Living Things

by Yujin Zone

Noriaki Kakyoin died during the battle against DIO in 1989 only to come back to life as a zombie along with thirteen others in Saga Prefecture. Franchouchou's stellar idol singing and Stand Users' versatile Stands collide as they save Saga through their bizarre adventures. *Spoilers for JoJo*

2. SAGA Hip Hop is Unbreakable

The atmosphere in the basement is very tense as fourteen zombies sit on the chairs laid out by Kotaro.

In the center, Kakyoin and Sakura sit left and right respectively while the others took their seat according to gender. Starting from Sakura is Tae (Legendary TAE YAMADA!) chewing her hair bangs, Saki (Legendary Biker Boss) looking impatient, Ai (Legendary Heisei Idol) looking focused, Junko (Legendary Showa Idol) feeling reserved, Yugiri (Legendary Courtesan) smoking with her kiseru and Lily (Legendary Child Actress Prodigy) adjusting her hair decoration with a smile. Next to Kakyoin is Avdol (Legendary Fortune Teller) with his eyes closed and arms folded, Bucciarati (Legendary Caporegime) staying alert with his hands clasped on his lap and legs crossed, Narancia (Legendary Soldato) yawning while slouched on his chair, Johnny (Legendary Jockey) checking his nails with a frown, Gyro (Legendary Executioner) inspecting a green steel ball with a nod and smile and Rai (Legendary Plant Appraiser) tapping the chair with a bored look.

With the exception of Tae, everyone has become conscious thanks to the ｢stimulation｣ needed to awaken them. Now that they're awakened, Kakyoin and Sakura are wondering what will happen next. If there's one thing they hope will happen is that everyone can get along and don't take that they're revived as zombies too hard, which is easier said than done given the tension in the air.

The sound of door opening prompts them to turn and see Kotaro walking to his position. Staring at every zombie on their seats, he says, with hands on his hips, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on waking up!"

Expecting a reply, he sees no one is speaking up so Kotaro decides to approache Junko, who gets more nervous when he got close. "I said CONGRATULATIONS!" He shouted, making her wince. He then walks to Narancia, who looks at him with a frown. "AND YOU! CONGRATULATIONS AS WELL!"

"Yeah, yeah, we heard you clearly so quit shouting our ears off!" Narancia exclaimed back.

Satisfied, Kotaro returns back to the chalkboard and flips it to reveal writings for the zombies:

Mysterious Idol Producer!
Kotaro Tatsumi!

"I am the mysterious idol producer, the amazing Kotaro Tatsumi!" He grandiosely declares with hands on his hips. "Just like what my profession states, you girls are all going to become idols to save Saga, guarded by these guys against anything that may harm you! And boom!" He flips the board again to reveal a drawing of Kotaro giving a thumbs up and fourteen figures, likely the girls and boys, displayed on it and two writings that says ｢Ultimate Idol Legends｣ and ｢Glamorous Bodyguard Legends｣. "We're going to use your legendary qualities to turn Saga into the talk of the NATION!" He raises his voice at the end bombastically. With the exception of Kakyoin, Sakura and Tae who keeps chewing her hair, everyone is utterly confused over what he's saying. Legendary qualities? Save Saga? What the heck is he talking about?

"Sooooo, like..." Everyone turns to Saki Nikaido as she speaks in a rough tone, sitting on her feet with no regard to proper etiquiette. "I don't get any of this."

"Oh, what's up, Saki?" Kotaro walks to the blonde girl.

"So I died right? How come I'm still alive?" She inquired, checking her arm that has a scar on it and clenching her hand to see if she can still use it.

"What? You seriously don't know?"

"HAH!?" She growls, offended of his response. Believing he's making a fool of her, she shouts, "Use your head for a second! Like I said, I don't know how did I-"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A ZOMBIE!" He tells her while leaning closer to her so she gets his message. "You're a zombie, so you're up and about, obviously! What kind of human that has a green face?" He grabs her chin as he emphasizes the point to Saki's irritation

"Actually, it looks like we have blue faces instead of green." Kakyoin pointed out.

"SO!? Listen up, all of you!" Kotaro exclaims, standing up straight. "You all died and came back as zombies and such creatures have no place in our modern society!" Banging a podium that is somehow in the room, he adds, "I'm offering you freaks a place to belong by turning you girls into idols and letting these guys protect you for your safety so your dumbasses better appreciate it!"

"Oh, I do appreciate you from returning me back to life...if I wasn't made a cripple again," Johnny responds sarcastically, still pissed he was unable to walk again. When he finds himself unable to stand earlier, he interrogated Kotaro intensely, asking what did he do to him. The producer calmly states that he was crawling without using his legs when he's revived, leading the jockey to question more on how did he revived him. If weren't for Gyro calming him down, things would get nasty.

As for the others, they are wondering why a paraplegic man is revived when he's, well, unable to walk.

"I agree with him," Bucciarati concur. "I was content in giving my life for the sake of a goal so to see myself return back to life as a zombie is sudden and unnecessary." He stares Kotaro with a stern look. He's neither angry over his decision to revive him along with Narancia nor happy about it, just...distressed if he finds an appropriate word. "Then again, this is not the first time I'm an undead." He lets out with a sigh.

"Huh? Not your first time?" Narancia repeated, turning to the former capo together with every zombie in surprise and curiosity. "What do you mean by that Bucciarati?"

He was about to reply when Kotaro bangs the podium to get their attention back. "Aaaaaanyway! Back on topic in hand! If you zombies are going to save Saga, what are you going to need the most? Go ahead Sakura!"

Sitting in attention over him urging her to answer his question, Sakura thinks for a second before she answers, "Oh! Uh let's see... We...musn't bite people-"

"｢IT'S TO NOT GET CAUGHT｣!"

Turning on his laptop, a video plays showing scenes of zombies getting killed, mutiliated and ravaged by humans in gruesome ways, ranging from getting shot, sliced, bashed by a fist and getting a grenade in their mouth before exploding, splattering the remains to the screen. "There. As you can see, the zombies were obliterated and killed in many ways so let's do a good job working together as idols and bodyguards so no one finds out the truth." He stated to the zombies, who are all practically freaking out over what they've watched, including the calm and collected Yugiri, Bucciarati, Johnny, Rai and Kakyoin. This is especially the case for Sakura, who is looking traumatized over the thought of being killed like on the video if she's outed as a zombie. "Referring to yourselves with numbers and nicknames for you girls and boys respectively is part of that strategy."

"I get that we're zombies now," Ai speaks up to express her opinion over Kotaro's plan. Everyone's eyes are on her as she says, "but I don't get why we have to be idols."

"To save Saga!" He reminded her with a straight face.

"Revitalizing a prefecture as local idols? In Saga?" She asks with incredulity.

"What, are you scared?"

"Grrr!" She growls over his taunting before stating something the zombie girls, guys and Kotaro should know. "It's obviously not going to work. Looking like this and trying to save Saga... And I'm not even from Saga!"

"Saga doesn't sweat the details! Even if you don't know a damn thing about it!" He shakes his head.

"Hey, I know ｢everything｣ about Saga!" Ai insisted.

"Why don't you tell me what you know~?" He taunts her with a teasing smile.

Prompted by his taunt, she answers, "It's...in ｢Kyushu｣!"

"Oh, very impressive! That was super good, Ai-chan!" He complimented her with sarcasm.

"Well, what exactly do you know about Saga then?!" She turns his question back to him after getting riled up over his taunts.

"I know everything! Everything there is to know!" He claims.

"What is Saga's population then?"

"I know that down to the tiniest decimal!"

"Well, go on."

She waited a few seconds for Kotaro to answer, who meekly states, in a hesitant tone, "It's...small."

"Huh?"

"It's on the smaller side."

"But specifically-"

"WHO THE HELL KNOWS, STUPID?!" He suddenly shouted, surprising Ai, Sakura and the others as he types on the laptop aggressively, exclaiming, "YOU WANNA KNOW STATS? LOOK IT UP ON WIKIPEDIA! OR IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK?! YOU THINK I'M WIKIPEDIA?! NOPE, NOPE! I'M THE GUY WHO'S GONNA MAKE YOU GIRLS INTO IDOLS, AND THAT IS ME, KOTARO-SAMAAAAAA!" After his shouting fit, he says the next sentences in a calmer tone. "I know you girls, and I know that you will send shockwaves through society as Saga's idols. The first step for that occurs ｢tomorrow｣ at Saga Castle when you participate in the Shachi-no-mon Public Concert."

"This is so clearly not going to work..." Ai mutters under her breath.

"It's going to be!" He heard her say it. "You just have to pull it off like yesterday's show. You just have the entire house jumping! Right Sakura?"

"Huh? Oh. W-well... Sorta...?" Sakura stammers as the attention is on her again. Earlier, the girls are made aware from Kotaro that they have their first performance. They claim they don't remember performing, probably because that they're unawakened at that time according to Kakyoin. Whether Tae knows about it or not is a different matter.

At this point, the zombie guys are wondering what's their place here. They know Kotaro is going to turn the zombie girls into idols but what's their role? They heard him say something about them being bodyguards for the girls so…

"Mr. Tatsumi, may I ask you a question?" Avdol speaks up.

"Sure. Fire it away." Kotaro permits him to ask.

Glancing to Kakyoin and the zombie guys, the fortune teller asks, "What exactly are Kakyoin, the others and I here for? I heard you mention about us protecting the girls from harm but can you be more specific about the reason for our revival?"

"Yeah. It's about time you fess up cazzone," Narancia agrees with Avdol as he leans forward. "The zombie girls are to become idols under your direction but what about guys like us? What do we exactly do to 'protect' these pretty girls?"

"It's through your ｢Stands｣!" Kotaro reveals.

Hearing that word causes the guys aside from Kakyoin to look at him. "Stands? Wait, you mean to say that the guys here are all ｢Stand Users｣?" Narancia guesses in surprise.

"Correct. Kotaro told me that all of you guys have Stands," Kakyoin responds. "If we were to save Saga and protect these girls, we must work together and fight against any threats using our Stands. And if I'm being honest, aside from Avdol, I'm curious of what your Stands are."

The guys are surprised to hear they were resurrected because they have Stands. Whether Kotaro intentionally has revived them all together as a group of Stand Users or just a coincidence, there's no denying the fact the zombie guys are ｢Stand Users｣.

"Oi! What are you guys talkin' about?"

The boys and Sakura turn to Saki staring at them with a questioning look, which is shared by the other girls, including Tae. "What is this about Stands?" She questions the boys, waiting for an answer.

Kakyoin was about to answer when Sakura beats him to it. "It's something Kakyoin and the guys have that allows them to use extraordinary abilities. I'm not sure of what Stands the others have but from what I've seen from his, I imagine they're powerful and remarkable."

"Oh really? Can you show us your Stand Kakyoin-kun?" The former biker gang leader asks for proof.

"As much as I want to, you may not see it because only Stand Users can see Stands," He states. "That said, Sakura can see a Stand for some reason despite not having one."

"Oh? That true?" She asks Sakura, which is shared by the girls and boys including Tae.

"Yes. I can see Stands," She nods affirmatively. "If I can see it clearly, then it's possible I may have the potential to wield one."

"Huh..." Turning back to Kakyoin, she says, "Can you show it already? Maybe some of us can see this Stand."

Turning to Kotaro, silently asking for permission, he gives him a nod, prompting him to stand in the center of the room. "Don't be surprised when you can't see mine." He reminded. After taking a deep breath, he shouts, "｢Hierophant Green｣!"

Summoning Hierophant Green, Kakyoin gauges the expressions of the six girls and see if they can see his Stand.

"..."

"..."

"Sooooo where is it? Where's your Stand?" Asks Saki, quizzically looking where Hierophant Green is.

"It's hovering beside Kakyoin." Sakura pointed with her finger.

"Really? But I see nothing beside Kakyoin-han." Yugiri said, confused as she sees nothing. Ai, Junko, Lily and even Tae share her confusion as well

"Judging from your reactions, you six can't see Hierophant Green," Kakyoin makes an observation. "Going by that logic, only Sakura and the guys can see mine while you six can't because you're not Stand Users."

"Seriously? I was expecting to see one!" Saki whined. She quickly changed her tune once she considers the possibility he's making about the Stand up. "...How do we know you're not lyin' though? Can you prove you have a Stand, Kakyoin?"

Having an idea to prove it, Kakyoin conjures multiple tentacles to wrap Saki and lift her up. From Sakura and the guys' point of view, the tentacles wrap around Saki including her arms and lift her up in the air but to the other girls and Kotaro, they see Saki just...float in the air when there is nothing that can lift her up.

"W-Woah! The hell? What's holding me up!?" Saki asks, flailing her legs in panic as she feel something soft and slippery wrapping her.

"You may not see it but I used my Stand's tentacles to hold and lift you up," Kakyoin explains. "Now, do you think I'm lying that I have a Stand?"

"Okay, okay! I believe you! Now put me down!" She pleaded over the uncomfortable feeling of a slippery rope holding her. Obliging to her request, he puts her back to her seat and dismissed Hierophant Green after the tentacles return back.

As Saki gives Kakyoin a mean glare for his sudden action despite being the one who asked for proof, Lily says, "So... We're not Stand Users because we can't see Kakyoin's Stand?"

"YOU CAN'T!" Kotaro shouts, standing over the girls except Sakura and tell them one fact they should know. "You can't see his Stand so it means you six are not Stand Users! The only one among you decaying girls who can see one is Sakura-chan! Whether you want one or not, just remember that you girls are idols first and foremost so don't go obsessing over the idea of having a Stand!"

In the midst of his shout, Bucciarati eyes Kakyoin curiously, wondering how effective Hierophant Green is in a fight. He believes using tentacles isn't all there is to it, so he asks, "Kakyoin, does your Stand have more abilities aside from using tendrils?"

Noticing his stare before he asks him, he nods, saying, "Yes Bucciarati-san. There is more to Hierophant Green's ability other than what I showed you."

"And what are they?"

Holding up one finger, he says, "One: Hierophant Green can enter inside one's body and control it from within. This allows my Stand to be protected from harm as long as it's inside but once it emerges, it injures their internal organs. Because of this, I rarely used it, especially when it brings up bad memories..." He trails off as he recalls the time he was possessed. He feels his body shiver out of fear over how DIO forcefully controlled him against his will. "And two:" Raising a second finger, he says, "Hierophant Green can gather energy in its hands in liquid form to create hard emeralds and shoot them out as projectiles. I call this technique, ｢Emerald Splash｣.

"Interesting. Can you show this Emerald Splash then?"

"No. He can't." Kotaro denied, who returned to his position "I don't want something to get destroyed because of a demonstration. Also, we're currently in a meeting in case you forgot so perhaps, you can see his move in action next time, alright?"

"...I suppose." As Kakyoin returns to his seat, Bucciarati asks the next question as he looks at Kotaro with a curious gaze. "Now that we know seven of us have Stands with Sakura potentially gaining her own, do you intend to lead us Signor Tatsumi? If so, do you have a Stand then?"

"No, I don't have a Stand. As such, I can't lead you seven as my concern lies with turning the girls into idols. That said, all of you are under my watch so you don't have anything to worry if you follow my words." Kotaro answers. "In fact, if I were to choose one to lead you decaying boys, it must be...YOU! BUCCIARATI!"

"Huh? Me?" He blinked twice upon hearing he's suggested as a leader.

"Don't play dumb with me!" He continues as he provides a reason why he's fitted as a leader. "You used to be the leader of your team, right? I heard of what you're capable of as a leader and expert Stand User so I see it fitting you must lead the guys to protect the girls and save Saga! Isn't that right, Narancia-kun?"

"...Oh! Y-Yeah! Bucciarati, you lead me and our friends quite well so I believe you can lead me and our new friends together!" Narancia vouches for Bucciarati, knowing from experience how well the former capo led his team.

"I... I'll think about it." He answers, which is slightly far from an expected answer. As much as he wants to, he needs to think more before he can lead Narancia and the guys because he's unsure if being revived as zombies is beneficial or not. Currently, he's having a little bit of crisis regarding his place here as a zombie, not that everyone in the room knows due to hiding it for the time being.

Though finding his answer slightly unexepected, Kotaro and Narancia accept his reply and drop the subject instantly as it ended. "Any more questions? Come on, anyone speak up if you have one." He said, wanting to finish the meeting. Gyro took this opportunity to clarify something.

"If you said we're under your watch, I assume me, Johnny and everyone are fine staying here?" Gyro inquires.

"Of course! All of you, as well as the girls, have nowhere to come back to. This is especially the case to you, Johnny and Rai! Why should I let you three run free out there when you're all zombies and really far from your home!?" Kotaro yells as if it's an obvious thing.

Raising an eyebrow, Johnny asks, "What do you mean me, Gyro and Rai are far from our home?"

"Isn't it obvious? We died many years ago and our home might not be the same as we remembered them so..." Rai pointed out, not finding Kotaro's statement odd at first.

"I know that. It's just, the way he says it seems specific," He responds before turning to Kotaro and says, "Well? Can you elaborate on that?"

"...Fine. You wanna know so badly?" Kotaro leans closer to the three as he builds anticipation to them.

"Yes. Tell us already." Under Gyro's answer, Kotaro stands up straight and proceeds to reveal one key aspect about Johnny, Gyro and Rai. "OKAY! There's a reason why I see you three ｢interesting｣...and｢peculiar｣among you rotting zombies..." Hearing that two words causes Sakura and Kakyoin to sit up straight.

"Is he gonna reveal the reason why they're called that?" Sakura asks Kakyoin through whispering.

"Appears so." He replies before looking at Kotaro about to reveal the reason

"The reason why I called Johnny Joestar, Gyro Zeppeli and Rai Mamezuku that specific words is becaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuse...! They're plucked from an ｢alternate universe｣!"

...

...

...

"...I'm sorry. They're from what...?" Sakura asks.

"They're from an alternate universe! Or world. Or reality. Or parallel universe if you prefer..." Kotaro clarifies.

...

...

"WHAT!?"

Kotaro's answer didn't fail to surprise every (awakened) zombies. For understandable reason, everyone, especially Johnny, Gyro and Rai, has to contend with the fact that the three are from an ｢alternate universe｣ or ｢parallel universe｣.

Meaning, they're in an unfamiliar reality compared to the world they knew.

As such, they literally can't go back home again.

Their reactions are deafening but expected.

"Alternate universe? Are you for real?" Ai questioned with more incredulity.

"That... That sounds unreal..." Junko expressed.

"I wouldn't imagine the day I heard about this 'alternate world' thing." That was Yugiri.

"Lily's head is really spinning from what she learned..."

"Well... This is a surprise." Avdol similarly inquired.

"Man... I must still be dreaming the more I learn of the situation." Narancia pinches himself to see if he's in a dream.

"Gyro... You don't think Valentine has something to do with it?"

"I hope not. Considering you were alive after I died, I assume you have killed him." Deduces Gyro, hoping the president isn't here to screw with them again.

"This day just keeps on giving." Rai states, trying to look nonchalant despite being surprised of the idea of alternate universes.

Once everyone has calmed down, even if some of them are confused or skeptical, it appears the zombies are satisfied with what they heard. Regardless of how absurd and surprising the answers are, they just have to accept it and don't think too hard.

There's one thing Kakyoin wants to ask regarding on how did Kotaro got their corpses when they're from a different world. "If I may ask, how did you get their bodies Tatsumi-san? You don't have a Stand so how exactly did you do it when they're from a different reality?"

"I received ｢help｣ from a Stand User."

"A Stand User?"

"Yup. A ｢Stand User｣ helped me." Kotaro answers. "And before you go worrying your heads off, the Stand User is not the enemy! He's responsible for bringing you seven boys here for me to resurrect and even assisted me a little, like bringing your belongings, many makeups and even a new addition for the van to accommodate the number of zombies and prevent the van from overloading! Also, he told me everything about Stands, the history of you seven, the three of you hailing from another reality and warning me about the enemy Stands that will ravage not only Saga but the soon-to-be idols once the project is underway. If I were to describe him, I'd say he's an ｢interesting｣ individual!"

"I see." Kakyoin stated, somewhat relieved that the Stand User that helped Kotaro is not the enemy. "If I'm curious, who's this Stand User?"

"...Well, that's the thing... I can't remember." He shrugs.

"You can't remember?" Avdol parrots.

"Yes! No matter how hard I try, I can't remember just who exactly the Stand User that helped me. That includes his ability."

"But you remember him helping you, right?" Bucciarati inquires.

"Of course I do."

"If I were to guess, his ability has something to do with dimensions, right?" Johnny asks.

"...Maybe. Maybe not."

"If he's a Stand User, can't he deal with the enemy Stands here in Saga?" Rai inquires, finding it odd that they are appointed to be the ones dealing it.

"He states and ｢insists｣ you seven will fight against them. Don't know why he's insistent with it but he wouldn't budge and tell the reason why."

Silence rings in the air as they process of what they learned: the zombie girls are to be made into idols to save Saga under Kotaro's management, the zombie guys are Stand Users who will protect the girls and Saga from enemy Stands, Johnny, Gyro and Rai are plucked from an alternate universe after their deaths and an unknown Stand User warned Kotaro of the impeding Stand threat before bringing him corpses of the zombie guys to be revived.

With all the bizarre things they heard, it's a surprise they take it well and never question it. This is especially true for the seven girls who are forced to accept Stands and alternate universe exist thanks to the zombie guys' presence in just one day.

Even then, resurrecting as zombies to become idol singers is something the other five need to accept due to it being ridiculous.

"In any case... It's about time you girls start preparing for the performance tomorrow!" Banging the board with his open hand, Kotaro exclaims, "Now! Let's get cracking on those lessons!"

---

"Yosh! Yosh! Yosh! Yosh! OKAY!"

Kotaro repeats many times as he demonstrates dance moves to Sakura. The redhead obediently follows his movements while facing the mirror to better track their movements.

Currently, Sakura and the girls are in a shed outside the mansion to practice for the tomorrow's performance. With Kotaro as a guide, Sakura follows his moves intently. With the performance slated to be tomorrow, Sakura makes sure she got the dance moves down. If there are mistakes in their steps, they will rectify it.

While she's practicing just fine, the same couldn't be said for the other girls.

Glancing with her eyes, Sakura sees the girls are not training with her and instead, ignores them and go off doing something else. Lily is stretching her cheek while facing the mirror to widen her smile, Saki is dozing off, Junko loiters near the wall, Tae moves on the ground with her legs while lying (and bites on Junko's legs, prompting her to tell her to stop biting her), Yugiri continues smoking from her kiseru and Ai is sitting opposite of Sakura while her eyes are focused on her.

Naturally, Sakura is worried that everyone is not training, especially when they may not be able to pull off the performance tomorrow at this rate. She wanted to motivate them but right now, she's focused on training with Kotaro.

Meanwhile, Kakyoin and the boys are also in the shed because they have nothing better to do other than watching the girls, or Sakura as she's the only one, practice.

Sitting sideways opposite of the girls, Bucciarati, Narancia, Johnny (sitting on a wheelchair provided by Kotaro) and Gyro watch the red-haired girl practice under Kotaro's exuberant guidance. Sitting on the floor with hands on his chin, Narancia asks, "Bucciarati, what do you think idols do? Do they dance?"

"Appears so Narancia," He replies, who is standing between Narancia and Johnny. "And if I were to guess, perhaps there are singing involved."

"So basically, that's what idols do? Singing and dancing?" Johnny says, having come from a time when idols didn't exist yet.

"It could be, but I'm willing to bet it's gonna be fun watching them sing and dance," Gyro expresses his interest and curiosity. The four didn't speak for five seconds before Gyro turns to his friend and says, "So, Johnny... Can't believe we're together again, huh? Revived as zombies in a different reality, many years from our time..."

"Yeah... This all feels so surreal," Johnny replies truthfully. "As much as I'm miffed about becoming a zombie and unable to walk again, just being together with you is more than enough for me to tolerate it."

"...You must have missed me a lot when I died." Gyro is aware he died before Johnny's eyes when he stated that.

"Why shouldn't I be? I saw you die before my eyes and even if ten years have passed, I long for your presence just for once. And if I remember correctly, I kept a steel ball in me as a reminder of our friendship..."

"Oh? And where is the steel ball now?"

"I don't have it in me. Perhaps Kotaro has it. I better remember to ask where he put the steel ball and hope he didn't lost it..."

Hearing distress at the end, Gyro pats his shoulder for comfort, stating, "Relax Johnny. I'm sure he must have kept it considering he knows you well. Besides, I'm here now so don't go crying your eyes out." His words managed to lighten him up, even a little, as evident by his smile. "I have no intention doing that, but thanks."

Listening to their conversation just now, Bucciarati and Narancia also can't believe that the two are together again as zombies. While it's possible they won't see Giorno and the others again to keep their zombies selves secret, at least they take comfort over their presence here.

For Bucciarati, it feels comforting to see Narancia again after he died in Giorno's body. It makes the fact that he's a zombie bearable due to his presence, like how Johnny felt with Gyro around.

Off to their side, Avdol and Kakyoin are having their own conversation regarding how they died.

"Huh? What do you mean it's impossible you can't be revived?" Kakyoin inquired, surprised Avdol makes a bold statement relating to their revival.

Closing his eyes in thought, Avdol says, "When I was with Polnareff and Iggy, we were navigating DIO's mansion using my Stand's Life Detector and Iggy's sense of smell to detect any enemies we may face. After disposing a minion who created a maze for us to get lost in, I spot a writing on a pillar. Alarmed, I turn around and see a Stand manifesting as a void. The two are unaware of its presence so without hesitation, I pushed them out of the way and after that...nothing."

"...Nothing?"

"Yes. Nothing. I believe that was when I died, possibly disintegrated from the void after sacrificing my life for their sakes." He takes a deep breath to calm himself in remembering his death before continuing. "The fact that I may got disintegrated makes me think that it's impossible I can't be revived if my body is gone."

"I see..." Kakyoin mutters, now understanding his words and learning his death. Shivers run down his spine as he imagined how likely abrupt his death is but he shakes the scenario out of his head. "Now that you said it, it is weird you're revived despite your body being disintegrated. Kotaro wouldn't be able to resurrect you as zombie, unless..."

"It's the work of the Stand," Avdol guesses, referring to the unknown Stand User who helped Kotaro. "If this user managed to bring me back to the living, I believe its Stand is quite powerful."

"If it is, then I hope the user is not our enemy." Even though Kotaro assures the user has helped him, Kakyoin can't help but worry after guessing it's the work of a Stand. If he forgot who the user is and its Stand ability, then there's no doubt something is in the works that Kotaro is unaware of.

"So Kakyoin," He heard his name coming from the fortune teller's mouth. "How did you die? I assume you died while you're fighting against DIO after my untimely demise."

"Yeah... Your guess is correct..."

As Kakyoin reveals how he died, Rai is off to their side listening to them. Unlike the six where they stand by their side because they knew each other, there's no one he recognized and as such, he's basically a stranger to them, thereby compelling him to stand away from them and let him be by his lonesome. While he likes being alone, he knows he's going to work with them sooner or later and sees no other way around aside from staying with the other zombies and use his Stand for protection. He also has nowhere to come back to because he's a zombie and in a different world entirely. Even if he suspects Morioh do exist in this world, he is sure it's gonna be different from the Morioh he knows.

With all of that in mind, Rai can't help but feel a little queasy and worried if he's gonna fare well here as a zombie. He analyzes that he will be safe as long as he's with the others but making friends with anyone here is probably be harder for him because of his antisocial nature.

Putting his worries aside for now, Rai notices Ai has been staring Sakura for a while. He only know much about idols at surface level aside but she's staring her for quite some time. He's not the only one as Sakura noticed her calculating stare the entire time, making her wonder what Ai is thinking. Is she watching her movements and see if she has what it takes to be an idol?

Ignoring her for now, Sakura continues following Kotaro's moves while Kakyoin stands idly by as he waits for time to pass.

---

Kakyoin and Sakura, donning their pajamas, put down two futons on the ground next to a row of futons to be used for sleeping. There are fourteen futons in total and seven of them are placed in two sets in a straight line according to gender.

In the living room counting as their bedroom, the twelve zombies are off doing their own thing while the two are busy placing the futons for them to sleep in provided by Kotaro, including the night clothes that they're currently wearing (except for Rai, who insists he keep wearing his outfit). Among them, Tae chases Junko, who tries to lose her by circling around Lily and Gyro reading a book about heavy machinery, Narancia attempts to stop Tae out of concern for Junko, Yugiri combs her hair while looking at the mirror, Johnny, who removed his knit cap exposing his shoulder-length hair, waits for her to finish, Bucciarati chatting with Avdol and Rai about what they learned and Ai sits on a couch while holding a pillow close to her face. When they turn to her, she partially hides her face when she noticed them staring her. "Ai-chan was an idol, wasn't she?" Sakura reminded.

"Yes. She's called the Legendary Heisei Idol by Kotaro so she must be." Kakyoin confirmed. "...You're curious of her, Sakura?"

"I am," Nodding, she continues looking at Ai as she says, "I know I've seen her somewhere before..."

"Really? Hmm, perhaps she's in the vision you told me this morning."

"It could be. I just have to ask her and-"

"Oi."

Turning around when someone speaks to them, the two sees Saki, who's the only one not in pajamas, crouched to their level. She is still a little irritated over Kakyoin's action this morning as she's focused on staring Sakura down. "You're Sakura-chan, right?" She asks.

"Y-Yes. That's my name," She answers nervously, trying to keep a cool head while looking at the former biker gang leader.

"Where you from?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you what middle school you went to!" She leans closer as she clarifies what she's asking.

"Uh, well... I don't remember anything..." She truthfully states.

Unsatisfied, she stands up and warns Sakura with a glare and scowl. "You screw with me and I'll kill you. Got it?"

"I-It's true...! I d-don't remember a-anything from b-before I-I became a z-z-zombie!" She insisted while trembling from fear.

"Then remember it! Make yourself remember!" Saki prodded. As Sakura is getting close to freaking out, Kakyoin stands up and puts his hand on Saki's shoulder as he says, "Nikaido-san, please don't try to make her uncomfortable. If she says she can't remember it, then stop forcing her."

"Hmph!" Pushing his hand off, she exclaims, "What about you? You remember anything before you became a zombie?"

"For your information, I do," He replies, folding his arms as he stares back. "You want me to tell my life story?"

"No. Keep it to yourself. Besides, there's something important here I'm gonna ask you two."

"And what's that?"

Crouching to Sakura to glare at her again, she asks, "Why the hell are you two taking this seriously? Are you two dense or what...? You want to get pounded?!"

"Not exactly..." Sakura responds. "It's just... We have a show to do so..."

"And enemy Stands to worry about." Kakyoin added.

"We oughta do a rally."

Sakura and Kakyoin looked surprised of what Saki has suggested. As if their imagination is kicking in, Saki is suddenly surrounded by biker girls all wearing a pink biker suit and helmet.

バーン!

"SHAAAA!" She shouted for added effect.

"...You know you can't do that," Kakyoin pointed out. "You're a zombie remember? How can you rally when we're not trying to expose ourselves as zombies?"

Glaring at him, Saki sighs as she puts a hand on her forehead, mumbling something about how her Tamagotchi is dead before leaving the two on their own. Relieved, Sakura lies her face on the pillow and clutching it with her hands while sighing. "That was so scary..."

"She's one unruly girl, that's for sure." Kakyoin sighs, glad that she's not bothering them for now. He turns to his side and notices Ai is gone. "Hey Sakura. Ai's not here." He informed her.

"Huh?" Looking up and seeing an empty couch and a pillow, she remembers that she wants to talk to her and see if she knows the idol.

After telling Kakyoin about it, he nods understandably and tells her not to take too long. With his blessing, Sakura left the room to search for Ai.

"HEY! STOP BITING ME! MY LEG'S NOT FOR CHEWING!"

Kakyoin turns to see Narancia struggling to get Tae off his leg when she bit him, who growls at him in response. Bucciarati and Avdol tries to pry the feral zombie off of him while Lily, Yugiri, Saki, Rai and Johnny watch. This is where he notices Gyro and Junko are not in the room too.

"Hey Johnny, where's Gyro-san?" He asks the paraplegic, seeing the Joestar from an alternate world he knows him best.

"He said he wants to check something out. As odd as his request are, he shouldn't be taking too long." Johnny answers.

"What about Junko-san?"

He shrugs his shoulders, stating, "She left to get away from the crazy woman biting that kid's leg. I assume she left right after Gyro and that girl you're together with leave."

Thinking it's just a coincidence the three leave the room, Kakyoin turns to the door, wondering if Sakura is going to be fine.

---

Making her way through the hallway, Ai, wearing her day clothes, sneakily makes her way to the genkan with the intent of escaping the mansion. She's unwilling to accept Kotaro's insane plan to turn her and the zombie girls into idols under the belief it's going to fail. Also, Saga is not her birth prefecture; it's Tokyo and she wants to return.

Once she's near the door, Ai didn't hesitate to grab her shoes off the rack and put them on before moving to open the door. But then, she looks through the window and sees Romero on the steps. "A zombie dog...?" Ai mutters, surprised to see an undead animal in the doorsteps.

Romero turns to the door and sees Ai peeking through. The dog proceeds to jump to the window and demand her attention but from Ai's view, a monstrous and savage dog takes his place.

ワーン! ワーン! ワァァァンッ!!

Shrieking, she decides against opening the door and go look for another exit.

"Ah!" She lets out when she bumps into someone.

"Whoa there," Gyro blurts out as he remains standing compared to Ai almost tumbling backwards. As she steadies herself and look to who she bumped into, he says, "You should look before you move. Can't have you running into someone else accidentally."

"I, well... I'm sorry." Ai apologizes, feeling embarrassed.

"No need to apologize. It's a mistake so I'll let it slide." He replies with a smile.

"Right... If you'll excuse me..."

Moving around Gyro, Ai moves to another part of the mansion in search for the exit. Watching her go, he narrows his eyes as he already guesses what's her intention for tonight. She's not thinking of leaving the place, is she? Gyro thought.

Eyecatch shows Ai, Junko and Narancia holding onions with smiles on their faces. Sakura and Kakyoin are seen stopping Tae from ravaging the crops in the background

---

Eyecatch features a statue with the disguised zombies sitting or standing on steps of the statue

Managing to find a back entrance, Ai is currently outside near the bushes and a tree, wondering to herself what kind of place did she end up in. Shaking the thought off, she moves to grab the iron fence when Sakura's voice calls for her. "Ai-chan? Are you here? Ai-chan?" Not wanting to be seen, Ai ducks in the bush to hide. Crawling underneath, she turns her head to Sakura's direction, silently hoping she didn't find her hiding in the bush. She turns her head forward to escape the mansion undetected...

...Just as Junko enters the view.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Their screams continue for four seconds, which is loud enough for Sakura to go to the bush and sees the two hiding. "Ai-chan! Oh, and Junko-chan too. What are you two doing?"

Seeing they're spotted, Ai and Junko pick themselves up and turn to the fences as they answer Sakura's question simultaneously.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving."

"I'm leaving this place..."

Grabbing the bars, Ai attempts to climb up as she states, "Why should I have to put up with this nonsense?" As she tries to go over the gate, Sakura stops her and puts her down, saying, "No, no, no. You can't. It's dangerous out there."

"You mean like that video he showed us? There's no way that's gonna happen." She claims.

"Me and Kakyoin got shot for real!" Sakura responds, putting her hands to her neck.

"That Tae girl frightens me..." Junko timidly said. "I have no idea what she's thinking and she bites..."

"I felt the same way, but it's okay once you get used to it!"

As she tries to reassure her, Ai took the opportunity to climb up. Sakura sees this and grabs her again. "Ai-chan, wait! Stop!" She pulls hard to prevent her from escaping.

"Let me go!" She insisted, tightening her grip to the bar.

"No!"

As the two keeps their hold over their contrasting desires, Ai's arms came off, leaving it holding the bar while she and Sakura falls on the ground, the force causing Ai's eyes to come out her sockets and fly up. In front of Junko.

"WAAAAAAHHHH!" She screams over the sight of Ai's eyes staring her. The eyes fall and roll away from her...

...into the feet of Gyro. "Hm?"

Looking at the eyes seemingly staring him back, Gyro kneels on the ground and grabs it, watch it roll around his palm. He appears to be amused, cracking a smile the sight. Nyoho! Wonder if I can use my eye this way? Probably like the Corpse's eyes when it was on my steel ball!

"Hey! I-I can't see anything! Everything's dark! W-Where are my eyes?!" Ai exclaims in panic, sitting upright and looking around wildly with her empty eye sockets, contributing to make Junko freaking out more.

"Right here." Walking to Ai, Gyro puts the eyes back in her socket which in turn gives her vision back. Blinking repeatedly, Ai realizes it's the same man who she bumped into earlier. "Can you see me now?" He waves his hand over her face to check if she didn't go blind.

"I do, so stop waving your hand." Ai confirms.

"Alright." Turning to the arms still grabbing the iron fence, Gyro asks, "That your arms grabbing the fence?"

"Yes. Can you put it back?" She pleaded as she stands up.

Without saying any word, Gyro grabs Ai's detached arms off the fence and reattaches through her long sleeves. "There. Happy now?"

"I am..." Ai lets out a sigh as she bows before Gyro as thanks. "Thank you, Gyro-san."

"Eh, don't worry about it." He cracks a smile. Now that her issue is solved, Gyro looks at her, Sakura and Junko before he moves in to question their actions tonight. "So, what are three zombie girls doing here this late? You're not planning to try and leave the mansion, are you?"

While Ai and Junko avert their gaze, Sakura clarifies her intentions to the tall cowboy. "I'm not planning to. I'm trying to stop the two from escaping because of the video Tatsumi-san showed us."

"You mean the ones about zombies getting mauled in his...moving... pictures?" Gyro asked, understandly referring the video as such.

"Yes. And considering his warning, I'm trying to reason with Ai-chan and Junko-chan because I don't want them getting killed..."

"Like I told you, it's not gonna happen. I just want to leave the mansion and not partake in this insanity." Ai insisted, moving in to climb out once more.

"I agree. I don't want Tae to chase and bite me again..." Junko said. She and Ai was about to go on with their plan against Sakura's wishes when Gyro speaks up.

"If you two do get out, what are you gonna do next?"

"Huh?" The three turns to him. Unlike the jovial self he showed earlier, he's serious and frowning this time as he stares the two with folded arms.

"If you two did got out, where are you going next?" Gyro continues speaking to lay out the consequences of their actions. "Are you going back to your hometown? Perhaps seek help from someone else? Or maybe find a place to live in?"

Unnerved from this change of attitude, Ai asks what he's on about only to be interrupted.

"Even though you want to escape, remember that we're zombies. And based from what that man showed us, we would be pretty much killed again because the public won't accept zombies roaming around. If you do what I mentioned, I can tell it's not going to be easy thanks to you two being zombies."

His words seem to be getting to their heads, as Junko stutters to say something. "W-Well..."

"As much as this is a shock for us, let's be glad that Kotaro guy is willing to give us a place to stay. As much as his plan sounds crazy even for my standards, he's genuine in reviving us for a second chance in life. Now, I'm not drilling into your respective opinions because I understand that you two felt this way but think of the consequences of your future actions first before you enact it. You're going to regret it sooner or later..." His blunt words directed at Ai and Junko seems effective as they unable to deny him despite still wanting to escape. It also has an effect on Sakura as well, seeing Gyro has a point even if he has to be direct. She is hoping that the two wouldn't try set foot outside the mansion after hearing the former executioner out...

"...That said, I'm curious of what the world is like after a century have passed so... I'll go out and take a walk."

"H-Huh?"

Blinking over his sudden turn of attitude, the three watch Gyro effortlessly climbs over the fence and lands on the ground outside. Adjusting his hat, he turns to the three and asks, "You three coming? If not, then go back inside and don't bother getting out. I can handle myself."

"G-G-Gyro-san! W-What are you thinking!?"

As Sakura attempts to convince Gyro not to leave, Ai and Junko look at each other and to Sakura climbing over the fence once Gyro starts walking. They're made unaware of two pair of eyes watching them from the back door.

---

"Come on, Gyro-san. Let's go back. It's dangerous out there."

"Relax Sakura. It's nighttime so I'm sure no one's around this late."

With four zombies out into the public, Sakura is trying to convince Gyro to go back out of fear they'll be seen and exposed. He in turn reassures her, aware of what he's doing but being sure no one's out this late. If there's a chance they're gonna be seen, they make a break for it. As this goes on, Ai and Junko follow the two, baffled over his decision just after putting some sense on them.

Also, why did they follow the two in the first place if they are not planning on escaping anymore?

Right now, the four are in the shopping district not far from the mansion. Arriving here, Gyro asks what place is this. "It's a shopping district." Sakura answers simply.

"Shopping district huh? Interesting..."

Entering the district, Sakura tells Gyro to return back soon, who's definitely enjoying what he's seeing so far. So much so that at this point, he's getting a little annoyed over her pestering him to return.

"For God's sake Sakura, can you stop worrying for a minute? I get what I'm doing will increase our chances of being exposed but I came prepared when the chance presents itself." He subtly hovers his hand to his holster storing his steel balls.

"S-Still! If someone does see us, someone's head is gonna explode!"

"Please don't say that!" Junko pleaded.

"Or someone will punch us to mush!"

"If you're that worried, then go back by yourself," Gyro exclaims with a sigh, passing by three circle-shaped windows that shows reflections. He takes a good look on himself with Ai and Junko doing the same. Concerning their bodies' state after death, Ai sees bandages wrapping her entire body and Junko feeling disturbed over her patchwork-like skin. Seeing them distressed over this, Gyro lifts up his shirt, revealing a hole where his heart is trailed by three long stitched wounds from his left hand, hips and stomach. Like the two, he appears distressed as he remembers his battle against Funny Valentine and how many wounds the president inflicted on him causing internal injuries, especially to his heart. As he inspects more, he notices bullet holes on the side of his head. He wonders if Valentine fired rounds on him as he expires to ensure he's really dead. He feels himself growling from the thought and is glad he's not here in this world.

"Come on you three... Let's go back." Sakura insisted for another time, getting more worried the more they stay out.

"Do you seriously think zombies can pull off being idols? Why are you agreeing to all of this easily?" Ai remarks, looking to Sakura and scrutinizing her. "He's got you dancing to his tune. Are you stupid?"

Taken aback from her statement, she thought over her words before replying as she looks to her reflection, "Maybe I am... Maybe I haven't really thought it through... But, the other day, when we went all on the stage together, I felt really strange." Remembering the "performance" at Geils Live Housing yesterday, she continues speaking. "Like my heart is buzzing, I was really happy... I don't remember my life before I became a zombie but I get the impression I've felt something like that before. I want to feel that way again. I want to know what it really is. So I want to get on that stage again... That's all." She finishes her reasoning. While Ai and Junko seems astounded over her resolve, Gyro whistles in fascination.

"Hearing you say that makes me look forward to you girls' performance tomorrow. That determination of yours is guaranteed to make you progress." Gyro commended. Sakura was about to say something in response to his compliment when he says, "Hey, what's that weird-looking vehicle doing there?"

"Huh?"

The girls look to where the Italian cowboy is pointing and see a black car pulled up in the entrance where three guys come out from it in hip hop clothes. They start beatboxing and rapping while walking towards the four.

Yo, yo, yo!
Check, check, check!

The four huddled up together in a circle, with Gyro first asking, "Why are they singing like that?"

"Because they're rapping." Ai answers.

"Rapping? That some kind of new singing movement?"

"W-We must go now! Those guys are kinda scary!" Sakura urges the three to move as the three rappers continue moving to them. All the while, they dish out verses about the three girls they're interested in while ignoring the tall guy.

Mike check, yo!

Yo check it! These chicks are out really late,
Maybe they're like us, cruising for a date?
Yo, screw you man, you make me do the work,
When you push me around, you look like a jerk!
Yo, yo, yo! How about you let me hit them up then?
If you end asking, they'll wanna be "just friends."

"They're coming this way. They're coming this way. They're coming this way!" Junko repeats out of panic.

"What should we do? What should we do?! What should we do?!" Sakura does the same.

"They sing so weird. Is this what the future of singing has become?" Gyro quips.

You girls wanna do some karaoke? A little song and dance?
We know a place open late if you don't got plans!
If you don't have money, it'll be our treat, okay?

As they come across a second path, they see someone holding a bike blocking the way. The four proceed forward only to come up in a dead end. The four purposely face away to prevent anyone from looking at them, especially when there's a lit lamp post. Speaking of which, the rappers close to the four when the man joins the rapping.

You're up late boys, I wanna know why.
Or do you think I'm gonna walk by?

Sakura recognizes the voice with dread, which is noticed by Gyro. "What's wrong Sakura?" He whispers.

"Damn it man. We didn't even do anything." The man with a backward hat stated in dismay.

You wanna pick up girls, is that your game?
'Cuz I can throw your butts in jail, it's all the same!

Remaining calm, Gyro hopes nothing could go wrong as he plans for the four to sneak by while they're distracted. Alright, you three. Don't make any movements so we can-

"Officer, please, help us!" Ai foolishly calls for help, moving towards the light.

"Ai! What the hell?!" Gyro whispers in panic, walking to the light along with Sakura and Junko in response to her action. He realizes too late what they have done. Ah crap. We got seen... He sums up the thought, expecting them to react aggressively to their zombie appearances...

However, what happened instead is pretty anticlimactic.

"Huh? Is that a cowboy outfit you're wearing?" The policeman asks.

"My outfit?" Gyro parrots.

"You sure got guts, going out in public with that on. And that belt! Showing that out in the open... You wanna get arrested?" He threatened, even though he doesn't seem intent on following it and is likely joking.

...

...

...

"AH! WATCH OUT! There's a zombie on the loose!"

"What? WHERE!?"

ガシャンッ

Taking advantage of their distraction, Gyro breaks the light bulb in the lamp post with a steel ball, concealing him, Sakura, Ai and Junko in darkness.

"MOVE IT GIRLS!"

Though surprised of his act, the three didn't wait to make haste out of the shopping district and go back to the direction they come from. They're so focused in running that they haven't noticed a moving shadow following after them.

Unbeknownst to them, an unknown figure is watching them from behind the stairs. Once they're gone, the figure left the scene.

---

"We... We escaped them." Sakura said between pants, holding her knees in exhaustion while slouched.

The four zombies are on the street leading to the mansion where they take a breather after running for a minute. They're currently near a pole to rest, with Junko and Gyro sitting and leaning against it respectively while Sakura and Ai stand near it.

After catching their breath, Gyro proceeds to berate Ai for her decision back there. "Ai, what the hell were you thinking asking someone for help!? Did you forgot we are zombies or what? You almost exposed us as zombies to those men!"

"I-I was trying to ask for help! It's just...never crossed my mind about the consequences. That's all!" She attempts to defend herself, feeling ashamed of her reckless thinking.

"I just gave you and Junko a speech about thinking of your actions, especially when we're zombies," He shakes his head. "Though admittedly, perhaps I shouldn't have pushed my luck too far, huh?"

"Like I told you to," Sakura sighed. Her exasperated face turns into confusion as she asks, "Why didn't they freak out over us? The light from the lamp post is on so obviously, they would see us as zombies, right?"

"I was wondering about that..." Junko said, standing up and looking at the three. Before she can say anything, she does a double take with surprise. "Huh? Sakura, Ai, Gyro, what's up with your appearance?"

"Our appearance?" The three repeats in unison.

"Yes. Your skin and eyes... They look ｢normal｣." She pointed out.

"Normal? If we were to look normal, we need to apply makeup to-"

Sakura looks at her hand and stops mid-sentence when she sees her arms and hand aren't gray colored. "Huh? My arms... They look fine!"

"What?" Mutters Ai, taking a good look to herself and sees her skin aren't rotting and her hands devoid of bandages. Surprise took hold as she says, "Huh? What is this? Why do I look like I didn't become a zombie?"

"Holy moly, you're right! My arms look human again!" Gyro said, checking his skin and sees no sign of his status as a zombie. He turns to Junko and sees she looks normal again. "Junko! You don't look like a zombie too!"

"R-Really?" She checks her hands and see it looking lively and colorful. "You're right... I became normal again!"

"How did we become normal? We haven't applied makeup to disguise ourselves." Sakura inquired in disbelief, thinking she's imagining it.

"I believe we didn't. But if we look like normal humans again, then it's a good thing, right?" Ai suggested.

"I suppose. Guess this is the reason why those four men didn't freak out." Junko reasoned.

While the two are somewhat happy, Sakura and Gyro are suspicious.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Don't get your hopes up you two. There's no way we became normal all of a sudden," Looking around, he's keeping his eyes peeled and see if there's anything suspicious.

"I agree with Gyro-san. It is pretty unusual that we look normal when we haven't applied makeup for disguise." Sakura concurs, moving closer to Gyro. "I don't know why but I think we need to go home. I-I'm not liking being here now..."

"That's a good idea. C'mon you two. Let's return back before Johnny and the others notice our absence."

Following his words, Sakura, Ai and Junko follow Gyro to the mansion, keeping close to him for protection and looking around to see if there's anything suspicious. At this point, Ai and Junko are getting suspicious like Gyro and Sakura and are now wondering why they look human unexpectedly. As much as they want to know more, something is lurking in the shadows, waiting for a window to attack the four.

The four zombies are near the park when Junko stops walking after she looks up and sees something. "Huh?"

"Junko-chan? What's wrong?" Sakura asks, noticing her inspecting something far from them.

"I... I thought someone was standing near the slide just now." She pointed to the slide, being sure her eyes aren't deceiving her. "But when I turn to look again, it's gone."

"...Maybe you're seeing things." Ai suggested.

"No. I'm sure I saw someone. It's tall, wears black clothing and...looks creepy." She insisted, looking around the small park carefully.

"Creepy...?" Sakura squeaked.

"It certainly looks like it to me..."

As their conversation goes on, Gyro believes Junko is not seeing things, because he did saw someone near the slides just now. He didn't pay attention to it at first because he thought he's imagining it until Junko bring it up. And if he consider what she said about the individual they saw...

ブフゥ~

!?

Standing still in shock and dread when he heard a strange sound, Gyro senses someone walking behind him. Their footsteps can be heard, which sounds like they're walking on the surface of a water. Sweating anxiously, Gyro dares to turn around and see who's behind him, even if his common sense told him not to or else something bad will happen to him. After doing it slowly, he swiftly whirls around, steel balls at the ready...

...Only to find nothing. "Huh?"

"Gyro-san? What's wrong? Why did you suddenly-" Sakura starts to ask, looking at him worriedly along with Ai.

"AAAAHHHH!"

Hearing Junko's scream, the three turn around only to be shocked by what they're seeing.

Terrified, wide eyes are present on Junko's face as she finds herself grabbed by a large humanoid being designed after a Venetian costume, clad in black Venetian hat and cloak. Its hands and collar are adorned with arrow motifs and a mask completes the Venetian look.

"Wh-What is that!?" Ai asks in shock. Sakura and Gyro didn't answer her as they stare the humanoid holding Junko with its hands.

ドドドドドドドドドドドドドドドド

As Junko stammered in fear, the Venetian humanoid, in a voice vibrating with echo, declares, "You! You must be the chosen one!"

"W-What? What is it saying!?" Sakura inquired, feeling terrified over its appearance and mannerism.

"I offer you two paths but you must choose one that will lead to salvation…" The humanoid brandishes an arrow from its mouth, making it clear to everyone and its captor of its intention. "Will you become one of the chosen or do you proceed along the path of death...? For this, you'll receive this arrow!"

"H-H-H...HELP!" Junko screams.

"JUNKO-CHAN!" Sakura and Ai calls out her name.

"Get your hands off her!" Gyro shouted, throwing his steel ball to the humanoid being. "ORA!"

ドーグォォン

An impact is heard when the steel ball strikes its face, causing it to lose grip of Junko and be flung from the force. As soon as she's free, the two didn't wait to grab her and move away from the enemy. The spinning ball returns back to Gyro as the enemy sinks into the ground like it's water. Taking note of it, the four didn't wait to move away from the park, and in turn away from the mansion, believing it's where the humanoid being clad in black came from.

The three girls hurdle near Gyro, who turns to Junko looking like she has seen her life flashed before her eyes. "Hey! Are you alright?" Gyro asks.

"I-I'm… I'm f-f-fine…" Despite saying that, Junko is freaking out and almost cries from nearly getting pierced by the arrow. "I-I thought I was g-g-gonna die the s-second t-t-t-time..."

"It's okay Junko-chan! We're with you so please stay strong!" Sakura comforts her.

As the redhead soothe the stuttering girl, Ai turn to where the humanoid appeared. Wondering what exactly did she saw, Ai asks, "What... What was that?"

"What was what, Ai?" Sakura replied.

"That thing in a black cloak and hat... Who, or what exactly is it?" She clarified, believing her eyes are not fooling her.

"It's a Stand."

"A what?"

"It's a Stand. An ｢enemy Stand｣, to be precise."

Gyro reveals, charging his steel balls in accordance to the Golden Rectangle. Sakura, Ai and Junko turn to him as he continues explaining of what he saw. "Judging from its appearance and the fact it sunk on the ground as if it's made of water, I'm confident we're facing up against an enemy Stand."

"An enemy Stand...?" Sakura said concerningly, not expecting she would end up facing an enemy so soon.

"You heard me. There's no doubt about it." He firmly stated.

"A Stand…? Wait, I can see a Stand now!?" Ai realizes.

"What?" Sakura and Gyro utter in surprise

"R-Really? I think I see it up close, unfortunately..." Junko reveals, surprise overtaking her fear and dread.

"Huh? But...how?"

"I-I don't know! I was...seeing it clearly to me, I'm sure of it!" She take a step backward, causing a ripple to form around her foot...

ドギャン

...before the cloaked Stand swiftly appears.

"AI! BEHIND YOU!"

"Huh?"

Whirling around to see what made Sakura and Junko panic, Ai shouted in surprise as the Stand grabs her neck before she can react. Attempting to pry its hands off her neck, she tries kicking it but her legs simply passed through it without harm. The Stand simply lifts her up in response, rendering her immobile and helpless. Even worse, she's starting to suffocate as the grip tightens, which is odd considering she's a zombie and didn't experience pain when her arms and eyes are removed before they went outside.

"AI-CHAN!" The two girls called out in panic.

"Oh no you don't! ORA!"

Gyro throws a spinning steel ball toward one of its hands. The Stand sees this and catch with its left hand. That is a mistake however, as despite the trajectory stopping in its grip, the ball keeps on spinning. "Hm?" Wondering why it keeps spinning, the Stand realized too late that its hand is burning from the friction done by the steel ball. Accordingly, it cried in pain, letting go of the ball and Ai as well. The former member of Iron Frill didn't hesitate to get away from the Stand as the steel ball returns to Gyro's hand to be charged in his holster. Acting quickly, he threw the second ball onto its face. Like what the first ball did to its hand, it continues to spin in its place, causing damage from the heat and friction caused by the Spin.

"ANOTHER SHOOOOT!"

ガン

Swinging back his arm to amplify the speed and strength, Gyro throws the first ball back to the enemy, this time to its face. The combined might of the spinning steel balls and impact done causes a crack to appear on its mask as it cried in pain. "AAAaaaaAAAAaaggGGGggghhHHHHHHhhhhh!"

The steel balls return back to Gyro after doing enough damage. The Stand proceeded to sink back to the ground to recuperate. Taking the time to look after Ai, Gyro turns around and sees Ai acting like she saw a ghost, with Sakura doing her best to comfort her like she did to Junko. "Ai-chan, are you okay?"

"I-I... I am... Never thought I...would be facing...the Stand up close... It's scary..." Her behavior spells doubt to her statement though she thanked Gyro for his quick reaction and help.

"We are scared here but Gyro is strong!" Sakura reminded her and Junko. "I don't know how did Gyro caused the balls to continue spinning but he's doing a good job fending the enemy off!"

Chuckling from her compliment, Gyro decides to reveal what he imbued the steel balls with. "If you wanna know how I did it, it's through the ｢Spin｣.

"The Spin? Wait, Kotaro mentioned about it when he introduces you to me and Kakyoin." She recalled.

"Did he now? Well, regardless, if you're curious to know, the Spin is a technique that involves a perfect or near-perfect state of rotation to imbue an object with a unique form of energy that can be applied for multitude of uses, including offense and defense. While it sounds easy on paper, it takes a lot of time to fully master the Spin, as Johnny can attest to."

"Johnny?"

"I taught him ｢five lessons｣ in utilizing a Spin, which helped him grow stronger and gradually regain his use of legs." He explained, spinning his steel balls in his holster. "I can go on explaining more about the Spin and how the Golden Rectangle is related to the technique which can lead to a Golden Spin but we're in a middle of fight here, so let us focus on that, shall we?"

As if reacting to his words, the Stand appears, this time far from the four. Eyeing the Stand, Gyro immediately throws a steel ball when it charged forward, curving along the way to catch the Stand off-guard, which it did when it made contact. The Stand didn't stop however, continuing rushing despite the spinning ball defacing its mask more. Eyes widening in surprise, Gyro throws the second ball but it missed when the enemy dodged to its side. The first ball returns to Gyro's hands as the enemy are close. Naturally, the three girls freak out over the thought of some of them being grabbed.

"Crap!" Gyro cursed, bolting out of the way and out of reach. The enemy didn't stop however as it continues chasing after Gyro, who quickly picks up the steel ball on the ground and charges it. To his surprise, the Stand is fast, catching up to him in less than two seconds. He throws one ball against it only for the Stand to swat them away. In desperation to get away, he tries to kick its face but the Stand is faster than him, reacting quickly to grab his ankle and stop his attack.

"Uh oh."

He wasn't surprised when he's thrown on the ground on his back. "Agh!" He grunted, feeling the blow on his head and back.

"Gyro-san!" Sakura shouted, worried over Gyro getting cornered. The cloaked Stand looms over him, keeping its grip on his ankle so he wouldn't escape.

Despite the enemy hovering over him threateningly, Gyro remains calm though he's sweating in fear. "Fed up with me pitching balls on your face? Would you like it when I do...this!"

ボクゥーゥゥッ

Putting the spinning ball on his captured leg, the energy imbued on the ball transfers to his leg, causing it to harden before propelling it to kick upwards, hitting the enemy's chin and losing its grip on him. Flipping in the air, Gyro pitches the ball to its torso before getting away from the enemy, quickly scooping up the steel ball on the ground. The ball returns back as the Stand lies on the ground in pain.

Regrouping with the three astonished of his trick to get out of its grip, Gyro checks his right ankle, having felt the Stand's tight grip. He wonders if it wants to break his ankle just to force him unable to walk properly. "Well, that could have gone worse. Good thing I transfered the Spin energy on my legs to kick that prick's face."

"That's... That's incredible!" Sakura exclaims.

"I know, right? Now then, let us see if a couple more throws can-" He didn't finish what he's saying when he noticed the enemy is nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Where did the Stand go?" He inquired, confused as he looks around for any sign of the enemy.

"It was...right there." Junko pointed, also confused like Gyro.

"Did it disappeared when we weren't looking?" Ai wonders, feeling nervous of the thought of the Stand sneaking on her and grabbing her again.

"E-Everyone! Please stay close to each other! The Stand could be-"

バッギョン

Sakura takes a step backward while she's in the middle of proposing a strategy, and in an instant, the Stand appears between her and the three. Taken aback in shock, she didn't act in time before she is grabbed on her neck and forced on the ground, making it so that the enemy looms over her.

"SAKURA!" Ai and Junko shouted in shock.

"Still not giving up? How about this!"

Gyro hurls the two balls to get the enemy off Sakura but, learning from its mistake, the cloaked Stand simply smack it back to Gyro, who didn't react in time before he got hit by his steel balls. "GAH!"

"Gyro!"

Ai and Junko were about to tend to him when Gyro, lying on his side while grunting in pain, stops them from going to him, telling them, "Don't you worry about me! Worry about Sakura!"

Heeding his words, the two rushed towards Sakura, who is quivering from the sight of the arrow from the Stand's mouth, seeing she's about to be killed by an enemy Stand. "Which path will it be? Life or death? Only through this arrow shall reveal it all!" It declared grandiosely, preparing to stab the poor girl...

...Until green tendrils hold its arms from behind. "Hm?"

Before it can react, another tendril wrap around its neck, causing it to retract the arrow and let go of Sakura to try and pry them off. Unfortunately for the Stand, the tendrils lift the Stand up in the air, with the one grabbing its neck choking it.

Blinking in surprise, Sakura recognizes the patterns of tendrils, which could only mean one thing... "Hierophant Green?

Looking around, she, Ai, Junko and Gyro see that Kakyoin and Avdol have appeared with Hierophant Green holding the enemy Stand in the air.

ドドンッ!

Making their appearance more dramatic than it needs to be, Kakyoin asks, "Are you four alright? The enemy Stand didn't cause you enough trouble, I hope?

"W-Well, it did cause us trouble but everyone's fine, Kakyoin!"

BGM: Noble Pope (Stardust Crusaders [Departure] OST)

Unlike the four where they look human, the two are in their zombie forms, with Kakyoin wearing a pajama while Avdol does not have his robe and accessories. Inversely, the two notice they're disguised like human even though they haven't put any makeup on. "You four, why do you look human?" Avdol asks in response to this.

"We... We don't know," Sakura answers. "We suddenly look normal some minutes ago, which is when we got attacked by that Stand." She pointed to the Stand still hoisted up in the air. "It managed to catch all of us before you two appeared, with me being the last. If you haven't showed up, I would be stabbed by the arrow..."

"Is that so? Well, I suppose we should go and dispose the Stand now before it causes more trouble for us." Kakyoin's tone didn't hide his anger against the enemy Stand for endangering the four, especially Sakura. As much as he likes to see it suffer, taking it out quickly is needed to end this fight.

"You four rest up. Let me and Kakyoin handle this." Avdol suggested, forming a hand gesture whenever he's in a fight. "｢MAGICIAN'S RED!｣"

Shouting the name of his Stand, Avdol summons a humanoid Stand with an avian's head, sharp claws, toned upper body and fiery bracelets and legs wearing Arabian shoes. It lets out a great cry, eager to participate in a fight.

The four are amazed by the appearance of Magician's Red, feeling the heat from its form alone. Whistling in approval, Gyro says, "Well, that's an impressive Stand. Bet you're gonna incinerate it with its flames?"

"Of course. Why else should I be here for?" He replies with a smile.

"Please do it! Before that Stand has any chance of attacking any of us!" Ai insisted, getting close to Sakura and Junko for comfort.

Abiding to her plea, Kakyoin throws the enemy in a position to hit it with a barrage of emeralds. "EMERALD...SPLASH!"

"CROSS FIRE...HURRICANE!" Avdol shouted as Magician's Red shoots out a flaming ankh from its mouth.

ドカァァァンッ

The two attacks combine to create an sparkling explosion caused by the fire and emeralds attacking the enemy without remorse. This, alongside Gyro doing hefty amount of damage caused by the steel balls and Spin, finally kills the enemy off, who howls in pain as it disappears while smoldered by residual flames. "NGOOOooooOOOOOoooOOOOOooooooggghhhhh..."

Seeing the enemy is defeated, Gyro lets out a sigh of relief, stating, "Phew. It's over..."

"I'm glad none of us are killed..." Sakura sighs too, grateful for Kakyoin and Avdol appearing in time.

Before anyone can relax, they heard something cracking. It seems to be near them as the sound is loud and clear. "Where is that sound coming from?" Kakyoin asks, his head whipping around

"AAAAAH! E-EVERYONE!" They heard Junko scream in horror.

"Junko-chan? What's-" Sakura stops mid-sentence when she sees Junko's skin cracking. Eyes widening in shock, Sakura asks, "J-Junko! What's wrong with your skin!?"

"I-I don't know! When I heard the cracking sound, I see it came from me!" She responded, looking at her hands riddled with cracks. She looks up only to be more horrified when she's not the only one whose skin is cracking as Sakura, Ai and Gyro's skin are chipping as well. "S-Sakura! Ai! Gyro! Your skins are breaking too!"

"W-What!? What's going on!?" Ai is freaking out over the sight of her skin fracturing.

"The hell is this!? Don't tell me this is another one of that enemy's ability!" Gyro hopes it is not the case as he tries to keep a cool head despite panicking like Ai and Junko on the inside.

Trembling in fear, Sakura turns to Kakyoin and Avdol, both of which are sharing their panic even if their skins are not rifting apart. "K-Kakyoin! Help us!"

"I-I...! I don't know how!" This is his response. He wanted to say more but with a solution nowhere in sight, he's stressing over this terrifying sight.

ガシャンッ!

Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, their skin shattered like glass accompanied by the appropriate sound. Kakyoin and Avdol are dreading to see what the four will look when it appears their skins shatter to reveal...

...their zombie forms?

"Huh?" Kakyoin lets out in confusion, shared by Avdol and the four zombies looking at themselves and each other. Of all the things they thought will happen, they didn't expect they would turn back into zombies.

"W-What?" Sakura stuttered, blinking in surprise when she sees they're fine. "What just...happened?"

"We...turned back...to being zombies...somehow." Gyro replied, still processing that they went back to normal, or what can constitute to being normal.

"But...But how? How did this happen?" Junko questioned.

"I don't know... It's a bizarre sight for sure." Ai answered.

While the mystery would hang in the air like a vulture circling the desert to scavenge food, nothing bad has happened, which is a relief especially when they have defeated their very first enemy Stand lurking in Saga. While Kakyoin, Avdol, Gyro and Sakura are glad things went back to normal for the time being, the same couldn't be said for Ai and Junko since this is their first time witnessing an enemy Stand assault them and almost getting killed by one. If this is how Stand battles will go in the future, the two are dreading for their lives from thinking about it.

With this, they are feeling more unsure they can perform as idols if their lives are threatened by the enemy Stands.

"Ai? Junko? are you two alright?" Avdol asks after noticing their doleful states.

"Huh? Oh, we're fine. We're just...tired." Ai makes up a lie that is slightly true in regards to them being tired. "Can we go back? We don't want to be out here for long..."

"...Agreed. We should heed Sakura's and Gyro's words before we got killed the second time..." Junko implores, reminding everyone that any enemy Stand could attack them at any given moment.

"That's a good idea. Come on everyone. Let's go back."

Following Kakyoin to the mansion, Gyro sees the girls are distressed from the fight they're forced to witness. Wanting to lift the mood, he says, "Say Kakyoin, did you trail us while you're in your pajamas?"

Sheepishly rubbing his head and cursing him from mentioning it under his breath, Kakyoin states, "I...didn't have time to change..."

Everyone is busy taking note of his attire that they didn't notice Kotaro watching them from behind the pole some meters away. Once they enter the gates, he takes his leave as well.

---

The next morning, Sakura and the girls are off for another practice courtesy of Kotaro. Today is the girls' second performance and the importance of a perfect concert means Kakyoin and the boys are temporarily banned from entering the training room. They don't mind it because right now, Kakyoin, Avdol and Gyro tell everyone of the Stand they encountered last night in the living room.

"It sounds like you encountered ｢Black Sabbath｣." Bucciarati reveals after Kakyoin described what the Stand looked like. He's sitting on a couch, right next to Narancia.

"Black Sabbath?" Kakyoin repeated. He and the others form a semi-circle around the two as they seem to know about the Stand.

"Yes. From what you told me about its appearance and ability, I believe you, Avdol and Gyro encountered Black Sabbath." He explained.

"Okay, so what exactly is Black Sabbath? What kind of ability does it have? All I know about it is it lurks in the dark." Gyro questioned.

"It's a Stand of a capo named Polpo," Narancia began. Everyone has their eyes on him as he continues. "When Polpo gives someone a lit lighter and they happen to reignite it after the flame is put out, it will trigger the Stand and force you to take the test required to join Passione."

"As for how the test works," Bucciarati continues from where Narancia left off. "Your soul will be pulled by Black Sabbath to be pierced by the arrow. If your soul can handle the strain of the arrow piercing you, you will gain a Stand and admit you to Passione. But if your soul is too weak, then you'll die."

Their explanation surprises everyone because of the high mortality rate when it comes to getting pierced by an arrow for a chance to gain a Stand. As for Kakyoin and Avdol, this is the first time they heard about the arrow and its Stand-attaining properties, so they're suprised there are other methods in having a Stand aside from being born with one.

"Woah seriously? You'll die if you're not eligible to have a Stand? That's too harsh." responds Gyro.

"It's one way to weed out anyone weak enough to join Passione. It's harsh, yes, but the mafia doesn't tolerate any weaklings." Bucciarati maintained.

"...Say, I've been wondering... If someone who has a Stand got pierced by the arrow, what will happen? Do you get another ability or does your Stand evolves?" He asks after realizing the implication of a Stand User like him potentially getting pierced by the arrow.

"Your guess is correct," Bucciarati nods. "More specifically, if your Stand are stabbed by the arrow, you will evolve it to a stronger form based on your desires. Whatever form your Stand will take, it will gain an overwhelming amount of power than its base abilities."

"That sounds impressive. Though as much as I want to see if my Stand can evolve, I don't wanna risk it."

"Going by that logic, you'll putting yourself in danger. In danger of dying to an arrow, to be more specific." Rai stated, speaking up after keeping quiet to make a guess.

Johnny gulps over the thought of Gyro dying the second time and leaving him alone again. Sighing over his action last night, he says, "I wished you haven't left last night. You just have me worried over and over when you didn't return." He looks at him with an annoyed expression after calling him out.

"Hey, my curiosity got the better of me, alright?" He defended but the deadpan look on Johnny's face shows he's not buying it.

"Just...don't go doing something behind my back, okay?"

"...Fine."

"I've been wondering..." They heard Narancia say, who is tapping his chin concerning Black Sabbath's attack last night. Turning to Bucciarati, he says, "Bucciarati, Polpo died many years ago, right? If so, then how come his Stand appeared?"

"I was thinking about that. It shouldn't have appeared because its user has died. Unless..." Rubbing his chin, Bucciarati remembers Gyro's statement on how he, Sakura, Ai and Junko suddenly turned human before getting attacked, mentioning that they felt pain when they normally shouldn't as a zombie and the latter two can suddenly see Stands. The fact that they become human makes the threat of second death possible. After Kakyoin and Avdol disposed the enemy, their skin starts cracking before shattering to reveal they're back to being zombies. This also made Stands unseen to Ai and Junko again. "...Unless Black Sabbath's appearance coincided with Gyro and the girls becoming human temporarily."

"What do you mean?" Avdol asked.

"It is possible the Stand's appearance is tied with an unknown phenomenon that caused Gyro, Sakura, Ai and Junko to look human, which places them in danger of suffering injury or dying. You two did mention their skin shattering after you killed Black Sabbath, right?"

"Yes we did." Kakyoin nodded.

"Then it's possible someone, likely a Stand User, has something to do with Black Sabbath's appearance and turning them into human so they're prone to getting injured or even dying." Clasping his hands together, Bucciarati says, "And considering Signor Tatsumi made a big deal about protecting the girls and Saga from enemy Stands, it's safe to say we're in for a hunt towards an unknown user lurking in the shadows."

"Does that mean you're gonna lead us then, Bucciarati? It's natural you'll be chosen because you used to be the leader of our team in Passione!" Narancia smiles at the thought of working together with Bucciarati and their fellow Stand Users. So far, they all seem pretty cool and he wonders who he's gonna be friends with.

"I'm still considering it Narancia..." It's what Bucciarati said in response to his words. Though knowing that he has to step up his game and protect the girls as he realizes everyone's lives are endangered, he's still wondering if he can find his footing as a zombie. All he can hope is his ｢resolve｣ is still within him, like how he kept on going after Giorno healed his corpse due to it.

As the conversation shifts to a casual one regarding the mafia the two used to be in, something they try keeping quiet, Kakyoin wonders how Sakura, Ai and Junko are faring. He hopes they are doing okay after getting nearly killed by Black Sabbath.

---

"We better be careful from now on."

Sakura is leaning on the railing of the terrace outside the mansion as she watches the sky and sea with a worried look. It's currently afternoon, just an hour before the idols' second performance slated to take place in Saga Castle. As much as she's worried if the performance is gonna be okay especially since she's the only one practicing again, she's more worried about how things are gonna be after witnessing an enemy Stand attack. Recalling Ai and Junko's downcast looks earlier over how they almost died from a Stand and seeing the threat it poses, Sakura can't help but share their feelings regarding the potential enemy Stands that will attack her, Kakyoin and the others. Kakyoin and the boys may have Stands to defend themselves and the girls but do they have what it takes to take on against powerful enemy Stands? She surely hopes so considering what Kakyoin and Avdol can do with their Stands, which are quite formidable.

As she wonders what kind of Stand she will have, she heard a rough voice from her side, "Oi."

"Hm?" Turning right, she almost blanched at Saki's mean glare as she bites a dried squid with such ferocity. It appears she's still looking down on her as she says with gritted teeth, "You wanna die?"

"S-Sorry for interrupting!" Sakura apologizes, turning around to leave her alone until Saki stops her from moving. Walking to her, she moves in close to her petrified face as she asks, "Why do you still listen to Shades back there?"

"Y-You mean Kotaro-san?"

Flinching when Saki pound her fist on the railing, she continues scrutinizing her with a scowl. "I'm not like you. I do what I want and I only got respect for people with ｢guts｣!"

"What is it that you want, Saki-chan?" Sakura asked to gauge her intentions.

"Take the whole damn country over." She answers.

"Why?"

Seeing she's not understanding her, Saki scoffs before walking away from Sakura with hands on her pocket. She stops when Sakura speaks up. "Saki-chan! Do you want to, just once, try and-"

"Hell no."

Shutting her down, the former biker leader leaves, mumbling and cursing something in her mouth.

Watching her leave, Sakura can feel her worry increasing to its peak regarding Saki's harshness to her and Ai and Junko's unwillingness to participate. She wanted everyone to get along with each other and yet, the girls are not taking being an idol seriously.

How is she supposed to remember if the girls are going to continue like this?

At this point, getting a Stand feels easy compared to being an idol.

---

"The most important thing isn't technique, it's ｢heart｣!"

Kotaro mumbles through the paint brush he's holding with his mouth as he applies a small amount of makeup to cover Sakura's scar. He and the girls are in the black van in the parking lot where the producer puts on their disguise for today's performance. "｢Put your heart into it and you can color other people's hearts｣! That's makeup."

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch any of that." Sakura replies, feeling her forehead being applied.

"Holy crap! This might actually work!" Saki exclaims with a smile over the makeup that makes her appear human.

"Yugirin, you're so pretty!" Lily complimented joyfully with a nickname for Yugiri as they look at the mirror. "Am I, now? You are quite lovely yourself, Lily-han." The courtesan returns.

Ai and Junko remain quiet while looking their disguise in the mirror. Remembering their downcast state during practice over getting almost killed by Black Sabbath last night, Sakura wonders if they're going to be okay.

Meanwhile, the boys are outside the van, taking in the air as they wait for Kotaro to finish applying the girls' makeup. Since fourteen zombies can't fit in a single van, a new ｢addition｣ is implemented on the ceiling of the van, which looks like a glass sphere half-embedded above the seats that has a reflection of a limo interior, which actually houses an extra seven to ten seats with windows. Entering the sphere similar to the way Bucciarati and Narancia used to enter Coco Jumbo not only puts them in the seats automatically, but it also gives them a view of the outside through the window that can be closed or opened like normal. To put it simply, it's basically like a hideout for the guys to use. Inversely, they can exit the extra space through the same sphere embedded on the floor or ceiling. Doing it has them appear sitting in the main seats or emerge on the van's roof. It's safe to say the mysterious Stand User put a lot of thought in implementing such a feature to accomodate the seven zombie guys and prevent the van from overloading from too much occupants seating inside.

Also, before they all left, the producer put them all in a makeup back in the mansion to minimize the workload needed in putting fourteen zombies in their disguise. Though Narancia and Johnny initially protested, they changed their tune when Kakyoin explains it's for disguising themselves as humans. A disguise that impressively masks their zombie states.

"I probably said this a million times before but I can't get over the fact my makeup makes me look human!" Narancia exclaimed with a smile, looking at himself with gusto.

"I agree. Mr. Tatsumi sure has put his heart and soul into it so much in disguising ourselves as humans." Bucciarati concurred, not minding Narancia's enthusiasm.

"Indeed. Our disguise is so impressive that I have to remind myself that I'm still a zombie due to how good it is." Kakyoin smiled as he says this.

"He even knows what appropriate skin color some of us here have." Avdol nodded, wondering if he's back to being a human again because of how good his makeup is.

While the four are busy admiring their makeup, Johnny, Gyro and Rai are looking around the parking lot with the two jockeys being amazed how far the modes of transportation has evolved. They didn't expect technology would improve in making transportation much easier compared to carriages, horses and old-fashioned vehicles of their era.

"Hey Johnny. How do you bet I can use these things? I wanna see how advanced technology has become and compare it to horse riding." Gyro stated, not minding his disguise due to being focused on looking around with wide eyes.

"Maybe you can, if you learn how to use a...car, that is." Johnny responded, not hiding that he's gawking at the number of cars of varying sizes and colors are in the parking lot.

Rai remains quiet, being slightly amused of their reactions. He guesses cars are still a niche in their time.

---

"Everyone, make sure we don't find out we are zombies!"

Sakura reminds the girls with caution, hoping they're not forgetting that they're still zombies despite their disguise.

As Kakyoin and the boys wait for their turn in the audience, taking their time to detect anything out of ordinary as part of their "bodyguard duties", Sakura and the girls are in the backstage waiting for their turn. She chooses this time to remind the girls in a quiet voice that they shouldn't be found out as zombies as the last thing she wants is getting shot or sliced. Saki however doesn't seem worried due to how good her makeup is, saying, "That'll be a piece of cake! There's no way they can tell! SUPER EASY!" She shouts at the end, causing Sakura to panic when everyone is looking at them. "And to be honest, right now, I'm hot as hell!"

"I get it! I get it!" Sakura calms her down, not wanting to let her speak more that could provide hint of their undead state.

"Sorry for the wait," A staff member walks to the group as he announces, "Could the members of Green Face head to the stage?"

Thinking he got the name wrong, Sakura replies, "Um, actually... We're called Death Musume."

"Starting today, you're called ｢Green Face｣!"

The sliding doors are opened by Kotaro before walking inside as he declares what they're called from now on. "Kotaro-sa-"

"Listen up! You've gotta show these people the Green Face of your hearts...!" He declares, moving his hand to emphasize his point.

"I have no idea what that means-" She attempts to clarify what Kotaro's statement meant only for the producer to shout enthusiastically, pointing his finger as he yelled.

"OKAY! GET GOING! GO, GO, GO, GO!"

---

Lights are off as Sakura and the girls are shined on by the stage lights. Watching from the audience, the boys are seen sitting in certain spots like Kakyoin and Avdol sitting in the front, Johnny and Gyro located to the right, Rai choosing to sit on the left alone, and Bucciarati and Narancia situated behind the audience. Since the audience is full of elderly, everyone, including the metalhead duo (who seems to be the only fans the idols made so far and have come here wondering if the girls are gonna perform another metal concert) stick out like a sore thumb.

As the spotlight are on them, Sakura hopes that, some way or another, the concert would come out okay. With Saki still acting hostile over her having no guts according to Saki, Ai and Junko almost traumatized of being under attack by an enemy Stand and Yugiri, Lily and Tae (the former two seemingly getting along with each other when Kotaro applied make-up to the girls in the van) being passive but still not participating, she fears their second performance could crumble any moment. Turning to Kakyoin and see he's watching her, she feels comforted by his presence.

Holding back Tae when she tries to move, Sakura addresses the audience with a nervous smile. "I-It's nice to meet you all! We're ｢Green Musume｣! A-Ah, I mean, ｢Green Face｣!"

"Green Face?" Kakyoin repeated with a perplexed look. "Did Kotaro change the name at the last minute?"

"Appears so," Avdol replied, sharing his thought as well. "He should have thought of a proper name before this. Green Face doesn't suit them, especially when we all have blue faces."

"Geez Kotaro. You sure suck at naming." Narancia said in the back, baffled over the naming choice.

"B-By the way, I'm Number One and this girl is Number Zero and going down the line, Number Two, Number Three, Number Four..." Glancing to Saki, Ai and Junko, she turns to her right and is surprised when Yugiri is kneeling on the floor. "...er, Number Five and Number Six. Green Face is an idol group trying to revitalize Saga. Our singing and dancing are a little green too, but we practiced hard!"

"Did they though?" Johnny wonders. "I assume the girls didn't practice and Sakura only bothered to."

"Seems like it, with Sakura being the one doing the speaking and all." Gyro states.

Hoping for the best, Sakura turns to Saki, Ai and Junko as she says, "L-Let's do it." She raises Tae's hand as she exclaims, "Yeah!"

Standing in the backstage, Kotaro clicks his finger as he says, "Music. Come on."

Pop music starts playing and Sakura proceeds to dance, swaying to the beat. Unsurprisingly, Saki, Ai, Junko and Lily aren't dancing but Yugiri and Tae appears to follow Sakura, with the former sticking to what she did when she's alive in 19th century and the latter acting like what an unawakened zombie would do.

"What...is this?" The chubby metalhead questioned, having gone here to hear the girls scream their lungs out with his lanky friend. They appear dismayed ever since they hear the idols' new name.

Analyzing the performance, Rai mumbles, "I'm guessing the performance is gonna be terrible at best or disaster at worst...unless something unexpected happens."

As the music swells into its first verse, Sakura is about to sing when she notices Tae walking to the direction of an old man eating dried squids in the front. "T-Tae-chan!?"

"Uh oh. This spells trouble." Kakyoin was about to stand up and intercept her with his Stand when Sakura grabs Tae's arm when she tries to jump off the stage. "Tae-chan, stop!" She shouted, pulling the zombie back reacting to her instinct which is harder than expected. Undeterred, Sakura pulls Tae with all her might...

...and in the process, Tae's arms are detached.

"AH!" Sakura shouted again, realizing the trouble they're going to be in.

"Crap!" Kakyoin exclaims, standing up in shock. Avdol and the others react like him as well.

To make matters worse, Tae hits the floor hard enough her head is detached and bounces up in the air, to Sakura and Kakyoin's continued horror.

"There she goes!" Lily exclaims, watching Tae's head fall to the elderly holding a dried squid with her mouth opening with the intent of biting him...

As the audience in the front looks at Tae in surprise, the old man, unfazed he's holding a moving head, sees that she's looking at the dried squid he's holding. "Want some?" The elderly kindly asks, offering Tae his dried squid. The beheaded zombie bites it with gusto and chews with a happy look. She is then picked up by Sakura, who claims, "Ta-da! It's a trick, a little trick! It's a ｢Handead Power｣!" She extends her hand for emphasis. Tae's headless body runs pass her, much to her shock and fear. "Saki-chan! Catch!" She throws Tae's head to the stage as she moves to grab the body.

Catching in her arms after calculating where it's gonna land, Saki, with Ai and Junko watching from her side, looks at Tae chewing the squid with a curious look. "Doesn't that hurt?" She asks, seeing she's not feeling any pain of getting beheaded or is too busy tasting the squid to comprehend it.

"Okay! This is another trick!" Sakura claims again as she pulls Tae's body back to the stage. "It's ｢Undead Power｣!"

The audience buys into Sakura's claim that it's all an elaborate magic trick as they clap their hands. "I must say, I'm surprised," Avdol smiles in astonishment. "Sakura sure knows to put up a magic act."

"I'm surprised too. I hope nothing can go off the rails after that little hiccup." Kakyoin expected, still standing up to see if the "threat" is gone.

Once the body is on the stage, Sakura snatches Tae's head off Saki's hand and puts it back. Her relief is cut short not even a second when Saki, amused, grabs her head off her body, stating, "It's not like it's your head!"

"Saki-chan!"

While the audience keeps getting impressed except their bodyguards, Sakura snatches the head from her and tries to put it back only for Saki to push her, exclaiming, "Screw you!" Catching the head, Saki proudly presents it to the audience, stating, "Man, your head would pop off with your helmet like this!"

パァン

The sound of slapping echoes as Tae's head slams into the wall behind the girls before sliding down. She's still eating the dried squid as Sakura, having enough of Saki butting heads with her, shouts in her mic to her surprised face, "COULD YOU TRY TO HIDE THE FACT THAT WE'RE ZOMBIES!?"

Everyone goes silent over Sakura's bold remark, especially the guys who are freaking out on the inside when it looks like Sakura is accidentally exposing that they're zombies.

S-Sakura! Don't try to expose yourselves! Kakyoin thought too late, fearing the worst...

"You're not even trying to hide it! What kind of idols with heads that come off? How could we possible be human?! What kind of human can do that?! Is your brain rotting too, you stupid zombiiiiiiiiieeeeee?!" Sakura angrily shouted, daring to stand up against Saki.

"Alright bitch, BRING IT ON! You've got some guts, and now? I'm gonna kick your ass all the way to Hoto Shrine!" Saki responded back, not wanting to have her way drilling into her.

"If they find out we're zombies, we're extra dead! Are any of my words going through your head!? If you can't take this for real, then you're the zombie whose deal will be head for trauma that don't heal! How many more times before you regret it!? How many cops shoot us until you finally GET IT!?"

As this goes on, the zombie guys are left amazed, and worried, over their argument. Watching closely, Gyro notices their body movements are similar to how the three rappers move from last night. "Hey, I think I'm seeing where this is going." He guesses.

"Huh? What do you mean, Gyro?" Asks Johnny.

Kotaro, seeing where this is going and taking advantage of it, holds a microphone and proceed to beatbox as Sakura and Saki, with the lights dimming to red, continue their argument through ｢rapping｣.

BGM: DEAD OR RAP

You think I'm just gonna roll over for you and agree?
I died riding and now you want me to be an idol zombie?!
If the other choice is acting like a suck-up snot
You coulda left me in the ground, I'd rather rot!

Yugiri strums a shamisen to provide some music as she nods with the beat. Lily happily plays along, putting Tae's head back and holding a microphone to her mouth, who promptly chews it. Lily takes it in a stride as she encourages the audience to clap along in beat as Sakura is next to rap her lines.

I can't remember who I was before this all went down
But on the stage, I felt something click...
I'm not goody-two shoes, and nobody's clown.
I'm just trying to do more than be a worthless brick!

Who cares if you've got memories in your head?
You won't see your friends
And your Tamagotchi's long dead!
We're done, got it?!

Nothing's gonna change about that!

Hell no, we're not done!
We're just getting started!
We've got to keep moving ahead!
Or we'll just be the walking dead!

Even if we have died, we only stop when we decide
So stop running, and ride again!
Kick some ass
CAPTAIN!

Feeling she has mouthed Saki off, she turns her attention to Ai and Junko, aware of their reluctance to partake in idol singing despite being former idols.

And that goes for the two of you standing there!
Gonna act like losers when you're the celebrity pair?
You've got all the talent in the world
But the two of you girls are giving up without giving it a whirl!

Quit coming up with excuses about why you can't win!
If you got a little chance, try to do that then!
Even a zombie can do it if she tries,
And when you prove it, it shows dead souls can rise!

The audience is really enjoying the performance, seeing it as unforeseen but nonetheless entertaining. What they didn't expect more is Sakura willing to spit out rhymes against them, specifically the elderly, as well.

Yo, that goes for all you old folks, too!
Tell anyone who talks about golden years to go screw!
Napping in the porch in the afternoon? Not you!
They're worried about a low rate of birth?

Show them all what silver's worth!
If they wanna blame you for everything anyway
Keep active and show you're here to stay!
BANG!

Sakura ends the rap battle but throwi- no... Slamming the microphone to the floor. Three seconds later, the audience cheers Sakura and Saki uproariously for the rap battle they conducted. They didn't paid much attention to the lyrics, not that it matters when their argument spirals into singing out lines accompanied by a catchy rhythm and beat. The cheer is such that the girls are surprised over the praise they are getting. "Their reaction..."

"...For real?" Saki finishes, looking at every single elderly cheering for them.

"I've... I've never seen anything like that before..." The chubby metalhead cries in joy over what he and his lanky friend watched. "It feels like her head are about to pop off any second..." The other added.

"Of all the probabilities I calculated, this is one possibility I didn't expect..." Rai stated in surprise.

"Woohoo! Gooooooooo Green Face!" Narancia shouts in joy.

"Hahahaha! Never thought those two would end up in a rap battle." Bucciarati added in amazement.

Whistling in approval, Gyro says, "Those two sure got heated up on the stage. I guess rapping isn't really that bad after all. Right, Johnny?"

"Yeah... This is my first time listening it and I'm captivated immediately." Johnny concurs, smiling as he claps.

Avdol is entertained from what he watched, stating, "The change in genre is unexpected but Sakura and Saki made it work somehow. Don't you agree Kakyoin?"

"...I guess." He replies, looking at Sakura still surprised from the cheer she and the girls are getting.

---

"We did it again." Sakura uttered, wrapping her head that their second performance went off in a sudden but successful one. She's with Kakyoin, also trying to wrap his head that it went off in a hitch despite almost getting exposed.

"First, screaming in a death metal concert and now, an impromptu rap battle? You sure know how to adapt and sing, Sakura." Kakyoin congratulates her, making the redhead girl sheepishly chuckle

"O-Oh, it's nothing. I'm just... adapting to the situation like you said, that's all!" She humbly insisted.

"Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura turns around and sees it's Saki who called her. Believing she may have insulted her too much and she's probably irritated, she tries to apologize. "Um, sorry about earlier..."

"｢You've got guts｣, after all!"

"Huh?" She and Kakyoin lets out when they heard her expressing praise.

"Never thought you'd start rapping like that! I love it!" She puts her arm around her shoulder as she continues, "Plus that egg-looking head of yours reminds me of my Tamagotchi."

"Egg-looking?" Looking closely to her head, Kakyoin sees where Saki is getting at. "Hmm, you do have an egg-shaped head Sakura."

"S-Seriously...?" She raises an eyebrow over his remark.

"Just an observation. Don't take it seriously." He shrugs with a chuckle.

"Idols, huh? Might be a decent way to take over, come to think of it." Saki looks up in the sky, now seeing that being an idol isn't gonna be so bad.

Uh, today wasn't very idol-ish, though Sakura thought with an abashed smile. Despite that, she's happy the performance didn't become a disaster.

"You mean that in a good way?" Kakyoin questioned.

"Of course! Oh, by the way, you remember when you used your Stand to grab me without my consent?"

"...What? You're still mad about it?"

Saki seemingly scrutinizes him with a glare before shrugging as she says, "Nah. Forget about it. As much as I'm pissed I may never gain a Stand, maybe being an idol is a better option, so don't go thinkin' up on an apology as I excused you for your action yesterday."

"If you think that way, alright. Glad to see there's no more friction between us."

As the zombies in disguise watch their conversation, the staff shakes hand with Kotaro, congratulating him and telling him to come again if he feels like it. He turns to Sakura and smiles, silently thanking her for the performance she did.

As the sun sets, the evening passes by without incident.

To be continued

---

Stand Analysis:

Black Sabbath

Destructive Power: E (A - When grabbing someone)
Speed: A
Range: A
Durability: C
Precision: E
Developmental Potential: E

Black Sabbath is an automatic Stand who lurks in the shadows to seek any living beings and stab them using the arrow hidden in its mouth so its captor can either survive and gain a Stand or die trying, whether they want it or not. As its power draws on shadows, it is quite powerful and fast enough to grab someone before they can act, tough to withstand even the harshest blows when it's moving quickly and has long range required to grab anyone it first sees.

Hierophant Green (User: Noriaki Kakyoin)

Destructive Power: C
Speed: B
Range: A
Durability: B
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: D

Hierophant Green is a long distance Stand having the ability to unravel its entire body into tentacles or tendrils for various purposes like using it as a rope, avoiding damage to its user and weaving a sensitive 20-meter radius web that detects enemy movements. It is also capable of entering inside a person's body to forcefully control them, although Kakyoin rarely uses due to its inhumane nature.

Its most noticeable technique is its Emerald Splash, which lets Hierophant Green fire a barrage of emeralds after gathering energy in liquid form on its hands before discharging them as emeralds. While certain individuals can block and deviate the attack, its blast range, shotgun-like launch, destructive power and high speed make this attack its most powerful technique under a right strategy.

Magician's Red (User: Muhammad Avdol)

Destructive Power: B
Speed: B
Range: C
Durability: B
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: D

A close-range Stand with a head of a bird on top of its humanoid body, Magician's Red can generate fire that Avdol manipulates freely, allowing him to shoot it as projectiles, form shapes, control how powerful the fire is, and even detonating them.

Various techniques have been formed related to the Stand's fire-controlling ability. This include Cross Fire Hurricane, its special variant, Red Bind and Life Detector.

---

After a whole month of writing and delays, I finally got to finish the second chapter!

Hello everyone! Sorry if you waited so long for the second chapter to be finished. Life got in my way in the form of schoolwork, doing tasks for my family and my brothers using the computer so long that I can't get to write and edit this chapter. Sure I got a phone to write and edit it but to properly prepare a fanfic for updating, I have to use a computer since the functions is pretty much advanced compared to writing on a phone.

Also, it was supposed to be two weeks that I must post a new chapter but as stated above, it wasn't possible. But enough about my daily life. Let's go to the author's notes, shall we?

As you can see from the last scene of first chapter and in this chapter, everyone, except Tae, have been awakened. Since there are now fifteen characters I have to write, the second chapter took longer than I thought it would be, especially when I added the first Stand battle in the form of Black Sabbath. Then again, I would have supposed to write seventeen characters but I have to remove two characters so I can focus on the fourteen zombies and our crazy producer.

Who are these two characters, you ask? Why, it's Josuke Higashikata and Okuyasu Nijimura.

I originally planned to include the two in the fanfic and play the role similar to Jotaro in Part 4 but after thinking on where the fanfic shall go, I decide to axe them. As much as I want Josuke to interact with Rai considering he knows Gappy despite being different person and Okuyasu being, well, Okuyasu even after two decades later, as stated above, I want to focus more on the zombies and Kotaro for worldbuilding purposes.

Speaking of cut ideas, I originally intended for Saki and Yugiri to gain a Stand later in the story or its sequel. After much consideration, I chose to not let these two have a Stand, with Sakura being the only idol explicitly stated to see and gain a Stand. However, I may change my mind if you really want them to have a Stand. While I'm not planning Saki and Yugiri to have one in this fanfic, I may consider it when the sequel rolls around.

And also, there's a Zombie Land Saga movie in the works, so I guess I have to write and integrate it to the AU... Nevetheless, I'm excited for the movie to come out as much as I'm excited to watch Stone Ocean when December comes!

So! How do you think I wrote the characters? Are they not OOC? Did I hit their personality right? Or is there something I need to consider regarding them? I hope I'm doing them justice like Johnny, who have definitely changed after Steel Ball Run to remind you all who finished reading Part 7, otherwise feel free to tell me where I got their character wrong. I want nothing more than to be faithful to their personalities while I consider the combined elements from both anime.

As for the enemy Stands they will encounter in the fanfic, I decide to use Stands from various Parts. It's not like I'm lazy or anything because I came up with original Stands for this fanfic, which includes Sakura's Stand, but because I find some Stands to be my favorite due to their abilities, versatileness, and even the users themselves. In this case, I chose Black Sabbath to be the first enemy they encounter. What Stands I may add in this story? Well, you will have to read the next chapters and find out. While there may be Stand battles, I'll make sure to give the zombies some breathing room so they don't get to fight Stands continuously and take time to know each other, with the girls singing and dancing their way and bring Saga to attention through their idol duties.

Also, there will be differences on how an enemy Stand operates compared to their apperances in JoJo, like Black Sabbath having average defense to give Gyro a fighting chance, especially when the fight is set at night. The Stand has become formidable, which is required to give Sakura, Ai and Junko an impression, but making sure it's not as tough like when Giorno and Koichi fought it. This is the very first enemy Stand after all, so I hope I gave Black Sabbath justice while making sure it's not as difficult and tough due to being the first in the line of Stands who will kill the idols and bodyguards. I imagine that the enemies are gonna get tougher, especially in the end.

With all of the important things to know being laid out in the author's notes, I'm signing off to enjoy life and write the third chapter. Have a good day and please stay safe, everyone!