Arc 5: Hope's Blood
Chapter Eighteen: A Little Less Conversation
"Dio, you know I'd never betray you, right?"
"I've never doubted you, after that day. Why do you ask this now, Ryota?"
"...Please don't do it."
"You know about the journey I wish to take the Warriors of Hope on."
"It can't be Hope. I understand why you did what you did with my classmates. I even sort-of understand why you treat them like you do. It gives them Despair, which makes them happy. But...this-"
"Ryota, what do you know about the Warriors of Hope? Other than what I've told you."
"They're children. Children who'd have killed themselves if you hadn't arrived and showed them another way. You gave them Stands and told them about Heaven. The world of happiness you want to create."
"Do you know why they wanted to kill themselves?"
"Their parents were abusive."
"...Perhaps I, Dio, have sheltered you too much. You've been in this room for months now and it's kept you safe and focused on our work. At the same time, you've forgotten how cruel and despairing the world can be. Ryota, you are so much like Hope. Trusting but fragile as well."
"What are you saying?"
"I want you to come with me, Ryota. When the Warriors of Hope overcome their Despair and cut off all ties to their past, I want you to be there to witness it. I want you to understand the Despair they've endured. The Despair that Dio rescued them from."
"...Okay. I'll do it. I wouldn't be much help in creating Heaven if I just looked away from Despair. No matter how hard it is, I'll listen to understand why they have to kill their parents."
"Good, Ryota. I can always trust you."
"And I can trust you too. I know, Dio. Everything that we've done. Everything you'll have to do. It's all for that better world. A world without sadness, pain, or violence."
"That's why we are righteous, Ryota. I, Dio, will rule over this world and all shall be right within it."
Juzo wasn't the smartest guy you'd ever meet.
That title belonged to Munakata; who had the weird fucking power to know everything about everything. Academics, physicality, and a whole lot of other stuff, he could just list off the facts no problem. Yukizome used to tease him about how she'd feel dumb if he were anyone else.
Happier times. That wasn't the point of his remembering though.
What he was remembering was Munakata telling Sakakura about why one of the latter's opponents had been so dumb to exercise while upside-down. Not just because he was only doing to impress some chicks.
See, the human body adapted to certain things. Gravity, for example. The force that kept people stuck on the ground naturally did stuff to the way the body circulates blood. Human are adaptable, so the body works well with gravity as it is, so long as both stay relatively similar. Gravity doesn't lessen or grow, and the human body stays in the direction it normally is.
Go upside down- and not just for a second like on a roller-coaster- and that all changed.
The blood was now being pushed the wrong way. What was down was now up and what was up was now down and the blood would go to the wrong places. Not enough of it to your legs and too much to the lungs and brain. The heart then has to work harder to keep the blood-flow stable and your senses start screwing up because everything's going in the opposite direction.
Why was Juzo listing medical trivia?
It might have something to do with the fact that he, along with Kirigiri, Kizakura, Mitarai, and Andou, were all standing on the ceiling. They were all upside down because of Mitarai's goddamn Virtual Insanity.
The atmosphere of the room changed then. Like a guy who's making a speech can go from calm and composed to a sweaty and stuttering mess just by looking at an unimpressed audience. The mood of the room could change someone entirely, if it went in a certain way.
Juzo's mind was telling him the exact same thing. 'Holy shit, we're upside down. This isn't supposed to be happening!' it cried out in panic. His eyes grew heavy and his nose was feeling clogged all of a sudden. He was almost too afraid to take a step forward or back, lest he suddenly lost his balance and dropped from the ceiling onto the hard floor.
Just what Mitarai wanted from him. Turning the big bad boxer into nothing more than a panicking mess who'd collapse from it all.
Did they all think he was that stupid, or was it just Mitarai? Juzo focused on the count-down.
Three, two, one. Now! Juzo's instincts kicked in. The slight touch of heavy breathing from someone who had no control over their emotions. Too afraid of being hit by a stray shot to realise what they opened themselves up to.
Knock You Out threw out its left leg, and Juzo his right, about 100cm above from where the ground had been. Their attacks were simultaneous and should have hit thin air from what he could see.
What actually happened was that one second, Juzo felt like he was kicking something invisible, and the next, the entire room changed.
Juzo wasn't on the ceiling anymore. Neither were his opponents. Andou was cowering in the corner with a giant pink version of her head pouring a tiny amount of multi-coloured dust, Kizakura and Kirigiri were on the right side of the room, looking shocked, and Mitarai?
Mitarai flew across the room from where he'd just been kicked in the chest and slammed against Kizakura, who caught him, as both he and Kirigiri kept Mitarai from hitting the wall behind him. The kid himself had the wind entirely knocked out of him. His legs were still shaking like they were trying to regain their balance.
Juzo smirked. It looked like he still had the mind of a champion.
"It's a pretty neat trick you got there. I mean, holy shit, never thought you'd have it in you. No wonder Tengan thinks the sun shines out of your ass."
Mitarai coughed before regaining his composure, as he said, "I-I-I don't get it. Virtual Insanity-"
"Name's a bit of a clue. 'Virtual'. But there were other things as well. The fact that you didn't try and get a hit in back then was one of them. You could open up holes, blast light from your hands, and apparently dodge chairs without moving. You didn't want revenge against the guy who hit you in the gut?" Juzo asked, taking a step forward. "No one's that nice, kid."
Juzo decided not to mention the fact that it was just a theory. If he missed the kick, or had been wrong about the Stand, he'd have had no idea what to do. The belief that blood was pooling in his head might have taken him for the count.
That's what makes him the most dangerous guy in the room. I can't let him stay awake. Juzo gave a side-glance to Andou, who was busy cowering in the side of the room. The giant pink head's dust was slowly making its way around the walls of the room, trying to get him from behind. Scratch that. Second-most dangerous.
Anyone who was cowering from their own Stand, and had to sweat like she was to make the dust move so slowly and carefully, was dangerous. At least Mitarai was fully in control. Juzo didn't know if Andou was going to doom them for her own gain, or just because she panicked and lost control.
Knock You Out readied its fists. Either way, he wasn't going to let them use that exit behind them.
"Still, I gotta thank you for one thing, Mitarai." Juzo said. Knock You Out began shadow-boxing and its user enjoyed the smell of freedom. "I had a big problem until now. Thanks to you, I know I've got nothing to fear."
"It's related to your Stand." Kirigiri said as a gunshot echoed behind her. Knock You Out rushed to the left and just managed to avoid the transparent bullet that shot from Detective Man's gun.
"Nice try, I know how that Stand works. Turns truth and lies into goddamn weapons." Juzo took another step forward and changed his mind. Kirigiri was just as dangerous as Mitarai, with her brain and Detective Man together. "But yeah, that's right. See, my Sin's a pretty dangerous thing for a guy like me. I can't punch."
"But Sins don't apply to Stands, do they?" Kizakura asked. He wasn't smiling for once.
"Nope." Juzo replied.
Something was finally going right for him, after the shitty day he'd been having. He let the bitterness flow through him as Knock You Out rushed forward and raised its fists. Red boxing-gloves began to glow as the Stand launched its assault on the three opponents in front of it.
"YOYOYOYOYOYOYOYO!" Knock You Out cried. Its punches weren't the mad frenzy of Dio's Holy Diver. These were precise blows by a trained mind, however much it was fuelled by anger and frustration.
Virtual Insanity leapt in front of its user and protected its chest with its arms. A smart choice, considering it managed to avoid breaking anything when shot back towards the wall, taking its user with him. Detective Man managed to avoid the first blow, aimed for its right ribs, but Kirigiri forgot to make it move its head as well. Nothing could stop the right hook that sent it flying after Virtual Insanity.
Kizakura didn't even summon his Stand to protect him. He just took the punch to the gut and flew back against the wall, landing with its hands stretched out and palms hitting the wall first. Smart. It lessened the impact.
Not that it would mean anything. The results were the same; Kirigiri, Kizakura, and Mitarai all flew against the wall and crashed against the stone wall that- supposedly- held an exit.
Juzo shrugged as Knock You Out approached them. "Nothing personal. Just following Munakata's orders. If we want to make a world without Despair, we need to make sacrifices. Naegi and his friends are one of them, and that includes you, Kirigiri."
He'd need the okay from Munakata on Mitarai and Andou. The new Future Foundation was going to need more than just him, Munakata, and Kimura, and Izayoi would go on a rampage if he killed Andou. That, and they could serve another purpose if they weren't going to play along with the new way.
If they wouldn't help rebuild the world, then Munakata would have prisoners to reveal the corruption in the old group. Whether by testimony or trial.
But those were questions for Munakata to figure out. He was the thinker behind all this, instead of Juzo, who was more concerned with the fight in front of him. Knock You Out approached the group slowly and readied itself to launch anther barrage of fists. He'd need time to gather up the negative emotions needed to fuel it.
He just had to think of all the idiots at work, all the shit that happened today, and everything he wanted to do to Dio now that he had a Stand of his own.
Yep. That did it. Knock You Out's fists were blazing like the Sun itself now.
A soft chuckle came from Kizakura, who was pulling out a cigarette and a lighter as he said, "The things we do for the people we care about." He lit the cigarette and smiled. "We do things we never imagine, just to make them safe. Hell, just to keep them happy. Because that smile makes it all worth it."
Kizakura was thinking of Jin, and probably thought Juzo felt that way about Munakata. He didn't know how deep Juzo's feelings were for his friend. He'd never know and Juzo would keep it that way.
Ever since Dio...
Yeah, Juzo had always been extra-careful about expressing his feelings when no one was looking.
"But that doesn't always make it right. Sometimes we make calls doing what we think they'd want, or we do what they want and it only hurts them. It hurts us." Kizakura said. He sighed as a cloud of smoke puffed from his mouth. "I guess that's what you get when you make decisions in the Heat Of The Moment."
Knock You Out couldn't move away in time. The cigarette's flame had exploded and took on a new shape. The first image it took was of a fist flying straight at Knock You Out's face, which threw itself up and avoided any serious damage. The worst it took was a searing blow to the right pectoral area. Juzo bit back a howl of pain as his Stand retreated back to his side.
It had attempted to kick away the flames, moving so fast that you could see the after-images and the wind pushing in the same direction, but it was no use. The fist simple dissipated before the leg made contact and reformed as it left.
So this was Kizakura's Stand. The flames grew until a certain point, in which they then began shaping and moulding themselves into a new form. One that looked humanoid, if it wasn't for the fact that it was made entirely from fire. Juzo could still recognise the look on its face, even as it flickered; the way that a single tear-drop looked to be dripping from its right eye and the sad smile it had.
Its user chuckled as he used the wall behind him as leverage to get himself up. "Knock You Out may be allowed to punch, but you still can't. If I keep this Stand busy, what's keeping Mitarai from using Virtual Insanity to get us out again? But what do you expect," Kizakura said, as he took a step forward. "It's not like you're more than some thug. Not even good at hitting the right things when it counts."
Juzo's eyes flashed with anger and regret and that was what almost killed him.
The fiery Stand flared when Juzo had reacted and its eyes widened. There was a moment of the Ultimate Boxer feeling his entire shirt heat up, and then the heat became blistering, and then scorching. The heat licked his ear-lobes and was already singing the back of his hair.
His jacket was on fire.
Knock You Out span and grabbed the open jacket by its teeth and yanked it in half. The burning fabric flew off Juzo's body and he wasted no time following the old rule about putting yourself out. Stop, drop, and roll. There was no point in fighting if you were burning at the same time.
He hissed from the pain of burnt skin coming into contact with the floor, and his shirt was definitely ruined by the flames. The fabric probably kept the burns all over his chest and back from getting any worse. He could be thankful for that. A quick check showed that the worst of it was on his back, with bright red welts showing the burns to be first degree.
The rest of the burns on his chest and shoulders were close, but were more accidentally touching the stove and pulling away in time. They were on the soft-side of first degree burns, unlike the worst of it on his back. The pain when moving wasn't anything unbearable. He had boxing injuries that hurt more.
It didn't mean they weren't stinging like a bitch.
Kizakura smiled as Juzo stood up again. He swore as he realised what he just did; taking his eyes off the ball. Mitarai could have already activated Virtual Insanity and Juzo wouldn't have even noticed!
The three of them were standing now, though Mitarai was helping Kirigiri out- or acting like she needed help. If they were even there at all!
"I've done stuff I've regretted," Kizakura said. "I could have been a better friend when he needed it. I could have been a decent teacher and maybe Yukizome wouldn't have gotten mixed up in all this. I could have been a better role model and been there for someone who needed me. These regrets only chain me down though. But the best I can do is move forward and do what little I can."
His Stand nodded and coiled itself around him like a snake. Only, instead of choking the life out of him, it was instead protecting him. Any attempt at attacking him would only get Juzo burnt again.
"This is why you kept your Stand secret. You didn't want to give away the advantage of surprise?" Kirigiri asked.
"Plus I wanted to be nice to you. Give you a little mystery to wrap your head around." Kizakura replied. He burst out laughing and gave a fake apologetic smile. "Guess I should have been more honest. I'm sorry."
"No you're not. Your Stand hasn't reduced its powers yet."
"Wow! You didn't even need to think to realise what I meant."
They weren't even paying attention to him anymore. They all had one eye on him, but this was just a joke to them now. As if they had already won!
"I can still help. Virtual Insanity can't lose here! There's no way to break the illusion, if I keep my distance." Mitarai said. The kid would have to go down first, if Juzo wanted any chance of victory here.
"I can-" Andou tried to take a step forward, until Kirigiri's eyes shot towards the confectioner and made her stop in her tracks.
"No. You stay back, Andou. Sugar Sugar has to be controlled." She said.
So Sugar Sugar couldn't be controlled. Great. Just what Juzo needed. Damnit! Juzo's Stand was meant to finally give him the edge! He was supposed to knock down anything in his way, especially now that his Stand could actually punch, but here he was! Outnumbered and outgunned.
No. No, screw this! I'm not letting Munakata down again. Juzo just had to keep his eye on the prize. This wasn't the first time he'd been outnumbered and this wasn't the first time he'd fought with a Stand user.
The Remnants of Despair didn't kill him and these guys sure as hell wouldn't. He had a Stand! All he needed to do was fight a bit smarter and focus on what he came here to do. Kill Kyouko Kirigiri.
Juzo and Knock You Out got into mirroring poses, both ready to box if need be. The former was bluffing, but the latter definitely wasn't.
He stared the Ultimate Animator right in the eye and shouted, "You think that shit'll work, Mitarai?! You're just a stage-hypnotist. You can't mess with my senses if I know how the trick works. If I don't believe, or don't want to believe, I can see through the bullshit." He and Knock You Out crouched, readying to strike. "I didn't become the Ultimate Boxer because I was good at it."
Juzo ran forward straight towards Kirigiri. Kizakura unleashed a blast of flame right at him, but he was too quick for it to do more than singe more of the back of his hair. Just as he pulled his fist back, he instead threw up his knee towards Kirigiri and felt a familiar touch on his face.
Kirigiri dashed to the right, but Juzo could feel her hair moving leftwards as it stroked against his oncoming leg.
His knee hit the wall, but that wasn't a problem. A little pain never killed anybody. Not like Knock You Out's left punch, filled with the power of Juzo's frustrations, which missed Kirigiri and slammed against the stone wall that promised freedom.
The wall exploded from the force of the blow. Stone flying back and crashing against what sounded like hard glass. Juzo didn't pay it any mind. He turned and looked down his three opponents, while Andou cowered in the corner, and stared them down.
"I became the Ultimate Boxer because I'm the goddamn best in the world. Three on one? You just evened the odds, you bastards." He said, as Knock You Out charged towards them.
He was Juzo Sakakura; Eighth Branch Head and best friend to Kyosuke Munakata. He fucked up once and it cost the world everything.
He wouldn't fuck up now.
"Asahina, do you think I'm doing enough?" Naegi asked.
"Huh?" Asahina turned and stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm not doing anything!" Naegi said. He was louder than he meant to be.
But it was true. He wasn't doing anything! Dio and his Friend had forced them into a Killing Game and Naegi wasn't doing anything to help anyone! Livin' On A Prayer was meant to inspire hope in people, but it wasn't doing a thing!
It can't create hope. All it can do is enhance the feeling that's already there. He reminded himself. You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved. You have to convince them first.
He had convinced Gozu to turn his back on Despair...for all the good it did him.
The only death, of those he knew about, and it had all been because of him. All because he hadn't seen the signs quick enough. If he had just tried harder, or been quicker, maybe Gozu would be alive now.
For all Naegi told Asahina to not blame herself, he was doing a bad job of practising what he preached.
Maybe it was because they hadn't found anyone yet. Tengan had saved them, Gekkogahara had held off Sakakura before rendezvousing with them again, and now they were just sitting and waiting for something to happen. Nothing they did seemed to have any results.
I thought I was being smart trying to communicate with the outside world. It wasn't against the rules of the game. Naegi wondered why he had been so naive. It didn't need to be a rule because there was no way of speaking with the outside world.
Gekkogahara tried her best to find a signal. No one was picking up. Not even Togami, and he had been in the nearest Fourteenth Branch base to the HQ. Hagakure at least had a cellphone, when they asked him to wait outside. The Mastermind must have seen all this coming.
Now here they were. Doing absolutely nothing, while everyone was fighting with each other.
"Naegi, you are doing something. You're staying alive. That brings people Hope and that's what we need right now." Asahina said.
"And everyone's fighting because of that. You have people fighting for their lives to protect me and others fighting for their lives to kill me." Naegi pushed his back against the wall and let himself slide down to a sitting position.
"Naegi, people wouldn't be doing that if they didn't think you were worth their lives." Gekkogahara said.
"But I'm not! I'm just Makoto Naegi."
"Yep. You're Makoto Naegi, an average guy with weird luck. But you know what else you are? You're Makoto Naegi, the guy everyone in the world believes in- no matter what jerks like Munakata and Sakakura say! You stood up to Dio, Naegi. We were all willing to give in until you stood up and spoke against him." Asahina's passionate stare turned uneasy. "I don't know how you're feeling. To know that people are putting it all on the line for you. Whether to help or hurt you. I'm still your friend, though. So if you need help, I'll be there."
Gekkogahara made a noise then. Monomi sounded sad, for some reason. "It'd probably not make you feel good to show you this," She said, as Monomi looked dejected for Gekkogahara, only to then gain some resolve. "But you need to see it. There's no Hope in closing your eyes and ignoring the truth."
The screen changed from Monomi to one of the camera feeds from the Future Foundation building. Naegi recognised the area as where you went over the bridges to one part of the building to another. It was apparently back when everyone was concerned about an attack from Ultimate Despair.
It was in ruins now, while Naegi's attention focused entirely on the man lying against a stone slab surrounded in blood.
Gekkogahara zoomed in and Naegi recognised the corpse of Kazuo Tengan; the man who had now-sacrificed himself so that Naegi could live.
"It seems like Munakata survived his battle with Tengan. He might be wounded, but not down for the count." Gekkogahara paused before typing out, "I'm sorry, Naegi."
"It's okay, Gekkogahara." Naegi laughed to himself. "It's not the first time someone died because of-"
Asahina covered his mouth with the palm of her hand. "No. I'm not letting you finish that sentence." She warned.
"She's right!" Gekkogahara added. She was speaking- okay, typing- a lot faster than normal now. "Kyosuke Munakata doesn't know what he's talking about! Anyone who was willing to stand up to Dio Brando, in soiled clothes, is anything but sheltered. You looked him in the eye and stood firm, even when he was going to use Holy Diver's effect-overwrite on you."
"Naegi, everyone who's stood up for you would do it again in a heart-beat," Asahina said. "Remember the battle at Hope's Peak? All of our dead friends were brought back to break us and you managed to make them stand up to him. They knew what they were doing. Even when they were meant to be fuel for Holy Diver, they held it back and we ended him. Not the Future Foundation, definitely not Munakata, but us. Don't think this is all on you. We're behind you every step of the way. If that means something is your fault, then it's our fault too!"
Naegi wondered what he did to deserve a friend like Asahina.
"Look! The Chairman left a message too." Gekkogahara had the camera zoom in on a tiny piece of writing. It was small enough that even being in the same room would barely make a difference. It seemed to be written in blood. "Read it! Read it!"
'I entrust the world's Hope to you.'
This was Tengan's dying message. Even when facing death, he inscribed a message that may have never been seen to Naegi. Telling him to keep moving forward.
Nothing would bring Tengan back. Naegi would have traded that message and all the well-wishes in the world, if it meant bringing Tengan back to life, but that opportunity would never come to him.
But it still raised his spirits! Tengan must have died without regrets. He, like Gozu, died trying to do what was right.
And here I am, sitting and feeling sorry for myself. Naegi had the key to all this figured out and he was moping around? He turned to Asahina and said, "We need to find Kirigiri. We're not sticking around for this."
"Yeah!" Asahina pumped her fist. She crouched and offered her arms. "It'll be faster if I carried you and ran."
"No thanks. I'd like to at least use my legs, even if I can't run, unless we're facing some kind of danger." Naegi appreciated the gesture. He'd also like to keep some semblance of pride.
"Makoto! I'm not letting you get yourself in trouble because of your masculinity." Gekkogahara scolded, Monomi having smoke coming out of her ears. "You're getting a piggy-back from Asahina, or you're holding onto the bars of this wheelchair."
He didn't realise how passionate the Ultimate Therapist could be. He decided to give in.
"Okay, okay," He said. "I guess I'll hold onto your chair then."
"Gosh darn right you will."
It was funny. Here he was, trapped in a building with people who wanted to kill him, ranging from supposed allies to Dio's Friend, and he was being scolded by a girl using a computer to speak for her. The tiny pink and white rabbit growled and shook its stick at him as he chuckled at the show of defiance.
Asahina smiled and gently pushed him over to Gekkogahara to get on the chair already.
Tengan may have entrusted the hope of the world to him, and everyone may call him the Ultimate Hope, but Naegi knew the truth. If it wasn't for his friends, the people willing to risk it all for him, he wouldn't be here. It was because of them that he was more than just your average kid with special luck.
It was because of them that he finally had a plan. He was finally going to do something.
Step one. Find Kirigiri and whoever else is with her. Step two. Gather everyone I can. Step three. Get out of this building and away from the Killing Game. Naegi's plan had its issues, mainly figuring out how to convince the others. It was still the best he had. Once Kirigiri was back with them, nothing would stop them from finding a solution.
Dio's Friend probably wanted Naegi to slip into self-pity and Despair. Forbidden to run in hallways? It was designed to keep Naegi from bringing everyone together!
They weren't going to get their way. Naegi wasn't going to let Dio or his Friend destroy the Future Foundation. Everyone outside was counting on him; everyone watching this sick and twisted game. There was Komaru and her friends, Togami, Hagakure, and even Class 77-B who were waiting for their names to be cleared.
All of them were counting on Naegi. Counting on him to not give up and help save the Future Foundation.
And that's just what I'm going to do. No matter what, I won't lose Hope!
No one would expect Seiko Kimura to charge into the room.
In her bestial state, thanks to her drugs, she was easily making her way towards Ruruka far quicker than Izayoi ever could. All she had to do was follow her heightened senses and fight off all the others who were with her. It'd be easy. Not least because of her out-sizing all of them, thanks to her drugs.
It might have been impossible to track Ruruka down, if it wasn't for her sweet scent. It was just like her to smell just like sugar. Seiko just wanted to go in and hold her friend tightly and never let go while enjoying that sweet sm-
Her train of thought stopped when she realised something.
Sugar wasn't the only thing she could smell.
There was blood and smoke and charred flesh in the exact same room where Ruruka was. Seiko could see it now, just behind the door was her best friend and some kind of danger!
They're hurting her! Those Future Foundation bastards! Seiko picked up the pace and didn't even try slowing down before smashing her way through the door. There was no time to waste when Ruruka was in danger!
The door and wall around it collapsed into splinters and rocks before Seiko's weight. The worst she got were a few injuries that would have bruised, if it weren't for White Rabbit's adaptability. Around her were the sounds of scattering fools and a soft whimper from Ruruka.
Seiko scanned the scene before her. Sakakura was covered in burns and cuts, while Knock You Out had the words 'the exit is fake' pierced through its left arm, leaving it dangling uselessly. Kizakura had a bruise on his left cheek and was favouring his right leg, while Kirigiri seemed to have a wound on one of her left ribs. Both of them flanked Mitarai on the corner next to Ruruka's. Sakakura was directly opposite to Ruruka.
The furniture of the room was oddly arranged. The wall to Seiko's left had the very same door as the one Seiko just burst through, only it looked perfectly intact, and was open to reveal the exact same hallway that Seiko just went past. The bookcases had even formed some kind of barricade between Sakakura and the group of three he was facing. What was going on?! Seiko shook the thoughts out of her head. Never mind, she could figure it out later.
Right now, all eyes were on her.
Mitarai won't interfere. That just leaves these three. Seiko told herself. The soft laugh from Sakakura, compared to the wary glances from Kizakura and Kirigiri, told her who she could turn her back to.
"Kimura, you're right on time. You know what Munakata wants, and you know he's the only guy thinking with his brain around here. Just help me take out Kirigiri and Kizakura and we're good." Sakakura blinked and his eyes widened. His hand shot to grab her forearm, which oddly made him relax after making physical contact. "Shit. You seeing the furniture on the walls too."
"Who cares about Munakata?" She asked, each word heavy on her mouth. Sakakura barely had time to register the shock when Seiko stood upright, back-straight, and looked Ruruka right in the eye. "In the name of Lord Dio, I need to save Ruruka from you all!"
"W-What?" Ruruka blurted out, face pale as a sheet. She only now realised that everyone's attention fell to her.
Apart from Mitarai's, of course. He focused on moving from being behind Kirigiri to being just in front of her.
"You don't have to lie anymore. We can reveal the truth. Lord Dio had us ready this whole time. He showed us another way from the decadent old world. Where we were expelled for no reason." Seiko was lying through her teeth. All to use everyone's paranoia against Ruruka, who understood what was happening.
Sakakura's shock turned into a simmering anger. "After everything he did for you. After you got kicked out of Hope's Peak, you just went to Dio? You didn't even hesitate?" He asked. There was a mocking edge to his voice as he said, "You went crawling back to her? So it's true. The plan to split off from the Future Foundation, it was all to just re-form Ultimate Despair."
"No! That's wrong! Seiko, what are you talking about?!" Ruruka screamed. Seiko didn't like making her friend feel bad, but it was for the greater good; their friendship and loyalty to Lord Dio.
All she had to do was go over and grab Ruruka while she could.
Kirigiri spoke before she could do that. "Enough. Sakakura, you can plainly see the need for us to work together and-"
The Ultimate Detective couldn't finish her sentence. Seiko couldn't allow Kirigiri to even threaten her time with Ruruka, or her divine mission to ensure Lord Dio's triumph over the Future Foundation. The Ultimate Pharmacist span to face Sakakura and launched her attack.
It was a neat trick she had formulated in her head. Gather the fluids of her eyes and concentrate them around the iris and then release it as a high-pressured blast of fluid that could tear through all those who dared to challenge Lord Dio. She even adjusted the height so that it would easily avoid Mitarai, aiming it just above his hair.
She moved from left to right as the stream of pressurised liquid shot from her eyes and cut through the room like a blade to straw. Sakakura ducked in time and only lost the very top part of his left ear, making him grunt in pain. Kizakura even managed to completely duck, grabbing Kirigiri to try and throw her down with him.
Kirigiri had been quick, but not quick enough to avoid the shot. The right side of her forehead was bleeding, not heavily enough that it would cause blood-loss or nausea. It was enough, however, that the detective had to put a hand over her right eye to keep the blood from blinding her vision.
The flaming creature next to Kizakura- likely his Stand- immediately dimmed down as his eyes widened at his partner's wound.
Seiko gave him no time to try and help Kirigiri with the bleeding. She threw out her hands and declared, "There are only two things I care about, in this wretched world, and those are Lord Dio and Ruruka." Her eyes bulged and she stared right at Ruruka with hunger. "Nothing will get between me and either of them!" She howled.
With that, Seiko now joined the battle with the ferocity of a tiger. Sakakura, Kirigiri, Kizakura, she would fight them all and destroy every last one of them. All so that she could be with Ruruka.
Sugar Sugar was pouring down much more of its sweet, lovely, dust as Ruruka whimpered and screamed. She was probably having trouble after fearing that everyone would see her as a traitor. Seiko felt bad for a moment, before inhaling the sugary dust that the Stand produced, and remembering Mitarai's words.
Ruruka would understand. She just needed to be enlightened, is all.
"No! No! Get off me!" Ruruka screamed and howled and smashed her fists against Seiko's back.
It was easy when she was slung over Seiko's back and being carried off like she was a sack. Not that it did her any good. Ruruka had never been that strong in the first place, and she was fighting Seiko when the latter was in her giant form. She even managed to tank some of Heat Of The Moment and Detective Man's attacks, when she stole Ruruka away.
Not that any of them could do anything. That stupid Sakakura should have worked with them! They could have taken Seiko down and she'd explain everything.
Instead, Ruruka panicked, Sugar Sugar flooded the room, and now everyone was running away from each other. The only relief Ruruka had was that that exit was fake after all.
Not that it made being kidnapped by a drugged former friend who was obsessed with her any better.
"It's okay, it's okay. That door didn't hold an exit. We're underground. Do you remember? The Future Foundation probably built it; in case Lord Dio's forces ever broke in." Seiko said, nuzzling her head against Ruruka's body.
The touch made Ruruka want to vomit. Knowing what she knew now about Seiko made her wish she never had that stupid Stand in the first place. Not only did she corrupt her beloved Yoi-chan, but she was now in the hands of a Remnant of Despair!
She betrayed humanity. Dio probably found her after she got expelled and- Ruruka couldn't think about it anymore. She had to struggle more and do whatever it takes to get free.
A thought came to her and Ruruka used all her will-power to keep her voice steady and authoritative when she said, "Seiko, this is a command!" Ruruka using her Stand's effect, and a harsh stone, had made Seiko slow down. "Let. Me. Go." She commanded. She had a moment of hope, before it was mercilessly crushed.
"I can't do that, Ruruka. You'd just run off with Izayoi and get hurt. You don't realise it yet; Lord Dio's dream." Seiko stopped in her tracks and dropped Ruruka.
They were a few floors up from where they had been and were in the middle of the hallway. Ruruka could barely gather her bearings before Seiko grabbed her face hard and dragged her towards one of the monitors. It was a tight grip as Seiko's fingers forced Ruruka's eyes wide open. Sugar Sugar was still far behind the girls.
Maybe that was why Seiko wasn't listening to her.
No. She had stopped listening to Ruruka long before that.
"I'm sorry if this hurts. You can beat me and kick me and make me eat dirt when this is over. But please listen," Seiko begged, even as she tightened her grip on Ruruka's head. "Lord Dio and Mitarai want a world of certainty. Isn't that what you want? A world where you'll never fear if someone's going to betray you? We can be friends in that world. You can have whatever you want from me, and I can finally eat your delicious sweets."
"You won't like them because they're mine though! You just want them because they're sweets and Sugar Sugar's brainwashed you." Ruruka felt tears run down her eyes again. She bared her heart to Seiko and prayed it would do something. "You, Yoi-chan, everyone, I just wanted you all to recognise me. Making sweet things is all I can do. It's all I am! If people enjoy the sweets I put my soul into, then it's like they're enjoying my existence and-"
The monitor screen flickered on and Ruruka immediately stopped talking. Her body went cold as she recognised the dominant smirk and ambition-filled eyes before her.
"Ruruka Andou," Dio said. "So lonely. Even with a lover like Sonosuke Izayoi, you never quite felt at ease. Your mind and heart constantly at war with itself over your fears. Will he stay by my side, no matter what? Will he find something he loves more than my sweets? You've never known peace of mind. Perhaps that is why you aligned yourself with I, Dio!"
What is he- The screen changed and instead Mitarai now appeared on the screen. Ruruka was confused, not least about why Dio was saying she was one of his followers, and now Mitarai was up there. I don't-
She stopped thinking and let herself stare into the screen. The way that the brights colours behind Mitarai moved and the strange humming sound made her feel...safe. As if she was letting herself sink into a pool of pure warmth and love.
"We can help you, Andou. Dio and I have a plan. We're going to make a world without fear or hatred. A world where all the sins we've committed can be erased. You and Kimura can be friends again. You'll have the certainty you wanted. The work outside this building's already been done. Let's leave this place united in Hope. We can all reach Heaven together. That's what we're fighting for, right?"
Yes. Yes it was what she was fighting for.
She and Yoi-chan only joined the Future Foundation because she had been scared of what would happen to her in The Tragedy. The carnage of Ultimate Despair, and the man whose name they pledged their acts to, had horrified her. It made her seek out the closest thing to safety.
Only she didn't feel safe, did she? She saw how Seiko and those like Munakata and Sakakura spoke to each other. What if they took Seiko's side over how the incident at the practical exams had happened? Why wouldn't they betray her, if they decided Bandai could do her work just as well?
That's why she had to make her own organisation. An organisation that would never betray her. She would give them everything, including her sweets, and they would give her everything in turn. It would have been a beautiful relationship.
Or it would have been destroyed by fear. Fear that the sweets she offered wouldn't be enough. Fear that everyone around her would betray her, because how could she know that they wouldn't?
Lord Dio and Mitarai, on the other hand, would never betray her. She would offer them her services, her life, and her soul, and she would finally have it. The certainty that she would never be betrayed by those close to her. A world where she, Yoi-chan, and Seiko could all live happily as friends.
Ruruka felt peace of mind as Seiko let go of her head.
She was crying tears of joy as she said, "I...I understand now...all this time, I wanted friends...friends who could never betray me. I thought if I could control them," She shook her head at how foolish it sounded now. Ruruka finally knew what she wanted. "Lord Dio's Heaven. That's the world I want."
"Ruruka!" Yoi-chan's voice echoed through the hallway. She turned to find him running down the hallway opposite of the way she and Seiko had came. It looked like he had seen the whole thing, from the look of horror on his face. "What did she-"
All Ruruka had to do was raise a hand and Seiko stopped growling. It was unnecessary, when Yoi could easily be brought over to their side.
"Yoi-chan, I have the bestest idea ever!" Ruruka said. She poured all the sugar and sweetness she could muster into her voice. "Now that I've seen what Lord Dio wanted all along, I get it now! We simply have to help him create Heaven! Yoi-chan, we're joining Dio."
If Yoi-chan understood what she was saying, he didn't show it. All he was doing was staring down at his hands and then towards her arms. Oh yeah, she had forgotten that the grip he had on her left arm earlier had still left a mark.
I guess Sugar Sugar's effect can run out, after a while. Ruruka thought to herself. It was a pretty long time though; which meant it could still be useful for Lord Dio's designs.
"What is-I don't-" Yoi-chan kept staring at Ruruka's arm. He seemed close to tears when he stared into her eyes, begging for an answer. "What did I do to you?"
"Nothing that can't be forgiven if you simply join us. It won't even matter, if you just let Sugar Sugar take hold again." Ruruka said. She could hear it approaching now and would easily make up for the lack of a video for Yoi-chan right now.
Unfortunately, the idea didn't seem appeal to Yoi-chan. He stumbled back like he'd been burnt as badly as Sakakura. "No. No, I won't do that. I won't let that thing corrupt our love again! I won't let a monster like Dio do it either. Please, whatever has made you like this- made her like this- you have to fight it. Please, I know I failed you, but you're being-"
Izaoi stopped speaking when he realised the intensity of Ruruka's glare.
He dared insult Lord Dio in front of her?!
It looked like she was going to have to do this the hard way.
The only punishment worthy of someone so close to her who was readying to betray her. It'd be an even worse Despair than when Seiko betrayed her at Hope's Peak! Ruruka would never feel that way again. She would witness Lord Dio's ascension to Heaven, no matter what!
"You will join Lord Dio, Sonosuke?" She asked, smiling as Seiko's White Rabbit growled. She had a feeling it'd need to be battle-ready. "Or are you going to betray me?"
The choice was clear to her boyfriend.
Would he choose Love or Betrayal?
"There's something I need to tell you," Sakakura's eyes matched his expression. Speaking the secret would pain him, but he felt it needed to be said now. "I-"
"Enough." Munakata said. He drew his blade and walked towards Sakakura. Killing In The Name moved with him.
He would have done this anyway. There was no denying the truth, if even Kimura had fallen to Dio. To hear it from the mouth of his best friend would be too much.
Why else would you show your Stand, if you did not intend to fight with it immediately? To show your Stand was to show your heart. It made you vulnerable to the pain of its injuries, if someone exploited your vulnerability. All it did was bring risk to you.
Better to hide your Stand and heart. Protect it well and only reveal it when you had to. Otherwise, it would only bring you pain.
Munakata remained an enemy of Despair. Sakakura wouldn't feel any unnecessary pain, while Munakata made his interrogation. He was already littered with burns and scars. This was a mercy, really.
The blade plunged right through Sakakura's chest, Killing In The Same striking the same exact spot on Knock You Out's chest, and Munakata didn't even blink at the blood gushing from Sakakura's mouth. He looked straight through that look of anguish on his friend's face.
"I know the truth, Sakakura." Munakata said. "Tengan told me everything."
Sakakura looked shocked, before fear and confusion took over. "Wha-Mun-"
"You lied for Dio on that day, didn't you?" He asked.
"Kyo-" The Ultimate Boxer couldn't finish; Killing In The Name had just cut its blade down on his back. Blood sputtered out from it like water from a fountain.
"Killing In The Name doesn't need a lie from the tongue, it seems. Only from the heart." Munakata did nothing as Sakakura fell to his knees. "You kept it secret all this time. You let me believe it was simply Dio lying to you. I suppose you both enjoyed laughing about it. You and Yukizome."
Were those tears of regret, or simply pain?
"Pl-" Killing In The Name now struck a defenceless Knock You Out across the chest. Sakakura's own body opened up and his lower torso was painted red.
"So Dio not only corrupted the woman I loved, but also my best friend. Tell me, what did he offer you that made you turn to Despair?" Munakata didn't know why he asked. The answer wouldn't bring him Hope.
"It-I-" Killing In The Name struck again and again. Its blade was like a brush on a canvas, only every time it touched Sakakura, his body would burst out blood.
The lies in his heart had turned against him. Did he have an excuse for what he had done? Was he so attached to his reasoning that it was now tearing his body apart?
Munakata stared down with dark eyes, completely lacking in emotion. "Maybe you thought you were doing it for me. Maybe you thought I'd be content to live in Dio's world, if it was with my friends. Was it fear that drove you? Was Dio's presence that terrifying?"
Killing In The Name struck twice with each question before it then sheathed its blade and Munakata knew then that he would never have an answer. Not from Sakakura, when he was in that state.
The burns around his back and arms now had thin but deep red lines through them. The claw-marks on his ribs were now complimented by the scars left by Killing In The Name's blade. It had been merciless in its judgement of those found guilty.
There was no point in lingering here. Munakata simply flung his right arm to the side, making the blood fly off the blade, and he sheathed his own blade. There wasn't time for a proper cleaning now. Especially when he had more work to do.
He turned his back and took the first step when he heard a choked, weak, and dying voice.
"Muna-Kyo-Please." Sakakura was probably stretching out his hand as he laid in his blood. Knock You Out moaned from behind Munakata's left. It reminded Munakata of whenever Sakakura trained too hard and had to beg Munakata and Chisa to help him get up so he could get to the showers and out of those damn-
Munakata did not look back. He simply kept walking and ignoring the pitiful moans of his best friend. The one of many people who he always had faith in for so long. The last of the ties to his past that Dio had corrupted with Despair had finally been cut.
Dio was probably laughing in Hell now. His Friend was probably pleased with themselves. They, and the rest of the Remnants, must have thought that Munakata would have broken by now. Nothing more than a weeping wretch, after what he had done.
He tightened his shaking grip on his blade.
Damn you, Despair. Munakata may have lost the people in his life, but he still had his principles. The resolve to destroy Despair and the ideals of Hope remained in his heart still! I will not waver. Humanity relies on my ability to withstand all this; the Future Foundation's treachery towards humanity. If it means throwing away my memories with Sakakura, then I'll do it.
It would seem like throwing away his bonds was an act of Despair, especially to those like Naegi, but they were wrong. It was because of Hope that Munakata forced himself forward. To put the good of the world and mankind ahead of his own self. To cut down his former-comrades so to keep them from corrupting the world.
To have gone through that and still be free of Despair. It sounded impossible.
But Munakata carried on. He would kill Makoto Naegi, along with Aoi Asahina and anyone else in their group, before moving onto the others. If Kimura had fallen, then Tengan had been telling the truth after all.
Was there nothing that Dio did not taint with his very existence?
"You'll pay for making me become a monster, Despair. You'll pay for what you've done, ally of Dio!" Munakata said. It was his vow to remain true to the path he chose.
Munakata picked up the pace as Sakakura collapsed behind him. There was no time for him to look back at what he had done.
If he hesitated, or looked back for even a moment, he knew he would be lost to Despair.
"Be honest, what are our chances of winning?" Kizakura asked.
Izayoi wondered if his (temporary) partner actually wanted an answer, or if he was simply trying to learn more about the kind of man he was. The Ultimate Blacksmith had trouble reading people sometimes, and that was especially so for people like Kizakura. The way they smiled without joy confused him.
"Our odds of survival should be good, if we know when to retreat." Izayoi looked back at the other end of the bridge. He and Kizakura stood at the centre, even after the sounds of running had long since vanished. "We could lead them away from Kirigiri and Mitarai. If they went to the left, we can just lead them to the right."
"Until Kimura's enhanced senses catches Kirigiri's scent. You know, this'd be easier if you told me some of Andou's regrets." Kizakura said.
"Dio's brainwashing has likely removed all doubt and regret from her mind." Izayoi replied, somewhat more tersely than before.
"What about her heart?" Kizakura asked. It was obvious what he wanted. He probably didn't want to say it out loud; to ask Izayoi to reveal Ruruka's secrets.
No. I will never betray that. Not after what I've done. Izayoi should have known better. The signs were obvious from how Yukizome was acting, and how he felt himself change when he first smelt and tasted the dust. If he just controlled himself, he'd have never hurt Ruruka.
Sugar Sugar wasn't unstoppable. It clearly couldn't defeat the brainwashing techniques used by the monitors; the very same ones that Makoto Naegi and others said were behind the rise of Ultimate Despair. Maybe, if there was a way to break the brainwashing techniques, there was a way to break Sugar Sugar's power too.
Izayoi had to find a way. He had to redeem himself after what he had done.
The memory of Ruruka fighting his hold on her arm, the skin reddening as he refused to let go, and the fear in her eyes filled him with shame. She had been afraid of him. The one she was meant to never fear betrayal from.
Ruruka was always a sensitive girl. She was always afraid that people would hurt her, if she didn't have something on them.
Maybe that was why her Stand gave its victims no option than to obsess over her.
I can't simply blame it all on the Stand. I have to atone. Izayoi knew Ruruka best and could now do what he should have done at the start of all this. He would never fight his love; but he could fight Kimura. He knew how White Rabbit worked better anyway. Appeals to the heart could come during and after.
"Sugar's pretty flammable. I guess that'll make her keep her distance." Kizakura mused, as he gave Izayoi a look. It was a look the blacksmith was familiar with, where you couldn't tell if you could trust the person next to you or not. "You really think you can stop her with words alone?" He asked.
Izayoi put a hand over his heart, gripping the fabric of his clothes as if holding the organ itself, and said, "I believe that, no matter what, I can reach her heart. Her mind and body are pledged to Dio, but her heart will remember the love we have between us. Our vow to survive and make more friends. To always love, trust, and never betray one another."
"The body is a vessel for the soul. That was something Jin always said; always loved acting like he made up things you could find in any cheap philosophy book. He even got proved right back at Hope's Peak, helping kick Dio down to hell." Kizakura smiled nostalgically before pulling out a flask. "I'd rather my body stayed intact." He said, taking a sip.
"Then fight well and fight carefully." Izayoi advised. He heard the sounds a beast rampaging in the distance. "They're coming."
The two readied themselves on the bridge between Ruruka and Kimura on one side, and Kirigiri and Mitarai on the other. Izayoi pulled out his daggers and Wonderwall already enhanced their sharpness and hardness. Kizakura flicked his lighter and Heat Of The Moment burst out, sitting delicately on one of the railings, as the flames lit up the vast dark abyss around them.
If they had stuck together, everyone would have been attacked, and possibly too close to when the poison would be activated. They'd all be vulnerable to Kimura then. Kirigiri agreed to go, and it was agreed that Mitarai would go with her- despite his protests. He only backed down when Kirigiri said that she'd have no one else by her side, not even her friends from Hope's Peak.
"Your Virtual Insanity, here most of all, is one of the most impressive Stands I've ever seen. It'll be useful if we encounter Munakata," Kirigiri had said. She took Mitarai's hand in her own and stared into his eyes. "I need you to do this. It seems strange, when we've known each other for a short while, but I trust you. I feel as if you are the one who may save my life, if things go wrong."
But that's not why we sent him with you, is it? That's not why you're going alone with him. Izayoi remembered the look exchanged between Kirigiri and Kizakura before she and Mitarai left. A look filled with questions, regrets, and understanding. I hope you know what you're doing.
Kizakura laughed to himself. Izayoi didn't know if it was at him until he said, "Y'know, part of being a responsible parent is knowing when to let the kids make risks. The point of buying time isn't making them succeed. It's giving them every second they need to get the job done. Even if they fail, what matters is that they have a shot. What matters is that there's the mutual trust that, even if we go down, it meant something."
"You believe Kirigiri can survive this?" Izayoi asked.
"As much as you believe Andou can survive this." Kizakura replied. It was a good an answer as Izayoi was ever going to get.
The approaching sounds grew louder and fiercer, as the two women finally came into view. Kimura was using herself as a beast of burden, moving on her hands and knees, galloping ahead as she let out a fierce battle-cry. Ruruka rode on top of her back and had a fierce hatred in her eyes that Izayoi had seen a hundred times; but never directed at him.
White Rabbit and Sugar Sugar were just behind their users, rushing ahead with the same speed, and the latter's permanent look of happiness did nothing to lessen the former's blood-lust.
Two of the Future Foundation's strongest and both were completely loyal to the memory and cause of Dio Brando. All other thoughts and free-will had been stripped from them and, in exchange, they were made into the new Ultimate Despair. Lapdogs for whatever Dio's friend had planned.
Izayoi would free his love from this curse, even if it meant his own death.
"I will always be there for you, Ruruka. No matter what it does to me." Izayoi crouched and stiffened his position, matching his resolve with his body. "For love and delicious sweets." He whispered the words he and Ruruka would say to one another.
The words they'd whisper whenever Ruruka felt as if she was all alone in the world, or needed to be re-assured that Izayoi would never abandon her. He said it every time she needed to hear it, and would say it a thousand more times.
He was under no illusions. Ruruka would fight him, bringing up what he did to her today and possibly lie about a dozen other things, and would generally try to break his spirit. Make him doubt their love.
Yet that didn't matter because he had faith in her. He had faith that the love between them would reach her and overcome everything. From his betrayal to her fears to even the brainwashing that warped her mind, his voice would reach her.
No matter what happened, Izayoi knew that love would win the day.
After all, without love, there was no Hope.
"Do you think we're safe?" Mitarai asked, his voice shaking.
"I doubt that Andou and Kimura will be able to break through Izayoi and Kizakura in time." Kirigiri held her breath after that.
It had been minutes since she had finally remembered who Kizakura was. Why she felt strangely at ease around him.
I used to call him Uncle. He'd take pictures of me and my father playing in that meadow. Kirigiri wondered why he didn't say anything before all this. He must have had proof somewhere. Perhaps he felt guilt about how my father left me. Or he decided that he didn't want a reminder that his friend died and was resurrected, only to serve his murderer.
Kizakura knew what he was doing in letting her leave with Mitarai. He was taking a risk and assumed she would protect herself from here on out. He and Izayoi were the only line of defence against Andou and Kimura, if the blacksmith could even be trusted.
There was a chance that they would meet again. It was a very small chance, knowing both girls' Stands and the destruction they could wreak together.
Mitarai shuffled in place, looking unsure about the plan. "Kizakura...maybe if we go back, we can-"
"It's useless. Their only hope lies in somehow convincing Andou that her apparent years-long loyalty to Dio is flawed." Kirigiri said. Mitarai deflated further.
The two of them were waiting in one of the many rooms of the underground copy of the Future Foundation building. They were still in the lower levels, possibly close to where the generator-room was, and they had agreed to wait and attempt to regain their breathes. Kirigiri was standing closest to the door after arguing that Virtual Insanity would work best if Mitarai was at a safe distance.
Not that anyone would be following them now.
The two of them were finally alone and it was nearing the end of this round. If Kirigiri didn't end this game soon, or confront the Mastermind and make him end it, then she would die. Die without having found the culprit.
It was something she was ready to do. For so long, she only trusted herself to find the truth and put it above all else. Naegi had been sent as a decoy to uncover Dio's lies once and it almost killed him. She had prioritised finding the truth and taking the culprit down immediately- bringing him to justice- instead of ending the game completely.
Not anymore. She had friends again. Friends who she could trust to carry on her will and keep Dio from returning and plunging the world into an eternity of servitude towards him. If she fell, Naegi and Asahina would be heart-broken, but she knew they would be strong enough to carry on.
Naegi, do not ever lose Hope. Kirigiri wondered if her words could somehow reach him. After all, if ghosts and Stands existed, then why not this?
She stopped and looked right into Mitarai's eyes, he looked confused before she said, "I think we need to talk about our Sins. We'll start off with mine," Kirigiri revealed her bracelet and let Mitarai have a moment to read the Sin inscribed on it. "If I don't end this game by the end of the round, I'll die unless Naegi dies first." Her matter-of-fact tone did nothing to stop him from turning white and stuttering over his words.
"W-What?! Kirigiri, you've been keeping this secret the whole time? What about-You mean-That's why you didn't want to show it earlier? Even when we were with the others?" He asked.
"You were still a stranger to me, back then. Besides, if I told Naegi my Sin, he would have lost faith in himself. Worst case, he would have volunteered to sacrifice himself so that I could live. He didn't need to know the issues I was dealing with." Kirigiri softened her tone. "He needs hope just as much as anyone."
"I guess sacrificing himself would be the only thing he could do in this game. Right now, he's useless." Mitarai said. He spoke in a low voice, sounding almost disdainful.
"Naegi may not be the fastest, strongest, or smartest person here, but he isn't useless." Kirigiri couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth. "Gozu died after Naegi freed him from Despair. A Despair he fell in because of manipulation. I have faith in him and Asahina to find Dio's Friend, if I do not survive the next round."
It was Mitarai's turn to react badly, as his eyes lit up and he took her wrists into his hands. "Don't say that! Kirigiri, I promise you, we'll find a solution to this. You don't have to keep up a strong front just for me."
This is it. Kirigiri knew what would come next for her. She had been waiting to hear those words.
Kirigiri was rarely one for shows of emotion. Naegi was always the open book of the two; happy to reveal his secrets and show his emotions, unlike the more guarded and cautious detective. If she kept in control of her exterior, then she would be in control of the situation around her. People tended to let their guards down when you appeared composed no matter what.
Her body began to shake, her eyes began to quiver, and her voice was unsteady. "Mitarai, I'm sure it must have been horrible for you to see your class fall into Despair. Having to fear for your life." She said.
"It was tough, but I kept on moving. Because I had Hope, and we can't lost it no matter-"
Mitarai could finish his sentence as Kirigiri wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. He let out a cry of surprise and nervously held her as well, softly rubbing her back as she let a tear roll down her face.
"I don't want to die, Mitarai. I can still do more for people. There's still truth that needs to be discovered. But if it means killing my best friend...then..."
She paused and tightened her grip, to signify that she couldn't finish the sentence, despite knowing the implications. Mitarai strengthened his hold and seconds of silence passed before he exhaled. He loosened his grip and moved back, making Kirigiri let go of him so that he could gently hold her by the arms.
"There might be a way," He said, his voice more hopeful than before. As if he finally realised something, or had what he wanted all along. "Kirigiri, how do you think these bracelets are being powered? How are they being signalled to go off if a Sin's committed? It'd have to have some way of knowing."
"You think this is an AI at work?"
"Maybe. It'd have to be close. Or maybe it's a simple system that records and tracks us. All it needs is a computer. A computer like-" Mitarai stopped and smiled at her. "I have an idea. Kirigiri, I think there might be a way to save you and Naegi."
"Y-You mean it?" Kirigiri asked. He nodded and she returned his smile. He was already walking towards the door as she said, "I'm not surprised. Somehow, I always knew you'd be the one to try and rescue me from this."
Ryota Mitarai was finally at ease having his back to her. "Really? Me? What made you think that?" He asked.
"Because you're Dio's Friend."
Detective Man manifested and threw up its pistol and fired without checking its aim. There was no time to make sure that she would hit the spine; she could already see that the Truth Bullet would only hit him in the leg. At least it would strike him before he could use Virtual Insanity.
Mitarai's eyes, once filled with confidence, revealed horror as he turned and his leg was struck through by Kirigiri's words. It was the last thing she saw before she ran straight at him.
Keep your eyes shut. Don't let Virtual Insanity trap you. If you can avoid letting him control the 'atmosphere', you can restrain him. Kirigiri told herself. Mitarai was physically weak and could do nothing as Kirigiri tackled into him.
As they crashed onto the ground, Kirigiri using Mitarai's body to cushion her fall, she grabbed his right arm and twisted it behind his back. She placed a knee on the back of his neck and shoved his chest onto the ground. With her eyes shut, Mitarai's right leg pierced by a Truth Bullet, and a firm grip on his arm, Kirigiri had successfully disarmed Mitarai.
It happened so fast that Mitarai only regained his senses after hissing from the arm-lock. "How did-"
"I didn't. All I had was a suspicion. A suspicion that Detective Man can confirm without harm to the innocent." Kirigiri replied, her Stand aiming its gun right at Mitarai's free arm.
"We're alone...all this time, you suspected Tengan and didn't move because of it." Mitarai was already crying, the droplets staining the ground as he began to slam his head against the floor. The self-hatred wasn't faked, after all. He spoke through his teeth as he muttered, "I'm such an idiot. Stupid, naive, foolish, useless idiot!"
So he was like the Warriors of Hope; sincerely believing in Dio's goals instead of being brainwashed. It made sense. Dio scorned those who followed him mindlessly like trained dogs. His Friend had to come to him willingly and with a stable state of mind.
Kirigiri kept control, however, and only tightened her grip. Any sympathy she might have had for him was outweighed by what he had done and the need to keep him trapped so that he would end this game.
She listed her reasoning to him, so that he wouldn't entirely blame himself.
"Gozu's turn to Despair seemed out of character. As did Kimura's and Andou's. If they were truly loyal to Dio, he'd have given them Stands. Especially if they were skilled enough to keep cover for this long. Sugar Sugar should have made the former more open about secrets to the latter. It's possible that Andou and Kimura knew each others' secret, but why leave out Izayoi? Not to mention the fact that their behaviour was radically different from before. There was also your superior control of your Stand, even when supposedly you only gained it today. All of this was assumption-based, however,"
It should have been her first clue, thinking back to where Mitarai had been thrown by Another Brick On The Wall.
"You were positioned right by the door, when Yukizome activated Another Brick On The Wall. Your head was just outside. Easy enough to be free of her control, but also free from another thing," Kirigiri frowned and tightened her hold. Mitarai must have known about what kind of things she would reveal. "Having to hear her secret about Dio."
Kirigiri knew what Dio did with Class 77-B, and now also their teacher. There were photos and videos, where captured by Dio's orders or for Ultimate Despair's own pleasure, of what he did to them all. It was all the same; one of them positioning themselves submissively to Dio who smiled and would take them as if they were tools for his enjoyment.
Mitarai either had a complete lack of morals or, more likely from how her words made him freeze up, was extremely deluded about Dio.
He created a story to live with himself and Yukizome threatened that.
"It makes sense. Class 77-B fell into Despair because they were exposed to the trauma of a classmate's death, but also to another form of stimuli." Kirigiri said. "Your animation skills. Subliminal messaging to make the mind associate Despair with pleasure. Or, connecting Dio Brando with pleasure. It's why Gozu tried to kill Naegi."
"Not...kill...capture." Mitarai grunted. "No one was meant to die."
It was all coming together. Mitarai truly did believe in what Dio said about Heaven, peace of mind, and a world of absolute certainty. He could have brainwashed them all with Virtual Insanity, but instead wanted...this.
"I see. I think I understand. It's not that Dio brainwashed you." Kirigiri said. "You're in denial. You sincerely believe that Dio Brando was fighting for Hope."
Mitarai struggled harder, wincing as Kirigiri kept her hold on his arm. "He was! Humans can't defeat Despair on their own. They're too weak! They need to be guided. They had to realise how bad the old world was."
"Is that why Dio was right to have caused The Tragedy? Were my classmates simply stepping-stones to Hope? Did Chiaki Nanami deserve to die?" Kirigiri asked, refusing to let up one inch. "Is that what you'd tell yourself whenever Dio would rape your classmates? When he felt bored and wanted to assert his power?"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Mitarai shook his head and howled. He threw up his free arm and pressed his hand against his left ear and screamed at the top of his lungs. "He had to do those terrible things! It was so they could feel Despair and be happy. He'd never do it otherwise. He had a reason for all of it. He found the way to Heaven. A world without Despair! My anime showed him that! I saved him from his own past! I can help humanity too, even past all this. None of it will matter once we can erase the sins of the past!"
He had the common sense to activate Virtual Insanity, despite Kirigiri's shut eyes, while struggling. Andou and Kimura's war-cries could be heard with a loud slamming noise against the door. It was meant to make Kirigiri panic and let go so that she could make sure it wasn't actually them.
If it wasn't an illusion, and Kizakura and Izayoi were now dead, then that was a risk she had to take.
She felt vindicated by the fact that Mitarai was struggling harder against her grip, rather than being comforted by the arrival of two helpers. Virtual Insanity could do nothing about her sense of touch; as she fought against his frantic attempts to shove her off. He barely got an inch off the ground before being put back down.
"I'm not letting you stop me! Not when I'm so close." Mitarai growled. "If it means putting my life on the line. If it means throwing away my own morality, for the sake of the world, I'll do it."
"He didn't care about you." Kirigiri said, more out of pity than anything.
"Yes. He. Did. Even when I found out about what he did. When I threatened to take away his free will, he still loved me." Mitarai stopped fighting for a moment and simply laid there, sniffling as he said, "I failed him. I failed him so many times, and he still cares about someone as pathetic as me."
Kirigiri thought the fight left him then, before he threw himself up with a strength she didn't think he had in him. He managed to get two, two and a half, inches off the ground before the detective pushed him back down again.
"I won't betray him now!" He screamed and tilted his body to the right as Kirigiri pressed him against the ground.
Why had he done that? Did he think that he could somehow use the force of the drop to loosen Kirigiri's hold on his arm, or maybe get on his back and be able to kick her?
That was when Kirigiri felt something stir across Mitarai's back. A strange energy that made Kirigiri's knee and arm shake just from touching Mitarai's body. Was this the work of Virtual Insanity?
No. Virtual Insanity doesn't work with touch. What's happening to hi- Kirigiri only then realised what it was. It was what had given the Future Foundation their Stands to fight and tear one another apart, whilst Mitarai could pick them off and make them slaves of Dio. It was the same thing that had changed the fate of the world so many times before.
A Stand Arrow.
Kirigiri lifted her knee, let go of his arm, and threw his body over to confirm her fears. She could see the golden arrow-head sinking into the bleeding-wound on Mitarai's right pectoral muscle, right where his jacket pocket was, and a place that she should have searched!
Why hadn't she searched his body? Why had she let herself get over-confident and neglect this?
Mitarai was heavily rapid heavy breathes and spit ran down both sides of his mouth. There was a chance for her to choke him out and prevent him from-
The odds of success were too small. Kirigiri had seen what a Stand Requiem could do and knew better than to challenge it. After seeing just what Don't Stop Me Now was capable of, the thought of Virtual Insanity Requiem was too much for her to imagine.
I have to escape. Kirigiri stood up and made for the door. She'd have to find Naegi and Asahina and warn them. They had to get out of this building as soon as possible. Virtual Insanity alone was almost unbeatable in these conditions. If he can unlock Requiem-
"Thank you, Kirigiri." Mitarai said. "I was such a fool. I only realise it now. Gas-lighting you and playing with your emotions? That's not Hope; that's cruelty. The same with everyone else. I can't just brainwash them and expect things to be alright. Warping their minds doesn't fix the problem, it just makes it go away for a while."
Kirigiri was inches from the door. She should have opened it and ran out and never stopped running, but instead stood there in fearful silence as Mitarai stood up. The Truth Bullet had only gone through the upper part of his right leg, between the knee and his waist, meaning it should have hurt but not disabled him.
Only there was no pain in Mitarai's voice as he smiled and said, "Because I now feel it. That sensation that Dio has that made him so smart and determined. I have that warm sense of certainty and security that let him see the big picture. You're right, Kirigiri. I used to be in denial. Denial about how I really felt about all the horrible things that Dio did. I told myself he did it because it made them feel Despair, or because it was a necessary sacrifice, but now I know.
Dio was simply acting on his desires. All men are flawed; even him. It's why I kept insisting we overwrite what he did, when he reaches Heaven. Yet I used to be afraid that he'd never reach it and that the sins would scar my classmates forever. Now I know that won't be the case. Because I see victory ahead and that's because of one thing,"
There it was. The spark of power that made Kirigiri overcome the tiny but loud part of her that wanted to fall onto her knees and weep and beg for his forgiveness. She threw open the door and ran, only taking care to look back in case Detective Man needed to fire any rounds at Mitarai, if he followed her. Whether it did any good or not didn't matter. The point was just running.
She had her notebook on her. There was still time to write in whatever she knew and put it somewhere safe. In case Mitarai found her and used his Requiem on her.
Mitarai was walking. He was walking towards her in a calm and confident manner, so unlike his normal self, and so much like Dio would. It didn't mean Kirigiri didn't stumble in her step whenever she heard him make another step towards her. The urge to stop and plea for her life and the lives of her friends was beaten down again. She couldn't let herself fall into Despair at the fact of his overwhelming might.
Retreat was her only option. There was no way she could ever defeat him in a battle now and there was only one reason for that.
The same reason that Mitarai, in all his power and glory, knew he would triumph.
"I finally have peace of mind."
Stand Stats
Heat of the Moment
User: Koichi Kizakura
Stats
Destructive Power B
Speed C
Range B
Durability B
Precision C
Developmental Potential C
Abilities
Stand can enhance flames at a 5m radius using the user's positive emotions and/or memories of a person or other living being close to them. These flames can manipulated into shapes by the user then. Ability to strengthen flames is enhanced when close to a figure from the past who is/was close to them. Cannot create the flame, only enhance a pre-existing one, and negative emotions in the user will weaken the ability.
Can cause flames to ignite at a radius of 5m by reminding the target of regrets or inspiring negative emotions in them. The intensity of the flames are relative to the extent of regret and/or negative emotion inspired in the target's heart.