The Perils of Dimension Hopping | A Naruto/LOTR Crossover

Chapter Fifteen: In Imladris

The twisted sheets of her mattress made for a good rope, or so Sakura discovered as she edged out of the window and slowly descended towards the garden below using her makeshift rope. Her small hands made swift progress, arms aching ever so slightly until her bare feet landed on the springy grass. The elleth Glorfindel had given her over to in order to help clean her up had provided her with new clothes – a flowing dress of sorts, along with some slippers unsuited for walking outside, and she had promptly discarded both of them when she'd found some child-sized pants and a grass green tunic in the sole wardrobe inside the airy room. It made it easier for her to run about, because she knew she'd need to run about and probably hide too if she wanted to go and find Madara.

She was impatient, and Glorfindel hadn't come to bring her to Madara like he'd promised. So she was going to find him herself. Sakura glanced back at the twisted sheet rope, promptly hurrying away from the scene. The minute someone walked by it would be all to obvious she had escaped. If she'd been able to use her chakra she wouldn't have had to worry about that. But she couldn't, so on her merry way she went.

Her footsteps were almost silent on the grass, and she quickly ducked behind the nearest bush, sneaking through the leaves quietly. She was practically undetectable—

"And just what do we have here, Elladan?"

Sakura froze, finally registering the presence behind her. Or should she say presences? She turned slowly, barely taking in the two annoyingly tall figures before she was being lifted to eye level. Twin sets of grey eyes bore into her green ones, and Sakura bared her teeth, finding her confidence as she was held aloft. "Put me down!" she ordered, puffing up her cheeks as the one not holding her began to coo at her.

"You are the one Glorfindel brought back with the halfling," the one she presumed to be Elladan said, peering at her closely. "I believe he is speaking with ada about you..."

"No wonder," the second, as of yet unnamed one spoke, tucking her pink locks behind her ear, marvelling all the while at the shape of it. Sakura didn't quite understand it – sure it was the same as his, but really... what was the big deal?

'Because children of the Eldar aren't as common as you think, silly,' Inner whispered, and Sakura frowned. Inner was strange, she decided right then and there, and likely the reason she had wound up in that place. She swallowed, waiting for Inner to answer, to confirm her suspicions – but there was no more words from her.

Commotion above them made the pair surrounding her turn to face the familiar golden head of hair sticking out of the window, having found her makeshift rope.

Elladan adjusted his hold on her, bringing her close enough that she could grab at his tunic with one hand. "Calm yourself," he called up to the harried elf. "It seems the little one wanted to go exploring, but we came across her before she got too far."

Sakura risked a glance upwards, flinching slightly at the sheer worry on Glorfindel's face before he spied her there in the other ellon's arms. Guilt stirred in her gut, and Sakura bit her lip even as his golden locks vanished back inside her room. Her plans to explore and find Madara had already gone wrong. Tears bit the corners of her eyes at the thought of how easy it had been to find her for her... minders? Sakura frowned, glaring at the grass as she wondered exactly what the elves were to her. Would they arrange for her and Madara to be cared for? They were children to everyone else, and Sakura was under no misassumptions they would be treated as such.

The amount of cooing by the few elves she had run into made her certain of that much.

Pouting, she turned her glare on Elladan's chest, frowning all the while. She wanted to see Madara already. She needed to see him. It felt oddly like she was having withdrawal symptoms if she was perfectly honest with herself. Sakura blinked, shivers rolling down her spine as something occurred to her.