Dio smirked, watching his enemies and how they're trying to adjust. It was all a waste, but it was almost amusing how they tried to scramble around, trying to figure out what to do and if it would even work. Unfortunately for them, he had almost succeeded. He could see his goal of standing on the top of the universe! And he couldn't wait until it happened. So much so, it was only fair that he should taunt them. Moving to where they could hear him, he chuckled and said, "Oh, little pathetic creatures, whatever shall you do? Your end is close, and I will be here, on top of everything! I bet you're even too scared to fight me, aren't you? Don't deny it!"
Karaat groaned, cussing. They couldn't even get a break before he was trying to start something! He knew the guy was going to be obnoxious but this had to be another level. It was practically comical how Dio was standing over them with a shit eating grin on his face. Standing up from where they had been sitting, he stood in front of Chiyako saying, "Is he always like this?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Jorge muttered, standing up as well. Just as they were trying to figure out how to find Pucci, Dio had to show up!
As Narancia moved back, Kars actually stepped forward. He didn't look annoyed, like everyone else did, but instead, he almost looked curious. As if Dio was a device that he needed to break apart to understand better. As Dio raised an eyebrow, he nodded. "Well then, since you want a fight, you can have one. Besides, I'm immortal and so are you. Let's see what we can do."
"Oh, talking big, are you? Well, let's see what you got!" Dio exclaimed and the two started to exchange blows.
Kars charged forward, smirking as he moved to attack but Dio used a punch rush, which caused Kars to actually explode! Karaat cursed and used his body and stand to protect Chiyako from the flying flesh, who was screaming in horror and shock. Unfortunately, Jorge and Narancia weren't so lucky. The flesh was flying so fast that it pierced their bodies, breaking bones and organs. As they were falling to the ground, the bits of flesh started to come back out and the wounds were healing. Karaat watched in horror as Kars slowly started to piece back together while healing his teammates. And once he was healed up, he went right back into the fight.
The fight was getting worse and worse by the second. Even worse, there wasn't much for cover, so each time Dio or Kars exploded, they had to either hope that they wouldn't get stabbed with flesh debris or Kars was able to heal them. Karaat was pretty sure Chiyako was no longer screaming though honestly with the amount of noise, he couldn't really tell. He didn't even know what to say to her, especially since half the time he didn't know how to even explain what had just happened. All he knew was that she was shaking and she was curled up under him. Karaat did his best to comfort her, though how could anyone be comforted while this was going on? As he held her, he noticed he could hear them laughing, as if these immortals thought this was a game! And maybe to them it was, but to Jorge, Narancia, Chiyako and Karaat, this wasn't a game! Without Kars, they would have been dead several times over! Sighing, he groaned after a moment as he swore he could hear what sounded like explosions. Karaat glanced up and paled, groaning as he realized that Kars was using three U-boat ultimate submarines to go after Dio. Unfortunately, Dio was regenerating after each barrage, because of course he was. Damned immortal beings and their ways of regenerating! The way things were going, the fight was never going to end!
After they were fighting for a while, Karaat could hear a shout of triumph before Funny joined in, thanks to Dio's positioning. But wait there's two? It's Funniest Valentine! The USA President of this universe jumps from a helicopter flying towards Funny Valentine. As soon as he's about to land on him, Funny claps and the Funniest Valentine vanishes.
He clapped, attempting to take Kars to a random parallel world. And it really looked like he managed to do it, especially thanks to Dio's stand's ability to stop time. Unfortunately for him, the moment time resumed, he realized that Kars had contorted his body and that he hadn't been in range at all! Shouting in frustration, he tried again and again. In fact, both Dio and Funny were trying to get to him now. While Dio was trying to stop time, Kars was contorting his body the moment time resumed to avoid getting teleported.
"You're too obvious, Dio! You and your stand, I've figured it out." Kars said, practically gloating. He was enjoying the fight, even with Funny getting involved. Finally, a proper challenge to get his blood pumping! Fighters like this were rare, almost impossible to find. This truly was a wonderful challenge!
"Watch out!" Karaat shouted but it was too late. It was probably inevitable, given that Kars had to watch two people now. And while he was clearly stronger than most, he was up against an immortal being and a rather stubborn man. That and given how excited he was to find, apparently even Kars could lose focus for a moment. At least that's what it looked like when Funny, with a triumphant smirk, managed to teleport Kars away, leaving just Jorge, Narancia, Karaat, and Chiyako against Dio and Funny Valentine. This was getting from bad to worse! Kars was their main fighter against Dio and without him, they wouldn't be able to recover from attacks, especially from Dio!
Jorge looked up, trying to make sense of what caused Kars to get teleported. After a moment, he paled as he said, "That's how he did it! Look at his hands. Those are someone else's hands with his. Those are The Funniest Valentine's hands. He extended his reach and clapped twice, the sneaky bastard!"
Karaat looked up and sure enough, near Funny's hands, there were another set of hands. And sure enough, it did extend his reach as well as give him a chance to clap twice. Cussing, he thought for a moment. "Wait, but if that's another person, do they have the same stand? Is that even possible?"
"They do. And it is, sometimes," Jorge said, watching Dio and Funny smirking at them. As if they knew the trouble they were in. "This stand is Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, also known as D4C. I would explain more but I don't think we have the time for that."
"Convenient name," Karaat muttered, shuddering at the thought. But, they had more important things to worry about than a name. Jorge was right, they didn't have time for an explanation. As Dio and Funny smirked at them, he kept Chiyako behind him, frowning. "Do you think we'll make it out of this alive?"
"For Chiyako's sake, I don't think we should answer that," Narancia said and as Chiyako trembled, he sighed. "Sorry." When she shook her head, he frowned. "All we can do is our best."
"Oh, really? Will you now?" Funny said as he suddenly clapped near Karaat, teleporting him as well. All he heard was Chiyako shout his name before everything faded to black and he was transported to another world.
Damn it all, he should have been more careful! Kars mentally scolded himself before looking around. From what he could tell, he was in what looked like Karaat's home town, or at least a version of it. Speaking of, there was a flash and suddenly Karaat appeared, landing on the ground next to him. Kars glanced over and raised an eyebrow. "Funny?"
"Yeah, fucking Funny. Where are we?" Karaat asked, wishing he could get back to Chiyako, but he knew that wasn't going to happen, or at least not right away. He just hoped that she would stay safe until he could get back. Groaning, he rubbed his back before standing up and stretching. He was pretty sure some joints cracked but he wasn't going to think about that right now. They had to get out of here!
"From what I can tell, a parallel version of your hometown in the thirty-sixth universe. We can only be teleported to places we've seen before so at least we know where we are. We need to find a way to get back to Kannamura." Kars said.
"Easier said than done," Karaat muttered. "Do you think they're okay? Or do you think they're dead?"
Kars frowned, thinking for a moment before replying, "I have no idea. I want to say he would keep them alive, but I'm not sure. Chiyako's wounds can travel between dimensions based on her memories. Which is why we need to find a way out of here. Let's go."
It wasn't until they were at his high school after walking around that they finally found someone. A few minutes after they started looking for clues, Kars stopped, turning when he heard a noise. "We have a guest, unfortunately. Show yourself! Quit hiding, I am not in the mood for games!"
The guest was none other than Kars himself, or at least the alternate version of him from this timeline. He looked just like the Kars next to Karaat. Though, something about him seemed a bit off to Karaat. The Kars only smirked at his original form and punched the air, having activated his Light Mode. Immediately going into a defensive stance, both Karaat and Kars was confused when he didn't rush them, or even taunt them. Instead of fighting, he started to dance. And as he danced, he made multiple light variations of himself, all of them scattering across the school yard and dancing as well.
Karaat had to admit that while Kars had some decent dance skills, it was pretty absurd. Well, as absurd as you can get in a world with Stands, Wounds, vampires, pillar men, and various other creatures. Still, it was a bit of a shocking site, no matter what universe this Kars was from. And, he had to admit, it was slightly amusing. He was trying not to laugh when he noticed that Kars was looking at his other version and Karaat, clearly confused.
"I don't understand. What is the other me doing?" Kars said, frowning. "Why is the other me dancing? Why now of all places? And why isn't he stopping? Wouldn't he want to fight?" He glanced over at Karaat, confused at his alternate universe's actions.
"It's odd, yes. But maybe he's doing it for himself? I mean, he is an alternate universe's version of you. Maybe there's something else going on?" Karaat suggest but honestly, even he didn't know. This whole ordeal had been rather confusing and odd. And, if he was being honest, he didn't think he would ever get used to the things he had seen or done in pretty much his entire life, let alone what had been happening since he was transported from his bed to that U-boat.
"Oh, you're so close!" The Kars said while dancing. "You see, after living for so long, I understood something. Well, if you can consider that living, it's probably more just existing to survive. But that doesn't matter! The point is, I learned to understand that despite my flesh being immortal, my life is truly fragile. And in an instant, it can just disappear! Just extinguished, just as easily as a mortal life! I know what I am. I know I'm a fake alternate version of you. And yes, so many times did I want to kill myself! And that was my original intention! I was going to get close to you, the original world version of me, but then I changed my mind. Oh, I'm not going to fight. I'm not going to harm you at all. I'm going to dance! My flesh cannot die, but my life is still fragile! And it can be stuffed out so easily! You, who are the other me! You are not as special as you think you are! You share the same sadness I feel, the same remorse. But that is a treasure! Rejoice, Kars. And you, too, can suffer!"
The man's voice made Karaat shudder as Kars went deep into thought. He didn't even know how to process what the man said, so he wasn't sure how Kars was processing it all. As the alternate Kars danced, he watched the two looking at each other. They looked like exact opposites, one dancing in the face of death while the other one thought to himself, contemplating everything he knew until now. Groaning, he sighed softly and said, "Kars, we need to make a decision. He wants to die. I guess there is a worse way of dying than while dancing but this is ultimately up to you. So, what will it be?"
Karaat really didn't know what to say after that encounter. And it seemed like Kars didn't either. He was still deep in thought, the alternate version of himself clearly affecting him more than he wanted to admit. And he didn't want to push him into a conversation. It really wasn't his place, if he was being honest. This looked like something Kars would have to confront on his own. Though, he did feel slightly bad for him. He wouldn't be surprised if Kars had thought for a while that he had the entire world figured out. And now, that Kars probably had thrown him for a loop and changed everything.
They were now at the school parking lot, and while it felt longer, they had only been in the alternate world for about ten minutes. He was looking around for any clues when Kars finally spoke up saying, "We need to get back. The longer we wait, who knows what's going to happen to anyone."
"I agree. I don't like the idea of Chiyako there, defenseless. Especially with Dio around. But, what should we do?" He was about to turn to Kars when he heard a car suddenly stop nearby. Turning, he was shocked to see a woman getting out of the car and realized that this was the Chiyako of this world. She looked just like the Chiyako of his world, still just as beautiful. She was wearing a light blue button up shirt, tan pants, and flats. From the badge on the lanyard as well as some stickers on her car, it was clear that she was a teacher at his old high school. He blinked, trying to process everything as she rushed towards him. She was hugging him and crying, quite similar to how she was hugging him and crying when they managed to go to her timeline and he dealt with her grandfather, killing him. At least the tears were happy, just like they were back then.
"Oh my god, you're here! You're actually here! I've been trying to see you for years! Where have you been?" Chiyako cried, clinging to him. He was actually here! They both were!
"Woah, Chiyako, calm down. Years? What do you mean years? Slow down, we need an explanation. I'm happy to see you, I promise. But uhm, could you give us a little recap of what's going on?" Karaat said, blushing as she grabbed him and pulled him into another hug. Was she always this strong? Luckily, after a moment, she seemed to calm down. Or at least enough to offer an explanation.
"Oh! Sure, sure. Sorry, I was just so excited when I saw you and I couldn't contain myself! You see, you and Kars were the ones who saved me from my grandfather when I was a child. You explained it as time traveling which I didn't get at that time. In a way, I still don't but that doesn't matter right now! Right now, you're here, and that's all that matters to me!" She smiled, bouncing in excitement. "I'm so happy you're here again and I get to see you and talk to you!"