The figure twirled some wine in their glass, their unnaturally wide grin cutting through the shadows. Taking a sip of the wine, they let out a chilled, relaxed breath, before looking over to Karl with a smirk.
"Good stuff..." The figure rasped. "I believe this is Koshu wine, specifically Suntory Tomi No Oka Winery Koshu, i.e. the best stuff in the winery business. It's known for its bitter, yet sweet taste, as well as its lovely aroma. Hehe… not that you'd know that, now would you? Although… I gotta know, seeing as this shit is extremely expensive… How the fuck did you buy this, kid?" The Figure questioned, raising an eyebrow at small boy.
Karl, who was sitting in silence across the room, wouldn't even look at him. The Figure laughed, cackling as he placed the wine glass down, hunching over and leering down at Karl, who shivered, knowing full well their eyes were on him.
"Aww... you stole it, didn't you?" the Figure asked in a sing-song tone of voice, though it sounded less like singing, and more like fingernails on a chalkboard. Karl hunched into himself more, before answering The Figure.
"You wanted it," Karl grumbled as The Figure smirked, clearly happy with the turn of events, though, Karl continued. "You wanted… and if I didn't get it… You'd kill me…."
The figure laughed, and crossed his legs, taking another sip of his wine, before a frown overtook his visage. "By the looks of things... N'doul failed," The Figure began, as they changed the subject, now looking at the wine with knit eyebrows and a scowl. "Such a shame too, he was a great assassin... but it was inevitable. The dumbass had values that he would uphold, no matter what. Weak." When the figure finished lamenting, sighing as they looked over to Karl with a serious gleam in their eyes.
"Alright little buddy, here's the deal..." The Figure stated, taking yet another sip from his wine, the glass nearing empty. "We need to get serious. N'Doul was a good shot, but he had morals. We need someone who'll do anything to get what they want. And for that… I want you to bring in HER." The Figure's voice edged with a sinister-sounding growl, almost like they were spitting out some sort of poison from their lips. It was enough to make Karl shiver, though, he had no idea what they were talking about.
"Her? You'll have to be more specific. Mariah? Miu Miu? Midler? Which 'Her?' The main cast has gone up against a bunch of 'hers.' I can't summon people without a more detailed description," Karl replied, turning to face The Figure.
A cackle came from the darkness, as the figure's smile returned and somehow grew wider. Karl shuddered, feeling a wave of terror wash over him. Whenever they laughed, it was a sign that they were getting mad. Or, at the very least, were getting annoyed with his antics. Though, Karl had no idea who it was they were talking about. He truly was confused.
Although, that kind of confusion would only get him killed, especially if The Figure believed he was feigning ignorance. The thing that he was forced to work with was an unpredictable psychopath, who could snap at almost any moment. Not to mention what they were capable of, and the dark secrets they knew. It was better for his well-being if he didn't do anything stupid.
"I'm serious!" Karl shouted, getting the Figure to snap to attention, and glare at him. The gleam from The Figure's eyes made Karl recoil, but he stood his ground nonetheless. "I have no idea who you're talking about. You can't just keep being vague and assume I know what you're talking about! I'm just a kid, ya know?"
At this, The Figure sighed. "Fine then…. Does this jog your memory?" The Figure said, pulling out two notebooks, one titled: Dynamite And a Laserbeam, and the other read: A Legacy to Protect. Karl's eyes widened to an almost comical degree, all the while The Figure's eyes gleamed with an almost predatory shine, and this smile became uncanny.
Now… now he was beginning to understand. Or, at the very least, he thought so. If they were implying what he thought they were implying… then things were about to go from bad to even worse. If he brought HER here, or HER, that would change things drastically.
"You just love writing things down, don't you?" The Figure said, tilting his head. "The detail is kinda creepy, ya know? Stalkerish, almost. I mean, hell, I didn't even think you knew about HALF the stuff in these things but turns out, you do! I can't tell if that's sad, or if that's neat!" The Figure said, chuckling quietly to himself as Karl felt sweat accumulate on his forehead.
"W-well, they're like stories in a way... I-I can see them... so... sometimes I write things down. W-were you reading them?!" Karl said, sweat dripping down the poor boy's face.
"Yep! Have to admit... the chapter on me is a little rushed... but we'll ignore that for now," The Figure stated, their tone carrying mock offence, before their smile dropped like a tonne of bricks, as their expression morphed into a more serious one. "No… you see, as much as I like to play stupid myself, I think you know that I know that you know that I'm talking about... HER."
And once again, with a twisted grin, The figure slammed Dynamite And a Laserbeam down on the table that was separating the two, The Figure leaning over it so that Karl could get a look at their face. Karl squeaked, but soon realized what his captor was implying, and, like an idiot, he blurted out what was on his mind.
"No... no, I won't! I'm not trying to make this personal! I just want to get awa-"
"No?"
The grin twitched, and Karl's eyes shrunk with fear. The Figure stood tall, looming over Karl, their posture imposing and their deadly, sharp, inhuman teeth showing in a fierce snarl.
"Did... you just tell me... NO!?"
Karl backed away as the figure's voice grew deeper and more vindictive. The air around the two of them grew colder, as a black aura of death emerged from the figure. Their grin had curled into a deep frown, the large, pointed teeth grinding together with fury.
"Did you forget who's in charge here?"
"I-I..."
"NO EXCUSES!" His captor suddenly exploded, his deepened voice shaking the room with his anger. "YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME NO! WHAT I SAY, GOES!"
The figure roughly grabbed the boy by the shirt and slammed him into the wall, causing the child to cry out in both fear and pain. Karl was trembling, tears rolling down his cheeks as death looked him right in the eyes.
Then, the thing smiled again.
"Now... look what you made me do. You really shouldn't make me angry Karl... it's really only a matter of time before I do something I don't want to do," The figure said, slowly lowering Karl to the ground, "Come on little buddy... I'm only looking out for you! Bringing HER into the mix would definitely throw your pursuers for a loop... if she doesn't kill them, that is…."
"You just want to hurt them." Karl managed to retort.
"Maybe so... but right now... I'm your best chance at survival, aren't I? So... if you don't want me to become the OPPOSITE... throw her at them."
"W-why not the other one?"
"Cause she's fucking annoying, and nobody likes her. Now..."
The figure broke the empty wine glass on a table, and grabbed Karl, putting the broken tip dangerously close to the frightened boy's eye.
"Summon her, NOW."
"I am so sorry ma'am!" Josuke frantically bowed his head in front of a cross Nemuri. "I fixed everything, I promise! I should've been awake, but the journey was long and I'm not getting younger, and—"
"I'm not mad about the property damage, I'm mad because there's now a CORPSE in my hotel!" The pro hero retorted, pointing towards N'doul's dead body, "How the hell am I going to explain this?! 'Oh, an assassin from another dimension attacked my daughter and her friends, and then killed himself.' Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?!"
"I uh..."
"Midnight, I can assure you, the Speedwagon Foundation has you covered," Jonathon stated, raising a calming hand. Nemuri huffed before her expression went from annoyed, to placated.
"They better..." Nemuri sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "However, I'm glad no one, besides the assassin, was seriously hurt. This situation is getting pretty desperate, isn't it?"
"If we don't locate Karl and talk him down... I would recommend calling any friends and family you've got," Josuke recommended. "Because we all won't be here for much longer."
Yoshihara was listening to the conversation, a deep frown showing up on her face, as the idea to call her universe's version of Izuku came flowing into the back of her mind when suddenly an earphone jack tapped her on the shoulder. "Hm?"
"Sorry, Yoshihara... I don't want to bother you, but, there's something I can't get off my mind ever since the fight," Kyoka said, twirling the other jack with her finger. "Now... this isn't coming from a place of judgment or anything—"
"You want to know if Doppio was right about me being a sociopath?" Yoshihara asked, cutting the purplette off and deciding to get straight to the point. Everyone's attention was set on her, outside of Josuke and Doppio, both of whom knew the truth.
"Wait a second… huh?" Izuku blurted out, Johnny crossed his arms, Josefumi had an arched eyebrow, and Gyro leaned against the wall with an expectant expression, all of them having the same shared look of "explain" written all over them. Yoshihara sighed, rolling her neck side to side, looking at everyone else.
"Well, I'm not going to dance around the subject. To put it bluntly: the answer is yes. I am a medically diagnosed Sociopath, meaning I am incapable of feeling emotions and incapable of forming, for the most part, meaningful relationships with others. If you want more clarification, you can ask Akira. He had my medical records on his company logbook file. I never bothered to tell anyone because, as far as I'm concerned, that hardly matters due to the situation we're in. My petty problems don't matter in the grand scheme of things," Yoshihara stated, looking at Kyoka with a slightly narrow-eyed expression. "I hope this answers your question, Jirou."
"Yeah, it does. Like I said, no judgment," Kyoka responded with a small, but sincere smile. "You've proven yourself to be a friend, I just wanted confirmation. Besides, I'm not some judgemental asshole."
Johnny coughed.
"Okay, I'm not a completely judgemental asshole."
"Love you."
Yoshihara had to chuckle a bit at the exchange, her annoyance fading.
"Yeah... I kind of figured it out on my own," Johnny admitted, glancing over at her. "I didn't want to push any buttons by asking you though, I've learned how much you value your privacy."
"I didn't!" Izuku cut in, surprised, "Why do you guys always catch onto things like that before me?!"
"Because despite being one of our best analysts, you're dense as fuck when it comes to stuff like this," Gyro said with a smile.
"I'm not dense!" Izuku shouted, his cheeks red with a mix of embarrassment and anger.
"You aren't when it comes to helping people, but if someone had a condition that they were pretty good at hiding, or someone had a crush on you, you wouldn't notice even if they spelled it out with neon lights," Kyoka teased, poking her friend with a jack.
"*cough* Uraraka! *cough*" Gyro added into his elbow.
"What did you say?" Izuku demanded as the Italian raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Nothing!"
"What did he say?!" Izuku said, whipping his head around to everyone. Johnny feigned ignorance, Gyro had a goofy grin on his face, Nemuri, Josuke, and Johnathon were too wrapped up in their conversation to be paying attention to anything else, Kyoka had a slight smirk on her face, Doppio was biting back a laugh, although he himself didn't know who this 'Uraraka' Girl was, he still found this whole thing to be hilarious, and Yoshihara had the faintest of smirks on her face.
"I really shouldn't be surprised... he's kind of dense in this universe too," Yoshihara commented, and Izuku whirled towards her.
"Hey! Aren't I your best friend or something?!"
Yoshihara chuckled at that. "Yeah, so I know they're right."
Izuku hung his head, groaning, as Josefumi simply patted him on the back, a smirk on his face as well. "Don't worry, Izuku. You'll figure it out in time," Josefumi said, although it didn't help the green-haired teen's mood even in the slightest.
"So... you're telling me... that she straight up kills me?"
The figure nodded, keeping a red gloved hand on Karl's shoulder, the only thing of his face visible being his wide grin and a pair of luminescent eyes. On his head was what appeared to be a top hat, which was covering his face with shadow.
"Yup... of course, turns you into a human donut and everything! Like, seriously. It was kinda funny. I mean, she didn't even donut you, she donuted your Stand! Although, she only returned the favour... lil' Ms. wannabe-Walter White."
The woman shot The Figure a murderous look, "Do NOT bring that up! The fact that you know that makes me want to eliminate you," the woman growled, an orange aura forming around her as The Figure smirked.
"I think we both know the attempt would be frugal, Yoshikawa Kira," The Figure replied, never losing their unsettling grin, "Karl could just warp you back to the point of your death... or I could just kill you myself, quite easily."
Yoshikawa glared at The Figure for a long while, before huffing.
"So why help me?" Yoshikawa asked, a confused, yet also annoyed tone making itself known as The Figure smirked.
"I also benefit from the elimination of your daughter... she's a threat to me. She has recently allied with people that...well, bested me in a sense. However... this Yoshihara hasn't fought you yet... and if you eliminate her now... I can assure you the new reality will have her be erased."
"A world where I won't have even conceived the little shit? That sounds almost too good to be true," Yoshikawa hummed, clasping her chin as a small smile formed on her face.
"I can assure you, with my... Little Buddy here... it's quite possible to alter the course of fate. For you and me BOTH. So why don't we work together? We can get a drink after this is all over."
'Is...he flirting with me?' Yoshikawa asked herself.
"I'm afraid I'll be quite busy, although I appreciate the offer."
The figure swore under his breath.
'Yeah, he was flirting. As if I would ever give such a disgusting creature a chance.'
"Still, do you accept my deal, or not?" The figure asked, readjusting his top hat, "Cause if not—"
"Oh no, a second chance to get rid of that brat is too good to pass. I'll do it."
"Glad we could do business!"
As Yoshikawa left, The Figure turned to Karl and smacked the boy upside the head.
"Ow! Why?!"
"You're supposed to back me up you fucking idiot! I looked like a fool back there! UGH!" The figure smacked himself in the forehead, "Should've waited until after she killed the brat to ask her out!"
"I mean... I'm eight. What would I know about asking people out?"
"Doesn't matter," The Figure said, shaking his head, "She's playing right into our hands. She'll illicit some sort of emotional response with the upcoming fight, and that is the important thing! We need to wear down their spirits as well as their bodies... then... we crush them underfoot!"
"Or it'll just piss them off and make them more invigorated to find us and, more importantly, kill us? Hello!" Karl snapped as The Figure facepalmed.
"Shut it! Facing someone's abuser is only going to cause anyone, and I mean anyone, to break down! It even happened in that little book you wrote! Besides, we both know that she'll die. There's no way she can take on any of them. Hell, she died to her own daughter for fucks sake. This is just a fear tactic. Either reaction is fine enough for me because, after that, the next person I plan to bring in will find them at their most alert, or most vulnerable. And while the first notion is a bit annoying, even the most guarded people have their misses…"
Karl shook his head, sighing as a small frown appeared on his face. And then, he asked a question. "...why are you making me do this? Why do you hate everything?"
The Figure paused, and for a brief moment, Karl could see something more than the usual vindictive sneer, or wrathful snarl...
He saw a look of sadness, of longing.
"Because everything hates me."
Karl blinked, unsure of what to make of that. 'That… isn't what I was expecting him to say…. Something's not right here….' Karl thought, shaking his head. "Yeah, okay…"
Yoshihara was tired of being cooped up in the apartment. Well, not really, but she wanted to get some fresh air. It wasn't that much of an ask, especially considering that she was pretty stressed out for one reason or another. However, seeing as everyone was against the idea of leaving the hideout, especially just after the attack, Yoshihara had to make a deal.
And that deal was to take someone with her. And while she would've wanted to take Josefumi with her…
"You need to lighten up a little, couldn't kill you to be a little more happy, right?" Gyro said, rubbing the back of his neck as Kira sighed.
She had to take the buffoon with her. Then again, this was on a coffee run, and seeing as Johnny was starting to get a bit grouchy, and seeing as coffee was one of the best ways to get someone out of a funk—she knew from experience—she decided that if she was at least going to be going on a walk to clear her mind, getting coffee and some donuts wouldn't kill her.
"Happiness goes against my very being, Zeppelli," Yoshihara replied as Gyro scoffed.
"Edgelord, much."
Yoshihara's right eye twitched. "Call me an edgelord one more time, and see what happens," the blonde stated, glaring at the Italian, who waved her off. Sighing, Yoshihara stared at the doors of the elevator and waited for the doors to open. Tapping her foot against the floor, she waited… and waited… until finally, the doors opened.
Stepping out of the elevator, Yoshihara stuffed her hands in her pockets and went to wave to the desk worker. Only for her eyes to widen at seeing the desk worker's corpse. There was a large hole torn through their chest, blood coating the wall behind them. On the wall with the blood splatter, just above the corpse read a message that made Kira shiver.
Hello, brat. Don't keep me waiting : )
"That was quick," Gyro murmured, narrowing his eyes at the message and at the corpse. "Question is… how'd they get here so fast, and better yet, who is it?"
"Your question is as good as mine," Yoshihara replied, swallowing down whatever fear she had built up in her throat. Why the hell was she scared of writing on the wall? She had no idea who put it up there, but… there was a sense of familiarity. A sense that made her want to crawl into a hole and die.
But why?
"My guess is that it's someone who knows us. Or, knows one of us. Calling someone a brat makes them seem old, but… no, it's not her… she's too much of a bitch to write an invitation on the wall, she'd do something to target us specifically, not keep it vague," Gyro theorized.
"Well… let's not keep whoever this is waiting for long, as far as I'm concerned—"
Kira was cut off by a loud boom, like the sound of a sniper rifle going off, and in that span of time that it took for Kira to summon Killer Queen to her side to deflect the shot, the 50. Calibre bullet had already torn through her lower torso like butter, making Kira stumble backwards and onto the floor.
"Kira!" Gyro shouted, reaching for his Steel balls, and looking toward the two glass doors. The left door was shattered, seeing as it was made of glass. His instincts told him to peer out the window to check who it was who attacked, but his smarts knew that it was a bad idea.
"Hey! Gyro! Josefumi just doubled over in pain, is Kira alright?" Kyoka's voice came over the comms. Gyro grit his teeth and went over to the blonde, who was in the process of putting pressure on the bullet wound.
"She got shot, and by the way things look, it was a pretty nasty wound, 50. Cal, at least," Gyro said, bringing out a small portion of Zombie Horse from his pouch. "This should help," Gyro said, applying the string and using his steel ball to stitch up the wound.
"Thank you..." Kira muttered, slowly standing up as Killer Queen glared toward the door. On the other side of the street, a figure that was too far away to describe stood on the other end, an orange aura covering them. "There!" Kira shouted, Killer Queen sticking out its finger as it generated a bubble from its fingertip.
Gyro looked at the bubble as his eyes widened. For a split second, he could see the same energy that The Spin gave off coming from the bubble as it writhed in place on Killer Queen's finger. 'The… Spin? She can use The Spin? Since when? And for how long?' Gyro thought as he watched the bubble intently.
When the bubble shot out to meet the figure, it zoomed through the shattered glass, and toward the person on the sidewalk. However, just before it reached them, a Stand appeared behind the person.
It was feminine in design, with grey skin and orange body armour. From this far away, Yoshihara couldn't make out the facial features of The Stand, but what she could see were the spikes on the legs, elbows, knees, and lower arms. Aside from that, it was hard to make out any defining details.
The Stand raised its hand, as the bubble made contact. Instead of blowing up, however, the bubble disappeared, before The Stand raised its other hand, and flung the bubble right toward Kira.
Ducking out of the way, both Gyro and Kira hit the floor, as the bubble bomb slammed into the wall, blowing up the wall in the process, and leaving a cloud of dust in the room.
"Ah...so it's the type to send projectiles back," Gyro noted, pressing his lips together.
"That immediately puts you at a disadvantage, right?" Yoshihara asked, still reeling from her wound.
"Not necessarily... my steel balls always return to me anyway, I can probably just catch them if this idiot decides to throw them back. It seems as though the user is nearby... I wonder which brat that creepy message was referring to?"
"It might be me... I... don't have a good feeling about this," Yoshihara said, a bead of sweat travelling down her face.
The figure attacking them simply stood where they were, calmly loading a high-calibre rifle. Gyro grinned to himself, causing his fellow blond to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Simple, they think they're actually shooting at something right now."
Yoshihara looked to her left to find an illusion, or rather a reflection, of them taking cover was being projected in full view of their enemy, "Your power continues to elude me, Zeppeli. I thought you rotated things."
"My power is something you can do too," Gyro quipped, making Yoshihara raise an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
Gyro began spinning his finger around in a circle, "Have you ever taken a good look at Killer Queen's bubble bombs? Like, a really good look?"
"Why would I stare at my own bombs? Do you really think I'm that bored?" Yoshihara quipped, looking at Gyro with an annoyed gleam in her eyes. Gyro gave her a flat look in return, and spoke in a low, hushed tone of voice, so as to not give away their position.
"Listen, if you take a look at them, you'll notice that they are SPINNING. That is the power I use, it's called the Spin. You have been unconsciously using it this whole time!"
Yoshihara took out a bubble bomb courtesy of manifesting Killer Queen's arm over her own, and sure enough, when she squinted, it was spinning. "Okay... how does this Spin help?"
"It unlocks your true potential," Gyro said, gritting his teeth as a bullet flew toward his projection. "Johnny's Stand used to be weak as hell, all he could do initially was shoot bullets, and the thing was so small that he took ten times the amount of damage if it was hit."
"So..." Kira replied, which caused Gyro to elaborate.
"You train that power, and you start to utilize and manipulate that rotation, your Killer Queen will reach its highest potential. Start by actually focusing on the rotation, make yourself aware of it! Then we'll get into the basics!"
'Is...he training me? In the middle of a life-threatening situation?' Yoshihara thought to herself as the Italian took out a steel ball. 'Then again… life-threatening situations are the most dire, so I guess it's effective…'
"Observe, my slightly creepy friend!"
'Okay,' Yoshihara thought, frowning, but otherwise watching what Gyro was about to do.
Gyro hurled a steel ball towards the figure, and their assailant attempted to use their Stand to reflect it back, when the projectile suddenly dipped towards the ground, slamming into the concrete and peppering the user while the Stand was distracted. The figure guarded themselves with the rifle to avoid as much of the debris as possible.
"The Spin enhances the destructive power of our projectiles, and if you apply that to your bombs, you should be able to get this piss ant with a biggie, as long as it's not a direct hit!"
"I see... explain how I do that."
"Concentrate on the rotation of your bubble, and try to envision it picking up speed. Then, when you feel it's ready, fire."
'This is already a high-powered bomb... the highest my Killer Queen can produce normally. By Gyro's logic... I should be able to bypass that limit.' Yoshihara thought, looking at the bubble forming on Killer Queen's finger, as she did exactly as Gyro instructed….
"Everyone, brace yourselves. Kira is going to let off a big one." Gyro's voice came through the comms, "Especially you Kyoka."
Johnny offered Tusk's hands and cupped them over her jacks to prevent any blowback from the loud noise. Kyoka gave him an appreciative smirk and patted his cheek. "Thanks, Sourpuss."
"Wait, what does he mean by a big-" Josuke was about to ask...
When the entire street outside was lit up like the fucking sun. Jonathon's mouth dropped, as did Nemuri's, the explosion casting them in an orange glow.
"Was... that... really my daughter... that just did that?" The ravenette asked softly.
"Yare yare daze... Gyro that cheeky bastard, he's teaching her the Spin," Johnny correctly assumed, shaking his head, "It's like pouring gasoline on a lit stick of dynamite, but luckily the dynamite is being thrown at our enemy."
"The Spin huh?" Josefumi asked, sharing a glance with his father, "Interesting," Josefumi said as Jonathon cleared his throat.
"I have to admit… that's absolutely insane… I've never seen an explosion that large…" Jonathon said as the orange light died down. Nemuri rubbed the side of her arm like crazy, looking at Johnny with a concerned expression.
"Um… Johnny, was it?" Nemuri asked as the dark-haired stand-user looked to Nemuri, nodding. "That… Spin stuff… does it always react that way with other abilities?"
Johnny shrugged. "Depends on the user, really. That, and Kira's a special case. She's most likely been using it unconsciously for years, never really knowing that she had that power. That also means that as she and her Stand grew, its power increased. This isn't your normal beginners level stuff. And she's still learning the basics probably… right now, as a matter of fact."
"Right now?" Nemuri asked, even more confused.
"Gyro...tends to save Spin lessons for life-threatening situations," Johnny said with a shrug, "Let me tell you, as frustrating and aneurysm-inducing as it is...it's effective."
"Holy shit...that was fucking awesome," Gyro commented, "I think it's safe to say your Killer Queen might be one of the more powerful Spin Stands...I mean, that was just the basics and you lit up a city block...so the question is...how the hell could our attacker survive that?"
Yoshihara closed her eyes and then peered out towards the charred street, where a smoking corpse was holding the remains of a rifle, its mouth open in a scream of fear and surprise. By all accounts, their enemy was dead.
"I don't think they did... but... I still have this feeling of dread. I can't really explain it, but I feel as though we are still in danger."
"Hmm... usually when someone gets a bad feeling like that... something bad happens."
Yoshihara gave Gyro a blank look as he began fishing around underneath his cape. That look soon turned into one of both confusion and disbelief as he pulled out a teddy bear, and set it to the side.
"Why the teddy bear?"
"Hey, I don't judge you, don't judge me!"
Gyro pulled out a flask, took a swing, and then tossed it in the air.
*BANG!*
A bullet shot through the flask in an instant.
"So our user is still alive... you killed a decoy, probably some mercenary our trigger-happy friend hired off of the street. We aren't dealing with a dumbass like Magenta, they're probably making their way to us now."
"Great, now—"
The room was then pelted with debris coming from outside, and both cried out. Singed, sizzling wood hit Gyro right on the shoulder, the remains of a public bench caught in the explosion. Fragments of a street sign buried themselves into Yoshihara's back, causing her to fall forward.
'Damn it... the Stand redirected the debris from the explosion! Shitbricks, we're being pelted!
Ball Breaker began punching the projectiles out of the air as Gyro helped the bloody Yoshihara to her feet, and half dragged her to the other side of the room, wincing in pain as she was forced to cling onto his burned shoulder for support.
"You really thought it would be that easy, didn't you... BRAT."
Yoshihara's breath caught in her throat. She knew that voice... she knew it all too well.
"No..."
Gyro took one look at her face, and turned to look at the doorway with an expression of pure disgust, "You've got to be kidding me."
Yoshikawa Kira had found them, glaring at her daughter with nothing short of killing intent.
"I knew where you were...somehow, I just had this gut feeling you were in here. So... apparently, in your future, you end up killing me with that Killer Queen of yours...at least that's what HE told me. That just doesn't sit right with me... shouldn't it be the other way around?"
The blond readjusted her rifle, coldly smirking at the two heroes in her sights.
"I always knew you were nothing but a fucking curse... you were even the death of me. Still, I'm ready for you now... and I'm about to finish what I started."
"No…." Yoshihara growled. Yoshikawa scoffed, readying her trigger finger.
"Whatever, just—"
Just then, the aura around Yoshihara flickered, from dark pink to black and smoke-like, as Killer Queen summoned in full. The pink cat-like humanoid Stand silently sent a single, fast-moving punch directed toward Yoshikawa Kira's head, only for it to abruptly stop when a faster punch hit Killer Queen in the stomach so hard it made Yoshihara spit up a golf-ball-sized glob of blood.
The identity of the attacker was easy to see, as Yoshikawa Kira had a bright orange aura covering her body from head to toe. Beside Yoshikawa Kira was a humanoid Stand. It had grey skin, with orange armour layered on top. It had slanted eyes with black sclera, red pupils, and no mouth to speak of, nor did it have any ears. It looked feminine, matching its user. Under the breastplate on the Stand was a small black diamond of sorts, with its midriff exposed, showing two black spiral markings on either side. The rest of its body, such as its legs and arms, were covered in orange armour, though there were spikes on its elbows down to its forearms; the legs had the same thing, as well. Its hands were clawed, and the claws looked as large and as potentially sharp as a set of butcher knives.
"Fucking dumbass! You'd really think I wouldn't see that coming a mile away! C'est la vie is the same kind of Stand as Killer Queen, just slightly faster, so your nonsense ain't gonna work here! It's no—"
A Steel Ball slammed into Yoshikawa's wrist, twisting and marring the flesh as the older blonde screamed in pain, making her drop her gun. C'est la vie turned its head, staring Gyro Zeppelli down, as Ball Breaker slammed its right fist into C'est la vie's face, making Yoshikawa go flying into a wall.
Without hesitation, Gryo scooped up both his Steel Ball, and Yoshihara, and had Ball Breaker take Yoshikawa's gun, retreating further into the hotel. He wasn't one to retreat, but with someone heavily wounded next to him, he had no choice.
"Hey! Gyro! What the fuck is going on over there! Josefumi passed out over here! Jonathon's getting worried, and Doppio's freaking the fuck out about something. What the hell is going on down there!" This time, it was Johnny speaking on the phone. Gyro bit his lip, fishing a master key out of his pocket that this universe's Nemuri gave to all of them, opening a random room, walking over to a bed, and laying Kira on it as she groaned in pain, before having Ball Breaker close the door and lock it, followed by barricading it. He felt no fear, of course, this was a safety precaution for Yoshihara, due to her damaged state.
Her face was pale, and she was losing a substantial amount of blood from the wounds on her back. Pulling out some of Zombie Horse, Gyro began to use it to heal all of the wounds on Yoshihara's back. It wasn't going to be enough, though, because he was sure that a few of her ribs were broken.
It was fairly clear that she was on the verge of unconsciousness. She was aware of what was going on, but she wasn't fully aware if that made sense. Meaning… "Until Kira is conscious enough to help using Sheer Heart Attack, it's just me right now."
As Gyro thought that, he looked up at the air vent above them. There was a chair by the desk in the room, which would give him access to it so that he could leave the room without alerting the bitch to their location, and what room Yoshihara was in. Putting a finger to his ear, he spoke into the earpiece.
"Enemy Stand user, Johnny. And… you won't believe this, but… It's Kira's mother. Her biological mother."
"What?" Kyoka asked quietly, her eyes wide, "Are...you serious?"
Johnny shared a look with his girlfriend, and Izuku lept up, shocked.
"That...that can't be true! That means Karl-"
"Karl brought her here," Johnny confirmed, furrowing his brow as he put a finger to his chin. "Which doesn't make a lick of sense, from what I gleaned off of the kid, he wasn't the type to be malicious, even when we were 'chasing' him."
"An outside influence?" Josuke asked from across the room, narrowing his eyes.
"I think so. Karl sent villains designed to slow us down, not kill us. Even Skippy McGhee over there was only trying to incapacitate us," Johnny replied.
"Skippy McGhee?" Doppio shot them an unamused look.
"We're calling you that from now on," Kyoka responded with a slightly smug look in his direction before she began pacing, "You're right, Karl isn't the type to make things personal, he's just a scared kid who misunderstood us... do you think he summoned someone he shouldn't have?"
"Before... we were trying to save him from himself... but now it looks like we have an actual enemy to take down. An enemy who is more than happy to throw an abuser at her victim," Josuke said, pressing his lips together.
"Gyro, where can I meet you?" Johnny asked, Tusk, shimmering behind him.
"Too dangerous Johnny, she'll send your nail bullets right back at you, similar to how Yagiyama did it. I highly doubt she'll let you get in close..."
"She can't reflect wormholes, can she?"
Gyro seemed to be thinking for a while, and when he spoke again, you could hear the sly grin in his voice, "No... I don't think she can. Stay where you are though... I may have a plan of my own."
Yoshikawa angrily searched the hallways, checking the doorknobs of every room, looking for her target. There was something about the kid with the Italian accent, something that seemed familiar...
"Tell me, have you ever heard the Tragedy of Susan Cummings the Unwise?"
She whirled around in the direction of that Italian-accented kid, narrowing her eyes with a gleam of annoyance.
"Are you seriously quoting Star Wars while I'm trying to kill you? Also, no. That name is utterly ridiculous—"
"She was born Quirkless, with a last name that invited mockery no matter what she did. She was also stupid, petty, and twisted to the core," Gyro continued, stepping into view, and twirling Yoshikawa's gun. "Her big break finally came... when she met a man by the name of Jotaro Kujo, and he ended up marrying her. She thought it was love, in that twisted, corrupted brain of hers. A handsome husband, a new last name, and a child she would adore, named Jolyne, soon followed."
Yoshikawa paused.
'Kujo? Is... he explaining his universe's Joestar bloodline? How would he know their history? Jolyne Kujo has been brought up by Johnny before...'
"Jotaro, however, never truly loved her. It wasn't personal of course, he would never marry someone with malice...he simply thought she'd be someone he could grow to love, his real goal was to preserve the Joestar bloodline. However... he had enemies... and he was forced to stay away from his family to protect them. That's around the time she had her second child... Johnny Kujo, my best friend."
Gyro stepped forward, glaring at Yoshikawa with nothing short of pure loathing.
"He was born with his Stand... and she grew jealous of him. She killed his childhood pet, she smacked the shit out of him when she was pissed, she did everything she could to make him feel like shit... just to make herself feel better."
"That's shitty. Sucks, even. But I don't care. Why are you telling me this?" Yoshikawa asked. "I didn't ask for a history lesson—"
"Because she eventually got what she deserved. She messed with the wrong girl in an attempt to torment her son further... and she died. You? You're even worse," Gyro said with venom. "Your daughter, in an effort to get us to properly understand her, told us everything about you. You make her look like a fucking saint... and considering Johnny is my best friend... this subject matter REALLY PISSES ME OFF."
Yoshikawa huffed. "Hmph. Really now? She told you everything then? Honestly, the brat can't keep her mouth shut. Honestly, I should've never trusted that scarred man. If you want something done, you do it yourself. Truth be told, if it wasn't for my failure of a husband abandoning me, none of that would've happened, at least, I think so anyway…." Yoshikawa stated, rolling her eyes. "You know what? Why am I even telling you this? You're gonna die here anyway. I couldn't give a rat's ass what you think. You're in my way, and now you've gotta die. After that, I can finally finish what I started."
"Only one of us is dying today, you fucking tramp," Gyro said, spinning a steel ball. "Just like Susan, karma is coming to collect your debt, and I, Gyro Zeppeli... will make sure it happens!"
Yoshikawa's eyes widened for a second, before her expression became far more serious, dropping the anger in favour of calm. And while on the outside, she portrayed a calm mask, on the inside, she was freaking the hell out.
'Gyro... Zeppeli?! Of course, he isn't old, so I didn't recognize him at first! He might actually kill me. Zeppeli's power is nothing to scoff at, and this version is young and fit, so he might be even deadlier!'
"We'll see about that," the shitty mother said, C'est La Vie cracking its knuckles. "I don't care if you're Zeppeli, if you're between me and putting that little shit in the ground, you'll die too!"
"Nyo ho!" Was the only response Gyro gave her, his golden grin obnoxiously taunting her with its shine. Without another word...
He sprinted in the other direction as fast as he possibly could.
"WHAT?! GET BACK HERE!"
Little had she known, she had just played into Gyro Zeppelli's trap.
-To Be Continued-