Valley of the Fallen

Fate Series + One Piece

A/N: And here we are with the next chapter, hopefully with a bit more explanatory and expositional content than the last. Things are a bit rushed right now, I know, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I want this to play out - I really didn't expect people to actually take interest in this and now I feel obligated to write something actually good, rip me. Don't forget I came up with the premise to this in like what, ten-fifteen minutes?

Amatsumi: Yeah, in hindsight I should have given Rin a longer introduction, but her story doesn't have as much going on in it in the same way as Shirou or Ritsuka, so I think telling hers in little snippets would be a bit more efficient, but I'm not sure, so this chapter starts with a bit of compensation. I'm still pretty bad at writing stories, oops. To respond to your question, right now, Germa 66 is in the North Blue.

And concerning Ritsuka, his training wasn't something I really planned on showing since it wasn't overly important to the plot (I thought, at least) but since you seem to be expressing interest in it I'll show some over the course of the next few chapters.

Nice pizza party: I'm glad you like it! I'll do my best and I'll try not to be so harsh on myself, though it can be hard with people like me rip

Forewarning, there's going to be some really weird and sudden time transitions in this chapter so if names change without explanation, assume that's why.

She watched a woman, bloodied and battered, clutching a large, bulky two-sided blade, wide and thin plates of sharpened metal extending from either side of the handle, one side gold and silver, the other obsidian and flaxen, a strange white arc connecting the two on the side away from her own weakened form. A brilliant weapon, she acknowledged.

"You look pitiful," she spoke, but without speaking. She knew it was her voice, but at the same time it did not sound like her own. It was deep, masculine; not hers at all. The woman scowled deeply at her, revealing what seemed to be fangs, accompanied by snow-white teeth.

"What do you want, human? I would get up and kill you right now, but I don't have the strength." That much was obvious. From the crimson dripping onto the marbled and stone floor, it seemed she didn't have much time.

"Hah! 'Human?'" her voice spoke again, and she tried to stop, but she couldn't. She wasn't the one in control. "You're mistaken, my Queen. I'm just as non-human as you." The woman's eyes widened. "Maybe even less, but who will ever know?"

She growled at her. No, him. "What do you want from us? From me? What have we ever done to you? Never once have we waged war upon another, never once have we given reason for violence..."

"What have you ever done to me...?" A smirk graced those lips, those that she had no control over, those that were not hers. "My dear Queen...

"You have done so, so much..."

Rin shot up, throwing off her covers in a cold sweat, eyes wide. Taking in her surroundings, she relaxed once she realized she was simply in her sleeping quarters. Shifting, she hopped off her bed and lit her bedside lantern so she could change into something a bit more appropriate than nightclothes. It was not morning, far from it, the moon was high in the sky and the window only showed midnight mist. Despite being a child, she did not cower when she had such strange dreams.

They were all so similar. There was a Queen, a Queen with a beautiful blade and a beautiful soul, coated in blood, who would always be killed in the end. She was used to it, she knew how it would start and finish, but at the same time it unnerved her. Why was she having these dreams? It especially unnerved her as someone who was now working with one. Opening the door of her room, she exited with the candle, shutting it behind her before walking a few paces down the hall, wallowing in the peaceful and undisturbed silence; a rarity in this palace.

"M-Miss Tohsaka?" Alas, it was interrupted once her blue eyes came upon a familiar head of blond hair. "F...Fancy seeing you here..." The boy's voice was laced with fear and anxiety, something Rin almost scoffed at. But she wouldn't do something so unprofessional, despite her age.

"Hello, Sanji," she acknowledged his presence, startling him with her lack of malice and anger. "What are you doing, up at this hour? If any other had found you, you would have been in deep trouble."

The young Sanji laughed sheepishly, looking relieved that the older girl wasn't going to 'turn him in.' "Yeah...uhm...I couldn't sleep," he explained shyly and Rin almost rolled her eyes at him. The boy was so introverted it was almost sad. "Could you not tell dad you saw me up this late...?"

She sighed before smiling softly and stepping a bit closer before bowing a quick yet polite bow. "Of course, I won't say a word. You can count on me."

Sanji returned the smile; he could always rely on Rin. She was the only one besides his mother and sister he knew could understand him. He knew he wasn't supposed to speak so much to someone without as impressive royal blood, but he knew she didn't mind, and she wouldn't tell. As one of the few outsiders taken under Judge's wing, his brothers weren't particularly fond of her, but respected her prowess enough to leave her alone. Well, 'respecting her prowess,' if glaring at her and constantly demanding for a duel counted as such. Rin may not have been genetically engineered by her parents (much to his jealousy), but she possessed both the power of a Devil Fruit and impressive reflexes, which easily made up for that fact. Niji, at the very least, did adhere to the standard definition of respecting another.

"Miss Tohsaka, why're you awake? Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked, and Rin scratched her head, pondering how she should explain this.

"Same as you, really; I couldn't sleep," she lied cleanly, opting not to tell the young boy of her strange nightly visions. Sanji, the innocent boy he was, simply nodded, accepting the answer as if it were the truth. Rin truly envied his naivete.

"Do you want to stay awake together?" Sanji proposed, obviously hoping she would say yes. There was a sparkle in his eyes that she couldn't possibly say no to, and sighed, agreeing. The boy beamed up at her, happy she had accepted. "Where do you want to go?"

"How about...we just wander a little bit?" He faltered, unsure. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we won't get caught. Trust me. I'm the master of sneaking around." She flashed him a mischievous look and a smirk, which was enough to get him to gain enough courage to nod. She offered him her hand silently and he eyed it for a moment, before hesitantly placing his on top of it and Rin wrapped her slightly longer fingers around his hand, almost in a motherly fashion - something that had him relaxing his shoulders in seconds.

The two walked down the hall, quiet at first, before Sanji spoke up.

"Did Yonji challenge you again today?" Rin giggled, giving him the answer before she even replied.

"Yeah, he did, but don't worry Sanji, I beat him again too. That makes it the sixty-sixth win for me, and zero losses." He couldn't help but snigger at the look on Rin's face, and she shot him a playful glare. "But Ichiji always beats me," she pouted. "I'll beat him some day."

Sanji nodded, pumping his fist in encouragement. "I have faith in you! You're really strong Miss Tohsaka, you'll catch up to him in no time!"

She laughed lightly at him, extracting a pout, before ruffling his hair slightly. "Thanks, Sanji, that makes me feel a lot better." He grinned again, glad to hear those words.

Ritsuka was in his usual spot, sitting on the rail of the Moby Dick, looking at the back of his right hand, admiring the new Jolly Roger it adorned, tracing his fingers over the red tinged skin. Though most had theirs in blue or purple, he instead asked if he could have his in a rich maroon shade, a stark contrast to the tattoo on Marco's chest for instance, which was a muted lapis.

It had been a few weeks since he officially joined the family, but it honestly felt like longer. With the way the others treated him, he may as well have been there his whole life already. He'd been placed in the Second Division after a bit of discussion, much to Thatch's displeasure (he was complaining the next few days), and it was only a bit later before Ritsuka decided he wanted to get tattoos. Izo had been immensely opposed to it, as he didn't like the idea of a young boy getting ink pierced in below his skin, but no one else backed him up on that so he gave up.

So here Ritsuka sat, the Whitebeard Pirates' Jolly Roger on the back of his right hand, three thick bands of red around either wrist, a sun on each elbow and another ring just under his shoulder muscles (his deltoids, to be more specific), and more on the way. Marco had laughed and told him he was getting a bit excited about the whole tattoo thing, but didn't tell him to stop. He actually told him they strangely suited him.

Izo hit him pretty hard that day.

Looking back up at the starry sky, he felt the late night breeze blow softly across his collarbone and wrists, tickling his ankles as he swung his feet back and forth, tight black slippers covering his toes.

"Are you always up this late, yoi?" Ritsuka didn't jump in surprise; he was expecting something like this, he'd grown used to it. Looking over his shoulder, his light blue eyes met with calm and lazy black.

"Yeah, I find it hard to fall asleep. This is the only place that I can sit still and think for a while undisturbed," he explained, before adding, "Most of the time."

Marco chuckled, getting up from leaning against the wall, uncrossing his arms. He went over to the rail as well, just to Ritsuka's right and leaned against it, staring out at the dark yet serene ocean that surrounded them. "Do you ever think about where you may have come from, yoi?"

Ritsuka was silent for a moment. "More often than not, yeah. I'm really not sure, but I try not to let it bother me too much. I have a home and a family now, so going back at this point would be questionable at best."

The blond male leaned his cheek into his palm. "What makes you so sure about that, yoi?"

The boy hummed in thought. "Something's telling me I need to find someone, I need to find something, that it'll give me all the answers. And I won't deny I want them, but at the same time, do I want to know? It might rip me away from you guys."

Marco and Ritsuka watched the water, quiet, before Ritsuka went on to say, "There's something I haven't really told you yet, or anyone else, really."

"You can tell us anything, you know, yoi," Marco reminded, "You're part of the family now."

"Yeah, I guess I am..." Ritsuka took a deep breath, clearing his head. "But I...is it okay if I tell you some other time? I'm not sure if I want to...talk about it yet."

Marco's gaze lingered on the boy, then turned to the starts shining down on them. "Take your time, yoi. Izo would kill me if I forced something out of you anyways." At that, Ritsuka chuckled. "Have you considered trying to find a Devil Fruit for yourself, yoi?" he changed the subject, something the brunette seemed to appreciate.

"Well...I did, until I remembered I wouldn't be able to swim," he said honestly. "Not being able to swim sounds like a big enough downside for me to say no."

"Fair enough," Marco nodded. "I guess I don't have to worry too much about that since I can fly, yoi."

Ritsuka was silent for a moment before looking down at the man. "Can I see your phoenix form?"

The Division Commander seemed a little surprised by the request before smirking. "Nah, maybe some other time." Ritsuka pouted at him before huffing. "Trust me, kid, it'll be worth the wait, yoi. I'll fly you somewhere." The happy grin Marco was offering him was enough to sate him, and Ritsuka nodded, his pout turning into a smile, looking back out to the sea.

"Marco?"

"Hm?"

"...nevermind. It was a stupid question." He raised a brow at Ritsuka, but he didn't acknowledge his silent question, so he didn't go further.

"Alright. But if it has to do with your past, like I said, you can tell us anything, and if no one else, you can talk to me, yoi. If you need help, you can always talk to me. I'll be open." The boy stared at him for a moment before smiling again and nodding.

"Thanks, Marco."

"Sure, yoi." He felt strangely proud he earned the young man's gratitude. "I'm going to go back to sleep," he drew back from the rail and began to walk off, looking at Ritsuka over his shoulder. "Don't stay up for too long, kids like you need rest, yoi."

The boy stuck his tongue out at him and he laughed, before waving and going to his room, and soon the air was once again filled by the serene sound of waves crashing against the side of the Moby Dick, the smell of the sea returning to him. He gazed at where Marco just stood before looking out into the ocean again. A few hours passed as he sat, completely still, until the sun began to peak over the horizon, greeting him warmly.

Seeing the beams of sunlight pressing against the pale boards of the ship, he hopped off the rail and stalked off, trying to find Izo's room. There were a few knocks on the wooden door, and the man within tiredly called for him to wait. A few minutes passed before Izo opened the door, eyes meeting with a pair of familiar black. "Oh, Ace, it's you." The young man noted the almost disappointed look in his eyes, as if he were expecting someone else, but made no comment on it. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten that look from Izo.

"That's how you greet someone first thing in the morning?" he joked and Izo offered a lop-sided smirk, lightly amused before stepping out the doorway of his room, shutting it behind him.

"Apparently." Ace laughed, walking with the other man to the others, who were already eating. "Are you enjoying your position as Second Division Commander so far?" Izo asked after a short moment of silence. The question confused the younger male, but he shook it off.

"Well, not too much has changed, when I think about it," he admitted with a light grin crossing his face. "It's nice to know Pops trusts me enough to put me in this position, but it really feels like nothing happened." Ace searched Izo's expression, seeing the strange look entering it and regretted his words. Had he said something wrong. "You okay, Izo? You're acting a little weird."

"...no, it's nothing." Bullshit, Ace thought. "I just...remembered something, that's all." Izo had a sad look in his eyes, and Ace wanted to shake it out of him and demand what he did wrong so he knew what to never do again, but he could tell he wasn't getting answers. So instead, he nodded understandingly, much to the man's relief. Soon, they reached the others and Izo soon departed to sit with his Division, leaving Ace alone.

The freckled teen stared after the geisha-esque man, frowning, before hearing someone calling him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Thatch there, waving him over. Taking a seat beside him, he greeted the older brunette warmly, something Thatch gladly reciprocated.

"You're probably wondering about Izo," Thatch suddenly said, and he nodded, worried. "To be honest, all of us are feeling a little down, but he's just...well he's probably the most affected out of all of us." Ace saw someone twitch not too far away and glanced over towards them, spotting Marco's signature blond hair, but never got the chance to ask what was wrong. "I think it's best not to talk about it yet, but I think you'll know when it's time. I hate to be that one guy who never speaks in clear English, but for the sake of the crew I don't want to explicitly mention it."

He raised a brow, "How exactly will I know when it's time?"

Thatch hummed. "Probably when Izo openly brings something sensitive up. If he's okay with talking about it, everyone else would be." Ace nodded slowly, taking it in. So, something that the crew preferred not to talk about, probably a loss of some kind. The death of an important crew member? The mere thought of it sickened him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Thatch grinned at that, patting his shoulder gruffly but in a friendly fashion, before they focused on their food.

Standing at the coast of the small island, Ritsuka shifted his weight as he felt Marco's concerned gaze on him. "Are you sure you want to go into town alone? I was going to send someone with you, yoi, just in case, but if you don't want that..."

"Well, I doubt anyone would really want to go with me," he reasoned sheepishly. "Besides, I'm basically the only one on the crew who doesn't have a bounty, so no one will recognize me as a pirate; danger's less likely with me than anyone else." He had a point, Marco had to admit, and he reluctantly agreed.

"If you're so sure, yoi," he sighed. "But if you need trouble, yoi, you remember how to use a Transponder Snail, right?" Ritsuka nodded and Marco offered a smile. "Alright, off you go then, yoi. Just make sure you get enough for the next few days. Don't get too much, yoi, we do still have some supplies."

The boy nodded again, before waving good-bye, and jogging off into town, empty baskets and bags in hand.

Hopefully he wouldn't get in too much trouble today.

A/N: You guys have no idea how many times I mistyped "Whitebeard" and wrote "Shitebeard" by accident, I swear my hands want to be the end of me.

Half-assed ending, I kind of ran my motivation dry before waiting a few days and realizing it wasn't going to come back until I started a new chapter with more room. So uh, yeah. Here we are.

Thanks for reading,

Microcrane