Disclaimer: I want no part in the ownership of Naruto or World of Warcraft…way too much work…

Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!

Kira rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for Naruto and Sakura to return, growing both anxious and excited for the coming hours. It was becoming more real, and every time she thought of it, it made her shake and flush and her mind race faster than a hare fearing for its life.

This was so—almost too—normal.

She didn't know how to do normal. She's always expected her love life to be predetermined for her, like an arranged marriage with some noble's son, or a competent soldier expected to sire a king or something like that. Hence, she hadn't given it much thought, ever, even when Naruto had fallen into her life (or more accurately, climbed).

But as the months had passed, and then the years, she had grown comfortable with Naruto's presence, which had then progressed to thoughts of being with him, of marrying him (in her more wistful moments), of being, well, in love with him. She'd ignored them at first, but then they'd return in abundance, proliferating gloriously.

Sometimes they got dirty, and when that happened, it was hard to ignore them.

Very hard.

Halfway between the destruction of Stormwind and Naruto's return from Onyxia's cavern, she reached the conclusion that she did like him. A lot.

Maybe she even loved him.

Once she had accepted that, it was like a weight off her thoughts. But then doubt had set in, not of her love for him, but of his feelings for her.

A doubt that raged on even now.

She wrung her hands nervously, her teeth grinding, a sheen of sweat appearing on her forehead which she was desperately trying to keep off. He'd be here any minute, and her hair looked awful, and she was a bit sweaty and she probably smelled awful despite all the perfume she'd used. He'd hate it, she had to—

Then she saw him—them, more importantly, making their way slowly through the crowd towards her. They stood pretty close, which made her breath hitch, and they both seemed to be red in the face and untalkative. She swore she saw their hands touch briefly—was that an accident, or real…?

She fought to control her breathing, wondering if this was a good idea. Maybe they had done something. Maybe something had happened—and if something had, then maybe she shouldn't have her time with him, maybe she should just skip it and go back to the castle and leave them to themselves—

No!

She stopped, and released the building tension with a long, deep exhalation. "No," she said to herself. She'd do this. She deserved it, and even if something had happened, she still had to tell him. Make sure he knew of her feelings, and maybe even get some idea of his feelings for her. It didn't matter what had happened with Sakura.

Not one bit.

She nodded to herself, and continued to do it as they approached.

"Kira-chan!" Naruto finally said, not loudly, but enough to break her from her thoughts. She smiled at him, and smoothed down her dress a bit.

"Hello, Naruto, Sakura," she said, bowing to both. "Did you two have fun?"

"Yes…" Sakura said, a trace wistfully. Kira blinked at her, but the girl had already looked away, at her shoes. "Yes. There's tons to do, so Naruto won't be bored."

"Yeah," Naruto said. "We didn't even nearly do everything. What have you been doing?"

Kira shrugged. "Just looking about. I met with Kylia earlier, and we talked a bit, and then I went and met Hinata and Kiba at the Hallow's End festival near the back…"

"We didn't see that," Naruto said.

"Then we'll go again," Kira said, smiling. She looked at Sakura. "You'll have to tell me all about it later."

Sakura smiled. "Of course." She blushed too. What did that mean? Kira thought.

"What are you doing now?" Naruto asked Sakura, frowning a little.

"I'll probably go bother Ino and Chouji, and see if anything has been happening with them, and then maybe find Shino, Neji and Tenten and make sure the two guys haven't killed each other…"

"I saw them going into the feast tent, earlier," Kira said. "They might be there."

"Noted," Sakura said. She bowed a little and backed away, smiling. "You guys enjoy yourselves! Maybe we'll meet later, I think there's a concert or something in the big tent somewhere about two o' clock…"

"Seeya Sakura-chan," Naruto said.

"Good bye, Sakura," Kira said, bowing a little also.

She left quickly, but not before shooting a final look at Naruto, her face coloring a little when she remembered what had happened. She didn't even care that Kira was going to be with him, now.

They had kissed!

A lot, too.

If that wasn't something, then what could be?

"So," Naruto said, turning to Kira. "Whaddya want to do now?"

Kira smiled. "You said you wanted to see the Hallow's End festival, right? I think something is happening around now, an event of some sort…"

"Cool!"

--

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Kiba mumbled, staring about the tent with wide eyes.

"It looks like a feast, Kiba-kun," Hinata said, scanning the tables, hoping to see someone they knew (perhaps Naruto-kun?). Her eyes lit up when she saw Neji, Tenten and Shino near the back.

"Ah! Kiba-kun, let's go over there!" she pointed. Kiba followed her finger, and caught sight of them at once.

"Sure."

Kiba was at once aware, as they approached their friends, of a smell that would've made Akamaru whimper. The intensely powerful smell of alcohol and the stinking sweat and vomit of a dozen older men made him gag, as it was magnified a thousand times over thanks to his nose. He covered it, gasping for air.

Hinata could smell it too. She gulped and blinked furiously at the dream in front of her.

Her cousin Neji—reserved, stern and fun-avoiding Neji—was quite clearly drunk. A warm flush graced his porcelain skin, his mouth was constantly open and his eyes were dull and glazed. He clutched a pint of some foul-smelling ale in front of him, and just managing to stay on his seat. He blearily looked at the girl next to him—Tenten, who looked not in the least bit drunk, and mumbled something incoherent.

Tenten glanced at him blushing, but turned back to her ale quickly, until Hinata asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, eh—Hinata!" Tenten said, looking immensely happy to see her. "Siddown! There's plenty o' drink fer everyone!"

"D-drink?" Hinata said. She thought better of her first judgment—now she saw the flush, the bleary eyes, the slurred tongue. "But we're underage…!"

"Oi, where's Shino?" Kiba asked, looking around for the hooded boy.

"I'm here, Kiba," said a strange boy to Tenten's left.

Kiba glanced at the boy. "Nah, our friend's covered in stuff, and always wears sunglasses, so—" But he stopped, and looked at the boy closer. "But what…? Shino, is that—? What the hell?"

"What is the matter?" Shino asked, reasonably.

"You're not wearing…your…?"

Shino gave a slight shrug. The boy—sporting fuzzy brown hair without his hood and without his glasses, his eyes were a clear blue—looked ordinary. There was no flush to his cheeks or slur to his words. But from the mugs that littered the table before him, it was clear he had drunk just as much as the other two.

"You okay, Shino?"

"Yes," Shino said, nodding, and even smiling.

Kiba twitched. It seemed unnatural for Shino to be smiling. He'd seen him smile all of twice, and it wasn't the kind of smile that graced his lips now. This was too large, too…not…Shino….

Hinata swallowed. "W-what have you all been doing?"

"Drinkin'!" Tenten said.

Neji mumbled something.

"We've been at this ale festival here," said Shino casually. "So far, I think I'm winning."

"Did you just contract "we" and "have"?" Hinata asked, softly.

"Yeah, why?" Shino asked, his face so expressive that it hurt Hinata to look at it.

Meanwhile, Neji was staring at Kiba. Staring so hard that it made Kiba take a step back. Neji's mouth hung slightly open and he was very still—he looked…dead.

"You okay, Neji?" Kiba asked.

Neji didn't answer. He just stared.

Kiba glanced at Hinata. "This is freaking me out."

"Y-yeah. Neji-niisan, what's wrong?"

Finally, Neji turned away, and mumbled something with a small smile curving on his blank face. Tenten exploded in obnoxious laughter, so hard that she fell off her seat and writhed on the floor, yelling "it makesh sho much sense!"

Bewildered, Kiba and Hinata looked at Shino, who was laughing a little as well as he supped his ale. "What'd he say?" Kiba asked.

"He said—"

"Heshaid—" giggled Tenten, staring up at Kiba with a knowing eye, "thatyou've gotta…gotta…a—a—a—small thing...like a mouse tail!"

Shino snorted.

Kiba exploded, jumping in horror. "I DO NOT HAVE A SMALL…THING!" he roared.

Tenten laughed. "Hehehehepenis!" she giggled.

"He's not far off the mark," Shino said, laughing.

"Shino! I DO NOT!" he quickly glanced at Hinata, and said, "it's not true, really!"

Hinata, flushing, nodded and pretended to be reassuring and that it didn't matter, not having the heart to crush his…little…hopes. But then again, she couldn't be too mean about it—she didn't know if it mattered not in the first place, only having heard that it did.

She smiled, and said it was rather funny, nearly choking on laughter as she did.

"It is not!" Kiba raged. "You didn't even have your Byakugan on, Neji!"

Neji turned, looking dazed. "I have teeth," he said, quite rightly.

Tenten exploded into fresh bouts of laughter. Shino snickered. Hinata couldn't contain herself anymore and began to laugh so hard that her sides hurt. Kiba stared at her, and then at the three drunkards, and his anger fizzled out into laughter as well. He reasoned that he at least had something to hold over them for a while, so while they might be having the laugh now—but when they sobered, they wouldn't hear the end of it.

He turned to Hinata. "Wanna stay? I kind of feel like blackmail now."

Hinata nodded, smiling. "Yes, of course."

Neji turned to Hinata. "There's a button on my shirt."

"Yes, I know, Neji-niisan."

"Five."

"I know."

"Good."

--

The forest was alive with shifting shapes and form—no lights, just whispered voices and hurried motions in the shadowed underbrush. Neither Naruto nor Kira could see much, but having been better trained than the rest, it meant they had an advantage in tracking. Naruto could sense everyone around him, and smell them too, and Kira could hear their hurried feelings and thoughts as they rushed by, seeking their quarry.

"It's gonna be obvious," Naruto had said earlier. "Big and covered in fire, yeah?"

The gnome who had set them on the task had nodded. "Yes! Quite frightful, really."

As they sifted through the shadows, the wind rustling the trees above lightly, disturbing only a few leaves and sending them floating lazily to the ground—merely silhouettes in the night, neither Kira nor Naruto felt afraid. Kira because she knew there was nothing to be afraid of, and Naruto because he had other things to occupy his thoughts. He tried to keep them from rising up, but it was hard—he'd just achieved one of his life-long dreams. Or one of the dreams he'd had as a child, at least.

He'd kissed Sakura-chan.

A lot.

If there was anything to go by, he still didn't remember how long it took. He just remembered they'd been there for a while, their lips together like that. There had been tongue, too. Lots of it. It made him blush in the darkness, glad Kira couldn't see him.

But now he felt nervous, and bad—was he supposed to be here? Should he feel guilty that he was with another girl now? It was Kira-chan, but still….

He reasoned that he shouldn't. While they hadn't talked about it afterwards, Naruto got the feeling that Sakura had been just as surprised by it as he, and she would perhaps need a little time to sort it out. He certainly did. Did this mean they were going out?

Nah, that couldn't be it. Jiraiya had told him that before you started going out, you needed to be clear on the subject. A kiss, he'd said, rarely meant anything these days. Back in his time it'd been quite something, but the times had changed and women were more easygoing about that sort of thing. Certainly Sakura wouldn't be that old-fashioned.

Kira suddenly touched his arm. His thoughts of Sakura were jolted from him.

"Through here," she said, smiling at him so that he could just barely make it out. He flushed again, and nodded.

Then he felt it—the stirrings in his mind. Faint little prickles that told him they were close. He turned his mind away from the furiously embarrassing thoughts towards this new objective.

Kicking this horseman's ass.

He needed it—he'd be able to think clearer after he did something he could do so well. Fighting would at least allow him to expunge some energy. He grinned in the darkness, and muttered a quite, "yosh!" as they started forwards.

There was a light, somewhere ahead of them: green and flickering, haunting as a mournful aria. Naruto and Kira crouched in some bushes at the edge of the road, and watched their quarry intently as it trotted down the road, making its way leisurely towards the city.

If it was a costume, it was a bad one. Some rickety, rusted armor that hardly seemed imposing for a spirit of darkness, a crimson kilt and flowing cape that were torn and dusty-looking, a satchel where it kept its heart, a sword that didn't look like it could cut butter and an axe that seemed more like a hammer, both rusted as well—and on top all of that, some cheap mask that looked like a skull set inside a helmet with silly green flames wafting from the eye sockets and mouth. The only thing haunting about it was the light, and how eerily it moved—it trotted but it seemed like a speeded up film, crossing their path in a jittery shamble.

It stood atop a horse that looked more real than its rider. Skeletal, covered in flames that burned green and strangely cool in the night, dressed in battle armor, but obviously a trick because the fire "conveniently" covered all the visible spots between the horses "bones".

Despite all that, Naruto hoped it was a good fighter. He needed somebody good to settle the amount of tension he had now.

"Oi, Kira-chan," he whispered, looking at her. "Think I can take him by myself? I got a feeling that he isn't gonna be that hard."

Kira was staring at the creature, frowning. "I thought it was supposed to be headless…" she said, frowning, but then turned and looked at him. "Okay. I will help if you need it, though."

"Don't think I will, but thanks," he said, grinning. She smiled back.

Naruto couldn't stop the blush this time. Geez, she was really cute.

"'Sides," he said. "I don't wanna get that dress all dirty."

She nodded. "Thank you for your concern, o' chivalrous knight." Her voice was a little mocking, but it made him grin even wider.

Naruto stood.

"OI!" he called.

The rider turned its torso to face him and it finally stopped. The green fire in the eyes grew brighter, and it gave a mocking, whispered laugh that drifted on the wind. Naruto's eye twitched at the theatrics.

"I gotta defeat you? You better be good, or I'm gonna be annoyed—I might even want my money back, asshole."

"It is over," it said, its whispery voice growing louder, echoing distantly. "Your search is done! Let fate choose now, the righteous one!"

It whirled and exploded towards him. Naruto raised his hands, and summoned a pair of kage bunshin on either side of him. They sped away from Naruto, who went forwards to meet the Horseman head on. His clones closed in from the sides, in a pincer attack, kunai drawn. Naruto had left his new sword at home, but he didn't really need it for this.

The Horseman lifted his sword, which burned with theatrically orange flames. Naruto snorted.

His clones attacked in tandem. They were suddenly not there, whisping through the night using Kazaashi, striking the Horseman simultaneously from each side. Naruto hit from the front in that moment too. All three attacks struck at once.

The kunaimet steel, which flashed and arced orange in the night. Then came a flash of haunting green, and both of Naruto's clones were blasted from existence by a widening corona of emerald fire. It fired outwards from the Horseman, and even though Naruto's frontal attack had struck—his fist had punched the Horseman squarely in the jaw—it hit Naruto with a jarring, wild force that blew him back a dozen feet along the road.

He landed roughly on his back, but jumped quickly to his feet, beating the green flames from his chest, hissing angrily at the pain in his chest, already fading. He'd been burned worse.

The Horseman charged.

Only now, he was Headless.

It's head had flown a few yards in the opposite direction, landing roughly on the ground and rolling with a few clinks until it came to rest against the foot of a tree, facing Naruto and its body.

The headless armor had no head inside it—only a rising spire of green flames that gave off no smoke. The sword came up, and its axe went to the side. Naruto set himself again, gritting his teeth.

But he was grinning.

Finally!

The world was slow now, or so it seemed. Naruto went for the horse itself this time. He could shatter all four of its kneecaps in the span of two seconds, probably and he made to do it, but he was stopped again.

The horse howled—not a whinny, but a frightening, ghastly roar more akin to a demon's— and leapt. Over each of Naruto's lightning-fast punches. Over each of the attacks that could've taken out an orc if he'd hit in the right place. They were not clear misses, either—each one missed by about an inch, but nothing seemed so deliberate. As if the Horse itself—and its rider—were mocking his supposed strength.

He stopped, and turned. The Headless Horseman galloped away, turning in a long arc, and moving back towards him with the unnaturally sped-up gallop. It lifted its axe high above its head, and then let fly.

The axe moved with more speed than it should have. It flew so fast that it seemed a solid green disc, after-images gleaming in the night air. It would have slain Naruto instantly if it had touched him, but he was fast too, and had backed up before it had struck. It hammered the ground, which became awash with viridian flames. They grew towards him, as if searching specifically for Naruto, dying to taste his flesh. He leapt back, grunting, as the Horseman came at him again.

It drew up its axe as it flew by, and raised it for a second shot. At the same time, it's blade came across in a sweeping motion which charged the air with heat and sent a stream of boiling red flames in a widening arc across the road.

Naruto went under them, drawing himself up as quickly as he could as he met the Horseman for a second time. It slashed at him with its sword, but Naruto went towards the opposite side, driving a solid palm into the horse's side—the armor buckled inwards, and a few of the flaming steed's bones cracked and fell away. But it didn't stop—Naruto avoided a blow from the axe and with final desperation he latched onto the horseman's leg.

It came off. All of it.

With faint surprise, Naruto tumbled back, clutching the severed leg. He looked at the Horseman, which was riding away, back towards its head.

He looked at the leg again—inside the armor was rotten, charred bone. It smelt so real as well. So terribly real that it might've been so if this hadn't been advertised as a family-friendly event. He looked up at the Horseman, which had retrieved its head and was adjusting it on its shoulders.

Then it hit him.

It was a gnome!

No wonder—they'd dressed a gnome up in some special armor suit that allowed him to control it completely from within—it had detachable limbs and everything, and nobody would be able to tell what was in it. He nodded. They were good about this, he conceded. Not only had they made a convincing imitation of a spirit (he reformed his first opinion of it—it was really quite good) but they had made it strong as well. Really strong!

But Naruto wouldn't let it get the best of him. He'd fought stronger things before. Some gnome in a suit wouldn't get the best of him (they never had so far, at least!).

The Horseman cackled again, its cloak billowing as it blazed towards Naruto again, the flames from its sword trailing in a hazy stream, emerald fire leaping up on the road where the horse tread, and its fast-forward movement sped up. Naruto bent down, and began to make a few seals. He wasn't sure if this was allowed, but he'd be damned if this thing ruined his night with Kira-chan.

'Houton: Hyoushi no jutsu'

A waft of super-frozen air exploded from Naruto's mouth, drenching the flaming Horseman as it bore down on the boy. Thick sheets of ice grew over its armor, freezing the joints, dousing the green flames, making the bones of the horse brittle and crack with each step, and no doubt making the gnome inside rethink his decision of messing with Uzumaki Naruto.

They always did.

Triumphant, Naruto stepped back to observe his work. With only two more steps in his direction, the Horseman's horse tumbled forwards, its front two legs completely shattered at the knee. Upon impact, its head broke apart as well, scattering bits of frozen bone across the dusty road, while the Horseman himself tumbled forwards onto the ground, his flame gone, his body still.

"How's that?" Naruto snorted, smirking over his victory. Kira emerged from the trees behind him, torn between smiling and frowning at the fallen warrior. She hoped whoever was inside was alright. It couldn't be good for them to be stuck in something that conducted cold so easily…

"Perhaps we should help him?" she asked, softly.

Naruto deflated a bit, and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose. We have to get our reward, after all!"

He took a step towards the creature, when it exploded. Its head lurched up, and it gave a cry: "Think I'm gone? Then think again! Our battle rages on!"

Flames exploded from the Horseman's body, fanning outwards, engulfing the ground in a molten field of green flames, which hungrily took up pursuit of Naruto and Kira as they dodged away, moving back to the trees. The Horseman began to laugh again, as its steed's pieces began to gather themselves for a second round.

"Dammit," Naruto raged, staring at the Horseman as its horse rose for battle once more. "He's good, this guy!"

Kira was frowning at it again. There was that feeling she had—an odd feeling, pricklings not unlike what she felt from undead, but markedly different in a way that she didn't understand. Stronger might be the word, or even hotter; there was still life force, yes, so she could just be feeling an effect of the illusion that the gnome was casting, but for some reason she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong about this entire situation.

She had to admit though, it was a fine bit of illusion-weaving. She couldn't have done better herself. It almost seemed real.

"This is fun!" Naruto said, grinning. "Wanna help this time?" he usually didn't like it when others fought a battle with him, but with Kira—as he'd done it before—there was no trouble this time.

Kira smiled. "I wouldn't want to ruin your fun."

"Or your dress," Naruto said, frowning. "Forget I said anything. You're not coming."

Kira smiled as Naruto leapt into the battle again.

Clones descended on the recovered Horseman, hitting him from all sides. They rained punches and kicks, denting his rusted, blackened armor, knocking his axe from his hand—two even began to play catch with its head, which they had again knocked off its shoulders. The Horseman raged in rhyme the entire time.

Naruto himself finally sped up and slammed his whole weight into the creature, lifting if off its horse, throwing it to the dust. On the ground, Naruto descended with a final, bone-cracking punch that left the Horseman unmoving on the ground, its steed shrieking horribly, its head still in mid-air.

"Harken, cur!" the head bellowed in between its unwilling game of catch (which had now escalated to a game of racketball with two sticks the clones had found).

"'Tis you I spurn! Now, boy, feel the burn!"

Standing over his body, Naruto caught a glimpse of a change within the Horseman. The green light that bled from every nook on the armored body began to darken and twist until it had become an evil red, like the blood on a the tip of a executioner's axe. Like colored flames began to leak from its chest through the neck hole where its head had been attached. These flames felt different. They did not just burn with heat, Naruto realized. They burned with anger, too.

He could feel it—a rage unconnected with his own, stinging the air around him. He took a step back, and as the flames grew larger so did the rage, until it became almost overwhelming. Retreating with his clones, Naruto kept near the edge of the road, watching as the flames rose higher and higher and higher.

"So eager you are, for my blood to spill." The flames had formed something, a face in the gloom, mocking them with its eternal grin.

"Yet to vanquish me, 'tis my head you must kill."

The head had risen, and now floated in mid-air above the road. Its eye sockets had turned the awful red, and a tongue of flames was flickering from its mouth as it laughed at them. The head then shot into the middle of the blaze, along with the skeletal horse, and both were engulfed in the scarlet fire.

Then, it was snuffed like a dead candle, and they were gone.

As they made their way back to the fayre, Naruto raged.

"We almost had that bastard!" Naruto said, crossing his arms.

"I know." Kira said, shaking her head.

"Sorry, Kira-chan," he said, flushing.

She shook her head again. "It was fun. I got to see you fight, which I haven't in a long time. It reminds me of all the times we did fight together, back then."

"In the good ol' days," Naruto said, laughing.

Kira laughed too. "In a manner of speaking, I suppose."

"Still, who says it could flee, anyways? That's annoying!"

"Maybe it had to fix itself up, we can still find it…"

"Nah, let's do something else," said Naruto, shrugging. "Have you eaten yet?"

"A little, but I'm a bit hungrier now."

"Food it is."

They came out into the festive lights and sounds of the fayre, right beside the Hallow's End enclosure. There was a crowd around the entrance, gazing in awe at something ahead of them. Curious, they wandered over to have a better look.

"We have here, the champions of the Horseman's Hunt!" the gnome who had told them of the contest shouted to all around. "Feast your eyes on their enemy, defeated!"

In the middle of the enclosure, a man dressed in shiny black plate armor—looking more ornate than even the castle guards, with skulls for shoulderguards, various spikes sprouting from various parts of the body, and a helmet that was only shaped like a skull, was waving and grinning at people who were calling out to him. He had a horse, but it was not skeletal, only dressed in a deep black cloak to cover most of its legs and armor to cover its head, which had been enchanted to give it an eerie glow. The people who had "defeated" the Horseman was a family of five—a man and a woman and three boys of varying ages—who were smiling and waving at the audience as well, waiting to collect their prize.

Naruto was dumbfounded. "That can't be right…" he said.

Kira was mystified as well. "Then who was…?"

"That's lame."

Kira nodded. "Yes, perhaps we just got confused. There might be another man dressed in it."

"For harder people." Naruto said, nodding. "No way it was real."

"Right."

"A crazy guy, maybe."

"Most likely."

They walked away, doing their best to forget the whole thing.

--

Later that night, after a wonderfully filling meal and some more gazing around the fayre—Naruto had taken her to the freak show, after a much shorter wait in line (she'd been as awed by Naruto and Sakura by the naaru, only afterwards, not only had they not kissed, but Naruto had to listen to a long lecture about what they were and various theories on what they had done for the world, which hadn't been wholly bad, just unexpected)—they arrived at the largest tent for the final event of the evening. A concert.

Walking with Kira had been wonderful, though. It was like the last time they went, only this time, there was hardly anything to think of besides being with each other. Before, Naruto had been worried about how he was going to get home, and then how he was going to convince the undead to join the alliance, and so many other things that had been in the way of them having a truly good time.

But now, neither of them thought of anything beyond that day. It was easy for Naruto, as he'd already done it with Sakura; once Kira had stopped learning to fear what was going to happen, she began to enjoy it a lot more. She no longer cared about what happened with Sakura, or about anything wrong with the date. She just enjoyed it, and talked.

Talking with Kira was much easier, to Naruto, then with Sakura. They'd begun their relationship with such free talking, but Naruto was still getting accustomed to it with Sakura. He knew loads about Kira's likes and dislikes, whereas he was still learning bits and pieces about Sakura that he'd never known before.

So instead of talking about each other, they just talked about what they saw around them, and a little of what had been happening recently. They didn't go too deeply into the affairs that might depress or spoil the fun, just talked lightly of things and their views on them.

Kira asked a lot about Naruto's friends, especially when they ran into them. In the food hall they'd met up with Hinata, Kiba, Tenten, Neji and Shino, three of which had been stinking drunk, the other two just watching in vast amusement. Kira had put a stop to the drinking, but hadn't been able to stop Naruto from teasing the three drunkards in various ways, as Kiba had been doing.

They'd walked through the freak show with Ino and Chouji, who'd been even more impressed by the creatures than Naruto and Sakura had been, and then afterwards had let Chouji show them the best stall in the house—a place that sold small sugary pastries shaped like rings, sometimes filled with jam or a creamy custard.

After more wandering, more game-playing, more general fun, they had arrived at the band's tent, where there was a huge line for tickets. The line mostly consisted of various Kalimdorians—trolls, tauren and orcs—who had not yet left the city. Though, when Naruto and Kira joined the line, more humans and gnomes began to enter as well.

Naruto stared at the sign as they bought their tickets and entered the tent. He still couldn't believe the name of the band.

"It's not bad," Kira said, frowning. "I've heard they're very good."

"Yeah, but, what do they mean by 'Level 80?'"

"It's obvious, is it not?" Kira said, frowning in confusion at him.

"Whaddya mean, it's obvious?"

"They're Level 80," she said, shrugging as they took their seats.

"What does that mean?"

Kira sighed. "It's not that hard to understand, Naruto."

"It is! Just tell me!"

"I have. They're Level 80."

"But what—"

When Naruto couldn't drag the reason out of her, they sat in silence for a while, as the crowds began to form. An announcement said it'd be at least a half an hour before the band started, so they went out of the tent for a final walk-around.

They ended up near the edge of the fayre, where the clearing sloped into a valley covered in trees, and the moon stared brightly at them above the trees in a great white smile. Pearly light made Kira's dress ethereal, almost moonlight itself. She flushed when she caught him staring.

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled, looking away.

"It's fine," she said.

They were silent. They listened to the night birds in the forest, the crickets chirping, the trees wafting, and the fayre crowds behind them too. But everything seemed so distant now, so quiet, that to stir from that place seemed like it might shatter the tenuous beauty that it held. That was all this was, Kira thought.

A tenuous beauty.

They wouldn't be able to enjoy any of this for long, not after this. It was a passing dream, and once the day was over, it would be broken. The beauty would be gone, the ugliness of the world would return. The people of her city would go back to their hateful ways—she'd been surprised that she'd seen no fights all night—and the non-humans would continue to go back to their worlds and homes.

It was all just temporary. Tonight was a special night only because she was able to control the dream she was in. She wished she could see another night like this. A night without care or qualm.

Naruto stared at her in her thoughts. She looked melancholy, terrified, yet peaceful all at once. He snagged hold of a passing thought, and frowned.

"Stop thinking," he said.

She blinked, and turned to him. "What?"

"I said stop thinking. You're gonna get all depressed again, aren't you?"

She smiled a little. "I was trying not to, but I suppose it must've shown otherwise."

"Yeah."

She leaned closer to him. He tensed. "I wonder," she said.

"Wonder what?"

"Did you kiss her?"

"Eh?"

Kira looked at him, a smile dancing on her lips. "Did you kiss Sakura?"

"Uhm…" He couldn't hide it. Better not even try. "Yes."

"Ah," she said. Don't think of it, she told herself. Don't think. "Would you kiss me?"

Heart hammering faster than a manic dwarf, Naruto just stared. His mouth was dry and sweat formed pearls on his forehead, and under his arms, and everywhere. He became aware of them, wondering if she cared.

"Uhm," he said. "I'm sweaty."

"I don't care."

He shifted a little, staring into her violet eyes. He flushed.

"Ah, okay."

--

"Oi!" Kiba bellowed, waving through the crowds, "There you are!"

Naruto waved back. "Saved you guys seats!"

Hinata and Kiba, with Sakura behind them, sat down next to Naruto and Kira on one of the many long circular bleachers that had been set up around the tent, overlooking the center where the stage had been set up. The band had five members, each, amazingly, of a different race. A troll on bass, an undead on lead guitar, a blood elf (their newest member, apparently) on rhythm guitar, a tauren on drums, and an orc on vocals. All of them were clad in plate armor of wild and fantastic design, some of which glowed electric colors, others of which just seemed intense and powerful as the band tried to project itself as.

"They're metal," Kiba said. "I think."

"Yeah?" Sakura made a face. "I'm not a fan."

"Nor am I," Kira said.

"I—I've never heard it…" Hinata confessed.

"You'll really love it!" Naruto said.

"Yeah!" Kiba said, raising a hand. "Never heard this band before. What do you think they mean by Level 80?"

Naruto grinned at Kira, who sighed and shook her head.

For two people who had just shared their first real kiss, neither of them felt that embarrassed. Naruto couldn't explain it. He had before, but once it was over, he'd just felt…comfortable. She had as well. It'd been nice.

So much so they had done it a second time.

Now, it didn't feel weird. It'd felt a little weird with Sakura, but only because it had been unexpected and unexplained. But Sakura didn't seem uncomfortable with it at all, anymore. She smiled and talked to him as normal, perhaps even better than before. So he did as well. There was no point in making an issue out of it, he decided. He could forget the nervousness he still felt about both right now, and the words that kept coming back to him. There was no point in thinking about it now.

"Where're the drunken monkeys?" Naruto asked.

"Passed out a long time ago," Kiba said, snickering. We brought them to the drunk tent, and left them there to sleep. They'll be fine in the morning, I guess."

"Shino was fine when we met him."

"He's a 'normal drunk'," Kiba said, shrugging. "My dad told me about them. They're weird normally, but when they're drunk they act like everyone else."

"Neji's the opposite, then?"

"Oh yeah."

Hinata was giggling. "Then Tenten-san is the happy drunk?"

"Very happy," Sakura agreed, shaking her head. "Have you two seen Chouji and Ino?"

Naruto nodded. "They're probably still eating. Chouji was eating all night."

"Ino might have to watch her figure."

"I dunno if he cares that much about it," Naruto said, with a shrug.

"Me neither," Sakura said, with a laugh.

The band had started, shouting a greeting to the world, and then began. The band was frightfully loud, the music screeching and reverberating throughout the tent. The rhythm was inconsistent, bellowing, the bass so heavy that it made tremors throughout everyone's seats. The singer was good, yelling about things that nobody understood, but Naruto and Kiba—who understood the point of metal—still loved it, while Kira and Sakura made faces at each other behind their backs, and Hinata seemed frozen to her seat by the shrieking sounds.

At some point, Ino and Chouji joined them, laughing and pointing at the band—Chouji giving a thumbs-up to Naruto and Kiba, Ino shaking her head along with Sakura and Kira.

But they enjoyed it. Nobody gave any thought beyond the music, anything that had been troubling them—between each other, or the world around them—was washed away into obscurity. They didn't care. This was their time, the only time they could get for a long time to relax, to enjoy themselves.

To be young.

But whether fate believed that their youths had been over for long already, or it was mere chance, that night was the last night, those moments were the last moments, that they would enjoy peacefully for a long time.

For seconds later, the world seemed to implode in on itself.

The tent's topmost point caved in, and the material rushed down, a dark fluid that soon had everyone awash in a tangled, oppressive smog. People were screaming, thrashing and not a single person knew what was happening, where to go, what to think. The band had stopped, scattering from the middle into the throng of people, their instruments screeching feedback.

Naruto clutched tightly to Kira's hand. Kiba had grabbed Hinata and was already vaulting towards the entrance. Ino was staring blankly until Sakura and Chouji dragged her away, but Naruto started forwards, towards the center.

Kira wanted to go the other way, out, away from the screaming mass of bodies. She kept shouting at Naruto, asking him where he was going, but Naruto didn't hear a word above the din, even though she was so close. He'd seen something, seen it pierce the tent's structure, seen them descend together into confusion. He thought he'd recognized it, and wanted to see more.

"Where are we—" Kira was shouting, but stopped when someone knocked into her, driving the breath from her lungs and making her wheeze. Naruto stopped to, asking whether she was okay, his face close to hers, eyes wide, the memory of the moments before not forgotten by either of them.

"What are you doing?" she pressed. "Why don't we—"

"I wanna see something," he said. They were off again, before Kira could mount an argument.

Through the haze of tangled, thrashing forms and the oppressive night of the tent, they managed to reach the middle. A hole had been torn in the canvas, and in the center of that hole Naruto saw a wyvern in, panting and mewling weakly, its eyes glazed with exhaustion bordering on fatal, its wings limp and torn at its sides. Kira went towards it, hoping to help, but by the time she reached its side it had stopped moving altogether.

Kira stood up, thoroughly shaken and confused. "What—?"

Naruto looked around. People were streaming out from under the canvas, making it gradually deflate like a dying zeppelin, save for the ruined frames of the bleachers rising like mountains all around them. The canvas soon stopped moving, lying almost flat against the ground.

Save for one shape, which moved slowly towards Naruto and Kira from under the canvas. Naruto tensed, watching the form as it shuffled towards them. It emerged into the clear night seconds later, soon looming over both of them, the big green giant himself.

"EH?" Naruto blurted. "Golbarn?"

The orc shook his shaggy, tangled mane and stared at the two of them, amazed to find them so close.

"To think it would be this easy," he said. "You might make other things a bit easier sometimes, brat, but finding you is possibly the easiest thing in the world."

"What're you doing here?" Naruto asked, starting forwards.

"What am I doing?" Golbar, said, his face coiling with anger, not directed anywhere in particular. "I'm here to deliver a message from my liege, Lord Thrall."

Kira stepped forwards at this, a spark of joy shooting through her, despite the situation. "Thrall? What has he to say?"

"It's a figure of speech, in this case," Golbarn growled. "I haven't spoken with Lord Thrall in several months. I am simply saying what I believed he would say should he have been able to convey a message to me."

Everything seemed to be so quiet to Kira, then.

"Which is?"

"Help me."

I split the chapter in two, as I didn't think it'd be good to make it one, exceedingly long one. Those are a trial to read on computers, sometimes, I know.

Hope you guys enjoyed it, and yes, I know, I couldn't resist the rather obvious cliché of the Horseman, but I wanted a fight and I wanted the Horseman to be featured at some point, so why not now? Maybe it'll be back later, as well…?

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapters, and the new fic. I'm working on another chapter for it already. I'll keep going with this, though, as I'm getting my feet back with it. Hopefully it'll be back on par with what you guys expect. I didn't think the previous chapters were, in retrospect…

Talk to you soon!

General Grievous