I don't own nothin.

Rin walked near the front of the group as they traveled, taking in the unfamiliar landscape. He looked back, seeing that the Hobbits were looking worse for wear. He narrowed his eyes, before grinning widely and running back to Frodo, who looked especially tired.

"Hey Frodo, d'ya want a ride?" He pushed Kuro off his back, who meowed but landed fine, and gestured to his back.

The Hobbit looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm too heavy for you to carry me any distance, Rin."

The half-demon laughed. "Nah, that's what my friends said about the 5 foot tall stone lantern, you'll be fine." He crouched down, ignoring the looks he was getting from the rest of the company, which consisted of shock, curiosity, and doubt. (Boromir.)

Frodo climbed on and Rin threw him in the air a little to show the Hobbit that his weight wasn't a dilemma before jogging back to the front of the party.

Boromir narrowed his eyes at him and called out, "How is it that the Ring Bearer is as light as air to one such as you." He looked at him in a very Bon-like way, and Rin rolled his eyes, although he was a little annoyed at the jab at his stature.

He smirked and, jogging back a little ways to where Boromir was walking, said, "Sorry, didn't hear ya, what was that?", and proceeded to shift Frodo to one shoulder and pick up Merry, who had been walking near Boromir.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw grins or hidden smiles on the faces of some of the fellowship members.

Plus annoyance on the steward's son's face, which was probably more satisfying than it should be.

Rin watched the Hobbits get ready to train with Aragorn and Boromir. It reminded him a tad of Shura's lessons, mostly because he knew the two men to be excellent in swordplay, although he knew they would be much more gentle than the exorcist.

Shura. What a thought. He had liked Shura, and he found himself missing her more than some of the others. She had been honest, and that was more than enough for him.

"Rin!" He was snapped out of his thoughts as Merry rushed towards him. "You should come practice with us. Your sword won't make us burst into flame, right?"

Rin rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up. "Um, no, but, really -" "-Don't be a put out Rin, come on." He was unceremoniously dragged by a surprisingly strong Hobbit to where the sword practice was taking place.

"-I don't know any swordplay." He muttered.

He heard a muffled laugh and turned to glare at the Prince of Mirkwood but was redirected by the Hobbits.

Legolas watched as Rin Okumura attempted sword fighting with that strange blade of his. He could certainly use more work, although judging from Aragorn's description of his fighting at Weathertop, he would be able to hold his own in a mortal fight.

Elrond had informed him of the blue-haired man's denial of being an elf, and his theory that he could be similar to Iarwain Ben-Adar. He had never met the Oldest one, but he knew that he tended to stay in his woods, whilst Rin was here and before then had been in Bree, the only inconsistency in Elrond's theory.

He observed as the subject of his thought jumped back nearly 10 paces. Perhaps there are more inconsistencies than just the one.

He looked up to see something strange in the sky, moving further from the group to get a better look.

It seemed the others had noticed as well when the practice was halted. "What is that?" Someone spoke.

"Just a wisp of cloud." Gimli disregarded.

Boromir countered, "It is moving fast and against the wind."

He heard Rin's voice next "I think they're birds."

His eyes widened, and he called "Crebain from Dunland!"

...

That meant nothing to me, Rin thought before he heard Gandalf call out "Hide!"

"Eeeep!" Kuro said as he ducked jumped into a bush, into which Rin followed immediately.

"Rin, that's my tail."

Shhh.

They came back into the open once the birds had passed over.

"Spies of Saruman."

Oh, the evil wizard.

"Of the west." Kuro added. "Get it? Because Wicked Witch of the West?"

I got it, Kuro.

Gandalf glanced at him with slight confusion, but was drawn back as Aragorn agreed with him. "The passage south is being watched."

Gandalf looked grave. "We must take the pass of Caradhras."

Rin almost groaned. I should have paid more attention during the council. Which one was that, Kuro?

The cat sidhe gave him a Look. "That was the snowy one, Rin."

This time he did groan.

Rin was not particularly affected by the cold, but that didn't mean that he liked it.

Kuro swished his tail at him as the smug cat walked right on top of it. "Sucks to be you."

Ugggh.

Sam spoke up. "Snow's alright on a fine morning, but I like to be in bed while it's falling. I wish this lot would go off to Hobbiton! Folk might welcome it there." The others laughed at that.

Rin gaped at Legolas, who was walking on top of the snow like Kuro. How.

The snow got deeper and deeper, to the point where Rin had given up stepping normally and was simply using his demonic strength to jump along the path. He looked back and saw Frodo tumbling down the mountain until Aragorn stopped him. "Are you alright, Frodo?" The ranger asked.

Frodo nodded and then frowned, scrabbling at his shirt only to find the Ring missing. Rin felt the company tense as Boromir bent down and picked the chain up.

"Boromir, give the Ring to Frodo." Rin saw Aragorn move his hand to his sword, and Rin did the same.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing." Boromir murmured as if in a daze and Rin narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, a little thing that we all know is supposed to have a thrall to lure victims in." He growled, and it seemed to snap the man out of his daze, handing the ring to Frodo, and Rin relaxed again, shaking his head in annoyance.

Rin sighed as he felt the temperature drop again, knowing that it had just gotten even more miserable for his friends. He knew that without his flame he would have passed out long ago, since he had little gear that would have protected him, having deemed all but his old coat too troublesome for the long journey. Kuro was perched on his head, absorbing all the heat he could. Gandalf was in the front of the group, breaking apart the snow with his staff to form a path. He was shielding Sam and Frodo.

Rin caught Merry as he tripped, and decided to pull him and Pippin closer to him when he felt how cold they were.

Pippin gasped. "How are you so warm! You feel like you've been sitting in front of a cozy hearth, not trudging through snow."

Rin grinned, and gestured to his shoulders before crouching down.

"You don't mean..."

Eventually Rin had to put the Hobbits down, as the action became too taxing even for him. When they stopped, too exhausted to go on. Rin took one look at the group.

Aww, whatever.

He pointed to a small area of the ground and willed his blue flame into life. There were mutters and gasps, but everyone was far too tired to question him about it, and they simply all huddled together for the night.

The next morning was worse, because apparently storms are everlasting in this world.

He let the Hobbits mova as close to him as they could while they traveled, but it was nearly impossible to extend his heat to cover them all without entering his more demonic state.

The hair on his tail stood on end. If the extra limb had been out, he was sure it would be ramrod straight in the air.

"Something is wrong, Rin."

I know, Kuro.

He pushed his way to Gandalf to express his concern.

The Istari nodded when he spoke. "It is necessary that we continue."

Rin's eye twitched. "No offense, old man, but if the Hobbits freeze before we ever get off'a this mountain, there ain't gonna be much of a point in the first place." He blanched when he realized what he'd said. "Umm, I mean..."

The wizard chuckled and inclined his head before returning to solemnity. Rin glanced back, where the Hobbits and Gimli were struggling through the snow. Even Legolas was looking more run down than usual. (Not that it was saying much, in Rin's opinion.)

He sighed and returned to the Hobbits.

Rin noticed as Legolas stopped walking and moved a hand to shield his eyes as he surveyed their surroundings. "There is a fell voice on the air."

Rin could hear it too now, a chanting of sorts, coming from such a great distance that it was indecipherable.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled. The wizard moved to the edge of the cliff, staff raised, presumably to chant a spell.

Rin could feel the standoff, the two wizards fighting, the energy clashing.

Then the mountain rumbled.

Oh no.

Kuro dug his claws into his arm just as what felt like the whole mountain's worth of snow fell on them.

Rin coughed and blinked, blindly digging upwards. A hand grabbed his, and he was pulled out of the still loose snow by Legolas.

"Are you injured?"

Rin shook his head mutely as Kuro buried himself into his bag.

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" Boromir shouted.

"The gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn disagreed, pulling Frodo up.

"If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gimli stated.

Gandalf looked grim. "Let the ring bearer decide."

"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the Hobbits!" Boromir stated, and Rin found himself agreeing. If he was alone, he could probably make it, but not with more than one other person. (Whom he could carry all the way.)

"Frodo?" Gandalf called.

Frodo looked nervously around the group. To Rin's surprise, the Hobbit's gaze landed on him, so he gave him a blinding grin.

A small smile flicked across the Hobbit's lips, and he took a deep breath. "We will go through the mines.."

"So be it."

This chapter is gross. IDK, I just don't like it, and it didn't come smoothly. Oh well.