A/N: In which Sakura meets some more Hobbits, a very tall Man, and learns the name of the one dude she's going to accidentally redeem in the future.
So, here is part two of Sakura's Adventures in Arda. She'll learn that it shouldn't be so easy to do what she does. Eventually.
It was just around noon and Sakura was almost to Bree when she felt that negative presence again. She frowned and started jogging. Even though she most wanted to go home, she gave herself the mission to find the source of the negativity in this peaceful looking land and… do something. Seal it, hopefully? Kill it, maybe. Sakura didn't know, but she wanted it dealt with.
As she got closer, she heard shouting. Sakura started to run. She turned on the path and saw four Hobbits, all dodging through the undergrowth along the trees, trying to lose the black robed beings that chased after them.
"Light!" Sakura called, and threw the Card out in front of her. "Protect the Hobbits!" Light burst forward, reaching with tendrils of her power, and wrapped the negative beings up. They shrieked in pain at the sudden contact, and were thrown off as their horses bucked.
Epona trotted forward, calm as can be, and started talking to the newly freed horses. Sakura left her to it, and turned her attention to the Hobbits. Light would definitely hold.
"A Wizard!" one shouted in joy. "A Wizard has saved us!"
The Hobbits looked winded, but not hurt. They were all in traveling clothes, and obviously were attacked on the road. Sakura sighed in relief and turned back to Light.
"Sword!" Sakura called, and the Card materialized in her hand. She swept it in an arc in front of her, and felt its glee as it released an arc of energy that slashed into the negative beings.
The two black robed beings screeched in pain and rage as the combined power of Light and Sword took them out of existence. Sakura murmured a quiet prayer for the corrupted souls as Light and Sword returned to her hands as Cards. Epona ambled up to her from where she had been talking to the other horses and nudged Sakura gently.
"Hm?" Sakura asked, as Epona motioned to the other two horses with a flick of her head. Sakura looked at them. Their eyes were still wide with fear, and they were moving agitatedly. "Oh, hold on for just one second," Sakura told them when she saw their saddle and bridle.
Erase got rid of the saddle and bridle quickly, like Sakura had done for Epona. She was going to bring out the brush and comb for them, but the horses ran off before she could. Sakura wasn't really surprised, though. Epona was one of a kind, and Sakura was lucky to consider her a friend.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked the Hobbits. They watched her with wide eyes, but were calming down. There were four of them, and they looked younger than Ruby and Mayanne. Sakura didn't exactly know how Hobbits aged, but they looked like maybe they were her age, or around there.
"Oh, Miss, thank you!" one said, and clutched the straps of his rather large pack. "Mister Frodo, that is a Wizard if I ever did see one!"
"That's right, Sam, I believe that she is," Frodo said. "Did Gandalf send you?"
"No," Sakura said. Gandalf? Was that the Wizard that Ruby and Mayanne said came to visit the Shire occasionally? "I was on my way to Bree when I saw them attacking you."
"Bree? Truly this is some good fortune," Sam said, "That's where we are heading as well."
"A Wizard!" the youngest looking one said. "Can you do fireworks? That's what Gandalf does when he shows up to a party."
"I think we should all do introductions first," the last one said.
"Oh, yes, where are our manners?" Frodo said. "I am Frodo, and these are Sam, Merry, and Pippin." Frodo pointed to each of them in turn. "It is very nice to meet you, Miss Wizard."
"It's nice to meet you," Sakura said, "I'm Sakura."
The group made it to Bree in the early evening. The low light made the town look somewhat more menacing than it was, with all the shadows and torchlight everywhere. It wasn't a dirty town, other than in the most literal way, but it looked old and worn down. Still, it was a decently large enough place that people were still walking around doing business.
"This is Bree?" Sakura asked. Epona kept close to her and a wary eye on their surroundings. The horse was more paranoid than Sakura, but she thought that might just be the natural state of horses.
"Yes," Frodo confirmed. "And this is the furthest that any of us have ever gone before. It's late, so we'll get an inn for the night."
"Are you going anywhere else, Miss Sakura?" Sam asked.
"Ruby and Mayanne told me to go to Imladris," Sakura said, careful to pronounce the name exactly the way Mayanne had said it. Apparently it was Elvish. "They said that Bree was a place to stop on the way."
"Imladris?" Frodo asked. "Miss Sakura, that is also where we are going."
"Really?" Sakura asked. How lucky! It was nice traveling with others, and the Hobbits were always pleasant company. The four of them were also good people to be around. Even Pippin, who was more energetic and mischievous, wasn't trying to be mean.
"Sakura, would you like to stay with us?" Pippin asked. "It's nice to have a Wizard around."
"If you wouldn't mind," Sakura said.
"Oh, we really wouldn't," Sam assured her, "You're a decent person, and lovely company besides."
"Then, we shall head to an inn and rent ourselves some rooms for the night," Frodo declared.
It didn't take them long to find an inn with a stable so that Epona had a place to spend the night as well. The weather was decent, and Epona was a hardy horse, but having shelter was nice.
"Will you be okay here?" Sakura asked Epona. She ran the wide toothed comb through her mane in the stall a stable hand led them to. Epona nuzzled Sakura in assurance. "Okay. They'll take care of you, promise."
"Miss, did you want a saddle and bridle for your horse here?" the stable hand asked. He had looked oddly at Sakura as she led Epona through the stables. Sakura supposed it did look weird, since Epona was the only horse Sakura had seen in Bree that didn't have any gear on.
"No, Epona is fine," Sakura replied. "She'll be on her best behavior."
"If you're sure," the stable hand said dubiously.
"I am. Thank you for offering though!" Sakura said.
"Miss Sakura, Frodo is going to get us our rooms," Merry said when Sakura found them again. They were waiting at the entrance to the inn for her, which was nice. They were all rather nice.
"Miss Sakura, we are going to call you my sister, since our hair is the most similar color," Sam said.
"Why?" Sakura asked. She did not mind the idea of it, per se. Sam was really very nice, and there were worse people to be related to, even fake related. But the idea of lying was an odd one, especially about something like this.
Sam shifted from foot to foot. "For one, so we could share a room without a problem. It would be odd for two unrelated folks to share a room, especially a man and a girl. But also, we are trying to remain inconspicuous."
Ah, that did make sense. Sam did seem the eldest of the four Hobbits, and the most sensible besides. "Okay," Sakura agreed. She looked him over, especially how nervous he seemed. "Why are you hiding, though?"
Sam opened his mouth to reply before he paused. "Ah, that is-"
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me if it's important," Sakura said. Sam was a really honest person. If he thought that keeping a secret was better than telling her about it, then Sakura wouldn't pry.
"Thank you, Miss Sakura," Sam said, and looked immensely relieved.
"It's not a problem," Sakura assured. Anyways, if it was important-important, Sakura would learn soon enough anyway. It was one of those things.
"Miss Sakura, how old are you really?" Pippin asked at dinner.
"Oh, be more polite about it!" Merry scolded. He turned to her, "But, yes, we are curious. I'm not sure how Wizards do it, but you are a bit young, yes?"
"Yes?" Sakura replied confused. "I'm fourteen years old."
There was a pause as all four Hobbits stopped to look at her in what appeared to be horror. Sakura stared at them, utterly, utterly confused. They weren't that much older than her, were they?
"No, no," Frodo said to the others, "Men age faster than any other race, and both Miss Sakura and Gandalf do look like Men. They come of age when they are eighteen years old."
"Oh!" Pippin said, "If you make the comparison, I'm just a little older than you! Of course, I am really many, many years older than you, but it does end up the same, kind of!"
"It is good that we called you my younger sister then," Sam said. "And really, you were traveling on your own, too!"
"I can take care of myself," Sakura assured them. "And I had Epona with me."
She also had the Cards, but she hadn't told the Hobbits about them yet. Sakura wasn't keeping the Cards a secret, and they had already seen Light and Sword, but she was being careful. Or as careful as she could be, using magic all over the place like she was.
"Oh, Miss Sakura, we don't doubt you," Frodo said, "But you are still young, and you really shouldn't be traveling on your own."
"As lovely as Epona is, a horse really isn't a proper companion," Sam said.
"It's okay," Sakura said, aware enough of how wonderful Epona was that she didn't feel the need to keep bringing it up. "I'm traveling with you now, right?"
That seemed to assure them all, which was good. Sakura didn't want them to worry, even if she was worried. Well, not for herself, even if she should be. No, she worried about her friends and family, who were all in the building when Sakura tore reality. Kero and Yukito especially, since they were teaching her at the time. Sakura fell into this world by herself, but that didn't mean that the others weren't pulled in either.
Their late dinner ended up being a lively affair. The Hobbits had been drinking, though Pippin was the most into it. And Pippin was very energetic and part of a rather large and important family, if the way he was rambling was any indication. Sakura really didn't get it, but she supposed it was meant to be a little secret if the way Merry and Frodo were trying to stop Pippin was any indication.
Maybe Sakura could help? She wasn't entirely how, but maybe she could do something distracting? What would be appropriately distracting, without being dangerous? People were slowly getting more and more drunk, and it was starting to make Sakura uncomfortable.
Sakura hummed… distracting, but not dangerous.
Glow, Sakura thought. Glow agreed with her, and the gentle Card immediately lit the inn up with soft light. She even made sure to make the spheres of light the same color as the torches that were hanging on the walls instead of their usual soft green.
It did the job. People were immediately taken aback by the extra light and stopped paying so much attention to Pippin. Even Pippin was investigating them, poking at them intently. The lights that Glow made weren't solid, but they did interact with the surroundings.
At least everyone was drunk enough that they didn't question where the lights came from.
"Miss Sakura?" Sam asked quietly, looking on in wonder. "Was this you?"
Sakura nodded. "Frodo looked like he was going to do something foolish if Pippin kept going, so I thought this might help."
"Well, I do believe it worked," Sam said, "Thank you, Miss Sakura."
"It's no problem," Sakura promised. She rather liked Hobbits, even rather energetic and mischievous ones like Pippin. It might be because it was the first place she ended up, but Sakura was rather fond of the Shire and its inhabitants. She'd like to keep them as safe as possible.
"I thought I recognized the feel of magic," a deep, soft voice said behind them.
Sakura flinched and Sam jumped in complete surprise. They both turned to look at the person that had snuck up behind them.
It was the man that had been sitting in the corner of the inn when they arrived. He was taller than Sakura expected, and even taller than many of the other Men that Sakura had seen in Bree. His cloak was a deep gray and well worn, and well cared for. He wore trousers and boots like everyone else seemed to, but they were of better quality. All together, he looked warm and very comfortable.
Deliberate. Sakura blinked up at the man. It felt as if everything that he was doing was on purpose. Not in a bad way, but more like he wanted the world to see him in a certain way. In fact, he kind of reminded Sakura of Tomoyo. And, well. Sakura was getting used to listening to her gut when it told her something was important. And this person was very important indeed.
"Hello," Sakura greeted, and turned to face him fully. "My name is Sakura, and this is Sam."
The stranger blinked slowly down at her. Bet he was surprised that she wasn't acting wary of him. Ha! He was nothing like Yue. "Hello, Sakura and Sam. You can call me Strider."
Call. Not his name, then. Sakura didn't mind. Names were important, and Strider definitely felt important enough that his name was a Name.
"It's nice to meet you," Sakura said.
"Nice to meet you," Sam repeated, manners overriding his surprise.
"Yes, it is nice to meet you," Strider echoed.
He still looked surprised. Did he see something in Sakura like he saw in her? Maybe, if he was knew about magic the way he did. The Hobbits didn't seem to recognize Sakura as anything but a Wizard.
Maybe Strider was lonely? He looked lonely. If he was as important as Sakura's gut told her, maybe he was isolated. Tomoyo said that was the reason that she didn't tend to tell people how rich she actually was.
Well, that definitely wouldn't do. Sakura would do her best to be a friend. Strider looked like he needed one.
"Epona likes you," Sakura told Strider as he led them out of Bree. It was the next morning, and Strider had offered to lead them to Imladris. Apparently he was a Ranger, which meant that he was used to working and living in the wild.
"I like her too," Strider said, looking over Epona with warm eyes. "She is wonderful."
Epona preened proudly under Strider's gaze. Sakura patted her on the neck. Epona really did deserve all the praise for her bravery.
"She is! I saved her from those scary robed things, like I saved these four Hobbits. The other two horses ran off, but I guess Epona likes me enough to stay," Sakura said. Epona bumped Sakura's hair in agreement. Sakura still hadn't bothered to get a new saddle or bridle for Epona, but that hardly seemed to matter. Epona was free to stay or go as she wished.
"You saved them?" Strider asked.
"Miss Sakura is a Wizard," Sam said simply. Sakura smiled at him; Sam seemed to take being her elder brother seriously, and she was grateful for it. She missed Touya, and Sam was hardly like him at all, but he was a good big brother.
Strider looked over Sakura confusedly. "I was unaware that there was another Wizard walking around."
"But you saw me do magic," Sakura said.
"Yes, but there is a difference in using magic and being a Wizard," Strider said.
Sakura frowned. "Really? But I thought Wizards were magic users in general. At least, that's how I heard it used."
"Wizards are also known as the Istari, who were brought to Arda in the shape of Men to aid all of the free peoples against Sauron," Strider said.
"Sauron?" Sakura asked.
"The Deceiver, who strives to conquer Arda." Strider said. He spoke quietly and seriously. "He has lost his physical form, but he still works in the shadows to bring strife to all."
Sakura frowned. "Like an invasion of something completely negative," she murmured. Sauron? Was he the source of all that negativity she felt?
"Yes," Strider said.
"Well," Sakura said, "Then that still makes me a Wizard, doesn't it? Because I'm here to deal with that darkness."
"You are of the Istari?" Strider asked. "It is known that only five of the Maiar were sent to Arda."
"Well, I'm not from this world," Sakura told him matter-of-factly, "So I don't know what that means. Even if I traveled her on accident, I am a Wizard, and I've decided to help. Like with Epona, and these four Hobbits."
"Ah, yes. How did you save them?" Strider asked. He seemed to ignore what Sakura said, though he did have a thinking face on. Maybe he just had to think about it.
"I destroyed the black robed beings," Sakura said softly. It might be necessary, but it wasn't something Sakura liked doing. "It's the best that I can do for them, since they were corrupted by Sauron." Sakura had a name for the blight of darkness she felt. When she found him, she would be having words.
"She uses light and a sword," Pippin said excitedly. "It's all rather amazing and magical."
"You destroy the Nazgûl?" Strider asked.
"Nazgûl?" Sakura echoed, "Is that what they are?"
"Yes. They were once men, great kings of men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them Nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness and now they are slaves to his will." Strider explained.
If they had rings given to them by Sauron that attached them to his power, it explained why their souls were so corrupted, and why Sakura couldn't help them. She knew that the corruption came from an outside source, but it was nice to know what it was. And why she didn't notice the rings themselves- they were so branded to the human souls that she couldn't have sensed them.
Well, now she knew. She had a goal now, other than trying to find a way home. And she could perhaps make the Nazgûl's death more comfortable.
"Miss Sakura, you are not of this world?" Frodo asked curiously. Hobbits always seemed to disinterested in big things, for all that Sakura knew them for a few days. It was nice.
"Yes! I traveled sideways and ended up falling from the sky over the Shire. Ruby and Mayanne said that Elves would know best how to help me get back home," Sakura said.
"Oh! That does make some sense," Sam said. "I wondered why you were coming from the Shire when we met, and yet none of us had seen you before."
"You'd know if I was in the Shire?" Sakura asked.
"Of course! Hobbits are a rather gossipy lot, and keep to ourselves for the most part. Not much happens in the Shire that no one doesn't know about quickly," Merry said.
"Oh," Sakura said.
That was probably what Ruby and Mayanne meant, about finding a home far away from any Hobbits while still remaining in the Shire. Hobbits weren't for 'unconventional relationships' like they had. Sakura didn't get it, but she supposed being surrounded by nosy people with no respect for privacy would be unpleasant in the long run.
"I'm really happy that I met Ruby and Mayanne," Sakura said, "They and their family were really nice. I made fireworks for them."
"Well, of course they were nice!" Pippin exclaimed, "Hobbits aren't nothing if not hospitable. And you even did fireworks!"
"Indeed," Strider said. "I have traveled through the Shire many times over the years, and although Hobbits are a rather insular people, they are always kind to those that do their best by them."
"Well, we do our best," Frodo said, "Of course, I suppose we keep all of our bad habits hidden when we've got guests over."
"I think that everyone does," Sakura said. She could definitely think of the many, many times that she and Touya refrained from arguing in front of people. Generally guests.
"Indeed," Strider said amusedly. "Sakura, how did you get here accidentally?"
"I was having lessons about teleportation and then I ripped the fabric of time and space," Sakura said.
"Really?" Pippin asked excitedly, hopping in front of her even as they walked. "What's that like?"
"Pink and fuzzy, like the softest wool sweater," Sakura told him seriously. "But my magic seems to be pink, if I can assign it a color at all, so maybe that's just me. If a different Wizard did what I did, maybe it would be a different color."
"That makes sense," Pippin agreed, "It's like all the different types of stew."
"The fabric of time and space?" Strider asked, voice choked.
"Yes," Sakura said sheepishly. She was getting used to Hobbits and their ability to take anything in stride without a bother. Well, Big and Important things, at least. They took their food and their comfort rather seriously. "It was an accident."
"Wouldn't your family back home be worried?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Sakura said, "It's why I'm heading to Imladris in the first place. Mayanne said Elves go to a place beyond the stars, and that they might help me find a way home." She just had a rather important detour first.
"I'm not certain that Elves would have the power to send you back the way you arrived," Strider said, "But I can definitely say that they will do their best to return you home. And if not, the other Wizards will endeavor to try."
"Oh, that's good," Sakura said relieved. She was interested in meeting the other Wizards.
Strider knew more about Elves than the Hobbits seemed to. Although, it was apparently the Hobbits that watched the Elves sail out West. The Shire was really close to the Gray Haven, where the Elven ships were. The Elves glowed during their trek- Merry and Pippin were the only ones to properly see them, and according to them, they all looked very ethereal.
Elves sounded a lot like Yue, actually. Were Elves connected to the moon at all? Did Clow Reed see any Elves before? If Sakura managed to come here, Clow Reed had to have seen this place at the very least. Sakura would have to ask Eriol when she returned home.
"It is their way to a place of peace, where their spirits can heal from the tedium of a long life," Strider said. "Elves have perfect memory, and with all the horrors that they have seen over the Ages, it wears them down."
Weathertop was a nice little mountain that sat in the middle of large plains. It was oddly shaped, but an important landmark, Strider said. He led them to the top where there was a small and somewhat hidden permanent camp set up. It was meant for any Ranger that traveled through this area, as the height made it very good for keeping an eye on their surroundings.
It was meant to be safe. Strider said so. Which meant that the reasons that the Nazgûl were nearby was that they were following them.
Sakura frowned. "Shield!" she called, and the shimmering form of Shield settled over the Hobbits and Strider. She had time to do so, compared to previously. "Stay inside," she told them.
"Whoo! Go Sakura!" Pippin cheered from within, not caring about being silent. Which was okay, now. They could be distracting while Sakura searched for the Nazgûl.
Which was harder than it should be. Normally they were a point in the distance that Sakura could find pretty easily. Now it was like a blanket, surrounding her.
Oh dear. Surrounding her. There were five that she could sense, wasn't there? And- yes, there they were, riding their horses in a slow ascending circle to their small camp. They weren't being very loud, but they weren't being quiet either.
Well, she'd just have to ambush them in return. "Light!" Sakura called.
Light burst forwards with more speed than she normally did. Sakura directed her in a loop to catch all five Nazgûl. She managed to catch one, which screeched. The other Nazgûl seemed to recognize Light and started to flee immediately.
"Sword!" Sakura called again, and with more mercy than she had granted the previous ones, killed the Nazgûl.
The other four were getting away, which was not good. They would probably just come back, if the way she had been seeing them for the last few days was any indication. They weren't looking for her. She had seen them prowling the Shire before, but her instincts told her that it was unrelated to her own appearance. In fact it seemed like the Nazgûl were hunting Hobbits.
And not just any Hobbits, but the ones she traveled with. It was good that she was with them, then!
Sakura dismissed Light and Sword, who were both disgruntled that the four Nazgûl got away. It didn't matter right now. If Sakura was right, then the Nazgûl would continue coming for the Hobbits.
"Are you all okay?" Sakura asked when she returned to the group, while Shield returned to her. Strider was watching her with amazement. The Hobbits didn't look worse for wear. In fact, Frodo almost looked tired at being constantly chased.
"Yes, we're fine," Sam assured her, though he was also fussing over Frodo. Pippin looked ecstatic at Sakura's display. "Thank you again, Miss Sakura."
"So, you really have been destroying the Nazgûl," Strider said.
"What, did you think we were lying?" Merry asked.
"No, but I did think you might have exaggerated," Strider said. "Even the strongest of the Elves could only banish them temporarily, or drive them back for a time. And that was when they were still incorporeal."
"I destroy them," Sakura said, "It is the only way to assure that they aren't in pain anymore."
"They are in pain?" Frodo asked.
"Yes," Sakura said sadly. It was hidden deep beneath the corruption and the conscious decision of choosing the power they now had, but they were still hurting. She didn't like destroying them, but leaving them be was worse.
Sauron. That was the source behind their corruption. If Sakura found him and dealt with him, then maybe she could purify the Nazgûl without destroying them.
"They will be back," Strider said. "Sakura, can you keep up your barrier? It will take us a couple of days travel to Imladris from here, and we should rest for the night."
"I can't use Shield as it is for an entire camp, though I can keep it up indefinitely. I can set alarms for us," Sakura said. At least not yet. Shield definitely had more capabilities than she had used previously. Sakura would simply rather not test them with the Hobbits, Strider, and Epona relying on her.
"That is fine. As long as we have warning of their arrival, we can handle them," Strider said.
"Okay," Sakura said. She closed her eyes. Earthy? She asked.
I can, Earthy said. Sakura called for her, and Earthy slipped into the ground below. She wasn't as effective at holding the Nazgûl as Light was, but the Nazgûl had physical forms. Earthy could handle them just as easily. The plains were empty of people, too, so she had the space to move.
"We're set for the night," Sakura told them. "We can camp here safely."
"Thank you, Miss Sakura," the Hobbits chorused.
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