AN:

Thank you DreamingIn2Eternity, Anonymous Reviewer and...Deadzepplin for your reviews!

Deadzepplin: While I appriciate your enthusiasm, Uzamaki Naruto is not, and never will be, in this story. It would be cool to see Naruto fight against a Nazgul (more his level), though not in this story. Minato will get around to killing armies, just be patient. But there will be a character that uses wind techniques in the future that enjoys killing... On an unrelated note, ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY LOG.

No update Friday, sorry guys/gals

*Japanese*

Elvish

Gimli did not see what the big deal was. The shinobi were fighters, and they did possess an insane amount of power. Their rules prevented them from letting their emotions get in the way of making logical decisions. But the elf did not seem to understand that.

"How barbaric! First they force children to fight, but then have them kill their emotions?" Legolas scoffed, as he talked to Boromir. "Honestly, they are as nearly as bad as orcs,"

Gimli knew that Legolas and the others had been suspicious of the students' ability in combat. But they seemed to be fine with it before. Now, the other members of the Fellowship were being biased and ignorant. It had to stop.

"For the last time, princeling, does it look that they killed their emotions?" the dwarf snapped.

Legolas went silent. Boromir responded cautiously.

"I believe that is not the case at the present time, however, it would be their ultimate goal,"

It pleased Gimli to see that the man was somewhat seeing sense.

"It seems to only be necessary in combat," continued Boromir. "But it is not their presumed lack of emotion that worries me."

"What then worries you, my friend?" Gimli asked, confused.

"Their loyalty is bought and sold. I wonder how much the Enemy is willing to pay them to purchase their favor,"

Much to everyone's surprise, Merry jumped into the conversation.

"They won't betray us. Hoshi's fate appears to be more entwined with us than Frodo originally thought. And his team will never turn against him, because they are from the same village. A Konoha shinobi's true loyalty lies within their village," he finished.

Boromir looked assured, but Legolas was still agitated.

"But they are just children! I understand that they need to learn how to access this 'chakra'. But they shouldn't be on the battlefield,"

Gimli sighed. "Theoretically, shinobi of their rank are given simple, non-combatant tasks. But according to Obito, there aren't as many shinobi as before. Also, Kakashi is in a higher rank than the rest of his teammates. Logically, the team will be given missions that they would be able to complete,"

The elf seemed to finally accept it. But he turned to Merry with a troubled look on his face.

"Merry," he asked. "What do you mean when said Frodo thought Hoshi's fate was entwined with ours?"

The hobbit frowned. "Frodo thinks that Hoshi is from the Fourth Age," he said.

Boromir was bewildered. "The Fourth Age? Now why would Frodo think that?"

Pippin, who was lying down in the boat, answered.

"He said that the Ring always lessened his pull on him whenever Hoshi was around. Frodo also said that Hoshi always whispered things. All save one were in Elvish. It went like this..."

~•~•~•~

"Trust Smeagol, that wretched thing.

Trust Samwise, a true loyal friend.

To Mt. Doom you'll take the Ring,

To the West you'll go in the end."

Frodo recited Hoshi's prediction for Strider. It was his firm belief that Hoshi came from the Fourth Age. The tall man was silent, thinking.

Just as Frodo thought that Aragorn had ignored him, the ranger spoke.

"That does not mean that he is from the Fourth Age, Frodo," he said quietly. The hobbit felt his eye twitch.

"Why not?" asked Sam, who looked offended.

"Just how much time has he spent with the shinobi? It is quite possible that he is from an earlier time period, and ended up here."

"A Gondorian boy with Northern parents who entered another world in Harad. He is, indeed, from an earlier age," Frodo said sarcastically.

Aragorn did not seemed to be bothered by the hobbit's stab at his theory.

"It is quite possible that he is one of my kin, the Dúnedain," he pointed out. "I do know of several who live in the South,"

Sam did not look convinced. "I don't know, Mr. Strider. He looks more like an elf to me,"

The ranger raised an eyebrow. "Does he really?" he murmured, turning to look at the child in question.

Hoshi and the other strangers appeared to be playing a card game. It seemed that Minato and Obito were losing and Hoshi was winning. Kakashi was in the middle, while Rin guided the boat. Hoshi had braided his hair back in a manner quite similar to Legolas'. However, it wrapped around his head, like a circlet. Because of the way his hair was braided, his delicate, pointed ears were plainly displayed. Frodo had noted that Hoshi moved rather gracefully, and there was an ethereal feel to the boy. But Hoshi was unmistakably human, in his manners and actions.

Frodo was snapped out of his observation when Obito suddenly stood up. The boy's face was bright red as he began singing.

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout.

Here is my handle, here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up, here me shout

Just tip me over and pour me out!"

Frodo was doing his best not to crack up. Between the gestures and the silly lyrics, the hobbit had to stuff a fist in his mouth to keep from laughing. He turned to see Strider shaking with suppressed laughter. The man even went as far to stuff the edge of his cloak in his mouth to stifle his amusement. The rest of the Fellowship appeared to be in the same dilemma. Legolas and Gimli were the most successful while Merry and Pippin were the least. Frodo remembered the earlier discussion that the Fellowship had concerning the shinobi. The hobbit shook his head. If these shinobi didn't have emotions, than the One Ring was a harmless trinket.

By the time the Fellowship set up camp for the night, most of the distrust of the shinobi had disappeared, returning the dynamic to normal. When Aragorn offered to take first watch, Hoshi asked if he could stay up as well. The ranger felt slightly uneasy about having the boy stay up with him, but consented. It seemed to surprise the shinobi on how quickly the day turned to night.

"It really gets dark here, doesn't it," commented Kakashi after dinner. Sam nodded in agreement. Dinner had consisted of Lembas bread and deer meat. The team of shinobi refused to let Hoshi preform his shift unless he brought them some meat. Sometime after he was commissioned the task, the boy returned with a charred deer carcass. The shinobi didn't give it a second thought, skinning the deer to find slightly cooked meat.

Aragorn thought the shinobi way of eating things was strange. They ate using two sticks to pick up their food, rarely using their hands. He noted that all the shinobi (bar Hoshi) steered clear of Lembas bread.

"Yes, but the stars are beautiful," said Rin whimsically. Minato looked skyward.

"So your world has an Evening star, too," he said. Kakashi snorted.

"You are aware that the Evening star is simply a reflection of the Morning star? And that neither are real stars?" The Hatake said in a condescending tone.

Aragorn had to remind himself that the masked child was ignorant and unaware of the comparisons he was making in order to keep himself from strangling the boy. But Hoshi seemed to do that for him.

"Okay, Mr. Astronomer, we get that you think that the Evening star is a pale reflection of the Morning star. Go ahead and insult the poor thing," he growled, picking up his canteen.

Kakashi threw his hands into the air. "Okay, jeez. Sorry for insulting your girlfriend,"

Aragorn and Legolas choked on their food. Hoshi spat out the water he was drinking, and grabbed Kakashi by the collar.

*"What the Hell, you idiot! There is an actual person called Arwen Evenstar or the Evening star!"* He screamed in their language, shaking his teammate. Aragorn heard Arwen's name mentioned.

"Your point?" the silver-haired boy mumbled.

*"She's Aragorn's fiancée,"* Hoshi hissed. *"My MOTHER!"*

Aragorn decided that his name sounded strange, being said in that language. He saw Kakashi's eyes go wide. What the ranger could see of his face turned slightly green.

"Oh," he squeaked. Hoshi had stood up somewhere along the line, suspending the short boy in the air by his collar. The dark-haired boy put him down carefully. Kakashi rubbed his throat, and then smirked at him.

"That really doesn't change anything I just said,"

Hoshi simply punched his teammate in the stomach.

Aragorn was in a foul mood. His argument with Boromir had thrown him for a loop. Was he really afraid of what he was as a human? But he knew that it would not be a wise decision to bring the Ring to Minas Tirith. Aragorn turned to check on Hoshi, who was humming.

"That tune is strange," he found himself saying. Hoshi gave him a smile.

"It's from a song I heard in Konoha," the child strolled over to him. "I would not be able to do it justice, for it needs an instrument to be played alongside it,"

"Really?" Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "That is strange,"

Hoshi laughed. "Their songs are all like that. The music that goes with it is loud, very loud."

Aragorn gave the boy a small smile. Hoshi always seemed shy and unsure around him. Despite the child's previous declaration of being unable to sing the song well, he began singing softly anyway.

"Omae ga tonari ni iru

Omae ga waratteiru

Omae ga ureshi soude

ore mo waratta," *

Hoshi paused. "It's really not so bad, being human,"

"That came out of nowhere," Aragorn thought.

"Everyone has their own problems. Humans aren't really weak so much as susceptible to power," Hoshi continued. "Although sensei believes that you truly become powerful when you have something to protect,"

That statement struck a chord with the ranger. Hoshi seemed to realize that.

"Do you have something to protect?" he asked.

Aragorn inhaled deeply. "Yes, I do. And what about you?" he asked in return.

Hoshi ran his fingers along his ear. Aragorn suddenly noticed that it was pointed.

"Hmm. I have my friends, my family, friends of my family, a whole bunch of people really," he murmured.

Silence pervaded the air for a minute before Aragorn decided to break it.

"Why did your friend call the Evening star your...girlfriend?" he asked, rather uncertain with the term.

Hoshi's pale face flushed in the dark. "When we first met, I was lost in a desert and the only familiar thing to me was the Evening Star. So they found me as the sun was setting staring at the stars. I did this every night, so they asked me if I was in love with Evening star. Because I stared at the stars so often, they called me Hoshi or star,"

"Star," he thought. The name was fitting for the child, who seemed to emit a dim glow. Hoshi looked into the Dúnedain's eyes. His grey eyes were like crystals with flecks of sapphire, filled with curiosity and reservation.

"Did you not give Minato, Kakashi, Rin or Obito your name?" Aragorn asked.

Hoshi laughed. "That was the very first thing I said to them! It is a pity they cannot pronounce it,"

Aragorn was intrigued. "What is your given name?" he asked.

Hoshi promptly looked up to the moon. "It is of no importance," he said politely, but sharply. Aragorn sighed. A name often revealed a lot about a person. He should know, having no less than three. Hoshi was on his guard, so he wouldn't get anymore information from the boy tonight.

Hoshi yawned. "Do you think I could go to sleep?" he asked sheepishly, looking slightly fearful.

"Yes, you may, Hoshi," Aragorn said absently, staring at the river.

"Thank you, Ad-Aragorn," Hoshi said. "Goodnight,"

The boy walked over to his teammates, rolled out a bedroll and fell asleep.

The ranger shook his head slightly. He must have been hearing things incorrectly, but he swore that Hoshi was about to call him Ada.

*Naruto Shippuden ending 11: Omae Dattanda