A/N: Apologies in advance if this chapter is a little lower in quality. I feel that it's not as good as previous chapters.
The lightning crashed around the two teenage stand-users. The rain had drenched them, soaking their outfits, but not their spirits.
Fugo grit his teeth as Jotaro stood in front of him. He had just killed some scum, and now one of the most powerful stand-users in existence just happened to show up. Just his luck. The two stand-users stared each other down, before Fugo took a step back. Before Jotaro could take a step forward, Fugo clenched his fist and threw it forward to guide his stand.
"PURPLE HAZE!"
The wild stand jumped out, ready to slam its fists into Jotaro and turn him into nothing but bloody paste. Not to be outdone, Jotaro summoned his stand as well.
"STAR PLATINUM!"
The two stands rushed at each-other, throwing punches and dodging strikes.
"So you're here as well, huh?!" Fugo yelled. "You're here to finish me off?!"
"Calm down." Jotaro said. "I'm not here to-"
"I'm not falling for any tricks! Purple Haze!"
"UBASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The stand rapidly punched at Jotaro's stand, but every time a fist was about to make contact, Star Platinum would punch away at the wrists. Fugo could feel his own wrists start to bruise.
"Damn it! I'm ending this now!"
Purple Haze threw both of its fists forward, but Star Platinum caught them in his hands.
"Now are you willing to listen to me-"
Fugo's smirked.
"It's over, Jotaro Kujo."
Jotaro's eyes widened as he noticed there were cracks growing on several strange orbs located on Purple Haze's fists.
"Once the virus capsule bursts, you're finished!" Fugo declared, pointing at him.
Jotaro merely scoffed.
"Good grief... STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!"
Jotaro and Star Platinum disappeared, Purple Haze swung wildly, before looking around in confusion. Fugo could feel sweat drip down his brow, before turning around to see Jotaro behind him. Before he could retaliate, Jotaro punched him across the face. Fugo was knocked down, hitting the wall.
"Calm down. I didn't come here to fight." He said.
"Funny way of showing that." Fugo groaned, wiping some blood from his mouth. "But since you didn't attack me directly with your stand, I can see that you're telling the truth."
Purple Haze faded away, and so did Star Platinum.
"Sorry, trying to attack was an impulsive move, since I know what you can do." Fugo said, much calmer now.
Jotaro narrowed his eyes. "What I can do?"
"Yes." Fugo slowly stood up. "Your ability to stop time."
Silence passed between the two of them.
"How did you learn this?"
"It would be better if we speak somewhere else." Fugo said, turning around. "I know a place."
"And all of a sudden I can trust you?"
Fugo didn't turn. "I could say the same to you."
Jotaro stood still for a moment, before sighing.
Good grief...
"Really? Here?"
They were standing outside an Italian-themed restaurant near the outskirts of the Capital called 'Ristorante Preferito' (Italian for Favorite Restaurant), though Jotaro had no idea how that was possible, since Italy didn't even exist here.
"Yeah. I'm just as surprised that a place like this exists here." Fugo said. "Besides, it's a quiet store, far from prying eyes. I know the owner of the place as well."
Jotaro followed Fugo into the restaurant. A kindly old man was cleaning behind the counter-top, before he noticed his two visitors.
"Oh, welcome back, Fugo!"
"Good to see you, Leonardo. I brought a friend."
"Oh, he's welcome too! Please, take a seat, and I'll come take your order in a bit." He said, as he went into the kitchen.
Since the place was empty at this time of night, Jotaro and Fugo took their seats in the corner, just to avoid sticking out too much.
"Anyone else besides that old man work here?" Jotaro asked Fugo, cautiously.
"His son and daughter helps from time-to-time, though they don't come here that often, since they have jobs in other parts of the city." Fugo said. "I've only met them two or three times."
"So, how do you know this guy?" Jotaro asked him.
"I was passing by when there was a thug here insulting him and his family. He threatened to kill them all, but I stepped in."
"You killed him?"
"I threw a knife at his back, which ticked him off. I had him chase me until we reached an abandoned alleyway, in order to hide my stand and finish him off away from prying eyes." Fugo explained. "But, it wasn't as simple as I thought it would be."
"Why?"
"He was a stand-user."
Jotaro's eyes widened. He felt as if a very cold draft blew threw the restaurant.
"A stand-user?"
"Yes. A fairly new one as well. His stand had the ability to make his body indestructible, but it was pointless in the face of Purple Haze's virus."
Jotaro clasped his hands. "But how is this even possible?"
"I did some of my own research and investigation." Fugo explained. "I couldn't believe it, but... the Empire has a stand arrow."
With every bombshell Fugo dropped, Jotaro's caution just grew higher and higher.
"Instead of executing some criminals, they give them the stand arrow test, and if they live, they become new enforcers of the empire." Fugo said, hands on the table. "In fact, in order to spread their influence, some of the scientists recreated the effect of the arrow. I don't know how, but they managed to create a new version of the stand arrow. The problem with this one is that it's a single use arrow. But as long as they have the original, they can keep on creating more. They use the single-use arrows as weapons, to kill weak-willed enemies."
"And if they have a will strong enough to manifest as stand?"
"They kill them before they have a chance."
More silence passed between the two.
"Ever since I arrived in this place, I've wandered aimlessly until I came upon this place. Ever since I saved them, they felt indebted to me. While I said that there was no need to do so, they offered me a place to stay here. I then decided to become a vigilante, and taking out any rouge stand users." Fugo explained.
"Now, that brings me to my next question." Jotaro said. "How did you arrive here? Last I remember Heaven Ascension DIO had you under his control, and that was when I first met Giorno."
"Ah, that. Well, I was fully aware of all my actions, but I could not control myself. He told me the secret of your stand, and sent Narancia and I after you. But because I failed to assassinate you... he punished me."
Fugo lay on the ground, unconscious as Heaven Ascension DIO stood over him.
"Pannacotta Fugo. I thought I told you to kill Jotaro Kujo before he gained more allies. With your abilities he should have been dead within seconds."
The World Over Heaven appeared behind its master and tapped on Fugo's forehead with a finger. Heaven Ascension DIO simply turned around.
"Now, be trapped in the eternal nightmare, seeing what happened when you abandoned your friends."
Heaven Ascension DIO disappeared, leaving Fugo by himself.
His eyes didn't open, but he began to thrash and scream.
The things he saw happen to his friends at the hands of the boss and his powerful stand, King Crimson.
Abbacchio, a hole blown through his torso from a single punch.
Narancia (in Giorno's body), impaled on several iron bars.
And Bruno, destroying Chariot Requiem, his soul ascending to Heaven.
All of these things, that he could have helped stop, if it wasn't for his cowardice!
Fugo screamed in both rage and despair, but no one heard his screams.
"I was trapped like that, until you defeated Heaven Ascension DIO." Fugo explained. "But as for why I'm here and still alive, I have no idea. I suppose I'll have to count my blessings."
Jotaro leaned back, and put a hand on his cap.
"Fugo. Have you heard of the assassination group, Night Raid?"
"Hm?" Fugo looked up. "Yes. I have seen several of the posters, as well as the Empire constantly making announcements about how they should be eliminated. But, to be honest, I've seen the truth about Night Raid. What they do may be the furthest thing from justice, but it's also the right thing."
Jotaro was about to speak, but Fugo cut him off.
"I already know, Jotaro." Fugo stated. "That you've joined Night Raid. I was there that night you discovered the sadist family. I myself was originally going to assassinate them once I found out what they had done, but you and Night Raid were already there. I decided to stay on the rooftop and observe everything. I didn't recognize you at first, but then I remembered your stand and its abilities. Seeing you join Night Raid... this may sound somewhat foolish, but..."
He smirked at Jotaro. "I couldn't help but feel a little jealous."
"If that case, why didn't you join us?"
"...joining the assassination group might not sound that bad, but I made up my mind." Fugo said. "I'll continue to work on my own, not bothering any other vigilantes or such."
"Oh? And why is that?" Jotaro asked.
"When I lose my temper, I do horrible things. If I were to join Night Raid, someone might die." He said, looking down. "You saw how weak my will was, leaving my friends and being under DIO's control. You're all better off without me."
Jotaro sat in silence, eyes shadowed by his hat, before he stood up.
"In that case, let's see if that'll actually happen." Jotaro said, holding out a hand.
Fugo looked stunned as he looked up at Jotaro. He still had the same hardened complexion, but there was belief in his eyes, and a small smile. "Fugo, as a stand-user, and survivor of Heaven Ascension DIO's massacre, I think it was fate that we met."
Fugo still had the shocked look on his face, before it turned into a grin. "I'm surprised, Jotaro. From what I knew of you, I would have thought you would be all; 'Join or don't join. I don't give a damn.'"
Jotaro's smile turned into a smirk. "I'm trying to learn how to stop being such a bastard."
Fugo clasped Jotaro's hand and shook it. Heh. He's just like Bruno and Giorno. I can see how he and Giorno are related.
"But, I have a request." Fugo said, turning to Leonardo, who was getting the menus. "If it's possible, can you order protection for Leonardo and his family? They've done so much for me that I can't ever repay."
"It can be arranged." Jotaro said, knowing Najenda.
"Thank you. In that case, I'll gladly join Night Raid."
The broke the handshake as Leonardo came over with the menus.
"Before we go, I'd say we have something to eat. The food here is delicious." Fugo suggested.
"I'll take your word for it." Jotaro said.
Back at Night Raid's base, night had fallen. Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo were still in the meeting room, waiting for Jotaro. They didn't talk that much, though every now and then one of them would ask how much time had passed. They were starting to get anxious, as it was getting close to midnight.
"You three should probably get some sleep." Leone said, walking in. "You guys might have finished today's mission, but that doesn't mean you got the day off tomorrow. Especially you Tatsumi, since you have to work with Mine tomorrow."
"Yeah, we know, but-"
"Look, I get it, you're worried for Jotaro, but sitting around won't accomplish anything." She said. "We got people on the watch at all times. If he shows up, everyone'll know."
The Roundabout wanted to argue, but they did agree that it was getting late.
Sayo made a silent prayer. Please come back safely, Jotaro.
Jotaro and Fugo were walking through the forest, towards Night Raid's base.
"So, Jotaro. What can you tell me about Night Raid's members? What are they like?"
Jotaro opened his mouth, before he closed it.
"Jotaro?"
"They're... an odd bunch, to say the least."
"Odd how?"
"Well..." Jotaro thought of a way to put it. "They all have different quirks."
"Heh, not that different from all our friends, eh?"
Jotaro and Fugo walked in silence for a while, reminiscing their old friends.
But also mourning them, as they had all died in the effort to defeat Heaven Ascension DIO.
They kept walking in silence, until Fugo suddenly stopped walking. He looked around and back behind him, eyes narrowed.
"I'm going to ditch you if you quit walking. So hurry up and-"
"Jotaro, stop!"
Jotaro stopped in his tracks. He too had felt the sense of unease Fugo was feeling.
"Fugo, watch my back." He said, slowly moving backwards. "I'll watch yours."
The two stand-users went back to back, observing their surroundings, ready to summon their stands at a moments notice. They saw nothing, but trees in the darkness, the only thing illuminating the night was the moon.
But, they could hear movement through the trees and bushes. They could hear trees snapping and falling.
Both of them didn't say a word as the movement got closer and closer, until the creature revealed itself.
And what they saw made their blood run cold.
Knocking down trees was a huge beast. It was about twice the size of a rhinoceros and was grey in color. Brown fur covered most of its body, and it had two enormous tusks on its front.
"What the hell?!" Fugo yelled, taking a step back. "What is that thing?!"
"I believe it's called a Danger Beast." Jotaro said. "I was briefed on this thing back at Night Raid."
"It looks like it's some fusion between several large animals. How do we-"
Fugo was cut off as the beast roared and charged forward. Jotaro jumped away while Fugo rolled to the side.
Fugo summoned Purple Haze's fist. "Alright. I'll quickly rush up to it and eliminate it with my virus-"
The beast charged again, this time towards Jotaro. But the muscular teen was ready.
"STAR PLATINUM!" He yelled, pointing at the charging Danger Beast. The stand shot out and caught the speeding animal by its tusks.
"Jotaro!"
"I'm fine!" He called back. "I'm going to snap this things damn horns, and when it's down, finish it off!"
"ORAAAA!"
Star Platinum bent its arms and threw the Danger Beast over its head. The force snapped the tusks off and sent the beast crashing onto its back. Jotaro quickly moved to the side as Fugo threw his fist forward, launching one of Purple Haze's virus capsules. It burst, engulfing the beast in the deadly virus. It squealed in pain, thrashing around as the deadly virus spread through its body.
Jotaro's eyes widened as he saw the effects. The Danger Beast was swelling up, bubbles popping on its melting skin. Blood leaked all over its body, soaking into the ground it lay upon. A mixture of both the smoke and the virus rose from its body, as everything, even the bones, began to melt into a puddle of gore.
Giorno had told Jotaro about how devastating Fugo's ability was, but he had never seen it in action. It was possibly one of the most dangerous stand abilities he had ever seen. He counted his blessings that he had fought Fugo twice and survived.
Pulling down his cap, he turned around, continuing to walk back to the base. He stopped and turned to Fugo.
"Your ability is damn insane."
"...I know."
"They're all going to love this..." Jotaro muttered.
Fugo followed him, as the two continued the journey back to the base.
It was ironic, for Leone right now. Despite telling Tatsumi and his friends to get some sleep, she was the one still waiting just outside the entrance for Jotaro. And it wasn't from them asking her, she was doing it of her own volition.
Truth to be told, she was also worried for Jotaro. She was sure that he'd come back, but not sure exactly when he would.
"Man, hopefully he didn't do anything stupid. But I know he at least has some more common sense compared to some others I know."
Leone's eyes caught sight of something moving through the trees. Grinning, she walked forward to see Jotaro coming forward. Her eyes widened when she saw that someone was following Jotaro.
"Jotaro, behind-"
"Cool your jets. He's with me."
Leone observed the young man behind Jotaro. She could feel a strong sense of will from him, as well as suffering. But what surprised her was that he had just as much killing intent as some of the more experienced members of Night Raid.
His fashion sense, on the other hand, was a different story. Leone was internally cringing at all the holes in his suit. They were all tidied up and had no split ends, so it was clear he had done it to his suit on purpose.
With the green coloring of his suit, Leone couldn't help but compare him to moldy swiss cheese.
"Leone. Is there a free bed for him?" Jotaro asked.
"Yeah. Same hall as yours since you're new, but-"
"Good." Jotaro pushed past her, Fugo following him. "I'll explain everything in the morning."
Leone was a little unsure about letting in a complete stranger into the base, but...
Jotaro looked back at her, before giving a thumbs-up.
She trusted Jotaro's judgement and gave a thumbs-up back. It couldn't be too bad tomorrow, right?
Leone changed her mind.
Why, you may ask? She was currently on the ground, writhing in pain as Najenda had a firm grip on her ear. Najenda was sitting in front of Jotaro and the new face, Fugo. The rest of Night Raid stood around them.
"So." Najenda jerked Leone around, causing her to cry out in pain. "Who exactly is this newcomer that Leone let in?"
Fugo stepped up, and bowed his head. "My name is Pannacotta Fugo, Ma'am."
Wait, like the cream? Mine thought. What kind of name is that?
"Well then, Fugo." Najenda said, letting go of Leone. "Seeing as you've come here, I can assume that you wish to join Night Raid?"
"Yes. I've seen the darkness of the capital, and I wish to put an end to it." He said.
"I see..." Najenda crossed her arms. "I may as well ask you this, are you willing to kill?"
"...I have already taken lives before." Fugo said.
With the exception of Tatsumi and his friends, no one flinched at his words. Killing was natural to them.
"Then you are welcome to join Night Raid." Najenda said, holding out her hand. "Killing may be our job, but we'd never force someone who abhors it to do so."
Fugo smiled and shook Najenda's hand.
"Another member within a few days." Shelle commented. "This is surprising."
"His fashion sense could be better." Mine muttered.
"Fugo." Najenda said, after the two broke the handshake. "Jotaro vouched for you, which brings me the question; how do you know him?"
Fugo turned to Jotaro, who was smoking a cigarette. Jotaro merely shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm an acquaintance of his." Fugo said. "I'm friends with one of his family members."
Technically, it wasn't a lie, since Fugo was friends with Giorno. Or at least, was. He didn't know if Giorno or the others even considered him a friend after he had left them.
"And... this is just a hypothesis, but I'm guessing that, like Jotaro, you have what is known as a stand?"
Fugo could feel sweat drop down his forehead. But before he could answer, Jotaro spoke up.
"Fugo does have a stand, but it can't really show it's abilities."
"Why not?" Tatsumi asked.
"His stand might be one of the most dangerous ones I've ever seen."
Silenced passed through Night Raid, as a few of them were stunned. Jotaro had a stand which had incredible strength and speed, as well as the ability to stop time. What could Fugo's stand be, that Jotaro considers it dangerous?
"And explaining Fugo's stand would take too long too." Jotaro said. "I've devised a way to show you how it works. Meet me out by the training ground in a few minutes."
Jotaro then left the room.
"So..." Leone said to Fugo. "...why do you dress like moldy cheese?"
Soon, Night Raid was standing out at the training ground again. Leone had a large bump on her head, courtesy of Najenda. Fugo stood further away from the group, waiting for Jotaro.
"So, what do you think Fugo's stand will look like?" Lubbock asked his fellow assassins.
"Hmm..." Shelle put a finger on her chin in thought. "Jotaro's stand seems to be reflective on how he looks and acts on the inside..."
"I'm stumped." Sayo said. "He's hard to read."
She wasn't wrong. Fugo stood away from them, every now and then shuffling his feet. Like Leone earlier, most of the experienced members could tell that Fugo was experienced in fighting and killing, but also could feel a lot of pain from him.
They were all brought out of their thoughts as Jotaro came from the far end of the training ground. He was holding a wooden stake, and Star Platinum floated behind him, in its hands holding... a rat?
A few of the girls cringed as he got closer. Jotaro knelt down and pushed the wooden stake into the ground. His stand then tied the rat's tail onto the stake. The little beast tried to run away, but Star Platinum had tied the knot tight.
Jotaro stood back up and took several steps back. "Fugo, you can reveal your stand now."
Fugo nodded, before breathing out. "Purple Haze."
Night Raid tensed up as smoke seeped our by Fugo's feet. His stand materializing in the mist.
It was hunched over, groaning. Drool seeped from its mouth and dripped onto the ground. The stand moaned as it slowly stood up, smoke spewing out of its mouth. This let Night Raid get a good view of it's full appearance. Jotaro himself didn't get as clear of a view on the stand, since it was nighttime and raining the last time he saw it.
It's skin was checkered white and purple. It had armor on it's shoulders, elbows and knees, complete with a roman-esque helmet equipped with a visor. A long purple cape billowed from its back.
It felt fitting for Jotaro, that such a dangerous ability had a dangerous looking stand.
Night Raid on the other hand, was stunned. While Jotaro had explained how stands work, he couldn't have prepared them for this. Compared to the heroic muscleman that Star Platinum was, Purple Haze had the look of a deranged monster. Jotaro had also said that stands reflect their user as well. So what kind of secrets was Fugo exactly hiding?
Fugo kept a calm and steady breath as he focused. While he had gained some more control over his stand, it could still go berserk every now and then if he wasn't careful. Fugo found that if he kept himself in control, he had an easier time controlling his stand.
As Fugo kept focusing, his stand simply stood still, awaiting orders. The tension in the air broke as some of Purple Haze's drool dripped onto its leg.
"Ew... gross..." Mine commented.
The stand seemed to share the sentiment, as it seemed to gasp and started rubbing at it with its wrist.
"Um... Fugo?" Bulat called. "What's your stand doing?"
"Oh um..." Fugo looked slightly embarrassed. "That's one of Purple Haze's quirks. It always looks angry, but it's actually pretty high-strung, and cares about being clean."
The stand stopped wiping to see that its leg was now clean, but then cried out seeing that the wrist it used to clean with was now dirty. It rubbed both of its wrists together to try and clean it, but the mess spread to both wrists. It licked at them to clean it up, and was successful... until the drool from its wrists landed on its leg again, causing it to cry out in annoyance.
Night Raid... really didn't know how to respond in this situation. Most of them had deadpan looks on their faces. Jotaro merely pulled his cap down. Fugo let out an embarrassed chuckle.
"Anyways. Purple Haze."
The stand looked up from cleaning itself. Fugo merely pointed at the rat stuck in the ground. The stand took a few steps and looked at the rat, raising its fist.
But before Purple Haze could demonstrate its power, gears on Lubbock's glove began to turn. The stand stopped its punch upon hearing the sounds.
"Damn, intruders!" Lubbock shouted.
"What? In broad daylight?" Shelle asked.
"Yeah. Judging from my barrier... 20 people?!"
Barrier? Jotaro thought? Is his ability similar to Kakyoin's?
"If they sniffed us out, they must be trained mercenaries." Najenda said, lighting a cigar. "Well, we can save the demonstration for later. We can't let any of them escape, or they'll give away our location."
"We might not have to postpone it." Fugo said. "I can show Purple Haze's ability with this opportunity."
"If the chance arrives, go for it." Najenda said. "Night Raid, move out."
Jotaro was walking through the forest by himself. From what Lubbock had said, the intruders were close, but not close enough to see the base, so they would move in. The assassin group had split up to cover more ground.
Every now and then, he could hear shouts and the sound of steel. The skirmishes were beginning. He had not yet found a mercenary, and was wondering if they were purposely avoiding him and instead trying to sneak past him.
His theory was proven wrong, as a man dropped from a tree and attempted to bring his sword down on his head.
Jotaro merely sighed, as Star Platinum caught the blade in its hand.
"W-what the hell?!" He cried out. "Why is my blade stuck in thin air?!"
Jotaro didn't answer his question, as Star Platinum shattered the blade with a single blow. He then grabbed the man by his throat before throwing him up.
"I'm gonna smash you!" Jotaro yelled as the man fell down into his stand's range.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA! ORA!"
Star Platinum unleashed a barrage of punches, culminating in a final blow that launched the man through several trees. Walking over, Jotaro saw that the man was unmoving, blood everywhere and wood splintered through him.
He was dead.
Jotaro sighed as he turned around.
"Damn it. I shouldn't get used to doing this..."
Jotaro met up with the rest of Night Raid, who were discussing the results of what had happened.
"Oh, Jotaro!" Leone called over. "How many did you get?"
"How many did I-" Jotaro raised an eyebrow. Leone was treating this as a game, for how many lives they had taken. While he'd normally be disgusted by this sort of behavior, he could tell that Leone was actually well-meaning, and that something in her past resulted in her current personality.
"Well..." Jotaro put a hand in his pocket. "I got one."
"Really? Thought you would have taken down more than that. But eh, I also got just one." She said.
"Humph." Mine said, with a proud smile. "I sniped two with a single shot."
"None." Bulat said. "I guess they steered clear from me, or I just got unlucky."
"Don't feel bad, man." Lubbock said. "Shelle and I didn't get any either."
"Four." Akame said simply. Leone cried out in fake-jealousy.
"We worked together and took down two." Tatsumi said. Ieyasu and Sayo nodded.
"That makes... ten..." Lubbock noted. "Wait, what about the other ten?"
"Actually, where's Fugo?" Leone asked. "The cheese boy isn't with us."
"Cheese boy?" Shelle asked.
"Yeah, decided to call him that since that's how he dresses." Leone said, with a smirk.
"We'd better go find him." Lubbock said, as he saw the gears on his glove turn. "I think the other guys are going to try attacking him at the same time."
(JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OST - Virus)
Sure enough, Lubbock's suspicions were proven correct. They all stood just behind the tree line at the top of a cliff. Down in the valley, Fugo was surrounded by the remaining ten mercenaries.
"Damn it, we have to help him!" Tatsumi yelled. He was about to go down into the valley, before Jotaro held out an arm to stop him.
"Don't." Jotaro said. "When Fugo uses his ability, you can't get close."
"But-"
"Look on the bright side, Tatsumi." Leone said. "We all got front row seats to this spectacle. I'm sure we'll see how deadly of an assassin Fugo is."
Poor Leone did not know how correct she was about to be proven.
Down in the valley, the men that surrounded Fugo had their swords pointed at him.
"We surrounded you, kid." One of them said. "Nowhere to run."
"I see." Fugo said, almost bored.
The men advanced slowly, before one of them called out.
"KILL HIM!"
They all dashed forward, swords ready to cut Fugo to pieces. Unfortunately, that would be the last mistake they ever made.
"PURPLE HAZE!"
The monstrous stand jumped out, unseen to the mercenaries. With guttural cries, it kicked, elbowed and smashed. Every strike it made hit home, bones shattering and organs rupturing. The men fell, one by one, as the unseen power killed them one by one, until it was just one man standing.
"You... you bastard!" He yelled at Fugo. "What have you done to my comrades?!"
"Killed them." Fugo stated simply. "Is that so hard to understand?"
"DIE!"
He swung his sword down, but Purple Haze grabbed him by the throat. It pinned him up against the cavern wall so hard he spit up blood. The stand raised a hand back.
"What is this power?! Why can't I see it?!" He screamed.
"Let him have it! PURPLE HAZE!"
"UBASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Purple Haze unleashed an onslaught of punches. But Night Raid noticed that the first strike released some sort of mist. Their eyes widened as they saw the effects on the man.
He could only scream in pain as his skin was bubbling. Every punch from Purple Haze didn't make the sound of breaking bones. The sounds were more akin to slicing open flesh. With a final punch, Purple Haze punched at the unfortunate mercenary's face, ripping it off in the process. He fell, melting into a puddle of blood and gore, leaving only his clothing and armor.
Fugo turned around and walked away from the rotting corpse. Purple Haze let out a final guttural roar before it dispersed.
Back up on the cliff, Night Raid's reactions to Fugo's stand was... mixed.
Mine and Sayo went behind bushes to puke. Everyone else was notably shocked, some more than others. Even Akame, who's normally unflappable, had wide eyes.
"It's so savage..." Shelle said.
"It attacks like an explosion, and then disappears like a storm." Bulat commented, almost poetically.
"But holy crap... that thing is dangerous..." Lubbock said, sweat dripping down his brow.
"Fugo's been through a lot." Jotaro said, Night Raid turning to him. "If anything, that's just him holding himself back."
"Holding back?" Leone asked.
"He has a lot of anger. In fact, he doesn't bring out his stand that often, because he has a hard time controlling it." Jotaro said. "Some of his old friends told me that they've seen it so rarely, that the could count how many times it showed up on their fingers."
"Wow..." Tatsumi said.
"His stand reflects his inner conflicts." Jotaro said. "All of that pent up anger from years of suffering. I'm still surprised that he's sane."
Night Raid stared down the cliff as Fugo made his way back up. Their newest member had been through just as much as they all have.
Which was all the more reason to welcome him with open arms.
"So, you managed to take out all of them?" Najenda asked as Night Raid arrived back at the meeting room.
"Yup!" Leone said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Fugo's shoulder. "And cheese boy here got half of em!"
"Would you please refrain from calling me that?" Fugo asked patiently.
"Nope!" She said with a grin.
"You'd best give up now, Fugo." Shelle said with an apologetic smile. "It's hard to make Leone change her mind."
"But she's not wrong." Mine said, hand on her chin. "If you want, I could find you some better clothe-"
"I'm fine in my current outfit, thank you very much."
"Well then. Good job, Night Raid." Najenda said. "You are all dismissed." They all began to leave and talk amongst themselves.
"Wait, Fugo. I wish to speak with you." Najenda said.
The teen turned back around. "Yes? What is it?"
"I have to ask, how did it feel to be on your first technical mission with Night Raid?"
"To be honest?" Fugo said. "Exhilarating. In the past, the missions I've been on usually required me to be backup, due to my ability."
"I see. Fugo, if it's possible, I'd like to learn more about you."
"Why the sudden interest?" He asked.
"It's only natural that I should learn more about you, due to being the leader of the assassination group. Please, don't mistake this for being some sort of ulterior motive." She reassured.
Silence passed between the two, as they stared at eachother. Fugo broke the silence with a small chuckle.
"...this is the second time, that I've found someone that I feel I can trust."
Najenda gestured him to pull up a chair and sit down. "I'll listen to everything you have to say."
"Well then, Miss Najenda. Prepare for a very long story."
(JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OST - spensierato-rabbia)
Jotaro came down to breakfast next morning to see an odd sight. While most of Night Raid was eating breakfast and talking to eachother, it was different on the other side. At the end of the table, there were a few notebooks and pencils. Leone looked ready to commit murder (which was ironic), while Akame was facedown on the table, clearly asleep. Fugo stood over the two, trying to explain something to them. Lubbock and Mine were standing behind Fugo and laughing at Leone.
"What's going on?" Jotaro asked Najenda, who was standing nearby.
"Well, I talked to Fugo, and it turns out, he has formal education." She said. "Not to say that some of the members are unintelligent, it's just that several of them lack formal education due to their upbringing. So as a result, I asked Fugo to try tutoring them."
"Kind of odd the youngest person here is the teacher." Jotaro said.
"The others with education didn't want to do it. I asked him, and he accepted." She picked up a cup of tea. "But still... joining a criminal organization at that young of an age... I can't say that it still doesn't bother me."
Jotaro looked at Fugo, who was encouraging Leone. Said girl was scribbling across the sheet as she tried to solve some problems Fugo wrote for her.
"I believe Fugo will be a valuable ally to us. And I hope he comes to see all of us as comrades as well." Najenda said, taking a sip from our tea.
"Hey! Fugo! I'm done!" Leone said, holding up her notebook proudly.
"You're finished? Let's take a look."
Fugo looked at the paper and a disappointed frown found it's way onto his face. Lubbock and Mine looked over his shoulder and fell to the floor, howling with laughter.
"47 x 29 = 51" was what was written on the paper.
"What is this?" He asked.
"Well, did I get it right or not?"
CRUNCH!
Leone's question was answered, now that there was a fork in her cheek. She screamed as the rest of Night Raid (minus Akame, who was still sleeping) looked up in alert.
"YOU STUPID BITCH! ARE YOU MESSING WITH ME?!" He yelled, grabbing her by the head. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT THIS BEFORE YOU LEARN?! YOU DAMN SHIT-FOR-BRAINS!"
After emphasis on the last insult, he slammed her head into the table, spilling drinks and knocking over bowls. He didn't stop though, now that his anger had been unleashed, he kept slamming Leone's face into the table. It was a surprise that it didn't overturn from how much power he was using, but it did wake up Akame.
"Is breakfast ready?" She asked, groggily.
"I suppose he didn't say anything about his temper, did he?" Jotaro said, walking past a stunned Najenda to get some coffee and ignoring the continued table slams.
"You said seven times nine was sixty-three, SO WHY THE HELL IS YOUR ANSWER EVEN LESS?!"
Needless to say, Night Raid got even livelier with Fugo around.
TO BE CONTINUED.
A/N: To be honest here, I'm not a huge fan of how this chapter turned out. I felt that Fugo's introduction was a lot more choppy and awkward than Jotaro's before. Hopefully we won't get this problem in later chapters. Feel free to give any criticism.
The Danger Beast that Jotaro and Fugo fought was an original one I made up myself. It's essentially a fusion between a Woolly Mammoth and a Rhino.
As for Fugo's backstory, I'm combining what Purple Haze Feedback and the anime gave us. Fugo lashed out at the professor due to both insults at his grandmother and sexual harassment.
I feel like I've been procrastinating too long on this chapter. Because I've been blasting Fire Emblem Three Houses music constantly. Game's amazing.
Anyways, Fugo has officially joined Night Raid. Will his stand help them in the future? Or will he be written out of the plot again?
Just kidding. Fugo's here to stay, and he will get the screen time that he deserves.
And with that, signing off. See y'all next chapter.