The Perils of Dimension Hopping | A Naruto/LOTR Crossover

Chapter Fourteen: Flight to the Ford

She had been found out.

Sakura fidgeted in Estel's arms, nervously glancing around, not enjoying the attention focused on her. Madara was going to kill her when he woke up – because he would wake up. He had to. Swallowing, she shifted to clutching at Estel's front as Glorfindel stood as if to greet them. His bright grey eyes were locked on her trembling form, and Sakura almost whimpered. His presence was far larger than her own, and she stood no chance against him if he turned against them for whatever reason. The safety he radiated unnerved her still, and she had long since learnt to trust those kinds of thoughts, especially with the wars – ambushes going on all the time and the like.

Madara lay silently on the ground, all but forgotten about as the adults converged on her. Worried, Sakura frowned, keeping her eyes on his still form. Her throat felt horribly dry all of a sudden, and she sorely wished the ground would open up and swallow her again. Either that, or that Madara would miraculously wake up and rescue her. He would know what to do.

But Madara didn't wake up, and Sakura was passed over to Glorfindel with something akin to awed reverence.

She felt even tinier than she was, hands fisting in the fabric of the cloak he wore, and she was stuck staring up nervously into those grey eyes. Sakura was so caught up in staring – and generally just being nervous on the whole – that she missed his first words to her in the only language they shared. His thumb ran over her cheek, a frown marring his brow at the flinch she made at the unexpected contact. "Little one, do you understand us now?"

Sakura froze like a rabbit in the headlights, frantically looking around, desperate for some sign on whether or not she should talk with the eerie safe-feeling warrior.

'Talk to him!' Inner spoke eagerly. 'He can help.'

Sakura squinted suspiciously at him, lips parting, but all that escaped her mouth was a huff of air – and Sakura was faced with the horrifying realisation that she was acting far too much like her previous preteen self – the one before Ino had found her. She was painfully shy around strangers, and despite her overcoming that hurdle with Ino it had come back to bite her in the backside with vengeance.

Rather than speaking, she settled for nodding her head jerkily, shifting slightly as the heat radiating from his chest seeped into her bones. She felt horribly tired, no doubt thanks to her long sleepless nights over the past few days. Her eyelids felt worryingly heavy, and really Sakura wanted nothing more than to fall asleep – if only because Glorfindel was weirdly comfy to rest her head against, something that unsettled her too, but only if she really thought about it. Currently she didn't want to think. She wanted to sleep.

"You are tired," he murmured, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

Sakura stared up at him petulantly, grip on his cloak almost knuckle white.

"We have another problem," Estel spoke, and her temporary pillow turned to face him. Sakura stared at Madara's prone form – silently relishing the sight of the princess carry, a small smile curling at her lips as she imagined the adult he was inside there instead.

Glorfindel arched an eyebrow.

"They are both of elven kind," Estel said, having tucked the black spiky mane behind Madara's slightly larger ears.

What followed next was a blur of action, and Sakura blamed the lack of sleep – and Glorfindel's musical voice – as she slipped into a short, uneasy nap. She couldn't tell whether it was fifteen minutes or an hour which passed, but by the time she forced her tired eyes back open, Madara looked slightly more healthy. She glanced up between the three of them, eyes lingering on the kind golden-haired member of their new race before she promptly decided she was long overdue for a much longer nap – and she could probably trust Glorfindel. Whatever he did had made Madara look slightly closer to waking up.

"Where did you come from, little one?" he asked, and she blinked slowly up at him with her big adorable green eyes.

Yep, she decided. There was no way she was answering any questions without Madara, and she was so very tired. What better way to escape unwanted questions than to sleep? So without further ado she plonked her head against the comfiest-looking part of his cloak and promptly fell asleep.

She missed Madara's raging-inferno warmth but she figured Glorfindel's bright-soothing warmth more than made up for her injured mattress.

::

The jostling woke her up from her sleep, as did the sounds of hooves and swords being drawn. Glorfindel, as she learnt, was a proficient fighter – even with only one hand free – not that he needed to do anything except move his threateningly bright light towards the mean riders who'd hurt Madara.

Sakura could only watch in satisfaction as they were crushed under the rolling waves – which looked oddly like horses for some strange reason. Yawning, she stared with sleep-crusted eyes as the waters calmed down, allowing them passage into a place both Estel and Glorfindel called Imladris. Sakura assumed it to be their destination, and eagerly, she looked towards Madara. He could finally be treated and he would wake up.

"All will be well, little one," Glorfindel spoke, chest rumbling against her tiny hand as she kept a hold of him in an attempt to keep her balance while peering over at her idiot.

Sakura huffed, eyes narrowing as Estel carried Madara away from her – leading the small adults inside and towards a group of her kin. Her free hand reached out, pawing at the air, and she could only watch as Madara was bundled away. A small whine escaped her lips before she zipped them shut, and Sakura blushed. She was acting like a petulant child... but she wanted to go with Madara... wanted to be there when he woke up in a strange place with strange people all around him...

"We must let the healers do their work," Glorfindel spoke, and Sakura hunched in on herself as best she could. She was not pouting. Not in the slightest. "Come now. Do not frown so. You shall see your friend soon, I promise you that."

Friend. Sakura bit her lip. Was that what he was to her?

"Lord Elrond tends to the halfling, but once his work is done he will wish to meet with you. You may stay with your friend after that."

Somehow Sakura imagined this Elrond's work would take a while, and that Madara's healing would be done by the time she saw him. She only hoped she would be there in time to be by his side for when he woke.