Another Bloody Ninja Scroll

Chapter Three
You've Had a Crush on Me Since How Long Now?!

Sakura sat quietly in her plush chair in the library, systematically working through tome after tome, collecting as much information as possible on the foreign techniques. She had been here for hours--it was the weekend, and she had no classes. With the help of a translation-scroll, she had finished her written homework the night before, and with the help with another Ravenclaw girl, she had mastered the spells required as well.

Ah, the benefits of living and working with fellow brainiacs.

These techniques, these spells, could give her the upper hand on missions. After all, most ninjas didn't know magic existed, let alone how to use it.

It was a good type of thing to learn. Soon, she was sure, her wand would become just as precious to her as her shurikin kit.

She turned the page.

Oh, how cool—a spell for flowers that make you fall in love!

Sakura gave a slow, Cheshire cat grin. "Maybe I can help Naruto out a bit…"


"Hey, Malfoy." Draco looked up from his arithmancy text to see a very nervous Potter standing over him. The bright green eyes were shifting from side to side behind his glasses, and his calloused hands worried the hem of his sleeve. Draco turned back to the book.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco's voice was cool, biting.

"It's just…I heard this really weird rumor…" Harry bit his lip, unsure if he really wanted to go through with this. He shuffled his feet on the stone floor.

"Get to the point, I'm working." What was with the golden boy? Why didn't he just spit it out and leave? Draco wished he could subtly wipe his now-sweaty palms off on his pants, but he was holding his book.

"Do you…like me?" Harry's face flushed. I sounded so stupid!

"What?" Draco's eyes widened like dinner plates. Whatever he had expected, it most certainly had not been that. "Where did you hear that?!" Draco lost all thoughts of subtlety.

"From that new kid." Potter looked away, suddenly finding his worn-out trainers extremely interesting.

"Damn that Sasuke—can't hold his tongue!" Draco scowled angrily, inwardly vowing revenge on the odd foreign student. How dare he tell Harry?!

"Sasuke? I heard it from Naruto…" Harry's eyes widened as Draco paled. "Wait, it's true?!"

"Ye-NO!" Draco paused, his eyes shifting back and forth. Is there even a point to hiding anymore? "Er…maybe?"

"Oh. My. God."

"What?" Draco whined, his cheeks flushing bright red. Damn, this emotion thing is awful. I need to see if I can't get rid of it.

"You've got to be kidding me! How long?" Now Harry was angry, not nervous. The hands that had been fiddling with his sleeve were now clenched into fists, and his cheeks were flushed with his fury.

"Huh?" Draco's eyes were wide and scared, and his brain was surely malfunctioning, or he would never had let such an undignified question pass his lips. What he meant was, 'How long what?'

"For how long!!" Draco flushed brighter at his stupidity as the question clicked. How long had he had a crush on Harry?

"Er…since…you wouldn't shake my hand." It used to be the I-want-what-I-can't-have-syndrome, I'm sure.

"WHAT?!"

Draco flinched. That must have been longer than seemed plausible to Harry.


"I think we're supposed to wave it like this…" Sasuke jerked his hand up and brought it swiftly down, but Naruto slapped his hand away before he could hit the large garden snail they were practicing spells on.

"No, teme, you'll make it explode!" Naruto actually had the nerve to waggle his pointer finger in Sasuke's face, as if he were a misbehaving child.

"Then you do it, dobe!" Sasuke snarled, holding back the urge to punch the neon boy.

"Fine!" Naruto gently brought his wand down to tap the snail. "Illuminous."

The snail began to glow, and Naruto grinned smugly at the now-glowering Sasuke. The grin turned into a smirk when Sasuke crossed his arms defensively.

But before he could gloat, Sakura ran onto the lawn, carrying a large bouquet.

"Sasuke, Sasuke!" She shoved the bright blue flowers into his arms, smothering his face in the petal's thick aroma. "These are for you—Goodbye!"

As she ran back into the castle, Sasuke slowly brought the flowers down into his lap, his eyes slightly glazed. The smell of the bouquet was thick and sweet, and it made him feel slightly light-headed.

"That was odd. Usually she's more tasteful than to shove a whole bouquet at you. Personally, I would have done just one..." Naruto scratched his head, his voice pitching high with question.

Ah, such a voice...I know it's scratchy and whiny, but...Why is it so amazing?

"Teme? Are you feeling alright?" Now Naruto was squinting at him, and his eyes were so...very...blue....

Sasuke blinked and his jaw slackened at the sight of the dobe. His eyes sparkled like little cerulean pools and his hair shone like the sun itself, and his lips—oh…so full and parted as he spoke…

"Teme?" Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke started to lean towards him, his eyes glazed. "Sasuke?" The dark-haired boy rose a shaking hand and cupped the back of Naruto's neck. "Sasuke? What're you—" Uchiha jerked him forward, crushing their lips together and threading his fingers through the messy blond hair.

Ah, even his hair feels like bliss!

Naruto waved his hands around comically, at a loss to how he was supposed to get Sasuke off him without making him extremely mad. Sasuke shifted and then his whole weight was on Naruto, who fell over, unprepared for the shift.

Sasuke now lay sprawled over him, and he caught Naruto's hands when they moved to push him off. They were quickly pinned above his head.

Now comfortable, and satisfied that Naruto wasn't going anywhere, Sasuke softened the kiss, shifting into a more comfortable position. He heard the flowers crunching underneath them and their perfume mixed with Naruto's heady taste. Feeling Naruto's struggling grow weaker, Sasuke deepened the kiss, swallowing Naruto's quick squeak of surprise and pushing forwards.

Naruto's only kiss had been his first one, the accidental one with Sasuke, and this kiss was so different, there didn't even seem a point in comparing them. Naruto felt his brain slowing, fogging up with hormones, and his muscles grew lax. He vaguely noted that kissing acted like a disabling jutsu. How could Naruto fight off Sasuke's special brand of paralysis... and did he even want to?

Sensing Naruto's complete lack of resistance, Sasuke released the blond's wrists and moved his hands down and back up over Naruto's chest, coming to rest once again in the thick blond hair.

Feeling the absense of restraining hands against his wrists, Naruto gripped Sasuke's shoulders and flipped them over so that he was now laying atop Sasuke. He plundered Sasuke's mouth thoroughly, greedily, and felt more than heard the raven-haired boy moan into his mouth. It was perfect.

Sasuke's eyelids fluttered as the scent of oranges and moist, crisp grass pierced his lust-clouded mind. His eyes widened and he frowned, freezing.

Confused by Sasuke's sudden non-participation, Naruto pulled back slightly to look at his face and was suddenly roughly shoved away by the hands still clenched in his hair.

"Ow! Hey, you asshole! What was that for?!" Naruto's eyes teared up and he held his hands against his newly bruised scalp.

Sasuke said nothing, holding his right hand over his mouth and staring at the flowers Sakura had given him, crushed and strewn about the lawn.

"I…" He swallowed, blushing lightly as he looked at the flushed face of his best friend, who was still panting from the kiss. "I think Sakura's flowers drugged me."

Naruto glanced down at the flowers and turned tomato red, which classed quite badly with his sweater. Why the hell would that matter?! Sasuke scowled at himself.

"…Oh." Naruto figured that that certainly explained a lot.

There was a length of awkward silence.

"I…" Sasuke swallowed again and stood, shakily brushing the dirt off his clothes. He attempted, and didn't quite succeed, to gain back his stony disposition. "I'm going back to the Slytherin common room to…investigate."

And then he was gone, leaving Naruto alone with the pathetic and crushed blue petals scattered on the lawn.


"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Draco winced and Harry began pacing around the empty classroom he had dragged the pale boy into so that they could talk without the librarian constantly shushing them.

"You've liked me since out first day at Hogwarts and you've shown it by tormenting and insulting me and my friends for all these years?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Harry was snarling, and fuck if his temper didn't affect Draco.

Draco blushed. "Haven't you ever heard of little boys picking on girls they like?"

"NOT SIXTEEN YEAR OLD BOYS!" Harry's hands were clenched at his sides, and they looked like they very much wanted to knock some sense into Draco.

"Well, what did you want me to do?!" Draco stood suddenly, insulted and angry at Harry daring to be attractive while angry. "Just come out and tell you?! Think about it, Harry, would you have done it if you were in my shoes?"

"Yes!" Harry didn't even hesitate, and Draco gazed at him for long moments.

"Would you really?" Draco's voice was cool and quiet, and he was sure it would have made his mother proud to hear him.

"No." Harry lost some of his steam, almost visibly deflating at Draco's words. "But I would have at least tried to be friends with you…"

Draco bit his bottom lip. "Friends with you? When you were already friends with Weasley? Impossible. My father would have never allowed it."

"Would he have allowed it if I had not already been friends with Ron?" Harry raised a brow.

"Friends with the Boy Who Lived?" Draco smirked. "Of course he would have. Think of all the good publicity, and, in the future, the social currency?"

Harry scowled. "Of course, because public relations are so all-important to the mighty Malfoys."

Draco looked stricken for a moment. "But I wouldn't see it that way, Potter!"

"Yeah, well," Harry walked over to the door and cast one last look over the pale blond. "Whatever."

And then he was gone, leaving Draco alone with the pathetic and crushed pieces of his heart scattered on the stone floor of the unused and dusty classroom.