Well, this is my first time writing for Fire Emblem, a series that I've loved for the past few years. Especially Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. Those two are definitely the best, in my opinion. Also never imagined that my first story would be Gatrie/Shinon (just in a platonic, friendship way). Please keep in mind that this is my first real attempt at writing in present tense, as I normally only write in past. Please let me know if I make a lot of mistakes, and I'll go back and fix them. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

7 Years:

"Boy! Go ge' me somethin' ta drink!" An aging, haggard man yells to his son. He reaches into his bag and takes out a few pieces of gold, chucking them not-so-gently at his son. The boy manages to grab them. He has learned that gold hurts if it hits you in the face.

"Yes Father," the boy replies, his voice coming out in a monotonous, yet sarcastic, drawl. With a sigh, he exits his house—Shack, he mentally adds—and begins the long, ten minute trek to the center of town.

Time goes by rather quickly. He has found that looking at your feet instead of the trees and the sky makes the trip go by faster. His teacher would probably say that the surroundings do not change how fast time goes by, and that it is only a seven-year-old's perception of it. Then he would scoff, remembering that is why he does not attend it daily.

It is about two in the afternoon, and sun beats down on him once he emerges from the woods. His long hair clings to his neck, and he feels thirsty. He feels around for the gold jingling in his pocket, and counts the pieces. Just enough to buy his father some ale, but not enough for him to buy anything for himself. But that's all right with him. While the alcohol tastes like fire to him, he has drank it before, and has no problem with doing it again.

He passes the stalls and merchants, not stopping to gander at the things he can't buy. He stays out of the way of the people, not wanting to get close. He has never been a fan of physical contact.

Pausing for a moment, he enters the bar. There are already men inside, drinking merrily and enjoying the company of others. At least, that is how this group acts. He knows that the people who venture here at night are not pleasant, as his father used to come here regularly. His father stopped after he had ended up passing out in the woods, and he had not made it home for three days.

He asks for his father's usual drink, and the bartender gives him it, along with a look of pity. He shrugs it off, used to it. It's a look he is familiar with, but still one he does not desire. He doesn't want, nor need, it.

He takes the drink and exits the bar. Once he's back outside, he opens it and takes a quick sip. He wrestles with the impulse to spit it out, but he's able to swallow. While his thirst remains, it feels slightly lifted, and he'll be able to make it back home.

"Hey! Shinon!"

He recognizes the voice, but is unable to find the face. It belongs to a boy around his age, just a couple months older. He is a boy who is the only person who resembles anything close to a friend.

After a few seconds, he locates him in the crowd of people. He's about his height, but stockier, chubbier. His golden-brown hair stands up a little, contrasting to his own long, dark, greasy red hair. But, those differences were understandable, so he can't be spiteful or bitter. Gatrie comes from a good home and he doesn't, it's as simple as that.

Gatrie's grinning, just like normal. Shinon's own face is set into his look of indifference, just as it is trained to be. Nothing good comes from being open with emotions. That is something not taught in schools, which makes going to them pointless in his eyes.

"So what're you doing here?" Gatrie asks with genuine interest once he reaches his friend.

"Why do you care?" Shinon retorts. He notices that he's getting too close, and backs away a step.

Gatrie grins. While others might find his response callous for someone only seven, Gatrie accepts it as another one of Shinon's bizarre quirks.

He does, however, frown when he realizes that Shinon stepped away from him. He's too young to understand, that's what Shinon says whenever he asks him about that. He always points out that the redhead is younger than him, but that doesn't change the fact.

Deep down, he knows something's wrong with him, but he knows he'll figure out someday.

"Can you stay? I haven't seen you in forever." He's exaggerating, of course. It's only been a week.

"… Fine," Shinon relents with a weak smile.

Gatrie returns it. For now, everything's okay.

10 Years:

Three years have made a substantial difference to Gatrie. School work's getting more challenging, and he begins to wish he could be like Shinon and only go for half the time. He asks his parents about it, but they only give him a troubled look and tell him he can't be like Shinon. He does not understand. His parents like his best friend, so why couldn't he be like him?

He gets an idea of how Shinon keeps getting hurt, but he doesn't want to ask him about it. He always gets defensive when Gatrie brings up his father in a bad light, he doesn't want to jeopardize their friendship because of one little idea that has the chance of being wrong.

Things also feel different too. Girls… he can't explain it, but his dad seems to give him a little smile whenever he talks about it. Shinon doesn't seem to understand it, so his best friend is unable to give him advice.

Not that he could anyway. He hasn't seen Shinon in a week.

And that's why Gatrie is making the walk to his house. While Shinon probably wouldn't feel the same way if their situations were reversed, Gatrie has to admit that he's worried.

He's only been to Shinon's house a few times, but the same could be said about Shinon. Not for his lack of trying, Gatrie always tries to get him to come over, but he always refuses.

Shinon only lives with his father, since his mom died when he was four. That was before they knew each other; they had met when the two had been six. Even though Shinon says that his mother's death doesn't bother him, Gatrie knows better. He notices whenever he gets more depressed around the date it happened. Apparently, she died of an extremely high, untreated fever that Shinon had as well. They had both gotten sick around the same time, but Shinon had been able to get better, while his mother's health declined. He doesn't know much more beyond that, as Shinon was reluctant to talk about it.

Shinon's father tends to avoid them whenever he goes down. However, Shinon tells him that his behavior is not any different than normal. He does not seem bothered by that fact, which troubles Gatrie. Even though he's only ten, he can tell that there's something wrong with it.

Finally, he arrives, and he notices that the house does not look any different from the last time he was there… which was about half a year ago. He's not sure if that is a good sign or not.

He steps up the stairs and prepares to knock on the door. For some reason, he feels nervous. Gulping, he taps the door, and stands patiently. He can hear movement inside, but it sounds clumsy. It's not Shinon, who's agile and makes almost no noise when he moves.

The door swings open, and he moves out of the way, not realizing that the door opened outwards, not inwards. The room is dark, and he can't really see inside. Shinon's father is blocking the way, his dark eyes squinting against the sunlight shining down on them.

Scratching his forming stubble, he asks, "Ya look familiar. Who're you?"

"Shinon's friend," he supplies. "Gatrie."

The man's silent for a moment, then recognition dawns on him. "Right. He's in the back, if ya want." After that, he closes the door, not giving him a chance to say thank you.

Shaking his head at the event that just occurred, Gatrie pushes the bushes out of the way and rounds the corner, spotting Shinon in a small shed. He's working on something, but Gatrie's too far away to notice.

"Where've you been?" He calls out, walking toward his friend. He notices that Shinon jumps in surprise, and quickly says, "It's just me, your best friend, wondering where you've been."

"I'm right here," he says, then resumes his work.

"So what've you been doing?" Gatrie asks, knowing that's the only way Shinon will engage in the conversation.

"Working on somethin'."

"Like?"

"A bow," he answers. "I've been makin' a few of them."

"Really?" He questions with sincere curiosity. Shinon has never seemed like the craftsman type. "Can I see one?"

He gestures to the back of the shed, not taking his eyes off the piece of wood he's shaping. "They're not that great." He holds up the wood in his hands. "This one isn't either."

Gatrie moves past his friend—He looks smaller than normal, he observes, momentarily noticing Shinon's angular cheekbones and jutting elbows—and picks up one of the bows from the pile. There's about six there, and they all look about the same. It is light, almost frail, but sturdy.

Almost like him, he finds himself thinking.

"It looks good," he comments truthfully. Sure, he's seen better, but for a kid who's never done it before, it's a masterpiece. "Where'd you get the idea?"

"In town," he answers. "I saw someone selling them, and they were making a lot of money. If he can do it, why can't I?"

"Have you used it yet?" Gatrie asks.

"No. Don't have any arrows."

"You made a bow without making arrows?" He questions sarcastically.

"I was gettin' to it," Shinon says coarsely, averting his gaze from his friend to his work.

"I could buy you some," Gatrie offers as a form of apology. "I didn't get you anything for your birthday."

"Don't bother," he mutters. His voice lacks the bite it had for his last remark. Gatrie knows he isn't mad. "You don't owe me anything."

Gatrie knows he's just saying that so then he won't feel like he owes him something. That's how his mind works. Shinon just doesn't let anyone do anything for him without any reason.

"Well, these are good." Gatrie puts the one in his hand back down on the ground.

"You… think so?" Shinon asks with an unfamiliar nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah. And they'll only get better, if you keep working at it," he encouraged.

"Maybe I will."

Even though he hasn't seen him in so long, he's okay with his friend's absence. If it makes him happy, then he deserves it.

15 Years:

As much as he hates to admit it, Gatrie's depressed. He has been told by his mother that school will get easier now that he's nearing the end of it, but Gatrie has to question her intelligence… just this once.

He has asked the girl he has had a crush on, Lila, out on a date, but she had refused. She is a nice girl, sweet, polite, and cute. But she had not been interested, for reasons he did not understand.

He had bounced the idea around with Shinon, who had a feeling that things would not work out. As much as he hates to admit it, Shinon had been right.

But, he has pushed that thought from his mind. There would be other girls, he assured himself. At this moment, he's wondering about Shinon. His best friend had promised him the previous day that he would walk back and eat with his parents. It is his mother's idea. She thinks he's too thin for his age.

Even though he protested, Shinon had told him that he'd show up. They expected him an hour ago.

Now, Gatrie's walking to Shinon's house, knowing that his mother won't be happy until Shinon is in their home, eating with them, maybe even cracking a genuine smile at least once. Ashera knows Gatrie hasn't seen one in forever.

Gatrie runs a hand through his hair, exhaling. Getting frustrated would not help the situation. He hastened his pace, determined to get there and back before sunset.

However, he's too caught up in his own thoughts to notice someone on the side of the path, resting against a tree. Once he shakes himself from his thoughts, he realizes that it's the person he wanted to find.

"Shinon?!" He exclaims, still in surprise. He runs toward him, kneeling in front of him. He's worried when he observed his labored breathing and closed eyes. He touches his shoulder, hoping to alert his friend to his presence, and to know if he is okay.

His response is startling, but not unpredictable, if Gatrie thought about it in hindsight. Shinon's eyes snap open, and he flinches from him. "Gatrie?"

"Yeah, it's me," he replies, keeping his voice low, not wanting to stress him out more. "What's wrong? What're you doing out here?"

"Ugh, don't worry about it. I was going to your place, but I felt… a little dizzy. Guess I fell asleep." He adjusts himself, but doesn't try to stand. "It's late. I'll eat with you tomorrow."

Typically, Shinon regards Gatrie as naïve, and he'll admit that he is most of the time. But now isn't one of those times. "Shinon," he says quietly, but firmly, "what're you really doing out here? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fi-"

"Shinon, don't." He notices that he's clutching his side. "What happened? Are you bleeding?"

"No," he muttered, though his voice came out like a gasp. "Now just start walking back and I'll do the same."

"You don't really think I'll do that, do you?" He asks rhetorically, getting to his feet. Slowly, he grabs Shinon's arm, the one not protecting his side, but immediately lets go when he hears Shinon give a pained whimper, a noise he has never heard from his friend before.

"Just leave me alone," Shinon insists. "I'll be fine."

Gatrie's face darkens. "I've believed that lie too many times, Shinon. Now, can you stand? Or should I run back and get the doctor?"

After a moment of hesitancy, Shinon answers, "I can stand. Just need help." Gatrie reaches down for his arm again. "Slowly this time, got it?"

With a tiny smirk, he grasps his arm gently and lifts him to his face, ignoring the wince he gives, or the clenched eyes, or how his breath quickens.

"You okay?" He only receives a curt nod. "Okay, let's go."

They walk at a slow pace, not being able to push Shinon to go any faster. He won't let Gatrie help him, which would speed up the process, but Gatrie respects his wishes. Instead, he talks to him about anything, yet nothing at the same time. He brings up how Lila turned him down, and is dismayed, for once, that Shinon won't gloat about how he's right.

A half hour passes before they reach the center of town. Gatrie's about to run forward to get the doctor, but Shinon won't relent and demands that Gatrie only take him to his house. Knowing he doesn't have any other choice, Gatrie agrees.

It takes them another ten minutes to cross to the other side of town where Gatrie lives. Even though it pains him to do so, he forces Shinon to walk faster, knowing that he needs help soon.

Gatrie opens his front door, and calls out to his parents, foreseeing that at least one of them must be in the next room.

"Gatrie? Is that you?" His mother steps out, her wrinkling face crinkled in worry. Upon seeing the pair, he gasps, "Shinon! What happened, dear?" Walking over to them, she ushers the injured boy to the nearby couch. "Sit down, sit down. Tell me what happened."

After watching him force himself onto the couch, he sees that Shinon has a bemused look on his face. After all this time of knowing each other, his friend has never gotten used to his mother's care. Then again, it makes sense, seeing as he has never experienced it himself.

"Um… just a small accident. Gatrie's just makin' a big deal outta it."

She gives him a doubtful look, but keeps her voice nonchalant. "Still, maybe I should look at it. Gatrie, go grab the bandages. And maybe a vulnerary."

Hastily walking to the next room, Gatrie jumps in surprise when he notices his father standing near the doorway, bandages in hand. "I overheard your mother," he gives as an answer. "How is he?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't let me look," Gatrie answers sadly, shaking his head. "Dad, do you think that it might've been…"

"Yes, I do."

The two of them have discussed the possibility that Shinon's father had been the reason behind Shinon's multiple bruises and pain over the years. At first, Gatrie found it hard to believe, but his father had told him that people like that existed. They didn't have a solution though, only to invite him over more to get him out of the house.

Grabbing the supplies from his dad, Gatrie makes his way back to his friend and mother. Shinon was lying on his back, hand still clutching his wound. Gatrie could barely see the bruise covering his pale skin. Could one of his ribs been bruised as well?

Handing over everything to his mother, he watches as his mother coaxes Shinon into relaxing so that she can help. It takes him a minute, but he allows her to help him. She works silently, even allowing him to keep his shirt on, even though it makes it more of an inconvenience for her.

"Done," she says a few minutes later. "Now, I'm not a doctor, so I'm not sure of what's been done, but I think something might be wrong with your rib. Now, you're staying here tonight, and we'll get someone to check on it tomorrow, okay?"

"Uh… okay," he agrees, knowing he won't be able to talk his mother out of anything. "Thank you," he adds in a rare moment of courtesy.

"I'm glad that I can help. You're always welcome here, Shinon, and for as long as you want." Getting up, she dusts her dress. "Now, I'm going to bed. There's a blanket right there for you, dear, in case you get cold." She points to the blanket hanging near him. "My bedroom's the next room over, so if you need anything, don't be afraid to call for me, okay? Or Gatrie can stay out here with you, if he wants." She turns her attention to her son, waiting for his response.

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"Thanks," he repeats.

His mother gives him a small smile before exiting the room. Gatrie sits in the chair next to his friend. They look at each other for a moment before he turns off the light, signaling that they both should get some sleep.

Today isn't okay, but Gatrie can hope tomorrow will be better.

21 Years:

In all of his childhood, Shinon never dreamt of being a mercenary. Not to say that he isn't happy with the profession—it's better than anything he believes he's good for—he's just amazed that his skills are good enough for the job. Greil's a lenient man, but he expects his jobs to be done right. Shinon's just not used to that kind of trust, even after two years of working for the man.

He's also surprised that Gatrie's still by his side, just like he's always been. He has never imagined that his friend would have an affinity for wielding a lance, but the man is shockingly good at it. His sturdy body can also support a massive load of armor, which is also surprising.

Needless to say, his life is better than he ever pictured it being.

Once he turned eighteen, he bravely told his father that he was leaving. True, the man was older than fifty, and Shinon had lean muscle, but the man was still able to frighten him, and make him nervous. Even after being in so many life-or-death situations, the man is probably still the scariest man he's ever seen.

When he told Gatrie that he was leaving, Gatrie offered to follow him without hesitation. Shinon had money, since he had started selling some of his bows when he turned sixteen, but not enough to leave on his own for that long.

And even though he was able to get out, he knows that he'll never be out. Part of him would always be left behind in the room with his drunken father, never to be salvaged, never to be found.

He has never been a fan of kids, so he is always annoyed by one of the kids, seeing as the majority of people staying where the mercenaries live are underage and didn't know how to fight, or more pathetically, didn't even know how to pick up a weapon. Shinon isn't a patient man, so he has no sympathy for kids.

But, no matter how much he idolizes Greil, the same adoration is not shared for his son. The boy is quiet, but Shinon can see the determined look in his eyes. Perhaps it mirrored the same look Shinon had for a little while. However, he can't see what the kid hopes to aspire to. Most likely, he would just inherit the company, and there isn't anything wrong with that. Everything about his life is good, easy, and yet he's trying to rush that, to grow up too fast.

The kid wants to begin training with a sword, even though Greil's told him time and time again that he can begin in a year or two. He isn't taking it well, being disrespectful, and yet Greil is patient, and doesn't react to Ike's misguided frustrations with anger. No, he's as calm as usual, and merely explains that he's too young, and wouldn't be allowed to fight anyway, since he's only eleven. The words seem to sink in eventually, and Ike drops the subject.

But Shinon will remember it. He will remember what kind of father Greil is, and futilely wish that his own could've been like that, like that or Gatrie's father. Ike and Gatrie are both lucky, and while Gatrie knows it, he has to wonder if Ike will one day appreciate it.

While he doesn't like the kid, and won't pretend otherwise, he knows the kid will be okay, even if he's not happy right now. That's more than he can say about himself.

27 Years:

The melancholy shrouding the Greil Mercenaries is suffocating, but Gatrie knows that the atmosphere won't change anytime soon. In fact, he is still in shock, even though it has happened three days ago. How could their leader, how could the invincible Greil, be dead? He has only shed a couple of tears, but he never broke down. However, he can't say the same thing about Shinon.

He has barely seen his best friend over the span of the three days. But when he has, he hasn't seen him eat or sleep, or he's been helping Rolf with his archery. The kid hasn't been in the mood to practice, instead wishing to be around Mist, but Gatrie, once Shinon was gone for a few moments, is able to convince him to give his master a few hours of his day.

Another thing that had been occurring was Shinon's complaints about the lack of alcohol. That is his way of coping after all, to get so drunk that the pain just numbs over. It is self-destructive, but it works for him. After all the years of having no coping method, Gatrie just couldn't take that away from him. Even if it would probably put him in his grave early.

He knows though that his friend will explode somehow, sometime. He just hopes that it'll be around him, and not Ike, or Boyd, or Rhys, or just someone who's mourning the loss of Greil in a healthier fashion than he is.

And as though he knows he is thinking about him, Shinon stumbles into the room. Even though the room is darkening, Gatrie can see by his slumping posture that he has obtained alcohol from somewhere, and is probably already drunk. He would ask where he got it, but knows that Shinon is too far gone to remember that little detail.

"Hey," Gatrie greeted. He receives no answer, instead Shinon only stumbles forward.

While bulky, Gatrie's fast without his armor on. He manages to catch Shinon's arm before he falls on his face. He involuntarily flinches, a habit Gatrie thought he had finally broken. Still, he does not relinquish his hold, and guides him to his bed.

Once he lays him down, he turns around, preparing to get back on his own, when he stops after he hears Shinon slur his name.

"What is it?"

Shinon looks at him with a vulnerable expression, one that he does not wear while sober. His eyes look shiny, but Gatrie knows that no tears will fall. Any impulse to let them fall was beaten out of him years ago. "Greil's dead."

"I know." He's not sure of what else to say, so he remains silent.

"I can't stay here."

Gatrie's amazed at how even Shinon's voice is. "I know that too." And he does. He knows that Shinon won't let Ike command him, not now. "When do you want to leave?"

"You're comin' wit' me?" There's unmasked shock in Shinon's voice. "But you like it 'ere."

This is true. They've been with Greil for years, and every one of the mercenaries feels like family. But comparing them to Shinon…

"You know I'm going with you. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't? Someone has to look out for you."

He watches as his friend nods, then turn around, and hopes that he'll finally sleep. The optimism he had as a child is slowly wearing off, as he's not as naïve as he once was. He knows that tomorrow will be uncertain, especially since they'll probably be leaving then, before everyone else wakes up.

There's only so much he can do for him, but he'll do anything in his power to make him okay. He won't promise him anything, because Shinon doesn't hold much faith in them. He won't promise that he'll be okay tomorrow, or a week from now, or a year from now. But he will be okay one day.

It's rare for me to say this, but I'm actually pretty happy with this. My luck, I probably got these two so out of character it's not even funny. But I was just struck by inspiration, and wrote all of it today. I haven't played either of the games in awhile, so please let me know if I missed something key to the plot, or if I got something wrong. Reviews are definitely appreciated!