The Perils of Dimension Hopping | A Naruto/LOTR Crossover

Chapter Twelve: Catching Up to the Company

The trail left behind was easy enough to follow, mainly for all the lack of trying to cover it up, though it certainly seemed like the person who wore shoes was not trying to make it all that easy for any potential trackers chasing after them. It was a mixture of her uncanny luck and Madara's superb tracking skills that made it possible for them to follow the group of small adults and the big one who'd made them leave the pair behind. Frodo wouldn't have abandoned them otherwise, that much she was certain of. Her eyes narrowed as the light faded, making harder for them both to see, and eventually they decided to call it a night – not wanting to lose the trail they'd tracked so very carefully that day.

Madara woke her as the first rays of light hit them, and then they were off again. They didn't stop walking either, knowing the adults, even the small ones, had longer legs than them and already had a head start on them. Though they couldn't have been more than a half a day behind them at most, but they were annoyingly short, with matching legs for show.

Sakura only hoped they caught up sooner rather than later. Every time she heard the sounds of wolves baying, she wished she was someplace safe, snuggled up under a warm duvet. Perhaps with Madara there too.

"Do you think we will ever catch up?" Sakura mumbled on their fifth day on lonely trekking through the wilderness. She felt slightly chilly by now, her cloak damp, her clothes and body unwashed. Sakura was fairly sure she stank something awful by that point in time. Though it didn't stop her from cuddling up to Madara when nightfall came.

"Of course, now stop your blathering already," Madara grumbled, and Sakura snuggled into his back as they slept atop the branches. There was no way in hell she was going to be sleeping on the ground with those wolves on the prowl. Her longsuffering companion seemingly agreed with her on that note.

They woke once again the next morning, bright and early and ready to face the day. They seemingly had the energy of the undersized bodies they were stuck in, which was rather helpful more often than not, and helped her to irritate Madara at times. Still, it was on the sixth day that they finally caught sight of the illusive company they were tracking. Early in the morning was when they first saw the group of five – four little adults and one much rather taller one. It made for an interesting and very welcome sight. Though despite Sakura's desperate running, they didn't reach their travelling companions until noon. But that might have been since Madara was a complete deadweight who didn't want to waste any more energy by running no matter how high the temptation was to give in to the childish impulses ingrained in their bodies.

It was on that same day that they saw the strange ruins too, though Sakura's attention was otherwise occupied as they neared the small adults, her sharp green eyes long having been locked on his familiar form.

With a wordless cry, she charged forwards, ignoring how they all seemed to freeze. At least until she tackled Frodo with a hug, releasing him as Madara came up behind her and pointedly pulled at her arm. Smiling up at him, she twisted her fingers in his cloak, vowing to never let it out of her sight for a single

Madara folded his arms with a huff, glaring at Frodo out of the corner of his eye for a few moments until the big Strider fellow came over to them, speaking rapidly in that language neither of them could understand. His words sounded scolding, a hand running through his greasy dark mess of hair, and Madara placed himself between them, blocking her from his sight as he glared at the taller man. His voice changed then, a tone Sakura identified as an attempt to be vaguely comforting slipping in to those words she had no idea of the meaning behind.

'Guess he thought it too dangerous,' Sakura signed, and Madara clutched at her hand, still glaring at Strider as the company began moving again. He kept a hold of her hand too, until the sun was on the horizon and they were making camp. Strider was still speaking in worried tones, all words neither of them could understand, so there weren't sure as to what was going on – only that they were staying there for the night, in that most sheltered part of the dell. Dinner was passed out eventually, and Sakura took their share, offering half out to Madara with a smile as they camped out under the stars. It was a beautiful place, and it would've been peaceful and idyllic had they both not remembered that an enemy pursued them all. The wolves hunted them, and they weren't sure of whom or what Frodo's enemies were.