A one-shot that came from my head late at night.

Before that, I have a question. What do Fate/Stay Night and Kamen Rider Ryuki have in common?

He woke up in a mysterious, yet bright place. Turning his head to look in any direction he possibly could, it seemed he was inside a hall of a castle. The bright walls shone as if the light of the chandelier was not bright enough. At the end of the hall, he saw two giant doors, and just before them, there was a mirror on the wall. Since he had no other directions to go, he began walking towards the doors.

When he found himself standing before them, he set his gaze on the mirror. He noted that he had light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore something akin to a battle gear: a grayish body armor covering his torso and back beneath a red bodysuit, gloves, and boots. A gray belt with a dragon-shaped buckle wrapped around his waist. A gauntlet was present on his left wrist, making the whole attire feel a little lopsided. As he finished observing himself, he then realized who he was and why he was here.

His name was Shinji Kidou, also known as Kamen Rider Ryuki, and he had died after fighting the army of Raydragoons while fatally injured.

"I guess this is heaven," he mused. He opened the doors, expecting what he thought was the gate.

Instead, he entered an indefinite open space. The floor was covered with bright marble tiles, and the ceiling... was a golden sky. He noticed several marble thrones scattered around the 'room'.

"Huh, why are there thrones in Heaven?" he asked to himself. His question was answered by another resident.

"Do you not know the Throne of Heroes?"

He turned around to the feminine voice. He was met with the sight of a blonde teenage girl tied into a braid with purple eyes. She had silver armor and a purple coat on her with the addition of a headdress.

"The Throne... of Heroes?" Shinji asked again.

"Yes. A place where Heroic Spirits reside for eternity until they are summoned by a master to join the Holy Grail War."

Her response made more questions than answers. Heroic Spirits? Holy Grail War? It was all new to him.

"What are these Heroic Spirits?"

"Are you not one yourself?"

He was confused at first, then it hit him.

'I died after the battle with the Mirror Monsters. Then I woke up here in this "Throne of Heroes". Could it be that...!' "I... am a Heroic Spirit?"

A little annoyed by his slow response, she nodded.

"And I thought this is Heaven..." he sighed in exasperation.

The girl smiled, amused by his expression. She approached Shinji and asked, "What is your name, new one?"

"It's Shinji Kidou, and don't call me that. Reminds me of my editor."

She giggled a bit, then went on, "So, Kidou-kun then." She extended her hand to him, gesturing a handshake. "I am Jeanne. Jeanne d'Arc"

"Quite a fancy name," he commented before shaking Jeanne's hand. "Nice to meet you."

It was a little rude to ask her this, but he went with it anyway. "How did you die?"

A baffled look appeared on her face. Shinji quickly tried to rectify his question, waving his hands in panic, "N-not that I want to remind you of that time! I'm just a little curious!"

"No, it's fine," she reassured. "I was burned at the stake, and later deemed as a martyr."

"And when was it?"

"During the Hundred Years' War. How about you?"

"Me? I died by a fatal wound after fighting the Mirror Monsters," he paused, "which was inflicted beforehand."

Jeanne blinked a few times when she listened. Not only Shinji fought monsters, but also enduring a mortal wound while at it? It was unthinkable.

"As for when, it was in January 2003."

"That recent?"

"Yeah. I feel it's not too long ago."

They were silent afterward. Since it was too tiring to stand all the time, they sat behind one of the thrones. Not too long, he broke the ice. "This Holy Grail War... what kind of war is it?"

"To put it in layman's terms, a war where Masters call us Heroic Spirits as Servants to fight for the titular Holy Grail."

He did not like this already. "This Holy Grail... will grant wishes to the victor, right?"

"...Yes."

"It is no different from the Rider War," he said, his expression darkened.

"Hm?"

"In the Rider War, 13 Riders were chosen to fight against each other for a single wish. I was a part of said War."

He left off the details regarding Shirou Kanzaki and Yui's condition. As he spoke, a wave of information got in his head, and his face became solemn. "In the end, my friend won and used the wish to revive his fiancee. He died afterward, sustaining the injury from his final fight. Also, Jeanne."

He looked at her straight in the eye.

"Including my friend, no Rider survived."

Her eyes widened, shocked by the revelation. Was the Rider War that brutal?

"If I am chosen to be a Servant in the Holy Grail War, my wish will be the same as back then."

She felt she knew the answer, but asked anyway. "What is it?"

"To put an end to this senseless war, once and for all."

I put Jeanne in there just because.

If you know the answer, it's because of one man. Gen "Urobutcher" Urobuchi. He is such a big fanboy of Ryuki, he mostly based his tropes from it.