I want to thank everyone the favorites and followers, and everyone who is giving me feedback, saying they're enjoying the fanfic, giving Eiko love, and wondering what's going to happen in the next chapter, it makes me really happy.
I also want to give a special thanks to Blu3b3rryT3a, your constant comments are really encouraging.
Ah, please forgive me for not being able to make a formal speech, I really don't know how to make sentences more "old" style in English. I'm not very good at fight scenes either, sorry.
The pleasant, calming aroma of tea envelops the library and Kana accepts the offered cup with a silent nod, though she doesn't raise it to her lips until her companion has taken the first sip. Erestor frowns, offended, but says nothing. Elrond stared at her with a touch of rebuke and disappointment.
"You've been here two weeks now, Lady Kana. Isn't that enough time to realize that no one here will try to poison you? I don't wish you harm, miss, and our people don't pay unfairly for the good deeds you've done us.
Kana blinks quickly in surprise and looks at the cup.
"Uh. I don't think you'll poison me. Fit's habit, I suppose. I did not mean to offend."
Elrond examines her closely, a crease between his eyebrows.
"Why is this a habit? Have you ever been poisoned?"
She shrugged and felt uncomfortable with the worried glances exchanged between the three of them, particularly when they were in the middle of telling her the new information about the wizard's or Sauron's movements – which was admittedly sparse, but it was something. Discussing how many times she's been poisoned seemed ridiculous in a situation like this.
"Ettenmoors?" – She pointed to the map on the table, in an attempt to get back to the subject at hand. The movement in that area was increasing, according to the sons of Elrond.
"Kana." – Gandalf said her name seriously, asking for more details without verbally asking. The teenager tapped her index finger on the table, nervous and a little scolded, like when the matron of the orphanage called attention, or when sensei corrected her on academy days, or even like when the Hokage guessed that she hadn't included her injuries in the mission reports to avoid going to the hospital.
"Look, it's normal, I'm a ninja so poisoning, betrayal, and torture are bound to happen at some point, so of course, I had been… Uh. Why am I explaining myself? You... you... need to stop this." – Kana grumbles, gesturing to them clumsily.
"What's happening to me? I don't owe them an explanation."
"Stop what?" – Erestor, that elf who always seemed to secretly take care of Eiko when Kana was out of sight, asks. "Eri" (as Eiko liked to call him) happened to be looking at Kana with as much care and concern as if it were Eiko herself having one of her panic attacks. The Uchiha found herself thinking about Erestor's question with something like confusion and frustration, as she wasn't sure either.
"Stop what, really? To intrude? Looking at me that way? To seem like they care?"
She sighs, irritated with the wizard, with the elves, and with herself because, despite not owing anyone an explanation, when they looked at her like that, especially when Gandalf said her name like that, she felt that she should explain herself. She had never felt like this before. And that scared her.
"Nothing. Can we please continue with the reports?"
Erestor and Gandalf seem to be thinking about insisting, but Elrond raises a hand and stops them, returning to talk about the information North of Rivendell. There were rumors of specters called "Nazgûl" as well, which had the three of them very anxious.
"They must be really dangerous if they had to send Glorfindel to check."
A hurried knock came at the door. Erestor opened it and she saw an elf with a pale and anxious face.
"Lindir." – Erestor greets, gesturing for him to enter. The elf bows quickly and looks anxiously at the lord of Rivendell.
"It is Arwen, my lord. She's gone. The guards were asleep and in her chambers, there was no trace of your daughter other than this letter."
Elrond stands at the mention of his daughter, emotions flitting across his face, and he takes the paper. Kana unobtrusively examines and reads, grateful for her ability to learn quickly and for Erestor always trying to teach Eiko to read and speak Elvish.
"My dear father, my heart is saddened to leave like a fugitive from my home, and yet I have been given no option but to leave in this way. If you insist on acting like Thingol, posting guards and forbidding me to leave Rivendell when I have to, then I will not hesitate to act like Luthien when I have to.
Forgive this daughter for acting this way; my visions show that I am needed outside these walls for the moment, and soon, your abilities as a healer will be of great importance as well.
See you soon, Ada."
The teenager stores the names she reads, deciding to research later who the daughter was referring to, and contemplates how the lord of Rivendell shows his countless years of life in a resigned and troubled sigh.
"Then the time has come."
He exchanges a look with the wizard and Kana grows very still upon seeing the elf in a less than composed way for the first time she has met him.
"Sir, I've already sent messages to guards to prepare for a search. Shall we leave?"
Kana inwardly nods at the elf's efficiency but is taken aback by Elrond's words.
"The soldiers that remain are for the protection of Rivendell; without the teams I sent with Glorfindel, it would be unwise to lower our defenses too much. Only two teams of three elves should leave in search of Arwen, but don't force her to return, just order them to protect her." – Kana noticed him nervously moving his hand as if touching a ring.
"Although, I fear it is a vain search, for my daughter will not be found if she does not want to be."
It was obvious that it pained him even to utter those words. Kana could see that the elven compound was itching to send out every team he could, but his duty as lord of Rivendell was clearly overcoming his parental fears. Also, as far as Kana could see, he was trying to respect the daughter's decision – which, in her opinion, would be absolutely commendable under any other circumstances, except that they had received information of potential threats around Rivendell and Kana didn't see what good would bring a running princess now. Worst case scenario, the enemies would capture her and hold her hostage, and if Arwen had the gift of foresight and valuable information about Rivendell, as Kana speculated from what she could make out of the letter, it wouldn't do much good to have left Rivendell with a few extra guards. But if her power was not known, and the princess revealed nothing, then perhaps she would be killed without Rivendell incurring a direct attack.
"That should be the case. He trusts his daughter will never leak information, even under extreme circumstances. If that's the truth... Mn… Actually, his decision as ruler is the best one, even if it clearly hurts him."
She doesn't know what possesses her to say the next words because, really, it wasn't her problem, but she says them anyway.
"I could help."
"That is if she doesn't have any magic that makes her teleport. Something like Katsuo's ability." – Kana thinks, but knows it's not possible; she had done her research on how the power of wizards and elves worked, and there was no record that they could tear apart the fabric of space-time.
Elrond, Lindir, and Gandalf seem surprised by her offer, though interestingly Erestor is not. It may or may not have something to do with Eiko constantly calling her a hero and a soft heart, Kana thinks amusedly.
The Lord of Rivendell smiles sadly and shakes his head.
"I appreciate your offer, but I can't ask that of you. You are my guest, and it's been a while since you have been in a stressful situation. I am grateful since you saved Haleth, but I will not abuse your good faith."
She should just accept it, but it seemed that today her tongue decided not to be quiet.
"Even if I can hide your daughter and your soldiers from the eyes of any enemy when I find her? Because I can."
Kana looks at Gandalf, which makes the elves look at him questioningly. The wizard nods. Elrond seems to hesitate, but his next words were more of a refusal.
"As lord of Rivendell, it is my duty..."
That shit again. He was being a wise ruler, an even better host, and a respectful father, but all this selflessness was getting on her nerves. It couldn't be healthy, just like when her cousin of several degrees was crowned the obedient and prodigious Uchiha, always doing what was best for the clan and...
"Everyone could see that he needed to, for once, not be an Uchiha. Why did nobody do anything? If I... If someone had asked him, asked Itachi, what he wanted...would it have been different? Would he still have…?"
Oh gosh. The simple resemblance made her even angrier and determined to rip that altruism out of the elf, if only for a second.
"Elrond." – She says, gravely, and the use of his first name along with the interruption is enough to leave everyone in shock.
"Right now, I don't care about your duty as lord of Rivendell, nor as host or as an understanding father."
She takes a few steps until she is face to face with the elf.
"I can certainly track your daughter and hide her from threats. So tell me, Elrond, do you want this? Yes or No?"
She was dimly aware of the scowl of the elf called Lindir, Gandalf's contemplative expression, and the slight curve of Erestor's lips in what might have been an impressed smile.
Looking into those gray eyes, like a clear night that seemed to contain the light of the stars, was one of the strangest things Kana had ever done. Kana did not deny that Elrond was intimidating, not because he looked menacing, but because of the dignity and wisdom that he effortlessly radiated. If she thought Legolas had an ancient look, that changed the minute she faced the elf before her. He was overwhelming, but she had to see how much an elf would give up on himself because others needed him to.
"Yes." – He says, with an emotion that she was slow to recognize, but when she did, her heart sank: gratitude. An elf who had lived so many years, was loved by his people, and admired, as far as she understood, throughout Middle-earth, was grateful that she would ask him what he wanted.
"Yes, I want that."
She smiled, though it was bittersweet, and turned away from Elrond. Looking sideways at the counselor, she says:
"Take care of Eiko, Eri" – She says, teasing him with the nickname Eiko gave him and then disappearing in a cloud of smoke, leaving elves very surprised by the sudden disappearance.
Kana moved through the palace to Arwen's room, easily bypassing the elves guarding the place, and grabbed one of the elf's garments. And yes, of course, she had memorized the layout of Rivendell and were the most important citizens were, in case she needed to take a hostage. Every shinobi knows that the important ones are the best bet to stay out alive of a hostile situation.
All the while, she struggled with the thought that maybe if a 13-year-old boy had told someone, anyone, what he wanted then…then…maybe he wouldn't have lost himself in madness killing blood of his blood.
She shook her head. It was no use thinking about cousins who had a psychotic outbreak.
Elrond was right that his Elves would have little chance of finding Arwen. Kana had to admit, the elf was good, it took even more than an hour to find her. She wasn't careless, leaving tracks, and it felt like a genjutsu was on her, so that ordinary eyes wouldn't see her.
As good as the elf was, however, Kana had experience finding targets, her enhanced sense of smell gave her tracking advantages, and her eyes were anything but ordinary.
And the vision that graced her was a very beautiful and determined elf. The Uchiha intended to send a shadow clone to Rivendell, informing them of the princess's direction, but Kana decided to wait and watch from afar, for now. While she was at it, she could very well see if the elf really had the prescience and what had been so important to leave the palace in a hurry.
The night comes. Arwen pauses, appearing to hear something, and Kana directs the chakra into her ears to sharpen her hearing. Nothing. She couldn't understand why, suddenly, Arwen gallops faster, with even more urgency, not until a few hours later when she hears a strange, animalistic hiss, like nothing she's ever heard before, that makes her hair stand on end from head to toe. Several other macabre sounds, which sounded like screams, followed.
Whatever it was, it was evil. And, as much as Kana was slightly excited at the prospect of a fight, her main objective in the mission was to protect the princess. The enemy was unknown to her, both in what kind of creature and in numbers, and Kana never liked going into a fight without knowing much about the enemy. The elves, however, might have been more familiar with what kind of threat that was.
"That's it, princess, we're calling your father's guard." – Kana thinks, making a shadow clone sending information about the location, the strident sounds she heard, and Arwen's state of health.
"They should catch up with us by tomorrow mid-day, I suppose."
The elf finally stopped, on the afternoon of the second day. She was walking, instead of riding the horse. Kana was alert as the elf unsheathed her sword, sneaked out, and prepared to defend her if she couldn't deal with the threat. The "threat" was a tired, disheveled-looking man as if he had been through a hell of a fight, and who looked as if he were about to gather some herbs.
"What is it? A guardian taken by surprise?" - Arwen says and the teenager tilts her head, looking from man to elf because that tone was definitely one of friendly teasing. Arwen removes the sword from the man's neck, and they exchange a few words in Elvish, a soft expression on both faces.
"Does she knows him…? Ah. Yup. She definitely knows him." – Kana looks away, feeling strangely embarrassed when the two look at each other intensely, the princess's arms gently holding the man's forearms. She had seen a couple in love many times before, and in truth, she had seen a lot more with the life she led, but, heavens, Arwen could make Kana blush with the intensity of her love inscribed in a gaze, and she wasn't even the focus of the princess.
"Ok. Elven love is intense."
Kana looks up at the sky and waits for the elf and man to finish their thing of looking at each other and whatever happens next, mentally vowing not to step in front of the sight of an elf in love if she doesn't want a life of blushed cheeks.
Fortunately, it didn't look like anything fierier was going to happen, and Kana soon followed the two until they were yards away from what appeared to be hobbits – who she was certainly still fascinated to see, despite having already seen Bilbo in Rivendell. She even liked Bilbo, but personally, he was too talkative for her taste. Kana already had her quota of talkative people filled, and by that, she means Eiko and Katsuo.
"Ouch. That one looks about to die." – She surveys all four hobbits, lingering over the one lying sickly looking. She tilts her head, feeling uncomfortable for some unknown reason, but ignores it. The hobbit's eyes widen when Arwen appears in his line of sight, and the other hobbits are also stunned by the beauty. Not that she judged them, she wasn't the most coherent person in the world when she first saw elves either.
Arwen talked some more with the man and put the sick hobbit on her horse. Understanding that saving the hobbit was the princess's mission, Kana followed, though not without thinking of those left behind. The wraiths were still around, according to the elves she came into contact with.
"Speaking of them, they should be around by now." – She thinks, remembering the influx of information that the clone gave her when it dissipated. Her clone had found the rescue party, who had joined Glorfindel's squadron, who had been following the tracks of the Nazgûl.
Kana made another clone as she ran through the treetops, before finally revealing herself to Arwen, running at the same speed as the princess's horse.
She smiled at the elf's startled yell.
"Yo."
"Elbereth! Lady Kana, make some noise before you materialize in front of us! Now I know how humans feel when we do It." – An elf exclaimed, placing his hand on his heart while assimilating the figure that suddenly appeared. The woman ignored the elf's comment, focusing on her commander, straight and neutral as a warrior.
"Arwen is returning to Rivendell, with an injured hobbit. However, behind her was the group that accompanied the hobbit, consisting of a man and three hobbits. She seemed to know the man. The party's location matches the Nazgûl's tracks, which indicates they're after them or the injured hobbit. If you have any information to pass along to Original, please do so now."
"Fine. We will split up. Tell… the 'Original' Kana that my squad will complete the escort of the princess and the hobbit soon." – Glorfindel replied.
"Hai." – The clone said and disappeared in a thin smoke, leaving him momentarily stunned with the power that dissipated. Even though this was the second time he had seen that it was still unbelievable that Kana had such an ability.
"Really, what is she?" – One of his subordinates asked, curiosity imprinted in the voice and expressions of all of them. Glorfindel shook his head, snapping out of his daze.
Kana's succinct explanation didn't do much to lessen the slight embarrassment Arwen felt for not noticing Kana. Kana didn't tease her, too busy feeling a strange energy from the hobbit, mostly around his neck. Focusing on the mission, she gave Arwen the information Glorfindel had passed on about the wraiths being nearby, five certainly right behind them.
"I will put us under an illusion; it will hide our identities and camouflage the sounds. Hm…Gandalf said it might be a little uncomfortable."
The Uchiha formed the necessary hand signals, and soon the three were under genjutsu. It served its purpose for a while, especially when five of them appeared right behind, but clearly not noticing them. Kana felt a chill as they communicated with those bizarre sounds and their appearance. Even from distance, there was something very disturbing about their presence. What an odd world, she thinks, where evil was felt as if it were a tangible thing.
"Too close for comfort. They must be following the horse's trail."
"I'll distract them." – Kana warns and uses one more of her genjutsu, this time to create illusions that imitate the appearance of Arwen riding and the hobbit.
The ruse works, and they follow the mirage. Kana moves away from the princess to see the Black Riders up close. The closer she got the colder the air became and being a few feet apart she could feel the killing intent coming off them all.
Another hiss, far away, sounds and Kana realizes that there is confusion among the five, and they slow down the chase. They talk to each other in that strange language and the Uchiha sees that they start to go the other way.
"They realized it was an illusion…Tsk."
Kana returns at full speed, encountering four elves from Glorfindel's squad along the way trying to delay four Black Riders.
"They must be the ones Glorfindel sent to find Arwen. They're not doing very well..."
The terrain was rough, and there were plenty of trees for her to hide. Her onyx eyes narrowed, analyzing the fight and thinking, vaguely, that this was the first time she had seen a fight where everyone was on horseback. Choosing a stealthy tactic, unwilling to let Sauron or Saruman discover she was alive, Kana picks up a stone from the ground, focusing her chakra into her hand.
She takes aim at one who was about to impale one of the elves, and the black rider lets out a hiss of pain, dropping the blade. Kana notices a metallic sheen on his hand, briefly. The Uchiha continued to hurl rocks at enemies, greatly missing her shurikens, despite knowing that those rocks were being thrown at an enhanced velocity that would have pierced any human as painfully as her shurikens. It wasn't having much of an effect on those ghosts, except maybe disturbing their attacks.
One elf takes advantage of the distraction and launches a sword strike that should have gone through the creature's throat, but only seemed to make him angry. The elf drops the sword, backing away before the enemy can strike back.
Realizing that physical attacks were useless against them, Kana changes her target; she attacks the horses. In the animal's despair, one of them flees with the hail of stones, despite the Black Rider trying to subdue it. She hits two horses in the legs hard enough to break their bones and the last one, though it could move, couldn't keep up with the elves. With her hands, she quickly forms the sequence of seals "ox", "snake" and "sheep".
"Kirigakure no Jutsu." – She whispers because the verbalization helped her to concentrate on the technique. A mist began to spread in the forest and the air mixed with her chakra, manipulating the natural element with a bit of difficulty – as usual since the water wasn't her primary element. Everyone is tense, Black Riders and Elves alike, she can feel it through her chakra surrounding them. The difference was that while the elves were quiet and attentive, the Riders stirred and clattered in confusion. When she's sure the elves and Riders have obstructed vision, she moves until she's close to her allies, dispelling the mist around them a bit.
One of the elves is surprised by her figure, swinging the sword towards her neck, mistaking her for a Black Knight. She stops the blow between both hands and looks at the elf, who was staring at her with wide eyes, recognizing her.
She moves a hand to her lips, asking the elves to be quiet, and points in a direction. Understanding her intention, the elf nodded, and, one by one, they came out of the mist, in the direction she had pointed, and the horses seemed to understand the need for silence, as they were very subtle.
Kana remains for almost twenty minutes, holding the mist and waiting for the elves to have the distance advantage, before releasing the technique and reaching her allies.
If the bizarre screams were any indication, the Black Riders were furious.
Despite the elves' watchful eyes on her – she almost wants to compare them to impressionable genin, at that point – they walk the path in silence until they reach Arwen, next to the river. Kana almost thought they could make it to Rivendell without having to face any more of those Nazgûl, but she was wrong.
"How did they get there so fast?" – She frowns. The five Black Riders she had tricked earlier with genjutsu now caught up with them.
The elves that were escorting Arwen formed a line of defense in front of the princess and Kana. The Uchiha imagined that Arwen would take the opportunity to continue, but, to her surprise, the elf drew her own sword, ready to fight.
"Leave the hobbit, elf." - One of them hissed, ignoring the defense line formed by the guards and focusing on Arwen.
"If you want him, come and claim him." – Arwen declared, with steel in her eyes and an aura as majestic as her father's.
"This is a real princess." – Kana thinks, impressed, admiring the elf's courage in the face of the challenge, acting in a very different way from the princesses she had already met in the Elemental Nations. The elf raised her voice in what sounded as much an appeal as an order, which Kana understood to mean "Father, help me at this time!" in Elvish.
What followed was a true demonstration of the power of that world, in which the princess chanted musical words and the flowing waters became swift and violent, and, as if by ninjutsu, she molded what was like a troop of water horses, who dashed against the Black Knights.
When it all seems to be over, the hobbit makes a pitiful groan and everyone hurries back to the safety of the walls in Rivendell.
Papers were scattered across the bedroom floor. Her black hair was pulled back in a messy bun and dark circles under her eyes adorned her pale face. Her clothes, a dark green pants, and a simple white shirt, with elegant leaf-themed gold embroidery on the sleeves and collar. She was barefoot, her feet touching the pleasant texture of the hardwood floor.
The teenager, in a moment of complete concentration, had a brush between her lips, and held a parchment up to the light coming through the window, examining it carefully. Blood glistened against the paper, kanji etched into it.
Kana closed her eyes, concentrating on her chakra flow circling the scroll.
"Yeah! It worked!" – She smiles, an almost childlike gleam in her black eyes because after years she finally managed to make a storage scroll. She places the paper on the floor to dry and lies down on the floor, stretching her arms and yawning in contentment.
The idea had been in her mind for a long time, especially when she saw that it was possible since Riki used fuinjutsu all the time. It took her a while to realize that while Riki worked with regular ink or kanji carved in stone, it didn't work for Kana. It was only after seeing an elf cleaning his blade of blood, and the elven words craved in the sword, that Kana thought about the possibility of using her blood with chakra to do basic fuinjutsu.
And it worked.
Now that she understood how fuinjutsu worked in this world, she was definitely making explosive tags.
The door bursts open and the Uchiha snarled in annoyance, opening only one eye to see who was disturbing her much-deserved rest.
"Kaa-chan! You won't believe how many interesting people I've met these days! Some of Bill's relatives are in Rivendell, and Bill introduced us, and then I met Merry and Pip, and they're really nice, and Sam who's like a master of gardening and there's Fro, only he's still sleeping, over there where Hally stays. Oh! Oh! And guess what? A bunch of gentle elves gave me sweets! I get the impression that some of them are trying to get you some sweets too since they always ask about Kaa-chan. You should talk to them...
"Nope." – Kana says, while Eiko threw herself on top of Kana's belly. Kana peeks at the half-open door, sensing someone approaching.
" … and make some…" – Eiko continues, ignoring Kana's denial, placing a small hand on Kana's lips.
"Naahh…"- Kana tries to speak even with Eiko covering her mouth.
"…friends!"
Eiko releases Kana's hands, waiting for her response.
"No. Away." – Eiko turns up her nose. The teenager quickly puts the mask on her face. The sound of the door opening distracts the child who smiles radiantly at the guest, getting off Kana and running towards the guest.
"Glorius!" – The girl squeals, and the commander has the agile reflexes to catch the little girl who launches herself into a hug.
"Wow, changed me quickly, petulant little thing."
Still lying on the ground, Kana looked at the warrior, waiting for him to tell her why he was there, slightly uncomfortable with the elf and his keen and curious eyes on her scrolls.
Her annoyance had nothing to do with the fact that Eiko looked so content in his arms. What? She wasn't jealous of Eiko. Absolutely not.
"Lady Kana, my lord Elrond and Mithrandir wish to speak with you."
"Mnnn." – Kana replied, getting up languidly, almost reminding the elf of a sleepy cat, and she put on the soft shoes they provided her, before grabbing a handkerchief and cleaning one of her hands. Glorfindel assumed it was ink until he noticed a red streak on the fabric. The faint, coppery, familiar scent he noticed upon entering the room suddenly made a lot of sense. He tensed and held Eiko tighter against him, blocking the child's view so she wouldn't see the scrolls or Kano cleaning her blood.
Kana notices the change in the elf's behavior, which was previously relaxed, and arches an eyebrow, oblivious to what would have given the older one that serious look.
The three leave the room, walking through the wide corridors of the building. The girl allows herself to appreciate the aesthetics of Rivendell, as the details in the architecture were enchanting: pointed arches adorned the sides of the corridor, the ceiling had a ribbed vault structure, forming stars at the meeting points, and the beautiful floor that sometimes oscillated on that light gray stone or acacia wood. The green vegetation and the soft sound of water were also pleasant.
"Security, however, is terrible in a place as open as this."
"The little one is right."- Glorfindel speaks, a tone too casual to be natural. Eiko looks at him intently at the mention of her being right about something. ]
"Some of the elves who were in the escort that day are very willing to meet you, Lady Kana."
The Uchiha nearly snorts. She knew exactly how curious those elves were, she made the mistake of stopping and talking to one of them once, and the number of questions said elf had asked in one breath was enough to realize that she wasn't going to be around none of them if that could be avoided. Kana almost felt bad about the kicked-dog look the elf had given her when she disappeared from his sight.
"A-ha! See, Kaa-chan? If Glorius agrees that you need a friend, then I really must be right. Hey, hey, I have an idea! Why don't you become friends with Kaa-chan? I like you and I'm sure Kaa-chan will too, because, well, what's not to like about you, right?"
Kana rolls her eyes, and the commander looks amused by the child's excitement and honesty.
"You're very kind, Eiko, but I assure you there are many things that someone wouldn't like about me."
"Certainly, you charmer of petulant little things." - Kana thinks, though she doesn't really have hostility towards him.
"Besides, that's not quite how friendship works, little one." – He looks at the teenager with a friendly expression. – "However, I am not opposed to the idea."
Kana was only momentarily surprised by the other's willingness to actually take Eiko's suggestion into consideration.
"What is it with elves wanting my friendship? First Legolas, now Glorfindel."
They arrive at the office. Before he knocks on the door, Glorfindel tells her something that intrigues her, the way he seems to want to say something to her by it.
"Friends are blessings in one's life; especially when you are going through a difficult situation."
The blonde opens the door, after identifying himself and obtaining permission to enter. He says something in Elvish to the Lord of Rivendell, which Kana cannot understand, and soon leave with Eiko hanging in his arms, the kid insists on accompanying him. Kana only decides to allow it because it seemed that the subject they would discuss was not for the child's ears. Since Kana had her "mission" to protect the princess and left Eiko in the care of Erestor and the elves (and Eiko was safe and happy when Kana returned), she was more willing to not be around Eiko all the time. It didn't stop her from occasionally creating a shadow clone and seeing if Eiko really was all right every hour or two.
"Lord Elrond. Gandalf." – Kana greeted. – "Did you want to talk to me?"
Gandalf and Elrond looked at each other. The wizard is the only one to speak.
"Yes. After you helped protect Lady Arwen, the hobbit, and the guards, we have decided that it is essential that you are aware of a few critical facts."
The Uchiha listens attentively, without interrupting. They tell her more about Sauron and how his main objective was to possess a ring that seemed to mess with people's minds. It was both his greatest weapon and his weakness, they concluded, and soon there would be a council of the free peoples of Middle-earth to decide the fate of this weapon.
They wanted her to participate.
She wasn't silly. There was no reason for them to tell information that was supposed to be confidential unless they wanted something in return. Elrond was a wise ruler, and wise rulers always used the resources at their disposal to protect their people. That she was one of those resources doesn't matters.
"It's not like I didn't know this was coming. They are just being good leaders. " – She thinks, a little disappointed. She was getting a free room, food, and comforts, and Elrond had even given orders to his Elves to be alert for any signs of her brothers. Kana remained with a neutral countenance, betraying no thought of what they were tacitly asking of her, and looked long at Gandalf. He had been the most emphatic in trying implicitly persuade her to involve herself in matters which, under any other circumstances, would have nothing to do with her life.
In his chair, the Maia shifted uncomfortably as the silence continued.
"You want to use me." – Kana stated, her voice not betraying any feeling. The maia looked a little guilty and Elrond, although quiet, seemed slightly uncomfortable with the truth of what she said.
"Our allies have dwindled. Your presence and your abilities seem like a measure of the Valar not to give up hope in this dark moment. But I wasn't thinking about that when I first met you, and by no means do I see you as just someone to get the upper hand in a conflict."- Gandalf explains, looking a little anxious when he still can't determine what Kana is thinking.
The Uchiha lets out a resigned sigh and reassures the older man, who looked worried that she could be hurt.
"Am I?" – She thinks vaguely.
"Relax, Gandalf. I'm not angry." - She snorts, forcing a smile, although it was covered by the mask. "Believe me, this has to be the kindest and most honest way anyone has ever tried to use me. I can't be angry with that."
"No one will force you into anything. You need not be in the Council, nor be involved in this fight, Lady Kana." – Elrond says, serenely, and now he also looked guilty after her words that should have reassured both of them.
"Of course. No one here would be able to force me into anything."
"I will join the Council. And, if you need me, I will be involved in any way you see that fits me. But let this be clear: my family will always be my priority." - She says seriously. - "If, at any time, I have to choose between helping you or my family, have no doubt that I will choose my family without hesitation."
"We understand." - Gandalf answers.
The next few days were hectic; after Elrond and the wizard spoke about the council, several people of different races arrived in Rivendell. Eiko loved and constantly had someone roam the palace, and Kana usually sent a shadow clone to make sure Eiko was safe when she wasn't shadowing her little girl.
But the older Uchiha preferred the quiet of her room, and making scrolls and explosive tags took up a lot of her time when she wasn't training or patrolling around Rivendell. It was what kept Kana from thinking about dark things, with no news of the whereabouts of Katsuo, Riki, or Saruman.
Gandalf and Glorfindel made an effort to interact with her, but she still didn't quite know what to think. She would say that, at the very least, the fights she had with the elf in the training grounds were refreshing, after so long without a partner fight.
As for the wizard... She didn't know what to do about him. Kana knows that he genuinely cares for her and, for whatever reason Kana is unaware of, seemed to feel responsible or something for her. He had a temper, often losing his patience easily, which was particularly amusing to see because she wasn't used to someone being as expressive with their emotions as he was and still not looking like a fool. Gandalf could be fast for emotions, but no one could tell he was a fool.
But he could also be kind and so understanding, despite his temper, and once he realized that Kana wasn't enigmatic to annoy him to no end, but simply because that was her way, the Maia proved quite capable of perceiving the little expressions of interest she had when Gandalf told tales of his long life.
Kana was particularly fascinated when she asked him about the creation of the world, although Gandalf did not yet know why. It seemed she had never heard these stories, nor did she know much about Eru or the Valar. It was quite pleasant to talk about those times.
The Uchiha hovered on the roof of one of the residences attached to the palace, thinking about the curious events in her life and all the strange people she was meeting, particularly wizards and elves. She cranes her neck back, looking up at the clear sky and the swaying leaves of the trees, her silver robe almost blending in with the light color of the roof.
Yet another entourage appears on the horizon as she looks back toward the entrance to Rivendell. She tries to guess what it will be this time – dwarves? Men? Elves?
Her question is soon answered when they approach, that ethereal and characteristic glow of elves. There's something familiar about those elves, Kana notices, and she's not sure if what leads her to conclude that is the green or terracotta clothes they wore, or the eerie atmosphere, beautiful in a slightly dark and dangerous way.
"Like a forest." – Kana reflects and, in a moment of whim, activates her Sharingan to better see the newcomers.
And immediately her eyes are drawn to the familiar face of an archer she last saw in Mirkwood. She can't stop looking at him, perhaps trusting that he wouldn't notice her. But the elf notices and looks for who is watching him, and then red and blue meet.
"Kami help me, how can he be so nice to look at?" - A part of her brain grumbles. His eyes widen in recognition and he smiles. Suddenly she has no idea why she's holding her breath and for a second there's nothing on her mind but a continuous, incoherent feeling that his smile could melt her brain. It was a sin to give that smile to mere mortals like her.
Kana nods shyly. Her cheeks, neck, and ears blush and she hoped for all that was holy that he couldn't see the mess he left her with simply a smile.
Author's notes:
Arwen used an artifact similar to the cloak Tinuviel used to flee her father's guards, and against Morgoth.
That Elrond scene was a way for me to sort of vent my frustration. I have a very dear friend who has a hard time saying no to people, saying they need her to do this or be a certain way, and it wears her down so much that I feel sad and angry on her behalf. Mainly because I used to be like that about five years ago before I matured enough to realize that it made me sick.
Next, there will be more Legolas x Kana interactions! Finally, things in the romantic part will move a little.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, see ya!