Steve: And here we go! the next chapter of Tales of a Maho Shinobi! And thank you to those that helped me get Hedwig a spot and Fanfiction's character list.
Yui: Aren't you going to be putting your new story in the Harry/Hedwig section.
Steve: Well... Yeah. But what better way to start it off? Besides, Hedwig still deserved a spot on the Character list since she wasn't on it for some odd reason... And then there's the fact that the first chapter is the date between Harry and Hedwig.
Pen-pen: A waark wark a warrk war rk waarrk wark waar a ark WARK WA! (I think that I speak for my fellow bird when I say HELL YA!)
Hinata: Um, should I thank the reviewers? (Steve nods) Thank you:
Damian Azrael
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The Burning Serpent
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Steve: I can't believe how many reviews I keep getting! And in such a short period of time? It's incredible! Well? Pen-pen? Hinata?
Pen-Pen: (Wark Wa WAAK arrk waark)
Hinata: Translation is "The author doesn't own Harry Potter or Naruto". He just owns this story, the plot and his insane plot-bunnies.
Why me?Shinigami/Demon/Inner-Sakura
'Who?' Thoughts
-YO!- Animal speech
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Having completed their flight, Harry, Naruto, Haku, and Tsunami walk back into the house. Before they can say anything, Hana appears and pulls Harry back out the door. Blinking at this, Tsunami looks at Naruto. "Um, Naruto-kun? Does she normally do that?" Naruto sighs while shaking his head.
"Unfortunately yes. Her and her Okaa-san are among the most forceful women I know… Merlin knows how often they cause problems for me with how headstrong and stubborn they are…What?" Everyone stares at him before shaking their head. At that moment, Inari comes in and hugs Tsunami.
"Hi Okaa-san!' He then rushes into the living room. Naruto smirks seeing this and starts counting down. He reaches one before Inari rushes back in and stands there pointing at Tsunami, who's still looking like her thirteen year old self. "Ok-Okaa-san! What… what happened to you!" Tsunami giggles a bit before smiling at him.
"You like? Naruto-kun gave me a special pill that reduced my age. It's only temp-" She gets interrupted by Inari pointing at her.
"I knew it! You do like Naruto-Tou-san! I knew it! I knew it!" Tsunami's mouth drops as Naruto looks between the two in confusion.
"'Naruto-Tou-san'…? What are you talking about Inari? Wait a moment…" He looks at Tsunami in askance. "You…Like me? As in "Like"?" She looks at him nervously before rushing over and putting her hand over Inari's mouth.
"Heh he he… Kids now a days come out with the strangest things, huh Naruto-kun? Anyways… I have to have a little… chat, with Inari, so if you would excuse me…" Naruto looks at Sakura who's beside him shaking her head. But before he can say anything, he hears several crashes, shouts, bangs and what sounds like a pig squealing among other sounds causing the three shinobi to blink before looking at each other.
"Not going to ask…"
000000000000000 With Harry and Hana 0000000000000
Harry's being dragged along by Hana while he's shouting for her to slow down. Finally she does so when Harry slams face-first into a tree trunk. "Um… Opps?" She winces as Harry slowly peels off the tree and falls to the ground. A few minutes later finds a recovered Harry sighing at Hana. "Sorry about that Harry-kun…" Harry of course blinks at this un-Hana-like behaviour.
"That's okay… Is there something wrong?" Hana looks away causing Harry to become even more nervous. "Hana-chan…?" She sighs before looking at Harry.
"Harry-kun… can I ask you something?" Harry nods, his confusion apparent. "I was wondering what you think of Haku-san…" Finally getting an idea of what this is about, Harry's face becomes thoughtful.
"She's nice… really nice actually. And very pretty. Why?" Seeing the slight nervous look, his eyes narrow. "Okay Hana-chan, what is this really about? Your acting really odd, even for you and that is saying something." Annoyed, she smacks him in the back of his head causing him to smirk. "There we are! That's the Hana-chan I know and love!" She crosses her arms and huffs.
"Baka." Looking back at him, she notices the question in his eyes causing her to sigh. "Harry-kun, you know that Haku-san likes you right? I mean you did save her life and get between her and an attack that could have killed her." Harry nods at this. "Well… I been thinking, maybe she should… join us?" Harry blinks at this before he raises an eyebrow.
"By us, I'm assuming you mean you, Ayame-chan, Hedwig, Row, and Sal, right?" Hana nods with a nervous look causing Harry to sigh. "I'm not angry Hana-chan. Confused, yes. Angry, no. Now, mind explaining this to me?" Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Hana smiles.
"Well, at least I know now that this won't be a screaming match. Anyways, the reason is two pronged. First, is the fact that us doing so will relieve more of the pressure on you to get more wives. Two… Remember how Haku-san has a powerful Bloodline?" Harry starts nodding before he realizes what she's talking about. He then sums it up in a single word.
"Shit." He starts growling as he starts pacing. "I can't believe I forgot about that!. I'm such a baka!" Hana shrugs at this and leans against a tree.
"Actually your not." She starts shaking her head. "I only just realized this recently myself. I'm sure you've noticed how the Uchiha is staring at her at times? All he has to say is that he wants her and the Civilian council will jump at it. By getting in a relationship with her, you'll make her off limits. The fact that you and her get along so well is a plus." She shrugs. "Despite what you think, me and the others won't mind… Besides, I like her and I happen to think she'll make a good friend. So, I'll ask you again: What do you think of her?" Harry stops his pacing and looks at her with a smile while sighing.
"You always have to ask me tough questions, don't you?" She just grins at him making him shake his head. "As to your question… I don't know. I won't say that there's nothing there, because that would be a lie since there is. It's similar to how I feel for you and Ayame-chan, but it is also different. I would like to explore it however." He catches sight of her grin and narrows his eyes, but before he can say anything a gruff voice makes itself known.
"That's good to know gaki, Now I can rest easier at least." Whipping around, Harry comes face to face with a grinning Zabuza and a blushing Haku. Still grinning, he looks at Haku. "So, are willing to have a relationship with your ninja in shining armour? Despite him already being involved with several others?" Haku glares at him for a second or two before rubbing the back of her neck.
"I… I don't really know Zabuza-sama, but…" Looking at a still shocked Harry she demurely blushes. "… but I do know that I wouldn't mind getting to know him at least." Almost immediately, Hana vanishes from where she was before reappearing where Haku is and glomps her.
"Kyaa! I've gotten a Omouto!" Everyone just sweatdrops at this as Harry shakes his head.
"Must you embarrass us wherever we go Hana-chan?" She sticks her tongue out at him before grinning.
"I have no idea what your talking about… Now go over there and kiss him." And with that, she practically throws Haku at Harry only for their heads to crack together, knocking them out. "Um… Opps?" Zabuza sighs while rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I'm starting to regret letting Haku talk me into this…" A few minutes later finds Harry and Haku glaring at a sheepish Hana. After a few minutes of this, she crosses her arms and pouts.
"I said that I was sorry." Harry's glare disappears as he sighs. Looking up he gives her a slightly amused smile.
"Why can't I stay mad at you Hana-chan?" She shrugs.
"Because I'm cute, beautiful, hot, sexy, and oh so smart?" Haku giggles at this as Harry snorts at her.
"Gee, aren't you modest?" Shaking his head, he drapes a arm around Haku's shoulders causing her to blush. "See what I have to deal with Haku-chan? Besides her hitting me, I also have to deal with her ego." Hana walks up and smacks him in the head before looking at Haku.
"Are you sure that you want to get involved? Let me tell you that it's a full time commitment to keep him in line. You up for the task?" Haku giggles at their interactions before nodding with a sly smile.
"Oh, I'm sure that I can do something… I have dealt with Zabuza-sama and the Demon Brothers after all." Harry starts crying crocodile tears while looking at Zabuza.
"Oh! Woe is me! However do you deal with it?" Zabuza shrugs.
"How? I just try to avoid Haku when she gets into her little moods… Not that I'm really all that successful." Haku starts glaring at him before and is about to say something when she's interrupted by Row appearing in a burst of fire. Looking at them, she blinks.
"Er… I'm not interrupting something, am I?" Harry shakes her head with a laugh.
"Nah! You're only just in time to save Zabuza from Haku-chan." He looks her over before his eyes become hooded. "So, have you got my answer?" Row nods looking serious making Zabuza and Haku nervous before she smiles.
"The answer is yes." Zabuza sighs with relief as Row continues. "The Hokage didn't even need convincing. As soon as I said that you and Naruto would vouch for them he agreed. And the same with the council." Harry smiles in relief.
"Good. And here I was thinking that I might need to blackmail Ojii-san." Zabuza blinks at him in confusion.
"Er… 'Ojii-san'? Who's your Ojii-san and how would blackmailing him make the Hokage agree?" Hana starts laughing as does Harry and Row making him even more confused. "What? Did I miss something? And how did you get your village council to agree? In my experience the village's council are the source of most of a Hidden Village's problems." Still laughing a little, Hana waves him off.
"Oh sorry, I just needed that. As to who his Ojii-san is, he's the Sandaime." Both Haku and Zabuza blink before saying the same thing.
"NANI!" Haku looks at him in shock.
"The Sandaime Hokage is your Ojii-san!?" Harry chuckles a little at this before shaking his head.
"Nah, he's not actually my Ojii-san by blood, both me and nii-san refer to him as such though." Zabuza blinks before looking at him in respect.
"Kid, you got some big brass ones I've got to say." Harry shrugs with a smile.
"Mah, their probably diamond since I can no longer feel pain when Hana-chan shows me her displeasure." Hana snorts at this.
"Only you would become immune from a nut shot by training yourself to ignore it." Looking at Zabuza, who's currently wincing, she continues. "As to how he convinced the village council? That's simple: He's a member." Haku blinks before looking at Harry with a sad look.
"You're a member of the village council of your village?" Harry nods as Haku looks even more saddened. "But then why didn't you tell me? With that info I could have convinced Zabuza easier." Harry sighs and is about to answer when Zabuza does so.
"Haku, think about it. If he had told you, you might have taken him hostage so that we could have squeezed out demands from Konoha… Hell, I would have orderedyou to do so." He looks at Harry nodding. "Very smart gaki. Very smart indeed." Harry's about to say something when Iruka runs past screaming with Hisame close behind.
"GAH! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU CRAZY WOMAN! CAN'T YOU TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!" Hisame laughs at this.
"Oh, come on Dolphin-kun! Stop playing hard to get and come here and give me a kiss!" Iruka replies almost immediately.
"OH HELL NO!" The two vanish into the trees and Harry's about to comment when Iruka starts shouting. "GAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YIPE! GET YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THERE! HELP MEEEEEE!" Hana looks at Harry before jerking her thumb in the direction they disappeared in (and from which several sounds such as crashes bangs and what sounds like a pig squealing are coming from).
"Want to go watch?" Harry looks at her icluderously.
"You want me to go with you and watch my favourite sensei, who I think of like a nii-san, get possibly raped by a crazy bloodthirsty woman?" Hana looks sheepish at that.
"Um… well, when you put it that way…" Harry suddenly grins.
"Sure! Just let me get the popcorn… This should be good, Kukukukuku!" Zabuza just sweatdrops.
'Now I'm REALLY regretting this…' After about an hour or so of watching poor Iruka trying to avoid his newest admirer, the group heads back to the house for dinner. Opening the door, they're greeted with the sight of Tsunami back at her normal age setting the table with Inari nursing several bumps while Naruto just looks confused. Seeing this, Harry barely holds in a snicker.
'Merlin, how dense is he? I mean come on! Even I can see Tsunami's interested in him and I'm pretty oblivious to all things women.' Kuro snorts in his mindscape.
'Only pretty oblivious? Kid, your like a black hole, the light just can't escape you.' Looking at Tsunami, he licks his lips. 'I got admit though, that is one hot MILF and I for one woul-' He gets cut off as Harry imagines a large anvil appearing above his head and falling on him. 'Oww…' Harry snorts at him.
'Serves you right!' Sitting down, he gives Tsunami a smile as she places some food in front of him. "Thank you Tsunami-san." She smiles at him and Naruto as he does the same thing.
"Why your welcome Harry-kun, Naruto-kun. At least YOU thank me… unlike some people." She glares at Tazuna, a gulping Kakashi and a sweating Zabuza who all then thank her while thinking the same thing.
'She's scary…' Clearing his throat, Kakashi looks towards Sakura.
"It's good to see you up and about Sakura, you had us worried there." She blushes at the attention she's getting.
"Thank you Kakashi-sensei." She looks around and notices the many smiling faces, before frowning as she comes to Sasuke, who's scowling. She grits her teeth as she presses down a surge of anger. 'That teme…' Seeing her eyes flash purple, Kakashi clears his throat to get her attention.
"By the way Sakura… I'm wondering if you got any new abilities? Harry mentioned you would and I need to know since I have to write a report on what's happened… In fact, so should you four so you can get experience doing so." The four nod (Sasuke grudgingly) as Naruto clears his throat.
"Perhaps I should explain it since I know more about it?" Kakashi gives him the nod to do so. "Sakura-chan has developed several abilities from her bite. Among them are ANBU level senses." Kakashi gives a whistle at this. "Her speed and strength have also gone up as has her stamina. Her strength has only doubled though, nothing more." Naruto starts scratching his chin. "As well, she has gained an enhanced healing factor, granted it's not as developed as mine and nii-san's but it's a powerful one nonetheless." Giving the kunoichi in question a glance, Kakashi leans forward.
"Just how powerful a healing factor are we talking about here? I've seen yours in action, so I want to know what her's are like." Naruto gives him a smirk before continuing.
"Frankly, it's more powerful then anyone's but mine and nii-san's. An injury that would take days to heal in it's own for a normal person would take just hours for Sakura-chan. Weeks worth of healing actually takes days for her. And before you ask, it MIGHT become a bloodline for her descendents… I don't know enough to tell yet." Sakura looks at him in shock as does everyone but Harry, Hana and the familiars.
"Bl… Bloodline! I could have a Bloodline!" Naruto nods slowly.
"Maybe. It's currently to early to tell, but your descendants might gain your healing factor as a minor bloodline as well as the enhanced senses. Maybe." He shrugs slightly. "That's about as much as I can test for at this time." Harry nods in agreement.
"True. However I can probably take a guess if you wouldn't mind." Naruto shrugs with a smile before motioning him on. "Dhampirs, as people who have been bitten by a Vampire and have survived are called, often times develop traits of a Vampire." He nods towards Sakura. "Now, Sakura-nee-san's a special case since as far as I know because I have never heard of anyone surviving a Nosfuratu's bite before. But I can make a conjecture on what I do know." He takes a moment to sort his thoughts. "Along side what nii-san has listed I'm willing to bet that she's also received a boost to her intelligence as well. She probably has also gained a genjutsu resistance since Vampires are well known as being immune to most illusions. I say resistance since her abilities are lesser then those of a Vampire's." He's met by silence from the rest of the group before Hana whistles.
"Whoa!" She looks towards a still shocked Sakura and pats her on the back. "That's awesome Sakura!" She nods slightly before catching a frown on both Naruto's and Harry's faces.
"There's a drawback though, isn't there?" Both nod before Naruto sighs.
"Unfortunately yes." He leans back from the table before speaking. "There are several drawbacks in fact some, like the tendency to sunburn, are minor but others are far more serious." Kakashi narrows his eyes at this.
"Drawbacks? What drawbacks? I need to know, are they dangerous?" Naruto sighs at this.
"Yes and no. One of them, thankfully, Sakura will never have to deal with thanks to me. Normally when a Dhampir dies, there's a sixty percent chance they will become a Vampire. As I said, thankfully, this won't happen in her case so we can rest easy on that." Everyone relaxes at this. "One of the other major problems is that Dhampir have trouble controlling their anger and rage. Most die because they picked a fight they couldn't win or they kill themselves so that they can protect their loved ones. Think of it as a form of bloodlust/battlelust and leave it at that." Harry takes over.
"Another is that Dhampir consider all Vampires to be their natural enemies and will often attack them on sight. This shouldn't be a problem for us since Vampires seem to be almost non-existent here in the elemental countries along with other forms of the undead. You'll also probably find you get cravings for blood as well Sakura-nee-san. But this is easily solved. The final drawback is both a gift and a curse." Sakura's silent for several moments before speaking.
"A gift and a curse… how so?" Naruto looks at her with a sad almost pitying look.
"Like me and nii-san as well as other wizards, you'll age a LOT slower then a normal human. Once a Dhampir hits their prime around age eighteen to twenty-two they start aging at only ¼ the rate of an ordinary human. Basically a normal Dhampir will age one year for every four normal human years. So let's say that normally Sakura-chan would die of old age when she reached say… ninety, now she would die of old age at around two hundred and seventy." Kakashi looks at them in shock as well as confusion as does the others. Clearing his throat, he asks the question running through their minds.
"Um, excuse me but how is living that long a problem? I would love to live that long." Harry snorts at him wearing a sneer.
"Of course you would. Humans as a whole wouldn't see a problem with living so long. Use your head sensei. If you lived that long, what would happen to your friends? Your loved ones? What would happen to them? And remember I'm talking about any children you might have since they would be included." Kakashi cocks his head to the side.
"Why they would… grow old and…" He trails off as he realizes what Harry's getting at. "That's how it's a curse isn't it? You would be forced to watch as those around you grow old and die while your still quite young and healthy." Sakura gets a stunned look on her face and looks down while tears form in her eyes.
'Everyone I know would be…' Feeling an arm around her shoulder, she looks up to see Naruto looking at her, sadness and understanding in his eyes.
"Don't worry Sakura-chan, me and Harry would be there with you." Only certain people don't look at Naruto and Harry in confusion as they both sadly smile. "Unfortunately, wizards are in the same boat with the average wizard's lifespan being one hundred and fifty while thanks to mine and nii-san's magical power we might eventually be pushing three hundred at some point." He shrugs before looking at Sakura's eyes. "Eventually, it'll just be the three of us and the familiars left of this group. But trust me when I say that we'll be here for you." She nods before grabbing him in a hug as Naruto strokes her back. After a few minutes, Naruto pushes her away slightly so that he can look at her in the face. "There now, feel any better?" She hiccups before nodding. Kakashi clears his throat drawing their attention, his plate empty.
"Thank you for the info." Clearing his throat, he gets off the subject. "On a lighter note, can I ask what those coats and vests are made of? My Chidori can pierce a boulder yet it barely went through them." Harry gives him a thankful look before he smirks.
"I don't know if I should tell you Kakashi-sensei, You'll probably call me a liar. After all, you won't believe me." Kakashi looks at him with a raised eyebrow as he watches Harry eat some of the food in front of him.
"I somehow think I will. You're so odd, nothing will surprise me." Harry glares at him before his smirk returns.
"Okay then, you asked for it." Harry leans back having finished his dinner and thanks Tsunami before continuing. "First, I'll talk about our coats. The outer layer is made of dragon hide and-" Zabuza interrupts him with a shout.
"Dragon hide! Are you kidding me! Gaki, everyone knows that dragons don't actually exist." Naruto sorts at this with an amused look.
"The same is said of wizards, yet here we are, me and nii-san are wizards." Zabuza goes red in embarrassment as Naruto continues. "Anyways, as nii-san was saying… The outer layer IS dragon hide. Lindorn as a matter of fact, which are a powerful breed and extremely hard to kill, but we managed." Harry laughs at the looks given them as Hana grumbles about not being invited. "Anyways, below that is a layer of light chain mail. To finish it, the inside is lined with Acromantula silk. And before you ask an Acromantula is a magical breed of spider that can grow to the size of a small house." Tsunami shudders at this while Sakura looks interested before she snaps her fingers.
"You know what? I just remembered reading somewhere that spider silk is stronger then steel." She looks at Naruto's silk pants. "Am I right in assuming that your pants are made of the same stuff?" Naruto nods.
"Yup! It makes a awesome light armour. We then enhanced the protective qualities with various spells making the coats and pants even tougher without sacrificing mobility. The vests are different from the coats however. The outer layer is actually Nundu hide which is extremely tough." Listening in, Inari blinks.
"Nundu? What's a Nundu? Some kind of dragon?" Naruto shakes his head with a chuckle.
"Actually no. A Nundu is a kind of… cat demon I suppose you could call it. It's native to the warmer parts of where nii-san comes from and is considered to be super hard to kill." Zabuza raises an eyebrow.
"Interesting. Just how hard are we talking about? Are they about Boss summon tough? And how big are they?" Harry gives him a nod.
"Extremely tough. I don't know how tough a Boss summon is, but a Nundu takes the wizard equivalent of about two hundred jounin to take down." Both Kakashi and Zabuza's mouths drop open. "But they're not that large actually. They're only about the size of a large Kusa lion. What makes them deadly is that they breath out a cloud containing deadly diseases…" He taps his finger against his chin. "Come to think of it, if I remember correctly one caused a plague that killed several million people just by wandering around the countryside." Haku looks downright horrified by this.
"No wonder your people hunt them…" She shivers. "Something like that shouldn't be left around." Harry shakes his head.
"Actually they're allowed to live as they would as long as they don't approach any inhabited areas." Harry shakes his head. "It's a case of 'Live and let live' I suppose. Though part of the reason could be that being so tough, no one in their right minds would fight one with out a good reason…" Harry becomes somewhat sheepish as he remembers something. "What were we talking about again?" Around him several people face fault at the sheer stupidity of the question. Hana reaches over and punches him in the head.
"We're talking about the vests." Harry nods with a thoughtful look.
"Ah! Just as I thought." Hana just punches him in the head again.
"Baka! You did not!" Naruto just shakes his head.
"Anyways… Underneath the Nundu hide we have several mithril plates covering vital spots in addition to the chain mail which is made of the same stuff, and before you ask it's an extremely tough magical metal that's stronger then steel. And we have Acromantula silk beneath that. All of it enhanced by spells of course." Sakura rolls her eyes before making a remark in a dry tone.
"Of course." She looks at Naruto's jacket with an interested look. "You know what? I'm willing to bet that quite a few ninja's would love to have stuff like this." Kakashi nods in agreement.
"True. Any idea how much it would cost?" Harry (after having removed his face from the table) chews his lip in thought before answering.
"Probably several hundred ryo for just a simple Dragon hide under vest." Harry shrugs as Naruto shrugs off his vest, not noticing the slight amount of drool from both Sakura and Tsunami as they stare at his tight black shirt. Naruto points at it.
"Our shirts are also armoured being made of a material called Kevlar." Shaking her head, Tsunami gives him a sly grin.
"And let me guess… Also enhanced with spells?" Naruto chuckles before nodding.
"Yup. As are the bracers and shin guards which are almost not needed as they're made of Orichalcum in my case which why they're golden, and Soul Steel in nii-san's hance why they're black. And before you ask, Soul steel is a magical metal that can only be found in areas where the world of the living and the world of the dead meet. And Orichalcum is from areas where it's said that sun gods walked." And so they continue to talk until after the dishes have been cleaned and put away. A few hours later finds Naruto and Harry in separate cushy arm chairs they've conjured reading. Naruto's skimming the page when two slender arms drape themselves over his shoulder as a head of pink pops into his view. "Yes?" Sakura grins at him before speaking in a sing-song voice.
"Whatcha doing?" She giggles at Naruto's mock annoyed face.
"Reading." She then asks him what he's reading which causes him to let loose a histrionic sigh. "A book." Sakura just smacks him on the back of the head before reading the title.
" 'Common healing spells for the beginning healer. By Poppy Pomfrey' Huh? Why are you reading that?" Seeing the slightly ashamed look, she growls a bit. "I thought I told you that it's not your fault!?" Naruto blushes before sighing.
"You did." She glares at him a little bit as he rolls his eyes. "I know, I know. I just felt as if I knew this stuff, I'll be more useful next time." Sakura just shakes her head.
"Baka." Slowly a smile blooms on her face. "So, good book?" Naruto nods happily.
"Yeah, actually it is. I never thought of studying healing spells before, but it seems like a interesting field. So far it's mainly about spells that heal minor cuts, bruises… you know, that kind of thing. The good news is that once Tazuna resumes work on the bridge I'll start practicing on minor injuries. But since that won't be for several days yet I'll start tomorrow by giving myself minor cuts and bruises then healing them." Sakura nods at this before looking at Harry who's reading "Magical first aid" by the same author.
"So Harry's reading up on the same stuff?" Naruto nods. "Huh. Go figure. Found anything of interest?" Naruto looks up at her with a grin.
"As a matter of fact yes. One is a muscle relaxant spell, the other is a spell designed to help a girl for that… special time." Sakura blinks before laughing.
"Oh Kami! You actually found a spell for that?" He nods causing her to giggle. "Oh, I needed that. But I guess that you can look on the bright side. You'll likely get quite a bit of practice with that one." She watches as Hana shows up and practically jumps into Harry's lap. Shaking her head, she notices Naruto holding out a book to her. She squeals seeing the title because it's the newest title in her favourite series. "Thank you!" Getting up on the arm of the chair, she leans against the back and starts reading. Across the room, Hana shakes her head at the sight.
"Man, talk about pathetic. She squealed over a book? A BOOK? I mean come on!" Harry looks up at her before answering her in a dry tone.
"I seem to remember a certain female Inuzuka doing the exact same thing after getting a romance novel involving werewolves." She pouts after wards. "Oh. And could you please remove yourself from my lap? My legs are falling asleep." Hana glares at him.
"Are you calling me fat?" Hearing the tone, Harry flinches before becoming shrugging.
"Nope. But if you don't move, I'll move you." She's about to say something when Harry's arms wrap around her and moves her so that his head is under her armpit and her back is flush against his body. "There. Much better." She blushes feeling something, but then just shrugs and wiggles a little with a smirk as she gets a groan from Harry. "Are you quite done?" She taps a finger against her chin with a mock thoughtful look before grinning.
"For now." Reading over the same things he is, despite being unable to do them, she points to a spell designed to wrap an injury with a bandage. "You know that isn't a half bad idea for a jutsu." Looking where she's pointing, Harry agrees.
"It would be. But how would you do it?" Hana looks over the spell description again.
"Maybe… Maybe if you use chakra to first stiffen it and then to force it to wrap?" Hearing a sound, the two look to see the Haimaru triplets set themselves down in front of the chair. Shaking her head, Hana looks back at Harry and smiles. "You know, normally I don't like sitting still like this if I can help it… but with you, it's relaxing." Harry looks at her with a smile.
"Yeah. I agree. It almost feels like… a completed puzzle and we're two pieces." Hana looks at him before leaning down and getting a kiss.
"For a guy, you can be quite the romantic Harry-kun…" And so they spend the afternoon. Just sitting there reading and discussing what they're looking at as well as what jutsu are similar.
00000000000 Later that night 0000000
Harry's laying in the bed inside his trunk (he had Hedwig go and get it when he realized that space was now at a premium with Zabuza and his group joining them). Unable to sleep, he starts wondering why when he realizes that for the first time in a long while he's in bed alone. Turning over, he's about to try again when he hears the door opening. Activating the Mahogan, Harry nearly sighs in relief seeing that it's only Hana though he still gulps at her sleeping attire… or lack there of seeing as she's only wearing a small tank top and panties and that's it. "Hana-chan? What's up?" He blinks as Hana actually looks nervous about something.
'Ok, you can do this Hana… It's no different then when you and him fell asleep in the forest…' She gulps at the sight of Harry's glowing, slitted eyes. "Well… with Haku and Hisame, the girl's room is actually pretty full and I was wondering if I could maybe…" Harry suddenly smiles as she blushes.
"And you were wondering if you could sleep here?" She nods only to be shocked a Harry throws the blankets aside and motions her there. Seeing her standing there, he sighs. "Hana-chan, you don't even have to ask. Besides, it's not like we haven't slept together before… wait, that came out wrong." She laughs a bit.
"Yes, yes it did." Looking at him, her expression shifts back to the slightly nervous one it had before. "Are you sure you don't mind Harry-kun? The last time I was actually in the same bed as you was four years ago now." Harry softly smiles.
"Yes, I'm perfectly sure. Now are you coming or not? It IS cold outside." He doesn't have to say anything else as Hana makes her way over and crawls in beside him before bringing the blankets back over them. He's slightly surprised when Hana is suddenly beside him and cuddled to his side, he's shocked however as he can feel her trembling. "Hana-chan? What-" He's cut off as the cuddle becomes a tight hug. "Hana-chan? Are you alright?" She softly sobs making slightly panicked so he uses a burst of magic to turn on the light beside the bed. Hana lightly sobs again.
"I'm… I'm sorry. You probably think that I'm being a baka." She feels Harry place his fingers under her chin and force her to look at him. 'Harry-kun…' Looking in her eyes, Harry notices various emotions, chief among them fear.
"Hana-chan? If something's wrong, you can tell me you know. You can tell me anything and I promise that I won't think that you're a baka." She sniffs a little.
"You… you promise?" Harry does so. And so with another sniff, she starts. "It's just that I was afraid… afraid that you were no longer here and I had to make sure that you were." Harry expression becomes confused.
"You were afraid? That I was no longer here? Hana-chan what are you…" Suddenly it all makes sense. How she was both far more affectionate for the past few days and how it was like she was trying to push herself away at the same time. Hana's slightly surprised when Harry's arms wrap around her since Harry hardly ever initiates physical contract. "It's about what happened on the bridge, isn't it?" She nods before burying her face into his neck.
"When I smelt all that blood from you… as well as saw Kakashi's hand pull away from you covered in your blood… I swore my heart just stopped. It actually felt like a piece of me died right there. Since the battle, I've been having nightmares and…" Harry nods at this, yet another piece of the puzzle falling into place.
"So that's why you've been looking so tired these past few days." She nods with a sniff as Harry tightens the hug. "You shouldn't worry Hana-chan, I would never leave you if I could help it." She shakes her head.
"You can't say that. Hell! I don't even know if I'm the right girl for you." Now the frown on Harry's face becomes even more pronounced.
"What are you talking about Hana-chan? I love you, you know that." She shakes her head.
"You say that but how do I know it's true? I mean let's face it, I'm no ones idea of a dream girl and I've had absolutely lousy luck with guys. I'm loud, rude, outspoken, course and crude… I hit you and I should know better knowing your history… Hell!" Her voice starts rising, almost hysterical now. "I know that I'm no where in the same league as someone like Haku! She's so beautiful and-Mrrph!" She's cut off as Harry kisses her after a minute, he pulls away. "Wha…" Harry reaches up and cups her cheek.
"Now, I honestly can't believe the nonsense coming out of your mouth Hana-chan. Do you honestly think I'll leave you? Not a bloody fucking chance. As to everything you just said, yes you can be all those things…" She looks down only to snap up at his next words. "But you can also be one of the kindest, energetic, caring, and loving girls I know. So what if you don't have much luck with guys? Trust me, they were baka's to the tenth degree for what they did. You're special to me Hana-chan, don't EVER think otherwise. As to not being as beautiful as Haku, that's a laugh. Yes, she has a type of almost angelic beauty… but you have a natural beauty. Haku-chan may be a angel, but you remind me of tales of Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt. Both me and nii-san HATE it when girls and women compare their beauty against someone else, because to us… there is no comparison, there never can BE a comparison. For you see Hana-chan, to us every woman is beautiful in their own way." Hana looks up at him with her eyes softly shining. Honey brown to emerald green.
"Do… do you mean it Harry-kun? Do you really think I'm that beautiful?" Harry nods down at her before giving her a light kiss on the lips and then pulling away.
"I do. To me, you're as beautiful as any goddess of the hunt Inuzuka Hana… eventually if I have my way, to be Uzumaki-Potter Hana." Hana gasps at this as this is the first time he has ever come out and said as much. Harry simply smiles at her. "Every time I'm with you I feel a surge of warmth and I just can't imagine not being with you, my Inu-hime. You managed to pierce my heart of hearts with your arrows. So never think that I don't love you, got it?" She nods quickly before just holding him, not kissing. Just holding and enjoying the feel of his body pressed against hers. Finally, she closes her eyes and moves her face up to his.
"I love you my Harry-kun… my packmate of the soul, with all my heart." And with that, she kisses him. And if it lacked the wild passion of their usual snogging sessions, it was full of love and warmth… and promise. Promise that they'd always have the other. Finally separating after what seemed like forever, they just stay like that with their foreheads touching. Reaching over, Harry turns off the light as softly glistening honey brown stares into glowing emerald…
0000000000000 The end 0000000000
Yui: (Blinks) So what was the deal with Hana?
Steve: Well, I wrote it when I was thinking about her character and I realized that quite a number of guys would be turned off by her attitude.
Yui: That's not what I meant, I meant what was with Hana dating other guys before Harry? And what was with her whole breakdown at the end?
Steve: OH! Sorry about that. As to her dating before Harry, I have no doubt that she might have given it a shot when she was younger and not so sure of her feelings, but she stopped because she felt like she was betraying Harry by dating. As to her break down... I looked at it as a way to explore her character some more. She had it because of several factors such as a release of the pent-up stress from all the waiting, the fact that Harry did what he did was similar to how they met making it feel less special, as well as simply teenage hormones... and then there's the fact that relationships between ninja probably move a bit faster due to the whole danger of dying on a mission.
Hinata: Oh... So Hana-san's okay? (Steve nods) Oh, that's good to know.
Steve: (Gains a perverted look) Oh tust me Hinata, in the next chapter Hana's going to feel real good...
Pen-pen: Wa war, wark waar waark... waarrk warrk ar wark war wa rk. (Ah yes, your first lemon... though there's no real sex in it.)
Steve: Yup! Until the next time!
00000000000 Screen fades out 00000000000000