A/N: Welcome back!

What's next: We go back two weeks ago to find out what happened when Sakura first arrived in Middle Earth, and resume where we left Naruto and the four hobbits in Bree.

Naruto is owned Masashi Kishimoto & Lord of the Ringsis owned by J.R.R Tolkien. I only own the story. The movie is owned by Peter Jackson.

Please review thoughtfully and respectfully.

THE CHERRY BLOSSOM WHO FELL FROM THE SKY

"But who knows what she spoke to the darkness,
alone, in the bitter watches of the night,
when all her life seemed shrinking,
and the walls of her bower closing in about her,
a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?" – J.R.R Tolkien.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE

There was so much that he needed to do.

Aragorn sighed as he huddled for warmth in his worn cloak, and took pulls from his long pipe. Suddenly, there was a blinding light that appeared above the trees. As he struggled to see, he saw something fall from the light and disappear into the trees in the distance. Cursing, Aragorn immediately got to his feet, and drawing his sword sprinted to where he saw the figure fall. In the clearing, he glimpsed a small, sprawled and bleeding lump lying on the soft dirt floor. Drawing closer to see if the person was alright, he suddenly wished he hadn't as his face burned with mortification.

The fallen figure was in fact a young girl ... who was inappropriately dressed. Sheathing his sword, he moved to inspect her for injuries. This young girl was petite and had cropped strawberry blonde hair, which was held back by a strange red headpiece with an unusual symbol etched on its smooth surface – presumably an intricate leaf. She had a thin, heart-shaped face with an unusually large forehead, and – Aragorn was hesitant to examine – wearing a sleeveless red shirt, buttoned all the way to her throat, black shorts that clung tight to her hips and a pale pink skirt had been draped over the top. She wore pale pink knee and elbow guards, fingerless black gloves with metal knuckle busters and on her feet were black, toeless boots. Wrapped about her delicate shoulders was a heavy white cloak with two red stripes lining the hem of the material.

What a strange child... Aragorn thought as he gently and discreetly cradled up the girl into his arms and carried her back to his campsite. She whimpered a little, but settled down when she felt his warmth. Noting that she felt cold, he immediately set about creating a small fire and began healing her various wounds. Once he was finished, all there was to do was wait until she woke up.

When that happened, this young girl had some explaining to do.

(***)

The sound of the wind rushing through leaves woke Sakura up from her dreamless sleep. Sitting up and groaning, she looked at her surroundings and realised she had stumbled upon a strange, unknown world.

"Are you alright, little one?"

Sakura jerked her head towards the voice and sprang to her feet. She brandished a kunai at the stranger, who stopped smoking from his pipe and narrowed his world-weary hazel eyes at her with mild caution. Although he was seated on the ground, Sakura guessed if he were standing upright this man would be at least 6'. He was dressed in a dark grey tunic, black pants and had a worn leather belt strung around his waist. On his feet were black medieval jackboots and draped on his back was a long, well-worn black jacket-like cloak. His hands were calloused, and his fingernails were dirty and bruised, like somebody had hit them one too many times with a well-aimed hammer. His shoulder-length hair was black, lank and tangled, and he had a beard and moustache.

"Peace. I mean you no harm." The man insisted, raising a hand in front of him to calm Sakura down. His tongue was strange - an old English dialect that Sakura just barely understood.

"Who are you? Where the hell am I?" Sakura demanded. Aragorn raised an eyebrow at Sakura's tongue and the language that fell from her lips.

"My name is Aragorn. I am a Dúnedain Ranger, and we are currently in the woods near the village of Bree." He explained calmly, hoping Sakura would follow his example. Sakura blinked in shock.

Yep, it's official I've lost it… Sakura scoffed in disbelief and started pacing. Of all the places she could be stranded in, it had to be in a strange, extremely cold world with an admittedly handsome rugged stranger…

NO! Stop it, Sakura! Enough with the teenage hormones! You're supposed to be a responsible kunoichi, not drooling over a complete stranger alone in the woods—

"Who are you?" He asked sternly. Sakura looked over at him, scowling.

"Sakura Haruno."

"And how did you come here?"

That was where Sakura drew a blank. The last thing she remembered before waking up in Aragorn's company was Sasuke blocking a kunai she had thrown at him with the intention of burying it in his forehead, and Naruto off to the side badly injured, but stubbornly trying to get to his feet to rejoin the fight—

Oh no! Naruto! Sakura immediately abandoned the conversation and started searching the area for a glimpse of her blonde best friend, possibly sprawled somewhere in this frozen wood. Hopefully not bleeding out from his wounds.

"Are you alright?" Aragorn obviously noticed Sakura's distress and got to his feet cautiously. Sakura spun on him angrily.

"No, I'm not okay! I lost my best friend!" she growled.

… and Sasuke… She silently added, remembering that Sasuke had also been somehow transported to this alternate universe.

"When you found me, did you see a boy about this tall," she indicated about a foot taller than herself, "with messy blonde hair, blue eyes and wearing a horrible orange and black jumpsuit?" Sakura asked Aragorn frantically who blinked at her feeling mystified.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help you, but you were alone when I found you." Aragorn replied, sounding concerned. Tears sprang to Sakura's eyes the second Aragorn uttered those words. She sank to her knees in obvious distress.

"Oh Kami! This isn't happening…" she whispered. Feeling guilty, Aragorn cautiously moved to Sakura's side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"If it's within my power, I will try to help you find your beau—"

Sakura recoiled in horror. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Aragorn looked shamefaced.

"My apologies. I wrongfully assumed."

Sakura relaxed and got to her feet with Aragorn's assistance. The ranger gallantly escorted Sakura back to the fire and wrapped her cloak back around her shoulders. Sighing, Aragorn rubbed his face trying to clear away the fatigue.

"Naruto is… he's been my best friend since we were twelve," Sakura quietly explained to Aragorn who focused his attention on her politely. "He's annoying as hell and sometimes doesn't know the meaning of tact. But he's loyal, and fiercely dedicated to his friends." She smiled nostalgically. "And always there when you need him."

Aragorn smiled and nodded understandingly.

"He clearly means a lot to you." Aragorn surmised. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, he's like my kid brother." He chuckled before getting to his feet and tending to the fire. "I need to find him. He's been badly wounded." Aragorn froze and looked over his shoulder at her.

"I just have a nagging feeling that something's not right…" Sakura trailed off. "I really need to find him." Aragorn nodded and sat back down next to Sakura.

"Listen. I know you're worried, but nothing can be done until light. These woods can be extremely dangerous at night." He explained, "You better tell me the whole story before we go any further." Sakura nodded. "Then I suggest we get some rest. Then I'll take the first watch."

Sakura began her story with a very brief history of her home and what she was. She spoke of Konoha's bloody beginnings started by Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage, which concluded with the foundation of the Village. Then she flashed forward to when she was a small child of eight years old when she first attended the Academy to study to become a highly skilled kunoichi – something that Aragorn sounded appalled by:

"You're a warrior?! Good lord, you're just a child!"

(Which Sakura calmly explained that by the Shinobi world's standards she was technically seen as an adult.)

She recalled when she first met Sasuke; learned of his status among the other shinobi families and developed an unrequited crush on the boy, and a rivalry with almost all the other girls studying to be kunoichis like herself. She introduced Naruto and how she met him, and became ashamed when she described to a disappointed Aragorn about how she had treated him in their early years. Then came the hard part of the story: Sasuke's defection from Konoha to seek power and knowledge from a notorious criminal missing nin, and how this almost broke her and Naruto as a result. Sakura concluded her story with her resent battle against Sasuke with Naruto and the mysterious light that brought them here.

Aragorn was silent for several minutes as he digested the information he had just accumulated.

"You certainly have a very colourful history, Sakura." He finally said as he tried to determine how best to help this extremely powerful and unassuming young girl with her predicament.

"I cannot deny that I disapprove of your life greatly. You seem exceedingly too young to have witnessed and lived such a life as you just described." Sakura squirmed uncomfortably, and looked away fearing that Aragorn would refuse to help her find Naruto and Sasuke.

"But I am a man of my word, and I will help you find your friends." Sakura beamed at him and launched herself into his arms, tackling him into a rib-shattering hug.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she squealed happily into a flustered Aragorn's ear. The poor ranger gently disengaged himself from Sakura's embrace and gave her a parental smile.

"You're welcome. I know somebody who might be able to help you." Sakura's relief was obvious.

"Now let us get some sleep, we've got a bit of a journey tomorrow." He warned as he pushed Sakura down and wrapped her cloak around her to keep the warmth contained.

"I'll take the first watch."

Sakura frowned at him. It was obvious that Aragorn looked dead on his feet, and she felt like she should 'man up' and go first. But Aragorn waved her off.

"It's my responsibility to keep you safe." Sakura looked offended but Aragorn could be just as stubborn as she and stood his ground.

"I'll wake you in a couple of hours. I promise." He reassured her. Sakura fell asleep.

The next time Sakura awoke, daylight had broken. She immediately sat up and looked around for Aragorn, fearing that something had happened to him and that was why he hadn't woken her up for her turn. But instead, she saw Aragorn leaning against a tree smirking down at her.

"You didn't wake me up." Sakura accused him.

Aragorn shrugged dismissively.

"I'm a bit of an insomniac. I'm used to a lack of sleep." He explained. Sakura was sympathetic. She immediately started packing her things, as Aragorn had already finished before she woke up.

After a very quick breakfast, Sakura followed Aragorn through the woods to wherever he had been travelling to.

FAST FORWARD TWO WEEKS
The Prancing Pony Inn, Bree, Middle Earth.

It had been a long time since Aragorn had felt this light-hearted in years.

He now had a companion of equal worth, but with a certain vulnerability which alerted his paternal instincts. He felt needed again.

"What are we doing in Bree?" asked Sakura, curiously.

A few days ago, Aragorn had decided that it safe to reveal his destination to the kunoichi, not because he couldn't handle the mission he had been given by himself; but because he didn't want to lead Sakura into something she wasn't prepared for. His mission had been given to him by Gandalf the day the wizard had left Frodo, Sam and Naruto in the woods. It was to find, protect and escort Frodo and his companions to Rivendell; should Gandalf not arrive at Bree in time to do so himself. Sakura's unexpected arrival was just a minor bump in the road, but when Aragorn learnt that the girl had been trained in combat and had knowledge of being a bodyguard, he saw it as a sign from God.

"A favour for an old friend." Was all Aragorn had to say.

This frustrated Sakura – she was used to receiving information from the Hokage about her missions before setting out, not on route like at that moment. What also surprised and intrigued Sakura was the reactions the Villagers in Bree had when they clapped eyes on Aragorn. Her curiosity had been sparked after Aragorn knocked solidly on the heavy wooden gate. The ranger was greeted by the gruff gatekeeper who was about to open his gob and snap at Aragorn but was struck dumb when he realised who he was addressing.

"Good evening, sir… and miss." The man stuttered after immediately opening the gate and stepping to the side. Aragorn merely nodded and stepped through the threshold, beckoning Sakura to follow him with haste.

"Thank you." Sakura said to the gatekeeper who seemed surprised to be acknowledged so graciously.

They received the same courtesy and curiosity from almost every villager as they made their way through the streets. Sakura and Aragorn made their way to the Prancing Pony inn, but before Sakura could open the door and get out of the icy chill, Aragorn placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura, you may hear people call me different names. In this village, I go by the name 'Strider'." He said.

Sakura frowned in confusion.

"Why? What's wrong with your actual name?" She asked. Aragorn hesitated.

"It's complicated. I shouldn't really have told you, but for some reason I feel that I can trust you." He replied. Sakura shrugged. She really couldn't have cared less what his name was or what significance it held in this world.

'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet…' randomly went through her head as Aragorn or 'Strider' as he told her to call him in mixed company, went to check in at the reception desk.

Sakura was sure that Aragorn was tired of people fearing him wherever he went as it was clear that he was no threat to any of them. Nevertheless, she could understand his frustration when he tried to procure them the same room together, with Sakura under the guise of his 'daughter' and was met with scepticism. Eventually, both of them were settled into a small, but comfortable room with a roaring fire already lit and crackling away in the fireplace.

Sakura groaned with delight.

"We will be here for three days. Hopefully what we've come here for will arrive on the third day." Aragorn said mysteriously.

"We're meeting someone?"

"Yes. We're supposed to be on the lookout for someone by the name of 'Underhill'. He is in danger, and we need to protect him." Aragorn confirmed.

Sakura nodded but said nothing else.

They spent the next two days gathering information about rumours of strange folk roaming the countryside outside of the village, and getting thoroughly annoyed of the gossip referenced about them. Day three dawned and Sakura was up bright and early to prepare herself. It was raining, but Aragorn had no plans to go outside of the inn and was content with sitting by the fireplace and reading quietly. Sakura spent the morning and afternoon sharpening her weapons or studying medical scrolls Tsunade had lent her, as she was still training as a medical nin.

Aragorn was particularly interested in these scrolls, despite the fact that he could not read the language written. Sakura was able to demonstrate her medical skills when Aragorn was careless polishing one of his daggers and managed to somehow slice open his palm. So Sakura activated her green healing chakra and hovered it over his bleeding palm until the wound closed. That was when Aragorn revealed that he was a skilled healer himself.

"Have you ever heard of the Athelas plant?" the Ranger asked.

"Nope, what is it?"

"It's a healing herb. Also known as Kingsfoil." When Sakura confirmed that she was on the same page, he continued his explanation. "It is said that it is most potent when used by the healing hands of the King of Gondor."

Sakura's eyes widened. She was very eager to see this for herself, but when she voiced this desire; Aragorn's face clouded and he changed the subject hastily. Sakura wasn't sure why.

"We should head down to the Pub. Our charges should be arriving soon."

Aragorn had shut down completely and Sakura had no idea what she had said to have caused this. Once in the pub, Aragorn made a beeline for a table that stood in the shadows but had an excellent view of the entire room. It would be impossible for 'Underhill' or whoever he was to sneak by them without being noticed. The only problem was that the pub was busy tonight and it made it impossible to see who was coming through the entrance.

"Of all the days for it to be raining." Aragorn grumbled as he signalled a passing waiter and ordered a pint for himself, and reluctantly for Sakura when he questioned what she wanted.

"Yeah, I can't see the front door." Sakura agreed. There had to be another way to identify their charge without drawing attention to themselves or their charges. Sakura's eyes widened when she suddenly got an idea. "I'll be back in a second." Sakura whispered to Aragorn mysteriously before disappearing down the hallway that led to the accommodation area. The ranger didn't think anything of it, until Sakura reappeared seconds later with a triumphant grin on her face.

That made him suspicious.

"What are you up to?" He asked with a warning tone in his voice. Sakura merely glanced at the ceiling which caused Aragorn to follow suit. He nearly choked on his ale when he saw an exact clone of Sakura crawling across the ceiling towards the front entrance. "How did you do that?" He demanded, now highly suspicious of her.

"Remember when I healed your hand?" Aragorn's eyes widened comically.

"You're using chakra? Right now?" She nodded.

"I asked my clone to dispel when somebody labelling themselves as 'Underhill' walked into the Inn." Sakura explained to a stunned Aragorn who was now lighting his pipe. He nodded as a smile slowly spread across his face. The idea had merit. Several minutes later, Sakura shuddered. It was an indication that her clone had dispelled.

"Sakura?" Aragorn touched Sakura's shoulder in concern before Sakura's eyes refocused and an overjoyed smile spread across her face. "What is it?" Aragorn insisted. Sakura turned to him.

"It's Naruto! He's here!" She whisper-shouted excitedly. "Also, he's here with four little men. One of which called himself 'Underhill'." Sakura reported. Immediately, Aragorn sat up straighter and scanned the room.

"What does he look like?" Sakura's celery green eyes darted around the room before she pointed towards a table not too far away from where they were sitting.

"There! The one with the shoulder-length brown hair!" Aragorn focused upon the table Sakura indicated and identified four worried looking hobbits and a weary, angry looking boy with messy blonde hair about Sakura's age taking a seat at it. Sakura looked like she was about to rise to her feet and rush over to her friend's side, but Aragorn stopped her.

"Not yet. We have to wait until Frodo draws attention to himself."

"How do you know his name?" Sakura asked.

Her question was ignored.

(***)

The inn was loud, dimly lit and smokey from a blazing hot log fire. It was also crowded with a bunch of rowdy, drunk villagers, big folk, local hobbits and some dwarfs. Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin and Naruto were sitting at a table in the middle of the pub trying to remain quiet and inconspicuous. Sam was casting nervous glances around the room as he and the others tucked into a platter of bread, meat, fruits and cheese, and drank ale. Or at least the hobbits were. Naruto unfortunately was physically unable to get drunk due to the Kyuubi neutralising any toxin that entered the jinchuuiki's system.

"Sam…" The blonde hobbit looked at Frodo, "he'll be here. He'll come." Naruto was still looking around for either Sasuke or Sakura when Merry plonked himself down in front of him, carrying a very large mug of beer.

Pippin's eyes widened.

"What's that?" Merry grinned.

"This, my friend, is a pint."

"It comes in pints!?" Pippin's gaze turned for the bar, "I'm getting one!" He staggered drunkenly to his feet.

"You've had a whole half already!" Sam exclaimed, trying to stop Pippin from going, but was unsuccessful. That was when he spied something that made him pause. Two strangers were staring over at their table … or more specifically at Frodo. Sam frowned and leaned over to whisper in Frodo's ear. Naruto's sensitive ears picked up his every word.

"They've done nothing but stare at you since we've arrived."

Frodo followed where Sam was pointing and saw two hooded strangers sitting alone at a table in the far corner. One was smoking a pipe, while the other sat quietly holding an ale mug in their delicate hand. Naruto frowned. The second stranger seemed oddly familiar…

"Excuse me," Naruto looked up to see Frodo had flagged down Butterbur who was carrying two pints of beer in his hands. The innkeeper crouched down to Frodo's level.

"Those two in the corner, who are they?" Butterbur looked to where Frodo was indicating and noticeably flinched, something that caused Sam, Naruto and Frodo to react negatively.

"The taller one is one of them Rangers; they're dangerous folk they are, wondering the wilds." He explained, quietly as though both of the strangers could hear what they were saying. "What his right name is, I've never heard, but 'round here he's known as 'Strider'. His companion is new around these parts. But she's managed to become notorious as well." Butterbur hurried away, leaving them to ponder this new information.

"Strider." Parroted Frodo as he nervously toyed with the Ring underneath the table.

"She?" echoed Naruto who instantly turned towards the duo, a huge smile spreading across his face when he realised who she was.

"Sakura!"

(***)

Sakura watched as their charge suddenly flagged down Butterbur and pointed towards where she and Aragorn was sitting observing them. She smirked at the horrified look Butterbur gave them before whispering urgently and hurrying off.

"We've been seen, 'Strider'" Sakura muttered playfully earning an eye roll from Aragorn who continued to smoke his pipe.

Sakura was pleased to see that Naruto had finally recognised who she was and looked relieved. But it would look bad if they suddenly got up and greeted each other, particularly after he and the hobbits had been told who Aragorn and she were. Then things got weird. There was a sudden shift in chakra that immediately caught both Naruto and Sakura's attention. She frowned in confusion when Naruto's eyes widen in horror and turned sharply towards Frodo who looked like he was in a trance.

"Something's wrong…" said Sakura and looked to see Aragorn took his pipe from his mouth and had focused extremely intently on Frodo. Aragorn looked seriously at Sakura.

"Get ready."

"Baggins?" Both snapped their heads to look at the youngest Hobbit that had at one point gotten up and headed to the bar. Aragorn cursed, as did Frodo who immediately got to his feet and ran over to his kinsman. "Sure, I know a Baggins … he's over there." The loud-mouthed hobbit indicated to a panicked Frodo who was fighting his way over to the bar. Naruto, seeing the seriousness of the situation, moved to help him shut Pippin up.

"Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed, on his mother's side and my third cousin twice removed on his father's side. If you follow me?" The moronic hobbit droned on and on drunkenly. Sakura suspected he was throwing them into the shit well and truly. Frodo finally managed to reach him and grabbed Pippin's sleeve, spilling his beer.

"Pippin!" yelled Frodo desperately, trying to shut him up. Pippin pulled away.

"Steady on, Frodo!"

Pippin pushed Frodo away, but before Naruto could break his fall Frodo thudded to the floor. Everybody went quiet and stared at Frodo who had thrown the Ring into the air when he fell. Frodo and Naruto watched in silent horror as the Ring fell back down to Earth and managed to slide itself onto Frodo's outstretched finger! Sakura, Aragorn, Naruto and the three hobbits reacted similarly when Frodo suddenly vanished in a blink of an eye.

"Total idiot!" Sakura muttered under her breath. Aragorn placed a hand on her arm before she could act.

"Go back to the room. I'll be there shortly with Frodo, and I suspect his friends."

Sakura nodded and faster than Aragorn could blink, disappeared up the stairs to their shared room.

A/N: Uh oh! How are they gonna get outta this one? Next time: Naruto, Frodo and their friends meet Aragorn and Naruto reunites with Sakura. Then they all have to flee to escape the pursuing Black Riders all the way to Weathertop. Can the hobbits and Naruto trust Aragorn?

Please review respectfully xx