Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the characters related to it. They all belong to Konomi Takeshi. Also, I do not own Fire Emblem or any of the elements from the series.

Rating: T for implied adult themes in certain chapters. K for the rest.

Author's Note: Okay, here we go on my second multi-chapter fanfic! And it's going to have a TON of chapters (but they're not super long chapters). Some quick explanations of things before we get started here…

First of all, the rating. T to be safe. Most of the story is definitely a K rating, but there will be a few chapters where things get… intimate (nothing super descriptive, but adult themes are there). Those chapters will have a warning at the top of the entry. Also, expect Alpha Pair (Sanada/Yukimura), Platinum Pair (Niou/Yagyuu), Kinky Pair (Yanagi/Kirihara), and a hint of Yanagi/Yagyuu to present themselves in the story. The story is still more adventure/friendship than anything, but there is romance.

Also, this story is not in the crossover category because I did not use any characters from the Fire Emblem games. I borrowed elements from the Fire Emblem universe including weapons (sword, lance, axe, magic) , setting (one continent w/ countries), units (way too many to list), party recruitment, and the idea of the Fire Emblem itself. :) So, arguably, it could be a story in a medieval setting. Fire Emblem is my favorite series of games to play (Legend of Zelda and Tales of Symphonia is pretty sweet as well!)

The passage of time isn't clearly defined (because certain chapters are back to back and other chapters are not), but the story after the Prologue pretty much covers a whole year. The advancement of armies through the continent and the change of seasons should give it a forward motion though :D

When they go into battle, I didn't have the weapon triangles in mind as I planned this, but most of it accidentally works out to fit the weapon triangles. Plus it shouldn't matter too much because I chose the fighter class to fit the character and not to see who's more effective in match. And I invented two new units (so the magic triangle is now a magic pentagon?) Sorry, die-hard Fire Emblem fans.

Radiant Dawn players... Yes, I realize that there are higher classes than the ones that I have given Rikkai, but I wanted to go for titles that were recognizable. Titles such as "trueblade", "whisper", "marshall", and "sentinel" don't really give too much info on what the unit really is or uses as a weapon and titles like "swordmaster", "general", and "sniper" sound more deadly :)

The chapters are all named after actual chapters from the games (primarily Radiant Dawn, Path of Radiance, and Blazing Sword, but there are a few from the other games). However, each chapter is not a mission (ex. routing all enemies, escaping from places, defeating the boss, breaking into castles) like the games would be have. Instead, each chapter is based off of different points of view (hopefully it's clear enough who's POV it is or if it's just more of a general narration chapter).

The story is divided into five parts (Prologue, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4) and so the chapter number will not match the drop-down bar where the chapters are listed. Don't worry - I will put down something like "Part 1 - Chapter 2 - Title" at the beginning of each entry.

So, basically, you don't really need any knowledge of the Fire Emblem game to read this fic. The only thing you might have to look up are unit classes (ex. wyvern riders, pegasus knights, heroes, warriors, paladins, etc.) if you need details on what weapons they use or what they look like. A basic google search will do the trick.

As for Prince of Tennis-isms, Yanagi does not refer to anyone by their first names in this story and Yagyuu does not add "-kun" to everyone's name (it didn't work well with the story). Everyone does retain their personalities to the best of my ability to write them.

And yes, I do have concept art for Rikkai that I created a year ago now as I was putting together the outline for this story. Send me a message or indicate in your review if you would like a link :)

Now please enjoy and I hope you stay on every step of the journey! Hopefully all of my hard work results in a great story that you will enjoy ^^

Prologue - An Undying Oath - Chapter 1 - Father and Son

"Father! Father!" a young boy exclaimed, running into the arms of a man that had just appeared in the doorway. He looked, at first, a bit weary, but had brightened up considerably when the overjoyed boy hugged him tightly around the middle.

"Why hello Seiichi," the man greeted, holding him back at arm's length and looking at with a fond smile on face. "Did you miss me that much?"

"You're back safe," Seiichi noted happily.

"Of course. I never lose. Did you ever doubt me?"

"No, I didn't think you were going to lose the battle," Seiichi answered sternly. "I was just wondering why you took so long. As a Yukimura, you should have been back at least a week ago."

"My own son holds me to such a high standard," Yukimura noted affectionately, staring at him with twinkling eyes. "What am I going to do?"

"Just do better next time," Seiichi advised and Yukimura chuckled appreciatively.

"That aside, Seiichi. I have someone your age who I would like you to meet."

His father gestured over to one of his bodyguards and he approached with boy that looked very stern and mature for his supposed age of eight years. He also looked a little bit worse for the wear - his clothes were torn in places and he looked as though he had been sleeping outdoors for quite sometime.

"We found him in a stretch of woods near the border where we had set up camp," his father explained. "At first, we thought he was a spy so we held him captive, but it turned out his parents were killed years ago and he's been fending for his own."

"So you're taking him in?" Seiichi questioned politely as he looked the newcomer up and down while the raven haired boy stared silently back. His eyes noticed how much muscle mass he had for someone so young and he found himself a bit captivated by the stranger in a curious way.

"I was planning on giving him to another family that had more time," his father continued. "Then there was a small attack on our camp while most of us were away. This boy picked up an axe and took a good number of them out with ease."

"Really? Grown men?"

"Grown trained men."

"Well, I think I already like him," Seiichi announced excitedly as he approached the silent boy. "I can already tell we're going to be really good friends. He seems to be the loyal type that will never betray me."

"How do you know, Seiichi?"

"Call it intuition, father," he replied as he extended his hand towards the boy with a warm smile. "Yukimura Seiichi, Prince of Rikkaidai. Pleased to meet you."

The boy remained expressionless and didn't move for a few seconds. Seiichi stood there patiently, warm smile still in place on his visage, letting him know that it was going to be alright. After a minute, the taller boy reached forward with his hand and took Seiichi's in a firm handshake.

"Sanada Genichirou. Thank you for welcoming me into your family."

Seiichi felt a large bubble of contentment swell up inside of him. At last he had met someone that he knew was going to be his training partner and his faithful companion. He had finally found someone that he would be able to create fond memories with, someone that would support his dreams, and someone who would like him for being who he was. He could sense the powerful aura that was emulating from the boy and knew he had to have his skill and talent for his future reign as the lord of this proud country.

The first few months, Sanada kept mostly to himself when he wasn't at meals. Seiichi knew that it was because Sanada was still getting adjusted to his new lifestyle and he didn't know what to do with affection since he had not grown up with that in his life. His aloof shyness was quite amusing to Seiichi and he dedicated himself to trying to draw him out of his shell slowly. Some days, he felt a bit impatient and mischievous, so he would then resort to embarrassing Sanada for the heck of it. He felt satisfied if he could get a blush to travel across his whole face and even more so when it was accompanied by a scowl.

By the end of their first year, Sanada felt somewhat comfortable with having simple conversations with Seiichi and his father. He never did talk about his past because he said he didn't remember much about it, but he found other things to talk about like battle techniques and the terrain of the land. Things having to do with war and combat bored Seiichi - he knew quite a bit about it, but he preferred to have his mind on more peaceful things like helping out the townspeople, painting, or gardening.

As Sanada settled in, he started aiding Lord Yukimura with whatever chores he needed done, in a manner like a servant. Seiichi noted that Sanada was extremely noble - he held himself high as he walked, was courteous to those around him, and was diligent and honest in his work. Seiichi questioned him about it once since he was a bit perplexed at the magnitude of dedication Sanada had to his father and to him, and he replied simply that they gave him a reason to live. Seiichi couldn't help but hug him and he could feel Sanada shift uncomfortably in his arms. It didn't bother him though - it was another item on the list that he was currently aiming to help Sanada with.

Some evenings when Lord Yukimura wasn't busy, he would take the time to read a story with his son. Seiichi would settle comfortably against his body that was propped up by the pillows of his bed and smile contentedly as his father's tenor voice read passages with sweet nuances and beautiful inflections. Sanada would already be retired to his room at this time to be able to get some rest for the unreasonably early hour that he would wake up to.

Except one particular night where Seiichi caught a glimpse of him passing by in the hall through the ajar door and called out to him. He came into the room hesitantly and apologized for interrupting. Lord Yukimura waved off his apology and told him to join them, and after a minute of protest, Sanada reluctantly climbed into the bed and let Lord Yukimura's other arm wrap around him. Seiichi could see how uncomfortable he was since he didn't like feeling like he was intruding, but as the story went on, he saw subliminal signs that Sanada was becoming more at ease. At some point, they all drifted off to a pleasant sleep and awoke the next morning to gold rays of light streaming in through the window. Lord Yukimura whispered to a half-awake Sanada that he was family and he should never feel discouraged from wanting to feel loved. From that point on, Sanada showed up for more story times with less and less timidness.

Towards the beginning of the third year of their friendship, Seiichi and Sanada started training under the direction of Lord Yukimura and the commander of the army. Sanada, who was already gifted with the axe from his earlier days of survival, needed refinement and guidance to fine-tune his craft. The commander acknowledge his prowess with hearty enthusiasm and always challenged him to achieve new heights with his skill. Sanada was nothing short of prideful so he always trained with intense exercises, knowing that his abilities were one day going to protect his kingdom and those dear to him.

Seiichi, as an aristocrat, was going to learn the ways of the sword. He inwardly smirked when he saw Sanada look at him as he touched a sword for the first time. He knew that Sanada was wondering how a small, frail boy was going to handle combat, not to mention even wielding the sword comfortably. Sanada found out very quickly that he was in the wrong when Yukimura had outmaneuvered him in their first spar practice two weeks later and had him on the ground with the sword tip placed near his throat.

Now, in addition to being companions that grew closer each day, they were rival spar partners. Once Lord Yukimura and the commander felt they were ready, they enrolled the duo in military school so they could prove their worth and rise in the ranks. Sanada barely had any difficulty beating out his classmates in all of their training exercises and spar practices so he was subject to a lot of admiration and attention from the higher classes. Seiichi was exposed to much of the same, only his seemed much more along the lines of divine reverence.

However, no matter how many times Sanada tried to beat Seiichi, he never did, much to his angered displeasure. There were a few times that he came extremely close, but there was always something up Seiichi's sleeve and it would catch him at the very last minute. Those were the times that Sanada was stomp away howling mad and Seiichi would chuckle to himself as the absurdity of his best friend. He would speak to him later in the evening anyway like nothing had ever happened, but Seiichi knew that the next day would bring even a firmer resolve to win and he enjoyed the thrill of being always on the edge.

Lord Yukimura took them both around the town and to the nearby lands periodically and showed them how he cared for the people. He was always greeted kindly and people were always telling how much they appreciate him as a ruler. He told the two boys that being a leader truly means to serve and that meant working as a team to achieve together. People didn't follow him because of his title or his royal blood - people trusted him because he acknowledged them and was willing to do whatever it took to support them. Seiichi and Sanada felt inspired by him and toiled even harder to come within an inch of Lord Yukimura's graciousness and profound leadership abilities.

When they weren't training or working around the castle, they found themselves outside in the beginnings of Seiichi's elaborate garden, sometimes accompanied by Lord Yukimura. Seiichi had enlisted Sanada's help in clearing the land and planting the seeds a year prior and now they were seeing plants that were just barely popping up from the soil. Seiichi was in his element here as he worked with the newly grown plants with passionate enthusiasm and quiet musing. The cherry blossom trees that had been there from long ago were starting to bloom and were currently swaying in the breeze. They enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere when they were there together, taking a quiet stroll as they savored the fresh air and looked at the beauty that surrounded them. The garden was only enchanted as strongly as it was because its creator was equally as enchanting.

Those were the days of joy, comfort, growth, and laughter. Those were the days where nothing was a threat to them and they could focus on doing what they could for their country. Those were the days that everything felt completely in place.