Author's Note: Inspiration for this scene drawn from Dragon Age: Origins cinematic trailer. Recognisable dialogue comes from Dragon Age Origins.

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"When that thing comes at us, I'll try to draw it to me," Sakura commands, staring down the incoming beast. "You guys take it out with everything you can."

Naruto grunts in acquiescence while Sasuke and Kakashi dart out in opposite directions.

The only one left out in the open, Sakura proves to be the most tempting target. The dragon hits the ground in front of her with an earth-shaking impact. Sakura yells, beating the back of her axe against her shield to keep the beast's attention. Sasuke wonders if she presented as fierce a figure in the arena of her Proving Grounds.

One tiny woman facing certain death with flashing green eyes and a smirk on her face.

Silently, he thanks those foolish durgen'len for casting her out of their stone city, or else he would not have the privilege of battling a high dragon with her.

The dwarf and the beast face off, slowly circling each other; although it towers over her, the dragon senses the threat Sakura poses to it. As Sasuke clambers to the tip of one of the nearby outcroppings, he wonders who will be the first to blink.

It ends up being the dragon, whose snout juts forward, snapping jaws at Sakura, who spins and dodges. From her belt, she yanks out one of her smaller war-axes and lobs it straight at the beast's snout. It avoids the projectile, ducking, but Sakura takes this opportunity of distraction to charge.

What the hell is she doing?!

The dragon hisses, spewing a spiral of flames in her direction, but she dives beneath the burst of fire, a hair-width away from immolation. She scrambles to her feet behind it with her giant axe at the ready. Now within the dragon's range, she swings upward at its belly, intending to breach the soft flesh there. The beast avoids her by swiping forward with its clawed arm, sending Sakura sprawling several yards away and her axe in the opposite direction.

The dragon rears its head back, preparing to once more shower Sakura with its flaming breath.

Sasuke lets loose a torrent of exploding arrows. His projectiles are more precise than Kakashi's wild volleys of mana, hitting the beast in its snout and just below its eye. It roars in pain and frustration, tail whipping around to knock Sasuke and his arrows away, but he jumps from his perch before he can fall.

Sasuke lands as the snow settles, hitting the ground running and continuing to fire arrow after arrow. The dragon's frustration at last outweighs its fixation with Sakura, because it shrieks and takes off after Sasuke, plodding toward him. Sasuke is careful to keep running, maintaining a precise parallel distance, firing arrows all while avoiding the snapping jaws. From the other side of the mountain passages, Kakashi lobs blasts of ice at the beast, adding to the distraction. Then Sakura is back, grabbing hold of its tail and holding tight, even as it swings around and tries to dislodge her. It loops around, snapping at her where she clutches at its scales, and then—the insane woman—seems to swing a punch at it.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouts, as the creature opens its jaws wide, but the words are lost in a louder burst of sound. Blue light explodes within the creature's throat, and it rears back with a grating, choking gasp. Sakura tumbles to the floor in front of it as ice crystals form in the corners of its mouth and nostrils. It scrabbles at its muzzle.

She tosses a look at Sasuke over her shoulder.

"Freeze Bomb!" she calls, a devilish grin on her lips. "No more fire!"

She is a madwoman.

Naruto reappears then, dashing toward the unobservant creature and using another outcropping to dive at it through the air. As he lands, he stabs his sword into its side. The gravity pulls him downward, dragging the blade through the muscle and bone of its right shoulder, down to its ribs.

The dragon's bellow this time is one of agony.

In the distance, Kakashi draws his hands together, forming a chirping, hissing ball of lightning, and pitches it forward into the gaping maw of the dragon.

The beast's roar cuts off as if its throat were just cut, and it jerks as electricity zips through its body. Shuddering, it rears back, clawing at the sky in a fit of desperation, trying to beat its wings, before staggering backward and keeling over onto the frozen ground.

Sakura steps over to the bleeding, twitching body, once more twirling her axe to hand, before bringing the heavy blade downward. The beast's neck is thick, but the axe goes almost three-quarters of the way through it. Blood from the death blow sprays across the Warden's face and armour, as in the distance Kakashi and Naruto make quick work of any cultists who yet live.

Sasuke stares at Sakura, his mouth oddly dry as he takes in the fierce and intimidating sight before him.

Who else would be fool enough to charge a dragon? Twice.

His smallclothes seem a lot tighter, and this time he cannot deny the shot of arousal that settles over him.

Shit.

Sakura's eyes snap toward his own and he realises he spoke out loud. Thank the gods his armour covers the evidence!

Hoping to deflect any awkward conversation, he clears his throat.

"Alright," he hedges. "You have a certain technique."

Her battle-hardened expression fades into her usual cheer and she grins. "You've only just decided that now?"

There are bruises coming out over her left eye and the dragon's blood stains her teeth, and Sasuke decides she has never looked more beautiful.

Panic hits him: it is one thing to be admiring of someone's prowess in battle, but their appearance?

"It is a simple observation," he sniffs. "I am just saying you could be worse. You could be Naruto."

"Oi!" the simpleton snaps from several yards away, where he and Kakashi are stripping the cultist bodies for any useful materials. "I heard that, you knife-eared prick!"

Sakura laughs though.

"Careful, Sasuke-kun. Keep talking like that, and I'll be expecting a marriage proposal."

His ears and neck burn, and he scowls at her. "You are getting ahead of yourself."

"Oh, don't worry. Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now."

"...Good."

"The other thing, though," she continues as she wanders away, cleaning her blade, "I wouldn't say 'no' to."

Sasuke blinks. "What does that mean?"

But she is already gone, checking to see if Kakashi has not exhausted himself yet. Sasuke watches her go, frustration at her response eating at him in more ways than one.

"What are your intentions with her?"

It is a measure of how distracted he is that he does not notice Naruto's usual clomping approach. Though his question was not asked loud enough for anyone but Sasuke to hear, the human does not bother disguising the suspicious glare he levels at him.

"What?"

"Don't act stupid. You know what I'm talking about."

Sasuke narrows his eyes in response, intending to show he is unfazed by the other man's intimidation technique.

Naruto raises hands in mock surrender. "I'm just asking what your intentions are. Don't get ready to stick a knife in my back just yet. You were hired to kill us, remember?"

"And now I owe her a blood debt since she spared my life," Sasuke grumbles, turning to walk away.

"And that's it?" Naruto presses, hurrying after him.

Sasuke refuses to answer him and they both watch as Sakura digs into her supply pouch and offers Kakashi one of their precious few lyrium potions to bolster his magic. When he tries to refuse, she wags a finger at him in a gesture Sasuke recognises as scolding. Kakashi's shoulders sag, a sign of defeat, and he accepts the potion.

Sakura nods in triumph and Sasuke smirks at the sight before he can stop himself. When she turns back to him and Naruto, though, he quickly arranges his face into careful blankness.

"Are you two coming?" she shouts. "We didn't climb this damn mountain just to fight a dragon!"

"On my way!" Naruto calls back. But when she's no longer facing them, he says to Sasuke out of the corner of his mouth, "Be good to her. Break her heart, and I'll kill you."

"Tch. As if you could."

"Try me on this one."

There is no trace of humour or falsehood in his words. Sasuke has the presentment that the other Warden is being more serious than ever. He has seen Naruto go after his enemies, it would be a challenge if they were no longer allies.

He finds he does not care for the idea.

Rather than mention this, or add credence to the human's foolish notions, Sasuke nods once. This must be enough because Naruto leaves him alone.

The four of them restart their path upward, continuing the gruelling trek up the last stretch of the mountain.

At long last, they enter the final stop on their journey, one hewn into the peak of the mountain. Mercifully, there is only the one staircase to climb once they are out of the cold, and it leads into a single vaulted chamber lit by torchlight. In the centre of the room, a figure stands tall, clad in ancient imperial armour. Sasuke is wary, but when the apparition shows no sign of attacking, he relaxes.

Somewhat.

"I bid you welcome, pilgrims," the man—or ghost?—intones.

His visage is that of a young man, unshaven and round cheeked, but his eyes shine with the crawl of ages. There is an eerie sheen behind his brown eyes that seems to pierce through Sasuke like a knife.

"Who are you?" Naruto wants to know.

"I am the Guardian of the Urn of Sacred Ashes. In life, I was Tenji, Emperor of the Land of Ancestors and consort of Lady Kaguya. I have waited years for this moment."

"For someone to take the ashes?" Sakura asks.

"No one can take the ashes. They belong here. It has been my duty, my life, to protect the Urn and prepare the way for the faithful who come to revere the Rabbit Goddess. For years beyond counting I have been here, and I shall remain here until my task is done and that which poisoned her heart is destroyed."

"Do you mean the lunatics we dealt with on our way here?" Naruto wants to know. "Because they all seemed to think they were following the will of Kaguya."

The ancient being appears to sigh. "When my brethren and I carried Kaguya from the ruins of the Divine Tree where she burned alive, we vowed to revere her memory forever and guard her. I have watched generations of my brethren take up the mantle of their fathers. For centuries they did this, unwavering—joyful in their appointed task. But now they have lost their way. They have forgotten Kaguya and their promise."

"And instead they started worshipping a dragon," Kakashi puts forth.

"If it helps, we dealt with it," Sakura says, and the Guardian nods in gratitude.

"Its death is welcome news. It was a fearsome creature, and they must have seen her as an alternative to a silent goddess. A true believer would not require audacious displays of power."

"How did things even get so bad down there? They were killing children."

Disgust drips from Sakura's every syllable.

"It began with an ancestor of the one known as Mukade. Kaguya's own son, Zetsu. He never recovered from losing her and imagined himself as a new prophet preaching her rebirth. Some disagreed with him. I heard their cries of pain and loss, which were quickly silenced."

"Then we did the world a favour ridding it of such filth," Sasuke states.

The Guardian considers him in a way that makes him uneasy, and then says, "The goddess will sit in judgement of them when the time comes."

A note of pity hangs in the air.

"I'd like to see the Urn," Sakura says. "Since we've come all this way."

"If you have come to honour Lady Kaguya, you must prove yourself worthy."

"Doesn't making the trip to save another person's life suggest worthiness?" Naruto quips.

"You must prove yourselves worthy," the Guardian repeats. "It is not my place to decide that. The Gauntlet was created for such a reason—if you are found worthy, you will see the Urn and be permitted a small pinch of ashes. If not..."

He trails off as if in warning, and Sasuke takes better notice of the giant maul strapped to his back. He suspects the tool is not simply for decoration.

"What is this Gauntlet?" Sakura wants to know.

"It's not more crazy cultists, is it?" Naruto interrupts. "Because I've filled my quota today. And then there was the dragon, so..."

"The Gauntlet weighs intentions. It separates the true pilgrims from the false," the Guardian explains. "You will undergo four tests of faith and in the process see how your soul fares."

Sasuke frowns, not sure that sounds good. Of their party of four, only Naruto is a believer in the Chantry. Sasuke may be an outcast among his kind, but he keeps faith with the elven gods. Kakashi often says he is too jaded to trust in a higher power while Sakura sometimes mentions her own dwarvish notions about paragons.

We are not exactly a cross-section of shemlen faithful...

But Sakura shakes her head, unbothered by the pronouncement. "I've seen too much since I became a Warden to not realise there's something beyond what I know. Before, I thought the Fade and magic were myths, stories told by bored dwarves. And now I travel with a mage and visit the Fade in my dreams. And I wouldn't have led us up this mountain if I didn't believe in something." She gazes at her comrades. "She may not be my goddess, but I believe she existed. I believe she had power. And I believe she will help Arl Hiruzen."

Sasuke considers this. She might have a point.

"Alright then!" Naruto chuckles. "Let's get this over with!"

"Before you move on, there is something I must ask each of you," the Guardian says. "I see that the path that led you here has not been easy. There is suffering in your past—all your pasts—and the suffering of others. You, dwarf...when you fled your life in Iwa, you left not only your troubled past behind, but your loved ones. Do you regret leaving them?"

"Every day," Sakura says without hesitation. "But I also know if I'd tried to go back for them, the deep lords might've caught me. And the deshyrs might've forced my parents to watch my execution. I can't think of a worse curse for a parent than to bury their child. At least going with the Wardens, I could send them a message that I'm alive and hope we might reunite someday."

"It is often hard to see beyond our own pain to consider that of others. You are a woman of empathy," the Guardian tells her, approval ringing in his tone. He turns to Naruto. "Son of Minato, Templar-Knight and Warden, you wonder if things would have been different if you were with Iruka on the battlefield. You believe you could have shielded him from the killing blow. You wonder, don't you? If you should have died, and not him?"

Naruto looks down and admits, "I...yeah. If Iruka had been saved at Kannabi Bridge, and not me, everything would be better. If I'd just had the chance, maybe..."

"Regret can hold one back from achieving greatness," the Guardian tells him. "Ask yourself if it truly would have been better." He turns away. "And now, the mage."

"Oh, is it my turn now?" Kakashi wonders dryly. "I am so excited."

"Many have died at your hand during your flights from the Circle of Magi. But is there any you regret more than a woman by the name of—"

"No," Kakashi cuts him off. "The answer is 'no' if that is what you wish to know. I do not. Now move on."

"Very well."

The Guardian faces Sasuke, who tries not to feel unnerved by those piercing eyes he now knows see all.

"Demand whatever answers you want, spirit," he challenges.

"You came to this land to end a life for vengeance, in direct violation of your clan teachings. And yet...do you feel you failed your people by allowing that life to continue despite your vow?"

"I never denied that I failed."

"And yet I do not sense the same regret in this as I might have once," the Guardian muses. "Something has changed, though you do not wish to acknowledge it."

Sasuke's fist clenches as the Guardian turns away.

"The way is open," he intones, looking at them each in turn. "Good luck. And may you find what you seek."

There is a growing, burning white light that blossoms from his pale eyes, growing stronger and stronger, before winking out.

Then, the four of them are left standing in the empty chamber, gazing at one another with unease.

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Translations:

durgen'len – children of the stone; term for the dwarves

paragon – elite of the dwarven culture throughout history which all dwarves revere

shemlen – quickling(s) or quick child/children, the old Elvish term for humans

deep lord – perjerotive term for dwarven noble

deshyr – dwarven assembly lord

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