FINALLY ITS DONE. I had a hard time with this one, mostly because it was one of the quickest scenes in the book and movie and not really one of my favorites. The reason why it held such a lasting impression was the epic background shots of everyone running. But anyway, I think the most considerable issue with this story, and all crossover stories, is the realistic value of both sides of the stories. It'd be all to easy to lose LOTR completely by adding Sakura and turning it on its head with an AU, but at the same time I could say the same of Naruto.

I think I already make Sakura a bit au than her canon character who is, admittedly, neither particularly emotionally strong nor physically. Well, I amend that, supposedly she has intense physical strength that's never really characterized to its full potential in the male-based world of Naruto. And I don't think she could anyway, cause she's pregnant. I already stretch that idea enough under the premise of her being a ninja, lol.


Not for the first time since they'd split from the rest of the Fellowship, Sam was contemplating whether Mr. Frodo's grand idea to go off by himself was, in fact, plausible. Surely it sounded nice, heroic even, taking the bouldering weight onto their shoulders and hiking through craggy, unsure terrain. But halfway into the fifth day, with no end in sight, Sam took in Frodo's labored breathing, and the way his face had lost its rounded visage to morph into a gaunt, pallor-less version of its former self, and decided perhaps it hadn't been the best idea after al.

"Why don't we rest here?" He called to his companion, uneasily. Frodo, some ways ahead of him, paused in his stumbling trek, turning to look at Sam with glazed eyes.

"We haven't gotten very far." He pointed out, though looking like he'd rather not go on much farther himself.

Sam shook his head. "We've made good timing." Sort of. Well, from what he could tell. He wasn't the best with maps… but he was pretty sure they were a ways farther than they had been before. "And it's getting darker."

Which was true as well. The sun had long since set, leaving only lingering burning entrails lighting the dim sky.

Frodo reluctantly agreed, and the hobbits searched for a relatively safe spot to set up camp. For once, Sam didn't even feel for setting up his array of pots and pans, starting up a fire, or basking in camaraderie. Maybe because, aside from a somber Frodo, he had no other company to speak of.

The hobbit sighed, and settled himself onto his bedroll.

Morning came with a twinkling ember to the grayscale sky, lighting at the corners of the long, bowl-like world they'd found themselves in. Sam was awoken to an irritable, incessant tapping at his foot.

Thinking it a bug, the hobbit only rolled over, flicking it away with a twitch of his foot, only for it to continue some moments later.

Finally, the redheaded Halfling bolted upright, intent on squashing the thing and giving himself a few more precious hours of sleep. But he wasn't met with any variegation of grotesque bug—

But a strange, foreign looking bird.

It was bigger than most birds, but not as big as the enormous eagles. And there was something strange to it's tail, which was long and colored red at the feathered ends. Not only that, but it was wearing jewelry. A strange, swirling design to its designed anklet.

Not to mention parchment attached to its neck.

Blinking the sleepiness from his eyes, the hopped leant over to untie the scroll from the unnervingly silent bird's neck.

It rolled cleanly, unraveling in his hands with a lyrical, calligraphic script of which he'd never seen before.

Sam,

It headed.

I hope this letter reaches you in good health. The Fellowship travels due South, following the trail of hunting orcs who have captured Merry and Pippin. We expect to supersede them in a few days time. No one takes badly to Frodo's decision—we only hope that you have safe travels to Mordor, and will assist you in any way we can. Please respond when you get this message—but I cannot return another after. The plains of Rohan have little cover, and we have already encountered various spies of Saruman watching us.

Regards,

Sakura

Sam stared for a few minutes longer, before putting the parchment down.

The bird stared back, unblinking.

A bit unnerved by the unnatural glow to its eyes, Sam quickly penned down a response of his own.

By midday, the four of them had covered much ground, resulting in a slowed pace among the grueling highlands of Rohan. Not that the elf was complaining. In fact, not that anyone was complaining. Aside from a few well-meaning grumbles from the dwarf, the four of the remaining fellowship were uneasily silent. Aragorn was set into a determined, if not stern countenance, and Sakura seemed more distant than usual. If that was possible.

Of course, the woman kept her secrets. And while he'd rather divulge her of them, he'd kept his mouth shut.

The group halted as Aragorn slowed ahead, pressing his head closer to the rock.

Legolas knelt beside him quietly, a determined look to his face, but he said nothing to Aragorn. The man looked deep in concentration, and Gimli turned to Sakura confusedly.

"What is he doing?" The dwarf asked between breaths.

Sakura shrugged, retying her hair. "Tracking." She said, lowly.

Though in her vast experience with trackers, she'd never seen anyone do it like Aragorn. How listening to the ground could possibly work, she'd never know, though the Ranger seemed to be the equivalent of a shinobi tracking team, so perhaps it was working all the same.

The blistering sun beat down on them a few moments more, Gimli stretching his stubbly legs beside her as he caught his breath, Aragorn and Legolas both in a curious silence.

Finally, the Ranger stood. "I can't be sure." He began steadily. "We seem to be making good ground—but there's too much interference to be accurate."

Deciding that perhaps her two cents may be warranted, Sakura knelt to the ground as well, placing two fingers into the mossy earth. Chakra shot out of her fingers like an acute sound wave, rippling through the ground and relaying to her the general geography of their expansive radius, as well as what seemed to be a cloud of heady thudding. Two, actually. One group seemed to be of four-legged mammals—horses, the people of Middle Earth referred to them as—and the other seemed to be heavy-set two-legged creatures, one going in the opposite direction.

Sakura looked up, to find the three watching her curiously.

Aragorn quirked a brow. "A tracker as well?"

"Not by trade." Sakura insisted, getting to her feet. "I think what's getting in your way are a group of horses going in that direction." She pointed to their left, where the sun streaked a narrow glimpse of gold behind the peaked mountains. "And the orcs we're after are about a day or two's trek over that way." She jerked in the opposite direction.

Aragorn nodded sternly. "We shall make haste, then."

He took off then, with a considerably harsher pace than before, Legolas quick and light on his heels. Gimli gave an incoherent crumble, before staggering behind them in his armor.

Sakura crouched, ready to leap after them, when a shadow fell upon her.

The ninja looked up, to see one of Neji's hawks circling above her. She'd used one of them to contact Sam, and it seemed the redheaded hobbit had gotten back to her, with good time too.

The bird circled once more, before dropping the scroll in her hands. It flew down to her shoulder, where she stroked it absently as she unrolled the parchment. She sent the bird back to Neji with a brisk wave of her hand, beginning to read what Sam had written back.

Apparently they'd found some sort of guide—actually, it was Golem. Though Sakura hadn't heard the full story on the warped, twisted creature that was once human, none of the small snippets she'd heard had been particularly flattering. Golem, it seemed, had become so obsessed with the ring it had turned him into the mangled character he was today, which derived quite a bit of pity from the late Gandalf. Frodo, however, had seemed frightened of him.

And yet they were following his guide…

They had made it into the mountainous highlands between Mordor and Lothlorein, right before the swamps. And though it would take a bit of time, it seemed that that was the shortest way to get to Mordor—perhaps not the easiest. Sakura sighed. And considering that they were bumbling Hobbits… it could take them months to reach the maw of darkness.

The girl snapped the scroll shut, looking out into the distance to find her companions quite a ways ahead of her.

She dropped it where she stood with a timed explosive tag, deciding it was better to destroy it than have it taking up space in her pack, and followed her companions with an enormous jump.

It only took three to close the distance between her and the remaining Fellowship, and she supposed that if she had been travelling alone, she may have already reached Merry and Pippin. And be exhausted, she thought, morosely. This whole pregnancy thing was a lot harder than she'd previously rationalized—how the hell did Kurenai do it? This brisk sprinting was probably the recommended amount of strenuous activity she really should be doing.

The next time we stop, She promised to herself, feeling a little guilty for foolishly continuing onwards even in her condition, knowing full well as a medic-nin it wasn't ideal. I'm going to get a really great night's sleep.

And she did.

Sakura's head hit her bag with an almost audible thump, her eyes closed, and she was out. At this point, she wasn't really worried about having to look out for herself, she trusted the fellowship enough to know they'd watch out for her, and quite honestly she needed the rest.

The other three continued to eat the leftovers from Lothlorein, Legolas sending a furtive, worried glance her way. "Should we wake her for dinner?" He asked, unsure.

Aragorn shook his head. "Let her sleep."

He had a curious suspicion about Sakura, an apprehensive worry that she was hiding something rather important from the fellowship. Something told him they hadn't heard the whole story about her, well actually, he was sure of it. Though she was shrouded in mystery, the girl herself was a generally amiable, honest person, which went a very long way with the Ranger. So whatever she was hiding certainly wouldn't effect their quest, though that meant little in reference to her.

And, more importantly, he had nothing to base this on.

She is a woman, He reasoned. And he'd certainly never seen a woman be able to do the many incredible feats she could. This journey, which had already spanned more than four weeks, must be impossibly taxing on her. Even he, a well seasoned and well traveled Ranger was feeling the strain of such stress for so long.

But yet, not only was she a woman, but a member of the elusive shinobi, which seemed to be a class of humans all on their own. She carried herself in the most inconceivable of fights with a balletic dexterity, was well versed in medicine and tracking—and was really a Ranger herself.

I'll have to unravel more of her. The Ranger decided, reasonably. For, as of now, I have no facts to go on.

His eyes turned to Legolas, who was staring pensively into the prussian blue of the sky.

And what of the two of them? Though Sakura had been more forthcoming with information than usual, he, what with the greater gravity of recent circumstances, hadn't been able to fully assess the situation with his elfin friend. However, considering his vast experience with the elf, and their amiable relations, he'd consider himself at least capable of making an accurate guess towards his friend's feelings.

At any rate, I certainly don't have the time to figure out their complex issues now.

And with their luck so far, possibly not anywhere near the foreseeable future.

.

.

.

The winter sun was a silent, calamitous presence at the back of the sky, casting long strokes of shadow that blurred down the countryside in time with the lengthening strides of the Fellowship. It was steadily rising towards its paramount, Sakura keeping time with the angle of her shadow and what she could tell from the sun. They must have passed a time zone or two travelling to Lorein, because her watch, which she had adjusted in the Shire, was now quite a ways off.

The ninja grumbled, thinking how much easier this would be if Merry and Pippin had a reputable chakra source, which could be traced simply like a guiding beacon. Without it, Sakura was no better off than Aragorn, using the ground and vibrations from Uruk-hai to judge the distance between them. Well, she could use her cats, but they were fickle and temperamental at best, and probably wouldn't like being out in the open like this.

Some summons. She thought, wryly, before narrowing her eyes forward. She sent out another pulse of chakra through her feet, and waited for the waves to bounce back towards her.

When they did, they were a little closer than she had expected.

"We'll be there by noontime." She said aloud, squinting into the cold sunshine.

Evening his strides beside her, Aragorn only nodded. "We should prepare ourselves for a quick battle; hopefully we'll still have the element of surprise."

Sakura chanced a quick glance to Legolas, but the elf had his eyes far into the distance, towards something she couldn't see. Not for the first time, she wondered what it was like to be an elf, or a Hyuuga, with keen eyes that could see so much farther than any others.

The Ranger looked back, and then did a double take. "Gimli!" He called over the frightening plain winds. "Make haste!"

"You try on these legs!" Retorted the dwarf, muffled by the clang of his armor and his labored breathing.

Aragorn quirked a slight smile, slowing his pace down to assist the dwarf, and effectively leaving Sakura and Legolas once more alone. With all the tension, what with Merry and Pippin being effectively kidnapped by an army of giant mud creatures, Sakura didn't have the proper time to muse on her relationship with the elf—as she usually did whenever her mind wandered.

She hadn't meant to confide in Aragorn, and if anything, it actually had the opposite effect that confiding usually has with her. Generally when she confessed things to Ino, it made her feel lighter, and if anything, a little more composed and sure of herself. Speaking with Aragorn had only beffudled her more—and terrified her, if she wanted to privately admit that to herself.

Eternity.

What a horrifying word.

He was probably just speaking romantically. She reasoned, logically. And I can't make decisions just yet, I should probably ask him to explain further the next break we have.

Though that could take a while.

The ninja gave a sidelong glance to the object of her confusing thoughts, who seemed entirely oblivious.

"Sakura," As if reading her mind, the elf effectively startled her out of her reverie. "I know this isn't the proper place, but…"

She swallowed thickly.

"After Merry and Pippin are rescued—" Sakura was a little impressed with his confident bravado on the matter, "There are matters I'd like to formally discuss with you."

Uck. Formally.

Reluctantly, and with more unwillingness than she'd like to admit, Sakura turned to him as well. If they were going to sit down and have a serious conversation, this may be the perfect opportunity to perhaps confess one or two rather crucial secrets of her own. (As much as she'd rather not). "Actually, there's something important I wanted to talk to you about too."

His brows raised, as if he hadn't expected the prospect. "Truly? Well, then we'll have to—

He cut himself off, however, head snapping forward and attention effectively caught in something else. Sakura followed his gaze, not for the first time wishing for some good old Hyuuga genetics, minus the cage-bird seal, but could only see the barest hint of craggy rock among the looming mountains in the distance.

"Legolas?" She questioned, curiously. "What are you—

"Something approaches." He spoke hastily, turning back to where Aragorn was helping Gimli along. "Aragorn! Movement in the North!"

The Ranger jogged up towards them with trepidation, an alertness to him that concerned Sakura. Legolas pointed to something she couldn't see. "A dust cloud rises with the western wind."

"A big group, then." Aragorn surmised, unhappily. "The Uruk-hai?"

Sakura shook her head, biting her lip. "No, it's not them." Though to that extent, she hadn't felt very much of them at all as of late. For the better part of the day they'd been using prints and the remains of their camps to track their direction. Either they had found a way around her chakra waves, or they were no longer in range.

"They have four legs." She relayed back to them, probing the ground with chakra.

Legolas turned to Aragorn. "Horses?"

"It would appear so."

They were certainly moving faster than the leisurely herds she'd felt before, though. Perhaps something had spooked them… or perhaps…

"What did you call the people here?" She thought aloud. "The Rohan…

"The Riders of Rohan." Aragorn filled in, seeming to come to the same conclusion as her.

"The people of the horse-lords?" Legolas joined in. "Could it be them?"

"Most likely." Aragorn nodded sternly. "And they approach quickly."

The Fellowship slowed, taking cover behind an enormous rock face. The storming horse hooves thudded louder and louder as the enormous group of beasts approached, and Aragorn crouched tensely with his head peering out to watch them come nearer. They were going to jump out into the open, Sakura realized, judging from their positioning. A surrender, then? The ninja narrowed her eyes, backtracking and disappearing into the shadows, cloaked with a Genjutsu.

The three men of the Fellowship sprung out of their hiding spot as the riders came closer, facing the stampeding herd head on. But the horses split in two, encircling the fellowship. Aragorn narrowed his eyes, sword drawn, steadily circling around to keep his back from the spear-drawn riders. Gimli had pulled out his axe, and Legolas his bow.

The sea of horses parted, to reveal a man dressed in armor with a spear of his own, eyes dark under his helmet and hair tied high on his head.

"What business does an Elf, a man and a Dwarf have in Riddermark?"

"Our scout reported four travelers, sir." Spoke one of his horsemen.

The blonde turned to them once more, his livid, stern brow almost covered by his beard and helmet. "There were four of you? Where has the other gone? Speak quickly!"

"The other is right here."

The men surrounding the Fellowship jolted in surprise, their horses spooked and unsteady as the riders hastily made to reassure them. Eomer froze, hands limp on the reigns as he slowly tiled his head upwards.

Through the glare of the sun, he could make out the bright of a human's eyes, and the slow, pointed descent of a nose, sharp cheekbones and a small chin.

"What business do you have to halt us in our quest?" Said the man, who, belatedly, the horseman realized to be a woman.

"A woman?" The blonde choked out, surprised to find a thin blade pressed to the inside of his jaw.

Around him, his men broke into disquieted murmurs.

The woman didn't answer, only holding his gaze coolly, above the long stretch of her blade. How she managed to jump atop his horse among a circle of his men he couldn't quite comprehend, nor did he have the time to do so.

"I will only repeat my command once! Who are you travelers, and what business do you have?"

The blade tilted inwards dangerously, stinging against his skin. The woman had yet to release his gaze, glimmering green eyes narrowed underneath a hood of impassivity. She seemed to judge him with only the slightest flicker in her deep bottle eyes, appraising his very character with a fortuitous eye.

"Sakura." Called one of the travelers from the ground.

Almost reluctantly, the blade's pressure eased off, and the woman sheathed her sword, elegantly dropping to the ground to reveal her surprisingly small height. Yet even from her height some feet shorter than him, her intimidating, stoic gaze didn't waver in threatening formidability.

"Give me your name, Horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Responded the Dwarf with surprising politeness.

Eomer swallowed, coming to the quick decision that these travelers should speak their piece. He handed his staff to another of the horsemen, dismounting to the ground where he stood evenly with the group. The man came to put a steadying hand on his Dwarf friend, and the horseman was surprised with the camaraderie between the undoubtedly mismatched group.

Regardless, he held his head high. "I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

Almost immediately had the elf drawn his bow, the man grabbing a hand for the hilt of his blade. Yet it was the woman whom he was most surprised by—he'd expected such reactions—she only appraised him critically, an amused, yet dangerous smile to her lips. As if she expected such a bluff.

(Male pride, Sakura mused, entertained. So predictable.)

"You would die before your stroke fell!" Promised the Elf, threateningly.

Around them, the group of spears closed in further, until the air became stagnant with labored, edged breaths.

Aragorn spoke then. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimly, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland realm and our travelling companion Sakura of the far East. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." Said Eomer gravely, removing his helmet with great remorse. "Not even his own kin."

The spears withdrew at that, as if on cue. Legolas lowered his bow, and Aragorn stood from his defensive position.

Eomer continued onwards, "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

"We are not spies." Aragorn insisted, calmly, ever the peace keeper. "We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive."

Confusedly, the blonde answered, "The URuks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

"But there were two hobbits." Interrupted Gimli quickly. "Did you see two hobbits with them?"

"They would be small—only children to your eyes." Aragorn cut in swiftly.

Eomer held their concerned, worried gazes with great gravity, before speaking lowly, "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them."

He pointed to the west, where a trickling clout of smoke rose into the winter-wick sky.

"Dead? Gimli echoed, disbelieving.

The blonde horseman nodded. "I'm sorry."

Legolas gripped a comforting hand onto Gimli's shoulder, as the dwarf seemed to slowly comprehend the new knowledge. The horseman whistled to his amassed companions, a few of the riders moving to accommodate.

"Hasufel! Arod!" Two horses were pushed to the forefront of the group. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell!"

With that, the leader replaced his helmet onto his head, getting back onto his horse. The woman's eyes lingered on him, unnervingly, as if she saw into the his very soul.

He turned away, speaking to them as a whole. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands." As his gaze swept back to his men, he didn't dare meet her eyes. "We ride north!"

Sakura watched the horsemen ride into the distance, kicking up a desolate, wraith-like trail of smoke that crawled slowly along the quite plains. The leader, he was a genuine man, certainly, but it seemed that truly these darkened times had changed the entirety of the people of Middle Earth. Sakura was only beginning to summit the tip of the iceberg in regards to the importance of this quest; it seemed the more they travelled, the more they found peoples plagued by the ruins of Sauron.

She turned back to the fellowship, who had arranged themselves onto horses. She almost blanched when Gimli mounted behind Aragorn—leaving her with Legolas. But now was not the time to dwell on what seemed like such trivial matters as her personal opinion and astoundingly complex love-life, not when Merry and Pippin could very well be dead.

.

.

.

They road into the westward wind for the better part of an hour, before finally nearing the towering pile of smoke that only seemed like a thin waiflike trail from the distance.

The corpses were stacked and charred, just as the horseman had said, nothing but the burnt remains of what looked to be an enormous, blumbering army of Uruk-hai. Aragorn scoured the scene, scrutinizing every blackened body for their friends.

They wouldn't have burned them. Sakura thought, attempting to console herself. Merry and Pippin look nothing like Uruk-hai—even in the dead of night those riders would know if they pulled out something that had hair.

Then how did they not see them? Heaven forbit, did the Uruk-hai eat the hobbits before being killed? But that wouldn't make any sense, either, they were taking the Hobbits to Isengard, not humping them around as breakfast.

It would have been a hectic moment, with the horseman and the Uruk-hai fighting it out… She mused, inspecting the dirt herself. Merry and Pippin could have gotten trampled—

Her eyes widened.

Or they could have gotten away.

Pace quickening, she crouched low, trailing her fingers in the softened dirt. Footmarks, yes, quite a few of them, the hooves of a horse, the slice of a sword—

The woman ducked, nimbly dodging a helmet to the face.

Near the embers, Aragorn fell to his knees, crying in anguish. Beside him, Gimli knelt as well. "We failed them." Whispered the dwarf, forlornly.

"Aragorn!" Sakura stood up then, double-taking at where the helmet had landed. "That could have taken my head off!"

She narrowed her eyes at the three of them, looking lost and like they'd given up.

"They're not dead!" She insisted to her shellshocked group. "Something must have happened to them while everyone else was fighting—I think… I think they may have gotten away!"

Aragorn looked up sharply. "What are you—

"Come here and look at these tracks." He'd probably make more sense out of it than she could. Team Seven had never really been much of a retrieval team—"I think they were laying right here."

The Ranger moved closer curiously, peering into the dirt and seeming to find the answer somewhere among the strewn grass.

"Yes, yes you're right. A hobbit lay here, and the other." He pointed to another, indistinct mark on the ground.

Sakura blinked, questioningly, following him slowly as he crouched along an invisible trail. "Their hands were bound." He murmured, before looking up. "They ran over here… they were followed."

He continued onwards, the whole fellowship following him now. "The tracks lead away from the battle!"

He broke into a run, his companions following him, until they stood at the very threshold of a dark, tenebrous forest shrouded in a thick, draping blackness that covered all but the very ends of the shrubbery.

"Fangorn." Spoke Gimli, ominously. "What madness drove them in there?"


Well, on the upside its getting to a more climactic section. on the downside, less reviews means wayy slower updates, because then i have no motivation! so i might not get around to it until next year, or never... haha...