Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto or Warcraft.
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Naruto could probably count the good days in his life on one hand, with fingers to spare. Yet as he reminisced about the events of the past eight hours he realized today had been added to that very short list. All thanks to the draenei sitting next to him.
The young blonde was supposed to depart from the city come morning but he found himself questioning if he even wanted to. His time in Stormwind had eased the weight on his soul, if only a fraction. Minaara had spent the entire day showing Naruto the city and everything it offered.
They had laughed, had eaten delicious treats, and had even played a few child's games in the grassy fields just outside the Dwarven District. Yet as the sun began its descent into the west, the pair found themselves sitting atop a stone wall that overlooked the docks, the calm ocean stretching seemingly forever across the horizon. The sky was a tapestry of orange hues, his favorite color. He recalled the fact in surprise, as if it was some long lost piece of knowledge about himself.
It was a sobering thought, that he had lost so much of himself in his years in ANBU. So much had happened since his arrival to this world that he hadn't had the time to stop, to rediscover himself. He didn't have to leave, he realized. He could stay here forever. On this world, in this city. With his friend.
He turned to look at Minaara and was surprised to see her already holding his gaze, a question burning behind her violet eyes.
"Do you have many friends, Naruto?"
Friends.
He frowned at the pang in his chest. He had more friends and they needed his help. He squashed the selfish desire to abandon them. Tomorrow he would set out and together they would finish the quest they had been tasked with. For better or for worse.
He could always come back and visit her. Naruto cleared his throat when he felt his face redden, "A few."
He winced at the briefness of his answer. Minaara continued, unbothered.
"I have always been horrible at making friends." She says this with a chuckle but her face carries no mirth. Naruto says nothing, allowing the pretty girl to gather her thoughts.
She took a deep shuddering breath and continued, "When the Exodar crashed I lost my mother. Father was devastated. He had always been a dedicated healer but he threw himself mercilessly into his work. Trying to save as many of our people as he could."
Naruto felt another pang seize his heart when he saw tears slip from her eyes, yet he held his tongue. She needed this.
"I was alone. Even my uncle was away, busied with the defense and diplomacy of our new home. So I threw myself into healing as well. I became my father's assistant in all things medicine. It was the only way I could be at his side."
She began to wring her hands as if recalling a bad memory, "When my uncle returned and saw me working myself ragged he went off on father. I don't remember all that was said but after that I wasn't allowed to help as much. I didn't know what to do with myself."
She had dug something out of her pocket and was holding it close now, Naruto couldn't see what it was.
"Uncle told me he was leaving for the city of Dalaran, to further his arcane knowledge. Before he left he gave me these."
She held out her hand to reveal two necklaces, each with a smooth rock as their pendants.
"He told me that if I made a friend to give them one of these." She handed him one of the identical necklaces, before putting on the remaining one. Naruto sat dumbfounded at receiving a gift. As he took the necklace into his hand he realized that the pendant was infused with some kind of magic.
Minaara gently squeezed the stone around her neck. The reaction was immediate when Naruto's began to vibrate. Not violently, but almost a soft hum. At his puzzled look the draenei girl gave him a gentle smile, albeit a sad one.
"I know you have to leave tomorrow but when I miss you I'll squeeze this stone, and you'll know I'm thinking of you."
That was intimate. For a while the blonde could only stare at the stone. His expression was unreadable but his mind was in turmoil. He didn't deserve this. His soul was black, and his hands stained with the blood of innocents. He was a killer, a shinobi. She was everything he was not. Warm. Pure. Peace. Light.
If she got too close she could die. Or worse end up like him. His fists clenched. He couldn't let-
"We are friends, aren't we Naruto?"
The tremble in her voice snapped the ninja from his spiraling thoughts. He raised his eyes to find hers shining with unshed tears. His silence had upset her. She had poured her heart out to her first friend and he had sat in silence. Her lips quivered and she held her hands close to her chest. The orange glow of the setting sun made her seem almost angelic.
Naruto was certain that no artist on Azeroth could recreate the image before him, "Of course we are."
His answer came out breathless and with such sincerity he surprised himself. He carefully placed his gift around his neck and gave the stone a gentle squeeze. He felt arms wrap around him and fought the urge to kawarimi. Minaara released a shuddering breath as she buried her face in the crook of Naruto's neck.
She didn't notice his hands shaking as they hovered over her. He returned the embrace slowly, as if any sudden movements would shatter the moment.
They stayed like that for a while. Long enough for the sun to go down and the city to go to sleep.
"We should start heading back." He hated being the voice of reason. Minaara sighed but nodded her head in reluctant acceptance.
The walk back to Old Town was quiet, but comfortably so. Naruto placed his hands behind his head and allowed a grin to stretch across his face. From the corner of his eyes he could see Minaara had a similar expression. Nothing could ruin this day.
The smell of freshly spilt blood challenged that notion. He could hear the sound of fists meeting flesh. Naruto focused chakra to his eyes, helping him cut through the dimly lit district. Further down the street he could see a man, his face hidden by a red cloth, standing guard just outside the alley that Minaara called home. He could sense five people, one of which he guessed was her father.
They were close enough now that his draenei companion began to hear the sounds of violence as well. She began to call out for her dad when Naruto placed a hand over her mouth. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to cut off any noise she might have made.
He quietly guided Minaara to the closest alley, a few buildings away from her home. By this point she was shaking like a leaf, her violet eyes were wide in fear. Naruto placed a finger over his lips before slowly removing his hand from her face.
"Close your eyes and cover your ears. Do not move until I come back. Do you understand?" His voice was barely a whisper, and his tone deadly serious. Minaara was flinching with each violent blow that echoed through the empty streets, her eyes were filled with tears now.
"Naruto-"
He grabbed her shoulders a little too roughly, but he couldn't make any mistakes. Not with her. "Do you understand?"
She nods before following his orders, she slides down the wall and sits with her eyes screwed shut and her hands over her ears.
Naruto gives the stone around his neck a squeeze, causing its sister to vibrate gently. He notices Minaara's rapid breathing slow a fraction, before he disappears.
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Collin was bored. The night started well enough. The boss had given them a job, one that his particular talents suited. Some deadbeat blue hoof owed the brotherhood money, and he and his boys were tasked with beating it out of him.
Unfortunately for Collin he drew the short stick and was now posted up outside the alley, keeping a lookout for guards. He sighed in disappointment when a particularly loud punch echoed from behind him. He hazarded a glance over his shoulder to see Wessel shaking blue blood off his knuckles, his other hand holding the frail draenei by the shirt.
"You know how this works Namir, you take money from the Defias, you pay us BACK!" He emphasized his words with another hard punch across the skinny horn head's face.
The other boys were busy tearing up the tent looking for any scrap of gold they could bring back to the boss. Grimm had picked up a book of some sort and was ripping out the pages, while Burke was using his dagger to cut through the tent in search of secret compartments.
Collin chuckled before returning his attention back to the empty streets. More than likely they would kill the blue bastard, and dump his headless body into the canals.
His smile slipped from his face when he heard footsteps coming from up the street. He squinted while placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. There were no lantern lights, so it wasn't the City Guard. Just as he was about to signal for backup a lone figure exited the shadows, shambling slowly towards the alley.
"Pardon me sir, but is the doctor available? I have the worst back pain!" An elderly man with a long white beard, clutched at his back with a wince. Stumbling closer to Collin.
"He's busy, old man, now sod off."
"I'm fine with waiting really, I can't sleep a wink!" He was almost within grabbing distance now.
"I said FUCK OFF, before I spill your guts!" Collin lunged forward grabbing the old man's shirt with both hands and shoved with all his might. He heard the familiar sound of steel hissing against leather. A sharp pain from his stomach made him look down. Collin barely registered that his sword had been taken and his intestines released from his person before the light faded from his eyes.
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Naruto pumped chakra into his arms as he launched the stolen sword in a spinning arc towards the closest enemy.
The blade buried itself into the head of the second masked man with such force that he was lifted off his feet. No time to confirm the kill. His legs were a blur as he launched himself to the next foe. His fist which was still saturated with chakra caved in the chest of the third man, blood sprayed from his nose and mouth as he crumpled into a heap.
The last man held a knife against Namir's throat, using him as a shield. The thug's eyes were wild with fear. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Naruto wasn't interested. His shadow clone dispelled, causing the man to shout in surprise. The real Naruto dropped silently from the rooftops behind him. With an iron grip he wrenched the thug's knife hand away from the throat of Minaara's father. With a sickening crunch the ninja kicked the masked man's leg, forcing him to kneel.
He was begging for his life now, praying, sobbing. Pathetic. Naruto began to guide his knife to the man's own throat. He pushed back with all his strength. The ex-ANBU hardly noticed. Naruto pushed a little more and the knife slid into his neck with ease. His cries for mercy turned to gurgling as he began to drown in his own blood. Naruto shoved the dying man to the ground before reluctantly looking at the entrance of the alley. Already knowing what he would see.
There she was, her hands over her mouth as she looked upon his work in horror. He averted his gaze in shame. Any words that may have been exchanged were interrupted by her father groaning in pain as he sat up.
"Dad!" Her voice was hoarse as she ran and knelt beside her injured father, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She let loose a sob of relief when he gingerly returned the embrace. His face was a mess of bruises and blue blood. His glasses were nowhere to be seen, probably broken.
He winced in pain when she hugged him but smiled nonetheless, "I'm alright little light."
"What did you do?" She asked between shuddering breaths. The question caused Namir to look away from his daughter in silence. He released a tired sigh after a few moments.
"I borrowed gold from the Defias Brotherhood." His answer was met with a gasp from his daughter, she looked him in the eyes. Confusion evident in her stare.
"Why father, why would you do such a thing?" He didn't miss the accusatory tone in his daughter's words.
"I needed rare ingredients for my medicines." The answer stunned Minaara, her mouth fell open before anger took over.
"Rare ingredients?! You almost died over some weeds! If we hadn't shown up you would be-!"
"But you did." There was little conviction in his argument.
"But-"
"Mina, do you know your mother's last words to me before she passed." His tired voice doused Minaraa's anger to a simmer.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Her voice was quiet now, sobered with thoughts of her mother.
"Save as many as you can, Namir." His words were heavy with emotion, but his eyes held a flame of passion. "Those "weeds" would help me save the sick and dying of this city."
Minaara leaned away from her father, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked away. "She didn't mean all of Azeroth, father."
"Didn't she?" His eyes continued to blaze with conviction. He began to rise from his sitting position, gasping in pain as he did so. "I'll save as many as I can, just as your friend saved me."
He looked to his blonde savior who was watching the moment with a blank stare. Just as he was about to take a step his legs gave out and he fell forward, his chest wracked with pain. The world spun but before he slammed into the ground he felt a pair of arms catch him and lay him gently on the ground once more. After his vision cleared he saw the apathetic glare of his daughter's friend hovering above him. Namir looked deep into the eyes of the young warrior and smiled. Beneath the mask of indifference there was worry. He noticed the stone hanging around the boy's neck. His daughter had chosen well.
"I believe I may have several broken ribs."
Naruto nodded before going through a few hand signs, "Hold still."
The ninja's hands glowed green as he placed them on the injured draenei's chest. Naruto could feel the ribs knitting back together, along with any other damage in that area. Every ANBU worth his salt knew a few healing jutsu. Not every squad would have a medic and being slowed by an injury was not an option.
After a minute Namir breathed deeply, without issue or pain, "Thank you my boy, you are a true hero."
Naruto said nothing but the words made him look towards Minaara. She refused to meet his eyes. He had lied to her, what else could he be hiding from her.
To business then.
"You need to leave the city, now." His tone offered no arguments.
"Why?" Minaara offered her voice to the conversation for the first time, an edge to the word that cut Naruto to his core.
The blonde gestured to the bodies of his fallen foes, "Corruption like theirs runs deep. They will find out about this, and I won't be here to protect you again."
"We have nowhere else to go my boy." Namir said dejectedly.
"What of your brother in Dalaran?" Naruto countered, surprising both draenei.
Namir looked thoughtful before shaking his head, "We have no money for the portal toll, and no reliable transportation otherwise."
"How much?" Naruto reached for the pouch of coins attached to his belt.
Namir waved his hands desperately, "We couldn't possibly, not after all you've done already!"
"And the alternative? Stay here? Spend months on the road with no food or protection?" Naruto's harsh tone kept the man from arguing further.
"One gold for two people." Minaara stated quietly.
Naruto gave Namir the coin without hesitation.
"I owe you a debt that can never be repaid." He placed a hand over his heart and bowed low.
"Repay me by keeping her safe. Now let's go, I'll walk you to the mage tower."
They set out across Stormwind, silent but moving swiftly. They encountered no other resistance on the way and soon found themselves at the foot of the ramp leading to the portal room.
"Come my little light, we mustn't tarry." Namir took the first few steps before turning to his daughter.
"Go on ahead, Father. I'll be up soon." Minaara glanced between her dad and her one and only friend.
Namir nodded, before giving another bow to Naruto, "Dioniss aca, Naruto."
With that he turned and left the two alone. Minaara was silent, causing Naruto to become restless. "Minaara I'm sor-"
"You're not from a farm in Elwynn are you." It wasn't a question, the lack of emotion in her voice caused the ninja to tense.
"No." His shoulders fell as the single word left his lips.
"Have you lied about anything else?" She was facing away from him so he couldn't gauge her emotions.
"No. I-" Naruto felt his necklace vibrate gently against his neck, he reflexively grasped it, sending the vibrations back to its counterpart. Minaara turned to face him with a watery smile, her hand over her own pendant.
"I can forgive a single lie, Naruto. And as much as I would love to hear your story, we don't have time."
"Next time then?" The underlying promise of seeing eachother again wasn't lost on the young girl. She quickly stepped to him and enveloped him in a hug, which Naruto quickly reciprocated.
"Next time." She breathed out a short laugh, "Thank you, for everything. My father is right, you ARE a hero, Naruto Uzumaki."
The blonde didn't respond, not trusting his voice. Instead he breathed deep, intending to remember her scent until they met again. Flowers, incense, and parchment.
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Bit of a long one, but I didn't want to spend the next few chapters stuck in Stormwind. Next chapter, Westfall then Gilneas! I'm excited for the next steps in this New Adventure!