narcissism, but you would gain better social skills at least."

"Ha-ha," Tenma rolled his eyes. "Look, do I have a concussion or not?"

Still smiling, Hoshi shook her head. "No, and unfortunately the scans they took earlier don't show any brain damage. I'll prescribe some NSAIDs that should handle the pain and inflammation. Putting ice on it for about ten minutes every hour should help too. And don't provoke your doctor unless you do want her to grab your butt while injecting something rather painful."

Tenma stood up, towering over her as he leaned in close. "I'll be sure to remember that," he whispered huskily, smiling ever so slightly to himself when he leaned back and saw the flushed state of her face. Pleased, he walked passed her and out the door without another word.

Only when the door had slid shut did Hoshi groan and placed her head in her hands. "I'm doomed!" Every time before she saw him, she swore to herself that she wouldn't raise to the challenge; that she would take the highroad and not retaliate to his provoking or obvious overinflated ego. Yet every time she just started to give him as good as she got and then some.

"You're like school children," she remembered her uncle sigh one time. "He's not the only one starting these incidents, Hoshi. You push his buttons just as much as he pushes yours."

"Why would that be like kids?" She had asked, not bothering to argue about the other half. She would admit that she did spurn him on sometimes.

"Because you want attention from one another, but neither of you are ready to admit to yourselves why."

Her uncle needed to become a psychologist. He was a proverbial fountain of wisdom, even the kind she rather remain ignorant of. In childish words- she refused to admit she liked-liked Tenma. Who could like a pompous know-it-all like that anyways?