"Impossible."
The last time Yasuho had seen Kira Yoshikage, his decayed wrist was poking out from under a mound of dirt at the wall eyes. She had called the police herself and saw the body collected by the coroner. By all means, the authorities should have ordered it to be cremated at this point.
Yet there he was.
Hooked up to every kind of machinery she'd never seen before.
Yasuho stood up and approached the body with caution. His alabaster skin was cool and smooth beneath the finger she dragged along the curve of his calf. The muscle, small and tight, clung to the bone like a wet towel.
Yoshikage was naked, save for a small linen cloth to cover his private. His chest was broad like Josuke's and glistened with a soft sheen as the contours of his rib cage expanded abruptly with each pump of a rather loud contraption.
Just how long had the body been in this hospital?
There was chart board clipped to the side of the bed which Yasuho wasted no time to inspect. Whomever had decided to keep it, must've had a goal in mind. She read the report with bated breath.
Case study: Hybrid Rokakaka recipient.
Subject: Kira Yoshikage, 29 — Ship Doctor
Suspected of rokakaka theft, subject was confronted by Damo Tamaki's group, but managed to escape along with one other individual, kuujo Josefumi.
They sustained grave injuries that led to consumption of a grafted version of the Rokakaka. (Base plant, determined to be a peach tree.)
Subject was later nuetralized by Yagiyama Yotsuyu and buried underground near the Higashikata estate. When the subject's body was discovered by civilians, it was retrieved by Rock Human division 901 and brought to University Hospital for further research.
The body of his co-conspirator, Kuujo Josefumi, has yet to be found.
(Damo Tamaki has adopted his family registry and other identification files.)
Research findings:
Upon retrieval, body was found to have begun the decay process. Damo Tamaki reported removal of subject's liver, along with various other cuts and lacerations sustained during an interrogation process.
When inspected, the wounds were found to be sufficiently healed. The liver was partially regenerated as well.
Moreover, after connecting the body to life support, cell turnover was stimulated and the body began to revive immediately. The liver produced could sufficiently filter toxins out of the blood stream and functions normally.
There has been no detectable brain waves since retrieval, however, when disconnected from life support the body can support itself for 72 hours before showing signs of breakdown.
Equivalent Exchange Results:
1. Irises are bicolored.
2. Testicles are missing
3. Tongue is bi-textured
4. DNA showed abnormal chromosome count and appears unstable.
When considering the state of the subject's body, we have concluded that the Rokakaka fruit produced through grafting, has introduced a new form of equivalency. While the original Rokakaka produced an exchange within the consumer's own body, we speculated that the grafted Rokakaka produced an exchange between two individuals with minimal adverse effects. Findings will remain incomplete until the other half of the subject's equivalent exchange is found and studied, or a similar fruit is cultivated and tested.
Further Action:
1. Retrieve the body of Kuujo Josefumi
2. Locate the exact tree on which the Rokakaka was grafted in order to conduct research under controlled conditions.
Yasuho's brows furrowed.
As far as she knew Kuujo Josefumi's body was no more. Josuke was all that was left, which meant he was their main target as of now.
"Oh, God.. Josuke.."
Yasuho, heaved a frustrated breath. Her head suddenly became foggy as she attempted to process the seriousness of her 'd only come to Kaito's office for a quick errand and ended up walking straight into devil's chamber. There was no doubt in her mind, Kaito had to be a Rock Person; he was connected to the people who left Josuke to die at the wall eyes!
And he had married her mother.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Yasuho's finger trembled where it rested on the metal handrail of the hospital bed causing what she assumed to be Yoshikage's stand, Killer Queen, to look at her curiously from where it was nuzzled against his body. The sight of it's massive muscles cuddling Yoshikage's significantly smaller frame would have been comical in less stressful circumstances. But considering what she was currently dealing with, Yasuho realized that she was in danger.
"What should I do?"
She wasn't confident in her ability to carry Yoshikage's body, but she couldn't just leave him there either. He was a part of Josuke, of that, she was sure.
Her phone gently chimed, bringing her out of her train of thought.
There was no text, or call to show on the history, but she was smart enough to take the hint that Paisely Park gave to her. She had to tell Josuke what she found. He'd know what to do.
But what could she tell him?
'Hey, I just found your corpse, mind if I take it home?'
Not that she could take it home.
Kaito would be there...and he would know what she did. Lost for words, she activated her phone's camera and documented Yoshikage's Medical records, storing them to her phone along with pictures of his body and started to text Josuke.
Right as she was about to press send, she heard the main door to the office open with a loud click! Yasuho quickly ducked to the side, behind a thick cart alongside the sole entry to the hidden room.
"I see you've made a mess of the place, Yamada-san..almost makes me regret moving to the gynecology department." A deep, but unfamiliar voice rung out along with two sets of footsteps.
"Not at all, Dr. Tomoki. My office is ordered efficiently for what I need to accomplish." Kaito's lyrical voice was a stark contrast to his companion's low monotone.
"What was that again? I heard you lost a patient today. What was it that you were accomplishing?" She heard a mild creaking noise followed by a thud of a body sitting onto a chair.
"Oh c'mon Tomoki-kun" Kaito teased. "My best services are reserved for those who can afford my talents, as you well know."
"I'm not familiar with failure in any sense. I only know success. I've never, in all my practice, have lost anyone or anything."
"How lucky your patients must be." Kaito's hearty laugh was cut short by a sudden wail of plastic grinding into the tile was a moment of silence and had Yasuho not been looking at the light protruding from the only opening to the room, she wouldn't have realized how compromised her safety had become.
The elongated shadows of the two men grew within the entryway.
Yasuho sat, hunched, in the darkness of the hidden room, holding her knees tight to her chest and trying not to draw attention to herself.
Silly her, didn't think to close the door.
She was reckless like that.
Too caught up in the chaos of the situation to cover her tracks.
A growing desperation set her heart aflight.
Facing Kaito alone didn't seem like a good idea. Every rock-human she'd come in contact with, seemed to be a stand user. Not to mention his companion could be insanely strong... There was no telling what kind of powers they held.
Her confidence in her fighting ability was lacking. She'd dealt with one other Rock Human in the past with the aid of Jobin's son, Tsurugi. The deception of his stand, Paper Moon King, tricked the murderous rock-being into getting hit by a bus. They barely managed to escape.
But in this moment, she was without aid.
Yasuho' s whole being was overcome with terror when she looked up, seeing the profile of a tall man dressed in a lab coat. He was peering past the barrier at Yoshikage's form. A name tag that read Dr. "Tomoki" was pinned awkwardly on his sleeve, barely visible.
His refined lips were down-turned in distaste. "Damn fool. I remember when the brat used to come in here with his mother Kira Holly."
"You're familiar?" Kaito's head peaked from beyond the other doctor, confusion clear on his handsome features.
"Unfortunately." Dr. Tomoki continued. "Holly-san was one of the best surgeons in Morioh. Her spoiled child used to run these halls with undeserved privileges. I, myself, have seen him assist her without a license."
"Really? With the prudes that run this place?" Kaito questioned.
"You can't prove malpractice when the treatment is stand-based." Dr. Tomoki ran a hand over his tall hair, producing a crunch as it was met by the resistance of his stiff follicles. Yasuho could've sworn she saw dandruff flying off of him like snow.
"He was always a cocky young man. His stand power really made him believe he could get away with taking one of our Rokakakas." Kaito didn't seem bothered by the downfall of rock human debris blowing his way and listened interestedly as his friend continued.
"Yoshikage thought he could cure his mother's disease with it. Now he's dead, and she's been carted off to a quiet corner of the hospital to mentally dissolve in peace."
"Damn. Karma's a bitch." Kaito stepped fully in to the room
and sauntered to Yoshikage's the bedside.
The cat-like stand hadn't moved an inch since the two rock humans arrived, nuzzling Yoshikage's cheek as it had been before.
"Oh, look. A wild pussy." Kaito lips stretched into a mirthful grin as he mocked the stand.
"Leave that thing alone. It's nothing more than Yoshikage's pitiful shadow." A twinge of irritation rose in Dr. Tomoki's monotone.
He paused for a moment before stepping wholly into the room as well. "Speaking of which, I'd wish you'd be less reckless... you left this backroom open. Now I'm forced to clean up your mess."
Yasuho's heart stopped as he turned his tall frame toward her.
Dr. Tomoki locked eyes with Yasuho's crouched form, penetrating every mental fabrication of safety she'd woven to calm herself. He cocked his head to the side as Kaito followed his line of sight.
Kaito's festive demeanor and Tomoki's deadpan were night and day. The sole similarity shared between the men was a mirthful grin that left Yasuho to become undone. Her body shook involuntarily as she dropped her cell.
"...please!" She could hardly collect her words before Tomoki shut the opening in the wall behind him, shrouding them all in darkness and strangling Yasuho's only source of light.
