Fate/True Bizarre (JJBA x Fate/Zero) [COMPLETE]

[Kreuzritter]

Oh snap, GRAMPS?

Welp, now we know how Pucci's going to snag that position for the sequel.

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 19: Eighteenth Mantra! The Heavens Beckons!


Jotaro held his breath as he tried to make sense of the situation in town.


Moving by foot sounded like a good idea as it offered the best chance to move around and be able to handle ambushes without having to be constrained within a vehicle. It was the slowest too, but there wasn't much of a choice between comfort and efficiency. Caster was walking a few feet away behind him, her current task being to guard the children while Joseph acted as support in case they ended up attacked in their path to the Holy Grail's hideout.


The idea of bringing both Sakura and Shinji together with them had been one driven by necessity rather than need tied to the situation itself. While at one glance the plan sounded irresponsible, the truth was that Joseph didn't trust the security at the warehouse to protect the children and while that gave them an extra reason to be wary while they approached their destination, the old man decided to step out of being among the direct participants to destroy the grail so he could keep a good watch over the duo while Jotaro and Caster took care of the major problem.


It was the best solution, but it was the best they could get for the time being. Without wasting any time, the small group continued with their journey, knowing that they needed to reach the rendezvous as quickly as possible and have this situation wrapped up at once. The more time was given to Francesca, the higher the chances of the woman doing something dangerous with the grail.


As they started to approach the route that was taking them directly to the Ryuudou Mountain, they started to hear the noises of loud crashes and explosions unfolding within the city. A quick glance around identified a couple of issues were indeed unfolding as Caster swiftly announced. All Servants were engaging in combat with some entities that were stopping them from reaching the proper destination.


The only possible reason for this to be happening was definitely to further delay their arrival and give more time to Francesca to do more damage with the Grail. At this point, Jotaro knew that there wasn't much of a choice for them to follow if they wanted to stop this before something even worse unfolded. He believed that most of the Masters were more than capable of fending off these threats, but he knew the witch wasn't just going to send them anything simple for them to handle. And… that meant that it could as well be the circumstance where he would have to handle this on his own with Caster.


Far from ideal, but still doable since he doubted Francesca had the chance of preparing something that could match him from the fact that there was nothing standing in their way. If he took into account the words from Caster herself over the ley lines, their foe could do so much before having some trouble manifesting any dangerous element aimed at them. No, it was clear that the woman was planning to delay most of the group so she could try to beat the rest of her enemies with what she got through the Grail.


Their wandering eventually concluded as they managed to arrive at the spot described by Risei Kotomine, one where the secret entrance to the local mountain allowed them to reach the underground area right beneath the lake where the Grail was stored. Only two individuals were already there and that didn't really give them any relief about what they had realized a little earlier. One was Risei himself, while the other was a young woman with short blue-hair and similar-shaded eyes. Neither Jotaro or Joseph recognized her.


"Father Kotomine," Joseph greeted, gaining a nod from the fellow elder as he approached them with a small smile.


"Joseph, Jotaro. I'm… I wasn't expecting for you two to bring the children," The priest pointed out in the middle of the greeting.


"It was better than leaving them alone at the hideout. I doubt that crazy woman had no plans about the place once we were out," The old Joestar explained with a sigh. "I'll keep watch over them while the others focus on the problem."


Risei nodded, before turning to his associate. "This here is an agent that has been sent by the Church-"


"My name is Bow," The young woman interrupted with a serious tone, her gaze focusing on Jotaro as… something seemed to match between the two. Caster might not be the brightest in catching onto small details from two people, but there was actually something similar between the two. "I've been sent by the Church to handle Dio Brando at first, but I guess you can say that the circumstances have changed as there is a higher threat to face."


"Miss Bow is experienced in handling this kind of trouble. I can vouch that her assistance will be essential to handle this issue," The old priest confirmed. "She is prepared to face any demonic entity that our common enemy might be making use of."


That was a relief in a good part. While it was clear that Francesca couldn't make a large use of the Grail, that didn't mean she still couldn't do more damage by using her problematic powers to create even more problems for them to pace.


Still, before anyone else could have said anything more about it, Risei paused as his mood started to shift, with a worried look appearing on his face. "Also, if I may also ask, have you seen my son, Kirei? I think he was supposed to be guarding the entrance of the temple and yet he isn't with you two."


Joseph frowned at this last bit. "We didn't see him. Was he guarding the gates?"


"He actually wandered off to try and clean up the way to the temple since Assassin had spotted several monsters along the way. I suppose he did get through that if there were no issues for you to come here."


"I could go and try to-" Joseph offered before being stopped by the fellow old man.


"I suppose he was caught busy by some other trouble. I trust him to handle any problem without major issues," Risei interrupted quickly, the concern remaining despite the calm voice in that interruption. Something that Joseph quickly caught onto and spared a confused frown about. But before the old Ripple user could have said something about it, Jotaro decided to speak up.


"It would be best if we dealt with this threat at once," The marine biologist proclaimed quietly as he gave one last quick hug to Sakura. "It's clear that these troubles will fade away once the Grail is destroyed."


Bow hummed in agreement at his words. "I guess that could be done. Still, I would have preferred to have more allies to… well, avoid trouble."


"It's not ideal, but it's the best we can do right now."


The girl smiled and shrugged. "Not gonna complain with that thought. Still… I suppose she is Caster?"


Xuanzang merely nodded, stopped from giving an introduction as the fellow woman resumed.


"I hope you're not a support monk that can't stand the heat. I would like to have someone strong to cover my back," The blue-haired girl commented. "It wouldn't do if you just handed out prayers now that a direct action is needed.


Pink eyes briefly allowed some annoyance at that comment, but a determined smile and mindset flipped her negativity. "I will do my best."


Bow was surprised, but she quickly schooled her features before anyone could have commented on her sheepishness at that response. With Joseph taking the children with him, it was only the three of them to face Francesca in her current lair. The entrance was quite dark, but Bow calmly used the torch she had on her to enlighten the path in front of them.


The route to the Holy Grail was actually pretty straightforward since the main way was bigger compared to most of the secondary tunnels. There were a couple of different paths to try and create a maze-like system to distract any intruders, but Caster's ability to follow the right way by keeping track of the Grail's unique magical pattern allowed them to avoid finding any of the various dead ends.


Despite the smoothness of their current predicament, Jotaro's mind kept him on guard as he could tell that there was a possible threat nearby. Something dangerous, something that he could tell was going to be too troublesome to handle. It wasn't Francesca but… he couldn't help but feel it was familiar to him to some extent.


After a couple of minutes spent wandering around, their walk was interrupted when something swift slammed on the ground and exploded the floor underneath them. Part of the caves collapsed at the damage forcing the trio to move quickly to not die because of the fall. Caster decided to stick by Jotaro, grasping at him as the man quickly manifested ｢Star Platinum｣ and used the Stand to grasp at part of the exposed rock. Once the two had their fall's stopped, the Servant swiftly jumped onto a section similar to the one ｢Star Platinum｣ was holding onto. Bow pulled out two Black Keys and stabbed those on the nearest wall, using those to gain an artificial grasp on the stone.


"I'm glad you reacted readily. I would have really regretted my conditions if you hadn't… Jotaro-kun."


The voice… it was familiar. So familiar that he just couldn't forget it. Jotaro paled, his eyes widening as he turned to see the origin of that painful reminder. A glance up and he saw him. He was met with the sight of a young man of above-average height and fit to slender build. He had medium-length cherry red hair, characterized by a large, twisting bang hanging in front of his forehead. His lavender eyes were flickering between their original color and red. It was a momentary flash but… it was a telling sign that he wasn't an ally in that moment. He was wearing a green slim-fitting school outfit that matched well with his physique.


In front of him, an even more familiar humanoid, his Stand. It had an athletic figure with a few robotic elements, such as its eyes and legs. It was only slightly taller than its user, though Jotaro could remember how it could also stretch itself to great lengths. Its body was covered in veiny lines, which was protected by light-colored armor.


He… he was there, and attacking them. Gritting his teeth, Jotaro's anger for Francesca Prelati seemed to triple the very moment the horror dawned upon him. It was so unfair and… yet now Jotaro had to kill someone that he had for so long thought of having forsaken back in Cairo when they were fighting DIO.


Kakyoin Noriaki, Servant or not, looked far from happy about the situation he had been resurrected for. Especially when his Master wanted the death of his former close friend.


-------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------


Dio scowled at the situation, his mind burning in hatred towards his former 'Master' as this predicament wasn't favoring him in any shape or form.


The first bit of the morning actually started perfectly for him. Much to his delight, Pucci had finally arrived in Fuyuki as predicted. The loyal priest was awed by his return, but he was soon angered to discover the method he was brought back. Such a friend, a good friend. And yet he had to ask the man for a big favor. Something that strayed away from the original plan they had idealized through their conversations about almost a decade ago.


Enrico was confused by his request, even more confused by the fact he was being entrusted with three missions instead of just the original one and the one that Rin was aware about. For now, his objective was to keep guard of the young girl and provide her with proper education and intellectual food in the form of conversations. It didn't take long for the priest to realize why Rin was important to their plans, and why it was of great importance for her to be given a proper tool to grow, learn and reach her fullest potential before being blessed with part of their master plans. It was so important that it was vital for Dio to live just for long enough to see the end of the Holy Grail War to finalize his temporary stay in the material world.


He needed to be 'ignored' and then 'reported death'. It was important, essential even, that his foes believed he was killed in the strike against Prelati and that Rin had been returned to her parents. Just so Pucci could move in and properly secure the girl through legal means.


It wouldn't take long. The Tohsaka might have a good standing in the city, but they weren't prepared to handle a double case of murder. Especially when their killer was strong enough to subvert anything they could throw back at him. It was critical for Pucci to succeed, so he demanded him to make use of other followers of his cult to deal with them as cleanly as possible and with the minimal of risks.


With that in mind, Dio was planning to spend a good part of the day to plot a good way to join the fight without risking himself too much. It was expected for Francesca to have taken steps to make him troubled with some issue. An enemy, something that was either meant to gauge his current capacity or even give him something to worry about.


There was a good list of troublesome heroes that could do that, and he knew well enough that there were possible individuals that could have been as strong as Gilgamesh at their prime. It was a mere guess, but Dio didn't hesitate in preparing contingencies when it came to possible attacks at his current headquarters. It was around early afternoon that something alerted his senses. He had been busy catching some rest after setting up a couple of traps meant to destroy any of the possible creatures the woman could have also sent as back-up to assaults aimed at him.


He felt something was wrong. A sensation that was familiar, and also incredibly frustrating. So much that he gave a simple order to Pucci as he checked on his current conditions. The priest was sitting beside Rin, taking this opportunity to patiently teach her some grammar. The child wasn't as respectful for him as she was for Dio, but that was because the blond had used his capacity to frighten her to instill that sense of respect. Pucci's work was tied to a degree of likability. He was meant to be liked by Rin for his patience and goodwillness rather than be respected similarly as the vampire. Which is why that route demanded a slow but steady approach that would eventually work their way.


"An intruder is soon to come," Dio announced, deciding against greeting the two occupants of the room. Enrico looked up from the paper Rin was working on and the girl merely snapped an annoyed look at the vampire. "You will guard the child as I take care of them. I can say they are going to be too strong for you."


…


"I understand, Dio."


A nod was shared, and while Rin would have wanted to ask more about this intruder situation, she decided to keep quiet and actually study their interaction and ponder about it instead of stopping the Servant from going through his current tasks. Dio swiftly moved to the lounge of the two-floors manor, the windows already closed as candles illuminated most of the rooms and the hallways of the building. A small smile formed as he was ready to handle the being that had just breached into the proximity of the manor and was making their way towards the main door. Slow-paced, thoughtful, his soon-to-be enemy seemed to take a cautious approach.


They weren't strong enough, he could tell from this behavior they weren't. So he braced, amusement skyrocketing as he waited excitedly to see who he was going to face now. His eagerness peaked as the door opened, the sunlight failing to reach the position he was in as he waited for the unknown individual to enter.


…


As soon as the frame of the man that had been sent to fight him was revealed by the sunlight striking his back, Dio's mind entered in a sudden state of turmoil. His golden eyes widened, his shocked gaze mutedly aimed at the familiar individual as bile and disdain roused before the malicious gift the disgusting witch had thrown at him.


His foe was fairly tall and extremely muscular. His current stance carrying the classic British Gentlemen's poise. His short blue hair matched with his cerulean eyes, the pair of sapphire-like orbs betraying no fear or fight as he eyed back his target. He was wearing a reinforced blue tank top with shoulder pads, a pair of elbow-long gloves, light-gray pants, and a pair of light-brown boots.


There was no doubt in Dio's mind that the horrible sight before him was actually…


"Jojo..." He growled in pure anger. Not just aimed at his old enemy, but also at the only reason he could have been brought back. Prelati had given him back the kindness from the looks of it and… Dio wasn't amused. Far from it.


"Dio!"


Gritting his teeth, Dio jumped away as Jonathan Joestar didn't hesitate in rushing up to him. Fast, way faster than he remembered him being. Even with his bolstered state, the man shouldn't have been able to gain this much power for the occasion. Maybe it was tied to the way he was remembered or… the deeds.


Regardless of the reasons for how he got this strong, the truth was one and simple. Dio couldn't allow himself to lose now. This man, this… this infuriating individual stood between him and his plans. Again. And there was no way in Heaven itself he was going to submit to another defeat. Not at his hands, not now that he couldn't accept dying before the beginning of tomorrow.


"You better have something more than just loudness, Jojo. I'm not in the mood to deal with someone like you right now. Not when I can tell the wench is responsible for your ludicrous return."


"That woman… she isn't one of your servants?" The Joestar looked surprised at this novelty. Maybe he had yet to catch on the fact he was being manipulated from the way his eyes kept on alternating between blue and red.


"I believed… before she tried to use me as a toy to have the 'best laugh' ever. A capricious clever thing, I have to admit, one that has gained my greatest hatred for bringing you back from the grave I sent you to."


The hamon user paused, frowning at him or rather at his neck. "You- You took my body."


"Indeed! You see, Jojo, I decided to put to use the brawn you tried to use for something so cheap as playing heroes. Isn't that grand? You are finally part of something great!"


"Y-You will pay and- and then I will stop that woman from hurting people."


"Sadly, I think you will be surprised to hear that my current allies, temporarily at least, are part of your family. A coalition to stop the end of the world, something I don't wish to see until I'm ready to take over."


"You monster and… and I will help them!"


"Then come forth, Jojo!" He demanded brazenly, his sight blurring as he felt back at Windknight's Lot, back to when they were fighting at their peak in their respective forms. Hamon against Vampire, Poor against Rich, Honesty against Pragmatism.


Heavens against Fate.


The time of chatting was over as Dio decided to rush back at Jonathan, swiftly trying to use ｢The World｣ to deliver heavy damage and avoid the dangerous effects of Hamon. Much to the blond's surprise, as his Stand started his classic brawling rush, he felt the humanoid's arms suddenly restrained by something tight, something that… started to burn him.


Panic exploded in his head as he forcibly ordered ｢The World｣ to pull away from the danger. It was his quick-thinking that saved his arms from being rendered useless. Again. This time, it wasn't a direct hit, with his body reacting well to the sudden injection of hamon coming straight from the… ｢Hermit Purple｣-alike Stand. It had the same size and form of tendrils, but those soon manifested in the form of a proper Humanoid Stand. A pinkish mixture of ｢Star Platinum｣ and ｢Hierophant Green｣, with the same sizes as the former and the same facial mask as the latter. Bulky, it was equal to ｢The World｣ in frame and height. They were equally matched… but also not.


Hamon seemed to actually have an effect on ｢The World｣ differently from Joseph's Stand. Could it be his true power? He hoped this was indeed the case or things could get really messy if he wasn't too careful about it. Dio felt his arms itching painfully, and he knew that it had to do with the Hamon almost corroding his limbs off. An unpleasant feeling he didn't want to feel once more, and that gave him the adrenaline needed to push himself even further for this upsetting circumstance.


Glaring heatedly as his life-long enemy, Dio roared in challenge as he began to make use of all tricks and abilities in his arsenal, giving Jonathan what he really deserved. To be exposed to true superiority and be removed from the world of the living at once.


So he, DIO, willed it!


-----------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d--------


T-Too fast.


Kirei knew his opponent was quicker than him and far more resilient, yet he was still surprised by it despite the beating he was getting. It was impressive to see how his daughter was making use of her current advantages, with her Servant body allowing her to go beyond human limits and give her the chance to stand equal to other heroes.


Caren was mostly calm despite the sadistic glint playing by her eyes. The girl was vicious, just as the priest would have expected out of his daughter. The girl was violent, precise, efficient and… even though the pain was growing difficult to ignore as he blocked as many attacks as possible but still getting butchered left and right by her precise strikes, Kirei was proud. It was perhaps tied to the way she handled him, the familiarity, the knowledge- the fact it was clear she studied his style and was now massacring him with that research.


Her left leg lifted, striking the side of his head and sending him rushing away at the agonizing pain. Running wasn't among the possible things to do, knowing he was already outmatched by the white-haired girl when it came to speed. Still, there was something he could do about it that required some time to accomplish.


Ducking down, he allowed her rushing form to jump over him. The girl blinked, a perplexed look on her face as she barely saw his fist reaching her face. It wasn't his speed, nor his strength. While Kirei was no Servant, he could still use his Command Seals to boost his own might beyond human limits. Just temporarily. And that was more than enough to provide him with a counter to her malicious assault.


A yelp rushed out of her lips as her flight was stopped by a couple of trees behind her. No blood, just pain and a lot of anger tied to it at first glance.


"My mistake."


"It's forgivable," The young man muttered unconsciously, almost allowing his own instincts to reply to that comment.


Caren's anger softened as she gave him a nod. "I will be more careful."


"Please do."


Why was he helping her? The thought played a lot in his mind as the fight resumed. The situation was similar to before, yet it was clear that something was missing about it. If before Caren hadn't held back on him, now it was blatant how she was pulling her attacks and restraining her strength.


Pity? No. It was something else. Something driven by curiosity and fascination. She wasn't bored, she was… confused. A confused person's plight tied to understanding something unusual, something that severely clashed with her truths and beliefs. Caren was a believer of God just like him, her use of Black Keys confirmed that she had trained under the Holy See and developed a connection strong enough to warrant that training.


But right now, it wasn't her God being put in question. It was her belief that something that was supposed to be her father sounded and acted differently than expected. It wasn't a novelty for Kirei, knowing how much of a terrible father he had been but… did her perplexity mean he failed? Did he fail to find purpose beyond pleasure in inflicting pain and despair to people?


Is my cause and my pledge worthless as my daughter fails to recognize me as a good man?


As Kirei's resolve faltered, Caren's curiosity continued to grow as she studied her father with an intrigued look. This was different than anything she could have imagined out of him. Here he was, the sadistic Kirei Kotomine, the man that was reportedly a cause of the disaster in the Fifth Holy Grail War. To be fair, the girl had her own suspicions that this wasn't the timeline she was accustomed to. Not only did the War take a completely different route compared to what she remembered studying. This time around there was another Caster's Master. And another Caster.


Her father, together with the other remaining Masters, was actually planning to destroy the holy grail. This, she knew, didn't happen in the timeline she originated from. This was absurdly wrong in a positive way since… since it opened a curious door that she was perhaps helping closing. A door so interesting that could perhaps give the Caren of this world a parent to love and that loved her.


A blink, she remembered the few times back when she was just a little child, when the pains caused by her curse were forcing her to bed- when she would bemoan the lack of a father and a mother. She understood death at the time and thus forgave Claudia Hortensia. But Kirei Kotomine? From hopeful hero, he became a missing element that just brought despaired hope in her heart. He could have come to her, he could have rescued her from the painful situations she was set in more than once.


And yet he didn't. He never came. He never cared.


Yet this one… he seems so regretful.


It wasn't even her appearance that broke him to this state of fragility. It was the realization of a possible failure. He had been thinking of this for so long. Where was the Kirei Kotomine that was so malicious that Shirou Emiya had to kill him? Where was the evil priest that manipulated many Masters in the Holy Grail War and then died together with the practice?


With her mind finally burning with the many thoughts that had besieged her focus, Caren paused as she saw Kirei drop down to his knees. Pain filled his face, regret granted him tears and tiredness made his stance wobbly. He was far from death, and far from unconscious, but still in no shape to fight. He was hers to kill or… to use for a curious exposition.


The priest groaned as the girl decided to push him on the ground belly down, with the Servant herself sitting by his upper back. A hum, quiet and calm seemed to stop Kirei's efforts to struggle, confusion and dread formulating in his mind and heart as he tried to understand what was her plan right now.


Caren stared down at her father, pondering on the circumstance she was presented to him. Life or death, gambling or staying safe and hope for the best? So many choices, so many ramifications and… so many questions. The young woman was a curious person after all and there were questions she had wanted to ask to people for so long, only for those to be rebuffed or ignored. But now? She had the source of many good answers she had desperately craved as a child.


Soon her humming was over and she sighed.


"Apologies, daddy," She replied with a neutral voice. "But before I slay you, I have a couple of questions. Questions that I think would be better for you to give me or I will hurt you. Really bad. And I mean it."


The Master of Assassin didn't have much of a choice. He was one step away from getting killed by his own daughter, or at least her future forms from the height, size and age she was bearing with her frame.


"Y-Yes."


A soft hum, she decided to start with something so simple. "When I was really young and I was given the chance to finally visit Mama's grave, I remember seeing a dark figure that was waiting for us to leave. He was tall, he was dull-looking and he was holding a bouquet of white roses."


She didn't ask the right question, but he expected him to tell something. To say a truth, may it be right or wrong in her mind and within this reality.


"That was… your mother's favorite roses."


"Why?"


He sighed tiredly, slowly recovering from the pain. "S-She said that it was something that her mother brought to her frequently when she was a young girl. She said that it reminded her with her pale beauty. So fragile, but so strong inside..."


That, Caren thought, I didn't know about.


There are so many things she didn't get the chance to know about Claudia Hortensia. First her grandparents withheld that info because she was too young, then they died and she was left in the foster care of a strict priest that considered Claudia a shallow woman for killing herself and that the girl had been birthed out of wedlock.


The insults stung at first, but it was instinctive for a child to be angry at those that besmirched the memory of a dead parent, even though they know so little about them. It was the imagination, the creativity, and the few true details that the child knows about who they have lost. And right now, she had the truth at hand.


"Why did you leave me? Why me?"


There was a long pause, but the Ruler Servant didn't stress herself too much about it. She knew it wasn't an easy question and-


"I'm sorry."


…


That wasn't what she asked for. A pout broke through her composure, her annoyance flaring at that petulant response. She pushed more weight in her seat, pressuring his spine and gaining a gasp out of that.


"Not the question."


…


"I… I didn't want to… hurt you. I knew that, if you were with me, I would have- have failed to hold back my impulses."


A slow blink ensued at that response. So curt, yet so genuine… Caren couldn't just believe it. It wasn't what she expected and it was definitely not what she thought her father was going to be going for. Her hopes of this being just an act faltered just by listening to his heartbeat. The guilt, the sorrow, the regret- Kirei Kotomine wasn't supposed to be feeling like this. Where was the selfish priest that threw his faith of God away for a world of fun for him to enjoy by causing chaos and pain?


...


...Well, this Kotomine isn't a bastard.


That was as upsetting as fascinating for Caren. Here she was, trying to make the world a bit brighter than before but… no. Fate had to disrupt her chances to have revenge by giving him a version of her father that was actually good. If she killed him now, she would also end up depriving this world's Caren of a chance to have her own Daddy back.


…


Her golden eyes finally remained unchanged, breaking from the influence of Francesca while she stared up at the sky. There was not much for her to do, except doing something silly but overall smart on the long-term.


"What are you going to do after the war?"


Kirei's breathing had normalized, he was seemingly recovering. "I… I planned to check on you. I had discussed this with your grandparents but… it seems I failed."


...Wait, did he believe that- well, it wasn't his fault for not considering other options beyond time-traveling. She huffed and stood up from him.


"You should give it a try. You will definitely do something good with that," The girl pointed out, looking at him with a serious look. "And I hope you mean it."


He spared a quick nod. "Y-Yes."


She gave him a smile. "Good. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to retrieve your Servant and handle my… partner. I will be back quite soon… Papà."


Kirei's eyes widened as he recognized the change of way she was addressing him. But before he could inquire about this, the girl was gone in a red blur, leaving him alone to recover and ponder about what had just happened.


"S-Still… Maybe I should really give it a try..." He whispered to himself, thinking about the words used by Caren before leaving. The day was still far from over, but he could tell he got something big out of it already.


--------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-------


AN


The day is indeed still young and we got our newest share of 'villains'.


Why didn't I say anything about them when there were numerous comments bringing those up? I wanted to give you all a surprise. I've seriously noticed that many readers now have taken some sort of burden and duty to try and bring out the flashiest way to elevate a story. It kind of makes it difficult for a writer to come up with clever untouched ways since there are a lot of you commenting about possibilities.


So… next chapter is the final battle. And then… aftermaths!

 

[MountainBookSage25]

Hot dayum the Kotomine is regretting?

Nice to see he's so humanlike here

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 20: Nineteenth Mantra! Peace in the World!


Kakyoin was incredibly frustrated. His resurrection had been so abrupt, so unpleasant and… warranted by horrible reasoning.


The redhead could only maintain a permanent scowl before the insane 'demoness' that had decided to pull his soul back into the world of the living. Francesca Prelati, someone that he was unwillingly compelled to address as 'Master' was hellbent in abusing a system of… 'magic'? He wasn't perfectly sure of the precise denominations, but the Stand User could understand that this defied anything he had seen before his natural demise. The moment he opened his eyes to greet a world he thought had left for good was one of confusion and sudden panic. The cackling from his newest trouble was further reason to tense up and take a stern approach against her.


The woman grinned before the danger, ignoring the fierceness of his threats and demands… and eventually conceding him answers. Answers to questions he hadn't inquired about. It was within his head and… the witch had known. A big surprise came in the form of the year he was now 'living' again. 1994, it's been almost seven years since the adventures the Crusaders had in Cairo and… he was tense, nervous and… angry. All because of the worst objective possible to be resurrected by such a lunatic individual: To kill the very young man that had been the closest friend during the time he was still alive.


Jotaro Kujo looked… old. While his appearance had barely changed as his facial features just sharpened due to the tough adventure they had gone through and because of his puberty finally conceding to an ultimate stop as his height and size matched well with the figure of a strong and healthy adult man. The outfit the fellow Stand User was wearing easily reminded Kakyoin of the clothes doctors or researchers would wear, except Jotaro had gone out of his way to find a hat that matched well with his current disposition.


His fashion style was as unique and impeccable as it was back when he was seventeen. Yet the tough attitude seemed to have dulled, or rather 'matured' as his harshness and anger were still there to dictate some of his immediate actions, but those were ruled over by the very intelligence that had easily gained some of the wins back when they were both allied against DIO. The woman that was right beside him, his 'Servant', gazed at him with a mixture of surprise, dread and determination. Fierce and dangerous, he felt a little threatened by the combo, but pleased that his old friend had made such a valuable ally through this ordeal. The remaining enemy of his, a young woman that reminded him of a man he had seen in an old picture he once saw through Joseph. The old man, a primary element of wisdom, had given him so much thought and care despite the lack of familial bond between the two.


It had felt nice, and it had mixed well with the unique bonds he had with the rest of the Crusaders during their arduous journey. Part of Kakyoin's mind wondered if the elder Joestar had been around too, an aimless thought that was crushed by a sense of urgency the very moment the real reason why he had been so compliant to this disgusting predicament. His mind burned as the memory of Francesca using two of the Command Seals on him resounded within his own fury. The witch had already been 'betrayed by naughty men' before, as she surmised her decision. The first command was to set his primary mission to kill Jotaro and whoever was allied to him in his proximity. An absolute order that forced him to submit and go through with this ordeal, similar to Dio's flesh bud but still providing him with common sense and a capacity to be 'treacherous' in his own way.


The second command was a little more puzzling but not something he underestimated. Francesca demanded loyalty so as to not have him think of ways to break free from her hold over his mind. An upsetting matter that further tightened the leash around his throat, but that it still gave him the chance to actually plan something devious and that would be helpful towards his old friend. While he couldn't stop the fight, he could still provide assistance in an indirect way. While Francesca had sealed his fate and denied him the chance to plot a betrayal, that didn't exclude other treacherous elements from the board.


Starting with the stage of where he planned to strike at the group of three people. Using ｢Hierophant Green｣ to weaken the support of the ground before the arrival of his 'foes', the collapse of the floor was meant to create a faster route to reach where Francesca was trying to harness more the power of the Grail. It was a little cheap opening he quickly found while pondering ways to screw over the dangerous threat that his 'Master' poised to the rest of the world. There was no way Kakyoin Noriaki was going to allow something like this to happen ever again.


While many words could have been shared in that moment, the redhead felt nervousness clogging his throat as he merely directed more Emerald Splashes onto the swift-paced dodging that his opponents were engaged in. In the mean time, he entertained the limits and the restraint he could exert over his capacity to try and murder them. The priority was set, but the question in his mind was 'Do these work like the wishes from a Genie?', that the more general those were, the easier it was to find ways to dilute them with an excuse or a faux reason?


Kakyoin tried, knowing that he would be 'warned' by his own mind and body if he tried too much. First he mistook his shoots. Some of the green emeralds slammed well-away from the proximity of his current 'opponents', the reaction was… positive. His body felt a minor ache, but it was all as he was seemingly allowed to be quite 'lax' with his own attacks. Still, that didn't mean the young man could just stop as the pains resumed as soon as he even contemplated that. Very unpleasant, but it gave him a new limit to not cross with his efforts.


Much to his surprise, while the situation favored him with plenty of advantages, the young girl with blue-hair proved to be someone he had to be particularly careful with. Dark blades rushed his general direction, forcing his Stand to divide his attention between the harassment and stopping the approaching projectiles to land on him. Very interesting, but not the end of his own bafflement as Jotaro added his own weight on the matter.


Rocks wouldn't normally be a threat to something like ｢Hierophant Green｣, but if those were delivered by ｢Star Platinum｣ itself, then the speed and the strength could easily prove to be cumbersome to receive even if blocking. Despite the years, the close-quarter Stand proved once again that he was as ferocious and strong as back when Jotaro had just begun learning how to harness his Stand's might. The rocks further lessened the pressure he initially managed to impose on his enemies, his attention completely shifting into a defensive mindset… which soon proved to be the position they wanted him to be in. The destruction of the rocks created dark dust that was further spread in front of him by his effort of deflecting the dark blades as the tougher and thin weapons further created gusts of wind that caused the little black curtain in front of him. A smokescreen that was swiftly used by the only element that had remained quiet during the entire ordeal.


Praising where it was due, Kakyoin felt awed as he saw the strange monk-like woman rise above the smoke, reaching his current height and delivering an upward strike that forced him to descend thrice as fast as he had. A minor hit, he mistakenly thought, expecting for it to be just a cautious approach from his foes… but this too proved to be a fatal flaw in his understanding. A kick on the side of his head reminded him that in the lower areas there were two individuals he wasn't exactly planning to face this closely. With the bluette waking him up in such a violent manner from his lagging planning, Kakyoin knew he was stuck in quite the unflattering position.


If on the right he had the girl that had just hit him, on the left ｢Star Platinum｣ was getting in range to pummel him and the one responsible for this development diving towards him to deliver more damage, the only possible solution was one and only one.


He used ｢Hierophant Green｣ to increase the pace of his own descent, making sure that he wasn't destroyed by Jotaro and that the approaching Servant didn't get the chance to have a second opportunity to hit him. The situation was easily escalating against him, depriving him of the chance to counterattack and, furthermore, limiting his capacity to move out of that difficult predicament he was fighting against.


This is good. He thought with an inner smile growing inside his head. As expected, Jotaro didn't lose any tactical effectiveness in a state of duress. Very impressive and very relieving as it meant he was still vigilant for any major threats such as the one they were both stuck with. His wonder rekindled by his second demise now approaching, he thought of his old friend's life. Did he marry someone? He had to be roughly 24 at this time and since he was wearing a specific outfit meant for a restrained number of jobs, he could tell that it was something that allowed him to work, do jobs for the Speedwagon Foundation and hopefully get some quality time with his wife and… his children.


A silent whine entered his main, cursing fate for having bound him in a realm of refusals where he couldn't even witness Jotaro, Polnareff, or even Joseph go through their lives. A pitiable sigh left his lips as he kept on giving his minimum in that battle. There wasn't a truthful reason to be fighting his own friend, and just that command was forcing him to do something instead of standing still and taking the brunt of that combined assault. The lowest floor beckoned, and the redhead knew that it was time for them to go through the extra step needed to complete the mission, to make sure that the rest of the world is spared by the monstrosity that was Francesca Prelati.


｢Hierophant Green｣ acted instinctively as soon as the ground came too close to them. The Stand carefully set the stretchy escape for his User, the humanoid swiftly shoving Kakyoin away into a safer spot where to formulate new plans. It wouldn't take too long, he concluded, and it was about time this crazy nightmare of a wild ride came to an abrupt end.


While he had advantages even now that they all had solid footing, Kakyoin's interest in pursuing better chances for his old friend to succeed with his mission plummeted as soon as he saw Jotaro rush at him despite the warnings extended by the two women. He was hellbent in being the one to end him and… Kakyoin couldn't have asked for better. Two Emerald Splashes ensued, but both were unfocused enough to grant Jotaro an easy time dodging the attacks and bring him close enough to dispatch ｢Star Platinum｣ to finally end it all.


The beating came as expected, but the brutality that he remembered seeing Jotaro exert upon his opponents once those were exposed to the main quality of his Stand was no longer there. The pain existed, but it wasn't so vicious and angry as before, it was one coming out of a sense of urgency and a need to not be too intense about it considering the circumstances. And Kakyoin was thankful for this, so much that a brief 'thank you' left his lips as his body was damaged by the assault.


The last punch completed the beauty of that massacre, and he was sent rolling away due to this. Feeling his soul faltering, his body started to glow golden as the daze of death shrouded part of his consciousness. Jotaro glanced, his usual mask breaking once again and this time remaining a clear display of sorrow as he saw his friend, one of those he failed to save back then, die once again due to the cruelty of the circumstance. The redhead hummed and closed his eyes, allowing death to claim his soul once more, but not before letting him say this once more.


"T-Thank you… Jotaro-kun."


Recognition flashed upon the fellow Stand User's blue eyes as he watched his friend vanish from this world once again. The tragic development left Jotaro shaken, but not deterred from the main mission at hand. The 'obstacle' had been removed from their path to the Grail and, as he walked up to Caster and Bow, his attention was aimed at the two as they had moved in the opposite direction than the one he took, their shocked gazes aimed to the end of that tunnel. And for good reasons. Beyond the end of that rocky hall, the massive 'theater' created to house the Grail was glowing with red lines as the massive golden-colored container was cracking as a dark substance sluggishly poured down to the ground and formed a disgusting dark puddle that bubbled and produced an unpleasant miasma. The Holy Grail, an object by many defined as the holiest item in Christianity, was bleeding black mud. A form of corruption, of inner darkness that revealed how bad the situation really was.


As he stepped forth and started to approach the humming witch, Francesca paused from her machinations, clearly doing something with the mud. Open bottles were thrown inside. Then papers, and ultimately some ingredients. A ritual of sort, he deduced, but he was far from realizing how bad of a ritual this one was going to be.


"Jotaro-kun! You're here and… I assume you killed your close friend. Poor Kakyoin-kun wanted just to help me with this endeavor, shame on you," Francesca greeted maliciously, still smiling deviously as she spurned the Master and Stand User. "Are you planning to do the same thing as last time? Let his parents fail to know how their son died? Allowing his memory to be a private thing for your selfishness and those of your 'friends'?"


Gritting his teeth, he restrained a response. He didn't need to give her what she wanted. Instead, he just kept on walking towards her, ignoring the fact that large figures were emerging from the mud surrounding the Greater Grail. Monstrous headless entities that were barely humanoid, with horns and sharp ends forming by their shoulders and their knees. Tall, roughly the size of three average-sized men combining their height. Dread filled his mind at just watching the disgusting development, but he still pushed on as he knew there wasn't much of a choice.


Caster followed his steps, same for Bow as both women were as ready as he was to bring an end to this disaster.


The room trembled as a massive hole was created just on the right side of the entrance, with several figures entering inside and… proving to be the help the trio had been waiting for. He recognized Kiritsugu, Saber, Kirei, Assassin, Waver and Rider… and even more. Servants, some familiar due to how similar they looked to some of the Servants and the Masters… but only one spoke for all.


"Apologies for the delay… Jotaro-san," The slim figure with long hair that reminded him much of the Master of Rider spoke. "I believe there is a world that needs to be saved… from the revival of Gigantomachia."


"The correct term is 'Hell on Earth', Caster-kun," Francesca purred. "A world reborn as the harshest and scariest place- a place where the strongest can live, where cunning can prosper… and a place for me to enjoy developing from a kind of Hell to another!"


That was her intention, they all conceded. A depraved world for a depraved woman.


But before her, the world aimed for the craziest alliance possible, but also one that had high chances of survival and victory. She knew it, visible through the hint of uneasiness within her devious smile. The absolute victory she imagined crumbled as her odds were now stacking her at a 50/50 circumstance. Upsetting, but far from defeat.


Knowing this was going to be fun regardless of how this was going to develop, Francesca chuckled and spoke up mirthfully.


"Let's make the best of this war then, friends of mine!"


And soon the conflict for reality as a whole was initiated.


--------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------


Dio scoffed before his own wounds. The ferocity displayed by Jonathan and his Stand made it troublesome for him to get a chance to think about this.


It was clear that Francesca had bolstered the already strong Servant with Command Seals to further impose his current behavior. ｢The World｣ was strong, but far from being able to deliver a mighty counter to the stubborn defense exerted by that version of ｢Hermit Purple｣ Jonathan was using. Strong, powerful, and a deadly way to stop and devastate the World he wanted to create. Annoyance perked before this frustrating matter, and so he decided to waste no time in employing everything this body allowed him to use.


Vampire abilities were needed to further aid his win due to how problematic Stand-wise the battle was turning on him. The blond had faced plenty of deadly enemies, but this was the first time one as memorable as Jonathan became as infuriating as he was being right now. Why? As much as JoJo had been the one that had personally hunted him down to take revenge for his father's demise, he hadn't been as intensely involved into the combat. Where was the modest pacing? Where was the need to take a moment to charge his Hamon?


The answer was as unflattering a Vampire could imagine. Jojo's breathing was steady despite how fast they were moving around the entire manor. It was impressive enough he was keeping up with him, but Dio was worried about another issue. The Stand Jonathan was using, which he ultimately decided to nickname ｢Violent Sage｣, allowed the man to keep his regular breathing stable despite the frenzy they were dealing with. The Stand itself was a conductor for Hamon, which made any approach of his with ｢The World｣ fairly high-damaging if not suicidal. Using his Space Ripping Stingy Eyes, the ranged attack actually succeeded to tear into Jonathan's defenses. The Servant gave a pained yelp, gritting his teeth in clear suffering, but remaining determined into defeating the old enemy of his.


Dio would have lauded his efforts if it wasn't blatant how a good part of it came through those upsetting Command Seals. It made any attempt to feel amused by these accomplishments… missing. It wasn't the situation he imagined being part of in case Jonathan was resurrected. Somehow. In fact, this entire ordeal sickened him to a higher degree about Francesca. Their rematch should have been on equal ground, the forces of 'good' against 'evil'. And yet it was all torn apart by that foolish witch's demented mind. Jojo wasn't meant to be used as a tool to kill him. He refused to submit his own primary antagonist to that kind of label. It was frustrating, irking, and it set him in a vicious and mean streak. One that had little effect on the battle due to how resilient Jojo's Stand proved to be.


"Dio, you will die by my hand! And with you, all the horrible deeds you have committed."


If only he knew of the bastard children I created through his body… I wonder what his reaction would be.


But it was best to not entertain that amusing detail out of the chances of him actually perishing and losing a good element to Pucci's own plans over the Heavens. Without wasting time to continue this one-sided conversation, Dio moved to the living room, making sure that the light hadn't somehow reached that room. His luck was high from the shadowed place he was greeted with, but for Jojo, this would soon become a real trouble as Dio decided to employ a simple trick to deal with him.


Jonathan barely noticed the chandelier placed just above his head, and he sure failed to grasp the importance of knives despite the fact those would hardly do anything against him even if they hit him properly. His Servant-like body prevented conventional weapons from handling damage, but it was a distraction the thing that Dio was going for. Taking aim, the knife he had in his hand easily soared upward and cut through the chain keeping the large construct of brass sitting above their heads.


｢Violent Sage｣ swiftly moved to grasp the chandelier before it would crash onto Jonathan's upper body, but it left Jonathan's unable to deflect a swift dual-beam from Dio's eyes. The powerful attack tore right through the muscle of Jonathan's right arm, leaving two big holes right below his shoulder but still above his elbow. This time there was no yelp as Jojo had to actually flinch at the pain and pause a moment to recoil because of it. The opportunity Dio needed as he called forth ｢The World｣ and used his ability.


"｢The World｣! Toki yo tomare!"


Jonathan's eyes widened and he tried to stretch his range by unleashing some vines through ｢Violent Sage｣, but it proved futile as the time-stop happened just moments away before he could reach Dio and interrupt the ability's full activation. A frustrated grin on his face as he prepared to finally end Jonathan's pitiful opposition.


That was the plan… before his glee was cracked in half by the vines still moving through the time-stop. He moved away just in time, giving himself the chance to study this dreadful discovery and understand the terrible situation he was in. Not as terrible as imagined as Jonathan's body was stuck in the ability, it was only his Stand acting out within it.


Which meant that overwhelming it through physical attacks now was possible and needed to win. Dio proceeded with this alteration to the early plan, rushing to deliver a combined beating together with ｢The World｣. ｢Violent Sage｣ tried to fight off the double assault, but it was soon decimated by the strikes, further adding to Dio's seemingly-won battle. Yet, as Dio prepared to finally attack Jonathan and end this, his eagerness crumbled with a single hamon-powered fist slamming on his face. Jojo had somehow broken through his time-stop.


While part of him quickly jumped to the theory that it was just like Jotaro, the truth couldn't be further than what he imagined. It was clear his 'body' was resonating with Jonathan's current one. It offered a connection, a strained but still open one. One that gave him just enough to break through the limitations and allow him to infiltrate Dio's World through that mere 'bond'. Dio had failed to realize this and it felt to him like his own arrogance had set him up for good for another defeat.


The punch burned part of his chin and lower mouth, sending him slamming onto the wall behind him. His throat was hurting and the agony was leaving him unable to move away from the trouble. Part of the concrete came off, slamming further upon him but doing little to the damage and pain he was in. Just as Jonathan advanced, wounded but seemingly victorious, his approach was swiftly interrupted as his body tensed up in a mixture of pain and dread.


A loud sigh ensued, coming from right behind Jonathan. Dio's eyes gained interest at this detail, recognizing the familiar noise and smiling as he was confirmed that it was indeed the only ally he could rely on in this situation.


"Your victory… is not assured, Jonathan Joestar," Pucci mused with a degree of annoyance. "Your time here is long overdue, and I shall not have you kill my friend."


The Joestar's gaze was chilling. "F-Friend?"


But no answer was offered as Jonathan's body went limp as soon as ｢Whitesnake｣ finished pulling the disc with Jonathan's soul and Stand. There was silence at first as both priest and vampire tried to understand if Jonathan had died or not. After a short while, the blond sighed, staring back at his loyal friend.


"Enrico… I remember asking you to remain with Rin."


He nodded, understanding that the fellow Stand User wasn't mad for his intervention, but because he had to drop his other duties to be there. There was no irritation, no frustration, except somber disappointment. Dio couldn't be mad, not when he was saved through that act of disobedience, and the priest knew that.


"I was merely taking a… break for the bathroom. I saw the situation and I acted to aid you in that unpleasant battle."


…


"Thank you, Enrico."


"I believe I should retrieve some blood bags. Five should suffice."


A nod, the human left the vampire momentarily as Dio took this chance to contemplate how lucky his arrival had been. It was clear that Pucci had a great sway of destiny within him, making him even more important than he imagined early on. With that confirmed, his mind moved elsewhere.


Hopefully the battle against Francesca was coming to an end so he could finally handle the finalization of his current ambitions.


---------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-------


The ground started to shake and it was clear that something big was happening inside the cave. Sakura wasn't planning to disobey her father through logical reasoning, yet her sense of worry and her own dread were slowly but steadily making her capacity to ignore the matter fairly impossible.


It didn't help that Risei had started to comment about the situation at hand. Despite not having much experience with magic, he mentioned something about the phenomenon feeling familiar but worse than what he felt during the last Holy Grail War. This meant much, and also not since the child wasn't that well-versed in that kind of topic, but she could tell from Joseph's own scowl that this wasn't a good situation. Far from it. The trembling didn't stop, but it somehow stabilized. The same couldn't be said about the girl's uneasiness. Part of her really wanted to remain as she had promised her father but…


Sakura couldn't do that, not when her concerns were rising so exponentially. Mentioning that she wanted to stay on the ground since she didn't like the situation, Joseph allowed her feet to touch the irregular floor. She didn't bolt at once, feeling like she had to gauge the proper earth-shake and know if she could make a run for it without tripping and making a fool out of herself by ruining her attempt early on. Huffing, the girl prepared, her bubbling bravado giving her the rush needed to finally leave the proximity of both elders and Shinji.


Risei was the first one to react, followed by Joseph. The latter tried to grab her by using the strange purple vines that could stretch far and wide, but the trembling on the ground made the aiming a process way too difficult to achieve on the spot. Something that gave Sakura the chance to easily rush inside the entrance that her father and Caster had entered several minutes earlier. She felt her heart beating loudly right by her throat as she realized how much of a maze the cave really was. Gulping nervously, she tried to go by instinct, her chest almost blocked by a knot forming right below her neck as she noticed part of the floor nearby had collapsed and… that some strange lights were coming through the latest visible section way below where she was.


It was too big of a fall for her to make it. It felt like the stop she couldn't break due to how high it was and… she wasn't going back. Huffing and pouting with a serious look, Sakura wasn't planning to back down from her decision. No matter how naughty it felt in the great scheme of things, the girl wasn't going back and she willed for a solution to happen. Just as she imposed this, her eyes widened and her posture tensed when she felt strong but warm hands manifest by her shoulders, holding onto her tightly as she was initially lifted up and then arched slowly but steadily towards her destination. Shock ultimately urged her to look back, and pause before the shadow that had helped her. It was the same that she had 'used' against Francesca. The same that appeared in her dreams as a protective blanket to keep Zouken away and free her from her nightmares.


It was helping her and… she knew it had a name. She felt it pending by the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't say it. 'Not yet', she thought for some reason, but that didn't stop her from advancing. The child was a little nervous, the ground was shaking the most as she approached the epicenter of the loudness and of the grand illumination. The girl was bestowed with a great scene of fighting. She saw so many familiar figures, so many friendly faces and… horrible monsters clashing against those that were friends of her father. Tension just roused as she noticed her father too. He was a little bruised, clutching his left arm as it was clear that it had been struck by the behemoth he was facing.


Despite the pain, the strong and tall man was fighting off the dangerous monster and doing his best to win. It wasn't fair that her father was suffering for the amusement of the already-cackling Francesca. The mud below the grand golden creation, the Grail, was producing more of those hideous fiends and… Sakura wasn't going to allow this. The pull was stronger than before, with more intensity and a strange intention that seemed to coax her to reach the Grail.


Something was calling to her, a silent voice and… it was promising genuine help. Without hesitation, the girl allowed for the bubble that seemed to form within her to finally burst as she felt the very shadow that had helped her manifest again and prepare to go through the plan the child had in mind. Eyes narrowing in a determined light, she aimed her left index finger at the objective and… she called the shadow to act.


"｢One Vision｣!" Sakura exclaimed in a language that wasn't Japanese. It didn't matter to her how odd it felt to pronounce those words, but it felt meaningful for her to do so as the shadow bolted from her proximity and right towards the grail, dodging all the fights, ignoring all the threats, and ultimately cocking its right fist to slam onto its target.


"Ora!"


The punch slammed onto the surface of the grail, the impact loud enough to stop for just a moment all the fighting, but not enough to crack the massive construct from the looks of it. Despite the lack of damage onto it, Francesca was tense and she suddenly worried as she swiftly rushed towards ｢One VIsion｣, easily noticing that something 'inconvenient' was unfolding.


The battle continued despite the fact that something had changed with that seemingly insignificant move. Sakura's consciousness faltered, her mind growing light as her thoughts disappeared without a clear reason. She blinked, she tried to keep awake but... She felt tired, yet her body was fine. Something was… pulling her away from her current position. And she couldn't fight it back as she was yanked right into a strange place… a place that felt just like…


Heaven.


Sakura blinked awake, her eyes widening as she felt suddenly pulled in a calm and pleasant embrace. A motherly one, just like the ones Caster would give her. She instinctively nuzzled at the adult grasping her in such a way, taking a moment to realize that the lady in question was… familiar to the one she had seen with that grumpy strange man that her adoptive father had allied himself to.


"Hello child," The white-haired woman with red eyes greeted. Her gaze was blank, yet curiosity and wonder filled her red pools for some reason, as if entertained by the little girl's arrival. She was wearing a pretty white dress that matched with her white hat. She looked like a gorgeous priestess, yet one that was as saddened as unable to voice her unhappiness.


"H-Hi."


The world around them finally gained color and detail. A garden, one filled with so many different flowers. The lady was kneeling down so she could give Sakura a proper lap pillow and… why was she here?


Sakura stood up, gaining a hum from the woman. "Are you… willing to help your family and those that are in peril right now?"


"W-What? Who are… who are you?"


She sighed. "Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern. Or… what is left of her," The woman introduced herself flatly. "You were part of Nagato Tohsaka's clan, then you were moved to Zolgen Makiri's clan… I found this situation fairly ironic as it would seem you have successfully met with all three founding families in a friendly manner."


…


"What?"


"I suppose you're confused by the situation. Right now, we are within a section of the grail, a fail-safe part that was added to prevent external infiltration and tampering. The world as you know it is currently facing a terrible threat, one caused by the woman behind your current plight."


"Sh-She was trying to do something with… the grail."


Sakura remembered hearing Jotaro mention how Francesca was going to do something terrible, but nothing that he could say for sure due to how little was known about the horrible woman. But now, the truth was before her and… she didn't like it.


"Her plan is to turn the world in a living hell. A place where humanity can't live peacefully within, subverting any chance of the original purpose of this tool of justice," Justeaze explained with a serious voice. "The Grail's original purpose was to grant peace to the world. A dream that was endorsed by its creators and there was a high expectation to materialize such ambition within the realm of possibility."


"B-But?"


"But it didn't work," Justeaze admitted. "While it was meant for Zolgen to win the First War, someone else did. A naive magus that, while clueless on how everything was meant to work, refused to accept this as his wish."


The child frowned. "Why not?"


"He argued that… peace shouldn't be something that can be achieved with ease. It was a change that just couldn't be retained without sacrifice, without hard work and… without free will," The woman replied. "We argued within the grail, I tried to make my arguments solid towards his own list of reasons, but he proved to be wiser and… I couldn't help but bestow him the title of Truest in Heaven."


…


"Yet this tale isn't as important to the situation as I would want. Here the world is facing a threat, one that could end every life and… I need you to be the instrument of a new Era, young Kujo," Justeaze started to explain. "Your current… Stand, ｢One Vision｣, isn't strong enough to face the problem before you and your family. But I'm willing to make a deal to boost your current potential and grant you the capacity to win against our common enemy… only if you swear an oath to me."


A frown appeared on Sakura's face. "An… An oath?


"The power I will give you is… a fraction of what the Grail is capable of. What is left untouched by the corruption left behind my foolish members of my own family," The woman elaborated. "I wish for you to swear upon your ideals, upon your truthfulness and upon your soul that… you will at least give a try to bring peace in this world."


"Peace? You mean that… I need to focus only on it?"


"No. Sadly I've… discovered it's a path that one can take without risks. Idealism, without a moderation, can bring the smartest and wisest man to insanity," Justeaze argued. "But I know you, as a person, have the heart to try and do your best. To try and bring forth an end to those conflicts that hurt and savage the Earth we live in."


Sakura didn't have much of a choice. While she was fine with this deal, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing from it. As if something was just… off about it. Too easy, she thought after having learned the hard way that nothing is that simple. And yet, despite her reluctance, she knew that it was for something good and… that there wasn't any other decision to take.


"I… I swear I will try."


The woman smiled, it was soft and missing much of the warmth many mothers would deliver through those gestures… yet she felt hope, and pride. The pretty lady leaned down, planting a soft kiss upon her forehead and giving her 'warmth'. It was something nice, something powerful and something that felt right. Her eyes closed as something pulled away and...


The dream ended with a sigh as Sakura felt her body warming up with new energies.


One blink, and the child was back where she had left and… the mud was burning, same for the monsters her father and his friends had been fighting until that moment. The sight was impressive, but not as much as the one replacing her current Stand. The dark shadow with red details had been replaced with a white one. It looked as if it had been made with the same fabric as the one used for the clothes worn by Justeaze. Just as she finished noticing this, her attention was stolen by Francesca herself, the woman now standing over her and giving her an intense look.


"H-How did you do that?" The woman demanded heatedly, her smile alternating with a scowl from time to time. "How did you break it? How did you ruin it? Tell me! I demand it!"


…


Taking a long sigh, Sakura felt the need to be… tough. To show to this scary lady that she wasn't getting pushed around and she knew just what to say and do to send the point across. Taking the closest expression she could to her adoptive father, she scoffed.


"Yare Yare Daze, you're so… annoying."


"Wha-!"


Francesca didn't have much of a chance as she felt her body crack. She knew at first hint of pain, that this wasn't the usual fight, the ones where she could get out with some luck and planning. No, the glorious beating she was blessed with was, albeit far from the one bestowed by ｢Star Platinum｣ and ｢The World｣, quite powerful and more than enough to send her to her newest death.


"OraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraORAAA!!!!"


The deadly barrage culminated with one last punch on the face that sent her soaring towards the Greater Grail, forcing her body to break through the construct as it seemed to catch fire on its own. The fiery flames that had purged the mud were now destroying her body, eliminating her current record and setting her back to Square Zero with that demise.


Sakura's breath grew irregular as she stared at the spectacle while her body felt the brunt of that power. There was a catch, she had failed to realize that it was tied to the cost behind such ability and, as she fell down, she saw Jotaro rushing towards her to stop her collapse.


At least… the world is safe, a tired Sakura thought as she just abandoned herself to that tiredness.


---------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------


AN


Kakyoin's demise, Dio is 'saved' by Pucci and… Sakura's Stand(s) to save us all.


Let's see the stats.


Name: ｢One Vision｣
Physical Description: Same appearance as one of Dark Sakura's Shadows;
Type: All-Around Range
Stats:
Destructive Power – C
Speed – A
Range - ???
Stamina – E
Precision – B
Developmental Potential – A
Ability: Unknown


Name: ｢One Vision: EX｣
Physical Description: Same appearance as one of Dark Sakura's Shadows, except of white instead of dark color as full body;
Type: All-Around Range
Stats:
Destructive Power – Unknown
Range – Unknown
Stamina – Unknown
Precision – Unknown
Development Potential – Null
Ability: Wishcraft (Fragment of the Heaven's Feel): The ability to acquire a specific set of powerful Stats and Powers for a short amount of time. Due to its impressive potential, the Stand can be barely used in a combat situation.

 

[Kreuzritter]

It was at this moment, Francesca Prelati knew...

She'd fucked up.

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue A: The Red Shroud that ties Us


Rome, Italy.


It's been a few months now since she started to go to elementary school, and yet Caren Hortensia hardly liked the change in pace compared to what she grew to appreciate from kindergarten. Smart as she might be compared to many of her peers, the girl was still someone that didn't like big shakes when she was aboard the boat she thought was school. School was so… interesting. But also so unpleasant with how intense it tended to be. Everything just seemed to just get more difficult the more she thought a determined status quo was going to stay there for long. She didn't like the suddenness of the difficulty, and she disliked even more when the teacher decided to praise her so much for her 'brilliancy' and set her up to handle her bullies.


Caren was taught by her grandparents to never hate people, for it was the first step of many sins by the Lord's rule… yet she couldn't fault herself much despite the guilt behind her actions as she held the greatest amount of contempt a child of her age and size could muster up for a bunch of mean jerks. It was unavoidable, with their actions left unpunished, hate just felt the most appropriate and even though it had been made clear by their teachers plenty of times already that her body was frailer than others, they just kept bullying her. Books were a safe haven from the upsetting reality, yet fairy tales had long lost their attraction after delusions had left the young girl with cynical understanding a happy ending was unattainable. At least, not the way she desired it.


One time she imagined that instead of the usual guard hired by the Hortensia family, someone else would have taken her home. Her real home. She wanted someone to be like the smiling men and women that came to school to pick their children. She once dreamed of her father coming to pick her up and tell her that there was a chance to be really happy. But, just like many disappointments, that dream remained a dream. An empty, disappointing dream that easily burned up her hope for a higher chance at living. To be spoiled rotten by a loving family, to be given the affection she had seen being given so unconditionally to children from parents and that she had craved to be subjected.


A huff left the child's lips as she wondered why it was taking so long today for someone to come and pick her up from the school. Sitting by the small step right in front of the main building's entry, golden eyes stared silently at the words within the book she was reading. It's been a while since she started to wait and… boredom had urged her to do something to prevent herself from growing annoyed with the current circumstance. It sure felt odd that it was taking so long, but perhaps it was somehow tied to the rain and how traffic tended to behave with the weather.


Despite her rare chances of wandering the streets of the Italian capital, it wasn't unusual for her to notice the many accidents that tended to happen whenever it was raining or snowing. The roads were just so damaged and filled with so many holes. It was almost surprising for cars to not end up in more trouble than they would usually. This very idea was also fueled by the lamentation coming from her own grandfather regarding the many issues that situation tended to create for his business. While a devout catholic, the strict elder was quite… colorful with his speech. Some words Caren didn't know until she decided to check the dictionary and… she regretted making these searches. But she also grew fairly bold with those due to how 'naughty' those words were in normal instances. It made her wonder how much of a trouble it would cause if one of the bullies ended up saying it with a teacher nearby.


The girl remembered when she first heard her grandmother bring up how 'children were not meant to be this uncouth' when she ended up hearing some boys use these words loudly and without a care for the world. It was clear that youths shouldn't have been saying this kind of word and… she was given proof of it earlier that day, when she decided to set the annoying trio to a trap. It took some persuasion and some acting, but the girl was smiling eye-to-eye when the bullies were caught off-guard by the yelling coming from the red-faced Math teacher when he heard them say these words.


They tried to shift blame on the girl, but they couldn't just bring up this matter without highlighting the bullying. Caren was already a renowned loner with no friends, so it would appear quite suspicious if three boys started to hang out around a girl out of nowhere only to accuse her of such a nefarious ordeal. Punishment came in the form of a disciplinary note each and their parents being called and told about what happened and why they risked suspension if their behavior wasn't fixed. It was a pleasant resolution, but she doubted they were going to leave her alone once the trouble had gone away. But at the time, she knew she would have a plan to deal with that issue too.


Her musing was abruptly interrupted as Caren heard footsteps approaching. A tall man wearing a priest outfit was walking towards the entrance. He didn't look much as she peeked up from her book and right to his body. He was way too tall for her to actually look even more up, deciding to not check his face and rule out he was just a passing preacher or even a new teacher. But instead of passing by her and entering the building… he stopped.


'Maybe he thinks I should not be here?' The child thought quietly, expecting for the man to eventually move and let her be… but he didn't. The man remained, seemingly interested in her or something. It took her a moment to realize that this could be the man her grandparents might have sent to retrieve her this time around. She slowly closed her book once she had left the bookmark on the page she had been reading and… she looked up.


Caren could only blink as she noticed one strange thing from the man's expression. There was something familiar in his piercing eyes that just exuded of curiosity and intrigue all aimed towards her. Something she had seen before but… she was quite sure that she never saw this man in particular from the first memory she could remember. He looked fairly young for a priest, but even with that appearance screaming youthful, the girl spotted a hint of 'maturity' hanging right behind his eyes.


"Caren Hortensia," He merely muttered. It wasn't a question, but an affirmation of sorts and it gained her attention. Did he know her? Maybe it was before she could walk or talk?


"Who are you?" She ultimately asked, deciding to cut the chase and get done with this waiting. Cynical she might be, but patience wasn't her greatest strength.


"My name is Kirei Kotomine. I am an… old family's friend."


Her head tilted to the side, her curiosity spurned by such a mysterious individual. At first glance one could easily think of him as a dangerous person. His stare was so intense and piercing… yet he lacked will or intent to maim or hurt. It was something that Caren could discern from personal experience. It was common for her to be described as someone 'malicious' when she was paying utmost attention to something she liked. So much that, when it was time for her favorite subjects, she tended to appear rather ominous with the teachers of said subjects. It wasn't her fault for her glancing to be this intimidating, yet she couldn't fault anyone as she decided to try and see if she looked really that terrifying about it. And the answer was a sad 'yes'.


Right now that treatment could have applied to the man, but she knew better than just judging someone from the way they looked. Instead of worrying about that, the child moved to the more pressing question before either confirming her suspicions that he was the one sent by her family to pick her up or not.


"Did my grandfather send you to bring me back home?"


"No," He replied flatly, his response catching the child off-guard as a hint of worry now entered her mind about having failed to catch any clue of danger from within the man's current mood. "But I've been assigned to retrieve you for school and be brought back home."


She eased down at that second half, nodding slowly as she calmly stood up from the ground and waited for the man to take the lead and take her back home at once. But instead of just starting to walk, the man, Kirei, crouched down on one knee and…


"Why?" Caren asked with a confused tone. "Isn't that… too… much?"


"Your shoes are hardly meant to walk with the puddles around and your clothes don't offer any cover from the rain," The brunet quickly listed out, sounding quite proper and precise. "It would be careless of me to allow someone as young and fragile as you to walk around without appropriate clothing, so I will carry you for the time being."


…


"Okay."


She could have just pressed for more, she could have just urged him to just give her the umbrella since she was the one he had to protect and… maybe she could have just passed the time during the talk to dodge the puddles. It wasn't like this was a problem for her, the weather was always strange for the season, so she knew better how to handle it on her own but…


She just was curious about his height. Call it childish curiosity, or perhaps it was a legitimate question for someone her age without anyone ever carrying her this close. She saw many children liking being carried around since it was the 'best way' to move around for many of her peers. And that curiosity was concluded with a resounding success when she was lifted up and brought her close to him. Right ear pressing on his chest and body curled in a comfy way near his source of warmth, Caren's eyes widened out of shock at how pleasant it all felt. Was this why children liked to be kept like this?"


"Are you comfortable, Caren?"


So direct, blunt… it really tickled a positive chord within her. Normally she liked when people kept things simple and easy to understand. She might be smart but… that didn't mean she craved only for complicated things. She wanted simplicity as much as she wanted difficult stuff to push her mind on.


She slowly nodded. "Yes."


"Then let us move at once," Kirei proclaimed as the two were soon moving. Caren's early plans to just look around and allow the height to provide for a pleasant sight during the warm ride started to falter the moment a curtain of sleep started to wrap around her. The cold being clashed by the warmth, the boredom shredded by the most interesting sound she had the chance to listen. A sound she couldn't help but remember as her eyelids started to softly drop.


Ba-Dump.


Ba-Dump.


She held up as much as possible, knowing how embarrassing it was going to be to then explain why she fell asleep like that. It would have been so shameful and yet she didn't seem to mind for some reason. Everything faded as it remained just her and the tall man… and a third individual she knew wasn't supposed to be there. Barely looking at her left, she could only wonder if that was her… mother. She had the same pretty white hair as hers and her uncovered eye had a kind golden shade to it.


Isn't she precious, Kirei? Look… she likes when you're holding her, my dear.


So caring, so kind and… it was a memory. And that woman, the one she could only assume was her mother… called Kirei so affectionately. But that didn't make any sense. Why would her mother entrust her only child to a priest? Why would someone like Kirei be given that chance if not because…


Ba-dump.


Ba-dump.


Her eyes finally closed as only a single word managed to leave her lips before she succumbed to the pleasant embrace that she was bestowed.


"Dad..."


And while Caren dreamed of this as only a vision of hope that remained after so long, she failed to notice that Kirei Kotomine, her father, had gained a small smile that managed just enough to not crash the entire blank expression on his face. When the man ended up reaching his own father, Risei, by the main street connected to the Hortensia Manor, he had to explain why he was struggling so much to hold back from smiling.


The tears were but a mirthful reminder of nature that he was a human being after all. And he was going to be the best one possible for his daughter from now on.


--------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------


AN


First of five epilogues. Kirei finds a closure to his route and begins a new journey for the sake of his daughter.


I will drop a list of which characters the epilogues are going to be dedicated to here so I spare some confusion from readers:


A) Kirei/Caren;


B) Emiya Family;


C) Tohsaka/Pucci;


D) Xuanzang;


E) Sakura Kujo;

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue B: Peace of the Few


Kiritsugu Emiya was… content.


The mere idea of being fully satisfied for once left him partly baffled at the concept of true peace and calm in his life. It's been just two years since what happened in Fuyuki, and yet things had gone so quiet so smoothly. Sitting by the kotatsu with the newspaper of today set on the wooden surface just beside the warm cup of coffee Iri had prepared for him, the man took a moment to sip at the mug and think more about how things had gone ever since the Grail had been destroyed.


Even now he wasn't sure how it happened, nor how young Sakura had managed to 'counter' the corruption of the Grail, but the aftermath was all so clear to him and it all started with Saber's decision to part ways with them. Despite the simple chance of just staying in the world and becoming part of the family, a proposal that had been advanced by Iri rather than Kiritsugu, the blonde just chose to go back to the Throne of Heroes. She mentioned something about 'feeling that it was for the best if she remained to guard for any unexpected resurgence from the corruption'. Although the Greater Grail had been destroyed and the corruption had all been purified, there was no way to tell if anything survived out of it and managed to get into the Throne itself.


A decision that was picked by the rest of the Servants, with Rider being a surprise for Waver Velvet as he would have expected him to linger further than just that War. Yet he conceded that remaining wouldn't be good for him. Saying that 'there was so much to do' and he would have probably 'grown too bored too quickly'. Instead, Rider pointed out that there was someone else that would help him unleash his full potential, and Sola-Ui, former fianceé to Kayneth El-Melloi, agreed to that newest role of hers. 'Just for the sake of teaching the scoundrel some manners', she argued. The young man was surprised, even more so when the woman took charge of their next destination after leaving Fuyuki and deeming it 'necessary and absolutely undeniable' that they would need to travel around the world as Iskandar had told them to. Something Kiritsugu could see a sense of due to how exploring the world and being 'in the open' would do miracles for someone like Waver himself.


Assassin left together with her former leader, with the First Hassan leading the way back to 'their Mountain', while the unknown white-haired girl that had stayed behind for a while merely spoke of 'keeping promises' and threatening repercussions if he didn't uphold his own oaths. Surprisingly enough for Kiritsugu after the few rare encounters with the priest, he noticed the man sporting a familiar smile. A father conceding 'defeat' to his daughter. A smiling Kiritsugu had way too many times displayed before his own little Illya.


The only Servant that remained, much to the surprise of many except her own Master, was Caster. Xuanzang Sanzang, the Monk of the Journey to the West, was interested to see the world again before leaving.


"I have so much to learn or even re-learn. It might sound selfish but… I want to see how many things have changed since I last walked the mortal realm as a simple but humble monk."


It was unusual, but there wasn't much for Kiritsugu to lament about considering that it was a decision Jotaro could take on. The behemoth of a biologist didn't have to worry about 'running out of Prana', not when the source of his power seemed endless about it. And, if Kiritsugu had to be honest, he couldn't exactly complain about anything regarding the Joestar family. Not when one of their members took interest in one of the plights that subsequently grasped both him and Iri. The Einzbern were planning to have them both 'pay the toll' for messing up their plans to conclude the Holy Grail War properly, and even accused them of polluting the truth by advancing 'shameless accusation' to slander the family. A situation that became a proper threat when they mentioned their Boundary Fields having been modified to not allow them any passage.


That was an unpleasant development, but one that didn't last long about as soon as Joseph Joestar heard of this matter. It hadn't been an idea from Kiritsugu, with the man favoring more… extreme approaches to try and bypass the magical obstacles. Iri had taken a more diplomatic route, mentioning how approaching a Joestar and asking them to act as a representative of 'good will' would have gained Acht's attention and interest. While the family hadn't cooperated much with the Joestar's family, they had done some… shady businesses back in the 30s and the 40s, giving them the chance to meet a particularly rambunctious member of the Wehrmacht. While Kiritsugu never heard of Rudol von Stroheim, the Einzbern Clan had paid an intense attention to this kind of man. He was one of few individuals that had experienced radical body modifications to become an effective 'war machine' against Germany's enemies. He had died somewhere in Stalingrad, yet the impression he left with Acht gave the opening to one Joseph Joestar.


The meeting was allowed as soon as the letter bearing the old man's signature was sent to the Castle, with a date and a specific hour set to 'explore the chances of a settlement'. The trip that followed and the encounter left a curious taste on Kiritsugu's lips regarding the Einzbern's approach to non-Magus but influential figures. Joseph Joestar even went as far as pointing out that he was being watched constantly by the Homunculi working and living at the Castle. Acht was no exception to that rule as he started the meeting by addressing the Joestar's own inclination on the matter.


Much to the surprise of the couple, the old Hamon User was quick to sport the most serious attitude they had seen him react with. A tough nut for sure, and one that impressed and slightly awed Acht when it came to answer truthfully to what happened during the Holy Grail War. The conversation was a quick-paced exchange between the two 'elders', and eventually saw Acht inquiring some of these questions back at the Magus Killer and the former Lesser Grail. There was no lying with their responses, and from the growing scowl in Acht's face, the Golem realized that what had been reported back had been true. The grimace remained even when he received the best offer the couple could advance.


Illya would be given to them, and both her and her mother would lose the 'Einzbern' relation to stop the taint corroding the Family's good name.


The idea was processed by the elder, but a counter-offer was offered and… it felt better than expected considering how 'fair' the previous one had been.


"Illyasviel and Irisviel shall retain the Einzbern name, yet only the youngest shall retain the title of Einzbern Heiress. By this accord, to prevent any intrigue against the heiress, I will forward two guards that shall take care of the assignment."


The idea troubled the two of them, but it was conceded that the two guards were to follow both Kiritsugu's and Irisviel's orders first and foremost to avoid any troublesome 'lag' in the orders' pace. The ones picked for this ordeal were two Homunculi that had been discarded as potential Lesser Grails and as such bore some 'similarities' with Irisviel. Minimal ones, much to Kiritsugu's confusion but it was also tied to their personality.


Sella was the most serious of the duo. Very obedient, and quick to follow through her chores without any complaints. Despite her role being to keep watch over Illya, the woman seemed more concerned in helping Iri through the house chores, almost enjoying going through those. Her partner was fairly the opposite of that, with Leysritt favoring a more laid back attitude compared to Sella's no-nonsense approach to life. Very lazy, tremendously quiet when it came to dialogue, but surprisingly enough wise and perceptive. Both worked well together, and somewhat were fitting well within the household.


The visit having ended positively and Joseph finally taking it upon himself to bring his wife the news they would have a new child to dote in the form of little Shinji, the 'small' Emiya family took a serious choice in moving back to Fuyuki. Speaking of families, Maya was then addressed as he had promised and he offered her the chance to start searching for her own child. While having no experience with children, his former assistant was keen to accept Irisviel's offer to help her out the moment she managed to find her son. The search was going to be a long one, but the young woman had mentioned how recently he got a lead that confirmed that her child was being harbored somewhere in the United States. The Magus Killer offered her tools, hideouts, maps, advice and the chance to talk with someone trustworthy from time to time whenever she needed to discuss important matters.


Kiritsugu felt trusting of the grasp he had of the city and he had a good relationship with the Yakuza's detachment that existed within it. Plus, the house they found there was pleasantly set nearest to Homurahara Academy and could already provide


Enrolling Illya was a priority for next year, yet they still decided to check on the matter as soon as they had settled properly in their new home. The little girl loved the place and was keen to visit the nearby park so she could compare it to the old garden she had grown accustomed with. The two happier parents were quickly received by the principal of the school which provided as much info as possible about elementary school, high school, and even plans to prepare students for the Uni experience once close to conclude their educative plan here in Fuyuki. It was a pleasant goal to keep track of, but even more when that day became the moment the last member of the Emiya family joined. At first Kiritsugu ignored the little redhead wandering alone through the streets of the city, but his wife realized that something was off about the child and… she proved to be correct with her worries when she decided to closely check what was wrong with the young boy.


The child had a few wounds caused by minor burns and he had been wandering around with a high-fever. Just as Irisviel stopped him to ask what was his name, he almost fell down due to her soft push. She quickly lifted him up and realized how barely conscious he was in that very moment. A quick rush to the nearest hospital confirmed their worst concerns regarding his condition.


The child was dehydrated and had indeed been one of the survivors of recent gas leak problems that had caused some fires to spread over some buildings in the city. A mistake caused by some lazy bureaucrat that was currently getting a trial in a few days due to this. The redhead was helped swiftly, and brought to a stable situation. No names, his blood wasn't registered under the hospital's registry and nobody registered in there matched with him. The boy was possibly the son of foreigners, thus missing the proper data to be brought back to his relatives. In this case, it meant he was… alone.


The thought stuck in Kiritsugu's mind for a while as they thought about what to do over this matter. It reminded him so much of what happened to him, but it also struck a stronger chord in Irisviel's mind when it came to give the kid a proper family. Despite his minor opposition to this plan, Kiritsugu relented when Irisviel presented him with a possibility, and one that could work well for their family.


The child woke up disoriented, but also clueless of where he was and what was his own name. The idea was given to him, and he shyly complied with it. Thus Shirou Emiya became Illyasviel's younger brother and the only son to Kiritsugu and Irisviel. The surprise left little Illya wide-eyed when she was introduced to him, and she felt the most pleased when she was told she was the older sibling. Which was a surprise to little Shirou since he was a little bit taller than his new sister.


With that development, things were finally set to leave the Emiya family in a normal life here in Fuyuki as they enjoyed each day with a smile and-


Thump!


A sigh left his lips as he heard multiple loud thumps marching down the staircase and then rushed towards the living room.


"Daaad! Can we go to the beach?" Illyasviel had gained some height due to the healthy lifestyle she was nurtured into. She was still a cute short girl, but Kiritsugu could see that she was going to grow taller the more years passed. Blinking at her request, he folded the newspaper and frowned at her.


"Isn't it a bit too early to visit the beach?" Kiritsugu pointed out, gaining the adorable ire and pout of his oldest child.


"B-But Sakura-chan and Jolyne-chan had gone to the beach. Here, look!" The impatient girl was quick to show the picture she had to have printed from an email. The picture shows a smiling Sakura Kujo, the girl now bearing blue eyes, as she held tightly her giddy-looking little sister. Jotaro could be seen sitting in the nearby towel, reading a book about… fishes. His wife was the one standing over the two girls, with Xuanzang beside her and smiling at the camera.


A classic Kujo vacation, he pondered half-mirthfully before sighing. "I guess we could plan something but… you would have to ask your mo-"


"YES!"


The loud response from Irisviel caught Kiritsugu's off-guard as he noticed it came from right behind him. Wide-eyed, Kerry spared a baffled look as Irisviel was there with a bikini already on, an embarrassed Shirou in her hold and both maids having switched to similar-looking outfits.


A long groan was his only response to that. "I guess we're going then."


"YAY!" Little Illya exclaimed as she rushed upstairs to change to a more appropriate set of clothes while Kiritsugu finished his cup of coffee while pitying little Shirou's magnet for women.


He sure was going to be having quite some troubles by the time he reached adulthood, that Kerry could see without hesitation.


-------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d---------


AN


The Second Epilogue is now over! The Emiya Family is now happily living the dream!

 

[MountainBookSage25]

I am not crying

No

I am not

You have no evidence

I am not crying!

 

[Gargant]

"Living the Dream"

Wait is that a reference to "Love" by Judas Priest?

 

[Kreuzritter]

And now for the Equivalent Exchange for this miracle, Pucci's stewardship over Rin

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue C: Sapphire Gaze over the Heavens


Rin sighed as she should have known her life was far from free when DIO decided to perish on his own. It had baffled her he would have died like this, deciding against using the opportunity granted to him through the Grail. But his reasoning was… correct. A Servant, albeit strong, was still susceptible to manipulation and subjugation from Magi if not able to prevent any trickery aimed at them.


And someone like DIO would prefer to die rather than become a puppet. Again.


She was let go as soon as the Holy Grail War had reached its conclusion, with her return home bringing joy to both her father and mother. Yet, even though Rin could feel a little bit sympathetic with her mom due to her hardships to try and get her back, her love for her father was long dead. As soon as he saw him, a tiny smile on his face and a 'relieved' look plastered all over him, the child felt upset at the man. It wasn't the kind of relief a parent should feel when their child was brought back after getting kidnapped- it was the kind of feeling the head of a magus family would feel when their heir was retrieved. It was politically-driven, it wasn't driven by genuine affection and family-based love.


Rin felt sick at the mere concept of it, of the fact that he had been so right even through his recent demise and… that was perhaps what had made her so compliant to play her part with her parents. Before she had her doubts, she knew that, for the sake of preventing more drama on herself and Sakura, she would have to act about it. Sure, her sister was currently in the safe hands of someone that was behaving better as a father than Tokiomi Tohsaka, but that didn't mean her biological father couldn't still create hassle for her. All for the glorious prestige of the Clan Name.


A sigh, the girl hummed as she recollected how things unfolded in the last two years before getting acquired by Pucci. Her mother died in a car accident as she was visiting her side of the family two months after the situation with the Holy Grail War, while her father would soon follow her after just four months of depression and sorrow 'taking a toll on him'. Rin didn't see what exactly happened, yet she knew some ropes were part of the way the man died. And while the police ruled out both deaths as accidental and suicide-driven respectively, the girl knew it was all Pucci.


Arranging the car accident was easy due to how simple it was to create issues with the brakes and make it seem like it was caused by lack of proper usage of the vehicle. Faking the suicide was a little more complicated, Pucci would admit. First he had to get to know her father. Tokiomi wasn't exactly an individual that trusted individuals with ease, but he was so open and weak when the death of his wife happened and Pucci offered the alternative to despair in the form of therapeutic conversation. He never asked for anything too private, or anything that touched the Moonlit World. It offered help in exchange of so little trust. But that little trust was actually… an opening to see some written documents altered before his ultimate demise.


As the funeral for Tokiomi happened with a small reception since the family was small and Rin's maternal grandparents were unwilling to take part to those after spending years blaming the man for their daughter's unhappiness, she ended up finding her new life with the ominous priest starting with a strangely sweet tone.


"What is this?" She asked flatly, unsure of what she was expected to do with the small book and disk she was provided by the priest.


"DIO asked for you to receive these. A parting gift and the starting point of your role in this glorious path to the Heavens."


Confusion was the first thing that gripped her heart, but then this changed when she discovered the disk smoothly and pleasantly entered her skin without hurting her. A blink, and she could feel something new and… powerful within her core. Another blink, and in front of her a familiar bulky entity manifested. It was the same one used by DIO, his fighting spirit manifested… was now hers to use.


It shocked her that he would leave her such a powerful 'tool', and yet Pucci and the book, which would reveal itself as a diary, gave her a much-needed explanation. The priest announced that the Stand, ｢The World｣, was the key to the ritual that she will have to initiate on her own, a powerful key at that. It was quite mysterious, but the diary offered more insight on the matter and… opened a world about DIO's own mind.


Surprisingly enough considering how little time DIO had for himself to write, the content within the book reached as far as the beginning of DIO's life until that very point. And it was highly-detailed in various aspects. It was DIO's own life and… she could tell there was honesty that DIO wasn't keen to show anyone around him. There was self-bashing early on in the first few skirmishes with a young Jonathan Joestar.


'I could have kept a calmer outlook' or 'I could have made him sick and slowly forced his build to grow weaker and weaker just like I did with his father, but earlier', were some of the more compelling moments where DIO himself admitted that he should have done more than just wait. It was regret she found in these books, but also curiosity and an inhuman exploration of opportunities to achieve the 'Heavens'. It was similar to the Heaven's Feel, but tied to Stands and their ever-growing powers. As she reached this point, Rin looked at the manifestation of ｢The World｣, the colossus standing over her and looking at the Diary from her shoulder. The girl wondered how 'powers' evolved when Pucci's own ability was a single one right now but… she kept on studying. The Diary, Mathematics, Literature, and other subjects that were taught in the schools she frequented in Tokyo.


Pucci refused to tell her why bringing her to Italy wasn't an option, but he mentioned something about two reasons making it unattainable as a choice. Instead Rin remained in Tokyo with him, the modest house they had taken now becoming like the second home she didn't expect to grow fond of. Of course it was smaller than the manor back in Fuyuki but… it was nicer. It was comforting in many aspects as her room felt 'legitimately nicer' and she started to understand more about what kind of mind she had just barely understood in that bizarre kidnapping. Mysterious, malicious, devious, and incredibly cunning.


But DIO's purpose with the Heavens wasn't just world domination, she learned, and part of her was really convinced Pucci didn't even know of this aspect. No, there was much that DIO 'rightfully' kept away from Pucci, but it was mostly because mere friendship couldn't warrant that info. And Rin… didn't know why he was 'telling' her this. Why her? Why was she important to him of all people?


Even after five years since her shift of existence, the little lone Tohsaka girl didn't know why she was the one he wanted to see succeed through this. She read the diary, she tried to find a secret cipher she had missed the first few readings but… nothing. It was so blunt that it almost made her feel stupid to believe there was something underneath the layer offered by the diary's content. It was like a challenge, or a prank- she was more inclined on the latter than the former due to how much of a bastard DIO was regardless of him narrating a mostly 'objective' tale of his existence. The real subjective perspective actually emerged after he became a vampire, when he suddenly defended his decision to put on the Stone Mask at all costs… almost like trying to justify himself at times.


Huffing, the now twelve-years-old girl grumbled over the homework as she realized that she was wasting time musing instead of getting through the annoying task at hand. Scribbling down the last hints of a difficult formula for her math bit, Rin felt convinced that she was about to get a free afternoon after so long. One that she was definitely going to use to study more about Jewelcraft from the books that Pucci recovered from her home about this matter. Albeit disliking her father, Rin's passion for the family ambition still remained in the form of advancing Jewelcraft to a divine tier. It was doable, but she definitely required some high-quality Gems neither she nor Pucci could afford- or rather they could afford it, but the priest alluded that it was for the best to not be wasteful of the coin gained from her father's last will.


With a yawn leaving her lips and a tired gaze aimed at the ceiling, Rin wondered if she also had the time to test out and train 'her' Stand's ability so she could try to catch up to DIO's insane control over time. As of right now, she could only do six solid seconds of Time-Stop, and the fact she got so little out of the five years of working on it was tied to her partial incompatibility with the Stand and the fact Time-Stop was difficult to improve when she started with so little 'Stopped Time' that it barely lasted a second. She was working on it, but she could already tell from Pucci's own admission that she was one step or two above Jotaro's own ability to Stop Time. It baffled her that there was a concept of 'mimicry' within Stands, but… then again, why wouldn't that be actually possible. Absurd as it sounded, it wouldn't be unusual for something that was tied with pure Mystery to evolve into something different. And better.


It wouldn't be a lie to say that ｢The World｣ was also used for Magecraft-related projects and studying, with the seemingly infinite input of Mana it offered, it spared her the trouble of worrying about her own Circuits for the time being. It was a 'life hack' in a certain way, but she was sure wasn't going to keep growing too dependent on that. Looking at how Pucci could remove Stands with his own troublesome ability, she knew that in case she 'strayed from the right way', she would have to worry about losing ｢The World｣ and rely on what her body could manage on its own. Which was why she had tiny projects tied to expanding her Circuits without stupidly hurting her body in the process.


Now why would anyone cannibalize nerves for Circuits? Cheap for sure, but not worth the damage it could cause…


With the homework finally over, Rin's little pause before a lovely afternoon was interrupted by sudden noises coming from… the attic? Her eyes narrowed at the ceiling as she heard a couple of strange sounds from up above. Pucci had yet to return home from his normal preaching, so she knew it wasn't him. Standing up and slowly making her way to the tiny staircase that led to the unused room of the house, she eventually wandered up to check on it. She had ｢The World｣ so she could handle any thieves if there were any to deal with.


But what she found there was… unexpected. And quite concerning.


The man had blond hair that could be seen underneath his bowler hat, black eyes and a slim but athletic shape. The individual was floating, wearing a tie by his neck, with its concentric squares patterns matched by his hat. He had a shirtless, dark, lapelless suit with an ever-changing theme that followed the same as the one of his pants. He was looking around, aimlessly but generally… dull.


"W-What are you?" Rin asked, taking enough courage to face the entity and… the blond looked at her with a pair of curious eyes.


"A ghost," He absently replied, leaving the teen in quite the confused mood considering how weird this encounter was. A ghost? Did Ghosts exist in such a way? Weren't those meant to be entities that didn't exist anymore within the realm of existence after the Age of Gods concluded?


Her lips twitched at the cascade of queries falling over her head and so she decided to press for more answers.


"Why are you here? And how did you find your way to this place?"


A blink, his calm eyes exuded a degree of ominousness that left her a little nervous. Could ｢The World｣ do damage on a Ghost? She definitely never heard of DIO facing one so… that was a really concerning possibility.


"I was… lost. Yet I feel like this place is interesting and comfortable."


A blink. "Comfortable?"


"I don't know, I'm afraid to say. My memories are… currently missing me- yet I find this place pleasant and worthy of checking."


An amnesiac ghost? That made even less sense to her. Didn't… she read something about Ghosts missing memories when their deaths had been too gruesome and traumatic? Despite her musings, the Ghost spoke again.


"Is this your home, girl?"


A nod.


"Apologies then, I wasn't trying to cause a fright. You see… I'm trying to find answers to my questions."


"Like others do," Rin replied with a hint of sass, something that was actually missed by the entity from the lack of reaction to it.


"Indeed. I want to know like others do. Yet my questions are tied to me and how I became this? Do you know, girl?"


"Rin."


He blinked, then smiled. "Understood. Nice to meet you and… do you know me?"


"No. This is… the first time I see you."


"Oh," He looked disappointed, mostly about the circumstance than the girl herself.


"But do you even know what your name is?" The teen asked with a curious tone. "Surely you have to remember that."


Much to her relief and surprise, the blond nodded slowly and smiled.


"Apologies again for being this rude and not introducing myself beforehand. My name is Yoshikage Kira and… I guess I'm a Ghost."


Pucci didn't seem much baffled by the apparition, but he definitely seemed to realize something as soon as he was given the name of the Ghost. In fact, that seemed to be the determining factor for him to allow Kira's stay in the house in exchange for 'assisting Rin through the day'.


So much to draw a scare out of the dull priest? Her boredom in this house sure was endless… and now she had someone to talk to. Great.


-------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----


AN


Rin's life is quite far from normal despite being far from the Joestar family.


Also, to reply to a particularly important question that I believe should be addressed here regarding Ciel, here is an answer: the reason why Ciel doesn't have a Stand despite the fact that she is a Joestar is tied to the ritual that ended up 'making her similar to her original self'. It was tied to her soul and that alteration prevented the formation of a proper Stand considering the implications it implemented within her existence. So yes, Ciel doesn't have a Stand.


Next is… Xuanzang's own situation!

 

[MountainBookSage25]

Shet

From what I see here

Its like in the future Rin's going to be a villain here if she really went through this plan

And Sakura

has to go stop her

Dayum

Family drama much?

 

[Tobi]

This is a good ending.

 

[Gargant]

Rin Over Heaven?

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue D: Peaceful musings over endless learning


The quiet, the peace.


A hum, a sound and a moment of personal satisfaction.


Xuanzang could recall even after so long the chiding of her teacher when she would be so at ease and yet so centered about materialism. It's been so long since meditation into a harmonious state of mind was achievable, something that was easier when life didn't feel a comfortable one and thus a need for elevation into mysticism was necessary. Did Xuanzang lose that part of her mantra, of her beliefs? No. Despite the tragic but honest view of a new world that seemed so idyllic compared to her previous life, the monk had to admit that spirituality was never going to lose its charm as an outlet to regain a moral understanding of oneself. It was… difficult to find the inner strength to have it persevering within her lifestyle. Yet it did, and the woman was pleased by this very fact. It's been a few years since her 'return' through the Grail and she found appreciation within her own decision to remain behind and see this world as it was. Wandering around through holidays and work trips with Jotaro, the pink-eyed woman started to see how the planet had changed into a state of existence that fought harshly famine and poverty. Not devotedly enough to crush both issues at once, but still enough to keep those from becoming major issues in the known world.


Being around Jotaro, being 'hired' as his assistant but also his wife's helper, helped Caster to study and grasp subjects she never considered taking due to their limited scope back when she was alive. Medicine gained her interest first and, through Jotaro's own approval, she decided to pursue that kind of activity. It didn't give her exactly a new layer of understanding to her existing knowledge of Buddhist points, but it did give her something that helped her to further expand her understanding of the world. How could she try to grasp her own inner self if she barely had a clear sight of what the modern world was?


Her own journey in the past was what gave her enough experience to complete her training the first time around, and yet now it was unable to provide her with the insight she required. The world had changed, thus she had to make a 'new journey' for the sake of fulfilling once more a state of zen. To become a Buddha, or an enlightened monk. And this journey wasn't one that she could exactly complete by mere wandering. The world wide web, the capacity to retrieve info with ease, but it was limited for the time being. Books were still the main source of knowledge, and the capacity to print out so many of those with ease made knowledge easy to acquire if one knew where to search for specific subjects.


After just two years ever since she started studying for a degree, Xuanzang managed to get one and could technically get a license to start practicing. But while that sounded like a good way to improve the income within the Kujo's household, the young woman didn't feel confident enough to go through that kind of intense work. Being a medic was a noble job if someone had the opportunity to invest so much of their lives into it, but it wasn't simple nor as cheerful as it sounded in some instances. The chance of facing death so frequently… felt like an approach that weakened her capacity to fully detach from the materialism. Because the passing of good men and women, and even children, wasn't exactly something Xuanzang was willing to approach with a serene mindset. So she merely decided to remain an 'assistant researcher' for the Kujo's family but also a babysitter back at home when both Jotaro and Lena were busy with work.


The first year being part of that household was quite tough. Lena wasn't exactly sure how to accept that another woman was meant to be living in the same house as her, her husband and her daughters. Sakura was taken in without hesitation. The girl quickly pulled in a big hug when she was first introduced to Lena and the child loved the motherly affection as much as she did with Jotaro's fatherly care. Even Jolyne seemed to bond quite nicely with her new older sister, but the issue remained when it came to Caster. It took Jotaro a long time to convince his wife that the sudden situation wasn't one driven by any affair. The real mess, the thing that really left Lena so skeptical of accepting her with ease, was the explanation that came out about Sakura's adoption and Xuanzang's acceptance as part of the family, albeit in a surrogate way.


Lena was… confused. And annoyed. But mostly confused. The woman had always reputed her husband to be a rational man that could hardly lie to her. Something that had many times forced Jotaro to be dismissive and just not answer some of her tougher questions, but that now was missing as a self-defense mechanism since Jotaro had made a promise and he knew that his wife wasn't going to just 'ignore' this many radical changes. So he came out, starting with the entire situation tied to Stands. The man could get through the explanation he had in mind to deliver without any major interruptions. Lena listened, nodding absently as she thought of several curious instances she found about the tale of what happened in Cairo, but she… believed him. Despite the absurdity of that explanation, she mentioned how she knew that Jotaro just had that kind of 'energy' that just made him stand out from many. A strong man, a mysterious man, a… troubled man with a troubling power.


The explanation then went through what happened in Fuyuki and why he was called to check on the matter. The first feeling coming out from the general explanation was irritation at the fact that Jotaro got into a dangerous situation, got injured, and didn't tell her about it before that point. She understood that Jotaro's position wasn't exactly a flattering one, but while she was angry at this situation, she still agreed that his own work led to Sakura being granted a pleasant life. When she was told about the Matou Family, Lena's face grew green in pure disgust. She was appalled by the situation and didn't hesitate in accepting Jotaro's personal intervention to dismantle the horrible group. In fact, Sakura became the main element that seemed to soothe any major issues that came out from this confession, with Lena's punishment for Jotaro being fairly 'tame' considering the extent of worry she had gone through.


Two days sleeping on the couch for the man while she spent those nights taking care of Sakura and Jolyne's slumbers. It was kind of amusing in a way how Jotaro was actually 'affected' by the punishment. Still, while that sorted out Sakura, it still left quite a mess in the form of Xuanzang. There was a genuine distrust at first as Lena wasn't completely certain of Caster's goodwill into not ruining her marriage with her husband, so she decided to monitor her for a while before giving out a proper assessment of the entire situation. After a grueling first year that saw Xuanzang scrutinized while interacting with her Master, Lena seemed to accept that the monk was still a monk albeit a friendly one at that. That and the fact that both shared a lot of tastes when it came to fashion towards modern outfits.


With Xuanzang also assuming a more direct role in their works and also helping back at home, her presence felt more as a blessing than anything negative. By the second year onward, Xuanzang was officially confirmed as a 'surrogate aunt' to both Jolyne and Sakura, which was further confirmed when Jotaro's mother, Holly, visited and managed to chat with the monk, the conclusive comment was that 'it felt like speaking to a daughter I didn't know to have'. Which prompted some teasing from Lena towards Jotaro about him and his Servant having the kind of attitude to each other that would make them stand out as mature siblings. In a certain way, Xuanzang could see this as a possible reason for her brief clashes with Jotaro and yet their complete understanding and agreement to each other when it came to so many topics.


It came to a point where the joking attempt to tease the man by calling him 'Big brother', despite the difference of age between the two suggesting the opposite titling, actually became part of her speech pattern while addressing Jotaro. And after a while, Jotaro just surrendered to being addressed that way as 'it was better than getting annoyed with more infuriating nicknames'.


After a few years of being around the Kujos, Xuanzang's role found further credibility when little Jolyne started to talk and saw her as her aunt and Sakura as her sister. It was lovely, even helping the two when they began their school years and needed help with their homework. It was nice and well, even when she decided to follow Jotaro back to Japan to handle an issue tied to Joseph and… some misdeed he committed a decade and a half ago.


Josuke Higashikata was an honest but still childish young man. Not so much to make him unpleasant to interact with, but definitely one that took a lot from his old biological father. The adventure in Morioh, the discovery of the Arrow that was responsible for the creation of Stands, facing many of the remaining servants to DIO and… then Yoshikage Kira. A turbulent trip, but one that resolved peacefully as Shinji discovered that he now had a little sister by the time Joseph was back home. But differently from Sakura, which he had just started to see in a positive light as his cousin, Shizuka Joestar seemed to receive immediate positive support from the boy. The one that was to thank for his sudden change toward a better mindset was Joseph's wife. Suzy Q was a respectful lady, one that knew when to be stern and yet also how to be caring of anyone she took care of, especially children. Shinji was accepted with open arms and, while he had a tough time getting through the idea of not receiving any punishment for 'failing', he still managed to do it. And his attitude towards others changed as it mellowed in a kinder take on existence. Shizuka just went to further cement and expand on this change, giving Shinji what he needed to finalize his 'new and ideal family'.


After taking a sigh at the remembrance, Xuanzang sat down by the desk in her room, a piece of paper lying on the smooth surface of the furniture and a pen already prepared and grasped by her right hand. A small smile adorned her face as she decided to send a little letter to Sakura, the young girl now being eleven and having decided to 'take a more active role' in her father's jobs. She was forbidden to do anything but observe and she was also ordered plenty of times to not be around whenever she joined Jotaro in 'safe trips', but she managed to somehow convince the man to allow her to visit Italy together with the young student the marine biologist had assigned to check on something unfolding in Italy.


"I want to check on Caren, nothing more," Sakura had mentioned with a serious tone, eyes sternly glancing at her father's close-to-refusal gaze as it highlighted the connection she established with Kirei Kotomine's daughter after the few visits made by the priest to check on the Kujo's family. "Nothing more, nothing else."


Despite all the worry in the world, Jotaro agreed to the condition that she was to return after a week and that he would check on her and forcefully bring her home if she tried to stay beyond the seven days-long limit. Accepting the deal, Sakura was effectively taking a journey to Italy and Xuanzang was… interested to see how it unfolded.


The girl had grown so much ever since she was brought out of Japan, growing quite taken to English and other languages, but still sticking a lot to Japanese and Italian due to her connection to her birthplace and her interest to interact with Caren without any language barrier stopping her. But while some positive changes unfolded, a concerning one also added to the list as Sakura's admiration for her father took her to… be a little more interested in his thuggish phase. Nothing that really resembled the harsher edges that a younger Jotaro was known to have, but her softness had slowly been eclipsed by a form of toughness that was born out of mimicry rather than personal acceptance. Which was as cute as frustrating at times due to how many troubles it caused to her and the whole family while the girl clashed with some bullies. Nothing really dangerous, but still enough to leave Jotaro in a perplexed state on what to do.


In his mind, by allowing Sakura some controlled independence now, perhaps the girl would be able to form her own perception of the world rather than copying his own and getting the uglier details too reinforced. Xuanzang wasn't completely accepting of this plan, but she decided to agree to it and also opted to write a letter to summarize some personal requests she wanted Sakura to follow. Nothing too imposing or too restricting, but still enough to prevent any messes from unfolding whenever a bad situation happened.


Smiling while going through this task, Xuanzang paused just once during the entire writing and that was when she was done. With satisfaction brimming from her eager grin, she folded the paper once the ink had dried up and wasn't going to stain the paper. Sending the letter to the girl's current destination in Italy a few hours before her arrival was definitely going to end with her receiving it just in time.


If only Caster knew that Sakura Kujo was going to have her own Bizarre Adventure while visiting Italy…


----------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d--------


AN


Next up is the last epilogue and the 'Intro' for the sequel which I finally know how to name: Gold and Purple, Imperial Wind.


Also, little explanation for those that missed it in the last epilogue: Rin meets Kira after Part 4. Ghost Kira is a canon concept that comes from Dead Man's Questions.


Sequel is set during Part 5.

 

[Tobi]

Yabe.... well Sakura will have a golden experience.

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue E: Vento Imperiale


"Are you sure you picked all your luggage?"


The girl huffed, quite annoyed by the uncertainty raised by her 'minder'. A quick bored glance, and Koichi Hirose backed down from that conversation. As much as the young man was more experienced in dealing with tough situations, there was no way that he was prepared for her of all people. Sakura Kujo was a bit of a copy to her father. Not completely, but she definitely took to heart the 'delinquent' aspect that Jotaro told him he was a bit into back when he was younger. Koichi understood, having been told many times now that some children just liked to mimic their parents, with Sakura favoring her father with her current state of mind between being older and being at the doors of puberty. The plum-haired twelve years-old girl was not the young and shy girl that Jotaro had adopted, with the lady having grown into a proper Kujo and having integrated perfectly with the family that took her in. It was no surprise to Koichi that she was also the one element that managed to keep things stable.


If before Jotaro had trouble interacting with his wife and youngest child due to his restrained personality around them, now Sakura made it possible, a personal mission, to make sure he was 'understood' by those that wanted clear answers from him and he just limited responses to curt ones. It worked, or that was what he could notice from the few interactions between the four Kujos when they visited Morioh for the holidays. Josuke was a bit surprised he had two young 'cousins', but he seemed to take things smoothly. Same for Okuyasu as he grew quite fond of Sakura. The two seemed to hit it off well when it came to particularly blunt and simple circumstances, making the duo incredibly pleasant to have around while they were busy talking to each other. It was just entertaining.


The issue right now? Koichi wasn't exactly close to her, and he doubted that was going to change anytime soon. Were they in friendly manners? Yes. But close enough to tell her that kicking a vending machine because the snack she wanted to buy from it was stuck inside? Nope. He had been death-glared too many times in this life to know what is best for himself. So, when the two arrived in Italy, his tension was palpable, enough for Sakura to pick it up and make her attitude a little bit… domineering. It wasn't like she was forcing him to do anything or insulting him even- the girl was still quite polite with those she knew about, but still… her glances could turn quite glacial the moments she felt a bit insulted by some questions. The mere question regarding her luggage was the first of many signs that it was best for him to get that investigation going, finished and then get himself back to Morioh to handle his worrying girlfriend. Not like it made him any less 'safe' to be with Yukako, with the girl still keeping a strong hold over her previous take on… 'love'. She was sweet, there was no denying that, but she still had quite the penchant in… being jealous. Nothing worrying, but definitely upsetting at times.


"I did," Sakura replied, bringing her bags with her as she calmly followed him out of the airport. "Are you sure you know how to get a taxi?"


And that was where he had to admit he wasn't confident enough about. Sakura raised a fair point- his Italian wasn't exactly… top notch. He asked help from Rohan to use his Stand and make him capable of speaking the language since he had been in Italy before, but he didn't get the chance to test it out properly. Plus, he knew the fees were different and that it would have been best to grow accustomed to it than not. Luckily for them, there was actually a board with all major fees for all cabs, with some being more expensive than others and forcing Koichi to look at more affordable prices. The list was long, just as the lines to the various available cabs were.


Naples sure was quite a sight for sure if the fees were a hint of how bigger it was compared to Morioh. It almost made Koichi sad that he couldn't enjoy a proper vacation while being there… but then he remembered that there was a troubling mafia issue within the peninsula, and it was only for the best that he remained as far as possible from these affairs. Never had an issue punching criminals, but bringing an entire organization to track him down and make his life difficult? He didn't feel confident enough to take on that chance. An army of Kiras was as threatening as it sounded to be.


But Sakura didn't seem to mind the idea of going on her own to reach her current destination.


The girl was no 'coward' as she was keen to put out, especially when it came to visiting a childhood friend of hers. Caren Kotomine was one of those she loved a lot about, as much as a friend could. Calm, quiet, but overall open to play around and do things together. She was a bit limited due to her condition which made her a bit clumsy while doing physical activities. Nothing that Sakura and her Stand, ｢One Vision｣, couldn't help her about. After all, the reach of the Stand made it possible for Caren to be picked up before she could get hurt in any sort of way. Which was why the two hit it off quite well, with Sakura's genuine sense of goodness striking a peculiar soft spot within the fellow girl's heart, gaining her friendship fairly quickly when the two met the first time around. Caren's father, Kirei, and her grandfather, Risei, were good people by all means, with Risei being the more jovial of the two as his son wasn't exactly a perfect display of his emotions. Which was surprisingly similar to Sakura's father in that regard, except that the young priest seemed to have mellowed over the years. The plum-haired girl remembered him from Fuyuki- one of the Tohsaka's allies that ended up switching sides when the war turned crazy and required a drastic change of tone to prevent a full collapse of the world.


To be quite honest about it, Sakura wouldn't have minded going back there to check on Illya, the girl she considered a friend as good as Caren in that regard, and she could tell Caren really wanted to meet her too since she heard so much from Sakura. The things the trio could do were unquestionably many and… well, entertaining at most. Still, Sakura had promised both her mom and Xuanzang to 'behave' and not create any trouble while she was around here in Naples. It wasn't like she was planning to go through that kind of madness on her own, especially when her father would really put her in a 'time out' when it came to wandering around… and she could end up setting a bad example for little Jolyne. Her sweet Imouto was still far from being the 'tough girl' she wanted to be to copy her big sister's 'coolness', but it would break her heart if her big sis started to make stupid mistakes and hurt herself. And that wasn't something she was willing to allow to happen.


With Koichi busy with reading the list, Sakura took this chance to look around for anything interesting as she passed the time needed for the short young man to pick up a proper cab and get them moving. Naples might be reported as one of the biggest cities in Italy, but it was also considered the destination of many drugs and other disgusting items that were brought in by the Mafia. The government was completely corrupt at this point, but the control of 'Passione' wasn't as extended to the point where the main production and trade input was tied to only drugs. Plus, Rome was something of a 'stronghold of the old', making it less influenced by Passione, but still under its control in some quarters. Caren lived in a section of the capital which was devoid of the Mafia since the Church had firm control of it. The Church was the one organization even Passione was frightened about, to the point where there were rules of not engaging against priests and other individuals tied to the Holy See to avoid serious condemnation and 'reaction'.


Which is why Jotaro had been calm about sending Sakura to spend some time with Caren, knowing that being around that area of the nation shouldn't get the two girls in harm's way. Plus, Kirei was no simple priest and she knew he could hold his own against some mafia men. But still, as the girl's gaze wandered away from Koichi, she started to look through the glass entrance, seeing so many people walking left and right to try and get to the cabs. Her lips twitched in dismay at the idea that they were going to waste so much time finding an available one that could take them to the hotel Koichi had reservations for two rooms of.


But just as depression struck in the most bitter way possible, Sakura's blue-eyed gaze slowly stopped as it found another pair of azure eyes. These were owned by a young blond-haired man. He was wearing a light-purple, almost pink two-piece suit with a checkered coat tail and several ornate features, including wing-shaped emblems on the collar and a heart-shaped opening in the chest area. The blond was leaning on a car which was supposedly his. A taxi driver… but no one was picking on him for some reason. It was quite the odd sight considering that everyone outside was in a frenzy to try and find some quick ride to get around the city from the airport. But while this generally felt quite awkward and confusing, Sakura couldn't help but feel particularly trusting of this guy. Which was odd considering she never met him before now.


Actually, now that she thought about it, she felt her Star-shaped 'birthmark' burning a little bit…


Just with the same intensity as Giorno Giovanna's own birthmark was, the unaware Joestar picked up a sense of kinship, of innate bond, with the girl with piercing blue eyes staring back at him.


An Imperial Wind broke into Italy as a whole as the heirs of two respective families met. The King in Red stands on the brink of Fate, with the twin Stars acting against him.


-----------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d----------


And this wraps up Fate/True Bizarre! The sequel starts in two weeks, at the same time as a regular update for this story.


Still, a few things before readers have the chance of reviewing/commenting on the overall story:


1 – SakuraXGiorno isn't going to be a thing. They are related, and I just want to keep things fluffy in that regard. There is going to be a pairing in the story, but it ties not with Giorno or Sakura;
2 – Plot isn't going to be 'Part 5 but with Sakura'. I've reworked the entire thing so it creates a completely new story with great flavor (due to my Italian heritage and knowledge of the culture) and things that tie with the Nasuverse. Someone is going to wander the streets of Italy for the first time in centuries and… she is quite out of touch when it comes to people;
3 – The time of the Sequel is 2001, seven years after FTB, two years after DiU, and three years before Canon FSN;

 

[JBukharin]

https://forum.questionablequesting....rt-5-xover-sequel-to-fate-true-bizarre.15359/