A/N: So, this started out as just me wanting certain characters reacting to Sakura and the sheer amount of power and variety of magic that she has. Because Sakura is immensely powerful, and it's basically her personality that stops her from taking over the world.

So this is the story in which Sakura becomes a goddess in Arda by sheer accident. Lots of different characters will be showing up.

It's not meant to be serious, and there aren't really spoilers, just the author having fun.

Short cuts make for long delays - Tolkien

It was a complete accident, and Sakura will hold to that thought forever. Because she did not mean to do what she did- in fact, until Yue had shown up with theories about what happened, Sakura didn't even know what she did in the first place. All she knew was that she was incredibly lost with no one but her Sakura Cards to keep her company.

So, yes, an accident.

It started, actually, during training. See, Sakura's magic was growing at what the others told her was an alarming rate. So, Sakura worried because they were worried, even if she didn't really notice otherwise. And because she had that much power, she needed to train.

That made sense! Sakura knew that gaining skill at something took practice. She didn't start of being good at cheerleading, or rollerblading, or anything athletic. Sure she liked it, but she wasn't good at it. Not until she kept at it until she could do twists in the air like breathing.

"The thing is, space is kind of an illusion," Kero-chan said, waving a stick of pocky around. "Or maybe objects are the illusion? Either way, nothing actually exists at like, the surface level we perceive it at."

"Really?" Sakura asked, and scrunched her nose. She continued to meditate though, that breathing in-and-out that helped her focus on the world around her without actually shutting off her senses. Because while that worked, one day she would be in a situation where not moving for however long would get her into trouble. So, meditation.

"Yup!" Yukito-san agreed cheerfully. He was doing his own training, connecting with Yue. they needed to better communicate, so Sakura maybe-on-purpose made it kind of an order to them both. Gently. "Science has even proven it with the studies of atoms. An atom is more than 99% empty space."

"Then what do we sense?" Sakura asked. Breath-in-and-out.

"Connections," Kero-chan said, "Like, electricity is the best way to think about it. Energy, you know, as electrons and protons and everything even smaller interacts with each other. Since you're made of atoms and stuff your energy interacts with the energy of everything else."

"Basically, magic," Yukito-san added. "Magic and science are actually not so dissimilar as people think. Magic takes more intuition than anything else, even with its rules, but I'm waiting for science to catch up and explain properly what goes on. I'm sure it's interesting!"

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," Sakura quoted, remembering when Tomoyo pointed it out to her. It was a tricky bit of English, but Sakura made sure to remember it. It was a good quote.

"Yes, exactly!" Kero-chan said, and pointed a new stick of pocky at her. "So, care to think about how that goes with what we're doing right now?"

Sakura was training to… move objects, from one place to another. Not telekinesis, which she was getting a slow mastery of. But teleportation, or putting an object through something, like phasing. Which sounded useful, really, but objects first.

"If everything is mostly space, then it's not like there's anything stopping it from moving?" Sakura tried.

"Eh, close enough," Kero-chan shrugged. "But also- space isn't really there, either. Or it's like a blanket? Fabric? Veil? It's not as fool-proof as everyone would have you believe."

"So I just need to fold it?" Sakura asked. That sort of made sense.

"Eh, if that how you feel it should go," Kero-chan said. "Magic is intuitive, so whatever works for you works for you."

"Why don't you try, Sakura-chan?" Yukito-san said. "Try to sense it."

"Okay," Sakura said, and took that as permission to focus. She closed her eyes and, with an idea of what she was now looking for, felt. Sakura knew fabric. One couldn't be best friends with Tomoyo and know the basics of the whats-and-whys of fabric and how it worked.

She thought she felt it, sort of wobbly and see-through. Like fog, but flat, and all over the place. It was confusing, to be sure. But like tugging gently on the edge of shirt, Sakura could feel. She could feel Kero-chan and Yukito-san next to her. She could feel Tomoyo-chan and Syaoran-kun and Meilin-chan downstairs, where they were making dinner and leaving her to her lessons. She could feel Onii-chan in his room, napping. She could feel Otou-san in his office, enjoying a rare day off from work, even if he did have stuff to do at home.

If she pushed just a little bit further, Sakura could feel even past her house and her most important people.

"Sakura, don't-" she heard. Heard? Kero-chan said something, called to her. Either way, it sounded important.

Sakura opened her eyes.

And the world was… pink. Like a sepia photo filter, but pink. It was the color of her Cards, so maybe it was just the color of her magic? It was nice.

"Sakura," Kero-chan said, and he hovered in front of her. "Sakura, let go, slowly, okay?"

"Kero-chan?" Sakura asked, confused. "Let go of what?"

Sakura looked down at her hands, and found herself grabbing onto- fabric? Soft, pink, fuzzy looking fabric. It looked like it'd make a nice sweater, honestly.

"Sakura-chan," Yukito-san said, "Please let go."

"Okay," Sakura said. Because that sounded like a good idea. Holding the fabric of reality in her hands probably wasn't a good idea.

Then she heard the tearing sound. Sakura blinked and looked down.

And then she fell.

Sakura didn't notice anything, at first. And then she did. It was like her insides were all twisted up, like she was falling. But she wasn't falling, she was just sitting there, in a pink space, where no one else was.

It was rather disconcerting actually.

And then, as if the world had waited for her to notice that something wasn't right, Sakura started falling. It was still the pink space, but at least it felt like there was proper gravity. Which meant that there was a ground, or at least an end point.

A light lit up below her, and she realized it led into a different place. It was bright and sunny on the other side of the hole- portal?- which was why it was brighter than anything around her. And she could see green, which maybe meant trees, and if there were trees, then there was other things.

It only took a moment for Sakura to pass through the hole and into the place beyond.

0o0o0

Sakura clenched her eyes shut when the wind started whipping at her, but she opened them after a long second.

It was completely unlike anything Sakura had seen before. She was used to the city landscapes, of towering skyscrapers and lights the glittered like stars along the ground. The suburbs that sprawled out in tight patterns that glowed under the sun. Such sprawling greenery, trees and other plant life, that spread out underneath her to the glittering ocean in one direction, just visible over the curve of a mountain, was unusual. It was breathtaking.

Sakura kept falling and from a much greater height than she'd ever flown before. For here, she could see that she was of height with the highest of the clouds, thin and wispy, even as she fell towards the ground and would soon pass through cloud layers. Never before had she gone above even the lowest of the clouds, and rarely did she even go above the height of the Tokyo Tower.

Ah, but up here! Sakura knew that it was magic that allowed her to breathe even the air up here so easily, that kept her eyes open despite the wind in them. She did not dare to think of stopping it, because she could look at the scenery below.

As she fell towards the earth, she noticed that she was hurtling towards what looked like to be farmland. It was an idyllic, flat, and very green land that cut through the surrounding trees like a large quilted pattern. And as she fell even closer, she could see darker spots that must have been houses, though there were so few compared to the number of farm fields.

Despite the instinctive fear that she felt up in the air, something she could never truly get rid of despite her ability to fly, Sakura felt calm. It was a calm and peace that mirrored what she saw below her, and she thought that even if she did not catch herself, there were either forces or people below that would catch her regardless.

Sakura took a deep breath. She would need to catch herself soon, but right now she focused on the Cards. They were an awareness at the edge of her sense of self, a warmth that wrapped around Sakura like protective blankets. They were confused about the situation, but held calm through their focus on their Master.

Guardians was the thought that she felt. The Sakura Cards worried about their Guardians, as they were right next to her before they fell.

An understandable worry, Sakura felt. Now that she was focused on something other than the situation she found herself in, and the splendor of land underneath her, she felt wary.

Windy, Sakura thought, and pulled the magic through. Windy herself wrapped around her, keeping them in control of their descent. Slow enough to enjoy the few for longer, but still heading towards the earth. Towards the area that she would have landed in anyways.

As she got closer to the earth, Sakura felt like- something was off. The landscape was as beautiful as ever, but where the atmosphere separated her from it, it also stopped her from feeling everything there truly was. The closest comparison she could come up with was when she was still Cardcaptor, and the Clow Cards were still loose. Like magic that shouldn't have been there, not in the manner that it was. An intrusion.

Sakura frowned, and wondered. Maybe that was why she was there? It was an assumption, though, and she first needed to know where she was before she made towards the source of this negative feeling.

She was now close enough to the ground that she could tell individual trees from each other, and that the houses were Western style. The farmland separated into different farms, and she could even tell the differences between the wheat fields and other crops.

Slow down, please, she thought, and Windy obliged. Instead of free falling, Sakura now drifted to the ground gently. It made the scene below her more idyllic and peaceful than before.

As they neared the trees, Windy brought snatches of talk. Most of which were of her, and that she had been falling past the farms. They weren't sure what to make of her, but at least Sakura knew that she would be meeting new people soon.

"Thank you," Sakura said when she landed. Windy reformed herself into her person shape, smiled, and then resealed herself into Card form. Sakura placed her into her pocket with the others. She had no idea what people thought of magic here, so hiding them first was her main priority.

It would be better to wait for people to approach her rather than going off to find them on her own. Sakura didn't know where she was, how she got here, and how to get back. She didn't know how long she would be here. She had no money, only the clothes she was wearing, and she didn't even have shoes on. She didn't have easy access to food, and even if she was in the midst of farmland, she had no idea when they were harvestable, even if Sakura was willing to steal it in the first place. And she did not want to steal.

Sakura sighed. At least the grass was soft, and the weather was warm. It was cooler than Tomoeda was recently, but it was still summer. There was no need to really worry about finding shelter.

It didn't take that long for the first people to approach her. Sakura had her Cards for company, after all. And learning to speak with them was one of the best and first things that Kero-chan had taught her.

Sakura blinked when the first two people came into view. Because either those two people were either further away than she thought, or they were very short. And wearing what looked like very Western-style clothing, petticoats and skirts and bodices and everything.

"Oh, dearie, it's a Man!" one exclaimed when they were in hearing distance of each other. "And a child, too!"

"Oh, darling, are you alright?" the other asked, bustling forward to look at her. "You gave us all such a fright when we saw that you were falling!"

"Oh, I'm okay," Sakura said, and smiled. Man? She could hear the properness in it, like whenever they talked about the Cards. "I asked Windy to stop me from falling."

"The wind!" the first said, and gasped loudly. "Well, that explains why you are such a mess!"

"Oh," Sakura said, and self-consciously ran her hand through her hair. It got caught on tangles almost immediately. She winced.

"Come on, dearie," the second one said, and reached out to grab Sakura by the hand. "We'll fix you up right quick. Poor thing, you're so dreadfully thin!"

"Now, tell us your name," the first one said. "I'm Ruby, you see, and this is my wife, Mayanne."

"Um, nice to meet you," Sakura said. "My name is Sakura."

"Sakura?" Mayanne said, and her accent put the emphasis on the last syllable. It was different than most English-speakers tended to do.

"Oh, Miss Sakura, it is lovely to meet you," Ruby said. "You are so incredibly lucky to have arrived for afternoon tea- you look like you really do need the food."

"Ah, um, thank you," Sakura managed. It was between lunch and dinner time when she left, so she could do with some snacks.

"And your feet! So small, and not a wisp of hair on them!" Ruby said. "Oh, I knew Men wore shoes of all things, but to think it was because they didn't work up their soles!"

"Hair?" Sakura mumbled, and looked down. Oh. They had large feet for their size, which stood at a good foot shorter than Sakura. And they were barefoot, with thick curls of hair.

"Oh, come, Ruby, we all knew Big Folk were awfully strange. But Miss Sakura is still a child, and is much more a proper height to us." Mayanne said.

Sakura decided that just going along with the flow was the best option. Both Ruby and Mayanne both were nice to help her out, and Sakura felt no ill intent from either of them. They were obviously not human, but they were definitely people, and if Sakura were to try to age them, she would guess that they were in their early twenties.

The farms were large, so it took a long while to make it to the cottage that Sakura could see as their destination. In the meantime, Ruby and Mayanne talked to Sakura, asking questions that needed no answers, and otherwise despairing at the messes their children made.

"Which, we don't mind as much as we say we do," Ruby added conspiratorially, "But we've got to keep up the act, otherwise how are the children to learn?"

"They need their fun and their childish adventures, but that doesn't mean that they can't also clean up after themselves too," Mayanne added.

"Ah, remember when we were young, Mayanne? The trouble we got ourselves into!" Ruby said.

"We? What is this we nonsense? I distinctly remember that you were the one that got us into trouble, and I was the one that got us out!" Mayanne retorted.

"Ha! You say that but I remember what you did with the mushrooms and the rabbit pen!" Ruby said.

"Oh, really?" Mayanne said.

Sakura smiled as she listened to the two. They were very much in love, that much she could tell, and they adored each other even as they bickered. It was easy and comfortable, and Sakura wondered if that was how she and Syaoran would be in the future. She hoped so.

"Mama!" a child screamed when they made it to the path leading up to their cottage. Said shout was echoed by a lot of children, and Sakura blinked in surprise when she saw a classroom's worth of children start running out to meet them.

They all doubletaked at Sakura, but they all ran to cling to both their mothers' skirts. The oldest were wary of her, but the younger ones were either shy or curious or both.

"Who're you?" one asked, chewing on their long curly hair.

"Be polite, children," Mayanne said, "This is Miss Sakura, our guest who fell from the sky. She's bit of a mess from all that wind, so we're going to let her clean herself up and have her over for our meals today."

With that, Sakura was led to the cottage, the children all talking at and to her. It was loud, but oddly comforting. Ruby and Mayanne were very good at herding them around, and it was clear that they adored them all.

As they got closer, Sakura could see that it wasn't just a cottage. It was built into the ground itself, with small round windows dotted along the way. Sakura was led inside, and she could not tell the difference between the cottage and what was underground.

The walls were wooden and warm, and curved through the top. The doors were all circular and were more like tunnels than straight rooms, and the furniture all fit perfectly. There weren't rugs that Sakura could see, but tapestries and plants covered the walls, as did numerous portraits. The ceilings were only a foot above Sakura's height, and everything was made to size of these short people, which of course made sense. It was ridiculously cozy and warm and Sakura felt that she could get lost in here and not mind at all.

"Come now, children! It's time for afternoon tea, and our guest needs a proper meal in her," Ruby said.

"Go clean your hands! Poppy, make sure that they do so," Mayanne said. The oldest looking child nodded and helped usher their younger siblings to what looked like a washroom.

"Now, Miss Sakura, go with them. Mayanne and I will take care of tea," Ruby said, and ushered Sakura in after the children.

It was, to put it mildly, chaotic. Still, Sakura went with the flow, the children clamoring around her. Even though Poppy looked younger than Sakura, they still kept an eye on Sakura and made sure she washed her hands, and helped Sakura comb out her hair.

Poppy then led Sakura and the other children to a large dining table, enough to fit all of them with elbow room left over. The food on the table is a bit more than Sakura expected afternoon tea to be made of, almost like a late lunch than just tea, but the food smelled delicious.

Sakura blinked and it was as if time had shifted without her noticing. Not that it did- she could still recall the meal that took place, the conversations that they had, the children who asked her question after question, not caring that Sakura couldn't answer all of them. The meal itself was easy to remember, as the Western-style food was as delicious as it smelled.

But Sakura found herself sitting at another table with Ruby and Mayanne as Poppy and the second eldest, Tanta, distracted the other children. There was a small platter of snacks and some cups of tea.

"Normally we don't discuss business over food, but keeping one's hands busy helps if the conversation is awkward," Ruby said. "Not that other Hobbits approve, either way."

"Hobbits?" Sakura asked.

"That is what we are, dear," Mayanne said.

"Oh!" Sakura said.

"Did you not think about it?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Um, no, I did? I just- you aren't human, but you're obviously people," Sakura said.

"Well said!" Mayanne approved. "Though, human, that is an odd term. It does have 'man' in it, so I suppose that it's just another way of it."

"I guess?" Sakura said. She could speak English pretty well, but she wouldn't say that she knew the linguistics of it.

"Well, to get back to what we were discussing," Ruby said, "Can you please explain to me why you were falling from the sky?"

"I don't know," Sakura admitted, "It was an accident. I was learning how to teleport things, but somehow I teleported myself instead."

"Teleport?" Mayanne exclaimed, and covered her heart with her spare hand. "Is that like magic?"

"Yes," Sakura said. There was magic in the farms and the plants around here. If Hobbits didn't have magic-users like her, that didn't mean that they didn't use it anyways. "Or, a type of magic at least. I'm still a little lost about it, which was why I was learning."

"Magic!" Ruby said, "Are you a wizard?"

"Yes?" Sakura said hesitantly. Wizards were magic-users, right?

"A wizard!" Mayanne said excitedly. "There's a wizard that travels through the Shire occasionally, and he does fireworks for parties! A decent sort for someone that spouts on and on about adventures. Dreadfully tall, too."

"Is this the Shire?" Sakura asked. Maybe if she knew where she was, she could find her way back home.

"Oh, yes it is!" Ruby confirmed. "Do you know where the Shire is on a map, Miss Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head. "No."

"Oh! No wonder you looked so lost," Mayanne said, "Hold on, I'll be right back."

"Well, Men are spread out over a much further area than Hobbits," Ruby said, "And we are rather much out of the way by choice, you know, so it makes sense that you may not have heard of us."

"That's reassuring," Sakura agreed. If Hobbits were relatively secretive by nature, then she's not as surprised that she hasn't heard of them. Short people with large feet and pointed ears would have made news. Maybe they had magic that hid them? There were some magical communities that did that.

"Here you go, Miss Sakura," Mayanne said as she bustled back inside. She put a large map on the table, and it was made of parchment. "The most recent map of Arda that we have."

Sakura looked over the map and blinked in surprise. It matched no map that Sakura had ever seen before, though it used the same imagery. The words were strange and in a language that she didn't know, though the shapes were similar. Sakura, admittedly, wasn't that great at geography beyond the large areas, but she'd remember this kind of map. It was too big for her not to find anything familiar.

"We're the Shire, and this is where we are," Mayanne said and pointed to the location. Sakura studied it and- yes, the easy hills and lack of trees did remind her of what she saw when she was falling. She made sure to remember the lines that the big bold marker made, that was probably the name of the area; Sakura couldn't read it but she could at least point it out now.

"Can you point out where you're from on the map?" Ruby asked.

Sakura shook her head. "It's not on here," she said. Very, very, very not on the map. She had hoped she just traveled to somewhere over Europe, with the clothing style and the cottage. "I think I traveled sideways."

"Sideways?" Ruby asked.

Mayanne gasped. "Oh, dear, are you from a different world?"

"Like the Elves?" Ruby asked Mayanne.

"Yes! The go West, don't they? To the Undying Lands, where they say they are placed amongst the stars?" Mayanne said.

"I wouldn't know, dear, you were ever the historian compared to me," Ruby said.

"Well, that is what I believe happened. I don't know for certain, of course, since Elves do keep to their own places for the most part, and do not discuss what is simply in their memories," Mayanne said.

"If Miss Sakura is from a different world like the Elves are, it makes sense that the Elves would be able to help her get home," Ruby said.

"Indeed! Elves also have magic of their own. The powerful ones can even sing mountains down," Mayanne said.

"Where could I find Elves?" Sakura asked. "Not that I am ungrateful for you help, really, but I've got to get home. My family must be so worried about me! I sort of vanished on them."

"Oh, it is no problem dear," Ruby assured, "We can help you set off on your way, but it'll take a couple of days for all that."

"Especially since you've no idea where you are! I imagine that even if you can take care of yourself, you need to know about the dangers here in Arda," Mayanne added.

"Oh, I don't mean to impose-" Sakura started.

"Nonsense!" Ruby said, "You are our guest, and a child besides. You may be a Wizard, but you still need to get yourself ready for travel."

"Okay," Sakura said meekly. It really would be best for her to just go with the flow.

0o0o0

"If you're a Wizard, can you do fireworks?" Tanta asked as she weaved a flower crown together. "That's what Mama says Wizards do."

Sakura looked up from the yarn she was spooling. Ruby and Mayanne did not like her doing chores from them, but Sakura felt very rude and also very bored with nothing to do. "Maybe. I've never tried before," she said.

"Can I see?" Tanta asked eagerly.

"I can certainly try," Sakura said, "But I should finish this first."

"Okay!" Tanta said.

Half and hour later, Sakura stood some distance from the smial- the term Mayanne said referred to their style of house- in a wide road between farmland. Ruby, Mayanne, and all of the children stood there watching her and cheering her on.

How do I make fireworks? Sakura asked the Cards. That was gunpowder and some colorant, but Sakura didn't exactly know what went into gunpowder.

Here. Earthy was the one that replied. It wasn't straight earth like Sakura was used to, but rather different things. Of course Earthy could create what was needed, but it was more fiddly than the usual brute strength she used.

Kero-chan and Yue-san and Eriol-kun all said that Sakura should be able to do the things her Cards could do on her own. Sakura wanted to learn to do those things, too, eventually. But she would always rely on her Cards, even just to teach her.

And right now, Sakura really didn't want to set anything on fire.

Please make me fireworks, Sakura commanded and felt the magic take place. She felt Earthy craft them, and then felt Firey ignite them, and then-

Pop! Pop-pop-pop!

Sakura opened her eyes. They were tiny fireworks but there they were, a couple of feet above her. It was mostly smoke and color, but they were still fireworks.

Sakura laughed as the Hobbits all cheered.

0o0o0

"Oh, please be careful Miss Sakura," Mayanne said.

Sakura hitched the large bag over her shoulders. Ruby and Mayanne had outfitted her in traveling clothes. They were Hobbitish in that Sakura now wore a waistcoat and a skirt, but the fabric was thick and durable. They also gave her a cloak, which was waterproof and windproof, and could be used as a makeshift tent in a pinch.

Her new pack was filled with food, enough to last two weeks. It was only enough for a couple of days for a Hobbit, but Sakura was human and did not need that much food. There was also some camping supplies to ease the journey, the most important being a map that led to the nearest Elven settlement. What Sakura didn't have in her pack, her Cards could more than make up for.

It was a bit much to be given, but the entire Hobbit family had insisted. Apparently they considered her making fireworks for them, as well as helping with the watering, enough payment.

"Oh, you be safe, dearie," Ruby said.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Sakura said. "I'm really very happy that you allowed me to stay."

"Oh, you're very absolutely welcome!" Mayanne said, and then Sakura was enveloped into a hug. Not a second later, the rest of them decided that what Sakura needed for a proper send off was a group hug.

Not that Sakura minded. These were her friends now. It was nice.

0o0o0

Sakura was halfway to what the map labelled Bree when she felt it. It was a heavy sort of feeling that she got whenever ghosts and spirits were around, but much more negative. She swallowed heavily and she gripped the strap of her bag tightly in her hands.

But something also pressed Sakura forward. She continued walking towards the source of the heavy feeling. Maybe there was someone that needed help.

Then she saw it- the black figure in the distance. It was robed in black, its face covered by a hood, and it looked as if the wreathed in shadows. It rode a similarly black horse, and was prowling along the Shire, as if hunting for something.

Sakura was glad that this was an expansive area of farmland. She wouldn't want the Hobbits to be confronted with this thing.

Illusion

With that, Sakura made herself invisible, which made it easy for her to jog up to where the black being was. It grated along her senses, though thankfully it did not seem to notice her. As she got closer, she realized that the horse seemed to be very unwilling. Oh, it did what its rider asked, but Sakura could see the fear in its eyes even from several meters away.

Well. That wouldn't do. Sakura had never ridden a horse, but she thought that this one deserved better than being put into this situation.

How do I help? She asked the Cards.

It was Light and Sword that came forward. Light in particular seemed very intent on destroying the black being. Sakura frowned, wondering at the viciousness. Still, the Cards backed Light up, even gentle Windy and Woody.

Mercy was the thought that Light and Dark both gave her. Sakura bit her lip. Mizuki-sensei did say that she should learn from shrines about their work, especially their purification rituals. Kero-chan and Yue-san said that the Cards could do so in a pinch. They also said that relying on them for blessings and purification was improper in the long run. Still, Clow-san made sure that the Cards knew what to do in those situations.

If the Cards all thought that this was that type of situation, then Sakura decided to go with it. The Cards were her friends, and she trusted them. They knew her and what she did and did not like. If they all agreed on one course of action, then Sakura would listen.

Mercy? Sakura asked, though.

Corruption, Dark explained sadly. Human soul.

Ah. That would explain it. Now that Sakura knew what to look for, she could feel it, on the edge of her senses. Even as the being hunted for Hobbits, even as it relished its power and its malice, there was a spark that just wanted everything to end.

Sakura felt herself tear up at that. She could try to burn the corruption away, to leave the person behind, but this creature was only a symptom. She would have to keep burning and burning the corruption, and that itself would be torture.

Please be quick! Sakura said, and called Light and Sword to hand.

Light burst forth, and wrapped the being with tendrils of her power, gripping tightly and burning the being with purity. It screeched loudly in pain. Sakura swung her hand in an arc, Sword letting out a blast of glowing energy that cut through the being. The combined onslaught killed the being near instantly, and it started to dissolve into the wind as ash.

The horse snorted loudly and shook its head as if shaking its rider off. It bucked a couple of times and Sakura stepped back, willing to let it calm down on its own. She was surprised when instead of running off, the horse trotted to her. It flared its lips and its nose and started sniffing her, curious.

"Hello," Sakura said and held out her hand, palm up. The horse lipped at her hand. "Um, you're free now, if you want to go. I don't know if there are any wild herds nearby, or where the closest stable is."

The horse was a beautiful solid black, almost like velvet. Its mane was long and somewhat tangled, and the hair on its fetlocks covered its hooves. Its sides were shiny with sweat. It had a solid black saddle and bridle, and the leather was worn and only cared for practicality. Even Sakura could tell that it could have been taken care of much better than it was.

"Oh, I can't just leave you, can I?" Sakura said. Horse brushes were like a thick bristle brush, weren't they? She took off the saddle and bridle, and had Erase get rid of it. A quick twist of will, and Woody created a brush and comb for Sakura.

She started brushing its body, and was glad to see that slowly the shine started changing from sweat to a natural oil. It took some time, but the horse seemed glad to be properly groomed and stood still. Combing through the mane and tail went easier, thankfully, and though tangled it wasn't anything too bad.

"I think you're a girl," Sakura said. "And you need a name now, right? Even if I can just stop calling you 'horse'."

Said horse just continued lipping at Sakura's hair, as if trying to comb it out for her. Sakura didn't mind, since that meant the horse was comfortable with her.

"You're very brave, aren't you? And noble and strong, too, I can tell," Sakura said. She hummed thoughtfully. There was that one game… "How about Epona?"