ATTENTION: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OF FATE SERIES OR JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE. ALL CREDIT BELONGS TO THE CREATORS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING PARTNERS!


-{Lost Butterfly}-

-{XVI}-

Inside a stonewall room, lit only by candlelight, Kotomine Kirei held the parchment in his hand. It nearly made him shed concern. Whenever these things came in or were due, that meant something had advanced forward in the Grail War. Rather than show worry, he was filled with pleasure.

"A report for the association? My, you are a busy man, Kotomine." A sourceless voice called out. Kotomine simply continued as if not hearing a thing. "Oh, so this must be about the usurper? Or the Man in the Black Crown? I guess fifty-seven victims with five dead is a lot in the eyes of the supervisors."

"I can't say much at the moment. But this is the first instance of large-scale unconsciousness. It is fine if it stays this way. Either association is aware of the clean up measures. But…"

"We do know who is doing this." Gilgamesh snarked. Leaning back on the couch he tilted his head to the side, almost seeming interested. "But, they are getting quite brazen with it. Do you realize, if you do nothing, Kotomine, this town will be barren of life."

The shadow that had appeared in the town is only sucking up life force right now, but it's increasing daily. The surfaced abnormality will exceed the regulated allowances within a few days. Right now, it is only rendering victims unconscious. Soon, though, it will have the power to kill a healthy adult male.

"But, that's needless worry. It doesn't seem to be an amatuer, so it should know its limits. At first I thought it was Whitesnake, but that stand's ability isn't strong enough to pull this many people under." Kirei stated.

"Oh really?" Gilgamesh sat up His face then scrunched up as he spoke like he had a lemon in his mouth. "Worry arises about the 'ghost' of our former Enrico Pucci."

Kirei stopped in his tracks, shocked by this. The man who cared only for himself suddenly cared for the people. "What's going on, Gilgamesh? This is surprising."

"Surprising how? I dislike it when people are killed by someone besides me. People will lose their way with boring crime and punishment. That pain isn't entertaining…" The blonde softly stated.

"I see, then you are a heroic spirit. Using death to save the people from the agony of life. Then your wish is death?" Kirei continued to work. Despite the small banter they had going on, Kirei managed to listen to every key detail from the King of Heroes.

"Correct, the age is filled with meaningless, worthless people. I see exterminating them as a mere service to them." Insanity leaked from the lips of Gilgamesh, scorning with absolute dominance and dignity.

Kirei doesn't stop working, still listening. "I see. Then you can use the Holy Grail, if that is what you wish. You can use it unless someone who can defeat you appears. A certain… Kujo, Jotaro."

"Pfffft! Ahahahaha!" Gilgamesh burst into laughter; laughter clearly hiding repressed anger. Wiping the imaginary tear from his eyes, the King of Heroes shook his head. "Not even Jotaro and his mongrel-squad stand up to me! Believe me, I have witnessed Star Platinum smash in the skull of the self-proclaimed God, DIO, but there is one truth that remains; Jotaro Kujo owes me his life regardless of whether he likes it or not. Had it not been for him and those "Crusaders", DIO would have perished at my hands later. But, he knows he owes me for the seconds I bought him. Jotaro owes me well. He will be the first to go when I make my wish."

"I see. You seem passionate about the stand user." Kirei recognized. "As for Enrico, it is plausible he is still alive."

"We have something in common, Kotomine." Gilgamesh cackled as if proud of his partner. "You simply desire pleasure. But, at the end of the line is Jotaro and his Star Platinum. I will kill him because he is disgusting, you will kill him because it is fun. Our motives are different but we get the same endgame from the Holy Grail. That is why you must have kept me! That mongrel, Pucci, lacked your edicate. I will personally see that he and his stand are no more."

Kirei was silent, still focusing on his work.

Gilgamesh scoffed. "Hmn. I do not care if you do nothing. I will simply do as I please." He faded away, his presence soon leaving the stone-walled room.

Kirei glanced at the exit. "His insanity resembles that of DIO, but he is sane at the core. Seems the mud was unable to corrupt his soul."

Gilgamesh, the king of heroes, was accepted as the most powerful being at that point in time; even by the gamemaster, Kotomine.

"There are worthless things, but no meaningless things. Beware, King of Heroes. If there is something that will bring you defeat, it will be just that."

Without an audience to reach, the prophet-like priest simply looked into the dimming light as if seeing into a future. What a future there was to behold them…

"Enrico Pucci, just what do you want with this conflict…?"


It was just one night.

How did everything fall apart in one night?

Marching through Fuyuki General's lobby, Rin Tohsaka halted at the front desk. "Excuse me. I'm here to see Higashikata, Josuke."

Looking up from her clipboard, the brunette nurse grimaced. Just what she needed from her break; some stuck up high school girl asking questions before closing. With an eye roll and scoff, she leaned forward to Rin. "Listen, can you not see what the sign says there? Visiting hours are over for the day. If you need an eye exam then please come in at 9:30am tomorrow morning."

Rin's eyes twitched. "Ok, so that's how it's going to be."

'Don't.' Archer mentally warned.

"Josuke happens to be a dear friend of mine and I need to see him. So would you be so kind as to tell me his room number so we don't have any problems?" Rin restrained herself. There was no reason to get herself stumped. She had made it all the way over here.

"Problems?" The nurse pretended to be offended. "It's schoolgirls like you that annoy me. Chasing after your punk boyfriends who get into fights and pay the price. You look like a little miss goody two-shoes. Do your parents know you are hanging out with rotten delinquents?"

Scorching red, Rin turned around. Stopping in the middle of the lobby, she closed her eyes. "Archer."

'I guess I have no say in this. Ok master, I guess we're killing the hoe… bitch.' Archer scoffed.

Suddenly, the bottles above the nurse started to slide towards the edge, right about to fall. Quickly panicking, the woman shot up and held the bottles. "Phew." Just when she had the false sense of comfort, the bottles got heavier. "Eh, how the hell are these bottles so heavy?! This has to be magic or something!"

"Magic? Oh boo hoo. Such a silly thing doesn't exist, does it?" Rin rested her elbows on the counter, boredly tilting her head.

"Oi, what the hell are you on about?! Come help me dammit! These are expensive!" The nurse panicked.

Rin just shrugged and turned her back, "I'm sorry, but you did just tell me to get lost, didn't you? I don't think I'll need a hearing test anytime soon, so I'll get lost."

"D-Dammit!" She panicked. The jars would become increasingly heavy, about to slip from her hands.

"Oi, Tohsaka! Right 'ere." Okuyasu waved. He approached Rin, keeping both hands in his pockets. "I thought I heard ya yellin'."

The Hand appeared, pushing back the jars onto their respective ledges. Archer naturally retreated once his master relaxed.

"Nijimura-kun." Brightening up, Rin united with him, only to see his face turn solemn. Sad faces in the hospital were never a good sign. "It's good to see you again. Is everything ok? How is he?"

"No, he's doin' pretty bad." Okuyasu shook his head, waving Tohsaka to follow him. Once the elevator arrived, the punk pressed the button to the fifth floor. "I wish everything had a happy endin'. But, we ain't that lucky."

"How bad is it?" Rin worried. "What the hell happened?"

"He's got a lot of broken bones. His back ain't workin'. Worst of all? Josuke can't walk." He regretfully told Rin. Judging by her shocked expression, this was the worst sort of outcome of the situation. "He will tell ya. Jotaro-san is also here."

"Oh my- is he on crutches? A walker?" Stepping out of the elevator, she followed Okuyasu into the room marked 525.

"See for yourself, Tohsaka."

Rin gasped.

"E-easy now!" Shirou huffed.

"Careful, Emiya." Jotaro warned.

"Slowly. Slowly. There."

Among the directions to carefully lower the patient, Rin stared straight ahead at Josuke in his wheelchair. His arms and waist were wrapped in medical tape, and a cast bore around his neck.

Everyone witnessed Rin cover her mouth.

"Tohsaka." Shirou waved. "I know, it looks bad. But, Josuke will be back on his feet in a matter of no-time, right?"

Jotaro didn't agree. Pulling down his cap, he sat in his chair. "Everyone but Tohsaka heard what the doctor said. Josuke's spinal cord is broken in multiple places. He's paralyzed from the waist down. They believe he got hit by a truck while crossing the street."

"It was Assassin!" Shirou barked. I watched it happen in front of me! Josuke saved me, again. Zouken and Assassin ambushed us at Ryuudou temple. We don't know what happened to Saber."

Okuyasu closed the door behind him. Jotaro's scornful eyes startled the punk teen. Zouken did all this? "That rat hobo! He tricked us when we went to go get his ass the first time! I swear! I'm dyin' to erase that old man for doin' this to ya! I won't rest! I won't sleep until he's-"

"Nijimura-kun!" Rin exclaimed. She sheepishly looked at Josuke. "Jojo, what happened?"

"She's gone." The lump in his throat made him choke on every word. "

"What?" Jotaro questioned. He couldn't possibly imagine someone like Saber going down easy. But Josuke's mortified nod and Shirou's bare hand rocked his world. Glued to his chair, the veteran stand user swallowed his emotions and listened.

The Auburn boy balled his fist, "Tohsaka, do you think you can heal Josuke?"

In all her experience, Rin was familiar with open wounds, gashes and other flesh injuries. This was something new. "I don't think so. Not right away at least. I could definitely do treatments that would slowly mend his structure back together. But, if there is something new he needs, I don't think my jewels can do it."

"Thank you." Josuke tried to smile. "This whole thing is shit. Everything is just shit. Look at me! What am I gonna do?"

Everyone around the room fell silent.

"Where is Sakura Matou?" Jotaro asked. Usually she was always following the boys around. His only recollection of her was the previous night, meeting the hysterical girl holding an unconscious Josuke. "I thought she would be here."

"Sakura-chan wasn't feeling too good, so I called the housekeeper to come by to take care of her." Shirou confirmed.

"You guys have a housekeeper?" Okuyasu asked.

"Yeah, for when we go on family vacations or are away for extended periods of time." Ever since Sakura waited with Josuke outside, she began to fall ill. Sure, that's what waiting outside in the cold will do to you. Shirou's phone began to vibrate:

FUJI-NEE

"Hang on, I gotta take this."

Walking up to Josuke, Rin grabbed his wheelchair, staring him down.

(JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OST - A Party of Stardust)

Clearly angry, she pressed the injured teen. "Alright, Jojo, rewind. Then what?! Zouken didn't try to kill you two and not Saber?" She wore her anger on her dress' sleeves.

"Oi Oi Oi, What the hell has gotten into you, Tohsaka?" The pompadour cripple leaned back.

"This isn't sudden! From what you all are telling me here, Zouken tried to kill you two after you lost Saber! Everything about that is strange! The process is wrong no matter how you look at it!" When Josuke tried to wheel back, she only leaned in closer. "I want you to think about what you just said. Do you notice anything weird about what you told me?"

Josuke's wheelchair backed into a wall, pinning him towards the angered magus. Like a mouse in a trap he had nowhere left to go. He had to answer to the cat. "I- I don't know. Don't you think everything about this is just bizarre?"

"Priorities, Jojo. Despite your stand, Zouken at full power could have overwhelmed you both. Assassin had all the opportunity to lose to Saber. If anything, he should have killed you two first; the master and the stand user."

Okuyasu walked over, placing his hand on Rin's shoulder to calm her down.

Slap!

"Ow! What gives, ey?"

"Don't touch me Nijimura-kun." She hissed.

Josuke groaned, "That is true. Maybe Zouken was confident he could have beaten Saber?"

(End OST)

"Impossible." Jotaro's voice commanded the presence of everyone in the room. The tension he carried was enough to scare a ghost. "Saber is far stronger. Assassin shouldn't have been able to stand up to her Noble Phantasm, or, Noble Phantasms. You should have been able to see that, Josuke. Zouken wouldn't gamble like that. He had a reason for keeping you both alive. I can think of one."

"Hmn?" Tohsaka, now calm, was interested. Racking her own brain, she slowly started to conceptualize the possibilities.

"First," He held up his hand, "He didn't want to kill Emiya right then and there. He must not have wanted Saber to disappear. If he died, she would have faded. Josuke is the only one capable of fixing them, thus foiling his plan."

Josuke slowly slumped back, no longer facing Tohsaka or Jotaro. All this talking about Saber constantly sucker punched him from all angles. 'Saber…' The crippled teen frowned, devastated. "I guess that's all I'm good for- not even."

Rin heavily sighed, a sweat bead visible on her cheek, "Hey, why are you moping? We were just talking about Zouken. Don't take it personally."

Eyes shaded, he looked away from the magus, "You don't need to get mad about it. Why would you possibly think I'm moping?"

"You- I'm not mad!" Rin grunted. Her face had a red tint on her cheeks. "You're misunderstanding me, Jojo. Ahem- Anyways. There was something Zouken wanted out of Saber. Are you sure he said you two were useless?"

"Something like that." Josuke pestered. "He also said you were useful."

'Saber!'

"I see. I don't see why you're useless now, despite the current situation, but that must be why he's running from me. One of us has to die if we meet. But he seems to need all three of us alive for a reason." Tohsaka pondered.

'SABER!'

"Tch." Josuke shamefully sniffled, tears in the corners of his eyes. In his mind he believed a single truth; he was useless. No matter how hard he tried, he could never protect Shirou. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his promise to Saber. Once Rin gasped at his clenched teeth, Josuke grabbed the sides of his wheelchair and tried to stand. "She's gone. She's gone because I'm fucking useless! I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna wrap by hands around that old man's throat and fucking kill him-"

"Josuke! Chill out!" Okuyasu yelled.

He instantly fell back into his wheelchair and sobbed. "How? She's gone. Saber. How can this day get any worse?"

"Guys, we have a problem." Shirou ran back into the room.

"What's wrong, Emiya?" Jotaro turned his attention to the Auburn boy.

"The housekeeper isn't the one taking care of Sakura. Fuji-nee is. That was her on the phone."

At first the group didn't see what was wrong with the picture. Sakura was being taken care of by family. Then it hit them. "Sakura-chan called them and told them about the accident. They're back."

"Oh God." Josuke bleated. How was he supposed to appear before his family looking like this? "I'm screwed. I'm so screwed."

"Why?" Rin asked.

"How do I go on like this? What do I have to say for myself? That I was fighting a blanket ghost and a bug man with Shirou? How am I going to vouch for myself? How am I going to explain this to my-"

"Josuke Higashikata."

"-Mom."

Tomoko shook in the doorway seeing her injured son in a wheelchair. Sure, Josuke got into small confrontations when he was younger, him usually being the winner, but this was plain absurdity. She marched over to the boy dreadfully. "Oh my God. What the hell happened to you? Who did this to you? Who are you people?" Of course she knew Shirou, Josuke and Okuyasu, but Rin and Jotaro were unfamiliar faces.

Standing up to a towering 6' 5" Jotaro swooped in to the rescue. "Good Afternoon, Ma'am. My name is Jotaro Kujo. Technically, I am your son's nephew; the grandson of Joseph Joestar."

The mother instantly gasped hearing that name.

Joseph Joestar.

Once Tomoko had been commanded of her silence, the veteran stand user calmly explained their 'story'. "While out in the snow, a distracted driver hit Josuke with their car and sped off before he or Shirou could identify them. Luckily, this girl, Rin Tohsaka, was a witness."

"Eh? Oof-!" Okuyasu gently elbowed her in the side. "Yes I was! I'm sorry for your son, Higashikata-san."

Seemingly accepting the lies told to her, Tomoko fell to her knees, grabbing her son's hand like she was squeezing a lemon. "Josuke, listen to me. I want you, Shirou and Tohsaka-chan to tell me everything you remember! The color of the car, the make, the model, the year, the scratches, stickers, anything! Please! I won't sleep until we find out who did this! I won't rest! I know some of dad's friends at the station, I can talk to them and have them open up an investigation- no. I will! I will, Josuke!" Tomoko cried. "I'm sorry!"

Shirou walked over to the woman, gently offering her a comforting hug. The auburn teen could only watch his best friend helplessly sit in that chair, wasting away at the passing minutes. Despite the fake smiles and lethargic enthusiasm, Shirou saw right through all the attempts to suppress the pain. Saber was gone. He was crippled and the pompadour only blamed himself.

What a shitty start to the winter semester.


"Is that Josuke Higashikata?"

"It is! He's in a wheelchair?"

"What do you think happened?"

"I heard he got hurt in a fight!"

"No, I heard he got into an accident!"

Amidst the gossiping and whispers from the student body, none of them stood out to Shirou and Josuke. The teens tried to mentally dismiss the murmurs as they made their way down the hall.

"Oi, mind your own business and keep moving!" Issei Ryuudou waved his arms in front of a group of gossiping girls who were blocking the hallway. He soon returned to his classmates' side with a pitiful expression. "Not looking so good, Josuke."

"Yeah…" He groaned.

"If you want, I can write you guys special passes so you can move around campus when everyone is not flooding the halls."

"That would be appreciated, Issei." Shirou nodded, thanking his other friend.

"Listen, I'm sorry what happened to you, Josuke. It just pisses me off that irresponsible people can destroy others lives and go on like it was nothing. I hope they catch that driver." Issei pressed the button to call the elevator to their floor.

"Thank you, Issei. I hope so too." Josuke remained quiet until they got into the elevator.

The only place they could possibly get some privacy without worrying about others was the school roof; their intended destination. Once the doors opened, Okuyasu and Rin stepped into view to greet the auburn and pompadour cripple. There was so much to talk about between the four. Zouken and Assassin, the black shadow, Whitesnake and the battle between masters over the Holy Grail. Shirou knew that due to their position and status, they needed Tohsaka's help. Shirou swore that Josuke was the last victim of this conflict.

"How ya feelin' buddy?" Okuyasu asked.

"LiKe a MiLLiOn bUcKs." He sarcastically snapped. Today was an overall punch in the face for Josuke. The gossip, the rumors, the judging; it was all too much!

"Oi, that attitude ain't gonna get ya anywhere." The punk concluded.

"Neither are my legs."

Tohsaka even nodded, "Nijimura-kun is right. Wow, I never thought I would hear that sentence out of my own mouth. Yet, here we are. I guess this war is full of surprises."

"Yeah." Shirou parked Josuke's wheelchair and stood next to his best friend. "We already established that I'm no longer a master"

"That's right." She noted. "You're no longer a master so that means you have no reason to be involved. I suppose now you're less likely to be attacked by other masters. Not sure about stand users."

"Well, we only wanted the grail because Saber wanted it. Now that she's gone, there's no point." Shirou's words struck a nerve in Josuke, the stand users' aura flaring up all of a sudden. After a moment, the pompadour seemed to chill out.

With emotionless eyes, Rin directed her attention back to her fellow magus. "I can assume you won't be fighting anymore?" Devoid of any personal interest, this question had to be asked. No, it was a warning. The last chance for Shirou and Josuke to back out. In the end, the only ones useful to her were Jotaro and Okuyasu.

Recognizing this, Shirou took a moment to himself. He looked at the girl, then the punk standing next to her. Lastly, he looked down at Josuke; his best friend was robbed of his ability to walk due to this war. Who was Shirou to just turn a blind eye? Even Josuke would notice that familiar look in Shirou's eye.

The determined look of undying will.

"I will fight." He made up his mind. "I won't stop fighting because I'm not a master. I chose to fight to stop this war. Look what it did to Josuke! You think Zouken is just going to walk away?"

Rin smiled, "Right. Then we will keep the dual-alliance, despite being enemies, until the shadow is defeated."

"Eh? Enemies?" Okuyasu recoiled. He, Shirou and Josuke all shared the same shocked expression. "I didn't sign up to help ya only to be enemies! That ain't fair!"

"You are only my enemy, Nijimura-kun, if you choose to get in my way. Same to you, Jojo. Despite no longer having your servant and command seals, you are still Saber's former master. Because the Holy Grail chose you, you have the right to obtain it. That makes you my enemy, despite being powerless."

"He's not powerless." Josuke hissed. He took a deep breath and chose his next words carefully. "Do what you want to get to the grail, but lay a finger on Shirou and I won't be seeing you as a friend anymore. Such bullcrap. Even if he has no intention to attain the grail, you would still prey on him?"

Waving her hands to defuse the Joestar, Rin nearly panicked. "No, no! It all depends on the situation! Listen, it's a what-if, but the possibility remains. Usually magi that aren't masters anymore run to the church since other masters still see them as obstacles. It's just something to keep in mind, Jojo. Don't misunderstand me."

"I can see that." Okuyasu stroked his chin. "It can't only be that bug hobo who wants ya dead. There's that Whitesnake guy! And er uh, there's other masters. Oh right, Red Hot Chili Peppers.."

Everyone just groaned, making Tohsaka furrow her brows. "What's with the difficult faces? Kujo-san knows as well that we are enemies. This alliance is temporary until we defeat the shadow."

Shirou disliked being enemies with Tohsaka. "Great, and here I was about to ask you for help."

"E-Eh?" Rin froze. "W-Why do you need my help? You have Kujo-san and Nijimura-kun helping you!"

"Because having you a part of our team increases the manpower to defeat other masters." Shirou explained. "We have stand users, but you are a mage and our ally; for now."

"We can't afford to be enemies, Tohsaka. Look at me. We need you as an ally." Josuke rolled up to her. The girl's fearful expression eventually turned into one of disgust.

"Are you sane, Jojo? I know Zouken broke your back, but did he also break your mind?"

"Well, there's not much I can offer. We will probably only weigh you down. So, I can see why you may be upset. But, come on! Please!" The pompadour begged. "We can't do this without you!"

Rin's cheeks turned red again, snapping herself out of it. "So you do get it. Magi work on an equivalent exchange. I can't lend something to someone with no money. I can't help someone who can't help me in return. It's for your own good. Besides, if we were allies, we would have to share the reward." She turned away from them. "It's why I only gave advice as part of the truce."

"We are asking you anyway." Shirou stepped up. The girl still stubbornly looked away. Josuke knew what he had to do. He noticed it from the beginning. Tohsaka did want something out of them, but was too prideful to acknowledge or say it.

"Tohsaka." Josuke sighed, then suddenly smirked. "You know if you don't protect us, Jotaro-san is not going to want to work with you anymore, right?"

"...Not want to work with me anymore—-?" She squinted.

Shirou and Okuyasu watched keenly. Josuke was working his magic. "That's right. If you mark yourself the enemy, you may be on the receiving end of Star Platinum. We don't want that, right? So come on, Tohaska, please!"

Her face read: You wouldn't dare. But, she understood what they meant. Tinted cheeks and pouting like a supermarket 5 year old, Rin held her ground. "But even If I personally team up with someone who's not a master, I-"

"Tohsaka." The boys called out.

"I- I can't help you even if you ask! And what I'm doing with Kujo-san is independent Tohsaka family business-"

"Tohsaka."

"...this is like a real contract. For real."

Looking down, she cracked. "Alright you guys! Then here are the terms of our NEW agreement!" She glared at them.

"Terms?" Josuke felt irked.

"Terms are terms! I mean, this is a legitimate contract. I'll consider it if you promise me what I ask of you two. First, I don't mind cooperating, will you do as I tell you? Will you obey me, no matter what I tell you to do, during a battle?" Tohsaka knew what she was doing with this. Gaining control of not only the user of The Hand but Crazy Diamond as well, would make her the most powerful allied magus alive. She could already see it. The Queen of Erasure and Restoration.

A far-fetched fantasy soon turning into reality.

All the boys looked at each other. Josuke squinted at Rin. If he looked hard enough, he could almost see her grabbing them all by the balls. He could even see the invisible dog leash on Okuyasu's neck. "Fork over all my free will to you? Not a cha-"

"Josuke" Shirou bumped him. Seeing the Auburn boy's stare only extinguished the fire in his heart. "Fine." The things he does for his best friend…

"Yes." Shirou answered.

Rin continued, "Second, can you trust me like I'll be trusting you? Will you stay on my side, no matter how ugly things get?"

"I don't think so." Josuke interrupted once more. "Tohsaka, you have our word we won't betray you, but can you elaborate on the last part?"

"Hmn? That should be obvious. I'm talking about dying or coming close to dying. I mean, you two are all too familiar with that, right boys?"

It was obvious. Josuke was a walking consequence. This was one of the many things they had to prepare for. If Shirou was going to commit fully to having Tohsaka by their side, he needed to be prepared to end up just like Josuke. "We get it. It's all a part about fighting the battle for justice, right?"

Rin crossed her arms, smiling at the boys. "So, you two will give me your absolute obedience?" That smile was evil, sinister. It didn't rub Josuke nor Shirou the right way. It spelt trouble. Okuyasu even looked concerned.

"No way, no way! Get real!" Josuke scoffed. "I mean- no disrespect, Tohsaka, but we all make mistakes, even you. If you start talking crazy, I'll tell you. That's what it means to work together, right?"

Despite it being for all the right reasons, Shirou was glad to see Josuke manifesting the enthusiasm where it was needed. Then, Rin smiled at them. "Correct. That's what it means to be a team. I learned from Kujo-san I do things my own way, so I could use you guys as my brakes. That's why I'm glad you're alright, Jojo."

Josuke nodded, chuckling to Shirou. "Oh boy. That went better than expected."

"It did." Shirou agreed.

"I see. The last thing is simple." Rin huffed, "When the time comes, if I'm to help you with stuff you are unable to do, are you able to help me with what I am unable to do?"

Great, now Tohsaka was speaking riddles!

"Uh, sure?" Shirou agreed.

"Great! Then it's settled. After school today, meet me by the gate. The three of us will do club activities at my place. As a sign of good will, I'll perform my first treatment on Josuke today. I may have figured something out."

"You have?" He leaned forward in his wheelchair.

"Maybe." Tohsaka clarified. "Also, Shirou, we will also be looking at your magecraft. I heard you have made improvements. I will be properly teaching you how to fight with it since you are now in a position where it will be life or death."

Right before anyone could protest, the lunch bell rang again. Time for classes to resume. Waving her hand at the boys, Tohsaka slipped past them. "I'll see you three later." Down the stairs she descended without saying any more.

"Huh. Well ain't that odd." Okuyasu commented.

Josuke just shrugged. "Guess today wasn't all that bad."

"I thought because she was working with you and Jotaro-san, she would be allied with us." Shirou noted. "Guess it's good that one less master is trying to kill us. We still have to worry about Zouken, Illyasviel, Whitesnake's user, Chili Pepper's user and Shinji. Rider is back in the game."

"Oho." Okuyasu occupied his face with a devious smirk, "I don't think that bastard is gonna bother us anytime soon."

"What do you mean by that, Okuyasu?"


"Relax yourself, Josuke. This is a complex set of spells I'm using. If I reconstruct this the wrong way, your spine will heal incorrectly, leaving you unable to walk still."

Josuke laid across the floor on his stomach, preparing for the first round of treatment. Tohsaka wanted to give this a shot in order to conjure some last minute pride. It would help with teaching the stand users some good old fashioned magecraft. "Archer, make us some tea please." She commanded.

The situation was already awkward enough; Josuke shirtless, laying on the ground while she and the others were watching.

"If this works, Tohsaka, I'll love you forever." The pompadour tried to chuckle.

"I can't make any promises!" She corrected the young man, blushing at his words. Soon, she placed her hands over the gems as they started to glow. She held them still, watching her ally make different faces by the moment. He was feeling something, but was it the right thing? After a moment, she stopped.

"T-That's it?" Josuke gawked.

Rin nodded, "I'm afraid so. That spell should have immediately healed you. If not, then I'll need to do something more complex. Try to stand."

Pushing up from the floor, Josuke remained stuck in the upward-facing dog position. His legs wouldn't budge. "N-No. Why can't I feel them?"

"Shit." Okuyasu huffed. Shirou felt the same way.

It didn't work.

"Why didn't it work, Tohsaka? I thought you were going to heal me here?!" The cripple started to yell.

"Quiet!" Rin barked, "I'm trying to help you, Jojo! Relax! I need to do my research! If you yell at me again, I'll send you two on your way!"

Everyone hushed. Josuke just flopped back on the ground, unmoving. How pathetic was this? A grand stand user of his time, now cursed to a 'silver chariot' as his way of moving.

"I'm sorry, Josuke." Shirou groaned.

"Now, without further ado, everyone who isn't a stand user, please sit down." Rin commanded.

Josuke squinted.

Shirou planted his butt on the ground, looking ahead at the box Rin placed in front of him. "Hmn. I'm low on sage. Archer! Can you bring up more sage from downstairs?"

"Scarlet Sage, right? Well, one doesn't need to go too far to distinguish these boys or their intentions." Archer's voice boomed from all around the room at once. No one could detect him or see him, making the servant a ghost.

Rin scoffed, "I'll do whatever I want. You can chill out afterwards. We all have a pact, so you don't need to protect me."

"You're right. Besides, even if they did decide to betray you, it would take all three of them to stand up to us." Archer softly chuckled.

"Oi, eat shit Archer!" Josuke yelled over the servants subtle chuckles. "You got some nerve hiding behind some cowardly spells to say that to my face!"

"Ah. I've had my fun. Anyways- Hmn? Someone entered the premises. I'll be back." Once the servant seemed to leave, everyone let out a sigh. Josuke hissed, looking at Rin with equal level of disgust. Despite knowing she had nothing to do with Archer's behavior, part of him wanted to hold her accountable. Why? "Didn't know he was in the room." Josuke huffed. His rash side was more prominent.

"That's his spirit form. Even if he takes form, he will still be concealed in this house. That's the power of a mage's workshop." Rin stated. "I don't know what it is with you and Archer, Jojo, but all of a sudden you recently have a grudge against him.

"I wonder why…" Josuke sighed.

Growling, Rin started to go through another chest. Her face was now dead-set focused. She threw out any other concern for Shirou. If she was going to heal Josuke, she was going to do it right. "I still don't understand why those low-grade jewels didn't do the trick. Right when I want to set up a complex healing treatment, I can't find my master jewels! Dammit!"

"Bummer." Okuyasu shrugged.

Archer entered the room again, this time visible. "You have a guest."

"Eh?" Rin crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, "And you just let them in? What kind of a servant does that-"

"Tohsaka."

"K-Kujo-san?!"

Jotaro suddenly entered the room, hands in pockets, before standing off to the side. "Is this a bad time?"

"N-no! We weren't busy!" Rin hiccuped as she watched the entire room collectively groan at her lie. "I was just trying to find my master jewels. Josuke's condition needs to be handled and reconstructed with care."

"She's er uh, having some trouble." Okuyasu chuckled. "Ow!" Archer lightly bonked the teen with a dull smile.

"Right." Jotaro approached Shirou the moment the Auburn boy looked at him. "You mentioned before that you made some progress, Emiya."

"Yes!" Shirou quickly stood up. He could see Jotaro staring down into his soul, looking for the slightest hint of weakness. While occasionally interacting with the Veteran stand user, Shirou noticed he seemed more on edge, especially not that Saber was gone. "I was able to project a set of arms similar to Josuke's stand. They held off the Assassin and protected us both."

Star Platinum emerged from behind Jotaro's body, floating between them. "Is that so? Then consider our first personal training test, Emiya. I want you to fight Star Platinum."

"Eh?!" Rin gawked. "N-Not in my room you aren't! I don't want a full on mage battle up here!"

"Easy, Tohsaka. I just want to test the new limits of his Projection Magecraft. Emiya, are you ready?" The veteran stand user asked.

This was quite the tough decision. Jotaro Kujo was the toughest stand user out of all of them. Shirou believed that this was maybe to just test the limits of his ability. Plus, this was the first time he was training with Jotaro. "Yes, Jotaro-san. I'm ready." Shirou summoned the second set of arms from his body, illuminating green with mana and willpower.

Okuyasu stopped Rin from moving any closer, taking her back to watch this ensuing fight.

Archer dragged a motionless Josuke out of that area. There was no reason to jump into the way of the ensuing spar.

Throwing the first punch, Star Platinum cried out, "ORA!"

To

Be

Continued...


Welcome back. It's been a while.

I apologize for the long wait and the shorter chapter. Life has been busy and tough. Also... I'm also writing a new DxD side story which revolves around the church and exorcist side of the DxD story. Interesting take. Anyways. I wanted to say welcome back. As I'm mending together ACT 2 of Heaven's Feel to be the most INSANE and ACTION PACKED adventure, I am also working and pursuing my dream outside writing. Chapters may not come as often but I can promise I love this series so I will write for it.

I hope you all enjoy. Favorite, Follow and Leave a review! This is a new leaf for the Emiya Family and co. Warning. I had already mentioned I am going to use the darkness of Heaven's Feel to its fullest advantage. Let's just say this chapter was a warmup and a teaser to the kind of challenges that beface our characters.