"Ow..."

"Izuku?" Johnny asked, turning his head towards his childhood friend in surprise. Izuku had his eyes open, revealing that the wounds were only surface level. He had his cowl on, the lenses had thankfully protected his eyes. Had he not had his cowl on, there would've been a high likelihood that he would've ended up losing his vision. "You alright?"

"Yeah... I knew that would happen."

The Joestar blinked in confusion, before remembering that Izuku had been the one who narrowed down their potential suspects. And when that memory came back to him, the colour in Johnny's face practically drained. "You were close to me on purpose... you acted as bait..."

"Yep, still...wasn't expecting it to hurt so much. I had to see if it was N'doul or Angelo. If it was Angelo, he would've gone straight after your uncle. If it was N'doul, he'd try and win this fight psychologically first, so I knew I'd be a target."

Geb closed its fist in frustration and attacked again, but this time Izuku merely sidestepped the strike. Putting a finger to his lips, the OFA user wiped the blood out of his eyes. Now that they had identified the enemy, they could take the necessary precautions.

Johnny proceeded to mouth, 'you're a dumbass', to his friend, and got into a fighting position.

"Of course, he would take a risk like that..." Kyoka muttered, glaring at the floor, "Leave it to Izuku Midoriya to willingly get hurt to identify the enemy. If you hadn't warned Johnny not to attack, Izuku's plan would've been screwed up."

Doppio sighed, checking Epitaph once more. "They're going to escape the elevator unharmed. That was a close one... your boyfriend would've definitely lost his cool."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" The purplette said, narrowing her eyes at the mafioso. Doppio grimaced in response, narrowing his eyes.

"You always have to throw in backhanded comments, don't you?" Doppio responded.

"Sorry, but when somebody goes out of their way to brutalize and torture my friends, I find it very hard to forgive them," the purplette responded, "and I'm not afraid to make that known."

Doppio clenched his hand into a fist, trying to keep his calm. "I also just saved your precious little JoJo's ass. I made a mistake—"

"What you did was far more than a mistake, Doppio," Yoshihara retorted, leaning over Kyoka with a stern expression. For a split second, Kira's eyes glanced over to Doppio, making him shiver before her attention returned to Kyoka. "Are they out yet?"

"Yes... and the Stand moved too. This man has pretty damn good hearing... but that's due to his blindness enhancing his other senses. He doesn't have hearing like mine," Kyoka replied, her jacks plugged into the floor. "I can hear him coming, so as it stands, I have the advantage right now. He's pursuing them down the hallway, tracking them through their footsteps."

"Good work, let me know where he is at all times. I may have an idea on how to confuse him," Yoshihara said and turned to Doppio. "As for you, watch your step. Remember, you're on thin ice."

Doppio grunted in response and trudged after them. He wasn't opposed to helping them. In fact, he was all for it, especially because he wasn't really given the choice. That still didn't mean he liked the attitude he was getting, considering he WAS helping them now.

'I understand why they don't trust me, I don't expect them to. I'm stuck with them until further notice, and they're going to have to accept that, whether they like it, or not. Keep calm, Doppio. It's just like that one time you worked with Carne, Tiziano, Squalo, Cioccolata, and Secco. They may not like you, and you might not like them, but in order to keep the peace, work with them.'

"I can't fucking believe you," Johnny muttered when they were in the clear.

Izuku sighed, glancing around the closet they were hiding in, avoiding his childhood friend's glare, "It worked, didn't it?"

"You need to start taking care of yourself! I know being self-sacrificial is part of being a hero, but I didn't need you to take a hit for me back there!" Johnny snapped, "I almost lost my temper, that can cost someone in a fight you know!"

"I did what I did, and I'd do it again," the greenette replied, his expression firm. "We got the info we needed, we know who it is! We can win now, and have him tell us where Karl is hiding!"

"That's NOT the point! I fucking care about you, you maniac! You can't just do that to me!" Johnny all but shouted, glaring at him with an intense gleam in his eyes.

Izuku opened his mouth, and shut it, falling silent. He knew he crossed a line. The OFA user had honestly banked his own safety on pointing the enemy out to Johnny, but once again he forgot how much he was worth to the former jockey.

He had hurt his friend.

"I'm... sorry, I should've thought of you before I did it. I still think it was the right course of action... but I should've told you my intentions..." Izuku replied, meeting his friend's gaze. Johnny sighed, looking away.

"You're damn right... you stupid self-sacrificial bastard." When Johnny said what he wanted to, he walked away, but not too far so that he was still in lunging distance, just in case something happened.

'He's mad at me.' Izuku thought, lowering his head and frowning. The air had turned from tense to awkward as soon as they got out of danger, and deep down the greenette knew why...

Johnny was someone who harboured a lot of fear. He didn't outwardly show it unless there were extreme circumstances... or if Kyoka coaxed it out of him. However, Izuku knew his childhood friend better than that, he knew Johnny was much more vulnerable than he pretended to be.

He got it from his father.

"We can talk about this later, N'doul is still looking for you, and he won't stop till you're dead. I'm... really sorry JoJo," Izuku said, and Johnny simply nodded in return, still hurt. The two ran down the hallway as a wet spot appeared on the floor behind them...

N'doul sat on a bed. He had successfully tricked a pedestrian into letting him into the hotel, and now he was attacking from within. He didn't want to sit in the rain, after all, the pitter-patter made it much more difficult for him to pick out sounds. Normally, he liked the sound of the rain, but in this scenario, it would've been a bit counterproductive to have it constantly in his ears.

However, due to the room he was in being wedged in between the building, he didn't have to deal with the sound of the water hitting the roof of whatever room he was in. And with that being the case…. he could hear them perfectly.

Every little movement they made. Every gesture they did to alert one another. Even the breathing. He could hear it all. That was how quiet the room he was in was. It was perfect for a Stand User such as himself. With Geb and his enhanced hearing, he was practically invincible.

There was a reason why he was the strongest out of the Lord DIO's glory gods, so long as Pet Shop was ignored.

However, there was just one small problem with how his plan was going. And that was the fact that there were two Johnny Kujo's.

With two Johnny Kujos in the building, it made it far more difficult to kill his intended target. Granted, if he could kill both of them to appease the child as well as avenge Lord DIO, he would do so in a heartbeat. However, even with that, there was the issue of Izuku's deception.

Izuku was a rather clever, tricky, and dangerous individual. He had tried to take him out of the picture the same way he had with Noriaki Kakyion, a former member of Lord DIO's henchmen. Of course, after that, he was dragged here by Karl, but the point still stood.

What he hadn't expected was for Izuku to then pull out some sort of high-durable cowl of some kind to block the blow intended to slice his eyes. That had annoyed him and forced him to waste an attack, and regrettably retreat. He wasn't cocky enough to think he could take on two Johnny Kujos, Gyro Zeppelli, Josefumi Kujo, and Izuku Midoriya.

'Of course, Johnny Kujo would surround himself with clever people. It's a trait all Joestars share... attracting like-minded people.'

He had lost track of them when they escaped the elevator, and he had a feeling that trying to use Geb the way he was using it would've been a rather bad idea. Especially since Geb was just slightly slower than Tusk was, Karl even said so. Therefore, he decided to use Geb in a more productive way.

'They're in for a surprise. Geb is no longer in the building, but is instead outside...in the rain.'

"So...Kyoka is your niece?" Gyro asked, trying to make conversation with the alternate version of his best friend.

"Yes... it's actually pretty strange to hear that I end up with her instead of Tomoko," Jonathan admitted, his version of Tusk scanning the hallways. His alternate version of himself and Izuku Midoriya had split up from one another to cover more ground. That way, they could find the user quickly. "Your universe seems to have a different Joestar Family tree. In our world, you trained my father, Jouta Kujo in the Spin."

"Well... Jouta has some significance... in a way I did," Gyro said, suppressing a snicker and earning a raised eyebrow from Jonathon. "That was one of the names Johnny's dad wanted for him, but Johnny HATES it."

Jonathon blinked at that, his eyebrow even further raised. "Why?"

"Something about eggs and soap," Josefumi said, joining in the conversation. "He practically freaked out when I mentioned Grandpa, and Kyoka had a whole laughing fit at his expense."

"Did she now?" Jonathon said, before going pale. Putting a hand on his son's shoulder, he drew Josefumi back towards himself. Josefumi was about to protest when he saw what had gotten his father so worried.

A giant hand made of water was brushing its finger along the window, silently searching for its intended victim.

'This is bad... a water Stand can't necessarily be damaged. We need to find the user... but this N'doul has made himself pretty scarce. The moment we make any sort of noise... he'll attack.' Josefumi thought as he sucked in a breath before swallowing his very slight fear.

The giant Geb paused in its search and hovered over the window facing Josefumi. Tusk clenched its fist in anticipation, but Soft & Wet put a hand on it, calming his father down.

Jonathon glared at the giant hand as it moved away, and huffed once they were in the clear, "That Stand is far more dangerous than we imagined it to be... it could tear the building brick by brick."

Gyro's phone buzzed, and he answered it after making sure Geb wasn't near them, "What is it Kyoka?"

"THAT THING COULD TEAR THIS WHOLE BUILDING DOWN!"

"I know, we just saw it. Any word on Johnny and Izuku?"

"Johnny is still mad at him... for good reason. Yoshihara says she has a plan, something involving Sheer Heart Attack, has... anyone seen Josuke since we got here?"

"Josuke?" Jonathon asked.

"Higashikata, Joseph Joestar's son," Gyro responded, before turning back to talk to Kyoka, "I...think he's still asleep. He passed out as soon as he got here."

"Yare yare...that man works himself to the bone for us... no one is seriously hurt yet, so let him rest. We just have to locate N'doul and it's pretty much over."

"Understood. I'll keep an ear out for any sort of movement that isn't you guys."

With that, the radio cut as Jonathon hummed. "Higashikata… I wonder how different he is from my Josuke…." Jonathon wondered as Gyro quirked an eyebrow.

"Wait, he's still alive in your universe?" Gyro asked as Jonathon smirked.

"Of course he is. Higashikata may be in his late 80s, but he's far healthier than his father was when he was old. It had partly to do with the fact that he started training in Hamon at around the age of 30 so he could live a healthier life. His life expectancy practically doubled because of it. The guy's a riot when he wants to be, but… recently he and I have had a falling out."

Gyro raised an eyebrow, now a tad bit curious about the story. They were speaking in very hushed whispers to not alert N'Doul or Geb as they maneuvered the building, so Gyro gestured for him to continue.

"Basically, he and I argued with one of my best friends and most valued employees, all because of her ancestors. I don't blame him, though, especially with what said ancestor had done to him. But to judge someone based solely because of what happened in the past and only because of their ancestor… that's like me saying that I would have expected him to cheat on his wife because his father did to his wife. It pissed me off. Ever since then, we haven't talked."

"Okay… but who could it have been to make him that mad?" Gyro asked as Jonathon sighed.

"Well, recently I sent her on vacation. She looked like she needed it. But… her name was Yoshikawa Kira. She's been with the company for over 11 years. An invaluable asset, to say the least. Higashikata said that she was pure evil, but I've known her since college, and not once did she strike me as a bad person. So, I quit talking to him. If anyone disrespects my friends and family, I want nothing to do with them. Even if they're family."

A cold chill went down Gyro's spine. 'Yoshikawa Kira… Yoshihara never said what her mother's name was, but, they both share the same name, Kira.' "Did this Yoshikawa say she had children?" Gyro asked as Jonathon raised an eyebrow.

"She did, but they died. She never said why. She had a daughter, but I have no idea who she was. But apparently, she had died from an illness, and the doctors couldn't get to her in time. Quite sad, actually. I just hope that the kid's leading a better life in the afterlife."

Gyro said nothing as he looked away from Jonathon. However, there was a flicker of anger in his eyes. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to make his hand squeeze into a fist so hard that his knuckles turned white.

'that's her name, huh… good to know. If I ever see her, or if Karl is stupid enough to…. No, Karl wouldn't. I don't know what I'm thinking about. If Karl knows as much as he does about us, that means he knows not to send her after us. So I don't think I'll ever have to come across her. She's lucky for that, too…'

"I see… well, let's end this conversation, and focus on what to do about N'doul," Josefumi said as Jonathon nodded, continuing down the hallway.

Yoshihara was frustrated as she summoned Killer Queen to her side. The massive water hand had admittedly freaked her out. She had never seen a Stand that big, so it wasn't a stretch to believe that it would freak her out. However, she still had a plan to enact.

This had to work. If it didn't, then they would all die here.

'N'Doul requires sound to properly use his Stand. If I can summon multiple Sheer Heart Attacks to mess with his sense of direction, then we can win this by having him focus on the mini-bombs. Not only that, but due to their high durability, N'Doul destroying them is not as likely. And if one finds him, it's game over. But, that's only if they find him.'

Killer Queen knelt to one knee and placed its right hand on the ground, five miniature tanks rolling off of each finger and heading for the air ducts.

"That's your plan? Seriously? Five tiny bomb tanks?" Doppio quipped as Yoshihara scowled at the pink-haired man.

"They're meant to mess with his hearing. He can't focus on Johnny if or anyone else for that matter if he's being overwhelmed by various different bits of noise moving about frantically. Unless you have a better plan, make it known, or shut your pink-haired ass up before I bop you in that punchable face of yours."

Doppio frowned as Kyoka huffed.

"Damn. Nice insult. For a second I mistook you for Johnny. I guess he's rubbing off on you a little?" Kyoka said as Yoshihara shrugged.

"Honestly, I could do and say much worse if I wanted to. But I would like to keep him alive. As I mentioned, your future vision is practically keeping us from dying. Which I am thankful for, do not mistake that. However, as I will keep enforcing you are—"

"Expendable, I know. You don't need to remind me every other time we're talking. I know I fucked up. I know I'm on thin ice. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I don't need your sociopathic ass to keep telling me the same shit over and over again," Doppio snarked as Kyoka raised an eyebrow.

"Sociopathic? I mean, Kira's a bit emotionally distant. But—"

"Nah, I know other sociopaths. Fuck, I've worked with them. She is one. The vacant look in her eyes when she stares at people. The next to no emotions when she talks. The self-perseveration drive. I know it, I've seen it, she's a sociopath," Doppio interrupted Kyoka as Yoshihara sneered, causing Doppio to raise an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that. You were doing a pretty awful job trying to hide it if that was what you were doing. I'm actually surprised Kujo, the both of them, and that Midoriya brat didn't see it when they first laid eyes on you. I know I did when I saw you. It was pretty obvious."

Just then, Killer Queen tried to punch Doppio out of sheer anger on behalf of Kira, only for King Crimson to catch the fist, and squeeze, dropping Kira to her knees as Doppio glared. "We don't need in fighting, right now. So I suggest you get over yourself before we all die thanks to you snapping at me for being able to see through your bullshit."

Yoshihara grit her teeth as she looked down at her hand. There was blood coming from the in-betweens of her knuckles. That was when a sound on the radio came in.

"Hey, uh… quick question, but is Yoshihara hurt? Josefumi just said he got a pain in his hand out of nowhere." Gyro asked over the radio as Kyoka sighed.

"Yes. Doppio and Yoshihara got into a conversation. Doppio said something that pissed her off enough to have her try and punch Doppio. I think King Crimson caught the fist that Yoshihara had Killer Queen throw. Nothing too serious, go back to hunting for N'Doul," Kyoka said, still not being used to not seeing Stands. It was really affecting her, and it made standing next to Doppio feel even more nerve-wracking.

If Doppio wanted to, he could kill her and she wouldn't know how to fight back. Of course, in the back of her mind, Kyoka knew Doppio wouldn't, what with their temporary truce and all. That still didn't change her stance on the fact, though.

"Alright. Just checking in. Pizza-man out."

Kyoka looked over to Doppio and Yoshihara, then frowned. "Cut it out, you two. We got a job to do. Doppio, check Epitaph, what's the future looking like?"

Doppio grunted, King Crimson returning to its user as Yoshihara pulled Killer Queen away and kept it behind her, a scowl still on her face. When Doppio checked his hair, his eyes narrowed.

"Seems as if Johnny and Midoriya are going to walk down a hall, and… oh god… The giant water hand grabs Midoriya!"

"What?!" Kyoka shouted, turning on the radio as she spoke. "Johnny! Midoriya! Watch out, you're—"

"IZUKU!"

"AHHH!"

"SHIT!" Doppio cursed as the group of three stared at one another with wide eyes. The building began to shake as the power to the building cut, leaving them all without lights.

Things were starting to go from bad, to even worse.

As if Izuku's day couldn't get any worse, he was grabbed by a fucking kaiju version of Geb. It made sense for it to be that big since it was a water Stand, seeing as it would be at its most dangerous in the rain, but that didn't mean Izuku expected it to get to be almost the same size as an industrial-sized building!

Now the question came about what to do about it? Scream in terror like someone out of an old movie? No. That was a bad idea, even if the idea was plausible. Hey! People may call him a crybaby, but he was no coward. Although, he wasn't going to do it, Besides...

Geb would just kill him if he did.

'Great, I get my eyelids slashed, JoJo is mad at me, and now he's scared. Geb is holding me... and he's not going to let go… how do I get out of this situation? How did he even locate me in the first place? I didn't speak a—'

That's when it hit him. N'doul wasn't tracking him, but Johnny was.

'Of course! JoJo sounds like his father, especially when he's angry! He's finding Johnny because he sounds like Dr. Kujo!'

That's when he recalled a conversation he had at the beginning of the year.

[~Flashback~]

"JoJo? How d-do you d-do it?"

Johnny turned towards his stuttering, bushy-haired childhood friend in amusement, "What do you mean by that?"

"Y-you beat that J-Jiro girl with that elaborate electricity trap! How did you do that?!" Izuku asked, genuinely curious.

"To be honest? I bullshitted most of that, she almost had me," Johnny admitted, and the greenette raised his eyebrows in surprise. Johnny's brown hair was cut short, this was before he grew it out over the Steel Ball Run.

Before a single bullet would shatter his false confidence to pieces. A single bullet would deprive Izuku of his closest, truest friend for months. However, neither of them had any way of knowing the horror that was to come and change their lives for good. Back then, they were both simply enjoying blissful ignorance.

"You lied? I-I mean, I fooled Kacchan during our own battle training exercise...but Tokoyami was talking about how it all went according to your plan and-"

"All bullshit."

"Even the trick where you fooled Kaminari into electrocuting his own partner?"

"No, that was real...but I got caught in the trap WAY too early," Johnny admitted, scratching his cheek, "Jirou had me on the ropes...literally. So I kept her talking until Kaminari made his blunder. You see...one thing I learned from my great-grandfather was the power of bullshit. You never know when a clever lie or facade could prove to be essential in battle."

"I see..."

[~Present Day~]

'The power of bullshit...' Izuku thought to himself with a glare as he took a deep breath.

Was this stupid? Potentially.

Could this potentially get him killed? Most definitely.

Was he going to be waved around like a big piece of candy in the hand of a child? Absolutely the fuck not! Besides, in this state, this was the best thing he could come up with to help Johnny.

And that was by screaming like a little baby, and pretending to be a civilian!

"HELP ME! PLEEEASE!"

'Pleaseworkpleaseworkpleaseworkpleaseworkpleaseworkplease—"

Geb was holding him, and was seconds away from slamming him into the side of the building, which would've easily killed him, only for the giant water hand to stop inches away from the building.

'Holy fucking shit it worked! The power of bullshit worked! Keep going! You got this!'

"I JUST WANNA SEE MOMMY!" Izuku cried out. He had made his voice super high-pitched to replicate a little child's, and by the looks of things, it was working as intended. Geb recoiled backward, wormed its way into the hole, and put Izuku down, not before extending a finger and patting Izuku on the head.

Geb then pulled out of the hole it created and circled to the other side of the building. Johnny looked at Izuku with a 'did you seriously just do that' face to which Izuku replied with an expression of 'yes, yes I did, yell at me later for it.'

Deciding that it was not worth it, Johnny shook his head, glaring at the green-haired teen as the pair calmly walked in the other direction, keeping their ears peeled for anything that might hint at them being near N'Doul.

They walked in that direction for three or so minutes. Johnny was about to speak, only for Izuku put a finger up to his lips. The sound of water pressing up against the building made the two straighten themselves out. Geb was still following them, either out of coincidence or because they had been found out.

When the giant water hand moved past them, Johnny let out a silent breath of relief, as did Izuku.

"You're a fucking idiot," Johnny hissed as Izuku frowned.

"It wasn't my fault the hand grabbed me, Johnny," Izuku retorted quietly as Johnny huffed.

"Touche, Midoriya…" the brown-haired Kujo replied at an equal volume. "C'mon, we got to—"

Johnny was interrupted by a loud explosion that rippled throughout the hotel on the same floor as the two. Johnny and Izuku looked at one another, then ran toward the direction of the sound.

[A few minutes before]

To say N'Doul felt bad was an understatement. Yes, he was one of DIO's right-hand men, but he almost killed a little child! What kind of monster would do that?! Well… now that he thought about it, DIO would. Then again, DIO was a Vampire, so perhaps it would only be out of necessity.

Regardless, he felt ashamed.

'At least the child is alright. Focus, N'Doul! You're better than this! And what the hell is all that racket?!' The blind Stand User thought, gripping his cane. Just a few minutes ago, there had been several sounds of what sounded like RC cars running through the vents.

'They're trying to blindside me…! The noise is meant to distract me! That was why I wasn't focusing on where Kujo was. The constant movement in the vents messed with my hearing, and because of that I nearly killed an innocent child! But now the question is this… what is causing all that racket in the first place?' N'Doul thought as he felt something roll up onto his lap.

Last he checked, he didn't hear anything come into his room. So… what could it have been?

"Look Over Here." A mechanical voice spoke out to N'Doul, which made the man's eyes widen. On instinct, he looked down at his knees, even though he couldn't see anything. When he did, the mechanical voice spoke out again as he summoned Geb back to himself.

"Target has been located! Alerting others!" The small mechanical Stand said as a clicking sound reverberated around the room. Geb returned to its small form and returned to its user, blocking the explosion that resulted as it threw N'Doul back against the door to his room, knocking it off in the process.

A wave of daze and confusion fell over N'Doul, and because of that, he couldn't focus on his hearing. Blood dripped from his forehead. His ears had been shot out by the explosion, causing a distinct ringing in his ears. He could feel several pairs of footsteps running toward him at once through his cane, and even though he wasn't able to see anything, he knew that he had been surrounded.

And as his hearing returned to normal, he was able to catch the voice of Johnny Kujo. "You're done, N'Doul. We got you now."

He had lost.

"That was a clever trick," N'doul said, sitting up with a small smile. "You really are a chip off the old block, Johnny Kujo."

"That was Yoshihara's doing... although you were much closer than I thought," Johnny commented. N'Doul's small smile persisted as he continued.

"Nevertheless, I can see that I'm beaten, a shame to be sure. I had hoped to try and deal a wound to the Joestar bloodline to get revenge for Lord DIO... but once again I have been outplayed... and by Jotaro's son, no less… I should have seen this coming," N'Doul said, murmuring out the last part.

Johnny stared at the blind man, who never lost his smile. It wasn't necessarily malicious, in fact, it was almost respectful. N'doul seemed to have accepted what was going to happen next... a graceful defeat.

"I'm sure you're aware, Johnny Kujo, that I'm going to attack you."

"I am."

"Figured as much," N'Doul snorted, gripping his cane as much as he could, preparing for something.

"I have to give you props N'doul," Johnny said, catching the assassin a bit off guard. "Although we are enemies, just like my father I can't help but hold respect for you. You're living proof that the limitations we are sometimes shackled with don't define us..."

"Ah," the blind man said as a gentle look came to his face. "Right... from what the kid told me... you had to live with a disability at one point too. I suppose in that regard...we're the same, people who rose above such limitations."

"Yes."

"You're an interesting boy..."

At that moment, Geb attacked.

Tusk moved at the same time and stuck its fist into the water Stand, using the Spin to curl it around its fist, pulling the other Stand away as it drove its fist into N'doul's chest, knocking the wind out of the assassin and causing him to fall to the floor.

Yoshihara raised an eyebrow, but kept quiet, instead walking over to Izuku. The greenette opened his mouth to speak, but she had Killer Queen bop him on the head.

"Ow!"

"You're an idiot."

"Darn, she beat me to it," Kyoka muttered.

"Alright, N'doul... it's over. Now, no one has to die, all I want is information on Karl. Where can we find him? Is he anywhere nearby?" Johnny asked, kneeling beside the downed assassin, "I promise that you'll get mercy, maybe even some medical attention if you help us."

Doppio, who was lingering behind, smelled something fishy and checked Epitaph. His eyes widened as he turned to the group, "He's going to—"

Geb stabbed through its own user's chest, startling Johnny, who took a step back out of shock. The assassin's blind eyes widened for a moment, before relaxing.

"Trust me... I just did you a favour, Kujo," N'Doul groaned, coughing as he looked up at the ceiling, a melancholic look in his eyes. "Karl isn't alone... anymore..."

The assassin drew his final breath, his eyes draining of life now becoming no more than vacant shells of what they once were, leaving the group staring at the dead body with varying expressions, all of which ranged from confusion to angered annoyance. The information that he had given them, while not a location, was news nonetheless. And it left them with just one more question, one that would sadly no longer be answered by N'Doul.

Was Karl no longer working alone?

"Why won't you go after them now?!" Karl asked the figure currently examining an old broom closet. The figure's finger traced the handle, a small wad of dust collecting underneath the figure's fingernail. The figure scoffed, shaking their hand, the dust falling to the floor.

The figure sat by the window, glancing out at the night sky. All of his features were hidden in shadows... but Karl knew who... no, what they were.

"I know them. It's best to plan ahead when it comes to people like them. That's why all your previous 'helpers' failed. They rushed in, thinking that they could defeat them with their skills and abilities alone. Not even once considering just how deadly they could be when push came to shove. But me? I'm different, and I think you know that very well." The figure said, their voice laced with a hint of sophistication, yet underneath it all was a layer of cruelty. Their fingers tapped against the window-sill, their body language open, yet guarded. Calm, yet unrestrained. Caged, but free.

And that was when Karl slowly began to realize something was off about this thing. "You...weren't this careful before..." Karl murmured, fear in his eyes as he stared up at what it was he brought to help him. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret. He knew bringing them here was a desperate play! But what else was he supposed to do!?

For the better half of a week, his favourite characters had been trying everything in their power to kill him! So, he had to keep bringing in stronger and stronger opponents. He was running low on people he could realistically bring back. What other choice did he have?

The figure let out a brief chuckle, his head turning to slowly meet Karl's eyes, causing the eight-year-old to shudder. The figure slowly rose to their full height, a wicked smile on their face.

"I wasn't particularly... How should I say this… put together, before. So... kid, allow me to explain. I have fought these bastards before, minus that Kira girl and the purple Kujo, so, with the exception of them, I know how they think." Each word the figure spoke, they spat it out like a vicious poison. Almost as if when they spoke, they did so to get rid of some sort of vile garbage out of their mouth. "We need to break their spirits before finishing the job! Strike right at the heart! Only after they've lost hope, only after we break the—"

"No! That's not what I summoned you for!" Karl interrupted anger mixed with fear in his voice as the figure stopped, the smile disappearing, replaced with an unamused expression. But that expression cracked, a smirk replacing it seconds after. And then, the figure laughed, a very cruel laugh. One that sent further chills down Karl's spine.

"Of course not... you wanted me to be another one-and-done distraction, but that isn't how you win a war. You need to take the extra step, get in their heads, and see what makes them tick! Exploit their trauma, manipulate their hearts, and rip out whatever it is that causes them to feel any sort of joy!" The figure explained, never losing their grin. "That's how you do villainy right."

"I'm not a villain! Not like you!" Karl retorted, glaring, or at least trying to glare, at the figure before him.

The figure began cackling, their laughter strangely melodic in its tone, despite the malice behind it. Almost like they were amused by what Karl had said, even though he was serious! He wasn't a villain like… like that thing! The figure then frowned an almost disappointed frown. Like they had been expecting more. And then, just as Karl thought the figure before him was done with whatever it was they wanted to say…

…they shot forward and grabbed Karl by the throat, lifting the terrified eight-year-old into the air. Karl felt the oxygen rush out of his body as his feet dangled, and for a split second, he could see the contempt, annoyance, and rage behind the shadows. He could see just how… different this thing had been from before. There was something… different about them.

And at that moment, Karl could've sworn he felt something run down his leg as he stared at the thing he summoned to help him.

"You are a villain... because you're somewhat responsible for what I'm about to do. All the death, all the destruction... it'll be your fault too. You brought me here after all," The figure snarled, their grin turning into a sneer.

"N-no... I can... send... you back..." Karl choked out as the figure dropped him to the ground. Karl tried to scurry away, attempting to draw up enough focus to activate Turn Back Time to send the monster back from where once they came, only for something to slam down on his back, a pained gasp escaping him.

For the first time, Karl bled, and that blood came rocketing out of his mouth. His eyes widened, pain surging through him as a sadistic chuckle came out from behind him. The figure had slammed their foot into his back, applying pressure onto the boy, pinning him down with just enough force to keep him from getting up and to also keep him squirming.

"Nonononono... it's FAR too late for that my friend," the Figure purred, Karl shuttering as he could almost feel the grin on their face returning. "You know damn well I'll kill you before you do. You're my little buddy now... my accomplice. We're gonna do things MY way from now on. No more of this "random old enemy" bullshit you've been pulling... It's time to bring out the big guns! The best of the best! The crème of the crop! I'll admit, that blind guy with the water Stand? Smart choice! Could keep them distracted for a good long while! But… that's no longer the goal, now is it?"

Karl was crying now, terrified to his core as the villain he had summoned cruelly drove their heel into the boy's back, twisting it back and forth. Karl screamed in pain, trying desperately to escape, but he couldn't. He couldn't conjure up enough focus or will to activate Turn Back Time.

He screwed up. Big time. And he knew it.

"It was really only a matter of time, you know? Before you brought in someone you couldn't control. You made your bed, and now you have to lay in it," The villain's voice lowered to a hiss, yet their smile never wavered, it only grew wider with the boy's tears and shouts of pain. "This is MY SHOW now! I make the rules! So quit crying... some children had more of a reason to cry. Compared to them, you're lucky, so shut it!"

Karl knew he had made a massive mistake. He had honestly assumed this villain would be another distraction for the heroes, but they had instead wrestled control from Karl, making the terrified eight-year-old a hostage. In some ways, he knew that what the villain had said was right. But, he was just a kid? How "evil" could he be? Was he really responsible for what those he summoned did?

Was… was the villain right?

Regardless, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he had to do something. And the only thing he could do was listen. He had to obey... he would die if he didn't.

The heroes wanted to kill him too... so he couldn't run to them. To tell them who he had summoned, and warn them beforehand. Because the moment he did… he could become a human donut. Or worse, a pile of ash in the wind. He was truly in a hopeless situation.

So, he did the only thing he knew he could do. He begged.

"Please... don't hurt me... I'll do what you want... please..."

The figure took their foot off of the boy and chuckled, walking over to the chair in the corner of the old living room they were in. "Run out and get something for us to eat... I'm starving. Then, we get down to business. Don't try to run away. If you do, I will find you, and I will kill you."

"O-okay." Karl whimpered. When he did, the villain smirked. Karl was no longer in control. They were now.

"See you... little buddy."

'I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…!'

-To Be Continued-

Heya, everyone! DJH here. On behalf of myself and Donut, I'd like to apologize for just how long it has been since we uploaded one of these. Both he and I have been working on our own respective stories and were also hashing out how we wanted this second half to go in terms of plot. That being said, I hope you all enjoyed the conclusion of this little battle with N'Doul.

I'd like to thank you all for sticking out for this long. Until next, folks! Peace!

Hi, Donut here. I don't have much to add, only that I also apologize for the delay. As DJH said, we have been planning this arc out, and A Legacy to Protect is currently going through one of it's most crucial arcs, but this crossover is always on my brain.

Thank you all for reading, and I look forward to continuing this bizarre adventure with you all!