Hello my dear readers.

I'm sorry for the slow update. I have final exams next week and I took a a long time to write this chapter, so I sacrificed my study time for you guys. Well, not really. I had fun writing it too, so I'm not really sacrificing it.

Anyways, I didn't actually realise I was writing some lines from the movie (I guess they got stuck in my head!) until one of my friends read it and told me. So, just to clarify, I added another disclaimer down below so don't be alarmed.

The poll for Valina's potential lover has ended. Please understand that I also asked some of my friends as well and the results are...

Aragorn: 9
Legolas : 7
Boromir : 7

So that was really close! It has been decided that it is Aragorn! Thank you all for voting and I'm really sorry if you didn't get the pairing you really wanted. I actually never guessed Aragorn was so popular when I looked around, I don't see many OC x Aragorn fan fics. Don't get me wrong, I love all three of those characters. Maybe I'll write another fan fic for the other two to please you other readers...

Anyways, enjoy!

I do not own Lord of the Ring or Final Fantasy X. They go to their respective owners. I do, however, own the original characters (Valina, Felix, Ian and Kiku) and the twisted plot.

I might have used some of the lines from the movie/book of Lord of the Rings. Any that seem recognisable by the reader, please understand that I do not own the certain quotes and they, again, go to their respective owner(s).

Chapter Five - To Be A Pillar Of Hope - Not A Burden

"This is it." Sam said.

"This is what?" Frodo asked.

"If I take one more step it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been." He stated.

Valina took a look around and noted that there was a specific line. One side was of golden wheat, swaying gently in sync like waves with the breeze. The other side was of green with some golden tendrils at the top of each crop, which was unknown to her. But as she looked further, there were still some patches of crops ahead and The Shire's homely atmosphere still lingered with her.

"Atleast... We're all together..." She smiled, but her voice wavered as if she was unsure. She hoped they considered that she was just tired and had no doubts in her heart.

Frodo nodded at her before patting Sam on the back. "Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say..." They continued forward as he spoke. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door... You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's not knowing where you might be swept off to."

Long stalks of crops surrounded her with light jade-green leaves tingled her skin as she brushed past them. The sun was shining brightly, giving her a sense of hope. But with all the brightness, she had begun feeling slightly... strange... As if it was all fake. I worry too much... She thought, trying to push bad thoughts away.

Valina was always worrying over things. Most of her worrying caused her to become an isomniac and her training never helped either. They just made her more tired and more worried over countless of problems that somehow rised up from even the most smallest of fears. Am I just too sensitive...?

"Mister Frodo! Mister Frodo!" There was a couple of sprinting foot steps and she instinctively glanced at Frodo whom was infront of her, before whipping her head to look for Sam. She came bustling through the crops looking rather uneased. "I thought I lost you."

"We're obviously here." Frodo said, his tone slightly amused and teasing.

Sam mumbled. "It's just something Gandalf said..."

"What did he say?" Valina inquired softly.

"He said... 'Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.'." He stared at Frodo, "And I don't mean to."

Frodo, being rather light-hearted at his confession, laughed, "Sam, we're still in The Shire. What could possibly happen?"

Valina felt his words ease her mind and body. It was nice to think he was still being optimistic, despite being chased by some sort of evil because of one unattractive, but powerful ring. She couldn't help but question why it was a ring anyways? - as irrevelant as the subject was.

Suddenly, a blurred figure came crashing into the scene and sent Frodo flying. She panicked and immediately and summoned out her staff in a small puff of pyreflies and shards of light. [A/N: I was playing Dissidia 012 Douciem and I realised that Yuna could summon her staff at will, so I decided Valina could do that too.]

However, Frodo was tackled by another just after getting back up. She realised that they were no threat, but two prankster hobbits!

"Frodo! Merry, it's Frodo Baggins!" Pippin grinned, his scruff of brown hair was all ruffled from his fall or his sprint.

"Hello, Frodo." Merry said before getting up.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sam shouted.

Valina, however, moved towards the three of them and patted the dirt from their clothes. "Are you all alright? The fall looked bad." Her voice was soft and tender, as usual.

"Oh, we're perfectly fine, my lady." Merry busied himself with picking up some colorful bunches. Vegetables...? He thrusted a large light green cabbage at Sam. "Sam, hold this."

Sam fumed after a moment of shock. "You've been stealing from Farmer Maggot!"

"What?" Valina exclaimed, bewildered at his outburst, and looked at Merry and Pippin. Only to recieve cheesy grins. They all heard angry shouts and Valina could see a nasty looking fork-like object. What was it called again? A pitchfork?

"Get out of it! Get out of my field, you young varmits!" The farmer continued to rant in rage. Valina had no idea what a 'varmit' was, but when she saw all the hobbits fleeing, she knew she would find out if she was caught.

She easily caught up to the hobbits as she fled from the farmer. It was strange that she had to run from someone she did no harm to, yet she still feared of being caught. "I don't know why he's so upset. It's only a couple of carrots." Merry said from behind her.

"And some cabbages and three bags of potatoes that we lifted last week. And then the mushrooms the week before." Pippin continued listing them off, sparking a memory in her.

"Ian, we can't steal those! They belong to someone else!"

"Why, Val? This guy is being greedy and keeping all his vegetables to himself! He doesn't give any to the villagers and sells it to Luca or something! Besides, it's only a little bit. We need our food!"

"No, Ian. We can't steal from someone just because they're being mean. We can't drag him down, or we'll be just like him."

"..."

"Don't worry. Granny says everything will get better. We'll make our own garden of fruit and vegetables! Daddy said that if we try to be better people, Spira will be a better place."

"... Okay. I'm sorry for dragging you here with me."

"Hehe, it's okay. Just trust me, okay?"

"What are you saying? I'll always trust you! We're going to be friends forever!"

"Yep!"

Her memory shattered when she heard the barks of dogs and to her shock, she had slowed considerably when she was in her thoughts. The hobbits were further away, only seeing their scruff of shaggy hair. Picking up her speed, she managed to catch up to them within a few seconds-

BAM

"Kya!" She couldn't stop herself in time and ended up tackling all four hobbits off the small bank and to a wooded road, covered by the shade the trees provided. They landed in a heap at the bottom, with her ontop.

Immediately, she got off the hobbits and helped Frodo up, though the rest scrambled away to a patch of brown mushrooms. However, Valina was far more focused on a sudden strange feeling within her chest. Everything suddenly felt... cold... Like what she felt when she entered the farplane. Something isn't right... She thought as she felt herself involuntary shiver.

"Get off the road!" Frodo urged them and they all hopped over some roots to hide. The four hobbits hid behind a chunk of intertwining roots at a base of the tree while Valina hid behind another much larger and gnarled tree for she could not fit with them.

She heard horses galloping and instinctively breathed in once to try hold her breathe. Unfortunely, she inhaled the strong, amplified stench of Sin, making her feel sick. She placed her hand over her mouth and nose, trying to block out the smell. It was as if that if she should take her hand away, she would end up gagging, alerting the presence. She had not even looked to see what they were hiding from.

After a minute of standing there, battling against the waves of dreads forced upon her, she heard a rustle and a loud thump before a banshee shriek erupted and faded along with the loud thumps of hooves. The pressing evil feeling was suddenly lifted and her knees buckled as if she was a new born filly. She breathed in heavily - panting, as she held a hand over her heart. The taint of Sin... It was too much! She clenched her other hand, willing herself to calm down.

"Valina? Are you alright?" Frodo came scrambling towards her and she shakingly nodded.

"What was that?" Merry asked.

"W-We don't have time," She drew in another breath, much more steady now, "Please, let us go further away. Merry, Pippin, you should go back."

However, the two pranksters stuck with them and Valina did not have the heart to refuse for their determination. It reminded her of herself a few years ago. They zipped past the trees, sliding hurriedly and clumsily along muddy tracks, even at nightfall they continued to run. Although Merry and Pippin both kept asking questions to clarify the situation, Sam kept telling them to be quiet as they scouted the area before moving again. Valina didn't even know where to go, she had no map and her sense of direction wasn't as great as other's. They could be blindly running into danger and she wouldn't even know it. Fear clenched greedily at her heart, refusing to let go and each step she took only seemed to make it grip tighter.

She heard a horse neigh and she whispered desperately, "Get down."

They all crouched amongst the bushes. There was a rather large black horse and a black robed rider drenched in the moonlight, yet it didn't seem to shine any of it's silver tendrils upon them at all. They were dark and... evil. It neighed again before galloping away, letting her breathe again. "Sam, Valina and I must leave for Bree." Frodo whispered, fear mingling with his otherwise determined voice.

She noticed Merry's revelation and unwillingly gulped the thick lump in her throat. He looked at her, Sam then Frodo. "Right, we'll go to Buckleberry Ferry."

"Buckleberry... Ferry...?" She repeated the foreign name, her strange Spirian accent made it sound like 'Bakurubeari Ferii'. She had no idea what it was, but when Merry nodded confidently at her, she ended up nodding back.

"Let us go-"

There was another foul shriek and they all ran to follow Merry as they lead them to the 'Ferry'. She could hear the evil robed things following closely behind them and she began pushing Frodo infront of her in panic. Oh Yveon, please, I beg of you, we must make it to Bree...

Puffs of mist escaped from her lips from panting as she ran. Her body was hot from the running, yet her heart cold with dreaded fear. Her bi-colored eyes looked ahead and saw a wharf. Her heart soared when she realised a 'ferry' was a kato. She still had no idea what a 'Buckleberry' was, but she didn't care at that moment. Merry and Sam quickly untied the ropes, for they were the first to arrive there, while the others were still running towards it.

"Frodo! Valina!' They shouted as the ferry began departing.

For Frodo, it must have been a great leap. But for Valina, it was a slightly easier to jump onto, despite her restricting skirt. They landed roughly onto it, puffing out cold misty air while the robed men mounted on black horses shrieked in rage at their narrow escape.

It may have been cowardly of her, but Valina was trying to choke back the tears threatening to spill. She had faced fiends before, ran from many to avoid conflict too. But she had never held such fear in her life, except for one thing - Sin. And those... things were tainted with the senses of Sin. She had thought Middle Earth was going to be a time of puzzles, maybe even relaxation - a time to forget of her duties. Not a time of being chased and getting her life in danger all over again... And to protect four defenseless hobbits as their new guardian all at the same time. She was in an unfamiliar place, trying her best to piece back together the shards of evidence to bring her back to Spira. But now, Gandalf had requested her something far too serious. She wasn't sure she was ready to uphold another quest to save another world, because that's exactly how it felt like right then.

Valina turned to look at her friends. They looked just as exhausted as her and she felt guilt surge through her. They have never been away from The Shire and yet, I am complaining... They are not prepared physically nor mentally... She brushed away her tears with renewed purpose. I will be a guardian. I must protect them. Be their pillar of hope, as a Summoner should be... Not a burden...

"Please, rest. We will be there shortly, will we not?" She said to her tired friends.

They nodded and slumped solemnly. Valina comforted Frodo by bringing him into a warm embrace, much like how she did with her little sister. If it were not for the depressing atmosphere, she would have laughed. After all, Frodo was older than her.

"We will meet Gandalf at the Prancing Pony. It'll all be over." She whispered.

After a moment of silence, she added with a trace of hope.

"We will be fine..."

I forgot to mention that I'm really sorry if there are typos. I really wanted to update for you guys and I've only briefly checked it again.

Another thing to mention is the languages in this story. There are:
Al-Bhed (Final Fantasy X)
Spirian (Final Fantasy X) This language, I have decided, will be like Japanese, because Final Fantasy was originally Japanese. So there might be some translation of Japanese in this story. Please be aware that I'm not good at Japanese, but I will try my best with it, if I do end up putting more Japanese words into it.
Westron (Lord of the Rings) This language, obviously, will be like- or infact, is english.
Elvish (Lord of the Rings) I'll be using some translators for this language, if needed. So if it's not up to standard, I'm sorry. You're welcome to correct in a review.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day!

-Lolimochi