Later that same week after the boys had their run-in with danger, it was now Friday and the school day had come to an end. Our two boys decided to stop by Megumi's accompanied by Metok to show him around some more.
The three of them sat at their usual place at the counter each with large sundaes planted against the counter. Metok stared down the treat in amazement at how different Megumi's personal touch was to this common dessert, "By the gods. This is impressive. We do not have these things back in my village. I'm not ignorant of this frozen delight but I will surely indulge greatly!"
Johanne and Kiba laughed to one another at Metok's reaction taking a few drinks of their shakes. "I'm telling you, man, You've spent too much time hulled into my backyard doing work with my dad and training Avelessi. Treat yourself every once in a while. Especially to Megumi Senpai's special sundae. Handmade ice cream, Sprinkles, diced fruit, and gummy bears! No better way to live." Johanne commented leaning back against the counter with a smile which earned him a giggle from Megumi who was cleaning cups.
"Surely you are right! It is the first time in years I've left the mountains of Tibet and I will treat myself to your delicacies young Kamijou. I thank you greatly." Metok took another spoon full and shivered in delight almost like a child.
Kiba held his spoon in his mouth and spun around in the chair, with a muffled speech he said, "You know man. It's nice to finally not get our asses handed to us so we can sit down and actually enjoy ourselves."
"Tell me about it. It's like every time I turn my back, someone is coming up to jab a knife in it." The bell rang at the door, signifying someone had come into the door, "I mean seriously, can I even enjoy a relaxing day like this-" Johanne's sentence was cut off by someone tapping his shoulder.
"Uhhh… Excuse me? Could I speak to you for a moment? It won't take long I promise." It was a female wearing a very large sunhat and a thick pink and white sweater that stretched midway to her thighs and some denim shorts beneath, very floral sporty sandals exposing her feet. The girl kept her head down slightly but from Kiba's angle, he could see large sunglasses and her hair tied into a bun.
"Ah. Not to be rude," Johanne directed to the counter, "Could it wait a short while? I'd hate it if this melted."
"P-please! It's very important. I need to speak with you." She lunged forward and grabbed onto Johanne's arm trying to tug him out of the seat which immediately put him on guard.
Johanne quickly spun off the chair backward as he was being pulled, catching his balance by having M.C.R's arm push him off the ground and catch her from behind and hold her arms up in the air, "Kiba!"
"Say no more! Evanescence!" A gust of wind seemed to carry between the two and the hat vanished in thin air along with the glasses and the tie for the girl's bun. A gasp escaped the lips of Johanne, Kiba, and Megumi as Johanne let go of the girl, making her stumble forward and barely catch herself on the wall.
"J-jeez there's no need to be so rude! I didn't mean to… Ah!" The girl very swiftly became much more audible, her appearance exposed to the rest as non-other than Kohana Miki, their previous opponent from around a month ago. "W-wait I can explain…!"
"Coming to sneak up on us again, have you? We're a lot more aware of your kind this time around. Speak up or we'll send you flying again." Kiba came forward speaking which made her incredibly nervous. Johanne was behind her with his Stand present and arms folded to his chest.
Kohana took a moment to catch her breath and stop her legs from shaking until she began to choke on her own words and hold her head down turning to Johanne, "J-just give me a moment… There's no need to look at me that way. I mean, I know what I did… I do. It was wrong and all and I think I approached this wrong…!"
Megumi began frantically laughing and slamming the large mug against the wooden counter behind them and quickly leaped over the counter next to the girl tilting her head up to face her, "Well, well, well. I knew I recognized that cute stuttering and that voice. Little Koko has come to visit her Aunt Meg, hmm?"
Utterly and immediately stupified by Megumi's words, Johanne and Kiba backed up and said together, ", A-A-A-A-AUNT!? WHAT THE HELL!?"
Megumi wrapped her arms tightly around Kohana who tried to fight the grip repeatedly and spoke, "But of course. Do you think good looks like these get passed around like candy? Hohoho~ I hadn't seen her in years. I used to babysit her all the time before she got all famous. I didn't even get the chance to see her perform when she was around not too long ago." Those very words made Kohana droop her head again and peel herself away from Megumi. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?"
Tears welled in Kohana's eyes as she fought her words again, "It was best you didn't come... I made a fool of myself. I made a greedy decision that I'll never forgive myself for." She stepped a bit closer to Johanne, "But I'm hoping you guys could… I've come to my senses. I quit the organization, I let my manager know to book our own shows and venues. I'm turning a new leaf… So would you forgive me?"
Johanne scanned her closely with his eyes, visions of that night flashed before his eyes and how he was forced into doing such heinous acts. "I mean… I don't…"
"The path to the retribution of deeply paved in mistakes. Not everyone has the strength to brave their faults in the face of their wrongs. Think, Young Kamijou. Mmm!" Metok chimed into the debate but immediately shivered while scooping more ice cream into his mouth.
"Come on hun. How can you say no to something like that? I understand the mission you're going through but if I know a sincere apology. It's that. Especially from my own niece. What do you boys say?"
Johanne leaned over past both of them to look at Kiba. He held onto a blank expression, shrugging his shoulders and gave him a thumbs-up, "Alright. Alright. I'll let it go for now. I'm not entirely buying the whole story but I can't ignore human decency." With a soft sigh, his lip slanted a tad and his hand reached out for a shake.
"Uhm. Thank you very much! I appreciate it, you have no idea how much that means to me… But there's something else I wanted to ask of you. Sort of a way to say I'm sorry." Kohana grew some more courage in her face, uncovering her hair by looking up at Johanne's stoic figure with her face painted red, grabbing onto his extended hand, "W-would you please go out on a date with me tonight!?"
Metok choked for a moment, Kiba slumped over onto the floor laughing and Megumi jumped up and down like a giddy child, "Oh this is too perfect! The two babies I watched blossom together."
"W-wait. Hold on. That's a fuckin' curveball. I mean I've never-" Johanne stammered on his words very annoyed at being put on the spot like that.
"Hey man! You could use some action. You can go on a date with your idol obsession. Hahahaha! Oh, this is too rich. She tried to kill us, man! Hahahaha!" Kiba nearly cackled a lung out until Megumi shoved him over with her heel.
"Listen. I think this will be good for both of you Johanne. Surely you just said how much you were tired of fighting and want to relax. What better way than a night out?" Megumi added once again brushing her hand against Johanne's cheek. "I know I felt transformed when I finally got Edward's attention. Oh! He's such a tough nut to crack but bittersweet as ever." She made her strut back around the counter leaving the two.
"You don't have to of course… But there's a new restaurant across town. We're both familiar with this town but its something new. I understand completely if you don't want to. Who would want someone who did what I've done? Thank you for forgiving me at least…" Kohana began to walk back out the door completely forgetting her idea in a non-stop shiver. Metok peeked over his shoulder and Kiba stopped laughing to stare at Johanne.
"Fuck I can't go around making girls cry…" He whispered to himself and smacked his head with his fist. "Hey wait." Before she could leave the restaurant, Johanne stopped her by planting her hat on her head, "You got my address when you sent those tickets originally, right? Swing by I gu-"
"Hooray! Victory!" Kohana jumped in place with her arms bunched to her chest and giggle then struck her signature pose she does when finishing her shows, "I'll have my limo escort us around 8! See ya then! Dress nice!" She almost nervously shuffled away with her.
Kiba popped up beside him and nudged at him, "Hehe Johanne got a date."
Johanne punched Kiba in the arm and sighed heavily, going back to drink his milkshake contemplating the night to come. "Dress nice? What the hell does that even mean?"
Later that night…
As the dusk crept over the houses of Lower Bodou, we find ourselves once again at the home of the Kamijou family. Inside of the home, Kiba was sprawled out on Johanne's bed reading a large Weekly Shounen Magazine with Yume beside him asleep while Johanne himself was in his walk-in closet putting on clothes with disgruntled noises pouring from the doors.
"Cheer up in there my dude. You agreed to this. Time to swallow your pill." Kiba snickered softly until he caught a flip flop to the side of the head.
"Look man I wouldn't be so shaken about this if it wasn't someone we just fought like how long ago? Plus a freaking popstar asked me out on a date. And I've never been on a date before…" Johanne confided in his friend with another deep sigh.
"Trust me. I know. We've both been some lonely sacks of life for a while but I don't think love is for me. I've got something of my own." He reached over brushing the young girl's hair but then pointing to the closet, "Now it's your turn. After we liberate Bodou, you can't just drown yourself in your studies. I'm sure you'll end up having a blast. Besides if she tried to hypnotize us again, we'll drop her ass."
The comment made Johanne snicker and raised his spirits, "Alright. I'm coming out." Nuding the door open with his foot, Johanne adjusted the tie he was wearing showing he was in a smooth dark blue tuxedo with cufflinks of Xs and Os given to him by his mother. "What do you think man?"
"As handsome as the mighty tree he fell from! Haha!" Bursting into the door with his hands proudly at his hips, without a shirt and covered in grease was Johanne's father, "My little man on his first date. First, you set out to be the hero Bodou needs, now you're heading to your first date. Oh if your mother could be here to see you, my boy." Moving over to scruff his fingers through his son's hair.
Hearing the compliments from his father filled Johanne with peace and determination, "Maybe it won't be as bad as I'm imagining, yeah? How about a picture?" He tossed his phone to Kiba and moved beside his father, disregarding how messy he was so he could cherish the moment. The two grabbed one another by the neck and shared a hardy laugh until it was quickly interrupted by a loud horn, "Ah. That must be me."
"Take care son. Don't stay out too long. You have your emergency numbers." Johanne's father stretch and yawn strolling out of the room.
"Have fun dude. I'll have the gang come searching if you aren't back by midnight." Kiba waved his cell phone and winked, going back to the sprawling.
Taking another deep breath, grabbing his cell phone, wallet, and breath mints making his way to the door. "Hooooly shit…" His eyes perked out in shock. A very long, fancy white and silver limo was parked in front of his house, all of the windows were tinted. Johanne cautiously approached the vehicle in case he was to be ambushed but instead, Kohana stepped out of the limo from the back. She was dressed completely different from earlier. Her dress was long and white with gold and pink flora patterns that just covered her chest and shoulders with a velvety scarf, heels of the color and floral design. Small golden earrings and makeup entirely different from what she'd wear on stage, almost as if it was especially for him. Her hair had been done in a beautiful large bow-like shape with a butterfly hairpin.
"Don't just stare you jerk… What do you think?" Kohana unfolded a fan from her scarf to hide her blushing face and looking away sheepishly.
He was utterly stunned seeing her like this, he didn't show it up front beside the staring but kept his composure enough to respond, "Oh. Sorry about that. You look amazing. Beautiful even. I'm a bit new to this. So you know."
A giggle escaped her lips as she put the fan away and inched over to him and hooked her arm around his, slowly beginning to tug him into the limo. "Don't worry about it. Your reaction was sort of a compliment. It shows you at least like it. Come on." She felt him hesistate at first and halted for a moment, "It's okay… There are no tricks." The two looked at one another, almost establishing an unspoken promise and nodded.
Johanne entered the limo alongside Kohana to see the extremely fancy vehicle. It was unlike anything He had ever seen before. "So this is the way you travel by the day? Hard work really pays off."
She rubbed her cheek softly and let out a posh sigh, "Of course… it's never easy but I suppose the perks at the end of the day are nice. I don't know how much longer that'll last."
The comment made Johanne curious but he didn't prod any further as it seemed rather somber. Leaning forward and pressing some buttons, one of her tracks seemed to play over the radio which made Johanne's cheek perk, "HeartBeat Hurricane. One of my favorites. '' Another comment that earned a giggle from her as she observed him. Continuing on, he tampered with the dimmer on the lights even changing the colors here and there. After almost shutting them in the darkness he stepped back and groaned at himself.
"You can ask what everything does. I don't want this entire date to be us stranded because you broke down the car or something." Kohana commented moving over and clicking the buttons to restore the lighting.
"I've always been a curious individual. If something caught my eye, I have to tamper with it until I get tired. That usually takes a while. I've never seen a car so tricked out. Most I've seen are speakers and a few TVs. You've got that and then some. And a mini-fridge!" Johanne exclaimed upon seeing the fridge.
"That's a very redeeming quality for you to have. It really shows." While he gazed at it, Kohana opened the fridge to an angle that Johanne could see the fully stocked fridge with small snacks, candies, sodas, sparkling water, fruit and a bottle of champagne that she'd reached for and pulled out with two glasses. "Care for a drink?"
"Don't you think we're rather young for that? Not to sound like a goodie two shoes or anything but I can't promise what'll happen if we head to a restaurant hammered." Johanne joked reaching for the glass.
Kohana burst into soft bubbly laughter pouring them both a cup of the sparkling fizzy beverage holding it out to Johanne. He took the glass swishing it around very hesitantly and didn't drink at first. His eyes shifted over quickly, watching her stare off into the distance through the window while she drank. After a few sips, he lost some of his suspicions that the drink might be spiked and drank from his chip.
"Hey." She said very calmly averting her gaze back to Johanne with her glass held out to him, "I know we are pretty young to drink. But that's all the more to enjoy while we still have the chance. Letting loose. Even just for the night. Cheers?"
Trying to shake his reluctance for the both of them, Johanne took a slow approach and clinked the glasses respectively and took his drink as the two remained silent for the rest of the car ride.
Sometime later they finally arrived at the building. It wasn't anything huge but it was very new, freshly built from scratch it seemed from Johanne's perspective and it was even harder to believe that he hadn't known about it.
"I got a tip from my manager that this restaurant was opening up and that I should show up to give it some good publicity in the eye of the rich folk. You know with being this icon I suppose…" She rubbed her arm sheepishly looking away. Johanne could tell the entire idea made her uncomfortable.
"Well, luckily we're heading in at night, right? Shouldn't be that crowded. Let's head in. I'm sure we can get a nice window seat." He took a step over, his arm flinching for a moment and offering it to her. She noticed the gesture and her folded cheeks smiled holding onto him as they walked into the building labeled, 'Chercher Le Garcon'.
"Bonjour! Konnichiwa! Welcome, Madam and Mister to Chercher Le Garcon. Do you have a reservation?" Johanne jumped quickly as he was surprised by a younger-looking but obviously older than him a man. He had bright orange hair and wore a frilled white shirt covered in a solid black vest and dress pants and shoes holding a flip board and shorting the cheerest smile, it was incredibly welcoming compared to the usual type he'd run into.
Kohana stepped forward and greeted him with a curtsy, "Yes sir. We have a table for two under the name Miki. Thank you."
The man's eyes seemed to shine in excitement as he crossed his arms and bowed to her, "Goodness! How blind could I be? We have a celebrity in our midst. Oh. Right, this way. We saved a special table for you. With a clear view of the kitchen and the window overlooking the night sky." He pulled out the chairs for both Johanne and Kohana, grabbing a few menus from the tray table beside them, "Both of you enjoy your night. We'll send someone by with water and if you have any requests for drinks, feel free to ask."
As Johanne moved to take his seat, something seemed to trip him over and catch his leg making him nearly smack his head into the side of the table with a gasp but he caught himself on the edge of the table.
"My goodness, sir! Do you need any medical attention?" The server and Kohana rushed to Johanne's aide to help him up from his tumble.
"No. No. I'm fine. Just rather clumsy I suppose. I can take it from here." Johanne rubbed his leg some feeling a slight soreness and thinking to himself. 'Damnit. One glass of champagne can't have me losing my shit. What did I trip on…?' While he tended to his ankle, he rubbed his eyes staring at the carpet, it seemed to have been slightly bunched together then flap. 'My eyes are playing tricks on me, right? It's a rug. Right.'
"Johanne are you sure you're okay? That was a nasty fall." Kohana dusted off his pants and helped him to his chair which he kindly discharged the gesture with a smile and sat himself nodding.
The two resumed the evening with their table filled with silence for quite some time. After a while of them swishing around the water in their glasses Johanne finally took a long breath and pointed to her, "So, this was your manager's idea? What kind of food does this place serve? It's giving off a very multicultural vibe. I'm not used to higher society."
She folded her hands next to her glass of water and nodded quickly, thankful that the silence was broken, "Well as you can tell. It's not a normal place on the surface. It sort of tends to the customer. Food from so many places. The menu seemed to die for!" Her fingers unfolded and pushed together at the tips nervously, "The ideal place for a first date."
There it was again, she was very fixated on that idea but he didn't feel the same and it bothered him. Picking up his glass and taking a drink, Johanne asked quietly, "Why did you want me to come with you?"
"Excuse me?" Kohana hesitated for a moment and her lips pursed shut slightly.
"Why did you want to go out on a date with me? I mean. I'm sure there is someone a lot richer. A lot cooler. Someone you didn't want to kill at one point. But you chose me, Johanne Kamijou?" He further advanced his point.
She became incredibly quiet out of fear and her fingers began to shake frantically, her head lowering again as she spoke. "To tell you the truth… I meant it when I said I made a mistake. I told you back then when we fought. I had to strive a lot to get where I am. But I don't think it was worth it to hurt someone that meant a lot to me."
"Someone that meant a lot to you?" Johanne questioned with a tilt to his head.
"I mean you. I knew it was you. The boss explained it so clearly and I knew. But I still took the job. I was afraid to refuse because I would throw away the confidence you gave me years ago to pursue my dream but I ended up failing you anyway. Go figure, right?" She gave off a very shallow, pained snicker under her breath.
"What do you mean? What did I… Wait a minute? Years ago? The only girl I really remember talking to…" Johanne's eyes perked further at the thought when suddenly his glass burst in his palm and shards of glass fell onto his hand and his shirt coated in water. "Shit!"
"Another accident!? You have to be careful." Kohana rushed over to the other side of the table seeing a shard sticking out of Johanne's hand and a few cuts. She took her personal handkerchief and slipped the shard out and brushed off the scratches.
"Finish what you were saying. Were you that girl from back then? Back in grade school? The Sandbox Singer?" Johanne entirely ignored the injury and took her hand with his free one which made her stare over to him.
She stopped mending the wound to nod slowly, "That was me… I didn't look as pretty as I did back then. I had those big nasty glasses. Overalls. My hair was in pigtails. I would try to escape to the sandbox every day to sing alone when I was sad or lonely. Then all those kids finally found out and began to bully me whenever I came out to play there. Day after day they drove me away from the sandbox. And then…"
"And then I came over when Kiba didn't show up to school that day." Johanne was almost speechless at the thought that this was the same person.
"You screamed until your lungs got tired. You told them you'd kick their butts if they kept making fun of my singing. That I was going to have a talent no one else would and be better than them all. You inspired me that day." A tear fell onto Johanne wound that trailed down his fingers, "I never forgot that day… Until I was given the order to kill you. I betrayed my heart that day and I regret it ever since. When you spoke to me the day you defeated me. All I saw was that brave boy who stood up for me. I fell for him all over again." Her palms started to shake as she let go of Johanne's hand and turned away, "I need to go to the restroom, please excuse me."
Johanne was stunned once again. The memories all poured back to him. "I was so clouded by all this going on that I really brushed over a precious memory huh? I was speaking my mind back then. Fuck… I made a girl cry again. Mother would have my ass. I better clean this hand. Waiter! Can you please clean this glass? It was an accident."
The available server bowed to him and quickly withdrew to get some cleaning supplies while Johanne made his way to the bathroom. Hurrying over to the sink, he looked at himself in the eye and sighed, "You're so tense, man. This isn't you. Just take it easy. Maybe I'm overthinking."
Reaching over to pour water onto the cuts, Johanne turned the knob on the sink and suddenly the handle broke off along with the nozzle and a large jet of water knocked into Johanne's chest, flinging him backward, "Gah shit! My back! Whoever did the construction of this place did a shitty job man. They should have called My Dad and me up here. M.C.R.!" Taking a knee his Stand manifested and took a few quick jabs at the water solidifying the stream so it stopped spraying him but his ear twitched and noticed above him that a look light fixture came barreling down. "NANA!" M.C.R smashed the fixture in the blink of an eye while Johanne panted nervously, "What the actual fuck… This isn't normal."
Taking a moment to collect his composure, Johanne removed his jacket piece from the tuxedo and sighed, "I'm sure Dad won't be mad if I explain what happened. He hates crappy landscaping."
Johanne brushed himself off with a paper tower absentmindedly and happened to bump into Kohana as she was exiting the women's bathroom and they both quickly bowed with a swift, "Ah! Very sorry. That was my fault."
They had heard the voice of the other and paused indefinitely and stared down for a moment until Kohana broke the gaze and turned around, "L-look after tonight you don't have to see me again. I just needed one night… I know you still hate me and-"
"Watch out!" Johanne tackled her forward and pressed her to the wall which made her gasp quickly and her entire face flush red.
"Oh, my such young in passion. A bold display of affection from these men nowadays. Oh ho ho ho!" An older woman guest dressed as fancily as Kohana was passed the two as they were stuck to the wall, returning to her table.
"Oh goodness! Francis you fool! Do you want to get us to shut down already!?" One of the servers quickly went to ask the two of their status. Johanne was violently growling at the man as there was now a gash across his arm. Kohana looked over to see the knife sticking out of the wall and the wound then brushed her hand over his arm then clenched him.
"Unacceptable! This establishment has been nothing but harmful to my friend and you will do something about this horrible service before we leave! You don't understand the weigh my word holds for my home town and I will not let it be slandered by terrible service." Kohana had shoved Johanne aside and asserted herself directly to the man who quickly got down on his knees and begged for their forgiveness while another two went to tend to Johanne's arm.
"Free meals on us. No charge for any service. You call and we are there. Please madam Ko-Kohana Miki." The server practically gave them the house to stay in service as they guided back to the table and seated.
Johanne rolled his arm quickly to loosen up the bandages with a soft sigh as he looked over at Kohana who pursed her hands together again with her eyes closed trying not to lose herself, "That was rather impressive. Definitely a long way away from Sandbox singing." She reopened her eyes to a smiling Johanne as it seemed to calm the quivering beast within.
"If I may interrupt you two. We would like to provide you both with our chef's grand dish. If you'll allow us your final chance to impress for the night. I promise. It will be to die for."The server from the doorway had returned after hearing about all the mishaps warmly smiled at the two. They looked at one another for an answer.
"I don't mind… if you're willing to stay that is, Johanne?" Kohana's expression melted to that of a kitten which was hard for any sane man to just shove aside.
"Heh. I mean. I guess… You were my ride here. I'd hate to ditch out like that. Wouldn't be much of a hero. Yeah? I'm sure this crap shack can impress us once more." Johanne brushed his thumb under his nose with a grin. She giggled with a nod to the server who returned to put the order in.
"Man I've gotten my ass kicked before. But this is such an unexpected turn of events. I'm going to need a good night's sleep tonight." Johanne brushed his palms, laughing at himself.
"I wish things ended up better. Especially for the first and last date, I'm sure. I had the entire evening planned out." Kohana circled her finger along the rim of the glass.
"None of this is your fault. Don't get all pouty yet. I'm sure they'll bring this food and it'll be pretty bomb! A fancy place like this is bound to have an amazing chef." He noticed her gaze was still locked away from his and it troubled him, so he took a deep breath and tapped her forehead softly, "Hey. I want you to know. It's not your fault."
"It's not that… It's just that I've given everything up and the world seemed to have cursed me. Just my luck, huh?" Kohana let off a rather disheartened laugh.
"You're talented. That's one thing the boss can't take away from you. I'm sure of it. If you have to work a little harder, it'll be worth it in the end." Johanne folded his arms over his chest and nodded which brightened her smile again.
"Ah! The food is here!" She commented excitedly as the aroma coming off the enclosed trays was heavenly, she almost felt herself jump out of the seat.
The server took a step back and bowed to them both once again as they revealed to see some very steak and shrimp in the center of the plate garnished with vegetables with some spaghetti flaked with chives and parmesan.
They both grabbed their forks and chopsticks respectively, placing their hands together, and saying, "Itadakimasu!"
Kohana immediately went for the seafood portion of the dish and wiggled in her seat from the flavor, "Oh! These are actually scrumptious! You have to try!" She fished another shrimp from her plate and held it up to Johanne's lips.
He looked at her with a snicker and wrapped his lips around the fork and took a few chews into it, "Yeah it's not bad. Tastes really different from what I'm used to. Weird." Next thing, Johanne scooped some of the spaghetti between the chopsticks and took a large slurp of the bunch with a soft gag, "Damn. There's too much spice on it… What a shame. It had a great initial taste. Maybe I'm being too picky."
"GAH! TO HELL WITH THIS BRAT!" Very angry voracious screaming could be heard from behind the kitchen as the Head Chef came storming out of the kitchen with a large knife in hand. Johanne and Kohana turned to see he was across the room pointing it at their table, "You! Insulting my food…!"
"Hey, hey take it easy. Everyone has to take criticism man…" Johanne rose from the table with a hand rose and next thing he knew a few clicks were being heard over his shoulder.
"Don't move a goddamn muscle or you'll be cheese." The Head Chef exclaimed as the knife that was behind him seemed to flash past Johanne's cheek when he turned to see the clicks and the blade grazed his cheek.
"What's the meaning of all this!?" Kohana rose from her seat nervously as she was tugged beside three of the fake servers that were revealed to have three large guns pointed at Johanne. Her eyes fading into deep fear while the civilians and actual servers dove to the floor in hiding or crawled for the exit.
"The jig is up Kamijou. You fell for it all. Hook, line, and sinker. I was hoping that I could serve you your final meal in peace but you've made that impossible." The Chef snapped his fingers as Johanne felt his wrist being slammed and pinned to the table by the cloth and the spaghetti locking his limb.
"I really can't get a damn break huh? Not even a lunch break. You fuckers are unbeliev-" Johanne felt someone elbow him across the jaw which angered him even more.
"Good job Ms. Miki. You played your part perfectly, truly the star idol you were born to be. Once the boss hears about this. You'll be promoted beyond your wildest dreams." The man let out venomous laughter as Johanne's eyes flung over to Kohana who was holding her chest and shaking her head.
"No! These are lies! I've changed Johanne! Please believe me! I wouldn't do this! Not again!" Her entire being was shaking in confusion, as she set up as well? Where did all this new information come from?
"Oh, nonsense! You're telling me your manager left you in the dark the whole time? Never. All you had to do was play the cutie damsel in distress and profit. Now, boys, let's get it done." The chef ordered. Johanne's eyes overshadowed by his hair trying to free his arm.
'Damn this is a fucking pickle… M.C.R can't free me and block all the bullets at once. Foolish!' Johanne thought to himself slammed his free fist against the floor.
Kohana's confusion very soon turned into pure rage behind the scene, she had pieced it all together and it shattered her, "My manager… All he cared about was money too… It's always the goddamn money! I'm sick of it! He didn't care about me or my feelings. Bad Romance!" Kohana's eyes seemed to glimmer bright pink for a short while as the men beside her who thought they were safe all swiftly received kisses from her stand, Bad Romance and felt the instant loss of their control.
"Ms. Miki! Think very clearly before you do anything rash! You could have it all! The credit for killing the boy and all! Just stop now-" The Chef begged and graveled like a dog before her but her eyes didn't have an ounce of mercy.
Kohana rose her fingers and snapped, "LoveGames…" With the secondary trigger of her Stand, the faces rotated around to the rage-filled face and the three men began to fill one another and everyone else holding guns around the head chef including him with bullets. Blood filled the floor and coated Johanne and Kohana ruining both of their dinner attire completely.
After a few brief moments of silence, Johanne regained use of his arm again and rose from the floor to look over at Kohana who was standing there and staring at the ground helplessly. "What a joke… I was alone in this after all…"
"Don't… say that. I'd be a goner here without you. So don't go and…" Johanne stumbled for a second and caught himself walking over to her, she held onto him. "Don't go and blame yourself for the foolishness of others. Especially that man. Another puppet is given a Stand I'm sure. He knew about Bad Romance. He must have been the cause of this horrible night. Not you."
Kohana fought back her rage as she let Johanne recover from his head injury taking deep breaths with her eyes shut trying to grasp the situation. "Do you believe-"
"A touching moment, I'm sure. But that sure as hell was enough information for Chercher Le Garcon." A very familiar voice was heard and followed by some cryptic laughter. Before either of them could turn around Johanne and felt his body knock Kohana away and his arms pinned to the wall by knives and forks followed by a blood-curdling scream.
Kohana was planted to the ground, bound and choked slowly by cloths around the tables before she could even speak. They both turned to see that the very Host that greeted them to the establishment.
"Did I forget to introduce myself? Shame I was given a Stand to use when I'm not very good at acting. You may call me Kenneth DeLenore. Your executioner and Host for this evening. Let's make this quick shall we?" He snapped his fingers as another knife jammed into Johanne's back, "Hurts, doesn't it? You had my ability right though. Wrong person. That buffoon isn't the mastermind I am. Chercher Le Garcon is this very building! Anything created from this building is under my control down to every meal that leaves the kitchen complete. And now. I have every means to end you."
Johanne broke into a peal of wild laughter which confused Kenneth profusely, "You obviously didn't listen as hard as you think. This isn't my worst brush with death."
"Hah! You think you have some kind of leverage boy!? Over the hour, I've orchestrated your demise and you still have a shimmer of hope?" Kenneth backed up some to the body of the chef and kicked it mockingly.
"Sheesh… You seemed so nice too. You have such a randomly lame Stand ability to boot. I'll give you a final warning. I've already pieced together your loss from that explanation. Let us walk or get punched." Johanne turned his head to meet the man's glare.
He didn't believe the words being spoken to disrespectfully to him and it was laughable, he held his sides claiming his victory in snide. "What could you do? A bloody skewered pig? Just die already." Another few large steak knives flew across the air as Kohana's muffled screams were grabbing for Johanne.
"Tsk. They never learn. M.C.R!" His Stand quickly rushing to his aid and shattering the steak knives with a devastating punch. Next thing, his stand took some of his blood and hardened it to a fine, sharp sheet of blood and tossed it very quickly at the Host which he dodged almost flawlessly and taunted Johanne.
"That was the big plan? Surely you jest. Let's try that one more-" Kenneth paused before calling on the next command, his nose wiggled and sniffed at the air and turn to an open kitchen stove eye still running, "Is that? Gasoline?"
"Bingo. You people have the nerve to call us gullible but you fall for parlor tricks. That's rich. Now. Unless your stand can somehow or someway produce a fully usable tank of propane. Up in flames, you go." Before he could accurately dive away, the explosion in the kitchen knocked him forward and over a table groaning in pain.
Johanne felt the grip of the knives and forks loosen as he used M.C.R to free him and Kohana, "Are you alright? Can you breathe?" She slowly replied with long coughs and nods but heard Kenneth groan heavily behind them. "Hold on a moment."
Kenneth tried to regain his composure and rise to his feet but M.C.R had grabbed him by the collar of his frilled shirt and before he could say a word his body was lifted into the air and pelted with a flurry of blows until he flew into the kitchen a pummeled mess, "Pssh. I told you your Stand was lame. Idiot."
Johanne returned to Kohana's side and reached to help her to her feet until he sniffed the air again and turned away, "SHIT! WE GOTTA GO!" He snatched her from the ground bridal style and held her tight, using M.C.R's remarkable speed to launch a table through the window and made a leap for it. Yet another explosion happened in the kitchen area and chained a few more tanks, knocking him out of the window and curling around her to cushion the fall.
Both of them coughed profusely turning to one another as they watched the building before it burst into flames and the two lay against the ground for a short while to catch their breaths.
Sometime later, the two of them were both bloodied, beaten up and silently riding back in the limo looking out of opposite windows in the vehicles until they finally came to a halt at Johanne's home.
"Looks like this is my stop huh? I Uhm… I don't know what to say from here. My back is killing me." Johanne tried to use humor to break the ice but her end of the car was only broken by Kohana weeping against the window. "Hey…"
"This isn't fair… I tried so hard to make this evening perfect for us. So I could prove to you that I'm worth forgiving. I was tossed aside and lied on. The whole evening went in flames… I'm so sorry." Kohana's crying grew much louder with her face folded into her hands.
Johanne's door was opened and available to walk away from this and resume his night but a soft sigh escaped his lips, "Hey!" Calling out to Kohana who was slowly cleaning her hazy eyes and turning to him only to be met by Johanne holding her chin up and pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes widened in surprise until they slowly faded shut to enjoy the moment while it lasted.
After 30 seconds or so, Johanne slowly parted ways with her and stared down into her glittering, almost mesmerizing eyes, "Well. This was my first date. And my first kiss. So, I'd say it wasn't the worst day I've had. I enjoyed the night. It wasn't ruined. No more crying, alright? Come see me again sometime."
She didn't know what to say or how to respond to it all, she was lost in the moment as Johanne left the car door opening and hurried to his door, his face buried in red until he heard, "Wait!"
Johanne turned around to see Kohana shutting her door and running behind Johanne who was now at his front door, "What's the matter? Did I forget something?"
Kohana held her arms behind her back and shuffled her foot in circles for a moment until she slung her arms around him, "I don't want to go back to my suite yet… I can't. I was wondering if I could…"
Johanne's face turned much darker as he looked away and laughed shakily, "Oh man you put me in a bind here… I mean I suppose I could spare a night or-"
"You said you'd need a good night's sleep tonight, right? I'm sure we both could help each other with that. After showers of course…" She said with a pout looking at the blood coating them.
Johanne nearly fainted from the blood rushing to his head and slowly and politely as possible opening the door to welcome her in, "We have to be quiet… I sure hope Avelessi is over Kiba's as well…" the door shut behind them with a fluttery giggle escaping her lips.