Hello, hello! This is your author speaking! Enjoy my fic, as its my very first on this site. Feel free to give me as harsh critical criticism as you can! I'll relish in all of it. Also, those who are not well familiar with Fire Emblem Fates and Doctor Who - not to worry. There will be more expository and explanatory dialogue in the next chapter. For now, soak up and critique this first chapter, if you so please. :)

Ebb and Flow – The Waters of Time

Prologue

The Blue Box

Sakura was easy to spot. Her bubblegum pink hair, and unique oriental dress could be picked out in the thickest of crowds. The blonde, gothic lolita-like Nohr princess sprung up, ecstatically waving as her long pigtails swayed at the girl's side. Elise and her newfound friend of a Hoshidan princess were going on an adventure today! One would think that with the current war at hand against the strange forces from Aqua's world that they wouldn't be able to do this. However, they were kids, and one of the best parts of childhood was the exploration and play to be done in the huge, unfamiliar world. Besides, it would keep the two determined little healers off of the front lines. They insisted on being in battle, ignoring the fact that war and their age did not couple well.

Shifting her backpack Camilla had sweetly packed for her this morning, Elise skipped over to the shrine maiden with an energetic smile.

"Heyyyy Sakuuuura!" She giggled, "ready to go?"

"U-um, yeah, I think so!" the shy girl sweetly smiled, "do you have enough supplies? I've got the map."

"You betcha, thanks to Camilly Big Sissie! Let's go explore Pyre Gorge!" her blonde head bobbed up and down. "Let's see that map!"

Sakura gently took it out of her satchel with a smile. Unrolling it, she stepped over to Elise's side so her friend could get a good look at it. Pyre Gorge was north, and near Flame Tribe territory. Since Hoshido and Nohr had recently joined forces, their camp was at a decent midway point between the two kingdoms, so the girls weren't too terribly far away from their destination. Additionally, it was a relatively safe place for the girls to go.

"Okie doke! That seems like the easiest way to go, right?" Elise traced a finger along the chosen route with a giggle.

Sakura nodded, pleased with the choice.

"Yes, that way should have less obstacles and an easier path to walk. I guess we should go then!"

With equal strides, the little princesses walked side by side, sharing the map. Today was going to be absolutely perfect and fun! What could possibly go wrong? Certainly nothing, the two thought, as the jubilant sun smiled light and healthy rays upon them and the lands. Both Hoshidan and Nohrian territories were filled with lovely, geographical candy. A field of blooming plants, rolling hills that were green as limes, sentinel like mountains…it was a sight. Of course, it had it's fair share of treacherous grounds as well, but that didn't dampen the beauty of it all. Thankfully, Sakura and Elise's path didn't traverse any unpleasant areas, making the walk enjoyable and invigorating.

Almost two hours passed before they got there, what with chatting, snacking, and getting a little sidetracked at times. At one point, they had made each other little tiaras woven of wildflowers, which adorned their crowns adorably. After greeting Rinkah as they passed through the Flame Tribe's village, the pair had finally arrived at the site. It was a rather small gorge, but nevertheless had the right amount of charm. Lying in a mountainous area, two steep cliffs stated at one another, creating a small space for the flowing, unusually steamy stream. There was a reason it was called Pyre Gorge after all. The waters were hot rather than cool, bubbling a bit now and then. A light, pleasant steam blanketed the place, and a fresh, earthy smell filled the air. The princesses felt like they were in a bathhouse at just the right temperature, or maybe some hot springs that weren't too overwhelming. Finding a place to sit on the stream's bank, they took out their lunches and games, grasping and chattering as girls their age would do. Both felt immensely proud of themselves for finding the place, despite it already existing on the map. New territory had been traversed in their eyes, and it was quite fulfilling.

"Hey, Elise?" Sakura asked after swallowing the bite she took, "what do you plan on doing when this is all over? When you're all grown up and the war is done, I mean?"

The blonde's cherry expression turned into one of thoughtfulness. She hadn't really thought about that, at least not lately. Sure, especially when she was small, she dreamed of what her marriage would be like, what role in the kingdom she would take, etc. All of that had been out on the backburner as of late, and her mind fumbled to bring that pot to a boil again.

"Hmm…well, since I'm the youngest, its doubtful that I'd inherit the throne. That's not too upsetting though, because I'd like to do something else. Something fun. Find the most perfect husband in the world, and travel everywhere together. That would be cool!"

"Ah, that sounds nice!" The pinkette nodded, "I personally want to become a better healer, and maybe become a Hoshidan priestess. Those ladies always seem so…elegant, refined, and wise. Those are all things I want to be."

After they finished eating, Sakura set up the small carry-size shogi board Takumi let her borrow. Each piece was placed gingerly and with the utmost care, as he had made it clear that he didn't want a scratch on anything when she returns it to him. The girls casually played, talking more than they moved their pieces. Their lungs felt fresh and renewed each time they breathed in the healing air around the gorge, and all felt right with the world within that moment. That was, until there was an interruption…

...

"Not again, not again, not AGAIN!"

He desperately ran around the console, pulling levers, cranking handles, and pressing buttons. The gyroscopic stabilizer, the time rotor handbrake, the space-time throttle, the atom accelerator, and the spatial location input…none of them were functioning right. This was bad. Really bad. Unbelievably bad. Indubitably bad. Steam tainted with an oil like smell was rising from the TARDIS' console as it shook, along with sparks that took flight and sailed around the room. In fact, the whole spaceship itself was shuddering violently, and making odd, grating, sickly sounding noises.

The Doctor was in his tenth regeneration...but not currently in his prime. Recently, he had lost someone extremely dear to him - of course, that being Rose Tyler. Coping had been hard enough on its own, but he had seemed to run into only more trouble.

"Nonononono, not NOW! NO!" The Doctor slammed his fist down, his other hand tangled in his spiky, chocolate hair. After an almost fateful encounter with the Civalorge, the TARDIS was in bad shape. She was terrible beat-up, along with seriously malfunctioning at the moment. It would seem that the Doctor was going to crash somewhere in the expanse of time and space. This wasn't anything new – stuff like this had happened before. What really made it bad was the fact that he had a super important place to be. And now he was screwed. Whoopty doo.

As the TARDIS collided into whatever foreign ground it had found, the Doctor was thrown back, crashing into the wall on the other side of the room. The shop tumbled about for a bit, as if it was rolling down a hill. The ancient Galifreyan with a young face was tossed about like a ragdoll, completely helpless at the moment. Finally, after what sounded like a loud splash, the TARDIS had stopped. To his surprise, he had hit shallow water, and the blue box violently bounced up, sending him flying for the last time. Slowly rising to his feet, the floor under the Doctor's feet shifted uncomfortably, confirmed that the TARDIS was floating now. Making his way over to the doors, he checked his pockets for the familiar Sonic Screwdriver…which was disappointingly not there. With a sigh, the Doctor took hold of the handles and…urk…it wouldn't open. The doors…they wouldn't open! He frantically searched every pocket on his person, hoping he had just missed the screwdriver. Of course, it wasn't there, causing him to begin running around looking for it. In the drawers? No. Kicked under the console? No. Rolled into the hallway? Not that he could see.

At that moment, the unexpected happened. The doors rattled. Lightly at first, then a little more fierce. Parking up like an alert rabbit, he narrowed his eyes, making his way to the doors. Someone was out there, and that was made all the more clear when the end of a staff broke through a wood door. He let out a startled and alarmed cry, feeling the TARDIS shudder as the object pounded into her doors. It seemed that the outer shield had broken down too, since otherwise the staff would've simply bounced off of the TARDIS.

"Hey! You up there! Stop that! That's very rude!" The Doctor shouted upwards. "You could at least ask first!"

"A-Ack!" A shy voice whimpered, "I-I didn't expect someone to be in here! Um….a-are you okay mister?"

The Doctor groaned,

"I was fine until you started breaking into my TARDIS. Now if you wouldn't mind, I-" he began, but was suddenly cut off by a small girl who lost her footing, and fell through the gaping hole. With a thud, she landed into the TARDIS, her blonde pigtails adorned with purple sprawled over the floor. He scrutinized her appearance, trying to glean from it what timeline he had landed it. Her getup looked like it belonged in medieval times...but with a strange twist? It was certainly puzzling. Not to mention, she was gripping a long, elaborate staff that looked like it belonged to...oh, what were they called? Cosplayers? That must be it. Maybe she was just a lost, little wee baboo from a renaissance fair, or convention. There was no way of truly knowing though unless he asked.

Springing to her feet, the girl dusted off her dress, and looked at her staff to make sure it wasn't cracked. Unlike most that found themselves in the TARDIS, it took her a little longer to notice what really made that spaceship special. Once she did though, her violet eyes widened more than the Doctor thought was physically possible. The girl gasped, turning her head slowly as she looked around. Her gaping mouth turned into a wide and blissful smile, and making a shrill, excited exclaimated, bounced over to the hole,

"SAKURA!" She practically screamed. Standing on her tippy toes, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called as loud as she could upwards, "YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS RIGHT NOW! ITS HUGE IN HERE! BIGGER THAN BOTH OF OUR HOMES PUT TOGETHER!"

Two slender, short little legs adorned in white leggings slipped through the hole, and a second girl carefully slipped herself in. Her attire was a stark contrast from the first's, yet could easily fit into the same time period. She had a more oriental appearance, and a staff as well - the one used to break in, as a matter of fact. Her reaction was similar to the other girl's, only a little more tamed and contained, and not as energetic.

"Y-You're right! Its….its…"

"Bigger on the inside?" The Doctor smirked, deciding he might as well finish the cliche catchphrase for her.

"Um...I guess you could say that. I was going to say it looks like someone used a very powerful stave or staff on this place...this is one masterful illusion."

"Illusion?" He pouted, "now that's just insulting. This is a legitimate type 40 TARDIS," then, with a frown, "...which is currently broken at the moment. I almost forgot that part. Hold on." and with that, ran out of the room to look for his sonic again. Elise and Sakura exchanged confused glances, then, after musing for a moment,

"Hey, Elise," Sakura tapped her chin, "would a mend stave applied to my staff heal objects as well as people?"

"Huh," she said rather dazed, still wrapped up in the phenomenon of the TARDIS, "maybe."

Shaking her head with a sigh, Sakura quickly saw that she wasn't going to get much help from her friend. She personally still saw all of this as a clever illusion…and that maybe this was a trap. Perhaps her staff could mend both the damage and the trick being played on her eyes. It was worth a try, she thought. Lifting her staff with ease, she did a small pirouette-like move, using the magic of the mend stave on the TARDIS. To both her surprise and pleasure, the hole in the door along with everything else that was damaged was good as new. Unfortunately, that stave broke, as it took all the power it had to deal the big blue box. It was still as big on the inside as it ever was, making her begin to doubt her previous assumption. The sound of quick, brisk footsteps could be heard approaching, making Sakura flinch a little and bringing Elise back to her senses.

"Now, no need to worry about me, I'll be fixing this up and out of your hai-" he was cut off for the second time, but this time for a different reason. The TARDIS...it looked like it hadn't even crashed in the first place. In fact, it looked cleaner and better kept than it usually did. The Doctor was frozen in place.

"Wh...what...how? Did…" he looked at the girls, "did you two do this?"

"Well, just Sakura actually," Elise giggled, "that's the power of a cleric for ya!"

Narrowing his eyes a little, the Doctor strode up to the girls, a strange device in hand. Pointing it right at Sakura's face, the little object starting glowing blue on the end, and make a buzzing noise. Terrified, she braced herself,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I-I was just trying to help!" She squealed in agony. Yet, peeking up at his face, he didn't seem angry. Just...intrigued, thoughtful, and cautious. He then surprised her with a grin, and did the same to Elise with the object.

"I see," he said in a much more friendly matter, "thank you both for fixing her up! Now, what are you little lasses doing out in the big world all by yourself?"

"Exploring and adventuring!" Elise jumped up and down, "is that what you were doing too strange mister?"

"Well, I guess you could say that...well, not really-well, sort of. Hard to say really," he got a spacey look on his face, then his eyes wandering over to Sakura's satchel, beamed, "ooh, a banana! I love bananas!" He plucked the yellow fruit right out of the top that it was sticking out of, peeled it, and began to it, "thank you!"

Sakura blinked, he certainly seemed less suspicious of them now. She wanted to say something about him blatantly taking her banana, but deemed it would be best not to. Instead she asked,

"Y-You...really like bananas, huh?"

"Oh yes!" He grinned wide after swallowing, "I like bananas - bananas are good, and a good source of potassium too!" After taking another bite and swallowing yet again, "remember, always bring a banana to a party. It'll be one of the best choices you can make in life."

"If you're still hungry, I have a pear here I don't need. You can have it!" Elise happily offered.

"Ew," the Doctor made a face, "no, I hate pears. And apples too, they're rubbish."

"O-Oh," she blinked, then with a cute smile, "okay!" With that, she put the pear back.

He was about to ask them where he was, he was about to ask them to run along, and he was about to explore a little before leaving again. That didn't happen though, of course. Since when would a day with the Doctor in it run smoothly and normally? Only a few occurrences in history can make a claim that there has been, but no complete documentation of this exists. So, of course, everything was about to turn topsy turvy.

Sakura was about to apologize for bursting in, and excuse Elise and herself...when an odd, ethereal blue light began seeping through the TARDIS' floor. She was the first to notice, and with a cry of surprise, ran over to Elise and clung to her.

"U-Uh...w-what is that?!" She pointed to the strange stuff, then looked to the doctor, "i-is that stuff normally in here?"

"Hm?" He lifted an eyebrow, as he was so absorbed in his banana, then followed with his eyes to the weird stuff. "Oh, what's this?" He frowned, now talking with his mouth full. Taking again that odd device, he scanned the creepy, fog-like light that was rapidly coming up. The Doctor's countenance fell, and he was about to tell the girls to leave...when the distinct click of the doors locking could be heard. Springing to his feet, as he was in a crouching position just then, he sprinted over to the doors, trying to use his little piece of tech to unlock them. Of course, it didn't work.

"Mister...what's going on?" Elise looked up at him with terrified eyes, now starting to realise that something was wrong.

"I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry. I promise I'll get you back home as soon as a possibly can," he said quietly, then, with a shout, "but for now, hold on tight!

...

Long, luscious, green locks flowed like an endless stream over her shoulders and down her back. The serene dragoness proceeded to wait - wait for the legend she had summoned to survive. She was going to need him and all of his power to do what she needed to do. Breathing deeply, she looked at the thirteen children before her.

"Don't worry," she gently smiled, "help is on the way."