Disclaimer: A haiku:
I do not possess
Naruto or the World of
Warcraft. That is sweet.
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
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Naruto shivered as the air around him, like gaseous ice, whipped and blew high above the mighty ocean of Azeroth. He could not see the water, however, due to the layer of clouds, thick and dark, that obscured it. He couldn't hear it either, for the sound of the blasting wind and roaring engines of the zeppelin prevented that. But it was there, far below him, that much he knew. He liked flying over the ocean the most, he thought, because the smell of the sea could reach him, even so far up. Combined with the wind, no matter how chilly, the sounds, no matter how loud, and the feeling, Naruto could honestly say that flying was his favorite thing to do; more than eating ramen, and almost on par with spending time with his friends. No matter how annoying they were the goblins had done this world a service by inventing a way for people without wings to fly.
This world…
He wondered why he still called it that.
He had been in this world for a long time. Months and months, and had done so much and seen so many places; had made so many friends and even gotten a family. Yet, no matter how much he loved this place, he always continually referred to it, both in his words and thoughts, as this world. No matter how many connections to it he had; it was still this world.
Never his.
He supposed it was because no matter how much he looked at it, he would always be separate from this world. He could not honestly call it his own—for if he did, what would his world be? Would it be that world, instead of his? He didn't want that. No, he couldn't even think of that.
Konoha was in his world—he had too many connections to it to ever abandon it. He had too many promises, too many ties that bound in that world; not physically, but there was hardly a time when he did not think of it. Konoha and its people were always on his mind. Whether it was conscious or unconscious—he always thought of the deep green forests; the chattering of the birds—his birds, whose sounds he could identify at the drop of a hat; the crowded, peaceful streets of the village itself, where it was rare for him to feel anything but at ease. He remembered all of that, and he would not—could not, let that go. Not while he still had things to do.
Not while he still had a dream, which would forever be based in that distant place that he now so desperately missed.
He sighed. He wondered how long it would take for him to return to his home. Sure, he had a promise still to keep—and he would keep it—but after everything was said and done, would Naruto be able to get home? Would there be a way for him to see his friends again?
Would he be able to keep his other promise—to take back the first person he had ever called family? Would he be able to stop Orochimaru from usurping his body? Would he be able to see Sakura-chan again?
The fact that he was so questioning of himself was troubling. He was thinking less on if he would be able to accomplish those goals, and more on if we would even be in the same world in order to contemplate accomplishing them. But that was not how Uzumaki Naruto thought. He shook himself.
He would get home. He would take back Sasuke and stop Orochimaru.
He would see Sakura-chan again.
But when?
The agony of that question plagued him constantly. It had for quite a while. He was perfectly happy to help the people of this world. They had given him a lot, and because of them, his family had grown. He was happier than he had been in a long time, because he now had people to share that happiness with. But those thoughts were still a constant. Even when he had fought The Bloodsail Buccaneers in Stranglethorn; even when he had fought off Rend Blackhand and his ghastly army; even when he had fought the Scarlet Crusade; and even when he had spent his time walking with Tyrande, simply talking and laughing with the woman he could call his mother. The thoughts never left him.
When would he go home? When would he taste Ichiraku's ramen? See Kakashi's stupidly grinning, yet mostly masked face, or hear Jiraiya's annoying introductions and see his perverted smiles and furious blushes? See Tsunade's smirk (and though he would never admit it, her prodigious chest), and hear her loudly thrashing some incompetent moron (more often than not, himself or Jiraiya)? See all of his friends: Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Lee, Neji, Hinata, Ino, Shino, and Tenten?
Or see Sakura? Hear her verbal beatings, directed at him; see her glare at him, or smile at him, or anything else?
He honestly didn't know.
And it was in the midst of these gloomier-than-normal thoughts that Kira made her presence known, popping up behind him with a loud greeting. So distracted was he, that when she announced herself, Naruto jumped, nearly toppling over the railing.
"Don't scare me like that!" the boy said, clutching his chest and gasping.
Kira rolled her eyes. "You must have been thinking pretty hard about something." She smiled at him. "Care to talk about it?"
Naruto frowned a moment, then shook his head. "Nah…it's nothing."
Kira looked at him, her head tilted to the side. "I seem to recall a situation very similar to this, though. When I was troubled, a long time ago, on a zeppelin, you came and comforted me, right?" She leaned forwards. "Let me do the same for you."
Naruto blinked at the girl a moment. Then, with a sigh, he said:
"I was thinking about home."
Kira stood a little straighter, a little startled by the words. He was thinking about home? She had known Naruto for some time now, and so she immediately thought of several different places—each of which she believed Naruto would call home. One was Orgrimmar, where he had spent many months amongst the green-skinned denizens; another was Teldrassil, the place they had just left. While either could be true, she somehow knew he was talking about the last place—his world, Konoha.
"Oh," she finally said, her former enthusiasm a little tempered, though it was difficult for her to say why. "What about it?"
The blonde shrugged a little, and scratched the back of his head.
"Just that…I wonder when I'm gonna see it again."
Kira knew before they boy had even begun to speak his answer, though. It should have been obvious; after all, he had been away from his home for a long time, taken to a place where everything seemed foreign and strange, and it was only natural to miss one's proper home.
But she had thought Naruto different.
Since she had met him, she had gotten the feeling that Naruto had been destined to come to this place. After all, had he not accepted her request, and gone off to risk his life more than a handful of times? Had he not done this for someone he had known for all but a few hours? And had he not gone to each place in this world, plagued by dangers all the way, and made friends and allies and even family in the strangest places? Didn't, after all of this, he have a connection to this world: an unbreakable bond through all of those who loved him and knew him as friend?
And yet as she asked herself that question, she found that she knew exactly the reason, as it was the same as hers for going on this journey.
He had a dream, and that dream could not be transferred to this place. It could not cross the barriers of time and space, and would forever be rooted in his world. Therefore, no matter how much he loved this world, no matter how many people he had touched, or how many friends, or even the family he had, he would someday, when the chance came, return to his own. That thought was horribly depressing.
She looked again at Naruto, who was staring back at the dark clouds beneath them, his hair whipping in every direction, his eyes slightly downcast. She knew then that she had to speak.
"You will go home," she said, smiling, "that I'm sure of. I have no doubt that you'll see your friends, and everyone you've left behind someday again." Then her eyes followed his, and became downcast. "But while you're here…don't you think you should spend time with the people you might not see again, ever? You have so many people in this world that care about you, Naruto. What will happen to them when you leave?"
Naruto gave a small shrug, and sunk down a little. "I dunno. I never really thought about that." He gave a small, sad smile. "This sucks. I wanna go home, but I don't want to leave you guys, or all the rest. That would be too painful."
Kira nodded. "So that's why you shouldn't worry about it. Your friends know exactly why you are doing this, and will wait for you. You have your promises to them, and I know that you intend to keep them, but you also have promises here." She gave him a slightly hard look, which drew his attention directly to her. "You can't abandon us either, okay?"
Naruto blinked again, staring at the girl in slight astonishment for a second, and then gave her a slight smile.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't do that. I always keep my promises! I'll follow this to the end, don't you worry!"
Kira gave him a smile in return, and nodded in satisfaction. But while she smiled on the outside, she knew on the inside that despite his words and assurances, and even when everything was over, he would go. She didn't, with all her heart, want that.
But, she did want one thing, and she knew that before they returned to Stormwind, she had to let him know it.
Before he could turn his attention back to the clouds, Kira leaned forwards and gave him a slight kiss on the lips—less than a full, passionate kiss, but more than a simple peck. He felt for the briefest moments the softness of her lips, coupled with the slight wetness derived from the constant need to moisturize one's lips in the blowing wind, and was even able to taste the sweetness from that moisture. But when it was gone, and Kira was standing a few feet away, blushing as madly as he, he reacted as appropriately as he thought he could at the time. He touched his mouth, and reddened to a point previously thought impossible. Both youths stood in this fashion for a few minutes, reveling in the strange but nice feelings they both felt from the action.
But finally, gathering the necessary courage in order to tell him the reason for her sudden action, she said with a stuttering voice, "Thank you."
Driven partially from his own blushing state by her confusing words, Naruto asked, "What? Why?"
"I'm thanking you, for all you have done, so far," she said. "I just will never be able to thank you enough for helping me. It's so incredible, that my dream is so very near completion—I just can't express how thankful I am for you, Naruto. It's because of you that I was able to do this. It's because of you that my dream will come true, Naruto." She gave him a smile of the purest joy, followed by a deep bow.
"What you did I will always treasure, Naruto. You helped me give this world a way to bring peace. Thank you. Thank you!"
She then hugged him, tightly, making Naruto's face heat up again. It was a sudden, impulsive gesture, though both enjoyed it for different reasons. Kira felt the boy's warm body, blushing a little because of it; while Naruto noticed just how much Kira had grown, with a dazed, Ero-sennin smile.
"Ahem."
Kira released Naruto with a speed rivaling the Kazaashi, and before Naruto could even process the previous sound, she was standing a few feet away from him again, red as a freshly polished apple. The originator of the sound was Matthias Hindenborough, who stood a little ways away from the two teenagers, one eyebrow raised curiously. A minute later, he snorted, and after muttering, "kids" beneath his breath, he walked up to the two. His face, normally kind and charismatic, darkened suddenly, and it was that look that dragged the two from their hormonal daze back to reality.
"Something has happened," he said. "The Stormwind zeppelin tower hasn't responded to our signals, and there is smoke in the distance."
Kira frowned at him. "Are we that close?"
"Aye," Matthias said, pointing towards the bow. "Stormwind's less than an hour that way—we'll be able to see it soon."
Worried, Kira and Naruto hurried to the front, where a significant number of the crew had crowded near the front. They parted for the two youths, and, despite the near-blinding wind raging in her face, Kira looked towards the horizon, where the clouds had parted.
Like the tails of a great black demon, plumes of smoke rose high into the air, twisting and changing in the crosswinds. Beneath them, where a haze of darkness—the metaphorical demon itself, crouched, one could see the spire of the tallest tower in Stormwind castle. Kira's mouth dropped open, and horror seized every part of her body—even her heart seemed to stop for a second, as she gazed at the towers of smoke in the distance.
"No…" she mumbled, not wanting to believe it. "No!"
Though her mind rationalized with her—telling her it wasn't Stormwind, but a section of forest or something to that effect, her heart knew the truth. And as she opened her heart, she felt it—the strongest connection that she would ever have—the bond with her people. She was suddenly overcome with pain, with terror, and with sadness. She pulled her arms to her chest, and began to scream.
"NO! NO!"
She began to shake uncontrollably, almost epileptically, and even when Naruto gripped her shoulders, attempting to steady her, she did not stop. She was crying, but she did not know it. She was staring the whole time at the smoke, and what would inevitably lie beneath it.
On her other side, Matthias watched the scene with cold eyes. Her ordered his crew to move full-speed, and reach their destination as quickly as they could.
Naruto watched the towers as well, as he clutched the fitful Kira, his eyes shadowed with worry and anger.
He could smell the death in the air, long before they reached the great city, which was no more.
-------------------------------------------------
The sight of the city was unbearable.
As they descended through the clouds, amidst the curling stalks of smoke, the ruins that lay before them were heartbreaking, even to those who had known little of it. But to everyone who had seen Stormwind in its glory, this was too much to bear. It was like witnessing the fall of a mighty warrior, cut down cruelly and in his prime, and taking ages to die. Screaming in sad agony, while all those who had loved him watched on, sickened and mortified by his final moments.
To Kira, it was as if someone had torn out, and ravaged her very soul in this manner. The pain was so great that she barely knew what was happening.
They saw fires springing up in every part of the city, in both slums and villas. They could smell the musk of burnt flesh, so strong even a thousand or more feet in the air. It became, along with the smell of burnt timber and melted iron and steel, almost unbearable as they floated down. They touched down just outside the city gates, which seemed remarkably untouched by the destruction beyond. From that, it became clear that this was not the result of a siege.
It had come from inside.
Kira meekly tottered from the zeppelin, led carefully by Kylia and Naruto, and Tsuwabuki up against her side. Matthias and his crew followed, clutching weapons of all sorts, in case the enemy remained. Naruto hurried ahead, and with a few expert leaps, was up and over the gate. He disappeared for a moment, and after some obvious fumbling, Naruto found the gate's opening lever, and pulled it. When the gates began to creak open, each movement caused Kira's heart to move faster. It was as if she believed that once the gate opened, she might wake up. This would all be a nightmare, created by her deepest anxieties. In fact, this had been the worst of her fears—that Stormwind would be attacked before she even got back.
But it was no longer just a fear—a distant worry that some part of her didn't really believe would happen. It was real. And all thoughts that it might be a nightmare were washed away, when the gate had fully opened, and Kira saw the destruction that littered the streets of her city.
The moment that realization struck her, she broke free of Kylia and Naruto, and began to run. She ignored her friend's shouts, and simply ran. The castle, she thought. She needed to get to the castle, and see Benedictus. She needed to find out what was happening.
And as she ran, she stumbled over the bodies of women and children, charred and dead, or fallen Stormwind guardsmen. She nearly tripped over the burnt skeleton of a former shopkeeper. But she did not look at them, because she knew if she did, she would not be able to move.
Kylia immediately rushed after Kira, with Naruto and Tsuwabuki in tow. But unlike Kira, whose direction was set, Naruto couldn't help but notice the death around him. He couldn't help but see, and then quickly avert his eyes, the bodies of dead citizens, strewn about like freshly scythed wheat. The sight was terrifying, and the smell was even worse. Naruto closed his eyes, and forced back the tears that threatened to spill. This was too much. This was worse than anything he had so far seen.
This had not been a battle—it had been a massacre.
----
Matthias and the others, who were no strangers to such violence, were nonetheless shocked by the brutality of the attack. Matthias bent down over a fallen child, barely six or seven, and wished he could close her eyes, which would remain open and staring in terror forever.
He noticed the burns on her body, and knew immediately that they were not the result of normal fires. A much hotter fire had killed her, one that had melted the very skin and muscle from her bones. But what had killed her must have been less, or perhaps more, than human. It had been something that regarded human lives with the same apathy that humans regarded insects, to have wantonly murdered so many in such a disgusting and scarring manner.
Matthias had seen many things in his life, but this was on a completely different level. As he tore a strip of clothe from his jacket, and delicately placed it over the girl's staring eyes, he realized that if such violence existed, then peace could never truly be achieved. He would never voice this to the girl; but he was simply convinced that if something like this could occur, then the world was beyond helping.
A sudden sound—the shifting of some wood and rock, caught everyone's attention. Matthias swung, a hand flying to his pistol, but stopped when he spotted who had made the sound.
Another child, two or three years older than the one he had been crouching over, stood next to a ruined shop. A moment later, a few other children, as well as a few adults, appeared from behind the building as well. They stared at Matthias and his crew unblinkingly, showing signs of neither fear nor aggression.
Walking slowly towards them, Matthias quickly said, "We are not the enemy, we just—"
"That is obvious," said one, and old woman with a dirt-smudged face and a tempered glare. She was dressed in a ragged dress, and her hands hung limply at her sides. "The enemy is long gone."
"What happened?"
The old woman sighed. "We got our comeuppance, I suppose you could say." Her eyes then became unbearably sad, and she spoke no more, sinking to the ground with tears flowing down her face.
----
Naruto stopped suddenly, allowing Kylia to disappear from view ahead of him. As the handmaiden's footfalls slowly vanished, he looked around.
He knew the place around him, recognizing it instantly as the place he had purchased a lot of his supplies, a long time ago, when he had first arrived. The shops where he had bought his weapons and clothes were now almost in ruins. They had been touched by fire, and many including them looked ready to collapse. The area was deserted, save for the dead.
He recognized none of those littering the ground around him. He hoped that the shopkeepers who had helped him had managed to survive. It was a small hope, and rather selfish, he knew, but he didn't want any more to die. He didn't want to see their faces join the sightless dead.
He continued walking, across the square, and down a side road that led towards the castle. On either side were half-wrecked buildings—shops and inns, and actual residences. Many had been consumed by fire, and had collapsed into massive charcoal heaps. Others had been torn apart by some great force, and their debris was strewn about the street, leaving only the foundations intact. Some were deserted; others bore the remains of their former occupants, killed in the most terrible manner, without any chance to escape. Some were still intact—remarkably unburned by fire or struck by the massive force that had demolished the others. But these too were deserted, and Naruto hoped that the occupants had long since left.
He quickened his pace, wanting to catch up with Kira and Kylia, for he felt a sudden foreboding. He ran into another square, but halfway across it, passing a ravaged fountain, he spotted something that stopped his heart a moment.
Tucked away in the corner, as it had been before, almost completely charred, was something that he didn't want to see. He rushed over, Tsuwabuki at his side.
'What's wrong?' she asked, glancing up at the boy.
Naruto bent down, unable to answer, brushing soot from a half-burnt sign.
"Stormwind Noodles" it read.
He looked up at the building. There was almost nothing left. The shop front had caved in, and was a mess of charcoal and cracked stone. Sticking from the wreckage, most noticeably, were partially destroyed tables and chairs. In another section, where the kitchen must have been, were piles of scorched stone, burnt wood, and half-melted metal. Cookware and a partially destroyed oven, as well as masses of shattered porcelain littered what was left of the floor. But what drew Naruto's attention was not the décor.
Sticking from the rubble of the kitchen were two hands, charred to the bone, just visible amidst the destruction. They were far apart enough to be sure that they belonged to two people. Because he had never seen another soul in their shop, he had no doubt that it was them.
Naruto stared numbly at the appendage, at first unbelieving. He saw the smiling face of the girl who had served him—Eliza, who had lived alone with her father, simply running that tiny shop by themselves, not unlike Teuchi Ichiraku and his daughter, Ayame. They hadn't hurt anybody, or had even done anything. They had simply been trying to make their way in the world.
They didn't deserve to die.
Tsuwabuki watched, and felt, her partner's pain. She leaned against him, her long silky tail wrapping delicately around his leg. Naruto's hands automatically moved, one stretching down and patting the vixen on the head, and the other reaching up and moving across his eyes, wiping the tears that were trailing down his face.
He hadn't known either of them that well, and he'd only eaten at their restaurant a few times.
But now he'd never have the chance to get to know them better, or eat at their restaurant again. He'd never get to partake of Eliza's smiling face and kind eyes, or her father's delicious noodles again. He'd never get to see either of them, ever again.
And so he cried for them, and all the meetings that they would never again have.
------------------------------------
Kira reached the castle, and fell to her knees.
In front of her, the mighty castle of Stormwind still stood, but rather than the bastion of power and glory it had always been, it now resembled nothing more than a ruin; a tree that had been set aflame, but still stood, charred and broken. Three of the towers had been completely destroyed, and the rest looked, even the highest, dangerously close to toppling. The courtyard in front was scorched and barren—the flowers and green grass had been wiped from existence. The front entrance was mangled, the doors lying in splintered pieces on the ground.
But the walls around the castle were completely intact.
But Kira hardly noticed that, in her distress. Her weeping began afresh, and lasted until Kylia ran up behind her. Seeing her mistress in such a state, she quickly lowered herself to the ground, and wrapped her hands gently around Kira. Kira didn't turn, but latched onto the girl's arms with all she had.
"I'm sorry, mistress," Kylia whispered, burying her face in Kira's clothing. Tears of compounded pain—for her home, and for her mistress, welled up in her eyes. It was but a moment that the two sat there, in silent tears, before a voice cut into their grief.
"Who is there?"
Kira looked up. A man, clad in the garb of the Stormwind Guard, stood there, staring at the girl with confusion and distrust. His armor was dented, dirty and scorched, and he wore no helmet. He was young, and had sandy hair and blue eyes.
Even in her despair, Kira recognized the man. He had been a guard she had frequently spoken to in her journeys throughout the castle when she was a child. He had told her jokes and whispered to her the best ways to get around without being seen. His name was Eric, she remembered. She opened her mouth to say his name, but was beaten, for he suddenly recognized her with a gasp.
"Princess!" he said. "Princess, is that you?"
She nodded, and began to wipe the tears from her eyes, trying to compose herself. "Y-yes, it's me."
The man stared at her in astonishment for a second, then fell down and hugged her tightly, much to her surprise. His grip was almost uncomfortable, due to his armor, and he almost crushed Kylia's arms beneath his dented breastplate. Beneath the river of tears that flowed down his face, was a wide smile that spoke relief and joy. The smile was heartening, and soon Kira found herself hugging back, despite the situation. He was so happy, so honestly glad that she was back that he had abandoned all pretences of class or relations. And she was glad for simply his presence. Like a single flower growing from the barren earth of a desert, this man was proof that life remained in this place.
When he released her, he stood, and seemed to compose himself. His face still bore the remnants of smiling, but he seemed to have remembered both his station, and the environment they were in. He looked away from her, suddenly ashamed.
His earlier shouts had echoed, and after he pulled away, a group of guards appeared from behind the wrecked castle, and hurried towards them.
"What is it?" said one.
"What's happening?" said another.
Eric quickly wiped his face, and looked at an older gentleman with red hair, who stood in the lead of the group, his obvious senior.
"Sir, it's Princess Kira! She's back!" he cried.
The red-haired man blinked, and then looked at Kira and Kylia, both of whom were in the process of composing themselves. Upon sighting Kira's pretty, purple eyes, ones that he had seen every day for many years, jarred his memory of the girl, and without a second thought, he bowed deeply. The others, seeing their leader bend his head so swiftly, followed suit, until all but Eric were prostrated before Kira.
"Princess!" they shouted to the ground, as if afraid to look at her.
Kira looked at them all, traces of feelings that she didn't believe she could feel in such a time weaving their way into her. She was glad for them, glad of their presence, and their life. Glad that in this destruction, there was still something as she remembered it—these people, the guardians of her city. She could feel their shame, and knew that it was because she had returned to see the city in this state. They had failed to protect it, and for that, they were saddened and ashamed. Nothing she said would take that feeling from them.
But, as their princess, she had to try.
"T-thank you," she whispered, bowing low to them. When she straightened, she brushed some fresh tears away. "Thank you for being here."
Nobody responded, but they sat up, and she knew that her words had heartened them, if even for a moment. But now, she needed them.
"Where is Archbishop Benedictus?" Kira asked, softly but desperately. The red-haired man looked up, into her eyes, so full of terror and worry and pain. He met them only for a second, before looking away, and saying softly:
"The Infirmary, My Lady."
Kira gave them a swift, deep bow, before turning and bolting off in that direction. Kylia was a mere second behind. The two girls were mere blurs when they passed a startled Naruto and Tsuwabuki, who had just arrived on the scene. It took Naruto a few moments to collect himself, and after glancing at the ruined castle and the group of guards, he took off in Kira's direction, Tsuwabuki loping after him. The guards watched them go, two of them getting a nagging feeling that they had seen Naruto somewhere, long, long ago.
--------------------------------------
When Naruto finally caught up, Kira had stopped outside a large building, relatively untouched by the carnage displayed in the rest of the city. It was made of white stone, and about as big as Konoha's hospital. It looked, however, so much smaller, because of the number of people who had crowded around it.
There were people everywhere—fitting into every spare nook and cranny the street and alleyways around the Infirmary had, and so bunched together that it there didn't appear to be an inch of spare space in sight. They lay on blankets or makeshift stretchers, many wounded and unconscious, and many sitting up and being tended to by one of the dozens of healers that peppered the crowd. These healers were doing everything they could—some applied medicine to stinking, gangrenous wounds; others eased pain to those in the throws of fever, using jutsu; more were dishing out food and water to those who needed it most; and still others were pulling white sheets over those who had stopped moving, and would never do so again.
The air was filled with moans and pained grunts. Children cried—whether for their own hurts or their parents'. It was filled with the awful stench of dead flesh, blood, and infections; and the acrid scents of medicine to fight such infirmities mixed into these, creating a disgusting cloud that made Naruto nearly gag, and Tsuwabuki shy away, while Kira and Kylia needed to step back.
But the sight of it—the pain and the sadness that flowed from every person present, was more than enough to motivate Kira. Her first instinct was to help, but it was overridden by her second, which felt more pressing. She started forwards, her eyes beginning to scan the healers for any sign of Benedictus. She looked upon the ground to, but when she did, she grew terrified that she'd find him there.
All the while she searched, she fought to keep from breaking into renewed sobs when she saw a covered body, or an old man or young child in a state that would soon require a white sheet. These were her people! She felt, no matter how faultless others might have considered her in this situation, so terribly guilty. The guilt increased with every step and every sight.
"Excuse me," she finally said desperately to a healer. "But where is Archbishop Benedictus?"
The healer, and aging, matronly woman with large hands, looked at her for a moment. It too took her a moment to recognize Kira, and when she did, she nearly dropped the soup tray she was holding in shock.
"P-princess!" she gasped, stepping quickly backwards, her eyes wide.
"Please," said Kira softly, her eyes imploring the woman to rein her surprise and answer her question.
The woman, who had known Kira ever since she had begun training with Benedictus, composed herself. Her composition, however, was marred a second later by a terribly sad look, not unlike the one the guard had given her.
"Inside, Your Highness. He is on the second floor, room five."
Kira gulped, her fears coming true with those words. Fighting back tears, she thanked the woman and hurried by, and into the building.
Kylia and Naruto, who had been watching Kira since the beginning of her search, now moved after her into the building. Naruto passed each person, wishing that he could somehow help them. He had never once wished so much that he knew some healing jutsu. The pain reflected on everyone's faces, and their longing to be free of that pain, was horrible to see, and even more horrible to just walk by, unable to help.
Inside, Kira had vanished. The hallways were crowded with ailing people and healers, all performing the same duties outside. They stopped one, and asked where Archbishop Benedictus was, and then followed their directions up, to where they would find their friend.
When Kira entered the room, and sighted her master lying between crisp white sheets and a heavy ivory duvet, Kira finally did begin to cry. She slowly walked over, and looked upon Benedictus' face.
The old man looked pale and weak. His golden eyes were closed, and his face, once so full of life and power, now seemed lifeless and broken. He looked small, and none of the presence that she had once admired remained in him. It was only by the slight rising of his chest that she knew he was alive.
She fell to her knees, and lay her head near his body, weeping. It had been months and months since she had looked on her master's face, and into his eyes. Now, unable to look into his eyes, and not wanting to look upon his weakened form and face, she could do nothing but weep for him, and her people, for the pain that they had been afflicted with. The flood of tears came out non-stop, and her silent sobs made her body shake like a rattle without its contents.
Her city was in ruins. The enemy responsible was gone. Her people were dead or ailing and in so much pain and despair that no matter where one went, it could be felt. The shock of the situation was long gone, and what replaced it was nothing short of the greatest despair she could have ever felt. This was worse than any nightmare she had dreamed of.
Because it was reality.
"Ahh," a soft voice above her said. "Now is not the time for crying, little one."
Kira looked up.
His face was turned towards her, and his eyes were open. The shining gold orbs that she so remembered were there, and though his face was still sunken and weak, those eyes were filled with the energy that he had always had. In fact, after being away so long, they seemed brighter than ever before.
"Hello, Kira," said Benedictus, lifting a hand, and placing it squarely on Kira's head.
"Master!" Kira gasped, and thrust herself upon the ancient man, wrapping him in a fierce hug that would have surprised a tauren with its strength. Benedictus winced in pain at the suddenness of the movement, and the areas that Kira was aggravating, but he did not pull away. He held her, as she wept again, making small circles on her back.
He smiled warmly, because he was just as happy to see her, as she was to see him.
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"Now, now," Benedictus finally chided. "I did not expect this young woman before me to be such a child! Dry your tears, now, won't you? There are things we must discuss."
Kira pulled away, and wipe her eyes again, and removing the wet trails left by her tears. She looked at Benedictus again, but saw that he was looking elsewhere. He was staring at the door, where Kylia, Tsuwabuki, and Naruto now stood.
"Come in," the old man said, gesturing weakly to them. "It is proper that you hear this as well, is it not?"
They came in, with slight trepidation. Kylia because she was in the presence of Kira's master, and one of the most powerful men in Stormwind, and Naruto because he remembered the creepy old man; he had met him just after he had Kira, only briefly. He had been a little strange, and Naruto had not forgotten that.
Benedictus tried to sit up, but Kira, with a sudden gasp, tried to stop him.
He clicked his tongue, and stared at her irritably. "You're more like those nurses than I'd thought, young lady. I'm not so weak that I can't sit up. I'm not that old, you know!" To prove his point, he struggled up with his arms, and finally was in a sitting position. Upon reaching this state, he sat back, clearly exhausted, but triumphant. He cast then, a grave look at Kira and her friends.
"It is unfortunate, my dear, that you came at such a time. Or perhaps, it is fortunate, because you likely missed certain death."
"What happened?" Kira asked, the question having been burning in her mouth for some time now.
The old man sighed.
"I made a foolish mistake, that is what," he said. "I sprung my trap to early, and I did not take into account the direness of the situation. That disgusting snake played me for a fool until the very end, even when I thought I had had her."
"Who?" Kira asked.
"That vile beast—Lady Prestor. Or should I saw, Lady Onyxia."
Kira's eyes widened. Prestor? The Lady Prestor, was the cause of this?
"Lady Onyxia…?" she whispered.
"The daughter of Deathwing," said Benedictus, hollowly. "The leader of the Black Dragonflight of the Dragonmurk in Dustwallow; the one who destroyed Theramore—and also the one who helped kill your father, and destroy the Alliance of before."
Kira's face had gone white. Her thoughts turned back to all the times she had seen and spoken with Lady Prestor. She had been kind, if a bit aloof, and had possessed much of the beauty and dignity that Kira had always wanted to possess. She had commanded the respect of all of the Council, including her father—she had even guided Anduin, when he had been young, before he could legally rule.
That Lady Prestor was the fearsome Onyxia of legend: a dragon of the Black Flight, who had inflicted terror and evil upon the world for thousands of years before? Daughter of the mighty Aspect, Deathwing?
She simply could not believe it.
Benedictus' explanation unfolded from there. He told her all he had suspected, and all the steps he had taken to expose her. He told her of his grave miscalculation, and Onyxia's revelation—that he had driven Mekgineer Thermaplugg to betray the gnomes, and had slowly driven her father to madness with her dark spells. He then told her of her exposure, and the terror that had unfolded after.
Upon shedding her human form, Onyxia had called forth the dozens of Stormwind Guardsmen that she had made into her dragonspawn, as well as Captain Schaun, a Black Drake that was of her personal guard. They had proceeded to ravage the city, killing anyone who strayed into their path. Due to the constant fighting, and the confusion, the people were unable to organize any sort of coherent defense—rather like, Benedictus coldly noted, what had occurred at Theramore. Several were defeated in the ensuing fight, but for every one dragonspawn slain, a thousand or more people had died.
While her minions attacked the city, Onyxia herself had dealt with the Council. Without much trouble, she had slain over half the Council members, while the others either battled to escape with their petty lives or had tried to fight back. Benedictus and Coutrend, along with three other nobles, had fought the Brood-mother of the Black Flight, using skills born from years of experience. It was from this fight that Benedictus had nearly died, not from the wounds, but from sheer exhaustion. It was from sheer desperation that they fought, with tooth, nail, and any technique that came into their minds. The castle had been demolished systematically in this way, torn apart by the wild fighting of man and beast.
By the end, the city was alight with the dark fires of the Black Dragonflight, the streets were strewn with bodies and drenched in blood, and the castle lay wrecked and smoldering. Only Benedictus and Lord Coutrend, along with one of the three nobles who had helped fight Onyxia, remained. They had not been victorious—Onyxia, not by any stretch beaten, but wounded by Benedictus' final attack, had retreated with her flight into the sky, likely to return to the dank, evil swamps from which they came. Benedictus had collapsed then, and had been bedridden ever since. He had seen nothing of Coutrend and the other noble; but from his dealings with the surviving Guardsmen, he knew the state of the city.
Upon finishing his narrative, Benedictus sunk back, and closed his eyes.
"Forgive me," he whispered.
Kira was not sure if he had directed the plea at her, or at some invisible or memorable figure that he was recalling then. But when the silence stretched, she felt she had to speak.
"You have done all you can, master. You've done so much, and if it hadn't been for your discovery, it could have turned out much worse…" she didn't know, even then, if she really meant that. But she felt no anger towards her master—she couldn't.
"Perhaps," the old man said softly, opening his eyes. He turned his head slightly, and looked at her. "But it was not good enough. I was unable to protect and keep things in order, even before this event. Had you returned before this—it might not have been at all different. What is now pain and despair was once violence and fear. And it is because of my foolishness. Forgive me."
"No."
Benedictus looked up, meeting Naruto's eyes for almost the first time. The blonde had stepped forwards, and was looking squarely at the old man.
"I'm telling you, none of this is your fault. You did the best you could do, or else you wouldn't be Kira-chan's master, right?" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, assuming his typical position for this situation. "So like you said, now's not the time for tears or blaming or anything like that." He pointed out the window, to the ruinous city. "It's time to start helping these people."
The old man gazed curiously at the boy. He had only spoken directly to him once before, and from that he had gotten a general idea of the boy's personality: stubborn, rather rude and uncouth; but powerful, and exuberant, and overflowing with determination. And now, from hearing him speak but once more, he saw the thing that had sent that boy around the world and back.
It came in the form of but a simple feeling in his heart, rising up in such quantities that his pain seemed to lessen, and he felt ready to stand up and out of bed. It was a power that could create feeling in the coldest of hearts, and keep it stoked and ready, with but his very presence. And it was at once that he truly saw why Kira had chosen him.
"Ahh," he said, with a kind smile, and at once Naruto was struck by a vision of the Sandaime, smiling a very similar smile. "You are right. Now is not the time." The old man sat up, straighter.
"Of course, we cannot help yet. For, there is something that must be done before that."
Kira glanced at him. "What?"
The man's features were morphed by a sudden shadow, as he said, "We must hunt her down. We must seek Onyxia and her brood, and finish them."
Kira's eyes widened. "What? But we have no way of doing that, master!" She glanced at Naruto. "There is hardly anybody to even take up the challenged, and if you, or even a group of dozens of the city's best, at Theramore, couldn't defeat her, then who else could…?"
"There are many reasons why I could not defeat her," he said, slowly. "I have little attack strength, and in the battle, it was only Coutrend and a few other mages who stood up against her. I provide support, as most priests do, and she is extremely resistant to mental and physical attack. You should know this—you have studied dragons on countless occasions.
"And as to your second point, it is true that Theramore had far more people, but in such a case, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. It was comprised, yes, of many of the people considered to be Stormwind's best, but they were not any sort of organized fighting force. They were those who had proved themselves worthy enough to go—therefore, anyone, whether mercenary, hunter, hedge wizard or wandering priest, who had the skill to accurately take on a force of dragons. They lacked camaraderie, and experience in working in groups—in short, they fought by themselves, despite being part of a small army. Back then, too, Onyxia was in possession of a formidable army of dragons. It would be foolish to think that, even with all her power, she could take on that many warriors alone. And it would be foolish, too, to think that she had not suffered many losses in that attack. Because she claims her eggs were destroyed, and no doubt many of her flight perished in the actual attack on Theramore, she is now weaker than she has ever been. Add to that my own wounding of her. Now is the perfect time to strike, and I have just the means to do so."
"You do?" While worry was still painted clearly on her face, dabbles of intrigue and confusion had appeared as well.
"Indeed," he said, softly, with a kind smile. "And they should soon arrive." He then reached out, and stroked her smooth face. "But now it is time for the lost Princess to return. It is time, now, for Kira Wrynn to make herself known to her people."
Kira's face changed again. She assumed a look that Naruto had seen only a few times before—one that he now realized reminded him of someone. It was clear of emotion, but not hard or cold. It was stern, yet determined and kind, and though within her eyes the pain and worry lingered, she did not let it show through.
Naruto grinned, upon seeing that face, for he knew what it meant, and knew that it would be the fact that greeted those weakened people—it would be the face that brought them back to strength.
----
It was not long after, only a day, in fact, before the news Benedictus had been predicting came.
A courier came to the Infirmary, rushing up with eyes wide and face red.
"Princess, Lord Regent—there is a very strange group here who wish to meet with you."
While Kira looked at her master with puzzled eyes, Benedictus smiled his old man smile, and directed the man to send them immediately to him. The man departed as quickly as he came, while Benedictus struggled out of bed, much to Kira's distress.
"I want to be there to see this," the old man said. "Fetch that boy, Naruto, will you? He will need to be here for this."
A few minutes later, Kira, Kylia, Naruto and Tsuwabuki stood outside the Infirmary, while an aged nurse helped support a grumbling Benedictus. Neither Naruto nor Tsuwabuki knew exactly what was happening—only that Benedictus had requested their presence, for it pertained as much to them as it did to Kira.
"It is the fruits of your labor," the old man said softly, his eyes twinkling cheerily.
And when the courier returned, with a mass of people trailing behind him, Naruto knew exactly what he meant. Had he the jaw of a snake, he would have unhinged it at that point simply to make his mouth open wider in shock.
"Yo! Naruto, it's been a while, hasn't it?" boomed Kaine Bloodhoof, crossing his massive, hairy arms and grinning down at the blonde with his large bovine teeth. Across his back was Cairn's Wartotem, as large and brutal as ever.
"Hey, Naruto, it's been even longer—"
"—hasn't it?" said Linkizzle and Rurizzle, the gnomes that Naruto had befriended ages ago. They bore matching black suits, and wore thick, bright green goggles not unlike Naruto's.
"Aye, ya might've grown a' bit talla', I'd say!" grinned Undrig, who now sported a shiny new set of silvery armor, and a new massive hammer strapped to his back.
"Aya' been workin' on me language, mon," rumbled Gen'rash, making a sunny grin at the blonde from behind his mighty tusks.
"Hmph. Are you less annoying than before, brat?" said Golbarn, his hand on the mighty blade always at his side, and his familiar glare in place.
"Doubt that, eh? I mean, annoyingness just gets getter with age," snickered Fenritt, smirking as best his face could at the orc. "Eh, Myrdraxxis?"
"Unfortunately, he's right," the sullen rogue said, as unchanged as ever.
"But it's his annoying quality that makes him so loveable," giggled Neera, smiling at Naruto as if he had never left. "Right, my lady?"
"Arguably," said Shandris Feathermoon, smiling serenely at the boy.
"So does that mean if I'm as annoying as Naruto, you'd love me?" asked Fen, turning immediately to the elf girl with a makeshift sleazy grin.
"If you grow back all of your skin, and had eyes, yeah, I might!" Neera retorted, grinning at the Forsaken, who pouted.
Kaine cast a look at the two gnomes, the two elves, and the dwarf. "We're outnumbered, Gen'rash, Golbarn!"
"Congratulations, you can count," said Golbarn, raising an eyebrow at the tauren.
"It must have—"
"—taken him the whole way over to realize that, eh?" snickered the two gnomes.
Kaine puffed up, glaring at the little men, and boomed. "I'm not entirely sure what you just said, but I think it was an agreement, you bastards! I'll kick your asses!"
As all this occurred, Naruto began to laugh. He laughed not only with joy, but because he now knew that that dragon lady stood no chance. She could never win—not with his friends on his side. Not with all of them with him.
She would pay.
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Onyxia screamed.
The cavern seemed to explode with her rage and pain. It shook horribly and fire erupted from the cracks that lined the floor, where molten rock flowed beneath. The walls were shaped with fire unnaturally hot, hot enough to reduce the toughest of metals to pools in mere seconds. They were smooth and perfectly shaped, curving upwards into a dome at the top. They were etched with designs of all sorts, in some arcane language that nobody but the chamber's sole occupant could understand. It was big enough to fit the entirety of Stormwind Castle within, perhaps even more. A river of fire flowed around the chamber, like a great moat, and the floor was littered with broken rock.
In the center of it, the brood-mother screamed and shook and raged. She raged not in the physical pain that she felt—her left bottom leg was grievously wounded, thanks to a final, lucky shot of the Archbishop. The pain came from the memories that now tortured her, burning her more than any physical wound could.
'"Why?" she roared to herself, liquid fire streaming from her nostrils, her violet eyes blazing. "You are not avenged! My children, I can still hear you!"
The echoes of her voice were the only response.
"I will make them pay! Worry not, my children, my brother! They shall all die! They will wish that I had sent them all to hell!"
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Done.
Not much to say. I'm glad everyone like the revelation, even though I thought it was a little crappy. I hope this chapter is up to standards—it's time to bring back all those loveable characters that we've met up so far. This is the last arc in this part of the story.
Hope you enjoyed it. Seeya next week, I hope! This week is looking pretty busy, but I think I can push out a chapter by at least next Sunday or Monday.
Seeya then!
Corrected Kaine's line—He's no longer so proficient in common.
General Grievous
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Nozdormi –
kweh
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I have flip-flop disease today. Off again.
General Grievous