Disclaimer: These are works of purely speculative fiction. It is not intended to infringe on any rights by any of the companies and/or individuals involved in the production of any series mentioned here. Fate Grand Order and all the franchises and series associated with it, are owned by Kinoko Nasu, Notes Co., Ltd. and their affiliates. Similarly, Fire Emblem Heroes is owned by Nintendo Co., Ltd. and their affiliates.

I DO NOT OWN THESE FRANCHISES.

Sister fanfic: Serious Side Reels - A Grand Order of Heroes sidestories

A young girl was standing in the middle of a grassy clearing that was as green as her long hair. Her dainty fingers were covering her eyes while she was counting down from one hundred to one.

"Three, two, one, ready or not here I come!"

The girl uncovered her eyes and she winced slightly due to the bright afternoon sun but it wasn't enough to rub the excited smile off her face. Her name is Tiki and she, alongside every child Hero Summon and Heroic spirit were having a massive game of Hide and Seek, and she was currently 'it.'

Her eyes took only a few seconds to adjust before she ran off near the closest shrub.

Sitting nearby on a wooden bench was a woman who looked like an older version of the girl searching through the various foliage nearby. Such an assumption isn't a wrong one to make, since she truly was the older version of Tiki. She too had been summoned to Askr by the girl summoner Gudako and had joined to help save humanity in their world.

Currently, however, she was just playing her role as one of the multiple overseers of this game of Hide and Seek. She, alongside Camilla, Raikou, Atalanta, and a few other female and male heroes were strategically placed around the castle, ensuring that the children could extend their playground as far as possible while also always being within range of adult supervision. Even the summoner herself and a few older heroes were participating.

Truly, seeing children play and be happy brought warmth to her heart. She usually spent hundreds of years asleep and by herself so the few times where she could enjoy moments were some of her fondest memories. Even the surreal experience of watching over her younger and more naive self participate did not diminish the value of this memory that she will cherish for millennia to come.

"Found you, Fran Fran!"

Tiki turned her attention to her younger self once more and she could not help but smile at the silliness of the scene before her.

Her younger self stood proudly in front of a tree that barely covered the hider, a young woman with red hair and a white dress.

The older Tiki had already spotted her hiding spot but chose not to say anything since she was only an overseer. The young woman was not a good hider but that didn't seem to bother 'Fran Fran' in the slightest as she came out of her hiding spot with a tiny smile on her face.

"Now that I found you, you are also 'it' so let's go look for the others!" The young woman grunted in a voice of approval then followed her younger self's lead, looking over every bush, tree, and stone they could find.

Tiki could not help but shake her head at the antics she was seeing, but her smile flattened slightly when she saw Fran lift a giant boulder and check its underside, somehow hoping to find someone hiding underneath.

Fran was a sweet girl but Tiki could not help but feel somewhat weary of her after she read her legend. She was an artificial life form created by a madman to mimic a creation of the divine, an imitation of the first woman Eve.

While she won't fault the girl for her origins, she still couldn't help but draw some parallels between her and… Grima.

If what Alm said was true, Grima was also an artificial creation, born from the madness of a twisted alchemist.

Tiki hates that she has to make such comparisons as Fran is in no way as twisted as Grima nor is she a dragon born of evil.

Still, no matter how hard she tries, there's always a small voice in the back of her mind that always asks questions. What would have happened if Naga had intervened early and taken Grima under her wing? Would he have changed for the better and become as sweet as Fran or was his transition toward evil a foregone conclusion?

Similarly, how would the story of Frankenstein have gone if Fran had power equivalent to Grima's? What would have been the extent of the damage she could have caused to the innocent in her pursuit of Dr. Frankenstein? Would it have been minimal or world-ending?

Tiki continued to muse to herself, she was so completely engrossed in her own world but centuries of battle experience and her sensitive hearing had allowed her to pick up on the footsteps coming behind her.

"What are they doing?"

Turning to the voice, Tiki saw a brown-haired boy dressed in a black vest over a long sleeve white shirt. His red eyes showed concern for her well-being and mirrored the apologetic tone in his voice.

This boy let off a presence that felt a bit like Siegfried and now that the wind shifted, she noted that he smelled a bit like him too but he wasn't Siegfried.

She held nothing against the swordsman but his dragonslayer nature was strong enough to put a manakete like herself on edge. This boy, on the other hand, did not give off such a presence. In fact, he gave off the presence of one of her kind.

"The young ones are currently playing a game of hide and seek."

"Ah. Okay."

An awkward silence fell between them. Tiki wondered if the boy was shy or if he really had nothing else to say.

"Would you mind if I sat and joined you?"

"Not at all. Please." Tiki scooted to the side and allowed Sieg to sit next to her.

"Drat, I can't find anyone. Any luck Fran Fran?" her younger self said as she came out of a bush with a twig stuck on her head.

Fran Fran responded with a shake of the head.

"Let's go search by the pond. I saw a few good-sized bushes over there. Come on!" Her younger self ran off in the direction of the castle's pond, with the young bride running close behind her and beyond her line of sight. If she remembered correctly, Boudica was in charge of looking over the pond. Knowing they were under a watchful eye, Tiki relaxed her posture.

"They look like they are having fun." The boy suddenly spoke up.

"Yes. Youth truly is a beautiful thing, isn't it? They have so much energy, I envy it."

The boy furrowed his brows in confusion before asking, "so why don't you join them?"

Tiki shook her head, "As much as I would like to, I can't. The little ones would run circles around me. No, an old woman such as myself would be better off as a babysitter."

"But you don't look all that old?" The genuine innocence in his voice caused her to giggle in amusement.

"Thank you for the compliment but despite my looks, I am easily one of the oldest heroes in this realm."

The boy tilts his head before coming to a conclusion," ah, it's because you're a dragon correct?"

It was no surprise that the boy managed to tell her true nature. Dragons would never be able to hide from other dragons no matter the shape they take.

"Yes, that is the main reason." She extended her hand toward the boy and introduced herself, "my name is Tiki, the voice of Naga but you may simply call me Tiki."

The boy smiled before he returned her handshake, albeit a bit awkwardly, almost as if he was unfamiliar with the gesture.

"I'm Sieg, people call me the Custodian of the Grail, but I would prefer it if you called me Sieg."

"Any relation to Siegfried by any chance?" Tiki asked after releasing her handshake with Sieg.

"Not by blood, but he saved my life and gave me his heart," Sieg said with a plain voice.

Tiki's mind came to a halt and was forced to take a step back to take in what Sieg just told her. Blood rushed to her cheeks when her mind finally realized the meaning of those words.

"Oh my. I did not think Ser Siegfried swung that way. Not that I have anything against it, although we just met, I fully support your life choices."

Sieg tilted his head, reminiscent of a lost puppy who had no idea what it was being told.

His eyes widened in realization, "Ah. No, that isn't what I meant. Siegfried is an important person to me because he saved my life by physically transferring his heart into my chest."

Sieg tapped his chest to emphasize the 'physical' aspect of the act Siegfried performed on him. "Had it not been for his actions, I would not have been able to enjoy my precious life as I do now."

Hearing his explanation caused Tiki's face to only flush a brighter red. Had it been the Tiki from a few months ago, she would have asked how a heart transfer was even possible but after coming to Askr and reading some books, she had found out heart transplants were now feasible for doctors to perform. "O-Oh. My apologies, your phrasing seemed to suggest something else."

"Sorry for the confusion, I am still new to the intricacies of socializing or 'mingle' as Master Gudako put it. I can only promise to strive further to improve."

This explanation somehow stirred a bit of nostalgia inside Tiki as his naivete reminded her of her younger friends and even younger self.

"Did the summoner send you here?"

"No, she didn't. I was merely walking by and enjoying the scenery. Then, I saw the young girl playing and was curious about what they were doing."

"Hide and Seek is quite an old game, it's even older than myself. How is it possible you have never heard or played it before?"

"Truth be told, I have never played any children's games in my life."

That information saddened Tiki. She had met many adults who had horrible childhoods but even the worst of them have at least seen, heard, or played a classical children's game before.

"You poor thing… Did you not have anyone in your life that looked over you as a hatchling?"

Sieg opened his mouth today but abruptly stopped. He stared into the distance with an expression that showed he had made a life-altering revelation.

"Huh, now that you mention it. Technically I could count as a hatchling even back then… was my escape from the lab and Siegfried's sacrifice fate's doing after all?"

Tiki's long ears were not just for show, even when someone whispers softly from a few feet away, she was still capable of hearing any conversation without issue. From this closeup, even if she tried to ignore Sieg the best she could, it would be impossible. Even so, she was missing too much context to fully understand what he was talking about, but she knew better than to pry into people's pasts. They were something personal that a stranger like herself had no business sticking her nose in. Though she had to admit, she was curious about the boy's past.

It seemed like she still needed to work on hiding her curiosity because Sieg seemed to catch her staring.

"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. I'll only need a moment to collect them."

Tiki shook her head, "It's alright if you don't want to tell me, Sieg. We are strangers, you shouldn't feel obligated to tell me your life story if you don't want to."

Sieg let out a sigh, "it's not that. I am not ashamed of my identity or my race enough that I would hide it. I am just trying to find the right words to share so that I don't overwhelm you with terms or jargon you don't know. '' Sieg paused for another moment before speaking again, "I am or technically was a man-made creation known as a homunculus, are you familiar with them?"

Tiki was taken aback by the revelation for a moment before her expression sagged slightly.

"Unfortunately, I am aware of such inhumane practices. Many mages in the past and present have tried to play gods by creating their own men. Am I to assume that your creator wished to make an artificial manakete?"

"Not really, since I was created using only humans. My purpose was merely to serve as a mana battery. Neither I nor my siblings ever had a chance to be children due to the rapid aging process the Yggdmillenia family performed on us. Which is why I am ignorant about children's games."

Tiki's eyes widened at the shocking news, bile rose from her throat and she choked back a sob.

Then something he said prior caught her attention.

"Was?"

"Before I get to that, I need to provide a bit of context beforehand. I'm sorry if I sound condescending while asking this, but are you aware of what a Holy Grail is?"

Tiki nodded, "I heard that it's a magical cup that can grant wishes."

"Well, yes it is but that's only an aftereffect. Its true purpose, in the simplest terms, is to help magi reach the origin of magic, the Root, in our world using the Throne of Heroes as a bridge. Every sixty years, a group of seven masters summoned servants to fight to the death to reach the Root. "

Hearing that made Tiki purse her lips. "That part is something that doesn't surprise me. Human greed and bloodshed is something that is an unfortunate similarity between our worlds." She encountered such avarice during the many squabbles the humans made when trying to obtain the Fire Emblem and its gems. She loved humans but they could be quite frustrating at times.

"Yes, it is. It's one of the reasons why I dislike the Holy Grail Wars. Even if a person has the best intentions, it can have devastating consequences. In my war, a certain priest had ambitions to create a world without human suffering, so he decided to wish to remove people from their physical bodies. That way they would never have to feel hurt again."

"But if the grail removes them from their bodies, then that means…"

"They will have to die, yes."

Tiki's eyes widened in horror at the thought. She knew the clergy could be a bit… enthusiastic about showing their devotion to their gods, but to use genocide as a way to save people… it's too much.

"The priest technically didn't count as the winner so when I beat him, I was able to make a wish of my own, but the grail had no power to stop the previous wish. So long as the grail remained in the human world, it would activate…"

Tiki did not like where this conversation was going, "you didn't."

"I did. I had to do it. I made the wish to turn into a dragon to carry the holy grail to the Reverse Side of the World and guard it against anyone who wanted to abuse its power."

Tiki was manakete, an existence that had a long lifespan that stretched into millennia. She had met many friends over the centuries that she met young and watched as they grew old and then died. The burden of immortality was something she would never wish to impose upon anyone, even her greatest enemies. Humans always sought it but this was the first time she's encountered someone who has accomplished that feat, voluntarily.

"You fool!" This outburst threw Sieg off guard. "How could you throw away your mortality so easily?! Surely there must have been another way to evade the wish?"

"No. There wasn't. Destroying the grail was impossible since the wish was still in motion. The only way I knew to stop it was to turn into a dragon and carry it into a world without humans.

Besides, as a homunculus, I wasn't going to live long anyway."

"Sieg, you shouldn't say things like that."

"I'm sorry but that is the way it is."

Tiki was about to berate him some more but she physically couldn't make herself do so. Seeing the resolve on his face deflated her anger and caused her to slump in her seat.

"No. I'm the one that should apologize. I overstepped my bounds. I was not there and I have no right to judge you for your actions. It's just, the very idea of someone choosing to become long-lived is upsetting to me. I can understand and respect your noble act but It's a lonely existence, Sieg. One that will constantly eat away at you as the years go by. I would not wish such a miserable experience on anyone."

"I know, but there was no other way. Besides, it's not that bad. I spend most of my time dormant so I can never truly feel the passing of time."

With that tidbit of information, Tiki was able to relate. She too spent long stretches of her long life asleep to help ease the burden of her existence.

"And even if I stayed awake, it would be difficult to keep track of time since the Reverse Side of the World works under different laws. For all I know, hundreds or even thousands of years could have passed and I would never know."

An old memory suddenly emerges from the back of Tiki's mind. A memory of her time spent trapped in the Ice Dragon Temple before she met Mar Mar.

"How?"

"Hm?"

"How could you stand that much time without interacting with anyone? Didn't you get lonely? Did no one visit you?"

"No. The Reverse Side of the World is a place that no human can survive living in. Everyone I met in the Grail War would die as soon as they stepped foot inside."

Tiki felt pity for the boy. Unlike her, who wakes up every few hundred years and constantly meets new people and watches them die of old age, Sieg only met a handful of people and he shut himself away while everyone was still young.

She had no idea how old earth dragons get but she had the feeling that if things keep on going as is, Sieg will always remain as naive and innocent as he is no matter how old he is.

"Ah, one of the children is coming through here."

Tiki followed his gaze, which landed on a young girl with short white-blonde hair.

"So that's what she looked like when she was a little girl… minus the hair."

Tiki turned back to him with confusion on her face.

"Who?"

"The Saint of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc."

Tiki turned back to the little girl before she furrowed her brows, "I thought she was Jeanne d'Arc Alter, Santa Lily."

"Hmm… I suppose you're right."

"Do you know her?" Tiki could not help but ask.

"Yes, not this one or her older counterpart, but the blonde one was the Ruler servant overseeing my Grail War. She was also someone who, like Siegfried, is dear to me."

Sieg took a moment to look away from Jeanne Alter Lily, who was standing a bit closer to them, seemingly pretending to look for other hiders while she leaned forward to hear their conversation.

Sieg didn't seem to notice and just continued to recount his time spent with Jeanne. Apparently, she had promised that after he reached the Reverse Side of the World, she would go to him so he waited for her. That is the reason why he hasn't gone mad for attention because his beloved was coming for him, whether that took a hundred, a thousand, or even millions of years it didn't matter, he would wait for her.

"I must admit Sieg, That is quite the romantic fairy tale love story you've got there. So, have you decided to reach out to her yet?"

Sieg shakes his head, "No. And I would prefer it to stay that way."

This statement shocked both her and Jeanne Lily, who was now standing next to her.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Jeanne Lily demanded.

Sieg finally recognized the young girl's presence and blushed. "Sorry, I do not wish to speak further on this." Sieg got up from his seat, "It was nice talking to you Tiki-san. I hope we might get another chance to speak."

"Hey don't ignore me!"

He turned to the girl and said, "I'm sorry." before leaving.

"Don't think you can run from me, come back here!"

Jeanne lily chased after the dragon boy, leaving Tiki all by herself once more.

Tiki looked at the retreating form of Sieg and couldn't help but worry for the lonely boy.

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. I fell into a funk and put writing aside last week. I am still not great at typing despite being a CS graduate so it takes me a while to write stuff.

Anywho, thanks for reading.