"So, this is the capital, huh?"
Jotaro took in his surroundings, hand on the brim of his cap. The streets were fairly crowded, most people rushing past each-other on their way. A few kids played with a soccer ball (though Jotaro had no idea if soccer even existed in this world), and the sides of the road were packed with businesses, several of them quite shady-looking. Sayo and Ieyasu stood close to him, as if using his bulk to try to keep away from the public eye.
"What's the plan, Jotaro?" Ieyasu said, looking up at him.
"Plan? I thought you two were gonna find work to help your village."
If they weren't in a crowded street, Ieyasu would have fallen over.
"Yeah, but... we don't know where to find work." Sayo said, trying to recover for Ieyasu. And it's not safe to go ask random strangers and such.
Jotaro pulled his cap down, and sighed.
"I got a plan, but do you two have any cash?"
The two looked confused, but nodded. They had a small amount that the village put together to help them start out.
Jotaro pointed at one of the nearby buildings, which had what appeared to be a sign saying beer. Sayo looked at him with an exasperated look.
"You want a drink?" She asked him.
"Not necessarily. But bars are good places to get information. All sorts of folk that'll talk. Besides, I can't drink."
"Why? You trying to live healthy or something?" Ieyasu said.
"Nope. Too young. Wouldn't let me unless I stole without 'em knowing."
As Jotaro said this, he started walking towards the bar, leaving Ieyasu and Sayo to process the fact that the giant of a man was younger than them.
"What the hell did his parents feed him to make him like that?" Ieyasu said, stunned.
Sayo was still speechless as they followed Jotaro into the bar.
Jotaro pushed open the door. A few people turned to see who was walking in, but quickly turned back to their own business, after seeing the type of person that entered. Jotaro walked over to the bar counter and took a seat, Sayo and Ieyasu following him, slightly intimidated by all the people around them.
"Yo." Jotaro said to the bartender. "You got anything without alcohol?"
The bartender was cleaning a glass as he turned to Jotaro.
"Iced Tea."
Jotaro puts down a few coins he got from Sayo and Ieyasu. "I'll take it."
The bartender took the coins before pouring out the drink. For some reason, Sayo and Ieyasu were tense as the bartender slid the drink over.
Jotaro picked up the glass and put it to his lips, and in three sips he finished it before slamming it down on the counter-top. "Now then." Jotaro spins around in his chair and points to Sayo and Ieyasu.
"Pay attention and listen around. See what you pick up."
The two didn't turn around, but instead tried to listen in on some of the other conversations.
"He was a bloody mess..."
"Barely managed to pay today..."
"-rotting away in a cell..."
"I hate this damn place..."
"-she picked up some brown haired kid with a sword."
The two perked up at those words, and turned to see two men talking. One of them had a cigarette in his mouth.
"Really? Huh, poor kid."
"What makes you say that?"
"You don't know?" The one that was smoking took the cigarette out of his mouth, before he put it out on the table, leaving a small burn. "Any person that she picks up is never seen again. God knows what happens to them, and I sure as hell don't want to find out."
The talking seemed to die out, as Ieyasu and Sayo looked at each-other in alarm.
"If they're talking about Tatsumi..."
"Then we gotta help him!" Ieyasu declared.
"Hold it." Jotaro said. "You two don't even know if it's the guy you're looking for."
"Even so, we can't just leave this situation alone." Ieyasu said. "We're not gonna let someone innocent die."
"They could be a rotten bastard, for all you know." Jotaro said, as a matter of factly. "But, from the expression you two have, I can tell that you're not going to let up."
Jotaro stood up and crossed his arms. "But do you two even know where to start?"
...
...
...
Sayo and Ieyasu sweatdropped as they could feel Jotaro's glare from even under the shadow of his hat.
"Good freaking grief, you two are hopeless." He said, pushing his cap up. "Then here's an idea. We gather more info for the day, and once we have all the info, we go in at night."
"Good idea!" Ieyasu said, grin on his face. "What would we do without you, Jotaro?"
"Probably end up dead. Now let's move."
But before they walked out, Jotaro stopped by the man that was smoking earlier. "Hey, could you spare me some?"
Now, normally the man was not the type to listen to anyone, and he enjoyed a good smoke. But he decided to listen to the giant that was towering over him, and gave him a few cigarettes.
"So wait, you won't drink, but you'll smoke?" Sayo asked as Jotaro pulled out a lighter from his pocket.
"I never said I don't drink. I'd just rather not cause a scene." Jotaro said, breathing out some smoke.
"I don't think we're ever going to understand you..."
From the corner of the bar, was a figure in a brown hooded cloak. The red eyes underneath the hood followed Jotaro, Sayo and Ieyasu as they left.
"Damn it, we got nothing!"
Ieyasu yelled this in frustration, as he threw his hands up. The three of them were standing behind the mansion where the girl's lived, and they had walked around and talked to people, asking if they knew anything. Aside from confirming the fact that the girl did live there, with her parents, as well as the fact that they were wealthy.
"Ieyasu, calm down." Sayo said.
"Calm down? For all we know, Tatsumi could be dying as we speak! How can I calm down?!" He yelled, almost hysterical.
"Well, yelling won't get us anywhere. We should keep a cool head and think logically. Right Jotaro?"
When she didn't get a response, she turned around to see that Jotaro was gone.
"Jotaro?" She turned left and right, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Jotaro!"
"Quiet."
She looked up to see him lifting himself over the fence that lead into the back garden near the mansion.
"How did you do that? You were so fa-"
Sayo stopped as she saw the look in Jotaro's eyes. While his composure was calm, in his eyes was pure rage. She could see veins on his clenched fist.
"We're going in." He said, voice low, and full of anger. "We've got some scumbags to take care of."
They were walking through the back garden, carefully and quietly to avoid gathering any attention. There was no chatter between them, as they kept on walking.
"Jotaro." Ieyasu said, finally breaking the silence. "What did you see?"
He didn't even turn to face him. "I'd rather not describe it. You'll see once we get there."
They kept on walking, before Sayo grabbed Jotaro by the sleeve.
"What is it?"
Sayo's irises contracted as she pointed up at the mansion. There were several windows, and they were covered in blood from the inside. You could hear men yelling in challenge, before it was replaced with screams of fear. And with each scream of fear, there was a new blood splatter.
"W-what's happening up there?"
Jotaro merely pulled his cap down. "Haven't the foggiest. But I know for sure whoever the hell is doing that isn't our enemy."
"Isn't our enemy?" Ieyasu sputtered.
"That's right. These people are even worse than you think. Let's go."
They kept on walking until they reached a clearing. At the back of the clearing was a storehouse. But the clearing wasn't exactly empty. There were several figures. A blonde haired girl in a dress was standing on the sidelines, as a brown haired boy and a black haired girl fought. On the ground was a corpse of a dead guard, his blood staining the Earth. The black haired girl's skill was clearly much more refined, as she was essentially staying one step ahead. She caught him off-guard, before she stabbed him in the chest.
Sayo and Ieyasu recognized who the boy was.
"TATSUMI!" They both yelled, running forward.
"Wait, you idiots!" Jotaro said, hand out. "You're-"
Jotaro's words were cut off as he felt two hands wrap around his neck. Two... strangely fuzzy hands. He could see there was yellow fur on them, as well as black nails. They seemed similar to lion paws.
"Oh look, I caught someone!"
Jotaro looked from the corner of his eye to see a blonde haired girl behind him. She was sightly shorter than he was, and the only other trait he could make out were some ears on the top of her head.
"You're a big guy, ain't ya?" She said. "Let me give you a deal, leave and you won't die."
Suddenly, she felt hands wrap around her wrists. But to her shock, Jotaro hadn't even moved his arms. Instead, these hands belonged to a huge purple and muscular man.
"No deal..." Jotaro said, as Star Platinum pried the hands off his neck.
"Cause you just managed to piss me off."
Sayo and Ieyasu completely ignored the black haired girl as they ran to their fallen friend.
"Tatsumi! Tatsumi!" Sayo said, shaking him.
"Dude, we found you! Quit it with the act!" Ieyasu said.
"Heh... I guess you two won't get fooled easily, huh?"
Tatsumi said this as he stood up.
"Glad to see you guys again. You arrived just in time." He said, turning back to the black haired girl.
"I didn't feel any flesh." The black haired girl said. "Why?"
Tatsumi answered by pulling wooden carving from his shirt. It had a notch on it, from where the girl had stabbed. Sayo and Ieyasu smiled at it.
"Everyone from my village protected me."
The black haired was indifferent to this, as she took up another stance. He red eyes shone like the blood she was about to spill. "Eliminate."
"Crap!" Tatsumi said, picking up his sword.
"Don't worry, Tatsumi." Ieyasu said, pulling out his axe, and Sayo pulled out her bow. "We got your back."
"Yeah, but she's pretty strong. I don't think even all three of us can defeat her." He said, pulling out his sword.
"...on three?" Sayo suggested.
"Just like we used to." Tatsumi said, smiling. "On my mark. One..."
Sayo drew her bowstring, and Ieyasu pulled his axe back. Tatsumi held his sword up.
"Two..."
Their hands tightened on their weapons.
"Thre-"
"ORA!"
They were interrupted when a yellow blur came sailing past them and crashed into the warehouse, leaving a dent in the steel door.
"Leone!" The black haired girl called out, as the blonde haired girl slid down onto the ground. She didn't seem to be hurt badly, just shaken up.
"Heeeeeey, Akameeee. Did you see me flyyyyyyy?" She asked, clearly dazed, confirmed by the swirls in her eyes.
"Hey! That's the lady that swindled me earlier!" Tatsumi noted.
"Yuuuuuup!" She said, half dizzy, half gleefully.
Akame turned to see a man walking out of the woods.
"Good grief." Jotaro said, hands in his pockets. "She was a real pain."
Akame then turned to the man, who was clearly a bigger threat, and dashed forward in an attempt to stab him.
But her blade was caught between the palms of Star Platinum.
Akame's eyes widened as she pulled her sword back.
"Wha?" Tatsumi said, looking on. "What the heck?!"
"Don't worry Tatsumi." Ieyasu said, grinning. "He's with us."
"ORA!"
Star Platinum swung his fist down at Akame, who flipped backwards as the stand smashed the ground, causing a fairly huge tremor.
This power... Akame thought.
She was surprised when Jotaro suddenly appeared right in front of her. He didn't dash or give any hints earlier. He just appeared. He grabbed her by the collar. She closed her eyes, preparing to be hit... but the punches never came. Jotaro simply let go. He just walked past her and towards the storehouse.
"Why did you let me go?" She asked Jotaro. "I was going to kill you, so why?"
"You're using the term 'going,' so I'll be assuming that I'm safe for now." He said. "Besides, we got more important matters."
Leone shakily stood up, using the door as support. She glared at Jotaro. While Star Platinum only threw her, hitting her head on the steel door was no fun.
"Move, bitch." He said, pushing her to the side and stepping in front of the door.
Now, normally Leone would be beyond pissed off, but she decided to let it go for now, as Jotaro seemed to share the same goal as her.
"Star Platinum!"
The stand came out, and aside from Sayo and Ieyasu, they were all in awe at the muscular purple man. Star Platinum drew its fists back, and Jotaro pointed at the door.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORA! ORA!"
The stand punched the doors in with incredible speed and strength, causing them to fly off their hinges.
"Sayo. Ieyasu. This was what I saw."
The two of them, as well as Tatsumi walked forward into the warehouse, unprepared to see the horrors they saw inside.
There were bodies. Everywhere.
Blood was stained all over the walls and floor. Organs and other body parts were strewn about. Several bodies were holding on together by only a few pieces of flesh. Some were strung up on the ceiling by hooks pierced into their necks or torsos.
"Holy... shit..." Ieyasu managed to get out.
Sayo put her hands over her mouth, sickened by all of this.
Tatsumi fell to his knees. "What... what is this?"
The three of them wished that this was all fake. That they could wipe this clean from their memories and call it a bad dream.
But no. This was the reality they were in.
"This is the darkness of the Imperial Capital." Leone said, arms crossed and walking forward. "They lure in people from the countryside with sweet words and promises, and then subject them to their hobby of torture, and continue to toy with them until they die."
Sayo stepped forward slightly, to one of the hanged bodies. It was hard to make out, due to all the damage done, but she realized something.
"This... this was a little girl." She said, tearing up. "She couldn't have been any older than twelve... and they..."
She collapsed, and Ieyasu ran up and caught her. He pulled her into a tight hug as she sobbed. Leone frowned. Poor kids. She thought. Only a few days in the real world, and they've been exposed to this.
"Damn it..." Ieyasu said, disgust replaced with anger. "Who the fuck did this! I'm going to give them something ten times worse than what they did here!"
"One of them is right here."
Jotaro was holding the blonde girl from earlier by the hair. She was struggling as she tried to get away.
"What are you doing to me?!" She said, panicked. "What's holding onto me?!"
"She can't see it?" Akame asked.
"I'll explain it later." Jotaro then turned back to the girl. "Trying to run, eh?"
"I didn't do any of this! I never knew!" She protested.
"The innocent don't run." Jotaro stated.
"But I swear! I didn't do anything! I am innocent! I-"
"ORA!"
Surprisingly, Star Platinum wasn't the one that delivered the punch, but it was Jotaro himself. He had knocked out several teeth and broken her nose.
"Are you're going to keep denying it?" He asked. "Or do you want to lose more teeth, you fucking bitch?"
It appeared that this caused her so finally snap and show her true colors. She stopped struggling and her face twisted from a sweet and innocent girl into one fit for a killer.
"You're nothing but worthless hicks from the countryside, right?!" She screamed, blood flying from her mouth and making her look demonic. "Just like cattle! And I'm free to treat them however I want, right?!"
She pointed at the corpse of the little girl Sayo saw earlier. "That little brat had the nerve to have straight hair, while she's a farm animal! Even I am troubled to have such ruly hair! That's why I made sure she suffered as long as possible! She should be grateful that anyone paid that much attention to her!"
She breathed heavily after he outburst. Jotaro, Akame and Leone merely looked at her in disgust.
"A family of sadists that take the guises of good samaritans." Leone said, stepping aside. "Sorry for getting in your way, Akame. You're free to kill her now."
"Eliminate." Akame said.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to give her more than just a broken nose and missing teeth." Jotaro said, cracking his knuckles, Star Platinum doing the same.
The two walked towards the girl. Ieyasu pulled Sayo in close, before closing his own eyes. But before the two could do anything, Tatsumi spoke up.
"Wait." He said, walking up to the girl.
"Give me a break." Jotaro said. "You're not seriously going to defend her, are you?"
"No." He said. "I'll kill her."
In one swift movement he drew his sword and slashed across her chest, her blood spraying everywhere. With one final scream, she fell down to the ground, unmoving.
She was dead.
Tasumi swung his sword to flick the blood off, before he sheathed it.
"Tatsumi..." Sayo said.
Tatsumi turned back to her with a sad smile on his face. The three of them were back together... but never in their lives would they imagined something like this would happen.
"Let's go." Akame said. However, Leone stepped up.
"You know... why don't we bring them with us?" Leone suggested. "We are a bit short-handed on members, after all."
As she said this, she grabbed Tatsumi by the back of his shirt and started to drag him, despite his protests. Sayo and Ieyasu each held one of his hands and tried to stop Leone, but they were also comically getting dragged off, leaving Jotaro and Akame.
"Are you coming?" She asked him.
"Good grief... not like I got any choice, do I?"
"You do have a choice, either come with us or we could kill you."
"That's not a choice."
Eventually, they all ended up on the roof of the mansion. Waiting for them were several other people as well. Other members of the assassination group, Jotaro presumed.
"We're back! Sorry it took so long!" Leone said.
"Leone... you got like three people clinging to you." A young green haired man said, sweatdropping.
Truth to be told, only Ieyasu and Sayo were clinging onto her, trying to make her let go of Tatsumi.
"And who's this handsome man with you?" Asked a man in dragonic armor.
"Oh no worries," she said. "They're with us now!"
"What?!" A pink haired girl said. "Since when?! I don't think all of us agreed to this! Shouldn't we make this official or something?! And at a time like this is just-"
"Shut up, brat." Jotaro said.
"EXCUSE ME?!" She yelled.
"No time for that right now, Mine." Leone said, though she was secretly laughing on the inside.
"Mission complete! Let's return!" Akame said.
The assassins, with Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo in tow, leapt through the darkness in a retreat, their job finished. Using Star Platinum to enhance his abilities, Jotaro kept up with them.
It hasn't even been a day and I've joined up with an assassination group. Jotaro thought. Good grief, what the hell did I get myself into?
On the rooftop, stood a young man, as he watched the group retreat.
Impossible... he thought. He has a stand too?
He looked up into the night sky.
I haven't seen any other stand-users so far... this might be more complicated than I thought.
TO BE CONTINUED.
A/N: Not much to say this time. I'm just surprised I managed to finish the second chapter.
Anyways, Jotaro has (unofficially) joined Night Raid! And as you can tell, I decided to spare Ieyasu and Sayo. I was always miffed they were offed so early. They could have made interesting characters.
And as you can see, a mysterious character has appeared. Who is he? Only time will tell.
Anyways, read and feel free to leave a review. See you next time!