Honoka's Bizarre Adventure: μ's Is Unbreakable
Chapter 4: Honoka's Star
Previously on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
At last, my conflict with Yoshikawa Fuhai has come to an end. After days of living in terror, I fought Fuhai and won… and in the process, I killed him, I saved my life and my family has been able to move back to Homura but…
Did I do the right thing? Am I just a murderer now? Am I no different than Fuhai?
Regardless, I can't dwell on it forever! I have to move forward, and think about what'll happen next…
"I saaaaaaaay! Hey! Hey! Hey START:DASH!"
"Rin, you're not in synch with the rest of us. Please sing just a little faster!"
"Sorry, nya!"
Three days had passed since Honoka ha defeated Fuhai, and she was enjoying the semblance of normalcy in her life. Her school days had returned to normal, and μ's activities had resumed to normal as well. Every day Honoka woke up early to exercise before class, and practicing on the rooftop after class. It was almost as if the battles of the last few days had never occurred at all. No Stands, no corrupt police, no nothing; just peaceful dancing and singing! Honoka still had great expectations for μ's, after all, they still had a school to save!
But still, knowing that you killed somebody… did a lot on your mental state, to say the least. Honoka's cheerful disposition had mostly returned, but the girls of μ's could tell that not all was well with their friend. In times she stared off into space in deep thought, other times she seemed to be outright ignoring the world around her in order to muse on her situation. While she seemed to be pushing herself even harder at practice than usual, the others could not help but find it almost robotic, devoid of the passion that had driven Honoka to create μ's.
Am I no better than him? Honoka constantly thought. Maybe I could have let him run off if I just broke his legs or something… I mean, he couldn't run, but I could've taken him to the police… Was it really OK for me to kill him?
"Honoka?"
Honoka looked up as she heard Umi call for her, frowning. "You missed the cue…"
"Oh, sorry!" Honoka rubbed the back of her head and tried to laugh it up, trying to hide that the looks of her fellow School Idols didn't concern her. "Was thinking about the bread I ate for lunch!"
"Alright, Honoka…"
Hanayo was the one who approached Honoka. "Honoka-san… are you… sure you're alright?" And Honoka's frown returned. Only Umi and Kotori knew the truth of the battle that had just occurred, how could she? While she now considered all the girls of μ's her friends, she could not deny she wasn't quite so close to the first years that it warranted discussing such personal details with them. "We're worried about you…"
She was touched by Hanayo's sympathy, giving her a quick hug before letting go. "I'll be OK, really, I will be. But for now, I…" Honoka sighed. "I think I just need to go home for now. Is that alright?" Maki seemed ready to protest, but a look from Rin made her close her mouth before the other three girls gave acknowledging nods.
"Take care, Honoka," Umi said, Kotori giving her oldest friend a quick hug before smiling at her.
"We all want what's best for you. We know you've had a hard week…" Kotori acknowledged, before Honoka finally smiled and waved to the group.
"This'll be my last day in this funk, honestly!" Honoka said, having no idea if that was true or not but wanting to assure her friends (and herself) that things were going to be OK. Honoka kicked herself for leaving practice, sulking to herself before hearing a notable voice.
"Kousaka-san?"
Honoka looked over her shoulder to see Nozomi. "Oh, Tojo-senpai. Sorry, I didn't notice you…" Nozomi smiled as she stepped towards the other girl.
"Is your practice already over?"
"No… I'm not feeling very good, so I'm leaving early."
"I see," there was no judging in Nozomi's tone, yet it still stung Honoka for some reason.
"Hey, Tojo-senpai?"
"What did I tell you about that?"
"S-sorry, Nozomi! I just… ah… I wanted to ask something. About those cards!"
"Yes?" Now that certainly piqued Nozomi's interests.
"You… really believe in that stuff, right? Like, not just as a joke?" Honoka covered her mouth once she realized how rude that might have sounded, but Nozomi laughed it off, clearly not offended.
"I believe there are forces beyond human control and beyond what we can understand with science," Nozomi explains. "I believe that there are forces that guide using the power of fate to guide us."
"Fate…"
"What do you think of fate, Honoka-san?"
"Well… I've never liked the idea very much," Honoka admitted. "I prefer the idea that we control our own destinies, and that there's nothing telling us what we can and can't do. We make our own choices, our own free will, so that means fate can't be tying us down!"
Nozomi nodded. "A very common belief. So, then do you believe in the fortune of the cards the other day, Honoka?"
Honoka went quiet, as she remembered it all. The Fool. The Star. It was a bit of an odd situation now. If she rejected the idea of fate, then didn't she reject the feelings and relief Nozomi's fortune gave her? But if she accepted it, then would she be resigning herself to fate, that a higher power or cosmic order controlled her actions? "There is no right or wrong answer, but I am curious, Honoka."
"... Can I think about that?" Honoka asked, looking at the third year. "I wanna think about this some."
"Of course, Honoka," Nozomi assured, turning around. "I hope you feel better soon."
"Thanks, I'm sure I will!" And Honoka went on her way as well, deciding to take a detour on her way home. Her family expected her to come home later anyways, so she figured there was no harm. She took a walk through a local park. "Come on..."
Was everything just that? Fate, ordained by a higher power she couldn't resist? Was she simply fated to have been attacked by that arrow, even if she had been aware of it? Of all places, Fuhai just happened to attack Homura the next day. Out of every small store to rob, her home had ended up being his target, after she had awakened as a Stand user. And then the fight that lead to her gaining full control over her Stand... when she thought about it, it seemed far too extraordinary to be random chance and decisions. Going even deeper than that, she never would have been out there at all if Otonokizaka hadn't been closing.
Then had it been her destiny to kill him as well? Did fate simply decree 'Honoka Kousaka shall kill Fuhai Yoshikawa' and gave her no chance to defy it? Simply... as fate ordained?
She felt queasy as she remembered the last moments.
"W-wait! Honoka! Don't…! Do you really wanna be just like me!?"
"Oh God..." She started sweating as the words rung in her head, as they had so much the last few days. I'm not like that, I'm not!
"If this was you in my situation. It's what I'd do! Me, the man who tried to kill your family!"
She rushed over to a tree, out of sight and leaned against it, her stomach churning.
"Do you really want to be as rotten as I am!?"
Honoka could bare the thoughts no longer as she kneeled over, emptying her stomach of almost everything she had eaten that day at the base of the tree, breathing hard as she finished and wiped the vomit from her mouth. "Am I...?"
Regardless of intention, was a murderer just a murderer? And was that the destiny fate had forced upon her?
Self-defense, Honoka. It was self-defense.
Honoka was starting to get fed-up with this cycle that was starting to define her life ever since the battle with Fuhai. It seemed to come again and again; Honoka would start to wonder if she was a murderer and a terrible person until she felt sick (or at the least disgusted with herself), tell herself over and over she acted in self-defense and the perseverance of her family, then repeat. It made her feel stupid, and not in the academic sense. If she knew the process, why did it keep happening?
She sighed as she got home, kicking off her shoes and heading upstairs for a nap. Maybe that'd help... just a little. She hoped it would.
"Honoka?"
She was surprised to see Yukiho addressing her, giving her sister a smile. "Hey, sis. Just gonna take a nap before dinner, alright?"
Yukiho didn't say anything as her sister began to walk off at first, before taking a step forward. "Are you OK?"
"Eh?" Honoka looked back again. "What do you mean?"
Yukiho sighed, rubbing her arm. "... Ever since... that day," she winced, not wanting to talk about it but forcing herself. "You've been off, Honoka. I just wanted to see if you were OK."
Honoka forced a smile, walking towards Yukiho. "Come on, I'm your big sister! You don't gotta be worried about me, it's the other way around! I'm fine, dad's fine, mom's fine, and you're fine, alright?"
"Is that really how you feel, though?"
Honoka had never seen this side of Yukiho before, and it was enough to make her go quiet for a moment. "Yukiho..."
"You... I probably would have just run down there if you hadn't told me to stay in my room," Yukiho admitted. "And you actually fought him. You risked everything just to keep us all safe, and...! Just... youremysisterandIloveyou!" The words came out quickly and Honoka barely cached it, standing there stunned.
"Yukiho..."
"So... I'm concerned for you! Because... I don't know, it feels like you're the one that's taken this the hardest so... I want to know that you're OK."
Honoka went quiet, forcing herself to smile as her eyes watered. "I'm such a mess, honestly..."
"Honoka..."
"I was so scared... I don't think I've ever felt physical pain like that either. I really thought I was gonna die! I remember... I was making my peace. I accepted I was gonna die, and I was just so happy you were OK. I was thinking about how grandma and grandpa would probably take you in, and..." Yukiho forced back her own tears as she saw her older starting to cry for the first time in years. Not crying from frustration or something petty, genuine sorrow and pain. "I thought... I was never going to see you again. Or Umi, Kotori, or anyone else. I thought I was a goner, you know?" She accepted her sister's hug, starting to shake as she embraced the younger Kousaka.
"... Mama always said it's OK to be sad and scared, you know?"
"Look at me, I'm the bigger sister but I need my little sister to console me..."
Yukiho pulled tightly on Honoka's shirt. "What else is family for?"
Honoka thought of her Stand, her power that she had used to fight. If she hadn't had this power, what would have happened? She would be dead. Her parents would probably be dead. In the span of only a few days Yukiho's entire world would have collapsed, with virtually nobody to support her. This power, the Stand... had protected not only herself, Honoka realized. She had told herself two-dozen times that she was just protecting herself and her family, but it was this moment for the first time she could truly believe that.
It was self-defense.
She was protecting her family.
She hadn't acted out of selfishness.
She was not like Fuhai.
It finally dawned on her that nothing had changed; she was still Honoka Kousaka.
"... Thank you... I love you, Yukiho."
"Love you too, big sis."
Honoka smiled as she ended the hug, her watery eyes making contact with her sister's watery eyes, both smiling. "Wake me up for dinner, alright?"
"Yeah. Sleep well."
And so Honoka made her way to her bed, lying down on her trusty bed, smiling as she looked to her side. "Hey... Can you talk?"
Honoka summoned her Stand, staring down the orange figure and for the first time truly taking in its physical appearance. She stared at the stars on her Stand's body, before gazing on her Stand's emotionless face. "Cat got your tongue?" She couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I still don't understand it all, but you're a part of me, aren't you?" She asked, getting no reaction in return. "You came from me... and together we protected the family, protected ourselves. Beat Fuhai... It's like, you're me and I'm you," Honoka said, reaching her hand towards the Stand; and it reached back, their right palms pressing against one another. "I guess you don't come with a name, either?" Honoka asked before chuckling a bit. Fuhai had called his Stand「Blue Slide Park.」She had wondered if maybe the name was something that came with a Stand subconciously, but it felt like she'd have to come up with a name herself.
"Let's find you a name, alright?" Honoka yawned, getting comfy under her sheets. "Myself..."
Dinner was mostly uneventful, except for a conversation that had never occurred before.
Mr. Kousaka was still a bit sluggish and on pain medication, but he was otherwise moving alright. The dinner had been nothing special, just some chicken and rice that their mother had thrown together.
"Come on, mom! I'm totally ready to get a dog!"
"Absolutely not."
Yukiho made an exaggerated whining sound at how quickly she had been shot down. "C-come on! I'm more responsible than Honoka!"
"Hey!" Where had the love gone?
"I just want to adopt my Takahario and raise him..." Ever since she'd first talked about it nearly a year ago, she had already decided on a name for a dog.
"There's more to a name than just what you think is cute, Yukiho," their mother said, finishing her meal. "I will say you have gotten a lot more mature in the past year or two... Unlike somebody."
"C-come on!" All except their ever-stoic father laughed at the teasing, Honoka puffing out her cheek.
"... Dear..." She gave a look at her husband, who gave a rare grin back. Mrs. Kousaka nodded, and he nodded back. "... Alright, Yukiho... Maybe... Wait, this is what we're talking about, right?" Mr. Kousaka nodded once more. "... Once you start highschool, if you can keep your grades up and prove you can be responsible with your studies, maybe we can talk about getting a dog."
Yukiho almost jumped in excitement, grinning from ear-to-ear. "R-r-r-really!? You mean it!?"
"Now, this is a big if! Not until we start seeing your first grades in highschool."
"Thank you sosososo mucch! I'm gonna go study for entrance exams!" Yukiho practically ran out of the room, heading to her room ASAP to bust out a schoolbook.
"... You never let me get a cat..."
"You could barely take care of the hamster you had when you were little."
"... Now I miss Mr. Tiny Whiskers..." Honoka sulked, finishing her meal. "... Hey, wait, mom?"
"Yeah?"
"What did you say about a name?"
Mrs. Kousaka blinked, caught off-guard by the question. "Oh, well... It's just, naming something is important, you know? The name we gave you two will be with you for the rest of your lives. We tried to make sure they were good ones."
"Names..."
"You know in the most literal sense what your name means, right, Honoka?"
"Subtle?"
"Yes," Mrs. Kousaka confirmed. "Not that you've been subtle... I also thought about the kanji in it. 'Hono' for harmony, and 'ka' for flower. I remember when I first saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing in the world, more beautiful than any flower in the world. You brought a completion to mine and your father's life... It's hard to describe. But we knew the name you'd have would be with you for the rest of your life, so we wanted it to be something you could take pride in."
Honoka was quiet, dwelling on it. So, the name of her Stand... should be something special too, right? Something that she could take pride in? Of course, she was naming something that came from herself... "Thank you, mama."
"Anytime, dear. What brought this on, though?"
"O-Oh! Well, we were thinking about renaming our Idol group..." It was a lie, but an innocent one.
"Well... I like the one you already have, but if you do, then yeah. Make sure it's something you can all take pride in, alright?"
"Yeah. I"m going now, alright mama?"
"Alright, dear."
And Honoka went off to her room, this time staring out her window. "A name, a name..." Her Stand vibrated, so... "Punching Vibrating? No, that's terrible... Shindo? No, too literal... Takemaru? Eh, you're no dog... Oh, this is hard!" Honoka sighed in frustrating, planting her face on her desk before looking out. "..."
It was the night of a new moon, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The perfect weather for night gazing. The night was gorgeous, and she found herself transfixed. A perfectly clear night, nothing but stars, the star tarot, all stars...
"... All... the stars..."
The members of μ's were rather surprised to see that the first things they'd see that day was a message from Honoka.
[Honoka] imma go for a really early run before we work out! don't wait up on me!
[Umi] You do you, Honoka.
[Kotori] Have a good run
[Rin] make sure u say hi to any kitties u see for me :3! pet them all for rin-chan, nya!
[Hanayo] Have a good run!
[Maki] Don't wake me up so early!
Of course, Honoka lacked insight. And she failed to check the weather beforehand, or else she would have known there would be showers in the morning. It was usually Umi who checked the weather to determine their exercise...
"T-this sucks..." Thankfully she had come in her jogging outfit and a hat, which offered some protection from the rain as she hid under a tree (not coated with her vomit) with a groan. "At least it's supposed to let up... and I can run for it then..." And after she had finally had a good night to boot! Was this that treacherous fate conspiring against her?
"What a surprise, bumping into you here."
Honoka blinked as she looked up, noticing she was getting a lot less wet now. "Nozomi?"
Nozomi smiled, the two now under her umbrella. "Need a hand?"
"T-thank you! I think you just saved my life!" Nozomi giggled at Honoka's response, just smiling as her junior rushed under her umbrella. "What brings you here this early? I thought I'd be alone…"
"I wake up very early, I like taking a walk before attending to the temple," Nozomi explained. "Although, I make sure to check the weather before coming out…" Honoka frowned at that, staying quiet as she walked with Nozomi. "Still, what chance, that we'd just bump into eachother like this… Almost like…"
"… Fate?"
"I would say so."
Honoka was quiet once more, trying to think of a reply. "Did you come up with an answer to my question, Honoka?"
Honoka went quiet. "You mean if fate exists or not?"
"I'm interested, but you don't have to answer."
Honoka looked up at the rainy sky. The sun could not shine behind the rainclouds, but it still made her dwell on all the stars she saw last night. The sun itself was a star, she recalled. All the stars in heaven shining down on the earth, with even the light of the moon being borrowed from the sun to shine on the earth, breaking the mold that was the darkness of the night...
It made her think of Nozomi's prediction, The Star tarot, and the fact she was here. If she had checked the weather she wouldn't have come here, and bumped into Nozomi. Fate once more? Was her life truly being guided by a higher power? And if it was... then, well, so what? Honoka wasn't the kind of person who dwelled on such philosophical matters. It was never her style, and for now, only one thing was sure to her. So she faced Nozomi, ready to give her answer.
"... I don't know," Honoka admitted. "But I don't think it matters if it does or not."
"Oh?"
"Because... I'm still gonna do my own thing, no matter what!" Honoka explained. "I dunno, maybe my decision will change again but... for now, that's how I feel!" The second year declared. Nozomi's eyes widened, caught off-guard by the answer. This is not the future the cards predicted... Honoka, are you...?
"I make my own decisions! I'll make my own life! And if that's what fate wants... well, then I'm happy fate gave me the decision to make those choices!"
Nozomi seemed genuinely surprised for a moment, before smiling. "An interesting answer, not the one I anticipated," she admitted to Honoka. Was Honoka's power so great that even fate could be surpassed? Or is it her Stand? Nozomi thought. "But... it is your answer, so I'll respect it."
Honoka smiled, blinking as she noticed the rain had let up. "O-Oh! Good! I should... I think I should get to the temple now, everyone's probably there! Wanna come with, Nozomi-san?"
"No, I'm going to walk more, I think. They don't expect me until a bit later, anyways," Nozomi said with a smile. "Have a good practice, Honoka."
Honoka smiled as she ran off, not even noticing that purpleish aura around Nozomi. "... Honoka, you..."
The stars will guide me, I'm sure of it! Honoka thought. As she ran to the stairs the clouds above began to disperse, the sun finally shining down on Tokyo, that life-giving star that all living beings owed thanks too. As long as I follow the stars... then I don't care what fate says! I'll be happy... The stars, all of them...!
Honoka smiled and waved as she approached the stairs, the rest of her friends already there and smiling back. And she paused for a second to look upwards, covering her eyes as she stared at the direction of the sun. The stars, the meaning of a name... her smile widened as she let a familiar energy envelop her, her Stand materializing next to her, by her side as she spoke its name at last.
"「All Star.」"
She laughed as she turned her head, facing her「All Star.」"I don't know what the future is gonna bring, but... if there's more fights to be had, we'll face it head-on, together! For μ's, Otonokizaka, and everyone else!"
She sprinted towards her friends, her former enthusiasm and joy finally returned.
Until we reach the stars themselves!
Next time on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Chapter 5: Hanayo Wants To Swap (Part 1)
Stand profile: HONOKA KOUSAKA
Stand Name: All Star
Namesakes: Smash Mouth song of the same name (primary musical inspiration), The Star tarot, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle, Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS
Type: Close-range Stand
Stand Cry: "Faitofaitofaitofaitofaito… faito dayo!"
Appearance/Personality: All Star appears as a orange, feminine humanoid figure, standing at approximately 5'7. Upon most joints of its body are black five-pointed Stars. There are stars located on the Stand's stomach, back, shoulder blades, kneecaps, back of each hand, palms, top of each foot, and on the bottom of each foot. Likewise, instead of normal eyes, there are just large pupils in the form of stars. The Stand does not appear to wear clothing, although it has Barbie-like anatomy. It has orange hair similar to that of its user, without a ribbon.
All Star has no sense of personality or sentient will, only expressing itself when shouting its Stand cry.
Abilities-
Vibration: All Star's ultimate, defining ability is the power to induce vibration. By filling molecules and atoms with Stand energy -or itself-, All Star causes that which it touches (All Star must be touching it). While the full scope of this ability has yet to be discovered by its user, it has already been shown to demonstrate power offensive and defensive ability, vibrating itself with such intensity to the point another Stand could not grab it, as well as vibrating its arm to the point that simply keeping its hand pressed on another object is the equivalent of assaulting its target with a jackhammer. However, the Stand does not appear to be able to be able to use this power when attacking, and must wait until the end of a kick or punch to use its power.
Furthermore, All Star can induce vibrations in what it touches, by vibrating the atoms in a certain way. While the full scope of this power is so far unknown, Honoka can cause an object to go flying, or shake atoms with such intensity the object disintegrates.
Stats-
Power: A
Speed: A
Range: D
Precision: B
Durability: B
Potential: A
All in all, a shorter chapter than the rest. This is probably going to be part of the formula of this fanfiction- after every big "arc" there will likely be a shorter intermission chapter to break the mold and ease tension a bit... not to mention just being funner for me to write and to help me relax a bit writing this project.
As I said before, I hope to do Monday updates. Considering I have a big paper due this Monday though and it's (probably) gonna be a 20 page chapter again, there is no way there will be an update on the fifth, so I'll try to have an update out on the week of the 12th.
Most likely it'll go like this: one big arc, an intermission chapter, then a one week break so I can have more time to write and also so I can outline the next chapter (I outline my story arcs so as to have a coherent idea of what's going on instead of just roughing it). If by some miracle I can have it done by then, MAYBE i'll be able to update by next Friday, but honestly? I think i'm going to try to keep this schedule instead.
Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to me! I'm so happy to have finished the first arc of this passion project, I hope you're ready for a Hanayo arc in two weeks! Please let me know what you think!
(And no, this is not a joke. This is the Stand's name. Hope it grows on you!)