Fire Emblem: Bonds

Chapter One: The Marked Ones

Blue eyes blinked in confusion as he stared at the sea of stars across the night sky. How strange… He was sure he fell asleep inside of his apartment, where there was no view of the night sky this wonderful. Perhaps he sleepwalked and just woke?

Sitting up, he saw that he was surrounded by trees with nothing more than a dirt road separating them perfectly. He himself was seated in the middle of that road, staring down its long, unending path that held nothing but more trees in the distance. If he went that way, he'd surely be walking forever; of that he had little doubt.

Turning around to see what resided behind him, he couldn't help but raise a confused and curious brow at the sight of a large fort (possibly even castle) made entirely of stone and iron. It was an impressive sight, and he couldn't help but wonder who lived in such a place. That curiosity drove him to get on his feet and start walking towards it; if only to see who owned it.

As he walked through the open gates that surrounded the castle, he was surprised to see that there was nobody at all. Granted, it was late in the evening and the people were more than likely asleep for the night; but that didn't mean that there couldn't be at least one person walking around.

Something was wrong; he knew at that very moment. With a suspicious frown, he walked up to the massive front doors of the castle and pushed it open with surprisingly little effort. The main hall was grand and fit for royalty; something he felt should be expected. He moved slowly down the large carpet that led to a set of stairs.

"Father?" he heard a girl's voice call from up the stairs. "Is that you?"

His frown remained. She sounded confused and a hint of fear was mixed in. Whoever she was, she must've been just as concerned as he was about the lack of people. He got a glimpse of her as she moved down the stairs, frozen in place and stunned at how magnificently blue her long hair was.

She looked around ten – which was how old he was – and stood a bit taller than him. She had blue eyes that matched her hair and fair skin. For clothing, she wore a light gray tunic and black sweats while her feet were bare. The most curious thing about her – something he was only able to notice as she got closer to him – was that there was a strange mark in her left eye while the back of her right hand had an even stranger purple mark on it. (1)

"Hello?" she asked, getting his attention. "Can you understand me? I'm trying to speak with you."

He shook his head to clear his thoughts before nodding to her. "Yes, I understand you. Are you alright?" he asked back in concern.

She sighed in relief and took a quick moment to look over the boy in front of her. He had wild hair that looked windswept while colored as gold as the sun. His eyes were like the sapphires she saw her aunt gush over the other day while the whiskered markings on his face made him look like some sort of cat; something she resisted giggling about. For clothes, she was concerned to see that they weren't well made. An old white shirt that had some visible stitching repairs on it, a pair of orange shorts that were held up by an old rope, and sandals that exposed his toes and heels. Although, what caught her attention the most was the golden marking on the palm of his right hand. (2)

"Yes," she answered. "I'm fine, thank you. Have you seen any of the staff or my parents walking around? I haven't been able to find anyone."

He shook his head. "No. There was nobody outside either."

"No one?" she repeated in shock, earning another shake of the head from the blonde boy. "But…how could that be?"

"I'm just as confused as you," he explained, making her look him in the eye. "The last thing I remember was falling asleep on my bed before waking up in the middle of the road and looking at the stars. What's the last thing you remember?"

She frowned in thought. "I was reading about the first Exalt of Ylisse in the library. I think I might've fallen asleep while I was reading. Next thing I know, I'm waking up to a bright flash outside of my bedroom window."

The boy hummed in thought. "So, we both fell asleep where we last were, but woke up in different places… Your castle is empty except for us… And we don't know why…" he summarized before groaning and rubbing his head. "Dammit," he didn't notice her surprise at the curse word, "I'm no good at figuring things like this out…"

"Well, since we're the only ones here, I suppose I should get to know the name of my new companion," the girl suggested before offering him a hand. "My name is Lucina, princess of Ylisse."

He looked confused, but shook her hand. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki." She looked interested in the way his name sounded. "I've never heard of a place called Ylisse. Is it anywhere in the Land of Fire?"

Now she looked confused. "Uh, no it isn't. The Kingdom of Ylisse is named after the country we reside in. I've never heard of the Land of Fire before…"

His eyes widened briefly. "You're joking, right?" She shook her head, looking entirely sincere. "Damn… Where the hell are we?" He started to pace and she followed him with her eyes. "This is your castle, but no one's around, and you've never heard of the Land of Fire before…"

"We've also never had so many trees around our castle before. We had a few, but the closest forest to my home is actually a long way out…"

"So, the huge forest around this place was never there before?" She shook her head. "Great," he groused. "Just another thing to add to the list of What the Hell is Happening…"

She frowned at this, sitting down on the bottom step of the stairs. "This is so bizarre… What would make us both come to a place we either don't know or don't fully recognize? And why only the two of us?"

"You got me," he replied, looking totally lost.

He would've said more, but three things began to glow brightly. Lucina's eye brand began to glow white, her purple brand glowed violet, and Naruto's marking on his hand glowed bright gold. The combined glows became blinding in luster, forcing them to close their eyes (though Lucina was only able to close her unmarked eye).

Lucina gasped awake, jolting up in the chair she sat in. Startled, she looked around in slight panic and saw that she was in the castle library. "What…?" she asked aloud, thoroughly confused.

"Lucina?" a voice she recognized called out, making her turn to see her mother walking over to her. Robin looked to her in concern, noting the alarmed expression on her daughter's face. "Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"M-Mother…?" Lucina stuttered out, reaching a hand out shakily to her.

Robin gently grasped it and squeezed assuringly. "I'm right here, Lucina. You must've had a nightmare."

Lucina leapt into her mother's arms, clutching her tightly as she described the dream she had. She told her about the forest surrounding the castle, the flash of light, waking up alone, and then meeting Naruto.

"A-And we couldn't figure out what was going on!" she continued, still shaken up by everything. "We were trying to, but then our marks all glowed bright and then I woke up here!"

"Shh…" comforted Robin, holding her. "It's okay. It was just a dream; nothing more." She pulled away to wipe the building tears in her daughter's eyes. "Your father and I aren't going anywhere; promise."

She took several deep breaths before nodding slowly. "Okay, mother…"

"Good girl. Now, your father was looking for you. He said that he wanted to get started on your sword training."

Blue eyes widened in surprise and growing excitement before Lucina quickly put the book she was reading away and ran off to get ready. She had been begging her father to train her for months, and now he was finally going to start! She couldn't be late!

Left alone in the library, Robin frowned softly as she went over what Lucina had told her. She had only ever heard of the marking she said that this Naruto had in an old myth concerning the two dragons of legend; Naga and Grima.

According to the myth, the two dragons were approached by a pair of brothers that held great power. The eldest held the marking of an Ebon Moon, and he believed himself to be superior to the dragons. However, the younger brother, who held the marking of a Golden Sun, saw the dragons as great allies and offered them an alliance.

After that, the myth became too unclear to use for reference. But, if this Naruto held the same mark as the younger brother, then perhaps there was more to her daughter's dream than she realized.

Naruto jolted awake in his bed, gasping and looking around in a panic. "What…?" he asked in startled confusion.

He was back in his apartment and the sun was just visible over the horizon. He rushed to the only window of his apartment and saw that the early risers of the village were going about their business. He was home.

But, what happened to Lucina and the castle? Was it all just a dream? Was it something more?

He didn't know, but he hoped that it wasn't. Even though it wasn't the best way to meet someone, he enjoyed his first meeting with the young princess of Ylisse.

He perked up at that. Perhaps there was a way to see if it was real or not. Excited about the prospect, he had a quick breakfast of toast and milk, got dressed in a cleaner set of his clothes, and then rushed out the door to the Hokage's office. He had to tell the Old Man about Lucina!

"And then the next thing I know, I'm waking up in my bed," finished Naruto as he sat before the Third Hokage. "So, I was hoping you could help me see if it was just a dream or not…"

Hiruzen hummed in thought, stroking his beard as he went over what the young Uzumaki had told him. "Ylisse, was it?" Naruto nodded to confirm. "I've never heard of such a place, unfortunately."

"Oh…" the boy replied, downtrodden.

"But, try to describe the marks as best as you can," suggested the old man. "Do you think you could draw them?"

"Uh… I think so," he answered, sounding a little unsure.

"Just try your best," reassured the Hokage before grabbing a blank paper and a pencil for the boy to use. He waited patiently for Naruto to draw the first one, which looked like a teardrop that rested atop some sort of winged sigil. "Which one was that?"

"It was the one that was in her eye," Naruto answered, pointing to his left eye to clarify for him. He then went back to the paper and began drawing the next brand.

It looked like three pairs of eyes with slightly elongated lashes that extended outwards. The top and bottom pairs were also slightly angled so that they all pointed towards the center. Finally, all the eyes had two lines connect them before they twisted in a helix pattern beneath all of the eyes.

"This one was on her hand, here," explained Naruto, pointing to the back of his right hand. "It was a purple color, y'know."

"I see," mused the Hokage, studying both markings. In truth, they both puzzled him since they felt like they should've been polar opposites. He didn't know why he felt they should be, but it seemed like the first brand was associated with light while the second was associated with darkness. "Well, for now I believe you should head to the Academy. You have class again today, after all."

"But what about-?" Naruto began, only to be cut off.

"If you have any more of these dreams with this Lucina girl in them, then tell me about them. It sounds interesting, if I was honest with myself," Hiruzen said, chuckling warmly. "Now, get going before you're late."

Naruto nodded, still looking a bit pensive as he left the office and headed to the Academy. He hoped he'd see Lucina again.

The blue-eyed bluenette was breathing hard as she rested against a tree near the sparring ring. She had been through intense physical training that was much tougher than what she had been used to. Her father did warn her that he would push her; but she didn't think he'd do so immediately.

"Have you caught your breath yet?" Chrom asked her, a wooden training sword rested on his shoulder.

Lucina took another deep breath before using her own practice sword to help push her to her feet. "Yes, sir," she replied, moving over to the sparring circle. Turning back to face him, she took a ready stance as he slowly moved to stand across from her.

"You sure?" he asked again, showing his fatherly concern. "If you need to rest a bit more, don't hesitate to tell me. We're not in any rush, after all."

She shook her head and kept her stance. "I need to be as strong as I can, and as fast as I can. I want to be able to help keep you, mother, and everyone else safe."

Chrom smiled at her determination, nodding once to show how proud he was. "Good. Then let's continue."

She nodded in return and waited for him to move first. She was ready, and she knew it.

However, she wasn't ready for her vision to suddenly blur and change. Where once she saw her father standing across from her, she found herself seated at a long desk in a room full of children her own age while a pair of older men stood in front of a large board.

The men were dressed in odd uniforms and wore headbands with metal plates on them; each of the plates holding an odd insignia on the face. She heard them calling names in a roll call, making her assume they were instructors. The person who the name belonged to would say that they were there before the instructors moved onto the next name on their lists.

It wasn't until they called a certain name that she perked up.

"…Naruto Uzumaki."

She frowned at how they said it, feeling like they didn't truly wish to say his name. However, she turned to see the blonde in question raise his hand and say he was there, which made her smile. She was glad to see him again, fearing that he would only be seen in one dream and never again.

As sudden as the vision started, it ended just in time for her to see that her father's sword was just about to hit her. On pure instinct, she raised her own sword and deflected it, pushing herself away as she did so while looking surprised. 'What was that?'

She couldn't linger on her thoughts as she refocused on her spar with her father, making sure to put her all into it so that she could get stronger. In the back of her mind, though, she wondered what exactly was going on with her and Naruto.

Naruto found the current instruction to be incredibly boring. Seriously, what kid his age would be so interested in hearing about crap that happened decades ago? He looked around and saw that he wasn't the only one losing interest and even saw a couple of his fellow classmates sleeping; the first to do so being that Nara kid.

He fought a yawn and decided that it wouldn't hurt to catch a few winks. So, he raised up his textbook to hide his face as he rested his head in his arms and dozed off.

A breeze made him stir and he opened his eyes to the same dirt road he woke up to in his dream last night. His eyes widened in surprise as he shot to his feet, looking for the castle Lucina lived in. Once he saw it, he grinned brightly and ran towards it so that he could talk to her.

He pushed through the main doors and entered the entrance hall, calling out, "Lucina!" His smile was still in place as he looked around for her. "Lucina, are you here?" he tried again, running up the stairs to see if she was up there. He searched all of the rooms on the second story, but found no one to greet him. "Where is she?" he asked aloud, a concerned look on his face.

He walked back down the stairs and searched the rooms on the ground level, making sure to take his time doing so. But, just like the other rooms, he didn't find anyone else in the castle. He frowned at this and stepped outside before yelling out her name. All he heard for his efforts was his cry echoing into the distance, and this made him depressed since he couldn't find his new friend.

"Where did you go?" he asked softly, sitting down and hugging his legs to his chest. "Was this all really just a dream?"

"Far from it, dear child," a soothing voice answered, making his eyes widen as he turned to the source. He saw a woman who had a blue spiritual glow to her while her hair, eyes, and forehead marking were all a bright emerald. Her ears were pointed, her marking matched the one in Lucina's eye, and she was dressed in flowing robes that accentuated her stunning beauty. She surprised him once more when she laughed softly behind her hand. "I appreciate the compliment, Little Sun."

'Wait, did she just-?'

"Read your thoughts?" she finished, still smiling at him. "No, I'm not a mind reader. However, your face betrays nothing from your thoughts, so it was easy to guess." She turned back towards the dirt road and began to walk, prompting Naruto to quickly fall in step with her."I'm pleased to see that you already feel such a connection with young Lucina. Asura lives strong inside you."

"Asura?" Naruto repeated, a brow raised in curiosity.

"Yes. You might say he was an ancestor of yours; one that made a pact with myself and my opposite."

"You're not making any sense, ttebayo," grumbled the Uzumaki with a pout, making her chuckle warmly.

"Perhaps it's a bit too soon for you to understand. Just know that we only want to speak with you."

"But, who are you anyway?"

"Patience, Little Sun. Everything will be explained in due time. For now, let us just enjoy our walk." She gave him another smile before focusing on the road ahead.

The blonde frowned for a moment before sighing and walking in reluctant silence. He had so many questions and he was still worried for Lucina since he couldn't see her anywhere. The two walked for what felt like hours to him until they finally reached the end of the road, which was just a circular patch of dirt that held a small campfire and three stumps of wood to sit on.

Taking one of those seats was a person wearing a dark cloak with a hood that shadowed their face. On the back of their cloak was the same brand that Lucina held on her right hand, making Naruto assume that this person was the opposite that the glowing blue lady spoke of.

"Grima," greeted the woman, taking a seat across from the figure. "I apologize if we kept you waiting."

"I wasn't waiting for very long," a male voice – one that sounded like two different men speaking simultaneously – replied. "Just him?"

"Yes. He was the only one asleep at the time; but I think it's better this way. We can explain things to him while Asura speaks to our chosen one."

The cloaked man shrugged in response. "I could care less how we go about it; so long as they're both ready for what will come."

Naruto looked lost, but he still slowly took a seat on the remaining stump. "So…who are you guys, anyway? And what're you talking about?"

"I suppose introductions would be appropriate at this time. I am the Divine Dragon, Naga,"the woman introduced.

"And I am the Fell Dragon, Grima," the man continued, turning his hooded face to Naruto, letting the boy see three pairs of glowing red eyes in the shadows his hood made. "The two of us are the keepers of our side of the world; a side that has been unseen by the inhabitants of your continent."

Seeing that Naruto still looked lost, Naga took point. "What he means is that we're from the other side of the world you live in. Where you call your side the Elemental Nations, we have many different countries that make up our part of the world. Your world and ours have been divided for ages; ever since the time of the man you may know of as the Sage of Six Paths."

"The Sage?" Naruto repeated, knowing the term deeply. "He's just a myth though, isn't he?"

"No," Grima answered. "The Sage is as real as we are; or should I say was. The three of us decided that the world would be better off split in two so that it wouldn't destroy itself with our power."

"His part of the world had chakra, whereas ours held magic. Where his had ninja and samurai, we had warriors of many different arts. You and Lucina come from two different worlds; even though they both originated from a single one."

Naruto groaned and rubbed his head to stave off the growing ache. "Ugh… This is all too confusing," he groused. "I'm only ten! Stuff like this is hard to understand, ttebayo!"

Both Dragons chuckled at his outburst. "Yes, I suppose it would be." She reached over and gently rested a hand on his head, bringing it down to the side of his face to cup his cheek. He unconsciously leaned into the touch, feeling nothing but warmth from her hand. "All you need to understand for now, Naruto, is that this place is no mere dream."

"It is a meeting ground between our chosen one and the chosen of Asura. In other words, it's a place that you and Lucina can meet and speak in without anyone getting in your way."

The Uzumaki slowly nodded in understanding. "So…Lucina is real?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes. She's not just someone you dreamed up."

"But, why isn't she here now?"

"Because this place can only be accessed in your dreams; basically, when you sleep. Right now, since you decided to take a nap, you're the only one here with us. Once Lucina sleeps, she'll be here as well."

"You both need to be sleeping at the same time to meet up here; so, be sure to make some sort of plan with her next time you can talk," advised Naga, making Naruto nod.

"I will. But, why can't you tell her?"

"It's not the right time for us to speak with her. Someone else will do so in our place until the time is right."

"That same person will then speak with you since they are connected to you through your own brand," Grima added, nodding his head towards Naruto's right hand.

He looked to the palm and traced his golden marking with his left index finger. "…Why is this happening now?"

"Because now is the best time. We cannot explain why we chose this specific age for you both. All we can say is that we know it is the right time."

"Call it a gut feeling, kid," the Fell Dragon simplified.

Naruto nodded at that. "I can understand that. I get gut feelings all the time, ttebayo."

Both Dragons chuckled once again at his innocent nature. "Anyway, it's time for you to wake up, Little Sun. You shouldn't be sleeping through your studies," admonished the Divine Dragon.

"But the classes are so boring!" whined Naruto childishly.

She rolled her eyes at that before gently poking his forehead with two fingers, making his body start to wake up from the dreamscape. "Be that as it may, you must put your all into the life you've chosen to live, Naruto. Lucina needs you to be the best you can be."

"Besides," Grima added, his voice sounding distant as Naruto became more and more awake, "you may actually find something from the past that isn't so boring."

When Naruto was fully awake, he heard the teacher nearing the end of their lecture. "…which resulted in the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village. Lord Hashirama of the Senju Clan and Lord Madara of the Uchiha Clan were able to set aside the disputes between their people and unite them into one strong, allied nation that became one of the world's first great ninja villages."

The bell then rang, making the teacher sigh since he was honestly getting into his own lecture. He dismissed the class for the day and the students wasted no time running out the door. The only one who stayed was Naruto, who was going over the part of the lecture he had heard.

'A strong, allied nation…' he repeated in his mind, his brows furrowed in thought. 'Maybe one day…Lucina and I can unite our two worlds together… I wonder what she'd think about that.'

Robin was sitting in her personal study while her daughter rested on the small cot in the room. The Tactician was looking through some old tomes that she had taken from the royal library to aide in her research concerning Naga and Grima. The dream her daughter had was one thing, but the vision she described in such vivid detail made her realize that whatever was going on between her and this Naruto boy was definitely worth investigating.

She had pulled out all of the tomes, scrolls, and texts that concerned the Divine and Fell Dragons, hoping to find anything that would further explain the legend concerning them and the Two Brothers. She had no doubt that the legend itself was the key to finding the answers, and she was determined to find the truth.

Her daughter was concerned.

Naga and Grima – the Fell Dragon she held a link to – were concerned.

And an innocent young boy, who she felt strangely worried for, was also concerned.

She couldn't put this off for a later date.

Lucina blinked at the sight of a man seated in a chair in her room. Taking a second to look outside, she saw that it wasn't really her room; instead being the room she had in her dream. The man had spiky hair that reminded her of Naruto's, except his was brown. His eyes were black and he looked to be a little younger than her father was.

He had bandages wrapped around his forehead and tied near the tips of his bangs that framed his face. The robes he wore were white and looked both comfortable and functional at the same time. The robes themselves had black comma styled markings around the collar and were held loosely together by a black sash while a black bodysuit was seen beneath them.

He gave her a small grin and waved casually. "Yo," he greeted. "Nice to finally meet ya, Blue Girl."

'Blue Girl…?' she repeated in her head while her face was deadpan. 'Seriously…?'

He ignored her look and softened his grin to a small smile. "We have some things to talk about. What do you know about Naga and Grima?"

That question alone made Lucina realize that she was going to have a long night; even in her dreams.

1~ Yes, Lucina has the brands of both the Exalt (Naga) and Grima. It's because she's the child of both "champions" of the Dragons; making her their combined "champion".

2~ Naruto was born with the Sun Marking in this story. He doesn't know how to use Asura's power yet, though.

Well, pain17ification told me to take this full-time since we were co-authoring it together, that's the short and long of why it's here now.