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}-

-{XVII}-

[Shinto-Mayama International Airport]

"Alright, now just who is this guy?" Airport security chief Miyamoto Izumi stopped in front of the questioning room, two officers by his side. It was already enough he was starting his morning shift without coffee, but now he had to deal with some mindless foreigner getting themselves into trouble!

"We are still looking through his info, sir." One officer replied. "We pulled him off the connecting flight from Egypt."

"Contraband?" Chief Izumi asked, receiving the initial incident report.

"Yes, sir. Aside from numerous previous offenses in Egypt, his luggage contained a large steel ax inside of it." The second officer disclosed. "We have no idea how he was even allowed on board."

How foolish of this foreigner! Not only did they believe that they could escape their past crimes, but they wanted to bring such nefarious deeds to this city! It boiled Chief Izumi's blood. In his airport?! That was not going to fly!

"Grr! This disgusting filth thinks they can just come through my airport and try to slip into society? Foolishness! I've been on the job for over twenty years. Not one criminal has ever passed under my nose unnoticed."

The first officer nodded, "Officers Ishibumi and Kazuma have been interrogating the suspect for the last 15 minutes. They were awaiting your arrival before dissecting the luggage."

"Very well. Let's see the culprit!" Izumi shouted.

The door opened to an empty, dark room. All three chairs were knocked over, a lamp flickering on the ground.

The officers quickly turned on the lights, revealing clothing spread across the floor.

Empty security uniforms.

On top of them were clumps of dirt.

"Where is Kazuma and Ishibumi?! What the hell is this stuff? Oh my God- it's moving."

"Moving? I see- oh my- are those eyes? Chief!"

Chief Izumi inspected the dirt. "This- this is a human fetus!" His voice trembled.

"Yoohoo! Gentlemaaaaaan~!" The suspect waved from the corner of the room.

Adjusting his glasses, the crazy-haired brunette sadistically smiled while licking the blade of his ax.

"Halfway through the interview your men started to question me like children! It seems that's all you hot-shot airport security actually are!" Ahem. "Children…"

The officers all drew their nightsticks before feeling them get heavier. The weapons became too heavy for them! Their clothes! What? Why weren't their clothes fitting them anymore? They were too big on them! Chief Izumi! The old man was becoming young like a college student! Then he became younger with each passing moment!

"H-Huh?!" Two little boys, in oversized uniforms, gasped. They dropped the nightsticks and kept shrinking.

"What is happening?! This is chief Izumi!" He shouted into his radio, "I'm calling in a- huh? I forgot. What was it called again?"

Izumi began to shrink with his fellow officers until he pointed at the suspect. "You are a weird, weird bad man!" His final words before forgetting how to speak.

"Keeheeheeheeeee!" Alessi cackled. Packing up his suitcase and ax, the man looked down on all the fetus' in their clothing.

"Oh what was that? You had something you wanted to ask me? Please, speak like an adult!" Raising his foot above them, Alessi preyed on his poor, defenseless victims, ending them with a-

STOMP!

"Very good, me."

—-

"ORA!"

Shirou's only choice was to block! Quickly throwing the projection's arms up, he braced. Star Platinum punched through it like a karate board!

"Gah!" Emiya howled, falling on his butt. "That was too intense, Jotaro-san!"

"Guess I wasn't holding back enough." Jotaro calmly shrugged. Once Star Platinum picked Shirou back up off the ground, the veteran stand user decided to take another approach. "Good thing your stand projections aren't actually stands. I'd feel bad having Josuke heal your arms constantly. But, it seems your projection is flimsy. Try again."

Shirou huffed. Star Platinum was the second strongest stand he knew. The first being a pissed off Crazy Diamond. The auburn-boy started to think; what made Josuke's stand stronger than Jotaro's? He believed Jotaro was equally trying for that answer.

"Yes." Projecting another set of stand arms, Shirou stepped back. He had been so used to projecting tiny soldiers and weapons! A full set of stand arms became taxing on his mana after a while.

Star Platinum wasted no time on the offensive, challenging Shirou with a quick jab.

What placed Crazy Diamond above Star Platinum?

Speed.

Shirou focused on Jotaro's stand. The throw of the punch, its speed and trajectory. There! Launching up, the arms grabbed Star Platinum's wrist, delivering a quick jab into Jotaro's chin.

WACK!

"Kujo-san!" Rin gasped.

Jotaro's head recoiled back, his hat flying off and landing behind his feet. Rolling his neck, Jotaro glared at a terrified Shirou Emiya. After a deep breath, he picked up his hat, placing it back on. "Better. I didn't expect you to be that fast."

"Believe me, Saber never went easy on us in the dojo." Shirou rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry about that, Jotaro-san. I got too antsy."

"Hmn, I'll give you points for creativity; going for the user rather than the stand." Crossing his arms, Jotaro shook his head. He seemed more concerned about Shirou's current feeling and less about the fact he struck him. "Being on your toes is one thing. Being antsy is another. I can tell you from personal experience, being antsy isn't good." Star Platinum broke out of the arm's grip and crushed it with its own hand.

Shirou's other stand arm quickly launched out and punched Star Platinum. Of course, Jotaro's stand punched back, meeting the fist and shattering it into a bunch of pieces. Seems the veteran stand user was ready that time. "Dammit!" Shirou hissed.

"Last time, before Shirou got those arms, he started by tracing parts of Crazy Diamond." Josuke spoke up. "What if you try tracing Star Platinum?"

"That could work." Jotaro agreed. Bringing forth his stand, he let Shirou fire up his magic circuits and begin to trace.

"What brings you here, Kujo-san, if you aren't trying to make a mess of my room?" Rin cocked a brow.

"Whitesnake"

Josuke balled his fist and growled, hearing those words.

Taking slight notice, Jotaro continued, "After losing Saber to the hands of that stand, it's clear he's much more of a threat than we estimated. His stand ability and connections to the other stand users in this town make him a dangerous opponent. He doesn't have to come after us himself. He could send those like Zouken or Chili Pepper to do his dirty work. Tohsaka and I experienced that first hand, days ago."

"Tch!" Okuyasu also became bitter, training his eyes on Rin. The punk took a step towards her. He felt a small sense of betrayal come over him; why did Rin hide details about Chili Pepper?! Especially when he nearly killed his big bro! "What the hell, Tohsaka?"

"Nijimura-kun, relax."

"I told her to keep quiet." Jotaro intervened.

"So that means we have to find the user of Whitesnake once and for all, right?" Shirou asked. "That's what we came here to figure out, right, Jotaro-san?"

The veteran stand user shook his head, "Not quite. We will be able to find him, because the person who is capable of finding him is arriving in the port of Fuyuki City within the next 2 hours."

"EH?!" Everyone gasped.

"That's right. This person is the stand user of Hermit Purple. But, he's way too old and lost his strength to fight." Out of the corner of his eye, Jotaro saw Rin's face become white as a ghost. Her breathing even intensified.

"Too old?" Okuyasu mumbled, "Just how old is this geezer? You know 'em?"

"Yes, I knew him very well. Believe it or not, he used to be pretty ripped. You wouldn't guess it from his age being 79." Jotaro informed them.

Rin was doing the mental math in her head, drawing herself closer and closer to a conclusion of this person's identity. She didn't want to believe it, could it possibly be HIM? "Oh…"

"He's super old! Why the hell is he coming here?" Josuke scoffed.

"Listen, you can ask him that when you meet him. Perhaps he can be the poster-elder for your typical senior. Cataracts, uses a cane, denchers and complains that he can't eat T-bone steaks. Also, he forgets things easily." As opposed to the group around him, Jotaro seemed to be the only one not amused. The teens were losing faith in this character with each passing second.

"Does he talk to mailboxes for a hobby?" Okuyasu chuckled.

"Nijimura-kun!" Rin snapped.

"Or knit mittens for his toes?"

"Josuke-kun!"

"Maybe he trades stamps at the retirement home."

"Emiya-kun!"

Good grief. All these cheesy jokes were getting old. Jotaro sighed, "We are all here to protect the old man when he arrives at the port. Whitesnake will probably be watching, so he will most likely go after him at the earliest opportunity. Whitesnake's biggest fear is us finding out who the user is."

"Will this old geezer be of any use to us?" Josuke pushed himself to sit up towards the others.

"I tried to stop him." Jotaro confessed. "The Mage's Association passes everything around by word of mouth. Once he heard about the arrow and Saber's elimination, he came to Japan on his own."

"A foreigner." Shirou concluded the identity of this man. "A foreigner, 79 years old and a stand user. Jotaro-san, could it be?"

"Wait- r-really?!" Josuke screamed.


"I guess I'm going to meet your father, ey?" Shirou smirked, watching Josuke clearly pouting in his wheelchair.

"Get that grin off your face, Shirou."

Shirou and Josuke were the first ones to make it to Fuyuki City Port. The marina itself was vast, filled with private craft, commercial vessels and cargo ships. Due to the capacity of serving a city as large as Fuyuki City, the port was just as massive as they could have imagined. Looking around, Shirou tried to see if any of the others would have made it by now.

"I told them splitting up was a bad idea." The pompadour teen huffed. "Now we're the first one's here, unable to tell which ship it is. Dammit. This shit sucks."

"Especially with that attitude." For once, Josuke began to get on his nerves. This recent wave of constant bitterness was becoming more common. It ruined the small things in life like: enjoying the port. "We still have another hour to kill before he gets here. You want to get ice cream or something?"

"You buying?" Josuke's brow perked up, intrigued by such an offer.

~Sigh~ "I guess I owe you, don't I?" Shirou rolled his eyes.

"Bingo. Would you mind bringing it? It's embarrassing enough to wheel myself up to the food court." Once Shirou nodded and began to walk off, Josuke exhaled in relief. "Thank you, Shirou. I'll watch out for the others."

From above Josuke and Shirou, a stranger lingered out of sight. Once the Auburn teen took off from his spot, the figure began to follow him to the food court.


Okuyasu remained silent on the bus ride towards the Fuyuki City Port. He knew that he would be diving back into the eyesight of a distant enemy; Whitesnake. No matter how hard he seemed to search with Rin, they seemed to just get farther and farther from finding their goals. Maybe this old man was a new opportunity?

For that, the punk needed to bring his A-game. Still, he had questions. "It makes no damn sense to have us split up like this, ya know."

"To shake any tails, Nijimura-kun." Rin replied, staring out the bus window. It wasn't too often she got on public transportation, but when she did, it was always an experience.

"The others are probably waitin' on us like a buncha idiots!" He snarled. It was loud enough to get some people to scoot away from him.

Noticing, Rin shook her head, "Calm down. We will get there when we get there. What matters is that we arrive in one piece. We are no use to Joseph Joestar if we're caught up here."

"Tch." Okuyasu shrugged. "I guess."

There was a moment of silence before the punk let out a sigh, "Oi, Tohsaka?"

"Yes, Nijimura-kun?" She answered.

"Do ya really think this old geezer is gonna give us the answers of what we need? I mean- not sayin' it to be a downer, but- I just wanna know for sure. It could really help out my big bro." Once he mentioned Keicho, his grip tightened around the handlebar of the bus.

Rin did think for a moment. She suppressed her urge to scoff at Okuyasu for asking such a question about a Joestar! In her heart, she had unconditional faith in Joseph Joestar!

Her father did, so should she!

But, in the end…

…where did that get them?

"Believe me, Nijimura-kun. I want to find our suspect as much as you do. I've reached out to multiple people for help, including Kotomine." Rin continued deeper into her thoughts. Kotomine did give her a few good leads. "I'm sure we will find them."

"Yeah." He huffed.

"Nijimura-kun?"

"Yeah, Tohsaka?" He looked at Rin to see her fully facing him. Her face was softer than normal. Maybe she forgot to put up the tough-mage front? It was the evening. Maybe she was tired?

"I'm sorry for what Whitesnake did to your brother." She said, monotone as always.

"It was that bastard Red Hot Chili Peppers! And don't be sorry! He's alive. And as long as he's alive, I know I can hunt that rat down and make 'em pay for what he did!" Okuyasu declared.

The dedication towards the other Nijimura brother wore down Rin's nerves. She had occasionally heard things from Josuke or Shirou about Keicho Nijimura. He seemed to be an A-grade asshole who cared not for even his own brother! One who would step on him if it meant raising himself higher. But, she did learn one thing. In his near-death, Keicho expressed his true feelings. He risked his life to save Okuyasu. Despite all the shitty things Keicho was, how could Okuyasu still put so much effort into him? How could he still love him?

Could the same be said for a certain sister?

"I see." Rin turned to look back out the window. "Well, if we are lucky, Joseph Joestar will lead us to Whitesnake. Maybe then we can both get the justice we deserve."

"That justice better arrive the second that geezer gets off his boat!" Okuyasu hissed.

Zap!

"Ow!" Okuyasu felt a shock in his hand, forcing him to let go of the bar.

Rin glared once the lights on the bus started flickering. Quickly, she stood up away from the window and reinforced her arms under her sweater. The flashing advertisements on the upper wall sparked violently, scaring the other passengers on the bus.

The body of Chili Pepper formed in the back seat between a poor unsuspecting passenger. Smiling, the stand rose up and glared at the teens. "I heard you idiots loud and clear!"

"Impossible! How the hell did he get on the bus?!" Okuyasu shouted. In a moment of realization, reality set in.

Okuyasu and Rin were the only ones able to see Chili Pepper, but the people? They were able to hear him.

This quickly became a dangerous situation.

"This damn bus has electricity! He must have followed us and slipped in the battery while we boarded. By the looks of this ugly stand, you must be Chili Pepper! Don't think I've forgotten your annoying voice." Once a stand that blows a phone up in her face is always a stand that blows a phone up in her face. Rin never forgets.

"The Port in an hour? Joseph Joestar who can find the identity of Whitesnake and Myself? I'll be sure to kill that geezer the second he arrives at the port! I'll make it visible for you to see as well, Tohsaka!" The stand cackled.

Suddenly, the bus began to accelerate.

"Shit!" Okuyasu fell over with a few other passengers who began to scream.

"Archer!" Rin commanded.

When Chili Pepper zoomed at the two, he was met with a quick slash at his face. Powered by the Bus' battery, Chili Pepper ducked at insane speeds, just barely avoiding the slash. It bounced back, grabbing a businessman as a hostage.

"You couldn't have chosen a better place, Tohsaka." Archer mumbled. His eyes locked on the stand, weapons firmly grasped in each hand.

More panic ensued as a white-haired man wearing black and red appeared out of thin air. That was on top of the fact their fellow passenger was being restrained by an 'invisible' force.

Archer's gut sank. All of these people were witnesses. Men, women and even children. Fate was never kind to anyone who laid eyes on a servant of the Holy Grail War.

"So, you must be Rin's Archer! I've been dying to know what servant she has! After the elimination of Saber, Lancer and Caster, that only leaves four servants left! And we all know who they belong to! Don't even try to stop me! This bus is getting to that port whether you act or not!" Chili Pepper howled.

"You want to make a move? It will cost you the life of this passenger!"


Jotaro stepped off the bus at the Fuyuki Port stop. Looking at his watch, he had about an hour until Joseph arrived. He approached a directory containing a detailed map of the port areas designated for respective vessels. Once he spotted the map for private watercraft, the veteran stand user sighed.

"Yare yare daze…"

It was on the opposite side of the port.

By now the bus had departed, leaving Jotaro no choice but to walk from the cruise ship terminals, past the cargo terminals and to the smaller private marina. At least he had time to kill.

"Guess I'll walk."

In front of the ice cream stand, a small group of kids ran around with their cold treats in their hands. Lost in the frenzy of playing tag, they weaved under the tables, around chairs and even between unsuspecting people.

"Hey! You're cheating by hiding behind those chairs!" A little girl yelled.

The little boy stuck his tongue out, "No I'm not! You're just too slow!"

"Oh yeah!" She ran after him in a sudden sprint. "Watch this!"

BOOF!

SPLAT!

The first little boy tripped over a rock, landing hard on the ground and splatting his ice cream all over some stranger's nice shoes.

"Ow! That hurt! Owwwww!" Looking up from where he fell, the boy noticed his ice cream spread across the strangers shoes. "M-My ice creaaaam!" Once the larger man knelt down, he fell silent.

"Well, it's good you're not crying, young man. Are you alright?" Alessi tilted his head towards the young boy. This one reminded him of a similar incident ten years ago in Egypt. Rather than his pants be dirty, it was his shoes. Once the little boy nodded, he chuckled. "Well then, how old are you?"

The child's friends seemed to keep a distance, licking their ice cream as if they were never involved.

"Five." The little boy answered, holding back his tears at the soiled ice-cream.

"Five. Well then, where are your parents? Are they the ones who bought you the ice cream?" Alessi asked, voice purring with each and every word.

"They gave us money. My dad is working. My mom is also working. Yumi's sister was- was the one watching us." The child admitted.

"Very nice of her. So where is she? Are you all here by yourselves?" The muscled brunette beckoned.

The child looked around, seemingly confused as to where their chaperone could have gone. The ice cream stand was nearby, so where was his friend's mom? "I don't know where she is. So right now… maybe…"

"I see." He patted the boy on the shoulder before gripping him firmly. "SO THEN I CAN PUNISH YOU FOR GETTING YOUR ICE CREAM ON MY SHOES! YOU STUPID BRAT'S ACTING CARELESS! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR MY SHOES?! DO I HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOU TO GET A JOB A START PAYING ME BACK?!"

The kids screaming all around only aroused Alessi's amusement, bringing the man to laugh. The poor child squirmed in the man's grip, watching a balled fist head his direction.

"OI! OI! CUT IT OUT!"

Whiff!

Alessi's fist stopped an inch in front of the little boy's nose, halted by the yells of a rowdy intruder! 'Tch! Who could possibly be interrupting my fun?' The man mentally irked. Before he knew it, the origin of the voice closed the distance on him.

"Let go of the kid!" Shirou grabbed Alessi's arm, yanking it off the little boy's collar. Quickly he used both hands to shove Alessi's chest, checking the large man back a few feet. Despite his opponent being taller and more muscular, Shirou didn't care.

It was justice.

Anyone picking on a little kid, especially an adult, was absolute trash.

"What the hell kind of person threatens to beat some kid, huh?" Venom thrashed in Shirou's voice, snarling like a predator to its prey. He waved for the kids to run away, knowing this was probably going to get ugly.

"And just who the hell do you think you are? Superman? Swooping in to save the poor children at the last second from the big bad guy!" Alessi almost found Shirou poetic. "Some kind of hero of justice?"

Maybe it was fate that bestowed these two to meet; a supernatural attraction. The auburn teen was exactly the one Alessi was looking for. But, he needed to be sure.

"That doesn't answer my question, but yeah. Exactly like that." Shirou confirmed. Kiritsugu would have never let this slide. Josuke would have never let this slide. Of course, Saber would have never either. Why should he?

With that answer, the mercenary smiled wider than ever before. "In the flesh, Shirou Emiya. A spoiled brat like you should watch how you talk to your elders."

A shadowy figure with two large human-like eyes appeared on the ground. Extending out of Alessi's own shadow, it rushed towards Shirou reaching its arms out towards his shadow.

"How the hell do you- A stand?!"

Whoosh!

Shirou leaped in the air over it, having it cross his shadow. Shirou summoned his traced stand arms, delivering two quick punches into the ground. By then, Set had already retreated into its user's shadow.

"What the hell was that?"

Alessi smirked before making a break for it, running away from Shirou.

"I can't just let this guy get away! I need to get Josuke- No. I can't trouble him anymore by dragging him into my battles. This is my fight and mine alone!" Keeping up with Alessi, Shirou's athletics gave him an advantage over the stand user. From the ice cream stand they ran up a set of stairs and into a larger food court. Suddenly Alessi started to speed up.

Shirou's breath became radically heavier. "Hey! Get back here! I sa-AiAid! Eh?!" A massive voice crack introduced a higher-pitched voice from the kid.

Kid?

Everything started to get bigger around the auburn boy. Running out of breath, he lost Alessi once he left the food court. Shirou scratched his head and huffed. "That damn bastard! Where did he possibly go? There's too many people here! M-My clothes! Why are they so big?!"

Wandering around, Shirou kept trying to find where that rat bastard could have run off to. But he was nowhere to be seen. He didn't get it! Shirou turned around, heading back in the direction he came. Only a few steps in and he suddenly stopped. "Where am I going? Why am I even here?"

"Excuse me, are you lost?" The angelic voice of a woman called out from behind him. Shirou did a 180, looking at a girl in her mid 20's with black hair and brown eyes. She wore a purple sweater with black leggings to compliment. She held the hand of a familiar little girl, surrounded by a few other children.

"L-Lost?" Shirou questioned. "I- I'm not lost! I just need to get back to Josuke." The auburn child gasped. 'I- I need to find Josuke! But where is he? I need to find- who else were we with? That mean girl and loud boy? I can't remember their names!'

"See it's not him!" Yumi tugged her sister's hand. "Taku made a mistake! The boy who helped us was bigger!"

"Yeah, but look at what he is wearing! It's the same!" The small boy yelled out.

Shirou glanced at the group of children, then back at the older girl. She dismissed her younger brother's claims as 'child-talk', regaining her focus back on the lost child in oversized clothing. "I see. Well, would you like to stay with us until we can call Josuke? What about your mom or dad? Are they around?"

"What are you talking about?" Shirou still didn't realize it until he looked in the reflection of a puddle.

~Gasp!~

"I-I'm a kid!"

"Duh." Taku shrugged.

Shirou pulled his mouth to the side and started making faces in the puddle. He held out his hands and wiggled them. "Gah! I really turned back into a kid!"

"Minako, what's wrong with him?" Yumi asked.

The older girl had a shocked expression on her face, kneeling and waving her finger, "Yumi! It's rude to say things like that!" In reality the young woman didn't know what was wrong with Shirou. Perhaps he was just playing around with them?

Regardless, she felt bad turning a blind eye to this kid. "Maybe he is confused. I don't want to leave him alone knowing that a weirdo is around somewhere. What's your name?" Minako asked.

"Shirou."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Shirou. My name is Minako. This is Yumi." She shook the hand of the shorter girl with the group. "This is Taku." That was the boy Alessi was about to strike! "The others are Kiriko and Seishou."

"It's nice to meet you guys." Shirou's ambition to return to Josuke was still there, but that could hold off for a moment. Seeing the other boys walk up to him, they waved Shirou over with a smile.

"Oi, Shirou! There's a toy store before we leave! Wanna see if there's anything cool in there?" Kiriko asked.

Ah yes, the gift shop. A store filled with candy, toys, clothes and other eye-catching accessories. The inner child in Shirou rose from the ashes of adulthood. He nodded his head and smiled widely.

"S-Sure! M-Maybe I can find Josuke from there?" When was the last time he had a group of kids his age to hang out with and have a normal life? His world ended on that fateful day of 1989. But this circumstance seemed to have given it back to him. Sure he needed to find Josuke, but what was the rush? Alessi soon became a distant concern as the group started to walk together.

Minako sighed, rolling her eyes as she was left in charge of babysitting another kid. "You kids are all lucky I decided to watch you all, instead of going out with my boyfriend."

"Mom made you." Yumi commented.

All of the kids, including Shirou, started to giggle. Minako just groaned. Maybe the gift shop was the best option to distract them. Once she could locate a phone, she would plan to grab Shirou and contact this 'Josuke' person.

Once inside the giftshop, Shirou and Seishou ran in, spotting all of the toy ships and boats along the shelves. They ranged from detailed models to little plastic bath toys. Looking up at them, Shirou led Kiriko and Seishou to the clothing hanging on the racks. He laughed, pointing at the seashells and beach designs. While Fuyuki Port was far from a beach, its merchandise crowned it a sort of paradise island. Still, a place like paradise was always captivating to young children.

"I want to go to the beach!" Kiriko yelled.

"Oi." Shirou commented, "Maybe we can ask… what's that girl's name?"

"My big sister, Minako." Taku interrupted. "I can ask her! But she'll probably say no."

"Awww."

The group collectively groaned.

"We can try!" Little Shirou pitched in. "I want to go to the beach too! But, I need to see someone first. I- what was his name again? I don't know, but he has cool hair and wears cool clothes! Maybe he can take us too!"

"Ok!" Seishou excitedly smiled. "The beach is my favorite!"

"Why is that?" Shirou asked.

"Have you ever been! I have been like- hundreds of times! My mom would take me on weekends with my dad! The sand! You can make sand castles and forts! And you can swim in the water!"

Shirou thought for a moment. Has he ever been to the beach? He can't remember. But, the memories that served him was growing up in Shinto District, a heavily dense and populated city sect of Fuyuki.

"I wish I could go. I think it's the wrong season to go. It's Winter."

While the others conversed, Taku waddled over to Shirou and looked at him. He stared at him, scanning him up and down. Not only was Shirou in oversized clothes, but they were the same clothes of the boy who rescued him. His hair was also the same color! It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together. "Hey, you."

"Huh?" Shirou blinked.

"Thanks for before and that weird man. He was going to hurt me badly." Taku bowed his head breifly while thanking his shrunken hero.

Shirou remained speechless. Did he know? How did he know? Not wanting to induce panic, he remained confused. "Are you sure? It wasn't me."

"Hmmm." Taku pouted. He just frowned. "I know it was you. You are wearing the same clothes!"

"You're being weird!" Shirou yelled back, further putting down Taku's gratitude.

"Your shirt is weird." Taku said before walking away.

Shirou suddenly reeled himself back. This kid knew he wasn't always small! Maybe he can get him to help! But, damn! He had to drive him away! Why was he acting like such a chil- oh, that's right.

"Hey hey that's enough!" Minako and Yumi arrived on the scene, both wearing the same expression. "Also, No one can go to the beach. They are closed in the winter!" She emphasized the closing as if she was an evil overlord denying the wishes of small peasants. Seeing all the kids start to pout and stomp brought her some joy. Well, that's what they get for dragging her to babysit when she could be out with her boyfriend.

Behind Minako, a shadow started to slowly creep up on her. In its right hand? A void-looking ax, radiating with the unknown stand ability. Emerging from the shadow, the darkened arm of Set raised its ax above Minako's head, swinging down.

"Eh?" Minako turned around, just feeling a breeze enter the gift shop. "I must have been imagining things. I guess that's karma on my end for making a bunch of kids cry." She exaggerated.

"We weren't crying!" Shirou pouted.

"How about we get ice cream! Mine got ruined! Can I get another pleaaaaase?!" Taku shouted.

"Ice cream?" Seishou gasped.

"Ice cream!" Shirou declared.

They all started to jump around, seemingly convinced they were destined to get more ice cream from the gift shop. Before anyone got any ice cream, there was a bigger fish to fry.

"Oh, Shirou, there's a telephone in the next room. We can go there and call Josuke for you." Minako announced.

A wave of confusion washes over Shirou. 'Josuke? Who- oh! That boy who looks familiar!' "Ok, I guess. Can we get a treat after?" There was no need to rush out of the company of new friends. But, even a kid Shirou knew he had to do what he was told.

"Sure. If not, you kids will never let me hear the end of it!" The older woman folded.

Walking over to the next room, it appeared there was a man using the telephone ahead of them. Minako looked down on Shirou with slight pity. Despite him having a good time, a child separated from their parents was as vulnerable as can be! She wouldn't be able to sleep at night if something happened to Shirou and she hadn't done what she could to help. He looked neglected, hair messy and clothes a few size bigger than the right size. What kind of parent was so careless about their kid?

There were sudden yelps coming from the next room as the children started to cause a racket. The commotion easily drew attention to those who remained in the gift shop, the cashier included.

"These kids." Minako pinched the bridge of her nose. "Stay here, Shirou. Call me over when the gentleman is done using the phone."

Nodding, Shirou witnessed Yumi's departure around the gift shop display wall, soon, the yells falling oddly silent.

"Children are to be seen, not heard…"

'What?' Shirou thought for a moment. Where had he heard that voice before? What was this man saying?

Without warning, Alessi turned around from the phone and placed a hand on Shirou's shoulder. "It seems your mind and body have fully become a child, Shirou."

"EH?!" Shirou attempted to get out of Alessi's grip, only feeling the pressure on his shoulder grow. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Where was the cashier? Where was Minako to smack this man with her purse or pepper spray him?! Where was anyone?

The gift shop reeked of silence.

"Has the time come, Shirou?" Alessi's eyes pierced through his glasses, captivating the Auburn's shaking pupils. "Don't think I'm letting you get away, brat. I had a very similar situation with a stubborn brat ten years ago. But what the Mages Association has on file, you don't have a stand or any magecraft! Let alone your Saber servant was long ridden from the world! Hmn. You are the perfect kind of weak I like to pick on. Very good, me."

Shirou's eyes peered to the corner of Alessi's cheek where Set was rising from behind him. Mages Association? Saber? What was he talking about? Despite all that leaving the Auburn boy's mind, this man and his shadow was very much a memory carved in stone to Shirou Emiya.

"I can't say this too loudly, but picking on the weak makes me feel good. No matter how much time goes by, the thrill will never leave my bones. I know I'm messed up. That's the beauty of it, is it not? I used to think that believing I'm weird means I'm not. But I've fully accepted who I am. This is something I enjoy. I sure as hell won't lose to another kid this time." Alessi sneered. Set glared as it tightened its grip on the ax. "My mission is to dispose of you, Shirou Emiya!"

"Miss Minako! Help! It's that man from before-!"

SLICE!

"Archer, find a way to stop this bus. Nijimura-kun and I will handle Chili Pepper." Rin commanded.

Without missing a beat, Archer disappeared from sight. He clung to the exterior of the bus, slashing at the front passenger-side tire.

Bang!

Chili Pepper countered Archer's attack with a quick jab to the wrist. The colliding force was like a gunshot, a loud boom and damage to both parties. With the raging electricity around him, Chili Pepper was able to recover. On the other hand, Archer seethed from a possible broken wrist. He rushed to the other side when the stand appeared again, blocking his blade.

"Tohsaka relies on you too much! Without you, she's just some know-it-all with magic rocks!" It cackled.

"You underestimate her creativity." Archer irked.

Inside the bus, there was more chaos. The hostage was released by the distraction, thankfully, but everyone was witnessing a heroic spirit fight an invisible patch of air. In their eyes, it looked like the teens summoned Archer to cause trouble.

"Any luck in the front?!" Rin hollered.

"Shit! That bastard killed the bus driver!" Okuyasu checked the older man's pulse. Nothing. But, his skin was hot as an iron. "Chili Pepper fried like a light!" When Okuyasu grabbed the wheel and tried to press the brakes, he felt a painful shock deter him further. 'This bastard has covered all corners. Come on! Think! People's lives are at risk! Think even if it hurts!'

"We are getting to the port no matter what! Final destination! Keeheeheeee!" Chili Pepper sacrificed a moment to sneer at the younger Nijimura brother. Archer took the opening to slice at the stand's head.

It ducked under his blade and punched him twice in the gut. He grabbed the back of Archer's head, throwing him through a window and crushing a poor passenger. Disoriented by the blows and screams of the passengers, Archer stood up, only to be kicked in the jaw and punched in the face! A blow then sent to the knee! Another at his hip! Chili Pepper kept popping out of the roof-lined lights like a surprise whack-a-mole.

Rin grimaced. How dare this stand humiliate her servant! But what spell was ideal for this? Her freeze spell should work, but the passengers could be caught in the crossfire.

Archer inhaled, shielding his head before dodging another punch. Summoning his bow, he trapped the stand's head between the body and string, swinging him back outside the bus. The servant then appeared in the open area between Okuyasu and Rin, sweating. Mind's Eye: True (B) was able to grant him that opening. 'Chili Pepper is a very cowardly stand. Its strikes are placed on a single target before a retreat if it's not confident. I would need him to get more cocky to stay visible longer.'

The stand appeared behind him with its arm raised to slice at his head.

"Archer!" Okuyasu called out.

THUMMMM!

The Hand erases the space between Okuyasu and Chili Pepper, granting Archer an entra second of time. A second used to the fullest advantage!

"This Means War!" Archer's stand emerged, grabbing Chili Pepper by the throat.

"Good shit!" Okuyasu cheered.

"What the hell is this?!" Chili Pepper gawked.

Archer just huffed. Opening his circuits and tracing his adversary, This Means War took the shape of Chili Pepper. "I really didn't want to have to use this, but you're too much of a pain in the ass for me not to."

That was the trap Archer set! Taking them back outside the bus, This Means War isolated them from the passengers. It crushed his adversary's throat, forcing blood to come out of Chili Pepper's mouth.

"HSRAAAAAAGH!" The stand choked.

"I'll make sure you never say another word to my master again." The servant declared.

For a moment, relief washed over him like a fresh tidal wave.

He did it. He pinned Red Hot Chili Pepper. With that revelation in mind, stopping the bus would be a much easier feat. Sighing, Archer notified Rin of the outcome. 'Tohsaka. I'll have This Means War cut the fuel line and try to jam the engine.'

Rin sighed in relief. She looked to Okuyasu to announce the good news.

BWOOOOOOON! BWOOOON!

Archer turned his head to see the bus suddenly veer towards the upcoming lane; a passing truck slamming into the servant and causing a crash.

Seems Chili Pepper was still one step ahead. He violently gasped for air, before disappearing back into the bus.

"You gotta be shitting me…" The punk gawked.

Tohsaka yelled "Archer!"

The truck that hit Archer jackknifed right then and there, causing cars in the other lane to slam into it; a multi-car pile-up the result.

The radio on the bus sparked, the stand using it to speak. "You sly bitch! I'll kill you for that! I'll kill you all! I don't need you all alive when I get to the port!" With full control of the bus, an enraged Chili Pepper swerved into the other lanes, shaking everyone around like maracas.

"Archer, talk to me!" Rin commanded. "What's it looking like on your end?"

SILENCE

"Dammit!" It was becoming nearly hopeless in the eyes of Rin Tohsaka. Her mind wasn't thinking about how to stop the bus and that was her weakness. Accounting for all on board and trying to save everyone? That was never in the Tohsaka playbook. "Nijimura-kun!" She almost couldn't believe the words that left her mouth. "We're going to have to crash!"

The passenger's collective gasp was a punch in the gut. Their pleads and screams coiled around her heart and squeezed! Okuyasu's reaction wasn't helping.

"Eh?! The hell are ya talkin' about?! Crash?! What about the people on 'ere?! We can't crash!" The punk yelled while grasping onto a seat.

"We have to! Chili Pepper will defend this bus until it gets to the port. If we let him get there, he will kill Joseph Joestar! If we stop the bus and isolate him, we have a chance of leaving him trapped here." She rationed.

Okuyasu wasn't having it. "I ain't about leaving these people to get hurt! There has to be some way to save everyone here!"

Doesn't that sound familiar?

Saving everyone…

Seems Okuyasu has been hanging around a certain Emiya-kun too much for his own good. Rin would consider this a Tohsaka learning lesson:

Sacrifices must always be made.

It wasn't fair, but when the fate of the Holy Grail War depended on it, she wouldn't hesitate.

"Nijimura-kun, use The Hand to erase the front wheels of the bus." Rin commanded.

That tone of voice irked the punk; commanding him like a dog. It was all too familiar.

"Who do ya think yer talking to? Ordering me to endanger these folks? Yer crazy!" He hissed. Okuyasu started to sweat at Rin's change of aura. If he looked hard enough he could see the storm clouds appear over her head.

"To tell you the truth, Nijimura-kun, I think that your brain has forgotten the contract you all agreed to today. This is a battle. You agreed to obey me till the end! This isn't a time to argue!" She started to rattle. "Listen to me and Use The Hand!"

"You would really let, I dunno, four- eight- twelve- a buncha folks die to stop this guy from getting to that geezer?!"

"Once again, I shall be honest." She stopped yelling. "I would sacrifice this entire bus and the drivers on the road if it meant getting me to my goal. The goal is protecting Joseph Joestar, finding the identity of Whitesnake and Chili Pepper." Venom stained her lips after spouting such sour speech.

"There's always another way, Tohsaka!" The punk tried to argue.

Looking around, he saw the emergency brake to the bus. Surely it was electrically charged by the enemy stand, but the punk was willing to do whatever it takes to win. Stop the bus and get these people off safely. "Tohsaka! I found the emergency brake! I'm gonna pull it!"

The name of the game was bringing the bus to a complete stop, safely. Flying down the freeway at 60mph wasn't the best environment to try and toss people off a moving vehicle. That idea was out the window within the first moment of it becoming a thought.

"You still don't get it, you block-headed idiot! Chili Pepper has the upper hand. You can try to pull the emergency brake, Nijimura-kun." Rin Tohsaka's voice suddenly got deep. There was almost a hint of bloodlust in it. "There's a chance it works, but you fry your organs and die painfully. Or, it doesn't work and you die for nothing. Since you want to disobey me in the heat of a battle, I'll let you choose."

The port was only getting closer once the bus veered off the freeway and towards a regular street. Police sirens became increasingly louder each passing second.

Okuyasu's face flooded with sweat.

What the hell was he going to do?

Why did all these decisions come down to him?

Why did he have to think?!

THUMMMMM!


Not far offshore, different water vessels were navigating in and out the busy Fuyuki Port. Due to the early winter season, large tanker ships dominated the inbound and outbound routes for the bay. Piercing through the traffic of behemoth ships was a smaller pleasure-craft. The blue and white Yacht started to turn against the waves, beginning its journey into the marina; a special area designated for personal boats and watercraft.

"We just got the all clear to make our final approach approach into Fuyuki Port. Docking will commence any moment, Mr Joestar." The Speedwagon Foundation member announced.

Joseph Joestar slouched forward, sitting at the end of his bed. Coughing into his arm a few times, the old man nodded his head. He only returned silence to his helper, leaving them slightly concerned.

"Don't take it personal, Monsieur..."

Another voice spoke up behind the man. "...It's been a long trip." Giving the assistant a reassuring pat on the shoulder, he marched over to the suitcases placed beside Joseph's bed. "We both know this won't be a walk in the park, Mr Joestar. Just like old times, ey?"

...

...

Joseph turned his head to the other stand user, "...Yeah..."

To

Be

Continued...


Keeping these more to a minimum but I hope everyone has been well. As we approach the end of the year, I want to say that Heaven's Shining Diamond is officially 2 years old. Yikes! I know! Time flies! But at least we are in a phase where things are moving faster, I have more motivation and things be looking good for the future. I apologize if at anytime I become Araki and forget what happens, I tend to go back a lot and reread to understand what has happened and who has what ability and what character ark, yadda yadda you get it.

Here is the beginning of an important character arc. I hope you all enjoy the surprise left by this chapter. There isn't too much for me to say besides the fact that this second segment of the story is geared more towards the Tohsaka-Nijimura duo. The first was all about the Shirou-Josuke duo. Now, we will see how FSN's best girl and one of the best Jobros handles working with one another.

This second act will also feature a lot of cool arcs and mashups featureing more characters yet to come. This Holy Grail War isn't like the others... Besides the return of some past foes, there seems to be new friends made along the way. A lot more shocking revelations to come in the next chapter of Heaven's Shining Diamond: Lost Butterfly!