Monday, July 27th
Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel
Shizuka absentmindedly fidgeted with the zipper on her bag as she stared up at the ceiling of her hotel room. Jotaro had sent her right in, discussing things with the Speedwagon Foundation Agent in the lobby. She was going insane. So many things had happened, and she demanded answers. Apparently her uncle was a monster hunter or something? He had ties with a super-secret organization that dealt with supernatural threats to society. It sounded like the plot to a movie she wouldn't bother seeing.
If she was being perfectly honest with herself, there was no real reason to stay. She could just slip away and Jotaro wouldn't be any the wiser. In fact, if he tried to get her to go home again that would be her plan. She'd never seen Jotaro in action. Sure, her father talked him up to be a real stand-up guy, but from what she'd seen she wasn't very impressed. Not one bit. She sat up, crossing her arms and huffing. She could at least change. She was still wearing Friday's clothes, and it was Monday evening. She wouldn't turn her nose to a night's sleep in a cozy bed either.
Her thought process was cut short by the door opening. Jotaro walked in, closing the door behind him.
"Wagner's being kept in a sedated state for the time being. The Speedwagon Foundation has some talented interrogators. They'll get him to talk. Good find, by the way. You might have saved a lot of people by stepping in when you did." He mumbled, attempting to make her feel better about Neil. It didn't work.
Shizuka just looked at him blankly, hopping out of bed and looking through her bag for her toothbrush. "So is that it then? My work's done?" She questioned.
Jotaro thought for a moment. "If I drag you back to New York, is there any chance in hell you'll be a normal kid and stay put?"
"No." Shizuka said dryly, giving him the side-eye. "I'll just leave again, and again, and again. I'm going to the Morio Grand Hotel. Nothing on Earth but Death himself is gonna stop me."
The tired man rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. "Then we'll go." Is all he said.
Shizuka turned to face him, eyes wide. "Wait, really?" She questioned.
"Yes. For a kid, you're a real pain. You aren't giving me many options. Let you get yourself killed, or go with you? Gimme a break." He groaned.
For a moment, she was annoyed by his tone. Then, she decided not to push her luck. "Alright! I can live with that! When can we go?"
Jotaro sighed, looking out the window into the lobby, watching people pour in. "I make it a general rule of thumb to not get on airplanes for three days after a stand attack. I've survived one plane crash, and that's enough."
"Three days?" Shizuka said in disbelief.
"Yes, three days. I get that you're eager, but we're going to do this right. So get something on pay-per-view and call up room service. And before I forget…" He handed her a little device with a big red button. "It's an emergency beacon. Hold your thumb against it for three seconds, and your location will be texted to my phone. I doubt I have to say this, but don't use it as a joke." He waved his hand tiredly, opening the door. "I'll check in tomorrow. Let me know if you want to go somewhere. We'll go together." He mumbled, closing the door behind him.
Shizuka felt torn. On one hand, Jotaro was sacrificing his time for her. He wasn't even being rude about it. On the other hand, he seemed to be under the impression that he could baby her. He spoke to her with a familiarity that he hadn't earned, and it irritated her. He was a distant, emotionally unavailable, secretive man who regularly abandoned his family for weeks at a time, if not months. Despite all of that… she really wanted his approval. Something about him just oozed dignity and power. She'd be lying if she said she didn't look up to him in some way. Still, she'd hardly call him family. She huffed, walking into the bathroom and looking at herself. Black bags were forming under her tired eyes. She looked like shit. Between sleeping in an alley, two Stand battles, being in a hostage situation, and being hospitalized, Shizuka was more than ready for sleep.
She slipped out of her clothes and into the shower. Her hair fell down over her face as the water ran down her pale skin. She groaned, resting her forehead against the wall and staring at the drain. The water's temperature began to fluctuate, turning much hotter than she meant. She just stood still as it irritated her skin. She was in a state of numbing exhaustion both physically and mentally. After washing herself with the tiny bottle of hotel-provided shampoo and body wash, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. In the mirror, she noticed a series of bruises on her left collarbone. Multiple small indentations on her skin remained as proof of Wagner's rough handling of her at the hospital. She rested her little fingers on the bruises, staring at herself in the mirror.
"Bastard." She growled under her breath.
At least she left him with far worse wounds. The murderous conman deserved it. She walked into the bedroom once again, closing the curtains and dropping the towel to the carpet. She grabbed a pair of starry space pajama pants and a Hannah Montana sleepy shirt that was two sizes too big. After that, she crawled into the king-sized bed and burrowed underneath the covers. She turned the lamp off and surrendered to her exhaustion, her body feeling like lead as she sank into the memory foam. Finally, for a fleeting moment, she could rest easy.
Tuesday, July 28th
Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel
Shizuka woke up to the sound of knocking on her door. Her eyes slowly opened, and she groaned. She stretched her legs and closed her eyes once more before rolling out of bed. She opened the door, seeing Jotaro fully dressed with a clean shave. Of course he was a morning person. Why wouldn't he be? "Hey." She mumbled groggily, yawning into her palm.
"The hotel stops serving breakfast in twenty minutes. I figured we should eat." He explained.
She looked up at him with skepticism. To be perfectly frank, she wasn't too thrilled at the idea of eating with good ol' Uncle Jotaro. They'd never had any one-on-one time in her entire life. He was just the quiet guy who left Thanksgiving dinner early to answer mysterious phone calls. Even at the early age of six, Shizuka could see the pain in Maura Kujo's eyes when her husband left the table. She'd always been keenly aware of people's feelings. It's why she empathized with the elderly so much. She saw them as an underappreciated, abused group that society cast away the moment they couldn't work anymore. They'd go out into the world, striking up conversations with complete strangers on subways and flirting with waitresses at restaurants because that was their one opportunity for human contact all day. Many of them had no one anymore. Their friends and families were gone, and nobody wanted them around. It infuriated her to no end. She doubted Jotaro was conscious of them. Despite her eye for people's inner feelings, he remained a particularly stoic brick as far as she could tell. So why in the hell did he want breakfast with her? Was it because he'd feel guilty if he didn't make sure Joseph's daughter ate? Was he going to attempt to talk her out of going to Morio? What was his angle?
"I've gotta get dressed. I'll see you down there." She mumbled, closing the door before he could respond.
It took her about two minutes to get dressed. She only packed three outfits in addition to what she wore out the door. She walked out of her room and saw Jotaro waiting at the elevator. The entire hotel was an extremely tall lobby with rooms looking down over a railing onto a beautiful fountain. Shizuka rolled her eyes. He couldn't just meet her downstairs? She made it to the elevator, watching him. He wasn't pressing the button. She wasn't pressing the button. Neither of them were pressing the button. There they were, two assholes standing in front of an elevator; neither of which were pressing buttons. After an agonizing seven seconds, Jotaro extended his finger and pressed "down" on the pad.
"I figured you'd want to." He mumbled, walking into the elevator when it arrived.
Shizuka couldn't figure that one out. Why would she want to hit the elevator button? What was this guy's deal? They entered the hotel restaurant and got their plates. When they sat down, Shizuka felt like there was nothing to say. Her plate was mostly empty, while he seemed to get a little bit of everything. They ate in silence for five painful minutes. She decided to just bite the bullet and speak. Maybe she could even get some information out of it.
"So… What do you think will happen with Wagner?" She mumbled, pushing scrambled eggs around her plate.
"The Speedwagon Foundation will find out everything he knows. If there's a stand-related threat that needs dealt with, I'll take care of it." Jotaro mumbled, taking a bite when he finished.
Shizuka raised a brow. "Does… the foundation call you in for that kind of thing a lot?"
Jotaro shrugged. "A couple times a year. It's less frequent now that they have their own Stand Users. There just aren't many like me."
"Like you? What can your Stand even do?" She questioned.
He smirked. "I don't like to talk about it. An enemy knew about it once, and it made things harder."
She frowned. "Oh, C'mon. Can I at least see it?"
He shook his head. "Let's hope you never do, kid."
Shizuka continued to shift her food around her plate. She got a bit of information on her uncle. Primarily that Jotaro wasn't just abandoning his family for weeks. He was going out and fighting for his life to save others. That changed a few things in her mind. She wanted to ask more, but decided it was a bit heavy for breakfast-talk.
"So… what even is there to do in Amsterdam?" She asked, changing the subject.
"The Van Gogh museum seems interesting." He took a sip of his black coffee. "I couldn't go there in good faith, though. We're on Stand alert. Imagine if something happened to those paintings."
Well, apparently Jotaro appreciated the fine arts. Shizuka just kept learning things about the guy, huh?
"Tourist destinations aren't a good idea. Too many people. The chances of running into someone Wagner pricked would be high." He continued.
"Don't we want that? So we can stop them before they hurt someone?" She questioned.
Jotaro put down his mug, shaking his head. "Having a stand isn't a crime, Shizuka. They deserve to live their lives."
She raised a brow. "But a Stand User could kill so many people."
"So could a punk with a rifle. That's not your problem. The only time I get involved is when we know someone plans on causing a lot of harm, and I'm the only one who can stop him. You can't live your life with a hero complex. If you do, it'll eat you alive. Any time something bad happens, you'll blame yourself for not being there. You're human. That's it. A doctor has the obligation to help a choking man on the street. He doesn't have an obligation to follow that man around all day in case he chokes."
Shizuka shrugged back in her chair, blowing her bangs out of her face and crossing her arms. "You're talkative today. I don't think I've ever had this long a conversation with you."
"I'm in a great mood. Can't you tell?" He asked, sipping his drink and opening up the newspaper.
Shizuka truly couldn't tell if he was messing with her or not with that last statement. She decided to direct her attention elsewhere. She always enjoyed people-watching in public spaces. Everyone had their own agenda… It was fascinating to witness. However, she couldn't help but wonder what kinds of people walked in the surrounding crowd. Were they kind people? Did they mean anyone harm? Could they even be with Wagner's organization? Stand Users attracted one another, after all. It would be entirely possible that danger was lurking in the hotel.
As her eyes wandered the crowd, she couldn't help but notice something odd. Another girl was looking directly at Shizuka's table. They met eyes for just a moment, but it felt like an eternity. There was something there… A recognition. The eye contact was piercing and intense. The girl was much older than Shizuka, but not quite an adult. She had pink and blonde hair done up in a messy bun, and wore casual clothing. If Shizuka had to guess, she'd pin the girl at about sixteen.
The eye contact had been going on for far too long. The girl stood up abruptly, grabbing her bag and walking into the bathroom. Jotaro noticed Shizuka's expression and grunted.
"Do you see something suspicious?" He asked.
Shizuka stood without a word, oddly drawn to the bathroom. "I was just looking for the restaurant's bathroom.. I'll be right back." She mumbled, walking across the large room and entering the girl's restroom.
She walked inside, looking around for a moment. She was met by the girl standing with her back to the far wall.
"Leave me alone." The stranger panted, looking left and right like a cornered animal.
"Do I know you?" Shizuka questioned, tilting her head. "You were staring at me. Then you ran away."
"I said stay away! Or I'll scream. I know what you and your friend did. I know everything… But I'm not going to tell anyone. I just want to go home. My flight leaves tomorrow. Just let me go home." Tears ran down her cheeks. She spoke in a british accent, vaguely reminding Shizuka of Joseph. Of course, his accent was buried by six decades of the American dream. This girl's was thick and recognizable.
Shizuka just stared in confusion. "Uhm… Ok? Whatever you think I did… I didn't.. And I'm sorry that you're so afraid of me. You can get on your plane." She shrugged, unable to really calculate the best way out of the conversation.
The girl looked surprised. "Then… Then go. So I can leave." She cleared her throat.
Shizuka nodded, walking out of the bathroom. She immediately turned invisible, waiting for the girl to come out. Eventually, she did. The invisible girl followed her target out of the restaurant and into the elevator. She was a master at being silent. Soon, they arrived in the girl's bedroom. She barely slipped through the door before the stranger closed it. It wasn't like Shizuka's bedroom. It was a suite with luggage for two. A man's suit laid across an ironing board, and an assortment of ties hung from the bathroom's doorknob. Like a fly on the wall, Shizuka watched the mystery girl sit on the bed and grip her face. She was panting, then slowly let out a sob.
"Dad..." She sniffled, crying into her hands.
Shizuka was thoroughly confused. However, she only wanted to see if this girl was in any immediate danger, or if she posed a threat to herself and Jotaro. It seemed like neither of those were the case. All she needed was an exit plan. She crept over to the bathroom, seeing a bottle of shampoo resting dangerously close to the edge of its shelf. Shizuka knocked it over, quickly scurrying out of the way. The older girl walked over to the bathroom to investigate. While she did so, Shizuka slipped out of the suite and back to the elevator.
Through the glass elevator, she watched Jotaro as he sat at the table within the hotel restaurant. She exited on the first floor and found a good place to turn visible once more. Then, she approached the table and sat back down. "Long line." She sighed.
Jotaro put down his mug. "So you decided to use the bathroom in your room instead?" He asked casually.
Shizuka raised a brow. "I mean…" She mumbled.
"Funny how the elevator went down all on its own. Huh?" He shrugged. "Why were you invisible?" He questioned, trying to get her to fess up.
She sighed. "Okay, okay. I get it. You're always watching. Even when it doesn't look like you're watching, you're watching."
"So, is the girl a stand user?" He mumbled, reading the paper.
"No.. I just got a weird vibe from her. She didn't seem very weird when she was alone in her room, though. She was just crying about her dad." Shizuka admitted.
"General kid stuff." Jotaro sighed, closing the paper. "I'd scold you for following a suspicious person without me, but I get the feeling it won't help. Just be careful." He pushed his plate away, finished with breakfast.
"She was really afraid of us. In the bathroom, she begged me to let her leave the city. It was like she was begging for her life." Shizuka said grimly.
"She must have the wrong people. We've never even met her. But if you can't get it off your mind, we can look into her." Jotaro shrugged.
"How would we do that?" She tilted her head.
"Well, you know her room. If we checked the name the room's under, I could run it by some resources of mine. Just so we have a clear conscience." He offered.
"I don't think they'd just tell us her name. Isn't that like… breaking privacy?" Shizuka mumbled shyly.
Jotaro just smirked. "And entering her room isn't? Just go invisible and check the records. I'll talk to the front desk worker and distract her."
"Alright," Shizuka stood, fixing her skirt. "No harm in checking, right?"
"Right." Jotaro stood as well, walking over to the front desk.
While he distracted the woman, Shizuka turned invisible and helped herself behind the forbidden point that only staff was allowed to cross. She was at the computer, only a few feet from the woman. As quietly as she could, she slid the mouse over to the "search" box and double clicked it.
The woman at the desk, smiled as she answered Jotaro's question. "I can look that up for you, Sir. One moment."
Shizuka's eyes widened. She stumbled to the side, narrowly avoiding contact with the woman. She braced herself by gripping the table, knocking a coffee mug right off. It was all over… She'd be revealed… Then, in the blink of an eye, the mug was back on the table. Shizuka had to stare for a moment. Had she imagined hitting it? She was certain. But it all happened so fast. That's when she saw Jotaro looking at the mug. Did he do something to stop it from falling? Shizuka couldn't help but smile.
The woman walked back to the front desk, smiling at Jotaro. Shizuka ignored the conversation and tip-toed back to the computer. She typed the room number in, nervously licking her lips as she waited for it to load. Eventually, there was one result. She clicked it, and felt her heart sink. The suite was purchased on Friday for seven days. The debit card on record belonged to one "Neil Archer."
Shizuka backed away from the computer, sliding out from the staff area and holding her hand against her heart as it beated faster and faster. She tugged at Jotaro's coat, walking around the nearest corner and leaning against the wall. She became invisible once more, panting as she slid down the wall. Jotaro quickly followed.
"What's wrong? Did you get the name?" He questioned.
"I already know it… It's his daughter, Jotaro. Neil Archer's daughter is staying at the hotel." She mumbled, feeling sick to her stomach.
Jotaro just looked down for a moment in thought. "That could explain why she was afraid of us… She could have been at the hospital."
"What are the odds we'd have the same hotel?" Shizuka asked, bewildered.
"High. This is one of the nicest hotels in the country. Neil Archer was an English millionaire. He had high standards. So do I. It's not a surprise we'd pick the same place." Jotaro mumbled, rubbing his chin.
"We have to help her. I have to help her. I owe her." Shizuka pushed herself off the wall, standing tall with purpose.
"That's not even the worst part." He mumbled. "Neil was pierced by a fragment of a Stand arrow. That means all of his descendants were granted Stand abilities too."
Shizuka's eyes widened. "W-Wait, does that mean she could be dying too?" She gasped.
"No. My mother was cursed with a stand she couldn't handle. We killed the man who pierced himself, and it freed her from the curse. I kept my Stand, but she didn't. The only way this girl would have one is if she was strong enough to handle it." He explained.
"So you're saying we don't even know if she has a Stand? Would she know?" Shizuka asked.
Jotaro thought for a moment. "I manifested Star Platinum for the first time almost a year after DIO pierced himself… There's almost no way she's aware of her ability yet."
"Then we can't let her go back to England. What if she runs into an enemy? She needs to know what she's getting into." Shizuka put her foot down.
"Shizuka, what about going to Morio? This girl isn't your responsibility." Jotaro asked, knowing that she had made her mind up. In all honesty, he fully planned on helping her. He just wanted to see if Shizuka would stick to her guns.
"Morio's not going anywhere. I couldn't save Neil. The least I can do is help his daughter." She sighed.
Jotaro noticed something in the distance, raising a brow. "Well.. She's leaving the hotel with a suitcase." He mumbled.
Shizuka squeaked, turning around. "She's getting away! We've gotta stop her." She sprinted over to the door.
Jotaro tried to grab her, but failed. "Yare Yare… Sure, let's chase the girl who's terrified of us."
Marina Archer was speed-walking out of the hotel, wheeling her suitcase behind her as she looked for the taxi she called. That's when she heard a tiny voice shout "Stop!" from behind. She turned and saw Shizuka giving chase. Marina shrieked, sprinting down the sidewalk and dipping into an alley to avoid the pursuer. She was heaving, sniffling as she feared what would happen if they got a hold of her.
She'd already lost her father to these bastards. How much more did they plan to take? What did they even want? Neil had told her that he was meeting a dangerous man for something very important. She never thought in a million years that he'd end up dead. And now they wanted her too? She wouldn't have it. She refused. Her suitcase was slowing her down. She let go, sprinting as fast as she could down the alley. She came out the other side into busy traffic.
Jotaro, being a grown man in killer shape, very quickly caught up to Shizuka. He even had to slow down to stay next to her. Still, he could see the determination in her eyes. She was hellbent on catching up with the girl. They made it to the end of the alley. Jotaro brought Star Platinum out, looking for their target. "You've gotta be shitting me." He mumbled.
"What!?" Shizuka questioned, unable to see above the cars.
"She's running against oncoming traffic."
Marina was sprinting through the road. Cars honked, swerved, and narrowly missed hitting her as she bolted through the busy street. She could feel a confidence swelling in her stomach. A certainty that she'd be okay. She knew nobody would chase her down her current suicidal path.
"Shizuka, I'm going to pick you up. I need you to close your eyes and trust me." Is all he said, Star Platinum lifting her effortlessly.
Then, in a flash, they were on the other side of the road. Jotaro fell to his knees, coughing and wheezing. He'd frozen time for four seconds, sprinting the entire time as he weaved through the cars. It was nearly too much for him to take. Freezing the flow of time was hard enough, but the physical labor inside his world was incredibly taxing. "Go." He growled, waving a hand. "I'll be right there… Just go."
Shizuka had no idea what just happened. They were somehow on the other side. That was all that mattered. Jotaro really was something else. He didn't have to tell her twice. She kicked off her pretty black flats. They were just slowing her down. Her bare feet pattered against the sidewalk as she sprinted as fast as she could. Her feet burned and stung, but she didn't care.
Marina ran into another alley, noticing a manhole. She didn't care about grime at that moment. She attempted to lift it up, but failed. It weighed nearly two-hundred-fifty pounds after all. Shizuka bounded around the corner, pointing at Marina. "HEY!" She shouted.
Marina backed away from the girl, hitting a chain link fence. She was cornered… There was no escape. So why, despite the horrible odds, did she feel so confident? So positive in her victory? What was that feeling boiling in her gut. She felt nothing more than the desire to live. The desire to protect herself. She slouched over, beginning to emit a pink energy. Shizuka raised a brow, taking a small step back and cautiously drawing Achtung Baby.
"I don't wanna fight. I just need to talk." Shizuka reasoned.
Marina was far beyond reason. She growled, lashing out. She thrashed her entire torso toward Shizuka. The young girl could barely see a faint fist fly toward her through the air. Achtung Baby blocked the attack. Was that the girl's Stand taking form? That wasn't good… Marina was clearly having a breakdown. Her fighting spirit was tearing itself free, enraged by the death of her father and the fear that drove her to this point. Another punch soared through the air. Shizuka barely dodged the second one, stepping further away.
"You just had to leave me alone…. Alone… Alone…" Marina groaned, raising her hands to her face, dragging her nails along her cheeks as she stared up. "But you couldn't. You killed my father, and now you want me… But you can't have me. I'll send you flying back to where you came from."
A gust of pure force blew Shizuka back an entire foot, her hair getting in her face as she stared in surprise by the display of power before her. Marina's Stand had fully appeared. It was tall, long, and muscular. It looked like a body-building woman, but lacked facial features, hair, or eyes. It had a red lipstick mark on its cheek, and wore a tilted pink baseball cap. It had a pink jersey on, and seemed to have a sleek, smooth form everywhere else.
Marina scowled, heaving as she felt the rush of power coursing through her veins. She didn't understand what was happening, but she embraced it. She didn't feel afraid. She felt strong. For the first time in her life she felt in control. "This power… Her name is Bubblegum Bitch.." She said softly, staring at her Stand in appreciation. "And she's invincible."
Shizuka wouldn't go that far quite yet, but she was honestly a little worried. "How about we put our Stands away and talk? There's been a misunderstanding." She reasoned, letting Achtung Baby disappear.
Marina just took advantage of the opening. Bubblegum Bitch snapped her fingers and manifested a baseball bat. Then, she swung it with full force. Shizuka raised her right arm to cover her face, catching the brunt of the attack with her forearm. She groaned in pain, looking at her arm. Her jaw dropped, and her gut twisted when she saw her arm. It had lost all of its definition and form. She could no longer lift it. It swung uselessly to her side, like there were no bones within it at all. It swished around, jiggling as it hung from her shoulder.
"Okay… so that bat is trouble." She gritted her teeth, ducking under the next swing. Achtung Baby swiftly appeared, kicking at Bubblegum Bitch and forcing her to step back. Shizuka used this opportunity to stumble back as well, lifting her jelly arm with her functional left hand. She tried to pull away, but couldn't. "You have got to be kidding me…" She groaned. Her hand was stuck to her bubblegum arm… She was completely disabled, unable to attack without use of her hands. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding another swing of Bubblegum Bitch's bat.
"Are you scared?" Marina asked, huffing in anger. "Was my dad scared?"
"I didn't kill your dad! I tried to save him!" Shizuka spat.
"Liar!" Marina screamed, swinging again and again at the tiny girl.
Shizuka was nearly at her wit's end as she stumbled back as far as she could go. She was at the edge of the road, staring her opponent down. That's when Jotaro caught up.
"Shizuka!" He shouted, Star Platinum ready to attack as he stood beside her. "What happened?"
"The bat. Don't let the bat hit you." She panted, showing her compromised arms.
Jotaro adjusted his hat, looking at Marina. "I'm guessing she's too angry to talk?" He mumbled, walking over to the girl. Bubblegum Bitch swung her bat, and Star Platinum easily dodged it, slapping her arm out of the way and jabbing her in the stomach. Marina stumbled back, coughing as she gripped her own stomach. Jotaro decided to end it right there. He'd beat the girl just enough that she couldn't fight anymore. Then they could talk. Star Platinum sent a flurry of soft punches at the Stand, each hit connecting as it pummeled her relentlessly for about three seconds.
Marina didn't seem phased this time, however. In fact, Bubblegum Bitch just hovered in front of Jotaro motionlessly. Then, out of nowhere, its skin began to protrude forward in the shape of fists, perfectly replicating each punch from Star Platinum. Jotaro's eyes widened, and he began to block them to the best of his ability. Star Platinum was so busy blocking its own attacks that it barely noticed the bat swinging in. It managed to block it once again, letting one of the reflected punches hit Jotaro right in the face. He grunted, and the rest of the flurry got him. He fell back, holding his nose. It was bleeding, and his body swayed a little as he stood.
"She's got more than one ability… Offensive, and defensive." He growled, shaking his hand dry as blood ran down his chin. "How's your arm feeling?"
Shizuka tried to move it, unable to even feel the limp sticky limb anymore. "Getting worse…? Or maybe the same? I'm not sure.
Jotaro just groaned. "This is annoying. Star Platinum: The World!" He shouted as his stand flexed. Time froze once more. Jotaro swiftly walked around Bubblegum Bitch and looked at Marina. "Yare yare… Now I've gotta beat up a kid." He sighed.
Star Platinum raised a fist, slamming it into Marina's head. He had immense control of his strength, and made sure to only hit her hard enough to knock her out. Time resumed, and he watched as her face rippled just like her stand did before. His eyes widened. "What!?" He grunted, raising Star Platinum to block the incoming attack. He managed to block it, but could feel how vulnerable he was. Sure enough, Bubblegum Bitch's bat struck him from behind. It hit him in the head, causing him to fall and land on the pavement. He coughed in pain, trying to get up. That's when he realized that, much like Shizuka's hand, his head was stuck to the pavement. Star Platinum swung a fist at Marina, and she stared at him calmly. The Stand's fist stopped inches from her face. She couldn't help but smile.
"No, go ahead. It worked out well the last couple of times. Hit me, macho man." She laughed, posing with her Stand.
Jotaro clenched his fists, trying with all his might to tear his head off the pavement. This wasn't good. Her stand was seemingly invincible. Blunt force attacks weren't doing anything. This was why Jotaro despised the Stand Arrow. It could turn unassuming teenage girls into unstoppable killing machines. He looked for Shizuka, only to notice that she was nowhere to be seen. Had she turned invisible? Did she have a plan? He decided to buy her as much time as he could.
"You're getting pissed at the wrong person… Your dad met with a man named Wagner. He's the one who killed him. Not us." He groaned.
Marina kicked him in the stomach, probably being the only person in the world who could get away with doing that for the time being. "Liar! I saw you at the hospital when everything went to hell! I saw her too! I saw you carrying a bloody, unconscious man through the hallway without a care in the world!"
"That bloody, unconscious man was Wagner. We got him. He used his power to resurrect the morgue and attack innocent people. We were trying to stop him." He explained, his head beginning to feel numb.
"Then why didn't you save my dad? Why should I believe a single ounce of your bullshit!?"
"Hey." Shizuka called out from behind, appearing with a large container of liquid. Her arm was back to normal, and she had full use of both hands.
Marina turned to face her, tilting her head. "What's tha-" She was interrupted by Shizuka dowsing her in the liquid. It smelled bad, yet familiar. Then, Achtung Baby socked Marina right in the face. The attack didn't reflect. She just cupped her nose in pain. "What the hell!?" She shouted.
"It's vinegar. You kinda gave it away by naming your Stand Bubblegum Bitch. It made me think, how do you get gum out of your hair?" She smirked, swinging the jug and getting more vinegar on Marina.
The older girl stumbled back, coughing and wiping her eyes. "My power can be nullified by that?" She questioned.
Star Platinum grabbed both her shoulders, slamming her against the wall. "Every Stand has a weakness." Jotaro groaned.
Shizuka poured the vinegar on Jotaro's head, and he slowly lifted himself off the pavement. His nose wrinkled, and he sighed. "Great, now I smell like a kitchen."
The two stood over Marina, Stands ready to attack. She held her hands up in defeat. "Wait, wait, wait! I'm sorry! We can talk! I'll listen!" She begged.
Jotaro sighed, offering her a hand. "Alright, that's what we've wanted this whole time."
Marina accepted his hand, smiling. Then, as he lifted her up, Bubblegum Bitch appeared and swung at him. Before she could connect, however, she was struck in the head by Achtung Baby. Shizuka slammed Marina's head against the wall, knocking her unconscious.
"More like Bubble-dumb bitch." She mumbled under her breath.
Jotaro couldn't help but smirk, letting out a soft chuckle. "That was a good one." He stood up once again, looking down at the unconscious girl.
"How are we supposed to help her if she's trying to kill us?" Shizuka asked with a frown.
Jotaro fixed his hat, looking the girl over in thought. "She was in shock, probably suffering from minor PTSD, and suddenly gained the power to face her fears head on. I wouldn't be surprised if she's calmed down when she wakes up."
"I hope you're right." She mumbled.
"The only thing is, I really don't wanna carry a bleeding girl through the city and into my hotel room. That wouldn't look good." He sighed, lifting her up.
"Oh, that's easy. Look!" Achtung Baby tapped Marina's body, turning her invisible.
Jotaro smirked. "Well, that's that. C'mon. Let's get back to the hotel." He mumbled, walking out of the alley.