I OWN NOTHING
A friend of mine wanted me to do more of this story. Now, I'm not one to bend the knee easily, but we came to an agreement without any money involved.
-0-
Keitaro munched on some toast lazily as he walked around the inn. Running around the place was the sound of chaos as whatever Su did in her room involved machinery. Naru, surprisingly, was quiet as she tried to study. Motoko practiced her swordplay outside with rigorous swings of her blade and her senses fixed on sensing his presence. Shinobu was in the kitchen busying herself and attempting to be as unnoticed as it could be possible. However, the one not having an easy time was Kitsune, and it brought a smile on the new manager's face.
"Ew! There's so much grease and grime here!" cried the foxy woman under the sink in an attempt to unclog it.
"Remember, we can take this to the cops if you'd rather not pay with manual labor," said the inn owner with a chill grin, leaning back on his chair and enjoying a glass of orange juice. "Josuke-san has some friends there who I'm sure would love to hear about you. I also have a good lawyer as an acquaintance and he's a friend of ours."
"Ugh, fine..." the shut-eyed freeloader groaned and with a little elbow grease finally managed to yank a wire. It was coated in goop of many kinds of foods and oils from years of not having a proper plumber clean the pipes, "Ah, it's moving! Oh, gross, it smells like hundred-year-old oil and...! Uh, I think I'm gonna hurl..."
Sighing, Keitaro stood up and walked to her, "Sorry."
Beaming with her face away from his view, she put on a pathetic tone, "Yeah, you should be. I... I never did anything like this, and it's-"
"No, I'm sorry that you think I pity you," he said matter-of-factly in the most laidback way possible. His carefree expression made her previous joy shatter, "Try the crocodile tears with someone else. I expect these pipes and the ones from the upper floors to be clean before lunch."
"Why you..." she grunted. "You're a man, you should take responsibility and do-"
"A man's job when it's convenient?" he retorted calmly. "I thought women wanted the same challenges as one since the 1950s. Wish granted."
Kitsune hung her head low, seeing that no matter what she tried or did, she'd have to work. Otherwise, Keitaro's strong and quite intimidating detective friend would be back. Josuke had gone to deliver quite the report about the violent man-hating women at the inn. Due to Keitaro's intervention, the girls were on a probation of sorts. Should they misbehave in any way, shape or form he didn't approve of, the pompadour carrying officer would be there to uphold the law. Assault is quite a heavy crime, especially when unprovoked and pretty much all their attacks was because of misandry.
"Judas Priest," Keitaro whispered, summoning his Stand as he passed the hallways. Its ability was far more useful than he could give it credit for, "Hm? A leaky pipe?" he asked as the humanoid manifestation of his fighting spirit tapped the wall and then shook its head, "Wiring? Something electric?" the user asked but his Stand shook his head twice more. "At times I wish you could talk like Koichi-san's Echoes..."
After his distraught declaration, the insanely fast and defensive Stand took a pose in front of its user and crossed its arms. From the wall appeared a large pink elephant. Its trunk let out its kin's traditional cry, the loudness of it drowning the sound of the wall it crumbled in its path. Keitaro watched as it charged at his Judas Priest, whose arms blocked its trunk from striking the brunet. However, the danger of its appearance was enough for the Stand to push the youth back. Safely away from the pink pachyderm, the photographer could finally see what it really was.
"A robot?" he asked in disbelief at the sight of doll-like joints on its body, and then he knew who to blame upon seeing them atop the automaton. "Su..."
"Yes, what is it?" the girl asked with a toothy grin, holding a banana in one hand which she bit into. "Mm, I was, mmm, testing my new-"
"Get down, fix this wall immediately, and don't ever bring any project like this one here," he told her with some actual strain in his voice.
"But the previous owner let me do this so long as the kingdom paid for it!" she whined like the child she was, pouting as well.
"Who's in charge now?" he reminded her while keeping an even tone which had her shiver.
"Um, you..." she replied meekly, remembering how her last kick failed.
"I have a name," he told her without raising his voice, but the way he maintained his tone so serene had her comply to his unspoken order.
"You do, Urashima...san..." she recalled how he didn't allow them to fool around or disrespect him after Motoko had to properly address him when he proved he wasn't weak.
"That's better," he told her with the already almost non-existent stress from the situation disappearing. "Get to it. Now. Otherwise I'll be forced to kick you out whether or not your kingdom pays for damages. Ah, also, don't think that the old manager was right to let you do as you and the others please. If anything, it's part of the reason I'm here: to fix up the mess which is costing my family money."
"Understood," Su replied and got off the machine to find proper equipment to patch the wall.
"Hey!" and Keitaro's day wouldn't let up.
"Narusegawa," he courtly greeted her with the faintest of nods.
It made her madder how nonchalant he was to her cry, "You're making a kid rebuild a wall by herself!? What kind of slaver are you!?"
"Yes, because she has to learn actions have consequences, and that leads to responsibilities," he replied calmly. "Because if she goes around destroying this place to test new robots, I won't have an inn, and neither will you. Or do you intend to repair it for her?"
"You..." Naru tried to argue but couldn't find proper words. Thus, she resorted to a tantrum like most people without arguments of value or any worth to listen to, "She's just a kid! Forcing her to work for mistakes and just shrugging off your responsibilities as manager on her is-"
"Don't you have a test to take?" he retorted calmly, pushing up his glasses. "Tokyo U isn't easy to get into. I know, I'm helping Mutsumi get in and we're getting her scores up slowly but surely. I'm sure she'll ace it this time." The way he grinned in such a carefree way at the end had the brunette's blood boiling. "Thus, instead of ranting, you should put effort into your exams. After all, if your father is paying to get you in and also providing you with a room here, the least you can do is show gratitude by working hard."
"Grr..." Naru wanted to snap at him so badly, but he had an irrefutable point.
"Also, do recall I am allowed to kick you out," he warned her with a flat tone. Such sheer disinterest made her blood boil hotter, "After all, you tried to attack me. If you wish to argue, we can take it to court, but it is not going to be an easy case for you considering all other males you and Motoko attacked. So, please, do tell me who is responsible between us."
"You can't let her do this by herself, though!" how badly Naru wanted to have the last word was pathetic.
"She built a robot on her own," he replied in an utterly dull tone. "With no supervision from the adults who just dropped her here. Which is why she's doing this so I don't take this case to a proper judge. Or do you approve of a child making machines which demolish a house you don't even own yet are allowed to live in? A kid who that old hag Hina let run freely?" he paused for a moment to take in his own words, "Actually, that'd be the perfect argument to make sure this inn isn't run by her."
"Ah, you're just trying to get rid of-"
"A woman who doesn't rightfully owns this inn but used my family's expenses," he cut her off just as bluntly as before. However, just to truly push her over the edge and cement his victory, he gave her a lazy smile and stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaning to the side slightly, "Then again, I'm not studying to get into Tokyo U, so what do I know?"
Naru was about to punch him, but another voice stopped her, "Narusegawa, please stop embarrassing yourself." Motoko told the brunette in traditional kendo gear with a wooden sword in her hand, then looked at the spectacled inn manager, "And you, Urashima, should be ashamed of childishly taunting a woman."
"If Narusegawa can't take words without feeling attacked, it means she is a child," he retorted. "Reacting how she does to my words and trying to prove a point by changing topics and attempting to smear my status as a man with false accusations is just like a kid. An adult would maintain a cool head and use facts, not change a subject rative, use circular logic or bring back topics unrelated to the matter at hand. Also..." he gave the swordswoman a warning stare, "...I do believe you forgot the proper honorific. Should you want respect, respect others first."
Looking to the side, Motoko decided to accept the loss, "Fair point, Urashima...san..."
"Much better," he said coolly and walked off.
Naru snapped at the warrior girl, "Argh, you're useless, Aoyama! You let him walk all over you!"
"I did no such thing when you couldn't even stand up to him, Narusegawa!" Motoko shot back coldly. "Or did you forget how impossible it is to get to him because of that Judas Priest of his?"
Motoko left the fuming dropout to herself, Naru glaring at thin air, "Grr, if I had that kind of thing, I'd show him..."
"Can you move?" Su asked as she walked in with a proper ladle, cement, sand, water, boards and even overalls and a hard hat. "You're blocking the hole."
Keitaro continued leisurely walking through the halls, but the residents at his inn had never gotten to properly exercise the basing thing known as peace and quiet. Before he could step into the changing room just to take a relaxing hot dip in the soothing waters of the spring, a worried Shinobu ran through the entrance into the main hall. Eyes wide with horror, she approached him and quickly hid behind the photographer, who puzzledly stared at her and then at his Stand. If Judas Priest let her get so close it meant one thing, that the threat was something else.
"Urashima-san..." she quivered behind him, looking outside. "There's a... A very scary man outside. He's... I think he is... He could be a yakuza!" she shuddered as a mental image of men in suits armed to the teeth storming in came to her, "Oh no, did you get in trouble with gangsters!? Are you-"
"Wait, describe this man and tell me what he's doing," he said completely composed, helping the girl relax.
"Um, uh, yes... He's... That man's tall, slim, and wears a very flashy outfit, and he's just standing outside..." she looked to the doorway and gulped. "Menacingly!"
"Are you sure he's yakuza?" Keitaro asked composedly.
"Yes, he has a pin and his suit is... so flashy!" she cried, panicking further. "So, I threw my groceries at him and ran in as fast as I could to-"
"Keitaro, are you responsible for this girl?" asked a deep masculine voice in a blunt, stoic tone.
Right there was a statuesque man. Lean but muscular, he cut quite the intimidating figure due to his imposing height. Strong-jawed and of Eurasian origin, he was a handsome fellow in his thirties. Most intriguing, his outfit. A pair of white pants, brown shoes and a black t-shirt were the only normal pieces of clothing he owned. An intricate white trench coat with sea life badges, a chain dangling from one of the lapels, and a white military hat torn at the back in a way that it blended in with his black hair made him a bizarre man to look at. Keitaro couldn't help but look at the golden badge of two dolphins forming a heart on his hat.
"Jotaro-san?" Keitaro asked calmly with a barely raised eyebrow.
The man walked forward, a face as stoic and dangerous as Clint Eastwood's when he played Harry Callahan, "I came here to see you, but I can tell you've got your hands full with the tenants," the man said, holding the trim of his cap in two fingers, "Although, this is a quaint place. I can see why you'd ask to come here."
"I had my own share of adventures with my friends, so I needed to unwind," Keitaro chortled. "Out of them, Whiskers and Strawberry are probably still busy... and at each other's throats. Tsukune's possibly about to propose to his sweetie, and I heard Briefs tied the knot not too long ago..." he then blinked and noticed his acquaintance's briefcase, "Oh, sorry, I got carried away." Rubbing the back of his head with a hand, he extended the other to the man's luggage, "Let me help you in. I'm sure you could use a rest and wash up."
"Thanks, but I came here for business," Jotaro said, briefly taking Keitaro out of his comfort zone. "I need you to look into something."
Keitaro gave a soft nod, "Sure, let's find a more private place to talk, then."
"Wa...wait, Keitaro-san, are you sure this guy isn't going to harm you?" Shinobu asked, still hidden behind him. She had slowly come to terms that if Keitaro was a bad man, he'd have done really bad things already with ease thanks to his Judas Priest, "He's so terrifying, and his eyes... I've never seen eyes so cold and sharp. It's like staring at a dagger's edge."
"It's fine, he's a good man despite those really scary traits of his," Keitaro told her with a snicker. Jotaro kept a stone face as he shrugged off his words, "Go get lunch ready. I bought octopus, so go nuts. I'll have a chat with Jotaro-san and he will most likely be on his way clickety split."
"Okay..." the timid girl scurried away, not once taking her eyes off the intimidating man.
Once she was gone, Jotaro spoke up, "Josuke told me this inn had crazy, violent women. Am I to believe it's a few cases or is she the only exception?"
"A little bit of both," Keitaro replied with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's go find an empty room, we can talk more there."
-0-
Once in a small and thankfully silent room with a view outside, a small coffee table and comfy cushions, the two men looked at the contents of the briefcase, "I'll cut to the chase." Jotaro said as he showed the inn manager a gold stick with one end snapped off, "You can tell what it is..."
"It's..." Keitaro started, looking aloof for a moment and then frozen in that expression for a few seconds. "It could be the one who gave me Judas Priest, but it's hard to tell without the tip."
Jotaro nodded, "I had Polnareff follow a lead to one of these in Italy. As for your friends, the two bickering idiots are looking for another, but that blond punk said the same thing as you, as did Tsukune. Thanks to you five, we have another of these Arrows out of commission, but finding them all is going to take far longer than expected."
"How did you find it?" Keitaro asked as he grabbed the arrow, which was missing the bladed tip, an image he had burnt into his memory.
"It was the duo of dumbasses," Jotaro said. "Both got a lot done as detectives, but the one missing link to complete the chain in their investigation was the Arrow and why it was used. Turns out, the man who had it when you were shot wasn't the same who used it on either of the other two."
"Are you serious?" Keitaro asked slightly wide-eyed, then frowned. "Some men actually targeted us as kids for-"
"Not just any regular group of bastards," Jotaro cut him off to get back on track. "Okuyasu's father was a part of their group, as was the Kira family."
"So...we were scouted as potential servants for... that man," Keitaro started, a distant look in his eyes. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"Tsukune helped track down one of the culprits and the jackass pair narrowed it down to this solid theory," Jotaro continued. "I knew you should see it and know as soon as possible in person."
"Heh, is that a way to show concern for an old friend?" Keitaro half-joked, putting on a cool, relaxed grin.
"Out of all of you five, you're one of the few I tolerate," Jotaro told him coldly.
"It doesn't hurt to call Naruto and Ichigo by their names, though," Keitaro chuckled. Then, he recalled something that made him tense, "Oh, wait, are you still mad Jolyne said she crushes on-"
One heavy punch left an imprint on the floor, shutting up the brunet, "I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?" Jotaro asked calmly, speaking with such a monotonous, cold tone that everyone at the inn felt an extraordinary chill run up their spines, "I believe you were about to tell me more about the Arrow used on you and not another stupid thing involving Fishcake and Fifteen."
"I was," Keitaro told him with a strained, laidback grin. "Um, it's a theory, but... Maybe it's not the Arrow that got me, Whiskers or Tsukune... Out of all of us, those two have done their homework the most and it's an idea they've shared time and time again." Looking at the half of the arrow again, Keitaro sighed, "Someone could have replicated the Arrows and created knockoffs or... as Tsukune fears, try to improve them."
"What a pain that'll be, then," Jotaro muttered. Standing up, he put the artifact in its briefcase and looked at the photographer, "I shall look for more leads on the one which hit you. However, while you're here..."
"I'll see what I can find myself and what Josuke can tell us," the brunet replied with a friendly smile. "Other than that, about the one thing you should know is that I can have a room for you here."
"No thanks, the tenants here sound like a migraine waiting to happen judging by what Josuke told me," was the man's cold reply.
"He's not wrong, but knowing you, that wouldn't be a problem," Keitaro told him. "Besides, let me offer you this considering how much you must have traveled."
"Should I not find a hotel, I'll give it a thought," Jotaro said and finally turned to leave. "Staying here with a bunch of girls sounds like the perfect idea for a-"
"Get out!"
"...pain in my ass..." Jotaro grumbled as the door slid open to reveal Naru.
"Hey, I don't know what you're doing here with that annoying innkeeper, but no men should be here!" she roared out, ready to punch.
"I'd keep my distance if I were you, Narusegawa," Keitaro coolly told her, not really caring but feeling partially obligated so she would have less ways to blame him for anything.
"You brought this man here!" Naru told him followed closely by Motoko. "I just know he must be your lawyer and you're planning on adding boys to this place!"
"And I'd be in my right to do so since I own the place," Keitaro replied. "You're a tenant, so I can kick you out. I've got Josuke-san and a good lawyer to make the process easier."
Naru gritted her teeth, but Motoko narrowed her eyes at the tall man beside the spectacled photographer, "You... Outside, now."
Jotaro tilted down his hat, "What a pain... Do you really want a fight with me?"
Keitaro finally noted the sheathed katana on the girl's hip, but ignored it, "I sense the aura of a warrior with experience, so I ought to." The swordswoman told him coldly, quickly drawing out her sword in a swift move which cut the air, "Don't pretend you don't know your way around a fight! I challenge you two-"
No warning was given, no sound but that of steel pieces hitting the wooden floor, robbing her of breath, breaking her concentration. Motoko's eyes widened in horror when seeing the steel of her blade had been cut to pieces. Each an inch long, all scattered on the floor. For the first time in her life, Motoko shivered in fear. She could do nothing but shake upon realizing she carried only the handle of her katana with no iron left. And what truly scared her, the thing that covered her heart in terror was the fact that she didn't even feel it!
"I may be fast," Keitaro told her, pushing up the bridge of his glasses with his middle and index fingers. "Jotaro-san is on another level. If you believe my Judas Priest is strong, you know nothing of the man before you. My suggestion now is to be thankful he isn't angry enough to continue this."
"Actually, I don't want to break your place, Keitaro," Jotaro said. "I don't have the patience to deal with your aunt. That old hag is such an annoying bitch."
"I see you two aren't on good terms..." Keitaro told the man with a calm chuckle.
"He just insulted your family!" Naru snapped. "How can y-"
"He's an old acquaintance of mine, and he can run his mouth off all he wants." Cigarette smoke filled the room, flying behind the girls as Haruka appeared and smirked at Jotaro, who narrowed his eyes. She gave him the biggest shit-eating grin and offered him a cancer stick, "Yo, Baby Jotaro, did you miss me?"
"One misses what they're fond of," he said coldly but accepted the smoke.
"This is as friendly as they get," Keitaro told the other two girls.
"Speaking of, I see Baby Jotaro's still a magnet for girls and trouble," Haruka said as she stepped over the broken pieces of blade with her back turned to the two girls.
"Blame the two crazy women behind you barging in guns blazing," Jotaro told her as he lighted his cigarette.
Chortling in mid-amusement, Haruka spoke up, "Girls, there's one thing to keep in mind about Baby Jotaro here... I don't square up against him."
"What!?" the two girls exclaimed in horror. Motoko was the most stunned, "Haruka-san, what do you mean!? You're the strongest woman here! I came to this inn to learn of your ways and-"
"You're still a thousand years too young to face a Hamon user, let alone a master," Haruka told the swordswoman. "Baby Jotaro here? I'd need to really prepare myself for that."
"Same here..." Jotaro told her as he took a long drag. "I'd need a week at least... To get ready for the migraine you are, you old bitch."
Sparks flew between their eyes, showing clear signs of animosity which had Keitaro chuckle, "It's like Fishcake and Fifteen all over again, but more mature and polite."
-0-
Keitaro was at Haruka's café, feeling tired from his reading, "The more I read this, the more insane it gets. How? Just, how?"
He asked Jotaro, putting down the papers on his hand. Looking at the documents, Keitaro rubbed the bridge of his nose, careful not to mess his glasses while rubbing some sand off his eyes. The tall, older man was smoking and at first didn't seem to acknowledge the query. Until at last he put out the cancer stick and spoke with his usual gruffness.
"It's true. My daughter has potential to become a Stand user. It seems children of Stand Users can become Stand Users via inheritance. Even if they do not themselves come in contact with the Stand Arrow." Keitaro held his head, picking up a glass of apple cider. He stared deep into the glass, thoughts and memories flooding his mind. Not the least of which was the many battles he had had alongside Judas Priest.
"I see. So, a child that I have with Mutsumi might possess the capability of gaining their own Stand, too," He said, thoughtfully taking another sip.
Haruka walked past them and sat down, a fresh cigarette dipped from her lips leaving a thin trail of smoke to waft in the air, "Speaking of kids, Baby Jotaro, you really should spend more time with yours." Jotaro's eyes narrowed but whatever he was about to say was cut off by her continuing, "You barely see her, and you're always off on trips or missions for the SPW or working as a marine biologist. That girl needs her father. Uncle Josuke can't always visit her all the time, and you're running up a pretty tab from what your wife tells me on babysitting."
Wisely staying silent, Keitaro kept drinking his cider, Haruka's glare piercing through Jotaro like a ray of light.
Finally, he lowered his head, admonished more than he cared to admit, "…I should be able to take a month off... I promise you, old hag, I'll take some time off."
She looked more upbeat after he promised her that, "That's the ticket. Now, who wants something to eat? You brats have been pouring over dusty old papers for the past hour, it's time to get lunch."
The doors to the café opened, Haruka turned around and her expression returned to its usual torpor, "Oi. Don't cause trouble right now, Motoko. I'm trying to get the boys here something to eat."
Looking from side to side, the would-be samurai looked slightly aggravated at Haruka's words but wisely chose to stay silent. Electing instead to sit down and glower a little at Jotaro. The man didn't seem to notice or care that she did so, instead choosing to read the newspaper and smoke like a chimney.
Keitaro was the one to speak first, taking off his glasses, "What's up?"
"Urashima-san, what manner of fighters did you actually encounter?" Haruka paused as she made a sandwich, Jotaro looked down from his papers, and Keitaro affected a look of genuine surprise at her question. He looked at her like she had grown a second head, irritating her until he nodded.
"You want to know what I encountered fighting other Stand Users," he said with an inquisitive tone, she nodded in response. "Unfortunately for you, that won't help you be stronger."
"What?" she exclaimed in shock. "Why? Are you looking down on me or-"
"Alright, what can you do against Judas Priest?" he asked calmly, twiddling his thumbs while she tensed.
Thinking he had summoned his Stand, she readied herself but answered, "I could cut it faster than it-"
"What if your enemy is made of electricity?" Jotaro retorted. "Your steel would make it easier for them to fry you."
Haruka added her intel, "I've heard there's a mobster whose Stand can send out a deadly flesh-eating bacteria, poison...? Something like that. Well, you can imagine how bad it'd be to try using a sword on him."
"And then there are those who can cut through time and space," Keitaro recalled. "Your katanas would be useless for either defense or offense."
Motoko sucked in breath through her teeth, her frustration was palpable but understandable, "Then what can humans do against this power?"
A coin was chucked right at Jotaro, before it was caught midair by his Stand no doubt, Motoko thought bitterly. Jotaro narrowed his eyes at Haruka who caught the coin when it was thrown right back at her.
"Long story short. Unless you have a Stand, or train with the Hamon like I have, you've got zero chance in hell. I could 'train' you, but without specialized weapons, your sword may as well be useless." Haruka broke it down bluntly, putting out her cancer stick.
She continued fixing food, looking wistfully at a picture of herself at a younger age, posing with a fairly aged looking woman. She was beautiful, even with wrinkles and greying hair, with features that could belong on a super model, with a characteristically long scarf around her neck.
While cooking, she continued speaking, "My master was one of the greatest Hamon users of her generation. I aim to pass down my skills, as she did for me, to a proper student. But I doubt you're going to be the one to interest me. Your ki is impressive, but it's fundamentally a weak power. Mana as well, and users of both might as well neck themselves if they tried to fight a Stand User. True strength is realizing how limited some powers are, and then mastering them anyway."
"How does your 'habit' help you using that strange style?" Motoko asked grumpily when she noted that no sooner Haruka had snuffed out one cigarette, she had lit up a fresh one, "Doesn't it require your breathing? I don't see how smoking those foul-smelling tubes helps you."
All she had for a warning was a sharp narrow of Haruka's eyes. Without hesitation, a pin was thrown so fast Motoko hadn't even time to blink before it was in front of her table, quivering. Haruka had a sharp tone when she responded to the insolent question while putting down a plate filled up with delicious mayo and rye sandwiches in front of the two men.
"I smoke so much because I have ridiculously high Hamon, among other things," the woman started. "It's a Urashima trait, we're compatible with the sun. Like Baby Jotaro's great grandmother."
"She wasn't the best role model, teaching me how I could chain smoke without repercussions," said the man.
After a tense pause until Jotaro took the first bite of food with Motoko fuming impotently, Keitaro poured himself a fresh glass of cider, thinking to himself before he added onto what she said, "Unless you're compatible with a Stand, you'd best put fighting us out of your mind. Like auntie..." He dodged a cloth that zigzagged around the room and reattached itself to Haruka's arm, gulping before he continued, "...like she said, there is a limitation on how far certain abilities can take you. I took lessons in Hamon, but I didn't get lucky enough to be able to master it. My sister might, though."
Looking up, he grinned leisurely at the idea of the girl kicking ass, "Hey, you perverted manager!" and his good mood was soured when Naru arrived.
"What is it, Narusegawa?" he asked, taking a sip of his cider.
Naru didn't like being seen as insignificant, and marched to him, "You've been leaving your towels around the hot springs!" she snarled with a wet one in her hands.
His written name was a dead giveaway of guilt, but... "Oh, I lent that one to Mutsumi. I wondered where it had gone."
"You can't just blame a girl for your mess!" shrieked the brunette.
"I can ask my fiancée if I lent her a towel after hearing her claim about losing hers," he said, took another sip, and sighed tiredly. "Or you can try to find another excuse to try to kick me out of the inn I own. Let me remind you I have in my hands – metaphorically speaking - your contract. I also have a good lawyer I met thanks to the Speedwagon Foundation. He owes me a couple favors."
"Grr..." stomping away, Naru fumed and tried to think of a new way to get revenge.
Watching from the shadows, a figure snickered to themselves, "Keeheehee... Perfect... The Arrow speaks to me..."
As Naru made her way up to the inn, fuming, she heard some noise, "That guy thinks he's so high and mighty, well, I'll teach him- huh?"
Turning, she shrieked once a bald man leapt out of the shadows and stood in the middle of the road. He cackled with a manic expression on his twisted face, portraying such an unhinged visage the girl yelled in horror. He looked starved, quite underweight for an adult man, and had poor dental hygiene, lacking many teeth with the remaining ones seem decayed. He had no shoes, just a purple coat which was opened and blue knee-length pants. He had a spinal condition, hunching over in a way he had to nearly walk on all fours.
"Yes, yes, yes!" he shrieked with a glowing item in his hands. "This will make Dio-sama happy, happy, happy! The bastard who helped stop his resurrection shall die, die, die!"
"Who are you!?" Naru exclaimed once she got over her initial shock, but she was still consumed by fear. "Are you one of the perverts peeking on us!?"
"Urashima, Urashima is one of the bastards..." he bit into his other hand, the other clutching a golden arrowhead. "He, Uzumaki, Kurosaki, Aono, and Rocks... They ruin plans for Dio-sama's rebirth. And now Jotaro Kujo is here. Keeheehee, Dio-sama shall reward me for killing all of them."
"Hey!" Naru snapped, shaking in place. "Go away before I-I call the cops!"
"Nah, no can do..." the man snickered. "Dio-sama deserves revenge... And Jotaro Kujo... That man shall pay, pay, pay!"
"Stay away!" Naru yelled, but her legs wobbled.
"I can't use the arrow, but you..." he smirked and jumped right at her, lunging like a cheetah at its prey with insane speed for someone so sickly. "...you'll get your wish, girly!"
Unable to defend herself, Naru could only scream when the arrow was plunged into her chest.
-0-
"What was that?!" Motoko asked at the café.
Keitaro stood up, letting out a tired sigh, "It sounded like Narusegawa... I may as well check she doesn't do any damage."
"What a pain..." Jotaro said and continued smoking.
Walking up the trail, Keitaro felt something eerie as he ascended towards the inn. Everything told him there was trouble to be found, but he didn't want to worry his aunt or Motoko. Jotaro obviously deduced the spectacled photographer's reason for leaving. He didn't say a word and walked right behind him, ignoring Haruka as he passed by. Both didn't need Judas Priest's eyes glowing to know what was up. Stand users of all kinds were attracted to one another, meaning that they had a fight brewing.
Just as they left Haruka and Motoko's line of sight, the man who assaulted Naru jumped down from above with a large grin, "Kyehehehe! Jotaro Kujo, you die now! Y-"
"Urya!" in a flash, Judas Priest appeared right in front of the purple-clad man and kicked him right on the face.
The unimpressed, carefree Keitaro turned to the older man, "So... Do you know this guy?"
"Cho Wang," Jotaro answered and kneeled next to the unconscious man. "He's one of the few Dio loyalists the SWF has been looking for. However, since he's not fit to use a Stand-"
"They didn't think too much of him?" Keitaro said more than asked. Then, he noticed that his Stand's eyes hadn't stopped flashing, "What is it?"
"Shit..." he heard Jotaro say after pulling the lapels of Cho's jackets to reveal what he had been looking for. "Keitaro, watch out!"
"Wha-" Keitaro gasped and doubled over. Something had, somehow, gotten past Judas Priest's defense, "Shit..."
Looking down, he noticed a sharp vine with thorns sticking into his midsection. Every inch of it was colored a sickly purple with pitch-black thorns sticking out. It took him a second to gasp out before Judas Priest's hand chopped off the tendril. Just in time as the portion jabbed next to his stomach sunk only half an inch and missed said organ. However, as blood squirted out from the wound, he saw the stump slither towards the droplets on the ground as he backpedaled, holding his abdomen with one hand.
"That thing's part of an enemy Stand!" Jotaro stated the obvious as he and Keitaro retreated, watching the events unfold. "Its radius most me quite long, and the actions... It must be remotely controlled."
"It's...drinking my blood..." Keitaro groaned as the cut vine absorbed the red drops on the floor. "This isn't anything like that cat plant thing Okuyasu keeps in his house..."
"Fufufufu..." giggled the voice of a little girl from everywhere around them, but no sign of her. "Your blood's tasty, Glasses..."
Smiling despite the wound, Keitaro nodded, "Thanks... And I'm to assume you're the one who has Narusegawa, right?"
"Wrong, I don't really need that beast!" the girl's voice snapped furiously. She was young, possibly Shinobu or Suu's age, and sounded quite peeved, "Such an ugly, atrocious, resentful, anger-filled woman is just an embarrassment to my cuteness!"
"Really?" Jotaro asked, tilting down his hat.
Countless vines sprouted from the concrete floor, cracking it and creating a wall around the two men as the girl's voice increased in volume, "Of course, that's why I can't wait to drop her ugly butt off away from me! I'm a Stand who needs no user! I am... Maneater!"
"Up there," Keitaro said as he stared at the top of the vine wall where a figure was held up. "Is that...Narusegawa?"
"Ah, help me, you idiot!" the girl snapped, then placed her hands on her skirt. "And don't look here, you dirty degenerate! Get me down now, you perv-"
Vines fastened themselves around her mouth, shutting her up thanks to the furious Maneater, "Silence! I am not going to let you ruin my debut by being related to you! You're so easy to anger and want all males to respect you but you shove them away! That's what you're getting! My power is a wall way better than Glasses' defensive Stand! Now shrivel up and be forgotten!"
"Wait, Maneater," Keitaro started.
Jotaro looked at him, groaning, "Are you sure you want to save that loud bitch?"
"I do not, but I have some morals... although it's mostly that I don't want this Stand to ruin the inn," he answered bluntly.
"What is it, Glasses?" the Stand asked, but didn't show herself.
Keitaro looked at Jotaro and nodded, and the man sighed, "I hate that Polnareff told you of this..."
"Hey, can I get to draining this beastly woman of every drop of blood?" the Stand asked.
Looking down, Jotaro said, "You sound like a really cute Stand... I'd like to at least see your face."
"Eh..." all around them, the vines froze stiff before wiggling around wildly. "Y-You're just saying that!"
"We mean it, you must be utterly adorable," Keitaro added.
Despite how suave the two tried to be, the Stand squeaked out at them, furious, "Ugh, don't think y-you can fool me!"
Vines sprouted from the ground, forming a circular wall about seven yards in diameter around the two men. Jotaro kept his cool and his fingers holding the brim of his hat. Keitaro simply took a deep breath and held his injured side. Knowing that the enemy Stand was faster than his Judas Priest and drank blood, the duo analyzed their options. Half a second passed as an idea finally surfaced.
"Fast on your feet, aren't you?" Keitaro asked casually while steam poured out of his Stand's joints. Giving the vines a laidback grin, he said, "Let's see if you're really faster than my Painkiller."
Judas Priest flew forward, rearing back a fist to open up a path out of the thorny wall and angering Maneater, "Keep dreaming, you-"
"URYA!"
With a powerful battle cry, Judas Priest's body burst with steam, dropping off its armor! Its body split into several pieces that went flying in the air and disappeared into nothingness, revealing the actual Stand hidden inside. Judas Priest's appearance was similar to a skeleton, though its arms and legs from the knees and elbows down remained the same along the shoulders. Silver sticks made up the body now, with three ribs below a blank white head with black spots resembling a skull's holes with no eyes.
Maneater's vines went after it...and passed right through, "WHAT?!"
Yelling in shock, she watched the tendrils phase through the Stand's body as its speed increased exponentially until, to her horror, there were a total of six Judas Priests! All of them looked as solid as her, but there was a truth that terrified as she saw and felt its power when all six punched the wall. Destroying the thick thorns, she could tell that they were all the same Stand, but the speed...
"My Stand's fast enough to compete with my master's, Jean Pierre Polnareff," Keitaro said coolly and slicked his hair back while the enemy Stand tried to reform the wall, but her vines kept getting destroyed in the blink of an eye. Giving a lazy smirk, he felt cheeky, "Let's see if I can see that pretty face of yours now!"
"Oh, y-you shut it, you...!" Maneater growled as more vines, far thicker than before, took the spot of the ones he had destroyed. "I'll d-drain you dry! Suck out every last drop!"
Cheekier, then, "Sorry, only one girl can say that to me."
Lifting a hand, Keitaro directed Judas Priest forward...and into the ground, much to Maneater's shock, "Ah!"
Directing all its punches into the dirt, the Stand dug into the concrete and finally pulled out the Stand. Maneater, dare Keitaro say it, was cuter than he'd have expected. Humanoid in nature with a body type which resembled Shinobu's, she was a dark purple skinned being with a thorny vine patterned web around her torso and black thorns acting as studs on her shoulders. Her legs ended in black, high-heeled platform boots with purple thorns on the toes. She looked as if she wore a rose-shaped blue helmet on her head, letting out her face with black pouty lips, beady yellow eyes and a small nose be seen. Gritting her teeth, the Stand kicked around and showed that a tail grew from behind her, but it was a white root connected to the ground and the vines.
"Let's see..." Jotaro said and yanked the root out of the ground, and watched all the vines collapse, whiter and become dust which blew in the wind in the span of a second. "This has been the fastest Stand battle I have ever been to, and that's not counting my first encounter with Josuke."
"Shouldn't we be glad, then?" Keitaro asked while Maneater was held in place by Judas Priest. Following his question, was Naru's shrieking as she fell down from where she was held and face-planted on the floor, "Ah, I knew I forgot something."
"You d-dumbass..." Naru growled as she peeled her face off the ground. Glaring at Keitaro, she pointed at him and her Stand, "It's because of you that brat attacked me!"
"Liar!" Maneater yelled, finally stopping her struggle. "You said you'd use me to get back at this guy! I told you I found him kind of cute and you blew your lid off, you beast!"
"Aren't you supposed to obey me?!" Naru snapped.
Jotaro groaned, "It seems the user's mindset is so toxic even the Stand itself doesn't like her. Good grief."
"If that's so," Keitaro started, then turned to the cute Stand, "do you want to attack anyone?"
"No, I just don't want to be near her," Maneater fumed, pouting quite adorably. "After I found a way to ditch her, I would've just... I don't know, look for a better user to bond with? Maybe a cute guy, young and a bit shy like those adorable nerd types you see in shows."
"Do you want to stay with us while we help you, then?" Keitaro asked with a smile.
"You would?!" the Stand beamed.
"Are you crazy?!" Naru snapped.
"It's that or letting her run around and use her powers without any control," Keitaro said and let the female Stand free.
"Let me make a few calls, see what happens, then," Jotaro told the spectacled young man.
"So..." Maneater started, looking timidly at Judas Priest in its Painkiller mode. "Um, I really can stay while you look for a proper user for me? Do I have to be with those other beasts, though? I'd be better off just, you know, draining their blood until even their bones are dry."
"First of all, behave," Keitaro told her, then patted her head like a father to their child. "Secondly... You have to warn them."
"Yay!" Maneater beamed, throwing her arms up.
Naru finally understood how screwed up she was, because while Keitaro tolerated her and swatted away all of her anger Maneater was a different deal. For one, the Stand actually meant what she said and had no hesitation when it came to using her abilities. Meaning that Naru would have to avoid making the girl mad, and by the looks of it that meant having to behave better than before and tone down her anger. Karma had finally caught up with her and the name was Maneater, who seemed to happily imprint on Keitaro as a father figure.
Needless to say, Naru started being on her best behavior soon after.
-0-
And that's my rap!
My friend, who wants to remain anonymous, did me a huge favor free of charge so I offered to write a one-shot for him. He really, really, REALLY wanted me to continue this fic, so I made this into a two-shot. I hope you enjoyed this.
As for Maneater... well, her own adventure may be seen in a new fic of mine with the partner Keitaro helps her find.
Also, yes, I do believe that should Naru get a Stand, said Stand would rather switch to another user.
Swordslinger out!