There was a pounding in her head, a dull throb which wouldn't go away, even as she lay there, chakra humming beneath her skin. It sought out her illness, or whatever it was which made her feel like she had been hit with a sledgehammer. Or one of Tsunade's intense training sessions, back when she hadn't quite been quick enough to dodge the literal meteorites thrown her way. Her chakra moved as it had before, surging through her body, intent on healing her. But the coldness was biting and so very consuming… Her eyes cracked open then, barely able to see the sky above her. It was dark, meaning she hadn't been out for very long, or she had been out for a long time. Sakura hoped it was the former.

"Lothien!"

Sakura groaned, blinking so very slowly and weakly, coldness seeping through her veins as she found herself lifted. Dimly, she tried to support herself, failing epically as she slumped back into the older man.

"Drink," Strider commanded in a tone that brokered no argument. Not that she could have given any as she felt and tasted what felt like crushed berries and water run over her tongue and down her throat, alleviating the pain and the onset of hunger she could just about feel – proving that she must have been out for a matter of hours. The sun's rise couldn't be too far off, and Sakura hoped it would provide her with some much needed warmth to push away what felt like ice in her veins.

Pippin spoke then, in that unfamiliar tongue which Sakura sorely wished she knew. She wondered why her mother hadn't known it, if it was so very common. But then again, her mother had lived with the elves, so maybe they didn't use this 'Westron'. Groaning, she could only watch as Pippin sat down beside her, and Sakura thought he looked worried then. Half of her wanted to pat him on the cheek to somewhat console him as he stared at her, the other half of her knew she didn't have the strength or the coordination at that moment in time to accomplish such a feet.

Dimly, she tried to move her hands, scowling somewhat as her fingers only twitched a bit, cold and stiff as they felt. Her lips moved, no sound escaping them as was settled into a more upright position, Strider hovering over her like a concerned mother hen. She missed her own mother. The stinging sensation of loss hit her then, tears biting at the corners of her eyes as she stared determinedly at the nearest light source in hopes of making them recede somewhat. She hated crying. Besides, she was there to try and find her father – it was supposed to be a happy occasion. "Knife?" she mumbled then, scolding herself for not asking about Naruto over her precious knife. One of the set her father had entrusted to her mother. A clue to finding him. Sakura didn't want to lose even one dagger.

Strider shifted from where he sat beside her, situated between her and Naruto, looking over them both as well as the hobbit she could take a guess at being Frodo. Or at least she thought it was him. It was difficult to tell in the dim lighting, even with the fire flickering merrily beside them. Though even as close as she was to the flickering amber flames she couldn't really feel the heat. Sakura rather hoped it would change eventually, whether under the ministrations of herself or Strider. "By knife do you mean this?" he asked, lifting a blade in front of her face then.

"Yes," she mumbled, smiling contentedly at the sight of the oddly goldenish metal and the familiar rayed sun marked upon its blade. "'s it…"

"Were you looking any better, then I would ask you how a blade of the First Age came into your possession," he said, brushing her golden locks back off her forehead, and Sakura had a minor panic until she felt the familiar thrum of chakra sticking her hood to her head. Her ears couldn't be on display, if only thanks to a lifetime of sticking something to her head to cover her ears. Years old instincts and habits hadn't betrayed her, and Sakura relaxed as much as she could, chakra still desperately trying to heal her. "But you should rest for now, Lothien. We will be travelling once more once the sun rises." Sakura frowned up at him, and Strider thankfully got the message. "Pippin and Merry have volunteered to carry you throughout the day, until you feel well enough to stand on your feet – or until your companion here manages to get back to his own," he said, glancing at Naruto then. "He was much more mildly affected by the Black Breath compared to you, though oddly enough you were the first to wake between the both of you."

She was just that good, or so Sakura mused, before her eyes narrowed on Naruto as he lay there. Because he had Kurama, and probably ought to have been healing quicker… but he wasn't. Sakura could only frown and make a note to ask him about it once he woke up.

"Sleep, Lothien," Strider ordered, wiping at her brow then, and Sakura could only hum in acknowledgement before the bliss of unconsciousness came for her then and swallowed her whole without a whisper of warning.

It took days for her to heal.

Sakura blamed it on being exposed to two strange, chilling blasts from those cloaked beings, and on her tiny body which had seemingly become a liability once more. Something she had put blood sweat and tears into ensuring she wouldn't become with her too-small body of hers. Though Naruto was awake and walking by that time – something Sakura was grateful for, if only because he smelt slightly better than either Strider or any of the hobbits. She clung to his back, bemoaning her state in her mind as her eyelids drooped. The tiredness coupled with the lingering chill in her limbs didn't exactly make things easy.

Strider thought it was due to her being smaller and doubly exposed to its effects that she was worse off than Naruto. Sakura just thought he was irritatingly lucky in some respects. Though he wasn't lucky in some other respects, given he sometimes made even worse slip ups compared to her own – and he wasn't even trying to pretend to be a child, because he didn't need do thanks to the fact that, unlike her, he didn't look childish in the slightest.

She wasn't jealous in the slightest.

"Well Lothien's mother passed away after we got back from the war," Naruto said blithely, answering one of the questions Strider had thrown their way, and Sakura barely refrained from pinching her nose in exasperation and strangling her dear idiotic friend. There was a reason Naruto had been marked down as 'never to let go on covert operations' as was being demonstrated.

"War?" Strider's voice took on that horrified and confused edge she had come to relate with her occasional slipups. "I have heard no mention of war…"

"You would not have," Sakura chimed in then, tightening her grasp on her dear friend's neck in warning. "Our home country is very far away from here, so the… squabbles of my mother's people would not have reached your ears."

"Is that so?" Strider murmured, still looking mildly perturbed by Naruto's words. Sakura missed the peaceful quiet of when it had just been her, Strider, and the hobbits. Not that she wasn't glad to have her dear friend back at her side. He just came, bringing his own share of problems, issues, and loose lips with him. A soft sigh left her lips, and she rested her chin in the crook of his neck, humming quietly as their journey continued.

"Are we nearly there yet?" she asked, ignoring how Naruto tensed, seemingly concerned and somehow oblivious to the fact that she was still trying to pass herself off as a child – not that he had been there to witness her many previous attempts. Then again, Naruto had too often seen her, fists covered in her opponent's blood as she stood within a crater of her own making. So maybe that was a reason?

"We are at least halfway, if not over such a marker through our journey by now, unless more trouble happens to find us," Strider said, expression turning grim, and his attention drawn away from the fact Naruto had inadvertently revealed. All according to plan. Sakura smiled. "What brings you so far from home then? So soon after a disaster too," Strider questioned, and the smile dropped from her face just as quickly as it had appeared.

"Because Lothien's father comes from these parts!" Naruto exclaimed blithely, eyes widening moments later as her grasp on him became punishing, hoping that she could get across the message that it was a personal mission of hers with Naruto there to help. Strider didn't need to know that they were there searching for her elven father. Nor that he was inadvertently leading her to a place which would hopefully have clues as to her father's whereabouts.

Strider blinked, evidently having not expected that answer. But then she doubted anyone would. Most people didn't tend to be estranged from one of their parents. And even then, it was usually because one of them was dead. "I see," Strider mumbled, casting a curious glance her way. "Then I apologise," he said, smiling still. "I would appear to be taking you a little off trail, what with bringing you both to an elven settlement."

Her eyes narrowed then, wondering why Strider wasn't even entertaining the mildest of possibilities that she was an elven child. From what he had told her over the last few days, Strider had actually grown up in Imladris despite not being of elven blood. Had he not met any other children? Her stomach turned at the thought of elf children being a not so common occurrence. After all, she just wanted to be normal, and to properly fit in somewhere… she didn't think she would be able to do that if she was something 'rare'.

Naruto tilted his head. "But Lothien's father is—urk!"

Sakura scowled, shuffling up Naruto's back as best as she could, hands and arms holding her dear friend's neck so very tightly. "Hwindion!" she cried, pulling herself up to better meet those bright blue eyes which turned to her, wide and pleading. "Are you alright?" she asked, pleased with how much childish concern she had managed to inject into her voice.

"I think your grip might just be a bit too tight, Lothien," Strider remarked, and Sakura let her mouth fall open – as if in realisation as she looked back to Naruto and loosened her grip on his throat, eyes all the while promising murder if he didn't shut up.

Naruto, thankfully, got the message, and the air was filled with blissful silence. That was, if one discounted the hobbits speaking in Westron and the sounds of nature around them. At least until Strider informed them worriedly that they would have to head back to the road. The same road which would increase the likelihood of an encounter with one of those black-clad 'wraiths' or so Strider had dubbed them. And she was very much still not in fighting form, nor did she want to be exposed to another one of those cold explosions from said wraiths. There had been nine – now seven thanks to her and Naruto slaying one each. Something which Strider still seemed to be stumped over. Though this 'Witch King' who had stabbed poor Frodo hadn't unfortunately been one of the two they had killed. And the 'Witch King' was apparently the greatest of the wraiths there, one of this 'Sauron' fellow's greatest servants. Sakura rather wanted to stab it and bring it down, if only because she had grown somewhat fond of the hobbits despite not being able to speak.

Occasionally Strider has acted as a translator between them, making for merry, interesting fireside discussions between them, but they'd always been a bit funny when she subtly asked them why they were travelling with Strider and what mess she seemed to have been dragged into. Eventually Sakura had decided to let sleeping dogs lie. It wasn't like their 'adventure' would bring her father running to them, and that was her own secret 'adventure' she was undertaking which she was also very tight lipped about. So she could hardly be irritated by a lack of answers.

They could keep their secrets and she could keep hers.

Or so she thought.

And then the golden rider appeared.

A light clippety-clip was that which they heard before the horse and rider came into view. Her hand was clenched around the hilt of her knife, despite the fact it would likely be of no use what with how she was depending on Naruto, limbs and body still wracked with a slight chill which would fade in time, or so Strider had assured her.

And then the rider came into sight and all Sakura could fixate on were those golden locks which were an awfully similar colouring to her own. But then again, there were probably hundreds of different elves with blonde hair. There were no guarantees it was her father, and she tightened her grasp on Naruto abruptly as he went to ask a question.

"Not now!" she hissed, heart beating nervously within her chest as she stared up at the golden rider who was smiling joyously at the entire group. It felt as though there were nervous butterflies flapping about within her stomach, because what if… Sakura shook her head then, watching from the corner of her eye as the elf introduced to them as 'Lord Glorfindel' who lived in Imladris – and had apparently come to find them. Not her and Naruto, obviously, but Strider and the hobbits or so it seemed.

Her curiosity with both the adventure of Strider and the hobbits grew, as did the wondering as to the identity of her father. Because the universe was never so kind as to simply make things easy for her – which meant the elf before her was suspicious. Though fortunately his attention was soon occupied with Frodo, and Sakura only watched on curiously as a trickle of relief found its way into Frodo's expression as the elf looked over him, gently touching at the shoulder which had received the nasty wound some days before.

There was movement, Strider saying something she wasn't really paying attention to as she rested upon Naruto's back, and then he was off to do something regarding the noble white steed belonging to the golden elf. Though, really, she should have been paying attention, because said golden elf was then making his way over to where the two of them stood. Sakura pressed herself back against Naruto as much as she could, heart thudding frantically at the sight of, at the very least, one of her father's people. Or maybe her father himself… Though Sakura didn't know enough to be certain on the matter. She knew better than to get her hopes up too much, lest she be disappointed in one way or another.

"You are… Hwindion and Lothien, yes?" Glorfindel asked, and Naruto smiled and answered his question merrily. Sakura saw no need to stop him from doing as so – they were only their names, and they already knew the golden elf's.

"How can we help you?" Sakura questioned warily, wondering why he wasn't busy focusing on Frodo who probably needed more help – what with him lacking the chakra she was using to help speed along her own recovery.

"Estel mentioned you both were exposed to the Black Breath," he answered, still smiling down at them pleasantly. Good gods he was tall. Sakura abruptly felt like an itty bitty child and hated it. "Though he was rather concerned as to Lothien's recovery," Glorfindel said, looking at Hwindion then. Her guardian apparent there. "Although I could not help Frodo further with his wound, I do not believe the aftereffects of the Black Breath should be beyond my healing skills, minimal as they are."

Naruto adjusted his hold on her then, bringing her around to his front, and she stared up at him pleadingly, silently trying to beg her dear friend not to pass her over to the elf who made her both uncomfortable and nervous. Probably because of his colouring, and the possibility… Sakura swallowed. She would be able to scout out and find more information once she reached Imladris. Until then it was best to lay low. She had already tumbled into that world unprepared. She didn't want to meet her father unprepared too.

She had to be prepared. In case he didn't want her…

Her silent pleading went unheard in every way, and Naruto only looked between her and Glorfindel, grinned, and then promptly handed her over in the golden elf's waiting arms. One arm held her in place, free hand going for her head, and Sakura grabbed a hold of her hood and pulled it further over her face, hiding herself then. A hand landed on her shoulder then instead, and a soft sigh escaped her as a trickle of warmth ran down her arm – before spreading everywhere.

Warm and content for the first time in days, Sakura yawned as sleepiness hit her like a rasengan to the gut. Her head flopped just a bit, sliding down to rest against armour, eyelids terribly heavy. "Sorry about that," she heard Naruto say dimly. "She can be a bit shy in regards to her appearance."

"One could almost mistake that hood to be a permanent fixture," Strider said then, earning a laugh from Naruto.

Sakura made a mental note to sock him one later.