Chapter 1: See Emily Play
My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 33 years old. My house was in the Northeast section of Morioh, where all the villas are, and I am not married. I worked as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores. I never smoked, but I occasionally drank. For most of my life, I took care not to trouble myself with enemies, things like winning and losing, that would've caused me to lose sleep at night. I wanted nothing more than to live a quiet, peaceful life with no noteworthy highs or lows. But because it was in my nature to kill to maintain that life, it was ripped away from me. That's the reason I am now dead.
As for what got me here, specifically, in whatever this afterlife-like realm is, that's a bit more of a complicated story. You see, I didn't exactly die a straightforward and standard death. It should've been an unremarkable case of vehicular manslaughter. An ambulance accidentally backed up over my head while I was down on the road. Anyone else- no, rather, someone anywhere else- would have simply died. But we were in Morioh, and there's a bizarre quirk that town has, regarding its dearly departed.
I wound up in Ghost Girl Alley, named after its most popular occupant Reimi Sugimoto, who was my first ever victim. I killed her back before I ever had my Stand power. That meant I had to do it the traditional way, so she had a particularly nasty gash in her back. And at first, that was all I had to go by. Following my arrival, though, I would be VERY closely acquainted with her in the weeks to come. We weren't quite done with each other.
YOSHIKAGE: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I DESTROYED THE INTERLOPERS! NOW MY QUIET LIFE OF FREEDOM CAN BEGIN!
Oh, we're starting this far back, then? Alright, I'm flexible. Though, before we go any further, I owe you an explanation on my "Stand abilities".
Stands are special powers that people get when they are pierced by a bizarre golden Egyptian arrow, if I remember my father's words correctly. These powers are invisible and invincible to ordinary people and reflect upon the user's body precisely. My Stand is Killer Queen. I named it myself. Its special ability is the usage of bombs. The first type, it can apply to anything with a touch. Anything can be a bomb, from a person, to a door, to a 100 coin, anything, really. Though, just like a bomb, it can't ignite in inappropriate conditions like extreme air pressure. The second is a little something I like to call Sheer Heart Attack. I lay it on the ground, and it moves around on tank wheels and seeks out the hottest thing in the area. It's completely indestructible. Though, I learned the hard way it's still susceptible to increases in weight. The third is the focus here- Bites the Dust. It's a bomb I can stick in a non-Stand user, and if someone violates the condition that I set, they are blown up from inside their bodies and time rewinds one hour from then, locking in their fate. The only trouble is, I can't use Killer Queen for anything else, or else Bites the Dust deactivates.
I'd just found an ordinary nurse beside me after a dangerous encounter with Josuke and his friends. I was at my limit and had no other option. I could have sworn I activated Bites the Dust and rewound time, so you'll have to forgive my childlike excitement. What happened went by in such a nauseating blur that my memory of the event was missing. It wasn't until I saw a flock of birds pass right through my body that I began to suspect something was off. So, I scanned horizons once more.
YOSHIKAGE: Is my mind playing tricks? Those birds flew right through me... But that's absurd!
The birds were far from the only clue that my victory was a fictitious one, as we'll both soon see.
YOSHIKAGE: Something isn't right... like this street. I've never once used it to get to work. Time was reversed by one hour, so I should be on my way to the office. What the devil is going on...? Where am I? And for that matter, when?
It occurred to me that I might not have known everything about Bites the Dust. Did the interval of time reversal change somehow? Had I somehow gone into the future? To an alternate timeline, perhaps? Maybe the intensity of my emotions had something to do with it? Whatever the case, it's situations like this that make me glad I always wear a wristwatch. Or wore, rather. But it was missing from my wrist when I checked. And then something else hit me.
YOSHIKAGE: Oh, that's right. I put my watch in my breast pocket after I burned my wrist.
Longer story still. I'd rather not get into that right now. Just know that I was very confused when I pulled my watch out and the square shape instead resembled more of a sloppy decagon.
YOSHIKAGE: It can't be! Why is the watch still broken!? And the time, it says 8:29! There's no way! I activated Bites the Dust! This is the watch Hayato broke with Stray Cat! It should've returned to its undamaged state!
Stray Cat belongs to a cat who died in my backyard and was reborn as a plant. It can fire pressurized air bubbles. The less you question it, the better.
REIMI: Still don't get it, do you?
Anyway, back to the story. I turned around to face the voice who addressed me. Reimi Sugimoto, who I mentioned earlier. But I didn't recognize her at first, since it was 15 years since her murder. Though, considering I had no clue where I was, and the voice that called out to me seemed to know more than I did, it warranted caution nonetheless.
REIMI: Well, well. The "Kosaku Kawajiri" in Rohan's photo was actually Yoshikage Kira. So then, the battle's finally over. Amazing. The Great Yoshikage Kira, bested by those he'd spit upon.
"Okay, this just went from orange to red." That was what went through my mind. She somehow knew I had abused Cinderella, the local cosmetic surgeon's Stand, to disguise myself as another man. As if she could have done something at any moment but chose my most vulnerable hour to act.
YOSHIKAGE: And who the hell are you, girl?
REIMI: You forgot about little old me? Typical. I should've known. Though, it DID happen 15 years ago...
YOSHIKAGE: Huh?
REIMI: Something truly horrible must've happened to you in the end. Something so harrowing you've lost any and all recollection of what it was.
Looking back, she hit the nail on the head. But that's hindsight bias for you. The "me" in the past had had enough of these asinine games and forcefully grabbed her bicep. I'd have my answers, one way or another.
YOSHIKAGE: Are you another Stand user, you talkative little tart!?
REIMI: No. I'm the bearer of bad news. You've been sent to this place because you bit it, bub!
YOSHIKAGE: What!?
"Bit it? As in, the bullet? Is she implying I died?" I thought. And it didn't take long for her to prove my suspicions correct. She stretched her hand out, and it went directly through my chest. But it touched nothing within me, for there was nothing to begin with. It completely phased through, like light through a white t-shirt soaked in water. Her hand came out the other end, and no blood followed it. I had no blood. I couldn't take the harrowing realization and let out the loudest scream I'd ever made.
REIMI: Understand now!? This is no Stand ability! This is proof! Proof that there's justice in this world and all that remains of you is the black soul you carried! How about it? Have I jogged your memory? Do you remember how you died!?
I tried to close my mouth, but the screams wouldn't let me. I mean, who wouldn't freak out upon receiving evidence that you were dead? But while I was busy screaming, the memory was busy flooding my brain, assuming my head could still be said to have one. I recalled, the moment I believed I'd activated Bites the Dust was the moment I'd warped and distorted the truth before my very own eyes.
My thumb never closed the gap to my index finger. Koichi had increased its weight using Echoes Act III, slamming it against the pavement, causing it to throb. And by the time I had finally lifted it using my free hand, Jotaro had already stopped time and broken it with Star Platinum. I couldn't push the switch, no matter how much I desired it. And what happened after that, only the sudden wounds on my ghostly face could tell. Something must have torn it off, just as I did Mr. Kawajiri's own face to use as mine. Whatever the cause of that was, it surely must have been the end. I can't feel any other injury past Jotaro's assault.
REIMI: Remember now, Yoshikage Kira? That's how your life was ripped away from you. Funny how memory works!
YOSHIKAGE: I've had just about enough of your games! Who or what are you!?
REIMI: I'm evidence. Fifteen years ago, you didn't have a Stand that could make all of your victims disappear. That's why when I was murdered, it was front page news.
It was starting to click with me... a little. But it wasn't until she turned around and pulled down her shirt that I truly saw it. The one thing unique to her no other person who knew me could have.
REIMI: Tell me! Does this gash on my back look familiar to you!? Since I was your very first victim, maybe you forgot to cut off my hands! I guess I'm just not that memorable to you, huh!?
Forgot... And the deepness of the back wound... There it was.
YOSHIKAGE: That's right, it's... you... Of course... You're Reimi Sugimoto...
Every alarm in my head was set off at once. That name was exactly what got me into this mess. That Shigekiyo kid heard it from someone, and his Stand stole one of my buttons, which made its way to Jotaro. If that name had just never escaped from this wretched place...!
YOSHIKAGE: Tell me right now what you've been planning for the past fifteen years!
I'd nearly forgotten where I was. I took a step forward to grab onto her shoulder and look her in the eye. We were standing shoulder to shoulder. If I had turned my neck even just a tiny bit further... I don't even want to imagine what would have happened to me. But that's when I considered something. I knew I was dead, and that I ended up somewhere that didn't at all resemble the afterlife. And the part this Morioh girl plays into it... Aha...
YOSHIKAGE: ...Hold on. What exactly do you get out of showing off your disgusting wound and revealing your true identity to me? Now wait just a moment. Is this the place where one shouldn't look over their shoulder or else?
Her eyeballs danced somewhat in their sockets. I could tell from that stifled grunt she let out that I hit the nail on the head. We were, in fact, in Ghost Girl Alley. And this was, in fact, what she was planning. When I finally pass over, I'll have to thank my father for alerting me to this place beforehand.
YOSHIKAGE: My old man once said, hidden somewhere in this town is a passage for the souls of the dead. He told me to never look back if I ever found myself there. To do so would invite an unspeakable power that would drag you into an abyss of misery.
I leaned in to make myself louder in her ear without raising my voice too much, something I'm not fond of doing. And I held her head in place by the chin with my right hand, just to be sure. Knowing what this place was now alerting me to what her intentions were. The horrors she must have had in store for me were I so naive as to act impulsively...
YOSHIKAGE: Now, it's just a hunch, but I get the feeling you only showed me your back in order to lure me in front of you so I'd play into your ghostly hands and turn around.
I wasn't quite expecting what came next. Perhaps you weren't either. This is the part where one of us forces the other to turn around and face oblivion, right? Not quite. A smile suddenly broke out on her face, and I felt her once intangible hand make ordinary contact with my back, right about in the middle of my spine, where the spinal cord ends.
REIMI: Not at all.
I was shoved forward, stumbling onto the floor. My anger rose due to the rudeness of her action. And I oh so nearly turned my head to look her way. "Not at all", you say? You could have fooled me. And you nearly did. I resisted the urge to twist my neck and continued looking forward.
YOSHIKAGE: ...Whatever. It's not as if a ghost's hands are of any interest to me anyway. Besides, now you can't goad me into turning around.
REIMI: Yep. That was exactly my plan.
YOSHIKAGE: ...Pardon?
REIMI: You can't turn around. You're already past the mailbox. Better keep going.
YOSHIKAGE: Now you have me perplexed. Was all of this really just to ensure I could do no further harm to you?
REIMI: The answer's yes and no.
More footsteps came up from behind me. Someone else had entered, and I had no way of knowing who or what. Was it the alley's way of playing a trick on me? Was someone genuinely there? What were they planning on doing, and would it affect my soul? All of these questions, and more, swam around in my head like fish in a bowl. It wasn't until the figure made its voice known that I gained a sense of clarity. Though, it did little to relieve this sickening feeling of stress coursing through me. Of all the emotions I've experienced, stress is by far my least favorite.
YUKAKO: Sorry for the wait, Reimi. I've got it right here.
Someone who knows Reimi? But I don't recognize her voice... No, wait. She must be that girl who's been following Koichi around. Yukako, I think her name was. I don't know much, just her name and her attraction to Koichi. Is she a Stand user?
YUKAKO: So, you're Yoshikage Kira. I've heard all about you. Including that you've been giving my Koichi hell lately. Looks like they somehow managed to kill you in the end, though. Saves me the trouble. Or that's what I WOULD be saying if looking at you didn't PISS ME OFF!
The answer is yes. Yes, she is absolutely a Stand user. I learned that firsthand when several strands of black hair suddenly came up behind me and grabbed my body like the tentacles of the Kraken. All four of my limbs were restricted, and my neck constricted. Looking back, I could have just gone intangible, but I'd yet to discover that about my ghostly self. I had just died, after all. The rules of the afterlife were not known to me.
YOSHIKAGE: W-What!? What is this!? No, stop! Get this off of me!
YUKAKO: Are you sure you don't want me to just break him here? Should be simple to just turn him around and make him face the music.
REIMI: I appreciate it, Yukako. But I'm sure. This will be much more fun.
YUKAKO: Hmph. Suit yourself. You better give him enough hell for the both of us.
And that's about when I remembered. I'm a Stand user, too.
YOSHIKAGE: Killer Queen! Make whatever this is explode!
Killer Queen manifested before me and laid a hand upon the strand around my neck, promptly throwing the switch. But the boom I expected didn't come. Instead, only light crackles, like pop rocks on one's tongue.
YOSHIKAGE: What the!? How did you dilute Killer Queen's effects!?
YUKAKO: I didn't. You set a charge on a strand of my hair. It was as simple as sacrificing the charged strand so it didn't spread. And since it's nothing but hair, I'm feeling just peachy!
YOSHIKAGE: Damnit!
YUKAKO: I call it Love Deluxe, in case you're curious. Not that it'll be helping you after we're done here!
Great. Killer Queen is basically dead weight. And thinking logically, she can probably stop Sheer Heart Attack the same way, too. Of all the luck... No. This is no wave of misfortune. This was planned. They must have coordinated this, I'm absolutely certain. What I heard next was a sound like a bow and arrow being fired, followed by Reimi grunting in pain. There's only one reason why this ordinary high school girl could've suddenly taken up archery: That was the bow and arrow my father used to grant me Killer Queen! That's the arrow that grant people Stands when they're struck by it. And now that it's hit Reimi, her days as a non-Stand user have come to an end. I have to be ready for whatever ungodly ability she's dreamed up for me.
REIMI: Hoo... Didn't hurt as much as I thought, actually. You know something, Yoshikage? When you think about it, this town is full of Stand users, and their Stands just so happen to be able to improve their quality of living. Some of them are even completely useless in a fight. The ability satisfies their life's desires first and foremost. The only reason you gained such a powerful Stand as Killer Queen is because your desire was to leave no trace behind of your murders.
YOSHIKAGE: Yeah... You have a point, so where is it going...?
REIMI: All I ever wanted was to be a babysitter. I thought I was pretty good at it, too. So did the Kishibes. But I guess you disagree, huh? You were so disapproving of my work that you went ahead and killed me. How would you describe it, then? Substandard? Mediocre? Below par? It must not be a particularly strong descriptor, because you didn't even remember me after I died. Not even after I showed up on the front page of the newspaper. Like I said. Funny how memory works.
YOSHIKAGE: Where is this-?
REIMI: TOO BAD! I'M THE ONLY ONE YOU GOT! SIC EM, EMILY PLAY!
Something grabbed me from behind. Its hand dug into my back. I groaned in both pain and discomfort, the latter somehow stronger than the former. My brain was too jumbled to discern what the cause was. It couldn't have been that spectral force- I hadn't turned my head. But I couldn't escape either. Not with Love Deluxe coiled around my limbs. It felt cold and hot at the same time. My very existence was being broken up into transportable chunks. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it. It took me a few seconds of this unexplainable sensation to realize this was Reimi's new Stand. "Emily Play", huh? What a terrifying first impression... I couldn't even see Emily Play.
YOSHIKAGE: God, no! Where are you going to take me!? Say something, please! I have to know where you're taking me! What are you going to do!? REIMI!?
REIMI: Dunno. Gimme a few years to think of something. Until then, why don't you do some thinking as well? Thinking about everything that led you to this moment in the quiet corner.
I could just FEEL the smirk she wore on her face that day. My defeat hadn't even finished at the ambulance. In fact, it was just starting. And all I could do was try to yell louder than the sound of Emily Play's ability, just so I could remind myself what I sound like, as if my identity was somehow at risk of being lost. My soul was stuck inside Emily Play's cache from that point on. I can only assume the two girls proceeded to cross Ghost Girl's Alley and reunite in the streets of Morioh. Whatever happened next, I was not allowed to see. I was but an unwitting passenger. And that's how this whole thing started, more or less. You won't believe where it took me next.
TO BE CONTINUED
Stand Name: Emily Play
Stand User: Reimi Sugimoto
Destructive Power: C
Speed: A
Range: B
Persistence: A
Precision: A
Developmental Potential: A
Description
Emily Play is a natural humanoid long-distance Stand. Its physical power is somewhat lacking in comparison to other combat Stands like Crazy Diamond or Sticky Fingers, but it is still powerful enough to tear apart the walls of a house with enough effort. The Stand has two abilities. Its primary ability is the power to lock onto souls and summon them from the beyond. If Reimi can reach somewhere only ghosts and Stand users can reach like Ghost Girl Alley, or the specific place where someone died, she can summon the spirit of that person, so long as she has them in her cognition. However, she can only lock onto one person at a time, and when the lock on is removed, the departed soul will return to the afterlife. Furthermore, being a ghost whose grudge has been avenged, and therefore one whose "reason to linger" has vanished, she must remain locked onto someone at all times. Should she go too long without a soul to lock onto or fail to return to Ghost Girl Alley, she will ascend to the afterlife, metaphorically "dying for good". In a pinch, she can also lock onto a living soul to cancel her ascension. Emily Play cannot, however, lock onto automated Stands like Black Sabbath or Notorious B.I.G. The user must be within range. Its second ability is the power to absorb the souls of those around her. If Emily Play touches someone, Reimi can divide their body into portable brick-like chunks and store them inside of Emily Play's torso, then release them later. Its storage has no limit, and it will not kill a living soul if they are absorbed. Once absorption has begun, only Reimi may cancel it. If the target attempts to attack Emily Play, the attacking limb or weapon will be broken up instantly. Stands are sealed within as well. Speed and distance are irrelevant- Even Made in Heaven with its infinite speed will be pulled in all the same, and in the same instant the user is struck. There are only three ways to escape an absorption once initiated: Mandom, Bites the Dust, and Gold Experience Requiem can rewind the absorption, King Crimson and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap can escape reality and cut off the absorption, and Silver Chariot Requiem can forcibly cancel the absorption by turning Emily Play against Reimi.
