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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.

All Parts of the JJBA are all owned by Hirohiko Araki.

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Chapter 3: Promising Flower, Part 3

This was the first time in a long while since Sakura fought against a Stand User.

The last 'fight' she had was when she visited Morioh and decided to 'spar' with Josuke. Her 'grand-uncle' and his Stand, ｢Crazy Diamond｣, were incredibly compatible and difficult to beat in close range. Despite his kind interior, Josuke knew how to muster a legitimate serious stance which was easily growing to be as fierce and strong as her father. Jotaro had agreed to that assessment when she told him that. And, in a sense, the plum-haired girl could already tell this fight was similar to that previous battle in terms of disadvantage. Just as ｢One Vision｣ tried to overwhelm the opposing Stand with its Speed, managing to push the mafia man away only for a few seconds, Bucciarati's ｢Sticky Fingers｣ proved to be stronger than hers and easily swatted the approaching fists away with precise hits that slowed down the cascade of hits. Sakura's knuckles were quick to heat up and feel a bit sore at the clear contrast of might, but she felt true dread when she saw Bucciarati pressed his advantage to try and remove one of the opponents he was facing early on. Her eyes narrowed in unease as the Stand closed the distance by breaching through the meek defense put through ｢One Vision｣, preparing to start pushing Sakura's Stand even further to reach its user.

That very assault didn't came to happen as the first punch was stopped by another fist, this one owned by Giorno's Stand, ｢Gold Experience｣. In a curious whiplash-like effect, both Stands were pushed back when their strength clashed and resulted in a knockback in the opposite direction for each other. Surprise was painted on the older guy, but Giorno didn't hesitate to return the favor by rushing to press the advantage and actually break through ｢Sticky Fingers｣' guard. Bucciarati was pushed back, shock painted in his face at the strength behind the attack and… yet something odd happened. Something that Sakura actually tensed up about while her own Stand took a defensive approach about what they saw. As the short-haired man stood up from the ground, holding his cheek with his left hand as the punch delivered a noticeable bruise on the spot and trying to get up from the floor with a metal bar nearby, his eyes widened when his grip faltered and he suddenly fell to his knees. Surprising as a development, but nothing that saw Giorno hesitate to punch him once again. This time, ｢Gold Experience｣'s struck Bucciarati's other cheek, sending one of the teeth flying in the process. The attack further pushed the man away, this time 'waking him up' as he started to blink and look at his palms in shock.

"W-What just happened? I was out of my body and-"

"That's part of my Stand's power. ｢Gold Experience｣ has the ability to boost the target's senses… but also speed up their thought process. In a sense, your sense of touch was heightened while your consciousness fled the limitations of your body and… your pain reception is much higher in these circumstances."

Bruno suddenly felt dread at this circumstance. It was clear that the pain he felt wasn't something pleasant, and Sakura could tell that this was perhaps the first time she had the chance to see a second power to a Stand. Or perhaps, this was all packed in a single power. She had seen how Giorno managed to shift the damage meant for himself back to Leaky-eye Luca, so it was possible that something about his Stand made him able to… manipulate something that allowed both abilities to coexist harmoniously. Her curiosity skyrocketed at this, but it didn't mean her attention on the real threat faltered. In fact, she felt even more centered on reality when Bucciarati suddenly smiled. It was a confident smirk which showed that he had thought up a plan to counter this new issue. It wasn't like she would have expected otherwise, with Giorno having kept his lips shut when it came to his Stand's unique power like she did with hers, so it was clear that their common foe thought this was the sole ability in his arsenal. He was planning to flee, Sakura deduced at a first glance. It would be something she would consider had she been in his position. The tram offered little space for mobility, and it prevented any of the people here to dodge as much as it was needed. Giorno knew that from his unwillingness to let go of this pressing, but both were surprised when the man snorted in clear entertainment, as if he had thought of something funny.

"Is that so? So, you would need to get close to get this power to work? Interesting."

Amusement dripped from that last word as Bucciarati suddenly punched the floor of the tram and created numerous… zippers? Sakura jumped away as one formed directly beneath her. Giorno took a few steps away too, but his eyes narrowed in frustration when the floor suddenly vanished as the zippers opened and revealed a massive gap between them. The best way to prevent Giorno's approach was to make him unable to close the distance with his Stand. It also looked quite… destructive for a temporary solution. Despite this clever move, it also neutered any attempt from Bucciarati from making use of his Stand's preference in close quarters. The zippers were still there so there was a chance the damage was fixable, which made the idea that this was just a distraction even more feasible. Just as she pondered this, the tram shook and the vibrations became stronger than usual due to the current disposition it was in. The ground shook, and both Giorno and Sakura felt their footing grow unstable. Bucciarati struck in that moment, displaying something that actually allowed him to hit them through that distance. ｢Sticky Fingers｣'s right arm mostly detached from its body, a tiny zipper keeping it attached to its original position and allowed it to extend and rush at a great distance. Giorno's eyes were wide open in pain as the punch slammed onto his stomach and forced him to fall backward.

"I will make this clear just once, signorina. If you don't leave this battle at once, I can't guarantee I can spare you. The boss is… unwilling to take preferences on how to treat specific enemies, no matter how young they are."

…

Sakura snorted, ｢One Vision｣ manifesting beside her with a fierce pose. "As if I would ditch someone from my family, Bucciarati. That's not something I will ever do and I promised myself I would never allow this to happen!"

It made her blood boil, memories of the previous decade flaring in a sense of anger. She remembered when her family abandoned her to… him. The malicious grin on that horrible old man - 'her grandfather' - still terrifying her after so long. Sakura couldn't tolerate that slight, and her fury was shown through her current unwillingness to back away from the confrontation. Bucciarati was stunned by that response, but nonetheless unwilling to stay put any further.

"I see. I guess you truly stand by your morals."

He didn't say more, trying to get a repeat of what happened with Giorno but without a distraction this time around. She could tell that he expected his strength and speed to be enough to make up for the lack of that element of surprise he used against the blond, but Sakura already knew how to counter a move like this. She shifted on the side as soon as she saw the punch getting incredibly close and… she then sent ｢One Vision｣ across the gap and made use of the very advantage that Bucciarati had foolishly ignored. Sakura's Stand might not be strong enough to catch up with ｢Sticky Fingers｣ on a fair fight, but in these circumstances, Sakura had a clear opening to its user. And Bruno seemed to notice it as soon as he saw it was too late to intervene. The first two punches… were a test, the next ones were delivered at high speed.

"OraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraOraORAAAH!"

The last punch sent the stunned man out of the nearest window, with his Stand obviously following him outside of the vehicle. Her gaze was still at the window when she suddenly had to grab hold of one of the metal bars nearby as the shakes returned once again. The tram trembled to a halt soon after, possibly having arrived at destination or… because the driver had noticed something was wrong with the tram itself due to the vibrations. Either way, it was good since it allowed Sakura to check on Giorno. He stood up, holding something in his hand as he calmly used his Stand's power on… the zippers. Those disappeared, returning the missing floor back to the vehicle. Once again, the blond managed to surprise her about this mysterious power of his.

"We need to give chase," Giorno muttered with a serious tone. "If he manages to leave, he will just report to the rest of the gang and they will send someone stronger."

That notion Sakura could agree to. As much as she wasn't someone that liked to hunt others down, this situation was exceptionally unique and required her to be as serious and committed to it as possible to prevent any other harm from coming their way. So she bolted right behind Giorno through the streets, allowing him to lead her around since he had a better grasp of the city's paths. Eventually they managed to catch up, with Bruno suddenly turning around as they all took a small alley section before then jumping back into a crowd of people that was passing by. Somehow, the man managed to disappear out of thin air in the middle of the ensuing chaos, leaving Sakura with her jaw hanging low at the sight as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Something she missed? Another Stand User? An ambush? Despite her chaotic effort to catch the man hiding somewhere nearby, she just couldn't. Instead, Giorno seemed to keep a strong stance while looking around and seemed interested in a particular detail of that dispersing scene. A fly, one that was annoying a teen that was around her age. The young man started to swat around, trying to deal with the upsetting insect but, as soon as he managed to hit it and kill it, his body contorted while blood erupted from his back. Shocked by the sudden pain, the teen collapsed on the ground. A zipper formed and allowed Bucciarati to leave his… insides? Did the zipper allow it to enter inside things or perhaps was there something the plum-haired girl was missing from that sight?

Meanwhile, the fly turned into… the tooth that Bucciarati lost when Giorno stunned him with his unusual ability. At this point, Sakura was having a bit of trouble trying to grasp what connection all these powers had to each other, but Giorno explained how the 'created Fly' would return to its original 'owner'. In this case, the tooth went back to where Bucciarati had been hiding. The girl remembered something similar about what happened with Koichi's luggage and how those were turned by Giorno into a frog. Could it be that the notion was similar somehow? But then, why did it go to Giorno and not back to Koichi?

"You're truly something, Giorno Giovanna. Still, I don't think you understand that all of this… it's futile. Once again, you failed to realize that even if you beat me, Passione will still investigate and deal with you. Our boss would never allow this slight to go unpunished and I would never let him down."

Despite sounding honest in most of that proclamation, there was a sense of dissatisfaction as soon as the 'boss' was brought up. Could it be that Bruno didn't see the 'Boss' in a positive light? Or maybe he wasn't happy with the situation of the gang?

"I don't plan to surrender, Bucciarati."

Giorno rushed, deciding to be quick about this interaction and put an end to it as soon as possible. ｢Gold Experience｣ easily broke through ｢Sticky Fingers｣' defense and got a clear shot on Bruno's upper body. The punch struck Bruno's left arm, and Giorno felt certain he had managed to do it - to get this win for good. The hit should have been able to stun his foe once again… and yet his eagerness died as soon as he felt something sturdy hit his chest. ｢Sticky Fingers｣' fist pushed him away, leaving a small zipper on his… being? It was stuck on his clothes but also his skin. Bruno scoffed, taking this opportunity to deliver a counter-barrage and leave Giorno's body riddled with zippers that suddenly opened and made his footing and posture unstable.

"You're quite predictable, Giorno Giovanna. I already knew that you were going to try something like this again,"

"Not if I have to say something about it!" Sakura rushed to put herself between Giorno and Bucciarati. "You will not hurt him anymore."

"Oh? And I guess you will stop me, correct? Despite the fact your Stand isn't strong enough for this, right?"

The girl gritted her teeth. Technically-speaking, she could win. ｢One Vision: EX｣ was more than enough to handle it. The real issue was that she barely trained with it, and the strain was nothing to scoff at. She couldn't allow to hurt her body this soon into the trip. If Bruno pushed her to be this extreme with her means to win, then there was no way to deny the next challenges were going to be tougher. But as she felt like there was no choice about it, her approach was stopped when Giorno stood up from the ground, holding his half-detached arm and walking up to her side.

"Sakura, may I ask you a favor?"

She glanced to the side. "What?"

"This fight. I wish to end it myself."

"You're in no shape of fighting," The girl rebuked and Bruno nodded in agreement.

"You should listen to her, you're barely standing and now you think you can win?"

"Yes. And it's not just for myself anymore. It's a matter of ideals and truth," Giorno remarked firmly, confusing Sakura.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just… let me try."

Her common sense was telling her to bash her cousin's head for asking for something that foolishly deadly out of her. Logically speaking, that was the maximum degree of stupidity possible in that situation but… something about his words and stare made her question that line of thought. He had a plan, and he looked ready to swear his life on it to succeed.

…

I am definitely going to regret this.

"Fine, but don't expect me to stay put if you fail."

The young man looked thankful for that response, yet Sakura didn't feel anywhere happy with this choice. She stood ready to jump in action the moment he failed to secure a victory out of this and… Bruno scoffed.

"I guess you wish to really die, Giorno Giovanna. Don't worry, I will make sure that you will not suffer this one."

The mafia man rushed towards the blond, ready to finish the fight in one last confrontation. What neither Sakura and Bucciarati would have expected to happen was for the young man to suddenly rip off the half-detached arm, tearing the sliver of flesh that kept it attached beyond the zipper and suddenly throw the mostly removed limb at the approaching Bucciarati. Stunned in pure horror at the sight, the man could hardly react when ｢Gold Experience｣ manifested its arm through that limb and suddenly struck the side of the enemy's face. Once again 'shocked still', Bruno was finally at the mercy of Giorno, the young man approaching slowly and preparing to perhaps storm him with a barrage of punches… and yet, as Bucciarati had his eyes closed in fear at being struck again and perceive that horrible amount of pain, the killing hit didn't come. Instead, Giorno walked to the side and 'fixed himself' through his Stand's power. Gone were the injuries and the zippers.

"I think it's over now. You lost."

…

"W-What are you even talking about? Why aren't you at least knocking him unconscious?" Sakura blurted out in pure confusion. What was Giorno doing? Why was he sparing their current foe? Despite the loud question, the blonde focused on Bucciarati as he spoke once more.

"You weren't planning to hurt that young man," Giorno calmly affirmed, surprising Bruno with that comment. "You hesitated to protect yourself when my attack was coming, and I think I know why."

Was there an actual reason? Sakura just couldn't think of anything that could have caused this much hesitation and… Giorno decided to point a finger to the arm that had been dropped. The teen's arm, the one that Bucciarati used to trick the blond into setting himself open for a counter-attack. Specifically, he was pointing at some rashes that had appeared on the joint, something that Sakura knew were meant to tell that the kid had made use of drugs.

"You were shocked by the rash. He is just thirteen from what the ID over there says, and yet he was allowed to buy drugs," The blond resumed. "Which means that while Passione is in charge of this business, you're unhappy about it. Disgusted too. You hesitated because of that shock and… I believe that you're no longer an enemy to us."

"I have a job to kill you-"

"But you will not go through with it," Giorno interrupted flatly, almost arrogantly. "Because you will join me and my… plans to save the children of this city, but also the rest of Italy."

…

"You want to infiltrate Passione."

Giorno nodded. "Yes. I will start from the bottom and rush to the top so I can dethrone your boss. He is a dangerous man, a villain, and the more he sits on that chair of power, children will die. And I know you hate this."

"You don't know me, Giorno Giovanna," Bruno replied vehemently, but the poisonous tone didn't dissuade the young man from a response. In fact, it seemed to enable him to speak more.

"I know you now. The way you fight, your strategies, your mind and your ideals. You're a diligent man, Bruno Bucciarati, but far from a bad person. You kill those that slighted your laws, but would never raise a finger to an innocent child. The only reason you did with Sakura was because she stood as a threat to you and one that could defend from your attacks."

Was that actually the case? Bucciarati had previously told her that age didn't matter to him when it came to killing dangerous people and… that's where the unusual line of thought started to make sense. Despite the illegal career behind this individual's line of work, it would make sense that some of them wouldn't be that pleased if their own cities were suddenly suffering from children that were subjected to drugs and other illegal substances. And before she could even question some more about it, Sakura was suddenly 'yanked' into the whole business due to Giorno deciding to take part in this entire ordeal. This was something she had to talk with Caren about. Hopefully she knew something to help her through this and… even more so hopefully she didn't try to tag along for 'fun'.

This holiday just keeps getting better and better...

It was… night.

Was it?

Shuffling left and right, a slumbering entity shivered at the sudden shift in reality that happened… nearby. Yes, it felt stronger than a while ago. Fiercer even. It felt more emotional – pleasant even – and her curiosity surged at that fantastic and interesting sensation. The lid of her 'coffin' was easy to open, and she took a moment to look at the dark room where she had been taken to. At first, Zelretch had told her it would have been best to remain in England and slumber in that curious island, but the girl refused. No, she wanted to be there and 'ready'. She knew something would have pulled her out of that sleep – a threat – and she needed to be there to deal with it. And yet that 'self-prophecy' didn't happen. Instead she got 'this'. Something happened. Something unusual and bizarre. Something that made her feel tingly as if something big just unfolded. But what could it be? A confused look was plastered on her face as she walked out of the coffin and made her way to the kitchens. There was no good food saved there, with everything available having rotten after so much time had passed. Upset hardly matched her current sense of self, but it was on the same emotional wavelength.

What woke her up? She had a strange vision a few minutes before waking up. An individual- no, a shadow. One with red-lines going through its veil-like form. It stood in front of her, its posture strong-looking and her body language suggesting a will to fight her despite the possible power difference. Behind the shadow, a girl. Just like her. She looked incredibly strong with her confidence. It almost made the slumbering child want to know more. To feel more.

This was something she couldn't just ignore. And it was about time she stretched and checked how the world had changed since the Moon fell over the Crimson one.

AN

And thus, the stakes for the early plot and a future 'subplot' have been set!

REVIEW Q&A!

Guest (chapter 2): I think the SBR timeline is tied to Tsukihime, while FGO is tied to the Seventh Stand User Timeline (JJBA Fan-game).