Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Notes: This short piece was written for the prompt "Love no Jutsu! Somebody discovers a jutsu that will make anybody fall in love with anybody else!"

Love is Not a Prank
By Shadow Hunt

"Was this... some sort of prank?" Ibiki asked, disdain coloring his voice at the thought. He leaned forward, menacingly. His tall stature and wide shoulders cast a vicious shadow even from his current sitting position. It was a nonverbal power play, meant to terrify those he interrogated.

Instead, the girl sitting across from him gave an exaggerated sigh as if he had just asked a particularly inane question. She didn't go as far as rolling her eyes but, he could see that she was tempted. Her "teen rebel" identity practically demanded it.

He clenched his jaw to prevent the first words that came to mind from slipping out. Name calling is not an effective tool for information gathering, he reminded himself again. At this point in their "conversation", it was nearly his mantra.

"So, not a prank then." Ibiki tried for a flippant tone and a casual shrug. He either failed or it was ineffective because now she was smirking at him and... his gut attempted to butterfly. He stealthily stabbed his leg with a kunai in response so the pain would override all other unwanted senses.

"Then," he started, pausing to pulse his chakra threateningly at her. "What was the purpose of..." And now he paused to search for the right word, because he was pretty sure that he had ripped the appropriate descriptions for what she had done from his dictionary a long time ago. "That?" He finally ended lamely and hoped she didn't notice.

She noticed.

"Ibiiiiki, are you flustered?" Now it was her turn to lean forward, her shirt revealing far too much... or not enough. He really couldn't decide but, he certainly wasn't complaining. He snapped his eyes back up when he heard her chuckle. "Oh how naughty! Like what you see?" Then she winked and finally, Ibiki had his answer.

"ANKO!" he bellowed with a sudden force of adrenaline. His chair cluttered to the ground behind him as he stood. "You have given yourself away!"

She sat back, swinging her legs onto the table. "Is that right?" She purred but, Ibiki could see it now. Underneath her immeasurable confidence and inexplicable bravo, she was blushing. He wondered if his cheeks were red too.

"You, ah..." How was he suppose to continue this accusation? All of his recent training to get into the Torture and Interrogation Force taught him the exact opposite of where this discussion was leading.

"I, uh..." She mocked.

"Like...?"

"Mmhmm."

"Me?"

Anko grinned at him and now there was nothing he could do to stop the butterflies.

He attempted to slump back onto a chair that wasn't there and really couldn't be bothered to catch himself before he smashed down against the cold stone. Idly, he wondered if the kunai was still stuck to his leg. Anko peered curiously down at him from her new vantage point, that smile nevertheless still fluttering against her lips. She was beautiful, he realized. He liked her in spite of her spiky hair, too pale skin, and clothing his mother would spit on. Or maybe that's why he liked her but, he wasn't willing to analyze that.

"So that jutsu you did to Hayate..."

She laughed. He really liked that sound. "I figured you would get jealous of your teammate fawning all over me. Though," she gave a meaningful look at the interrogation room Ibiki had kidnapped her to. "I guess I can't say I'm surprised that you overreacted."

There was really no defense Ibiki could give that would make what he did look even remotely normal. Though, he supposed it didn't matter since she had feelings for him regardless of what he had done. It was probably a blessing that she was already too familiar with his many quirks due to their genin years.

"But," she continued. "If you bring me here again, I can't promise that I won't attack you."

The way she said that made Ibiki sure that he really wouldn't mind being attacked in that fashion. He could get use to this.