Lamp Entertainment presents…

Chapter 16: Welcome to Beach City, Act 3

All our times have come
Here, but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain

Jotaro cursed under his breath and loosened his seat belt.

"Stay here," he grunted and opened the door, forcing himself to step outside where it was somehow even colder than inside the car.

"W-wait just a minute!" Josuke protested. "Jotaro, what are you doing? Do you know that man?"

Jotaro didn't answer. He just stepped outside and slammed the door shut.

The freezing wind tore into him, stabbing, biting and stinging his flesh, pelting him with large, heavy snowflakes.

Cold has this way of getting inside of you, of burying itself deep within your body. Fire may burn your skin and flesh, but cold will penetrate into your bones, your very core. True cold hurts more than any fire or heat.

Jotaro ignored all of that and simply pushed through the snow and the pain towards the man he saw on the street. Towards Dio.

"Jotaro Kujo…" he said, that ever-present condescending smirk still decorating his face. Indeed, he looked identical to the man Jotaro had killed so long ago. "So, you've come to…"

"ORA!" Dio didn't get to finish his sentence before Star Platinum's fist collided with his face. There was enough force behind that punch to turn a human head into mist. Hardly necessary though. Instead of blood and gore, Dio's skull turned into snow. His entire body crumbled and fell apart into a harmless pile of snow the moment Star Platinum's fist connected with it.

"Of course," Jotaro muttered. It was nothing more than a trick, an illusion. What a pain.

"Oh me, oh my…" he heard a female's voice whispering behind him. He turned towards it and found Ava sitting in a snowbank.

"You're quite ruthless, aren't you?" she laughed with a large, toothy grin. "You didn't even hesitate to blow his head off." She sighed. "You didn't hesitate much about crushing my skull either, did you? Do you have any mercy at all?"

"Not for the likes of you," Jotaro said and let Star Platinum at her, reducing her back into snow. "I have no pity for monsters."

"Are we monsters?" said another voice from behind him. Two more figures Jotaro recognized from long ago. Steely Dan and the impostor Captain Tennille.

"Were we nothing but monsters to you?" Steely Dan asked. "Or were we just obstacles standing in your way, hurdles to be jumped over… or walls to be crushed?"

"Do you even remember taking our lives?" the impostor Captain Tennille continued. "Or have you forgotten about us? Do you feel any remorse for those you have killed?"

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Star Platinum roared and reduced the apparitions back to snow.

"You deserved it," Jotaro muttered, gritting his teeth to stop them from chattering. This was useless. These spirits from the past couldn't hurt him. But the cold could. He had to get himself and the boys out of the storm, quickly, before they all froze to death. He turned back towards the car but stopped dead in his tracks almost immediately.

Noriaki Kakyoin, Muhammad Avdol, and Iggy stood before him. They looked just like they had on that fateful day all those years ago.

"Then what about us?" Avdol asked. "Did we deserve to die, Mr. Kujo?"

"N-no…" Jotaro stuttered, reflexively taking a step backward.

"Then why did you let us die, JoJo?" Kakyion asked.

"I-I didn't…"

"You should have saved us," Kakyoin continued. "But you didn't. And now you have brought three more people with you just to die."

"N-no, I… I…" Jotaro violently shook his head, trying to clear it. "I… I see now." What a pain, getting all worked up over some simple illusions. The people in front of him weren't real, they couldn't hurt him. It was nothing more than a cheap tactic to confuse him. It was all the workings of this stand. "I understand now."

"Do you?" said a deep voice, seemingly whispered by the wind itself. In the distance, Jotaro saw a red light shining through the darkness and falling snow. The light was slowly approaching and firmly fixed on him. "Do you truly understand the weight of your sins?"

It wasn't a person Jotaro had ever met, yet it was someone he knew. Someone that had long walked by his side. A skeleton made from ice, clad in a robe of pure darkness, carrying a sharp scythe in its hand. The red light shone from within one of its eye sockets.

"Death follows you, Jotaro Kujo," The Reaper said. "Wherever you go, people die, be it by your hand or for you." Despite the howling wind drowning out almost every other sound, he could still hear The Reaper's words clearly. Its jaw was unmoving. It was like its words were carried by the wind directly into his ear, his brain, his very soul. "For that, you will pay the ultimate price."

The Reaper readied its scythe, lifting it high up as if to slice down a particularly tough straw of wheat.

"MER-O!" it roared and swung the scythe at Jotaro.

Star Platinum appeared to block the sharp edge. It shattered The Reaper's weapon with a fierce battle cry.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Star Platinum launched a flurry of punches against the skeleton, crushing, demolishing, shattering it into hundreds of tiny icy shards, indistinguishable

from the snow around them.

But the red light did not fade, nor did it stop starring at Jotaro. It only drifted a meter or two away. The very air around it started solidifying, freezing into ice, forming a new body.

"Your time has come, Jotaro Kujo," it said. "It is useless to resist."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Josuke yelled, the foolish young boy coming running to Jotaro's aid.

"DORA!" Crazy Diamond cried, launching its own attack. But the mighty fist never reached its target. A very sudden and very powerful gust of wind emanated from The Reaper. It was strong enough to blow Josuke several meters back and send him flying into a snowbank.

"This does not concern you, Josuke Higashikata," The Reaper said. Its new body was done and it began approaching Jotaro once again. "Stay back. You cannot save this man."

"Josuke," Jotaro said. "Get the car back on the road. I'll deal with this thing."

"B-but…"

"MER-O!" The Reaper attacked once again. "MER-O MER-O MEEEEEEER!"

"Go!" Jotaro yelled and summoned forth Star Platinum to block the incoming strikes. The Reaper wasn't particularly strong, fast or tough. No match for Star Platinum… most of the time. But in this cold…

Jotaro could feel his fingers and toes become numb, a stabbing sensation like a thousand needles creeping through his limbs. All the heat was slowly being drained from his body. He could only keep fighting for a few more minutes before he'd succumb to the cold.

All this was not helped by the fact that he could barely see a thing for all the snow falling. And it just kept coming more and more and more.

xxXXxx

"Hey are you okay Josuke?" Okuyasu shouted while running towards Josuke, Koichi right behind him. He reached out towards Josuke and helped pull him to his feet. "You were running at that skeleton thing and then you went flying."

"Yeah, I noticed," Josuke muttered, standing back up, covered from head to toe in snow. He shivered as he felt melting snow run down his neck and back. The only parts of his body that weren't cold were his old scars from his fight against Kira. They hurt so badly, it felt like burning. He wasn't sure, but he had a vague recollection of the doctor telling him not to get thrown around by supernatural gusts of wind. Whatever, he didn't have time to follow the doctor's orders.

"I-I don't think any of us will be able to get close to it," Josuke said, his words nearly drowned by the howling wind. "It only wants to fight Jotaro."

"It looks pretty tough," Koichi said. "Whenever Star Platinum breaks it, it just reforms."

"Exactly," Josuke said. "Which is why we have to get out of this snowstorm." He grabbed them both and began dragging them back towards the car, which was slowly being buried underneath the snow, just like everything else. "Quickly, we need to get the car back on the road. Koichi, you take the wheel. Okuyasu, you try and erase some of this snow. I'll push."

The car didn't look like it was damaged too much, the crash cushioned by the soft snow. But just to be on the safe side, Josuke used Crazy Diamond on it, just to make sure they weren't trying to drive a broken car. Koichi jumped into the driver's seat, turned on the engine and hit the gas. The tires skidded uselessly against the ground, unable to push past the barricade of fluffy white snow. Okuyasu summoned forth The Hand and started to remove some of the snow blocking the car.

Josuke ran to the back of the car, put his hands against the trunk and pushed for all he was worth. The metal was gelid, biting his hands with bitter cold teeth. He couldn't find any good footing, his shoes sliding on the icy grass and he nearly fell over again.

Crazy Diamond appeared by his side to help push, but the car still didn't budge.

"GAAAHHHHH!" He let out a frustrated scream. He closed his eyes and pushed even harder. He could feel the old wound in his leg throbbing harder as he put too much weight on it, but he didn't care.

He could live with the pain in his leg. But he couldn't live with the pain of losing another friend.

He would move this car if it so killed him.

"Move, dammit!" he cried, but the car refused to budge even a millimeter.

A single warm tear rolled down Josuke's cheek, quickly turning into ice

"Not again," he whispered. "I'm not… I'm not strong enough… I can't… save them…"

"Josuke…" a voice whispered to him. A voice Josuke knew very well. But it couldn't be…

"Gramps?" He opened his eyes and was met by the old man looking back at him. Ryohei Higashikata was exactly as he was the day he died. Clad in his blue police uniform and with a warm smile on his face.

"Hello Josuke," he said. "Looks like you've gotten yourself into quite the mess."

"I-I…" Josuke was speechless. Out of the darkness and snow stepped two more people he knew. Aya and Shigechi.

"Hello," Aya said with a sigh.

"Hey Josuke!" Shigechi said and waved at him excitedly.

"You're… I get it," Josuke slowly said. This stand's ability… such a terrifying one. He had seen figures of snow appearing before Jotaro but didn't know who or what they were. But now he understood it perfectly. "You're all the people I couldn't save." His knees felt weak. His entire body felt weak. He could feel Crazy Diamond fade away from his side and more tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Whoa, hold on there, that's not quite right!" Gramps said quickly.

"You got it all wrong," Shigechi continued. "Shame on you Josuke, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

"This stand did not bring us here to haunt you," Aya said. "It brought us here to thank you."

"Thank me?" Josuke asked. "For what? For getting you all killed?"

Gramps shook his head.

"Josuke, you didn't get any of us killed," he said.

"But I did!" Josuke said. "I let Angelo kill you. I shouldn't have let his stand out of sight, but I did. And now you're gone." Heavy tears fell off his face, landing on the ground as droplets of ice. "If I had just been there with Shigechi when he met Kira, I could have saved him. If I had been a bit faster, I could have saved Aya. I let you all die." He fell to his knees, sobbing.

Gramps, Shigechi, and Aya hunched down, looking him in the eyes. They were all smiling.

"Oh Josuke, you big dummy," Shigechi said. "How many people have you saved?"

"Uh… I…"

"More so than you could possibly imagine," Aya said. "You have saved countless lives. Not just by healing the injured, but also by stopping those who would continue to hurt others hadn't you stopped them."

"Yeah, you defeated Kira!" Shigechi said. "He can't hurt my parents or anyone else, ever. And that's thanks to you!"

"B-but… I couldn't beat him…"

"No, but you came pretty damn close," Gramps said. "Josuke, you very nearly stopped a serial killer who had gone untouched for decades on your own. Everyone needs help sometimes, but you're so strong. Stronger than you give yourself credit for." He stood back up, Shigechi and Aya following suit. "Now, are you going to let some damn car stand in your way?"

Their warm smiles shined upon him like three small suns, melting away all the cold around him. Josuke felt new strength fill his chest and radiating throughout his body. He wiped his tears and stood back up.

"What am I doing? I don't have time to cry," he said, smiling back at the dead standing before him. "I've got cars to move and vampire asses to kick!"

"Attaboy!" Gramps said and saluted him. "I'm proud of you, Josuke."

"I'm rooting for you, JoJo!" Shigechi said.

"Thank you for everything," Aya said. "Good luck."

And with that, they all faded away and turned into piles of snow.

"Goodbye," Josuke whispered. He stood silent for a second before he suddenly remembered that he was in the middle of a deadly snowstorm. The cold hit him like a truck full of bricks. Yet… this time, it seemed so much easier to bear.

He put his hands back on the trunk, Crazy Diamond appearing by his side.

"HYAAAHHH!" he roared. This time, not because of frustration, but because of determination! He pushed, pushed with all the strength he could muster and then some. Nothing happened at first. But then, slowly, the car began to move. One centimeter… two centimeters… three…

Then suddenly, the car slipped out from in front of him and Josuke fell forward. He landed face-first in a pile of snow. What little escaped his snow-filled mouth was drowned by the wind. A good thing; the curses he uttered were not for the faint of the heart.

Josuke looked up in disbelief. The car had become light as a feather and was now hovering in the air in front of him, spinning and being thrown around by the winds.

What the…?

"J-Josuke!" Koichi yelled. "I made the car float! B-but I can't control it!"

Since when could Koichi… never mind, that could wait. Josuke got back up on his feet and grabbed ahold of the car's trunk. He jumped up on it, trying to weigh it down so it wouldn't get completely blown away.

"Okuyasu!" he yelled. "Get in! I got an idea!"

xxXXxx

"MER-O!"

Jotaro blocked another attack from The Reaper. It was relentless. Unwavering. No matter how many times he smashed it to bits, it just reformed and continued its constant offense.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Jotaro decided to try something new. Star Platinum's rapid punches shattered the icy skeleton, cracking open its skull and revealing the red light therein. As the rest of its body crumbled, Star Platinum attempted to close its fist around the light to trap it. But to no avail, as it just slipped through the stand's fingers.

Jotaro tried to stay close to the light and have Star Platinum smash the new body before it could form. However, as soon as his stand reached too close, its fingers froze, becoming trapped within the ice. Jotaro cursed as he felt the fingers on his left hand go numb and backed off as fast as he could. He could still move his fingers, but only barely.

"It's no use, Jotaro Kujo," The Reaper's deep voice said. "Your life ends here. You can not escape your fate."

"Try me. I'm like a cockroach," Jotaro said. "I always survive."

The Reaper tilted its head.

"Not this time," it said. "Your life will end here. You must pay for your sins, for all the lives you've taken." It rushed forward once again, swinging its scythe, wildly, yet elegant. It yelled its battle cry with every swing. "MER-O! MER-O! MER-O! MER-O!"

Jotaro jumped backward, dodged to the right, parried one strike with Star Platinum. With one jab, his mighty stand shattered The Reaper's scythe. He took a few more steps backward to create some more distance before The Reaper's next attack. He took a second to glance at the car. Even without all the snow, it was hard to tell what was going on through the darkness, but he could see Josuke still trying to push the car back onto the road.

Not good. They had to get out of here. Although… even if they got the car back on the road, that still left The Reaper. Jotaro had to figure out some way to stop it or slow it down. But he was feeling his movement getting slower and sloppier.

"So," he said as The Reaper came running towards him, a new scythe in hand. "This is my punishment for all the people I've killed, correct."

"Correct," The Reaper said as it swung its scythe. Star Platinum reached out and grabbed the handle, wresting for control with the white skeleton. "You will pay for your sins with your life!"

"I understand that," Jotaro said. He let Star Platinum yank the scythe out of The Reaper's hands and break it to pieces. "However, there is something I don't understand." He gestured back towards the car and the struggling boys. "Have any of those three ever killed another human?"

"No," The Reaper said, a new scythe growing in its hands. "They are free from that sin." It readied its new weapon for another attack.

"Then why are they being punished?" Jotaro asked. He blocked The Reaper's attack and dodged the next. "They'll die soon if they stay here. Then you will have killed three innocents in your quest for vengeance."

"They shall be free to leave as soon as you have paid for your crimes," The Reaper said. The sharp blade came dangerously close to cutting Jotaro's arm off.

"I see…" Jotaro muttered. He finally understood how this stand worked. He knew how to buy them some time. But… it was risky. "So if I die… the boys will be let go?"

"Yes," The Reaper said. "Do not worry about them." It ran forward and jumped into the air, ready to cleave Jotaro in half. "It shall soon be over for you. MER…!"

That's when the car slammed into it.

Jotaro blinked in surprise. Was the car… flying?

Eh, he could believe it. Those boys were crazy enough to make a car to fly.

"Jotaro!" Josuke slammed open the door to the back seat. "Quickly! Before it gets up."

Jotaro glanced at The Reaper reforming.

"Yare yare daze…" he sighed. This was not going to be fun.

"Come on!" Josuke said. "We gotta get out of here."

Jotaro didn't answer, he just took a few steps back towards the car. The Reaper's body finished reforming and it approached him.

"Do not interfere," it said. That unceasing light fixed on Jotaro like a searchlight for damned souls.

"W-what are you doing?" Josuke asked nervously. "Jotaro, get in here!" he said and tugged at Jotaro's coat.

Jotaro let Star Platinum fade away. He stood still as The Reaper walked up to him. He opened his arms as if welcoming a hug of death.

"I accept my death in exchange for their safe passage through this storm," he said.

"Accepted," The Reaper said and stabbed Jotaro in his chest.

Jotaro gasped as the cold blade tore through his chest. A flower of red, warm blood grew on his cold white shirt and jacket. His left lung was punctured, blood rushing up his throat and escaping his mouth. He fell backward into the arms of Josuke.

"Jotaro!" Josuke cried. Crazy Diamond grabbed ahold of him and dragged him into the car. "Just what the hell are you doing!? Are you insane!?" A golden aura started surrounding Jotaro.

"N-no," he managed to hiss forth. Star Platinum appeared for a second, just long enough to push Crazy Diamond away. "D-don't… heal me…"

The red light in The Reaper's eye was still glowing, but dimmer and not solely fixed on Jotaro.

"It is done," it said. "Jotaro Kujo, you have paid for your sins." It turned around and began walking away holding its scythe, now stained red with frozen blood.

"F-fly…" Jotaro whispered. He summoned just enough strength to point at The Reaper slowly leaving. "Now… fly now, you fools."

"B-but…" Josuke started protesting before he realized what his nephew meant. "You're insane, you know that?" he muttered and pulled Jotaro into the back seat of the car. "Okuyasu! Get us away from here!"

"Alright Josuke!" Okuyasu yelled back. He summoned The Hand to sit on the hood of the car. It began swiping, scraping away the space in front of them. Since the car was now so lightweight, this was enough to make it fly… sorta. It was a very jerky flight, with the car bouncing up and down and being blown around by the wind.

However, after only a few seconds, the wind became weaker and started fading away. The snowfall slowed down and the world didn't seem quite as cold as before. The sun peeked through the thick dark clouds in the sky above them. Just as promised, the blizzard subsided and harkened in spring, the season of new life and rebirth.

Of course, Jotaro was a bit too busy dying to fully appreciate the good his sacrifice had brought. The wound in his chest hurt like all hell and then some. He hadn't thought it was possible to feel any colder than he already did, but evidently, it was possible. It was a different kind of cold. Winter's cold could bury itself deep within you, but this cold came from within your body and spread outwards. It was a numbing sensation, feeling the last precious drops of warm blood escape you.

Jotaro couldn't breathe. Black dots danced before his eyes and his mind was slowing down.

"Jotaro?" Josuke said, his voice barely reaching Jotaro through the mist in his mind. "Jotaro, I'm healing you right now."

Right before he closed his eyes for the last time, a bright golden aura surrounded him and started dancing around his body. In an instant, Jotaro felt he energy returning to him and his mind clear, the mist of death fading away. His blood returned him, pumping through his veins, bringing the warmth back to his body. The large wound in his chest closed, not even a scar left to tell of what had happened.

His jacket and shirt were also repaired, which was a plus.

"Thank you, Josuke," he said and sat up in the seat.

Josuke looked like he wasn't sure whether he should hug him or punch him.

"Don't. You ever. Do that again," he said slowly and through clenched teeth. "Got it?"

Jotaro didn't have time to not make any promises.

"JOTARO KUJO!" a voice roared, as powerful as the loudest thunder you've ever heard. It seemed to shake the very world around them, threatening to tear it apart. The dark clouds reappeared as quickly as they had faded and snow started falling again. The bitter black wind howled, stronger and more ferocious than ever before. In the distance, Jotaro spotted it. The Reaper's red light was fixed on him again. The white skeleton was running towards the car, pursuing it like a vicious predator running after its prey.

"Faster, Okuyasu!" Josuke yelled. "That thing is coming back."

"O-okay," Okuaysu mumbled. It was easier said than done. The wind was throwing the car around like a feather in a hurricane and Okuyasu could barely keep it moving in one direction. The Reaper was unperturbed by the wind, moving with it rather than against it.

Jotaro cursed. He had hoped his little stunt would buy them enough time to escape.

"W-what do we do?" Koichi asked. "We can't outrun it!"

"We should be getting close to the edge of this snowstorm soon," Jotaro said. He was sure that The Reaper itself was not the cause of the snowstorm… more like the product of it… If they could just make it outside of the blizzard itself, then The Reaper wouldn't be able to continue pursuing them. "Perhaps if I let it…"

"No!" Josuke rudely interrupted him. "I told you, you're not doing that again!"

"Jouske…"

"I said no! Period!" he said firmly. "Besides… that thing sounded pissed. It's probably not going to be happy with just stabbing you in the chest this time. If I let it attack you, I might not be able to bring you back." He turned his attention towards The Reaper quickly catching up with them. "And… I have a plan," he said with a small smile. "Trust me."

Jotaor hesitated for a second.

"Alright. If you say so," he said. "You trusted me before, so I'll trust you now."

"Good," Josuke said. "Stay back."

The Reaper caught up with them.

"MER-O" it yelled as it swung its scythe, shattering the back window, showering Jotaro and Josuke with sharp shards of glass.

"DORA!" Crazy Diamond appeared, not to fix the glass, not to attack The Reaper. Instead, it kicked the ground and pushed against the car, giving it a small boost. It wasn't enough, however, as The Reaper stabbed its scythe into the car's trunk.

"You will not escape, Jotaro Kujo!" it roared as it started climbing onto the car and towards its target.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Josuke said and readied Crazy Diamond to attack.

"Your attempts to defend this man are useless," The Reaper said. "Do you not remember what happened last time you rushed to his aid?"

"Oh, I do," Josuke said with a cocky grin. "That's what I'm counting on. DORA!"

Crazy Diamond attacked, a single punch aimed for The Reaper. And as before, a mighty gust of wind pushed Josuke away… including the car he was sitting in.

The powerful wind that protected The Reaper hit the flying car like a turbo boost in a video game and made it rocket forward, soaring through the air like a graceful bird!

The Reaper clung to its scythe, the sudden acceleration nearly throwing it off. Crazy Diamond dug its fingers into the tailgate and ripped it off, holding it, and by extension The Reaper in one hand. Its other hand was curled into a fist.

"Thanks for the boost!" Josuke yelled, his voice nearly overpowered by the wind. "Goodbye!" And with that, Crazy Diamond let the tailgate go at the same time as it attacked.

If The Reaper made any sounds, it was drowned by the next gust of wind that pushed the car along even further and even faster.

"Woohoo!" Josuke cheered as their flying car soared through the air like a jet plane.

"Josuke, you crazy son of a bitch," Koichi laughed. "I love it when you turn people's own power against them!"

"Yeah, that was great!" Okuaysu was laughing so much that he almost forgot to keep The Hand scraping away at space in front of them. "And we're flying! How cool is that?"

Jotaro couldn't help but smile a little too. It was pretty cool.

Soon, they noticed the snowstorm getting less and less powerful. The red light was still following them, but as they neared the edge of the blizzard, it became slower, steadily losing power in tandem with the storm around them.

The Reaper didn't even have the chance to catch up again before they made their way out of the snowstorm. The last thing they heard from it was its furious roars as they escaped from the clutches of the storm.

xxXXxx

Don't Fear & The Reaper

User: Buck Dewey

Status: Active and able to fight… but out of range.

xxXXxx

The difference was night and day. Literally. The real world was sunny, warm and full of life. They had only been in the storm for a short time, ten minutes at most, Yet, in that time, Jotaro had almost forgotten what the warm rays of the sun felt like. He had almost forgotten how beautiful the sun in the sky was. He had almost forgotten what it felt like when you weren't dying.

Jotaro was back in the driver's seat of the car, Koichi demoted to the backseat after he let the car back down on the ground.

"So…" Josuke said, he too sitting in the backseat. "Koichi. That was pretty cool what you did with the car."

"Thanks," Koichi said.

"So, uh… what exactly was it you did?"

"I used my new power!" Koichi said proudly. "Three Free! It makes things lighter!"

"Okay…" Josuke said slowly. "And, um… how long have you been able to do that?"

"Like… five minutes?" Koichi said hesitantly. "I mean, I've been thinking about it for some time… I figured I should be able to use Act Three for more than just make things heavy. And… I think I might have used it during the fight on the plane as well? Right after I made it heavy, it seemed like it suddenly became lighter for a moment."

"That would explain why we didn't crash," Jotaro said. Indeed, he had been wondering about that for a while.

"That was awesome!" Okuyasu said excitedly. "Koichi, you made the car fly! Just like in that movie we watched in English class once!"

"Heh, yeah, I guess it was pretty awesome," Koichi giggled.

"We gotta try that again sometime," Okuyasu said.

"Alrig-" Koichi started saying, but he stopped for some reason.

"Hm? What did ya say?" Okuaysu asked.

For a moment, everyone was silent… too silent.

Jotaro checked the rearview mirror. He didn't see anything. Nothing.

He didn't see anyone sitting in the backseat at all.

"Hey, Josuke," Okuaysu said and turned around. "Do you thin-"

"Jotaro! Josuke and Koichi are gone!"

「CRASH!」

For the second time that morning, Jotaro and Okuyasu found their car coming to a very sudden and abrupt stop, their seatbelts the only things keeping them from getting thrown through the windscreen. This time, the crash was enough to set off the airbags. Still not enough to break bones, so at least that was a positive.

They had hit something… or rather, someone standing on the road.

She was tall and imposing, standing at least as tall as Jotaro, probably a bit taller with the large, familiar cubical hairdo she sported. Her skin was deep red and her eyes covered by a visor, obfuscating her thoughts and emotions. Her fist was buried deep within the car's hood, bending and crushing the metal like tinfoil.

Two more people stood by her side. One was tall, thin and white, like a bundle of ivory sticks. The other one was almost her complete opposite, short, stout, large, messy hair and deep purple skin.

Jotaro noticed something else standing on the side of the road. A sign.

'Welcome to Beach City,' it said.

xxXXxx

Echoes Act 3
Short-range power type stand

User: Koichi Hirose

Appearance: Short, semi-robotic, white skin with green protrusions.

Powers and Abilities
•Three Freeze-Dramatically increases the weight of an object or person.
•Three Free-Dramatically decreases the weight of an object or person.

Stats
Destructive Power: B
Speed: A
Range: C (ca. five meters)
Durability: B
Precision: C
Development Potential: C

Don't Fear & The Reaper
Automatic type stand

User: Buck Dewey

Appearance: Don't Fear takes the form of a massive doorway made from black rock with doors made from blackened wood. Above the doors is an inscription that reads 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.' The Reaper is a shining red light within a skeleton made from ice. The Reaper carries a scythe with it.

Powers and Abilities
•Seed of Death-The user can use their blood to 'plant' the stand in one location. It will stay in that one location and act independently.
•Snowstorm-Should any person who has killed another human being enter within the range of Don't Fear, the large doors will swing open and unleash a massive snowstorm.
•Came the Last Night of Sadness-Don't Fear can create apparitions of people a person has killed or lost. These apparitions will be hostile towards any killers, but benevolent towards those who are innocent. Those that have lost someone but have already moved on or come to terms with the loss will not see any apparitions.
•The Reaper-A sub-stand, it manifests as a red light that exits out of the black doorway. It will target and seek out any killers within Don't Fear's range and execute them as punishment for their crimes. The Reaper's body is made from ice and will continuously regenerate any damage it takes. Those who it targets are able to fight back against it, but anyone who is without sin will simply be blown away by a strong wind.
•Love of Two is One-Once The Reaper has claimed the life of the killer, the snowstorm will begin to subside, letting any innocents trapped within it leave.

Stats

Don't Fear
Destructive Power: A
Speed: N/A (stationary)
Range: A (ca. 1km radius)
Durability: E
Precision: E
Development Potential: D

The Reaper
Destructive Power: C
Speed: C
Range: A (same as Don't Fear)
Durability: C
Precision: E
Development Potential: E

To be continued…


And that, as they say, is that.

Buck's stand is inspired by two songs. The first one is Mer O Mer O Mer by Hjalle & Heavy. It's about a man who's out driving when he gets trapped in a snowstorm and dies. Except it was a dream all along!

The second inspiration is the song (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult. It's about dying young and eternal love… although the first time I heard it I thought it was about suicide.

Koichi gained Three Free because he has stopped worrying so much; his confidence has reached the level where, even if he is scared, he doesn't let the fear paralyze him. He is, overall, more confident and 'free' in his spirit. You see, he gained Three Freeze when he decided to stand firmly against Kira and not run away. Three Free lets him soar, free of fear.

…and no, I didn't just make this up on the spot. This is a thematic evolution of the character and not just an excuse to make a car fly. I am good writer.

Ahem. So, what's next?

Well… I don't doubt that everyone reading knows what's going on in the world right now, with Covid-19 and all the consequences that have come with it. Even up here in the north, we're feeling the effects.

Now, I don't want any of you to worry about me; I'll be fine, I promise. But, I still feel the fallout, just like everyone else. Long story short, I'll be working a lot less the coming month or so (depending on how the crisis develops it might be longer or shorter). And on the positive side of things, this means I'll have a lot more time and energy to dedicate to my writing.

TL;DR, I don't know when the next chapter is coming, but probably, hopefully, sometime in April.

…that is, if I survive the end of SU:F.

See you in a bit. Until then, take care of the Planet Earth, wash your hands, practice social distancing and remember that anything can happen in space!