Disclaimer: This will be repeated above here, and I will not delete it this time, just to shake things up a bit
Disclaimer: This will be repeated above here, and I will not delete it this time, just to shake things up a bit. I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft.
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
While Jiraiya's foray into revealing at least a portion of the Kyuubi's origins had been shocking, it was nothing compared to what came next.
Have fun? He was being ordered to have fun?
Barring the fact that it seemed completely besides the point to be ordered to have fun, Naruto couldn't imagine why they were being asked to take a break from the duties they'd been given not only for the rest of their lives, but during such an important time as well. The largest and most bitter war in the history of any shinobi village towered before them, a war that not only spanned the gap between two worlds, but the entirety of those two worlds; a war that threatened to tear it all apart and scatter it to the four winds like a raging tornado would a poor old shack.
And they were expected to have fun? Now?
Not that Naruto wouldn't—he was all for fun. He just couldn't imagine it being forced on him.
"What is this, like a D-Rank mission?" he complained before Jiraiya left.
"No," Jiraiya said. "S-Rank. Very serious."
"That's against the whole purpose of fun!"
"I'm sure you'll manage." With everything serious that Jiraiya had said in the past few minutes, it seemed odd when his familiar lecherous smile returned. "Besides, you've got two girls in there itching to take you to the fayre."
"I've what—"
"Better set your mind to that for a moment," Jiraiya said. "In two days I'll be back to start your training again."
"But what—" he couldn't manage any more. Jiraiya was off, bounding into the cooling black night, soon gone, leaving only stark silence. Seeing as how his smile hadn't disappeared, Naruto had an idea of where he was off to.
He encountered nobody on his way back to the great hall, which was surprising as it was completely empty—save for, as Jiraiya had told him, two girls.
Sakura and Kira both looked rather surprised with each other, as if neither could figure out why the other had remained behind, when in fact it was quite clear to both of them. When Naruto entered the room, both girls looked at each other nervously, and then moved towards Naruto as he approached.
"So what's this about the Darkmoone Fayre?" Naruto asked, before either could say anything. "Who came up with this?"
"Benedictus," Kira said. "He'd been planning it for a while, especially since the war is probably going to put a damper on some of the more popular holidays around here—Brewfest, Hallow's End, The Harvest Feast…" she gave a little shrug. "I do not see anything wrong with it, though. I suppose we might need it."
"Yeah," said Naruto, nodding firmly. "But…I dunno," he shrugged as well. "It's hard to imagine trying to have fun right now."
"I suppose," Sakura said, wringing her hands together behind her back, and like Kira, avoiding looking directly at Naruto. He glanced between the girls, feeling a lump form in his throat and for once he felt bereft of anything to say. He suddenly wished he hadn't said anything about it to Tenten, because now he couldn't stop thinking about what they'd talked about…
You'll need to choose one of them eventually…
How come it happens like this, he thought. Why couldn't I have at least a couple of days to sort it out? Do I have to choose now?
"So…" he said.
Neither girl answered. They just looked at him, almost expectantly.
"Uhm," he said. "What're you guys doing for the fayre?"
The girls exchanged glances. "Not sure," said Sakura.
"I want to see what's different about it, at this point…" Kira said, shuffling her feet.
"Ah," Naruto said, nodding a little. "That's good." Why'd he say that? What was good?
Sakura cleared her throat. "Who are you going with?" The words came out, but nobody there really understood them. They came as a shock, even to their speaker, and it took a few seconds for everyone to realize what had been asked.
"Eh?"
"Going with," Sakura said again, her face a little flushed, still looking as if she was trying to understand her words herself. "To the fayre…"
"Uhm…" Naruto said, opening his mouth, and then closing it, his mind going blank. "You guys…?"
The two girls exchanged glances, clearly unhappy with his answer, but they didn't say anything towards it. They seemed unsure of what to say, unsure that if they did say something it wouldn't offend or betray the other, who probably felt the same way about the situation. There was too much of an awkward silence to get much conversation going again, so they all stood there, in dark silence, waiting for an idea to present itself.
The wind whistled a monotonous tune. In the city, carts clattered and there were distant shouts of workers and shopkeepers calling for an end of the night's activities, the last ware's to be sold. Somewhere far away there was soft chanting, likely from the outskirts where the trolls, orcs and tauren lived. Naruto focused his attention on all of that, so when Kira finally spoke it came as a shock and he almost missed what she said.
"How about we split up the night, you know, I go with you for half of the fayre and Sakura goes with you the other half? Does that sound, uhm, fair?" She stuttered as she said it—why the hell did he feel so nervous? Was it because they were? Was it just because of what Tenten had said to him?
He stumbled over his own words. "Uh, sure, let's…uh, do that."
Sakura nodded in agreement, not wanting to speak and show her own inability to form coherent sentences.
"G-great," said Kira, nodding firmly. "Then we should get to bed. Sleep." She corrected, flushing at the previous implications that nobody else would've understood in the situation.
"Right," said Sakura. "Good night, Naruto," she strode past him, a little too quickly, and Kira followed. Naruto was soon alone, and for once, he was very much glad for it.
Before they went to bed, Kira and Sakura stood in the darkened hallway on the second floor, not looking at each other, but not moving to their separate rooms. They seemed to be waiting for words to come to them; they both knew what they wanted to say, but finding the correct words to say it was something else.
Clearing her throat again, Sakura looked up, and met Kira's violet eyes, which were hard to see in the gloom of the night. But they were different from when she had last met them. Hard, determined, like her own—or how she wanted hers to be in that moment, and she hoped she was pulling off.
"I guess," Sakura said, "we'll have to push back agreement a little bit further, right?"
Kira nodded. "It would seem so."
"I'm not used to be civil about this sort of thing," Sakura said, shifting a little. "But I want to be. I don't want it to end up like last time, with Ino."
"I do not want that either."
"Then," Sakura nodded, both to Kira and herself, as she turned towards her door. "I hope it goes well. Good luck."
"You too, Sakura." Kira flashed a half-smile, and went to her own room. With each stride they took away from each other, their confidence grew. They had two days of fun, and they knew exactly how they were going to spend it. They would not lose.
Perhaps, Sakura thought as she went to bed, it was better to have a rival in this sort of thing. Sakura did well with competitions, and if it got over this strange nervousness that she was beginning to feel around Naruto, a nervousness that she'd never felt before and was finding increasingly difficult to ignore, and pretend was not there, then she was all for it.
It was the first proper date she'd ever been on. And she would do it right.
And with Naruto, no less. It was a strange feeling, but a good one, and when she finally fell asleep she dreamt of all the things that could happen, and they were all good. She was getting more comfortable with these feelings, little by little. For once, Sasuke did not even enter her thoughts.
Not even once.
--
The next day was crisp and fresh, with a light fog draping across the city in the morning and clearing by noon. The rays of the sun flushed the city with a lighthearted tone, for news was quickly spreading of the fayre that had arrived, without herald or expectation, on the outskirts of Stormwind City. A mile away from the walls, in an expansive field within the Elwynn Forest east of the castle, the banners and peaked tents of the Darkmoone Fayre could be seen.
Goblin and gnome curriers entered the city and heralded its coming, promising never before seen excitements: a grand feast that would last the night; a house of horrors that would show the world the most awful, creepy-crawly beasties and beings to exist and the stories behind them; a drinking contest for only the most veteran ale-drinkers; a performance by the legendary band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain; and amusements greater and lesser that those who had seen the fayre before would know and love. Soon, the city was bubbling with excitement, and in that the dreary atmosphere was lost.
"They want to take a break," Benedictus said to Kira, as they watched a group of chattering housewives leave the Cathedral to get themselves ready for the fayre. "So much hate is taxing on everyone. To be able to forget it is a wonderful thing for all of them."
"So this wasn't just for us?" Kira said. Her heart beat each second with greater and greater joy, so much so that she couldn't keep her smile from growing ever wider. It was like nothing was wrong, like the world was at peace. She couldn't believe it.
"Of course not," Benedictus said, grinning tiredly, like an old man. "It was for everyone. To show them a little bit of happiness before the darkness comes."
Kira nodded. She didn't linger at the cathedral much longer, and took her time walking back to the castle, both to savor the temporary festive joy and to think a little longer on what she was going to about that evening.
She still didn't even know what she was going to wear!
She was nervous and excited, and confused, and a million other little emotions bothered her constantly too, never letting her forget the wrongs that could be done, the horrors of what could happen on a date gone wrong and the repercussions afterwards. What would they do? How long would she spend with him? Would she be first or would Sakura? What would happen? Would it go well or wrong? How would it go well? How could it fail? Was Naruto—
She stopped and fixed her attention on a group of shopkeepers loading food into wagons, which were driven by goblins in the festive garb of the Darkmoone Fayre—black and purple doublets with green feathered hats and pointed shoes, as if they were the elves of Winter Veil on holiday. There was no point in wondering how it might go. They would do it, and it would be fun. And maybe something else would happen. Who knows?
But a young girl's heart was never so easily settled. She told herself that, but it never worked. There was always that general sense of the embarrassment of something going wrong, no matter what.
A few times she had to marvel at the thoughts she was having. For some reason, the outside world seemed…less important. No, that wasn't right, it was equally important but she'd never really thought about things like this. She'd never conceived thoughts that normal girls her age would. It was…strange.
She shook herself again as she neared the castle. She wouldn't get another chance like this. Not for a while, if ever. Why not make the best of it?
It was the same thought Sakura was having at that moment, a dozen yards away in the confines of her room, though not being the queen of her own country made it easier to reconcile. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about things like this before, it was just she was still having trouble adjusting to the fact that she was not only directing all of her energy into it for the moment, but it was going towards somebody she hadn't expected.
Naruto.
It took her the better part of the afternoon to make her feelings clear to herself. She liked him. Both as a friend, and potentially more. She couldn't explain it—what had changed? Why did she like Naruto in a way different from before? And why did it feel so different from how she had felt for Sasuke?
Ino was helpful, in a way. Sakura had barged in on the girl when trying on some of the outfits that she'd purchased earlier that day to see which would be "most alluring". Sakura wasn't sure who Ino was trying to impress, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it was different from what Sakura would expect. But the two had gotten to talking, and Sakura hadn't been able to stop herself from voicing her concerns.
"Maybe because you didn't like Sasuke as much as you thought you did," Ino said, wincing as Sakura tugged out a knot in her hair. "Ow! You'd better not rip any out, forehead-girl."
"Quiet," Sakura said. "And what do you mean by that?"
"I mean, let's face it, it was a childish crush conceived when you were like, ten. Ten-year-olds have no idea what love feels like. You liked him because he was good-looking, not because he was kind or anything like that."
"Is that why you liked him?"
"That's why everyone liked him," Ino muttered, not wanting to be reminded of the fact that she had once crushed on a psycho-traitor like Sasuke. She'd gotten over it quite quickly after that had become clear. "The point is you grew out of it."
"But I still like Sasuke…" Sakura didn't sound sure of herself. She didn't feel sure of herself.
"I doubt it. Not like you think at least. You do like him, I guess, but it's probably more in a friend/brother way, like Naruto. I can do a test if you like." Ino grinned at her.
"Alright."
"Imagine yourself in a bed. Sasuke's right next to you, naked—"
"What!"
"Shocking? Exciting?" Ino said, with a grin. She didn't need an answer—the look on Sakura's face said it all. "That proves it."
"Proves what?"
"That you don't like him, romantically, at least."
"That doesn't prove anything," Sakura mumbled.
"Okay, now picture Naruto in the same situation…"
Unbidden, the image came to mind too fast for Sakura's liking. She nearly choked, despite not having anything in her mouth except drool.
"You're too easy, forehead-girl…" Ino said, laughing at the blush on Sakura's face. "That does prove it—"
"That doesn't prove anything," Sakura said. "Just that my taste in men is different from how I thought it'd be. Besides, I never even really thought of Sasuke in that way either…"
Ino shrugged, and then sighed. "I suppose he's sort of the 'untouchable prince' character you here about in manga and stuff, right? He's not the sort of physical person that Naruto is. He's good looking, but sort of like a flower, I suppose…"
"I think that's a blatantly wrong comparison, Ino-pig," Sakura said. Sasuke as a flower did not suit her image of him.
"Whatever. But the sooner you realize you like Naruto—maybe even love him—the better."
"It's happening way too fast," Sakura mumbled. "I just even had a discussion with Kira about this. I didn't even know how to answer it."
"I think you do, you're just shy about it. You always were, about that sort of thing. I mean, for all you fawned over Sasuke, you never actually confessed to him, did you?" Ino eased herself up, walking over to the mirror to look at the job Sakura had done. She nodded a few times, impressed. "Nice job, forehead-girl. I didn't expect you to be good at brushing hair."
"Shut up, Ino-pig," Sakura said, half-heartedly. But she was right. She'd never confessed to Sasuke—she'd just assumed he got the idea. The thought of confessing was too nerve-wracking. Even though it was probably the best way.
"It is the best way," Ino agreed, doing her hair up as she turned to look at Sakura. "It makes things easy, and clear. It's hard to mess up a confession."
"So you're saying you want me to confess?" Sakura said, her stomach doing acrobatics without a safety-line.
"I don't really want anything," Ino said. "Besides, you should probably worry about making your feelings clear to yourself before you think about confessing. I've done my best, you just need to sort it out for yourself. Better hurry, though. Kira-sama seems quite sure of her feelings."
"Right," she said. Neither of them spoke for a few moments, as Ino got out the three outfits she had bought—each varying shades of purple or blue, cut to look as racy as possible.
Sakura glanced at the outfits. "Who are you going with? Chouji?"
Ino blinked, whirling to face her. "Why would you think that?"
"Because Shikamaru isn't here, and I can't imagine you going by yourself, with Kiba, Shino or Neji."
"What if I'm going with a group?"
"If you are, then that means that by group you mean yourself, Chouji and Shino, 'cause I'm pretty sure that Neji and Kiba are going to be with others tonight."
Ino glanced away. "So what if I'm going with Chouji?"
"I agree, so what?"
There was a tense silence. Ino played with a forelock of hair. Sakura rolled her eyes, looking out the window. "Guess I better see which outfit I'm wearing. See you later, Ino."
"It's a friends-thing," Ino said. "Just a friends-thing."
"Okay."
"Really."
"Are you trying to convince me or you?"
Ino didn't answer, as Sakura left.
The town was alive that night more than it had been since the war began. Lights lit pathways through the streets like a distant maze that was visible from the castle. Sounds filled the streets, that of people happily making there way across it to the eastern gate, outside of which a path of torches that flickered dark and eerie colors in constant flux had been laid out, lighting the way to the fayregrounds. A strange music played, a kind of distant, haunting calliope that never seemed to be coming from any specific source; it came from everything, but it did nothing to stop the influx of chattering customers, and only added to the mysterious, mystical atmosphere.
The plan for the shinobi was to meet at the gates and then go in together, before breaking off and doing whatever the individual groups wanted. Being men, Kiba, Shino, Chouji and Naruto all arrived first, with Neji dismally trudging in a few minutes later, making it plainly obvious that he didn't want to be there, having made little effort on his outfit. The other guys hadn't made much effort, either—they wore t-shirts and pants, nothing fancy.
Except Shino, who was hooded as always.
"It was probably a bad idea to come so early," Kiba muttered, sighing as he leaned against the white brick of the city walls. "They're going to be forever."
"Pretty much," Chouji said. He kept glancing towards the fayre, his sensitive nose already honing in on the most delicious smells. He also kept looking down the road, hoping that Ino would arrive any minute.
"Who are you going with?" Shino asked, glancing at Naruto.
"Eh?" Naruto said, shaking himself from his nervous thoughts. "Oh, Sakura-chan and Kira-chan."
"Both?" Kiba groused. His eye twitched jealously. "You serious?"
"Yeah. We're going to break up the night."
"You…" Shino said. "…are a hog, Naruto."
"What? Hog? Why?"
"Shino, you've got nobody to go with?"
Shino might've been glaring at Chouji, but it was hard to tell through his glasses and the many layers he wore. He said nothing in response, and simply looked off in a random direction. The other boys fell silent, not sure if they should continue the conversation.
"Don't hold back your gossip on my account," Shino said, a barely detectable layer of annoyance coating his words.
"Erm, I'm going with Hinata," Kiba said. He glanced up and away from everyone else. "Should be fun!"
"Where's Akamaru?" Naruto asked.
"Back at the castle. I, erm, didn't want him to come. I'll get him something good later."
Naruto nodded.
"I'm going with Ino," said Chouji.
Naruto blinked in surprise. "She agreed to go with you?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm just a fill-in for Shikamaru, but it doesn't bother me," Chouji said, smiling in a way that said it did bother him but he was too nice to mention that.
"Ah." Naruto looked at Neji. "You going with Tenten?"
"No," Neji said.
"Figured as much," Naruto said.
Neji turned to face Naruto, his eyes narrowing. "Why's that?"
"No reason."
Before Neji could say anything else, a call drew their attention down the road. Half-hidden by the crowd, the five girls approached them as a line of dancers clothed in the most beautiful garments would to wow the most difficult crowd of the evening.
Hinata was dressed in a simple kimono, which apparently she kept a set of in some scroll or another at all times. It was white with pretty black and silver flowers adorning the bottom, rising in a steady vine-like wrapping up around her. She had tied her hair back, and was twiddling her thumbs nervously as she walked in the graceful, shuffling manner a kimono restricted one to.
Beside her, Tenten had chosen a Mainland dress (which, like Hinata, she kept on her person at all times) that came down just above her knees, showing so much of her smooth, long-legs and hugging her upper frame so tightly that if you took the time to notice, Neji's porcelain skin had taken on the color of spring cherry blossoms, and a thin line of drool had begun making its way down his chin.
In the middle was Ino, her hair tied up, some of it sexily thrown across her face, obscuring half of it and leaving what lay beneath to the young men's colorful imaginations. She wore a purple Mainland dress that she had borrowed from Tenten that was even shorter, and Chouji felt a little ashamed for suddenly just wanting to get some dinner and be done with the night, and then had a sudden urge to lift something big and heavy; a feeling he'd never had before, especially in front of a practical woman like Ino.
Finally, on the end of the line, Sakura and Kira walked side-by-side, looking more confident than either of them felt. Sakura had dressed in a red, long-sleeved top with a short, like-colored skirt that cut off about mid-thigh. Black and green flowers coiled around her torso and danced about her thighs, as if hoping to get a closer look at her perfectly smooth, white legs. Kira was dressed in white and royal blue: a long, sleeveless dress that came down past her knees but had obviously been modified to fit the occasion—it was far more open in the chest than any dress Naruto had seen previously on her, and it showed off her healthy, growing bust in a way that triggered a thought in
Naruto's mind—
She's definitely grown…
Both girls had their hair tied back, and adorned with white and red flowers, and were smiling a little nervously.
"Yeah," Ino said, as they walked towards the boys. "That's the reaction I was hoping for."
The other girls giggled. It was an amusing sight—five boys standing like scarecrows grinning in a field, their eyes glazed in blissful recognition of the beauty before them, their heads swimming with fantasies both benign and slightly perverted.
Everyone felt the full-force of Shino's glare as the girls neared. Neji was suddenly wondering why he hadn't chosen to go with Tenten. Maybe he could rectify that right now…
"Hey boys," Ino said, throwing a smile, particularly at Chouji. "Ready to party?"
"Yemgh," Naruto said. He swallowed the drool in his mouth. "I mean, yes."
--
The Darkmoon Fayre was radically different from the last time Naruto had seen it; it was larger, for one thing—now sporting not one tent, but three, all with the patterned black, green and purple pinwheel stripes down the side. All around Naruto saw things he had seen before, only different—the collection of cages for the "petting zoo", the arena for the toy car deathmatch, the many trinket stalls—but they were set against things he hadn't seen before.
A startling number of people were trying to get into the smallest tent, by the entrance—the two-person thick line wound around the tent and into obscurity somewhere behind it. Naruto couldn't read the sign, but the picture next to it was a freakish, misshapen being glaring furiously at the approaching crowd. Kira said it was a "freak show", where some of the more colorful denizens of the world would be on display. Sort of the counter to the "petting zoo", which had apparently grown since Naruto's previous visit.
"And they have a drinking contest," she pointed to the other small tent, "a feast afterwards, and in the big tent there's going to be a band, but I suppose we'll have to check all of it out."
"Then let's get started!" Kiba cheered. "Let's go, Hinata!" she grabbed the girl by the arm and was off, leaving Hinata to look forlornly back at Naruto, though he didn't notice.
"Want to get some dinner, Ino?" Chouji asked, shifting, hoping what he said wasn't as stupid or ignorant as it sounded to his ears.
"Sure," she said, smiling sensuously, allowing the boy to lead her off into the throng.
Neji opened his mouth to speak to Tenten. Shino got there first.
"Would you like to look around, Tenten-san?"
With a quiet glance at Neji, she said, "Sure. Want to come with us, Neji-kun?"
About to refuse, Neji suddenly thought better. "Yes. That will be fine." His voice was strained. They left quickly as well.
Naruto winced, watching them all. "That's gotta be harsh…"
Sakura nodded. Her eyes snaked to Kira. "So…"
"Naruto," Kira said. "Who do you wish to take with you first?"
Naruto froze. He glanced at the two of them. "Do I have to choose?" To avoid the approaching argument, he immediately said, "If I choose one of you, the other's going to have to spend time by themselves…and that's gonna suck…"
"It'll be fine," said Sakura, shaking her head. "I'd prefer some alone time as well, and there's plenty to do. We'll probably even see people we know around here…"
"I agree," said Kira. "It would be very much better if…" she shrugged. "…that was the case. So who do you choose first?"
Naruto swallowed. He honestly didn't know who to choose. They were both not only his friends, but too beautiful for words. Any time he spent with either of them would be a good time. Also, there was going to be something about how he chose them. He knew girls interpreted everything as having meaning. They would definitely interpret—how, he didn't know—the reason why he chose one over the other first.
After a minute of appearing to think, and not meeting their eyes, he finally said. "Sakura-chan. Wanna go with me?"
Sakura visibly brightened. The tension drained away. "Okay!"
He looked at Kira. "When do you want to meet up?"
"We have all night," Kira said. "Perhaps…in five hours, or so? Here?" They all looked around, memorizing the spot.
"Sure."
Kira bowed to both of them, as if she weren't a queen but a servant. "Very well. Have a good time, and I'll see you then."
"Right," Naruto said.
"Have a good time yourself," Sakura said.
They shared a smile. "I will."
Kira glided into the crowd, still visible despite the fog of people coming to obscure her. Sakura drew his attention away from her, soon enough, though.
"Where do you want to go?" she said, giving him a wonderful smile. He flushed, still unable to believe his luck. He was on a date with Sakura-chan. A real date, one that he'd dreamed about for so long…a real date! He shook himself and grinned at her.
"How about we just look around 'till we find something we like?"
She nodded. "Sounds good. Lead the way." She grabbed his arm, another shocker, and they were off.
The hundreds of people that filled the pathways between tents and stalls did not fit with the fayre's mysterious, creepy image. There were too many people enjoying it, having fun, not enough silences, creepy fog, strange people. The dark colors clashed with the bright dresses of the people, with the laughter and joy.
But workers at the fayre seemed content, enjoying this popularity far more. As Naruto and Sakura walked the lines, gazing at the contents of shops—which sold everything from food to clothing and small bits and bobs—their purveyors bellowed special prices and deals for certain objects, brandishing them high. Ones running the game stalls called for people to try their skill at everything from target hitting to fish-catching.
The smells were everywhere. So many that Naruto couldn't believe it. Tsuwabuki, from wherever she was in the forest or the town, would doubtlessly be able to smell this place.
"Smells wonderful, like the Konoha Festival," Sakura said, nodding.
"But weirder."
They passed by the toy tank enclosure, just as a goblin began to cheer at his victory over a couple who were too busy laughing to notice they had lost.
"Yes," she said, "much weirder. Can we try that?"
Naruto grinned. "I'm good at it."
"Oh? Have you tried it before?"
"A lot!"
"Then let's unseat the smug guy as champion." She saluted him. "Shall we, commander?"
"Let's do it!" Naruto bellowed, abandoning the role-play before he had even begun it.
--
"This is delicious," Ino gushed, piling more of the strange looking fruit onto her plate, devouring it as greedily as Chouji had ever devoured beef kebabs at the Konoha steakhouse.
"I know," Chouji said.
"I didn't know they even made food like this!" She wiped her chin prettily with a napkin before returning to her meal.
"Try some of this," Chouji said, placing a piece of meat he hadn't identified on her plate. She frowned at it for a second, and then nodded and nibbled a piece of it off. Her eyes lit up.
"I know, right?" Chouji said, grinning. "I think it's the sauce that makes it the best."
"So true…" Ino said. "It's a little like the steak in Konoha, only tougher by a little, and really, really delicious."
"I didn't think you liked meat that much," he said.
"I don't much," she said, shrugging. "Too fattening, and too chewy. Ruins my teeth and sometimes makes me feel like I've done something wrong after I eat it. But this is really good, and I do think it's the sauce."
"I'd want to be eaten if I were covered in that sauce," Chouji said.
Ino laughed.
Chouji was enjoying food. But he hadn't expected to be enjoying Ino's company as much as we was. He thought she'd talk about Shikamaru all the time. Or Asuma-sensei and Kurenai, or anything to make it seem more natural between them.
Because if she felt anything like he did, it was awkward. He'd treated the idea of this date from the very beginning as something of a joke. Just something to keep them both entertained so that nothing else had to happen and they could have a good time in the days the had off.
But since he'd seen her—seen how much effort she'd put into appearing beautiful, just for a joke date, and how much fun she seemed to be having and how natural it seemed, he'd changed his opinion. It no longer seemed like a joke to him or her. It seemed real. It made him feel…springy, light as air, and hungrier with each passing moment.
"Where d'ya wanna go after this?" Chouji asked, through a mouthful of meat.
Ino shrugged. "I'd like to check out that "petting zoo" we saw earlier."
"Didn't look like one." Chouji said, recalling the large cages.
"Could be fun, though," she said, with one of her sexy, sly smiles.
He flushed, and nodded.
"Then let's go!"
--
"It's gotten harder, I'm telling you," Naruto said. "That's how I met Matthias. I beat him. It was really hard this time, though."
Sakura shrugged. "Maybe if you'd listened to my instructions…" she grinned.
"I was doing fine, I just made a mistake!"
"Right," Sakura said, with a shrug. She took a step to the side, peering around the frightfully large man they stood behind, who was planting sloppy kisses on the much smaller, younger-looking girl by his side. She stepped back in line, looking both faintly disgusted and slightly annoyed.
"Still some time to go," she said. "This better be good…"
"I bet it will be, it's probably got a lot of weird things. We haven't seen the petting zoo yet, that's really cool, by the way!" Naruto said, grinning. "But you're having fun so far, right?"
"Of course," Sakura said, nodding. "More than I've had in ages. I can't believe they actually gave us a day off. Let alone two."
"Yeah," Naruto said, shifting a little nervously in his spot.
It was going well. He wouldn't have expected it, but there hadn't yet been an awkward, Sasuke-filled silence or anything like that. It was like Sakura was deliberately trying to forget about that, and just have fun. Well, he should as well.
But damned if Tenten's words didn't occupy that spot, a constant loop in his thoughts, replaying whenever he wasn't speaking with Sakura or checking to see where they were in line. So what if he had to decide? Why did he have to decide right now? What did it matter?
And how the hell could he choose, anyways, when they had both looked like that! Every time he looked at Sakura he couldn't believe it was real. Here she was, on a date with him—and she was acting like she liked him, acting as if they weren't just teammates. As if her crush on Sasuke hadn't even existed. She'd said she was over him, hadn't she? Did that mean…? And if it did…then how the hell could he choose? It was unfair!
"I was just thinking," Naruto said, suddenly.
"What?"
"You've changed a lot, Sakura-chan."
She blinked. "Have I? How?"
"Well," he said, shrugging. "You haven't tried to hit me tonight, for one thing…"
She blushed. "Those are jokes, you know, Naruto? Just jokes, I never mean to—"
"I know," he said. "But I mean, I didn't think something like this would ever happen, just me and you on a date like this. It's weird."
"Good weird?"
"Yeah," he said, grinning.
"Good," she said, and steered the conversation elsewhere.
--
Kiba pointed to the enclosure, a rectangular pen roped off in a bare stretch of the field, where there was no grass, only rock and dirt. At one end was a line of tubs, where people were happily dunking their heads in, laughing as they either emerged with an apple clenched between their jaws or just drenched in ice-cold water.
Next to this was a small table, where children were busily making small pouches of flowers and herbs, which they then hurried to a fire made in the middle, and tossed the pouches in. Nestled within the flames, they would burst before long, creating gouts of dark orange, purple, green and various other colored smokes or streams of sparks. The children would squeal at each of these and then hurry back to make more.
Another area was a long table, covered in pumpkins that people were carving and placing candles inside, lighting them so that the ghoulish or goofy faces shined in the growing darkness. The pumpkins were placed in a steadily lengthening row next to the table, between the trees at the edge of the forest.
"What the hell is this place?" Kiba said aloud, while he and Hinata drank in the scene with childish amazement.
A gnome who stood by the enclosure, looking bored, turned and said in a high, squeaking voice, "It's the festivities of Hallow's End, don't you know?"
"Hallow's End?" Hinata asked, quietly.
"Aye," the gnome said, bobbing his head. "Don't blame ye for havin' never heard of it. It's a Forsaken Holiday. I first heard tell of it only a few years ago. Meant to celebrate the freedom from the Lich King, or so they say. It's been adopted by other cultures, now, didn't take long, did it? Just an excuse to party, really, and some of the customs and rituals they do are really quite interesting!" he seemed to be growing more excited as he explained, and gestured to the enclosure.
"They've got bobbin' for apples, donut strings, and Jack O'Lanterns—"
"Jacko what?"
"Jack O'Lanterns," the gnome said brightly. "Those pumpkins, quite nice to see, aren't they? Creative and spooky, especially at night. There's another event occurring later this evening as well, if you're interested."
"What is it?"
"It's called, the Headless Horseman's Ride! There's a mysterious spirit who wanders about on this night, called the Headless Horseman—he has a Jack O'Lantern for a head, and carries his heart in a satchel at his side, and is said to prey upon the happiness and joy of all who cross him at night!" The gnome seemed really into it now, his eyes bright with dark vigor. "They say that he prowls the roads, and if he finds a cottage alone by it's side, he knocks loudly, and when the owners come to answer, he will throw a bucket of human blood on them, thus cursing them for life to misery and misfortune, and in the end he will return one day, for that blood will never leave them—they will always smell of it, no matter how many times they wash, and when it is there time to go he returns and takes out their heart, which he feeds to his horse and then they ride off into the night, looking for fresh prey, more hearts to devour, more lives to consume in hateful, destructive misery."
He took a breath, narrowing his eyes, his voice slipping into a whisper. "His identity is unknown—the Forsaken say he is a Death Knight who freed himself from the Lich King's hold, but his mind was already gone too far, and now he fancies himself a spirit of the night, and wanders upon his steed. Others say he is misery's incarnation, spawned from the Twisting Nether to prey on only the unfortunate, those who cross his path, no matter if they are saints or sinners. Other's say he was once a paladin of the Silver Hand, now cursed by the foul poisons of the Scourge, insane and believing that he yet remains alive, and the world is now dead." He relaxed suddenly. "But of course, that's just folklore, and even if he was real, he'd be somewhere far above here, in Lordaeron I suspect. Ours is fun for the whole family, though the event is a bit tricky for the more ordinary folk."
"Why's that?" Kiba asked.
"Aye, well, it's because the purpose of the game is to find him, and defeat him in combat!"
Hinata blinked. "Defeat him?" She wrung her hands, trying not to sound awkward. "That seems a little…strange."
"Aye," the gnome said. "I thought so as well. But it sells. There's a lot who wanna prove their worth, and still others just in for the fun of the chase! It's all safe, of course, no worries about that!"
"Hinata!" Kiba bellowed. "Let's do it!"
"B-but Kiba-kun," Hinata said, flushing. "I don't really…"
"Eh?" Kiba deflated, staring at her as if she were a stranger. "But why?"
"If you want to—" she began.
"Nah, if you don't want to, it's fine," he said, putting on a smile. "It wouldn't be as much fun without you." He sighed. "Guess we'll pass."
"Fair enough, the little lady would probably more enjoy what's going on in here at the moment, and there'll be some festive treats out for all of you later, as well." He grinned at Kiba. "Don't look so down. You got a pretty girl by your side, you shouldn't be regretting anything tonight!"
Kiba flushed, and so did Hinata. Neither of them, however, said anything in response.
"Wanna make a Jackowhatever?" Kiba said.
"Sure," Hinata said with a moonbeam smile. Kiba flushed again, and they went inside. The gnome watched them, shaking his head.
--
Should I be enjoying this?
Tenten glanced covertly at the two boys that accompanied her. They were both silent, and so was she, to the point of awkwardness. Nobody had been able to hold, or even willing to hold, a decent conversation since they had started.
Bad idea, she'd thought. Maybe I should've made it clear. She was happy, on one level that Neji was paying attention to her in a way that wasn't strictly professional; she was happy, too, that Shino obviously thought she was pretty—but she didn't know why. She liked Shino as a friend but nothing really past that, which was odd, because she kept telling herself that Shino was probably a lot nicer and less temperamental than Neji. And it wasn't because of the bugs, either. She liked bugs, and Shino obviously had sufficient control over them.
But he wasn't exactly stimulating conversation. He rarely spoke at all, and you couldn't even see half of his face. Some would call it shy, but this was excessive.
They hadn't done much other than wander since they had parted with the others. The fayre was massive, so they hadn't even seen half of it, and there were so many people that it was slow moving, and it was loud, so talking was difficult, but still she wanted to at least have some fun!
"I have to ask," she said aloud.
"What?" Neji said, louder than he might've normally, because of the crowd.
"I said," she said louder, "I have to ask, but are you guys going to be this awkward all night?"
There. She said it. She felt a little bad for calling it out so soon, but she didn't want to waste this night because Neji was a social moron and Shino was just too shy.
"It—" Neji tried, and failed to defend himself. He went silent again, giving a little shrug. Tenten stared at him. What was going on? Neji, the most mature person she had ever met, seemed to be acting like a child. Too much like a child. Then again, he couldn't have done anything this uncertain before, could he?
"What would you like to do, Tenten-san?" Shino said, agreeably. Tenten looked at him, noticing his voice was without hint of stutter or shyness. She was impressed.
"I'd like to just do something fun. Talk, get over this awkward feeling, I don't like it."
"Nor much do I," said Shino.
"Or I," said Neji.
"Good," Tenten said. "So let's get started."
"Perhaps over there?" Shino pointed, adjusting his glasses as he did. They followed his finger, towards the flap of one of the expansive circus tents. "Shall we see what lies within?"
"Okay," said Tenten, quickly, before Neji could disagree and ignite an argument. They made their way through the crowd, arriving at a large opening, attended by two stiff looking ogres. Having never seen ogres before in their lives, it took a moment to gather up the courage to walk past; but the beasts hardly gave them a glance. They seemed only interested in picking their noses.
The tent stank wonderfully as they entered—of aromatic, rich foods and heavy drink, which made Tenten a little light-headed just breathing. Two long tables where the only thing present. Opposite the entrance was another flap, which lead into a smaller tent attached to the side, from which servers were flowing out and back in a steady stream.
"The feast they mentioned," Shino observed.
"Only one table seems to be for that," Neji said, quick to correct. "The other seems to be for drink."
"What's happening at the end, over there?" Tenten pointed to the far end. A mass of people had gathered, and the table was cleared completely. At the head of the table were six large barrels.
"Let's go see," she pressed, and the boys followed without word.
The table was almost filled, and almost completely by men of any age. Tenten asked them what was happening.
He gave her a beaming smile. "Drinkin' contest, milady! For all the best drinkers of ale in these parts! Six o' the world's finest brews, ranging from the goblins o' the Undermines fanciest fruit ale to the Pandaren's brewmasters legendary old brew I fancy myself one o' them, so I'm gonna give it me best!" He winked at the two boys. "Care to impress your lady friend? Come and drink with us, eh, lads?"
"We're underage, sorry," Shino said, with a slight bow.
"Age? What the devil you talking about? There ain't no age limit here! It's the Darkmoone Fayre!"
Tenten glanced at the two of them. She didn't quite feel like participating, but she had a sudden idea that might just salvage the remainder of the night for her. She prayed it would work.
"I'll join you," Tenten said, sitting down next to the old man, who gave her an amazed stare, which turned into a challenging gleam as he returned to look at the boys. They stared at Tenten, as if about to speak, and then at each other, and then at the old man who was already making a spot for them to sit down.
"I will not lose," Shino said, taking a seat.
Neji's eye twitched. He looked again at Tenten, who offered him her best smile.
He sat down.
"Nor I."
--
Time was drifting by. Sakura kept checking the clocks that were posted all over the fayre, watching as it trickled away as if from a leaky cup. They were almost inside, as well, and this had eaten up most of their time.
Two hours!
Two hours to wait for a freak show!
"This had better be good," she repeated, this time with an undertone that suggested if it weren't, she'd make somebody pay for it. Naruto was torn between laughing and fearing for his life. He chose neither, and kept quiet until they were inside.
The tent was barely lit—small, green glowing lanterns were hung to light the path, but otherwise it was devouring black. People moved in lines of two, walking slowly down the path, whispering to each other, as Naruto and Sakura did.
"Not much to see," Naruto joked.
"I know…" Sakura mumbled. They both laughed. That stopped almost as soon as they turned the corner. There was more path, but this time, at the end, there was a cage, covered by a glass window, lit from below. People were gawking and whispering and even one woman cried out at the contents of the cage, which they weren't fully able to make out until they were several feet from it.
It watched them, hunched over in a corner, its mirror-like eyes staring wildly at them, a cadaverous grin stretched painfully across its rotting face. A ghoul.
Having seen one before, Naruto was yet amazed. "What the hell? Isn't that dangerous?"
"I think so, if it got out…" Sakura said, staring at it.
As they moved past, the longer Naruto stared at it, the longer he thought he might recognize it. There was something about it's face, the way it was rotting, felt familiar to him…so why…?
Just as they turned the corner towards the next cage, Naruto swear he saw the beast wink at him. He turned to confirm it, but the ghoul had gotten up and rushed the cage, scaring the consciousness out of two ladies behind them. The crowd moved faster forwards.
The next cage contained something Naruto hadn't seen before. It was hunched and huge, with a furry body like a bear—long claws and everything—but its head was owl-like, with a sharply curved beak and cunning, shifting eyes. Deer-antlers sprouted from the sides of its head, completing the strange monstrosity.
"The hell is that?" Naruto said, wanting to laugh, but unsure if he was allowed to in a girl's presence.
Sakura had no such reservations. "An accident, it looks like."
"That's cold, Sakura-chan," he said, grinning at her.
"The truth is harsh," she said, laughing harder.
A display by the side of the cage called it an owlbeast, from the Hinterlands to the North.
They moved on. The next cage contained what appeared to be a large bug, like looking through a magnifying glass at a household pest. The creature made cryptic buzzing noises that made them light-headed, so they moved on quickly after identifying it as a silithid, from Kalimdor's remote deserts.
They moved through the endless, zigzagging paths, seeing things neither of them had ever imagined seeing; things Naruto had encountered many times in his travels, things that were obviously fake, things that were too real to believe. The tent then seemed massive, and they had no idea how long they had spent within the throngs of this dark, mysterious world.
But neither of them had had so much fun in, well, forever. At least together. They'd never had a proper date, never had a proper chance to be alone and see what exactly the other was like, little things that they would have never noticed unless they had done this. Sakura, for example, loved horror books, and she mentioned this to Naruto when they were done staring at a patchwork monstrosity that stood too still to be anything more than a model, called Rankenstein (the explanation was that it needed a little spark to get it going, but neither of them were having any of that).
By contrast, Naruto enjoyed soap operas and trashy romance films, to Sakura's immense surprise, but only because they reminded him of his landlord and landlady, who would often invite Naruto to their home to watch those things, the only time in Naruto's childhood that seemed nice to him. He had an immensely happy, cozy expression on his face when he mentioned it, which tugged rather harshly at Sakura's heartstrings.
They then came to a corner with no enclosure at the end; only a doorway faintly lit with viridian light, and both of them came upon a strange feeling as they walked towards it, as if they were approaching something powerful, something too big for the small tent. Nobody else seemed to feel this, nobody else even cared to break stride, but neither of them could prevent themselves from stopping just before the threshold, staring into the gloom in trepidition.
"What is that?" Naruto mumbled.
Sakura shook her head. It was a strange feeling, warm and nice but so powerful, almost in excess. Like the feeling one got from sleeping too much, an excessive pleasure that drained the mind and body. It wasn't exactly fear that prevented them from entering, just a warding sense like heat from a fire. It felt like that. A great fire before them, rising higher than either of them could see, but could feel a mile away.
"Oi, little lad and lass," a man grunted behind them. "Budge up, yer 'oldin' up the line, ye know!"
"Aye!" a woman said, next to him.
"Sorry," Sakura said, gently taking Naruto's hand and starting into the room. It was large in comparison to the narrow path that they had followed before. A circular room, not lit save for the center which housed a great enclosure like all the rest, only the creature in this one was not like all the rest.
Not at all.
Sakura squeezed Naruto's hand, gulping at the strange beast that neither of them could figure out. It was about as tall as two men, and half as wide. It did not have a form—just a dozen strangely cut shapes of glowing material—circles and triangles and weirdly curving trapezoids floating inches or feet apart from each other, connected by strings of sparking electricity. It was the color of sunlight, but it's light didn't stretch past the enclosure, and the way it moved—in constant, rhythmic cycles, around and around, each piece of it moving on its own separate axis, and the entire thing moving on its own as well.
Like stars and planets, Sakura thought.
People were gazing at it in rapture, not caring that they did not understand what it was, and moved on without even bothering to find out. It was beautiful, and its mystery was a great part of the beauty. Like a work of art, they didn't want to spoil that beautiful mystery with logic or explanations.
It was the first time Sakura might've shared their thoughts. She couldn't take her eyes off the thing.
Naruto couldn't either. It felt…very similar to something from before, but he couldn't imagine what. It felt like—chakra, yet not. It was chakra, it was entirely chakra…right?
Like the Kyuubi.
Sakura moved a little forwards, tearing her eyes away from the thing to stare at the plaque on its cage.
"Naaru," she said aloud.
Naruto glanced vaguely at her. "Eh?"
"It says it's a naaru—'a being entirely of chakra, from origins unknown. Do not approach the enclosure, do not use magic in its presence. Do not insult it, offend it or try to feed it, for this might result in extreme harm to your person or your pride. Might cause you to live the rest of your life as a rabbit or a toad, or perhaps in soul-twisting agony deep within the bowels of the Twisting Nether. It joined the Darkmoone Fayre of it's own free will, and may leave whenever it wants. Possibly Limited Time Exhibit.'"
"It feels weird," Naruto said, quietly.
"Yeah," Sakura said. They began to move towards the door along with the rest of the visitors, not once taking their eyes off the creature. It made no sound, maybe a distant humming, but that might've been the crowd outside.
The next hall led out into the distant night. Both of them took deep breaths, both glad and a little disappointed to be away from the naaru. It took them a moment to realize they were still holding each other's hand.
They stood awkwardly for a moment, just looking at each other. Sakura didn't withdraw her hand. Neither did Naruto. Time had stopped, sweetly and blissfully, until Sakura made to lean forwards. Then Naruto did too.
The night air was sweet.
They stopped. Then they kissed.
Chapter break. Another chapter will be up as soon as I proof-read it! I broke the big one into two, so read at your own leisure!
Also—the "Mainland" I refer to in reference to Tenten's and Ino's dresses is a continent that I made up for Naruto's world. Since his world is to parody Japan, I think, and it can't be the only continent in the world, I made a "Mainland" which will never be featured in this fic, ever. Ten Ten's family is from the mainland, distantly.