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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.

All Parts of the JJBA are all owned by Hirohiko Araki.

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Chapter 12: Mirror Mirror, Part 2

Fugo gritted his teeth at the situation.

Despite Abbacchio being the oldest, Bruno had put the former scholar in charge of the situation. This 'treasure hunt' the boss had put them through required cleverness and awareness of the ruins, something he was known to have due to extensive research of this place in the past. And right now, that knowledge offered little to no way to predict what to do against this kind of enemy. A Stand that worked around Mirrors? The notion wasn't that absurd to believe, in fact, it sounded like a brilliant ability for an assassin to have. Clean, diligent and… quite difficult to counter. They had no means to reach their current foe if they were actually using mirrors to create a personal dimension to operate on a limited area. The only 'saving grace', if it could be called as such, was that the mirrors within Pompeii were placed in known locations and Fugo had a distinct idea where those were and the path to take to avoid those. The slow paced approach did nothing to soothe the nerves of himself and the rest of the group.

Abbacchio was the worst due to how frustrated he was getting. Not unusual, but also not appreciated at the moment. Caren looked around, eyes adding extra awareness for any unexpected ambush along the way and… Giorno was an anomaly in a way. Guarded as his stance might be, the young man looked particularly in control of his own unease. Quite unique, and extremely crucial so that at least one in his team managed to hold their wits in case he got caught. The last thing he needed was for their current enemy to apply a 'divide and conquer' tactic, splitting them from one another and then picking on them individually. That would be dreadful, but not out of question. If someone with that power was pushed onto a corner, their best bet would be to prepare a surprise to trick them. To render Fugo's knowledge of the mirrors normally present in the ruins void if not deadly on them. Which is why he was keen to look around corners with quick glances, pulling back and then resuming the walk. And eventually they reached the building they were meant to get in, their attention heightened due to the tight turns for each corridor. The old walls allowed no sound to pass through, leaving just visual awareness as their best bet to predict any trap laid for them.

And soon they reached it, the room where the key was. The dog-like painting on the floor at the entrance of the large room confirmed it was the right place, and he could have just waltzed in and got it. But it was there that a chilling feeling passed through his spine. Abbacchio was about to cross the entrance and enter the room, but he was stopped by Fugo himself, his hand gripping tightly at his arm before pulling the former policeman away from any surprises.

"What?"

Fugo gave him a long look, making it clear that it was something serious but that he couldn't tell more about it. If the Stand User they were fighting against could use the mirrors to see, then he could theoretically use them to hear them. Soon he glanced at his fellow blond, words already pending by his tongue.

"Giorno, can you turn one of the pebbles into an insect and check the room for any mirrors?"

A simple request, one that Giorno nodded silently to as he retrieved a small rock and used his Stand's power to turn in a small fly. Nothing unusual, this kind of insect was common in the ruins. The fly calmly floated around before following a shaky flight into the room, checking around and then slowly making its way back to them and… landing on Fugo's palm and turning back in a pebble. The man felt upset, having a slight hatred for this kind of pest due to the sickness they could draw out… but this wasn't a normal fly and surely that didn't apply to it. He believed it. Or else there would be a murder.

"The fly was given a compulsion to turn to you in case there was one," Giorno explained the last act of the temporary living being. "There is one inside."

And that was bad news. Now, it wasn't the worst and something could be done if the angle was in their favor.

"Which side?"

"Right from the entrance, I would say around the closest corner."

Fugo's lips twitched in clear annoyance. This meant that any plans to ricochet an object against their current target could end up in a failure or worse depending on the projectile itself. And the response adopted by their current enemy to any failure to kill them.

"What do we do now?" Caren inquired, the girl unsure on what course of action could be taken in this difficult situation. "I don't see a viable angle to try and predict where the mirror is."

And even then, there was no indication if that would be enough or if the enemy Stand was just going to do something to the projectile itself. The first time could have been a fluke, that Fugo could see as a bad possibility for them. Still, the man didn't allow fear to take hold of his mind. No, there were many things he could do, with one of those being more risky than others. Fugo remained silent, pensive, hopeful and yet that very hope didn't last long as he could tell that he would have to do something quite extreme and unpleasant for him to get this situation dealt with. But… it had to be done.

"I would suggest you all take a step back," Fugo suddenly warned, his voice remaining serious as he stared at the entrance, ignoring the potential surprise from the rest as he prepared himself to use his own ability to clear the room. "Abbacchio, I'm about to use it."

Leone tensed up, reluctance building up instantly at the notice as he knew this could become troublesome if Fugo didn't get the proper amount of concentration to control the 'beast inside'. Footsteps ensued, they took a safe distance and soon… it came out as he demanded. His Stand, ｢Purple Haze｣, was not the normal kind of spirit anyone would want to have. Not when Fugo knew how unstable it was. Deranged, insane, and a manifestation of its user's inner despair when it comes to his madness tied to the past years, before he became a mafia man. The worst representation of his own flaws, and yet bearing an ability that was particularly useful. A flesh-eating virus- one that procured that kind of quick and painful death. Either by proximity or through the small capsules it had by its knuckles. Purple Haze was a humanoid Stand with a similar height and build to Fugo's. Its face and body are patterned by horizontal lozenges of alternating shade, purple and white. Armor pieces reinforced its shoulders, elbows, and knees. The Stand's lips and appendages are loosely stitched closed, and its eyes have distinct irides with miotic pupils, portraying the endless madness held within its contorted mind. It adorned a Roman Legionary-like black helmet, with a transparent visor in the approximate shape of a beak.

The plan was simple: use one of the capsules to get the job done. The Stand could eject those with the same speed from a pressurized gun. This projectile couldn't bounce and ricochet, but the range of the virus was so that it could cover up a large section of the corner and reach the mirror. And since the virus is something that influences the environment and isn't inherently 'controlled' by his Stand, it means that it should influence the one beyond the mirror without having to cross it. And that proved to be the case as Fugo went through with this plan. First, he had to make sure his Stand obeyed him as ｢Purple Haze｣ was the kind of Stand that didn't follow orders, but accepted targets. And, in this case, the target wasn't something he was fully aware of. So, it was quite the blind kind of target, but one that ｢Purple Haze｣ still recognized as a viable option to attack.

Roaring and smearing some of the ground with the drool pouring from its lips in the process, the Stand threw one of the capsules, the golden orb cracking and revealing the purplish smoke held within it. Fugo tensed just for a moment, worried that the smoke could reach him since the virus could hurt him too, but he was relieved when it stopped before that could happen. ｢Purple Haze｣ was quickly 'removed' to prevent any surprises from the Stand, leaving just silence beyond the virus sizzling within the air and consuming anything alive in its proximity. It was going to last for half a minute, and that was going to be enough to kill anything in its proximity. Now, there were two possibilities: 1) The enemy managed to somehow dodge the counter-ambush and 2) they failed to do so and were struck by it, leading to a 30-seconds death from the infection unfolding. And soon, an answer came in the form of an unpleasant noise of something wet falling on the ground. A line of blood managed to make its way around the corner, a thin line- and then the noise of a mirror breaking.

The virus soon dissipated, allowing the group to finally check inside and see that their foe had actually broken the window… and ditched the skin of his hand that had contracted the infection. It was distant enough for them to get to the small crack within the ground where the key had been left in by the boss. Now that the item they were after was now in their hold, it was time to get out of this enclosed space. Considering the circumstance, a new question came up to Fugo's mind: should they just leave and fear a possible new ambush from this Stand User or actually try to kill them here now that they had a bit of an advantage? While the latter options sounded enticing, they had small chances of getting a repeat to unfold about what happened in the key's room, and Fugo could tell that any confrontation would still put them in peril.

"It would be best if we tried," Giorno argued calmly. "Sure, it could be a gamble, but I believe it would be only right to prevent this kind of enemy from tracking us down again and creating more trouble for us."

"More like this could kill us if we try to fight this guy here in his turf. We should trick him somewhere else rather than beg for death," Abbacchio sharply rebuked, confirming his opposition to this notion. But while the two men yelled about it, Fugo's attention trailed slightly to Caren. The girl was quiet, yet it was clear she was thinking about the situation itself. There was a hint of 'mischievousness' that left the blond perplexed, even more as he finally noticed that she was getting close to the reach of a nearby mirror. Unconsciously? No, it was done on purpose. And that was enough to get the man to tense up.

"What are you doing, Caren?"

Caren's posture stiffened, but her pace didn't falter. No, it increased. Abbacchio noticed what was going on, rushing to catch up to her, but… it was too late. Fugo yelled, Leone just lunged to try and stop the girl but… she was gone as she reached the mirror's range. Shock entered their system at that development, unable to digest that the girl just decided to be exposed to their foe's Stand and be dragged into the mirror world. Giorno looked as shocked as the rest, stunned by this foolish decision. Ten minutes passed, the worry remained the same if not increasing due to the unpleasant silence and then… Caren hummed, back in reality and dragging a dead body of Illuso with what looked to be a large knife. The sight was surreal considering the fact that the girl didn't look physically strong to handle the hurdle, but also because she didn't have a Stand to fend off the one used by their foe.

"How did you fight a Stand? You don't have one and-"

"His right hand was weakened, so he couldn't react fast enough for attacks coming from that direction," The girl explained flawlessly, interrupting Fugo. "Also, he called it to help too late as he thought I was weaker than he was, I already had him by his legs."

"But how did you see the Stand?" Fugo inquired curtly and the small girl 'smiled'.

"I have a gift from… my mother's side. I can see and 'feel' to a degree spirits and curses around me."

Vicious, devilish and… chilling as Caren smiled through the exposition. Leone frowned, while Fugo could only worry that this girl was far from normal. In a way, it reminded him of… well, him. The way she behaved, the 'logical maturity' which she was keen to portray around others except with Sakura… this was a sign of a tough childhood. Either that or the Church was indeed training children to be this violent and yet cautious with the way they handled this kind of job once they reached adulthood. Very odd, but not as odd as when he contacted their capo and learned that they had to relocate after an attack. A grim look appeared on his face, and Fugo felt they could have been faster. That this could have been solved quicker.

Then, he felt his memory of when he was berating Narancia about his 'sloppy work', somewhat feeling on the other side and getting defended by those that defended his close friend. Yes, in a way, he could see that his self-disappointment was unwarranted… but he was still someone that had many flaws and many sins to repent about. And sometimes… The guilt was just unpleasant.

But for now, his inner issues would have to wait. Like usual. He needed to help Bruno reach the top and… change things for good.

Meanwhile, California...

"You're awfully quiet, Jotaro."

Doctor Jotaro Kujo, Marine Biologist, father of two and beloved husband, was far from happy due to the recent circumstances. The man was just good at hiding that kind of irritation, of worry, of inner turmoil that generally left him in a perpetual bad mood away from others. But there were a few people that could tell apart if he was being honest with his stiffness or just being 'normal' as he tended to be. One was his mother, then his wife, his daughters and… then the very pink-eyed pest checking on him out of the blue. She didn't even announce herself as she entered his office, almost surprising him into making a mistake in his report-writing.

Very unnerving, but not uncommon considering their bizarre bond.

His 'former' Servant was still wearing her classic 'civilian' clothes. Her brown hair was combed short and mostly hidden by her white hat, she wore a long yellow thin coat and, under it, a light-blue shirt and dark-blue pants with yellow sandals. Around her neck, a white and magenta striped scarf that seemed to exalt more her pinkish gaze. Still, that smile was the same. The smile of a pest he had grown quite fond of as a long-lasting close friend.

"Xuanzang. You didn't mention coming back this soon," The researcher carefully greeted, trying to not let his nerves further dig him in the hole the Servant was dropping him into with that half-tease.

"That's because I forgot," The Caster replied sheepishly. "Still I had a good reason to forget that. After all, I was quite far away when I learned that Sakura is currently dealing with some crazy adventure in Italy and I wanted to quickly check on you once I was done with a particularly difficult mission of mine."

Jotaro held back a huff, he could tell that Xuanzang was meaning it all. And not to tease or gloat, but to genuinely check how he was faring. His wife had already given him a lecture, but not for the reasons he had hoped for. He thought Lena would have just conceded that their eldest daughter would need his help to protect her, to make sure she wasn't hurt during that vacation-turned-adventure. Instead the woman had stunned him once again by chiding him for 'ruining this for Sakura'. They had many discussions about this, how he had suddenly grown too overbearing when it came to protecting his family.

After what happened in 1994, Jotaro felt compelled to at least give it a try, to make his affection be felt through more direct action. But what he got in the end was a slice of grievances raised by his own wife about his 'overprotective' nature. Too much? His mother believed so herself. And this wasn't even the beginning of his own worry. Not when he learned that Polnareff had been once sent to Italy and had mostly gone quiet during this time. Jotaro knew of Jean-Pierre enough to not doubt his skills, but if the guy suffered some event that forced him into hiding, then there was something dangerous it was best to not approach anytime soon. Not this close to the wasps' nest.

"Are you even listening to me?" An impatient Xuanzang asked loudly, yanking him off from his musing. "I swear, you are even more in the clouds with that mind of yours when you are in this place. Still, how are you?"

"Good."

"Then we can talk about it further by dinner. I've already checked on Lena and Jolyne and… I suppose you didn't get the news."

News? Jotaro felt the need to brace for something incredibly foolish that the woman had done. And could it be tied to the 'difficult mission' she mentioned keeping her from contacting them before her return. And soon he was given an answer as Xuanzang giggled.

"I wish to introduce you to..." The Caster paused, her eyes widened as she aimed her open palm to… introduce an empty space within the room. Surprise entered the girl's gaze, but the marine biologist could tell that she wasn't 'wrong' that it wasn't just them. A quick glance around found a third individual inside. A very small and very distracted little girl that was staring at a map of fishes he had on one of his walls, wonder and delight exuding from those curious golden eyes of hers. She had long brown hair that trailed down and created some contrast with her light-themed outfit, a small pink dress over her white one-piece and pink sandals.

"Oh! Kiara, I told you to not wander off," The woman half-whined, but that seemed to be enough to get the child's attention as she panicked about being caught staring before proceeding to walk up to them. "Still, Jotaro, I wish to introduce you to my new ward. She is Kiara, Kiara Sesshouin."

"Hi," The little girl added shily and the man nodded.

"I'm Jotaro Kujo."

The little brunette blinked. "You're Jolyne's dad?"

"Yes," Jotaro replied quietly and the girl hummed.

"Is it true that you study fishes and the sea?" The child asked curiously.

"...Yes?"

"Really?"

"Kiara, there is no need to be this pushy with Mr. Kujo," Xuanzang pointed out, and the girl looked slightly mortified. "Still, she is quite enamored by the sea. Her favorite tale is the Little Mermaid."

"Andersen?" Jotaro guessed, trying to remember the tale itself. It was ironic that his mother tended to read it a lot to him, except what he really cared, what he really remembered, was overall the story and the fact it was a bit of influence for his current job's expectations.

"Yeah."

"I took her in after her father 'left her under my care'. She was sickly for a time, but I managed to heal her up and now she is happy and loves to swim when possible."

Kiara smiled giddily at the mention of swimming, and Jotaro could tell this encounter was one planned by the Servant. Which meant there was a catch behind this kind of interaction and he had yet to be subjected to it.

"So, since we were here, I thought it would have been nice for Kiara to get a tour of the place. Also, I heard you have a souvenir stand to buy plushies?"

The more Xuanzang spoke, the more Kiara's eyes glowed in interest and… proceeded to then give him puppy eyes to get what she wanted out of this situation. He could only sigh in frustration at that little trap but… perhaps it wouldn't be that bad if he took a break and thought of something else. Maybe that could do something to keep his mind away from Sakura's possible plight and… maybe he could get to see what was up with little Kiara and why he could tell she wasn't exactly a normal child for Xuanzang to take care of her out of the blue.

Still, he would soon learn that this little girl was quite like himself when he was a little boy. Interested, polite, and interested in marine biology. Yep, this wasn't too bad.

AN

Purple Haze was revealed, Caren showed her skills to others and it will lead to an interesting conversation with Abbacchio about it, and… yeah, Kiara will appear in the sequel and she will be among the good guys. For those that don't get the images of her, the reference is her lily form.

REVIEW Q&A

Guest 1 (Chapter 11): She is going to be the Joestar Hero in the Sequel, Caren, Shinji and Shirou being the JoBros.

Guest 2 (Chapter 11): Not much, she is protective of Jolyne and such. Rin? She had many thoughts about her in the past, but it's been years and she wouldn't be able to know how to feel the same sisterly way she felt back when they were young. The same doesn't apply with Rin, she definitely miss Sakura a lot. Dark Sakura? Yes, but it's not that simple and not about Sakura Kujo.