Hello and welcome back for The Lovers, Part 2 (ง ื▿ ื)ว!
In this chapter, Steely Dan doesn't keep his mouth shut at all and he's just a big asshole (ノ°益°)ノ!
I hope all of you had a wonderful week, enjoy ～('▽^人)!
The Lovers, Part 2
After crossing the drainage ditch and Jotaro managing to drag his body to the other side, Steely Dan stood in front of him while chuckling, amused from the torment he just did.
"You made an excellent bridge, Jotaro." Steely Dan smirked before turning around and continued walking while happily humming.
Jotaro quietly gets back up and follows from behind while glaring at him.
Steely Dan came to a sudden stop and looked over his shoulder, "Hey, Jotaro, my back is itchy." He whined. "Scratch it, now."
Without saying a word, Jotaro approaches him and begins scratching his back.
Steely Dan hummed, "A bit lower." He said. "A little lower...lower...aah, that's the point." He had a sly smirk on his face when an idea popped into his mind.
"You know, Jotaro, I would've preferred Noriko staying behind than you. I would make her do all sorts of things, you get what I'm saying?" He teased and felt Jotaro's nail dig a bit deeper on his back. "If Lord Dio could make her obey him, why shouldn't I? After all she is a beauty, I can see why many would want a piece of her. Wouldn't you agree, Jotaro?"
He felt the nails dug much deeper, not hard enough to hurt him and he looked over his shoulder, "Don't dig your nails too deep now." He smirked.
"O-Oh, woooaaahhh! Oooohhhh!" Joseph groaned out loud. He felt something strange on his back and began to squirm and arch his back, trying to get rid of the feeling.
"Mr. Joestar, what's wrong?" Noriko asked, concerned.
"Are you alright, Mr. Joestar?" Polnareff asked.
He looked over his shoulder at Polnareff and Noriko, "I-It feels as if someone or something is tickling my back!" He informed the two. "I-I'm sorry but I won't be able to concentrate and use my Stand like this!"
He began screaming as the sensation kicked in again but much harder than before. He kept squirming and arching his back while groaning and screaming. His screams caused a crowd to form around the three and stare at them with confusion and curiosity. The locals were whispering to one another and pointing at Joseph.
"W-When did all these people show up?!" Noriko asked in a low voice.
"Mr. Joestar, keep your voice down!" Polnareff whispered. "People are staring at us as if we're crazy!"
"I-I'm not doing it for fun, you idiot!" Joseph retorted. "O-Oh noooo!"
"What a poor man…"
"Let's give them our change."
"It's not easy having a relative like that…"
"No kidding…"
Money was being tossed at the bottom of their feet as the whispers continued. Polnareff covered his face and looked to the side to hide from the embarrassment.
"Noriko, just buy the TV. We need to get the hell out of here." Polnareff whispered.
Noriko simply nodded and approached a man who stood by the door of the electronics store.
"Excuse me, are you the owner of this shop?" Noriko queried.
"Huh? W-Why yes." The owner answered, appearing a bit nervous.
"We'll buy that TV over there." She pointed at the television Joseph was using with Hermit Purple.
Back with Steely Dan, he stopped his footsteps and Jotaro also stopped behind him. He frowned and one of his eyes twitched in annoyance. "Noriko's Hierophant Green and Polnareff's Silver Chariot have somehow shrunk themselves and entered Joestar's body...Are those bastards really trying to fight me?"
From his Stand's point of view, he could see Hierophant Green and Silver Chariot going through the blood vessel.
"I see...They're riding the blood vessel to exit the artery to reach the brainstem, where the Lovers is hiding. Hmph! No matter, I guess I'll give them a warm welcome for their efforts." Still feeling he had the upper hand, he shot a devious smirk at Jotaro before proceeding to walk.
"Hurry you two!" Noriko shouted at the two men who were huffing and puffing while carrying the television. "We only have a few minutes left before the flesh bud starts devouring Mr. Joestar's brain!"
After buying the television, the three Crusaders rushed to an isolated area. Noriko was able to find a secluded area at the top of a building with no people around. Settling the television on the ground, Joseph crouched down and placed his hands on the TV, summoning Hermit Purple and the image displayed his brain once again.
Inside Joseph's body, Hierophant Green and Silver Chariot finally reached the brainstem. Noriko gasped as she saw the red tendrils everywhere in Joseph's brain.
"T-These tentacles are part of the flesh bud!" Noriko said through Hierophant Green.
"We just arrived at the brainstem and it's already grown this much!" Polnareff's Silver Chariot looked around and spotted a figure nearby. "Look! There it is!"
They found The Lovers messing with Joseph's brain tissue, using its crab-like pincers cutting bits and pieces of the brain. It was kneading Joseph's brain cells into a gooey mesh so it can feed the flesh bud.
"If we don't beat this thing and sever the flesh buds roots quickly, it'll grow big enough to eat through Mr. Joestar's brain!" Noriko shouted.
"Alright then I'll slice it up!" Silver Chariot pointed its sword Lovers.
"W-Well, not slice it...grate it, like a daikon radish!"
Silver Chariot rapidly thrusted his sword at Lovers but it didn't do anything. Lovers charged at the swordsman's Stand to attack but Silver Chariot blocked it and pushed him by kicking him. While Lovers stumbled, Polnareff took the opportunity to slice the bastard's head open.
"We did it!" Noriko cheered.
"No, we're not done yet!" Polnareff said as his Silver Chariot flipped back next to Hierophant Green. "That bastard is pretty fast, Noriko. But I already know all of its tricks. If that's the best it can do, then it'll be no match for us-"
"Polnareff!" Noriko cuts him off and points at the second Hierophant Green who stood next to Silver Chariot. "Who are you talking to?"
"Huh?!" Silver Chariot looked back and forth at both Hierophant Greens.
"Polnareff, that's not me!" Noriko stated and pointed at the direction of the melting Lovers. "And that thing you just cut wasn't even his Stand! It's starting to melt!"
Silver Chariot turned to the second Hierophant Green that was already melting into a yellow-gooey substance.
"W-What the hell?!"
"I'm Lovers!"
The Stand bursts out of the fake Hierophant Green's stomach and stabs Silver Chariot right in the stomach, breaking his armor at the same time.
Outside of Joseph's body, Polnareff spits out blood as he kneels over.
"Polnareff!" Joseph cried out.
"I see...He used Mr. Joestar's brain cells to disguise himself as my Hierophant Green!" Noriko realized. "That thing you sliced earlier was just a dummy made out of brain cells!"
"Wow! I totally had you fooled, you fucking idiots!" The Lovers spoke at the two and began to hysterically laugh.
Laughing hysterically like his Lovers, Steely Dan had made Jotaro shine his shoes while he sat on a curb.
"Come on!" He kicks Jotaro in the chin, knocking him backwards. "What's the matter? Shine those shoes right, Jotaro!" He placed the leg he just used to kick Jotaro over his other leg. "I'm in such a great mood right now! I want you to shine my shoes until they're bright as I am happy! I want to see the sunlight reflect off them. Why not use your uniform to shine them...actually, maybe I should just make you lick them clean?"
Jotaro simply stood up and pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and began writing on it.
Steely Dan also stands up, "Hey bastard!" He approaches the teen and snatches the notebook away from him. "The hell are you writing?!" He then reads the notebook and it appears to be a list.
Punched in the gut
Hit with a rock
Stole my wallet
Stole my watch
Walked on like a bridge
Forced to scratch his back
Forced to shine his shoes
Kicked in the face
"I'm writing down everything you owe me." Jotaro simply answered with a small smirk. "And I'll make sure you pay for all of it. I tend to forget things so that's why I'm writing them down…"
Enraged, he shoots a glare at Jotaro and slaps him across his face. Blood trailed down to Jotaro's chin from the corner of his lip.
"Jotaro, you asshole…" He growled.
Suddenly all of his anger faded away and had a sly smirk on his face.
He scoffed, "It's whatever, because it won't matter in the end…"
The fake Lovers that Silver Chariot had cut earlier split into two copies of itself. Now there were three Lovers.
"Now listen up!" Lovers chuckled. "In this world, the one who knows himself best is the victor! In Aesop's fable, the tortoise beats the hare, because the tortoise knew his own strengths and weaknesses better than anyone! It goes the same with me! I'm fully aware that I lack the power or speed necessary to mortally wound either of you. However, your strengths only really start to show once you acknowledge your weaknesses!"
Noriko had enough of his rambling and had her Stand place her hands together with green substance coming out of her hands.
"EMERALD SPLASH!"
The emerald projectiles hit the enemy but it was another fake Lovers. The clone that was torn into two created another clone of itself, multiplying.
"T-They just keep multiplying!" Noriko pointed out in frustration. "But a person can only have one Stand, which means only one is real! B-But...where's the real one?!"
"Right here, you stupid bitch!" The Lovers shouted from behind and stabbed its claws right into Hierophant Green's back.
"GYAH!" Noriko screamed from the pain as she bled from her back. She stumbled over and grabbed onto one of the pillars next to her.
Enraged, she made her Stand attack again.
"EMERALD SPLASH!"
Hierophant Green attacked the group of Lovers, only for all of them to be the fake. In the corner, another Lovers stepped out from its hiding spot.
"Close one! You thought that was me."
"EMERALD SPLASH!" Hierophant Green attacked once more but it was just another fake Lovers.
All the chunks and pieces of the Lovers that were attacked just kept regenerating and creating clones of themselves.
"Tch!" Noriko frowned while breathing heavily. "T-They just keep multiplying as we keep hitting the wrong ones!"
"No, no...it's me!" The clones chanted in unison. "It's me! It's me! It's me! It's me! It's me! IT'S ME YOU FUCKING BITCHES!"
"Polnareff! Noriko! That's enough already!" Joseph told both injured Crusaders. "Withdraw your Stands now!" Both Noriko and Polnareff were already panting heavily from the amount of energy they were using to shrink their Stands. They were exhausted and were losing blood while fighting.
"I just can't stand watching both of you get hurt for my sake!"
"But Mr. Joestar!" Noriko objected as she tried to approach the elder Joestar. She grabbed his shoulder to keep her balance.
"Dammit!" Polnareff punches one of the pillars beside him. "I just can't stand the thought of leaving you like this!"
"Withdraw your Stands!" Joseph demanded. "Both of you will get killed! Not to mention, there's no time left…" His voice lowered.
"Don't give up yet, Mr. Joestar!" Noriko protested and looked back at the television, thinking. "No matter how much I look hard at it, I can't tell the difference! Which one is the real one?! Which one is the real Lovers?!
The Lovers chuckled, "The weakest Stand of all is also…" All of the clones gathered together and began chanting in unison again.
"The most, the most, the most, the most, the most, the most, the most, the most terrifying Stand of all!"
Inside a jewelry store, Steely Dan was snickering to himself as he looked around the jewelry displayed behind a glass case at the counter. One of the jewelry caught his attention and pointed at it, it was a gold bracelet.
"Come take a look at this golden bracelet, Jotaro." Steely Dan said while the teen stood a few feet away from him looking elsewhere. "Do you think something like this would make that girl Noriko happy? I wonder how her reaction will be if I give her this as a present. Maybe this will make her sleep with me. I mean, that's probably what Lord Dio did to seduce that whore." He grinned deviously at Jotaro.
Jotaro remained silent as he clenched his fists in his pockets. His dark glare was shadowed by his hat.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Steely Dan shoved his shoulder. "You see those holes in the glass? Use your Stand to steal it."
He frowned when Jotaro still doesn't answer him, avoiding him.
"I said steal it, dumbass!" He whispered in a harsh tone. "Hurry it up! Or I'll just break the glass and steal it myself." He turned around and took a few steps. "Unless you're okay with me getting caught and let them beat the shit out of me. Joseph would definitely die from the pain."
"Hurry the fuck up! The owner is looking the other way!" Steely Dan hissed.
Jotaro quietly approached the glass case and bent over. The arm of Star Platinum manifested and went through the glass. It grabbed the bracelet and it was handed onto Jotaro's hand.
Steely Dan smirked and pointed at Jotaro. "Sir! That man is shoplifting!" He shouted.
"Y-You motherfucker…" Jotaro growled.
"Young man! Don't let him get away!" The owner said and ran to the back.
"Sure." Steely Dan hummed and snickered again.
Then a group of three buffed men stepped into the room that came from the back. One of them held a bat while the other was cracking its knuckles.
"What? A thief?!" One of the men asked.
"Which one is it?" The other asked.
"Is it that guy?"
"The Asian kid?"
Then one of them cracked their knuckles. "Back where I come from, we chop fingers off from thieves."
Jotaro tensed when a sweat dropped down the side of his face. He averted his attention at Steely Dan, infuriated at him.
"Hey, Jotaro. You better not use your Stands against these innocent people…" Steely Dan warned while smirking.
Jotaro was shaking in anger as he clutched the bracelet but he dropped the jewelry when one of the men hit him from behind with a bat. Blood spurted out of his mouth and all three men began beating the crap out of Jotaro. He was being kicked and punched all over his body.
"Take this!"
"Take that!"
"Piece of shit!"
"Despicable!"
"You thief!"
Steely Dan only laughed as he stepped away and approached another glass case, stealing one of the jewels.
Once they were done beating Jotaro, they tossed him out of the store onto the street.
"Get out of our country, asshole!" One of them shouted.
"We're done with you! And you're lucky that we're letting you keep your fucking fingers!"
They all spat at him and left.
Steely Dan walked over to Jotaro with his arms crossed while chuckling. "That was great, Jotaro! Well done!" He uncrossed his arms and pulled out a gold necklace from his pocket.
"Because of the little show you caused I was able to get something much better than a simple bracelet! Maybe Noriko will like this gold necklace with teal gemstones on it."
Suddenly Jotaro began to laugh, making Steely Dan raise a brow in confusion. The delinquent slowly raised himself from the ground as he continued to laugh.
Steely Dan clutched the necklace, "Jotaro! What the hell is so damn funny, huh?!"
Jotaro turned his head to him and chuckled, "I'm laughing in anticipation of what's to come." He answered with a smirk, blood trailing down his face. "I have much more to look forward to when I'm making you eat your own shit!"
"You fucker!" Steely Dan snapped as he stomped on Jotaro's back, forcing him to slam down against the ground.
"That's where you're wrong, Jotaro!" He applied more pressure on the teen's back with his foot. "Your stupid grandfather Joseph will be dead in any second now! Just face the facts!"
Jotaro scoffed, "Hmph. No, I think you're underestimating us. It's already clear that you don't know Noriko."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Your strengths only really start to show once you acknowledge your weakness, huh?" Noriko quoted from what Lovers said earlier with a smirk on her face. "I agree with you on that Steely Dan. To know yourself is an important lesson, however…" She pointed at the television and her Hierophant Green pointed at the horde of fake Lovers.
"It's quite obvious that you don't know your enemies very well. You clearly haven't done your homework on us! Haven't you realized, Lovers? That my Hierophant's tendrils can spread its roots along the ground and inspect every single one of you!" She stated.
Hierophant Green's appendages were spread all over the ground, wrapped on each Lovers' leg. Then one of the Lovers started to glow.
"W-What the hell is touching me?! What the fuck is this?!"
"You're the real Lovers…" Noriko muttered as her Hierophant Green had her hands placed together again.
"EMERALD SPLASH!"
The emerald projectiles were shot at the real Lovers, striking his head and having blood spilling out from it.
"We did it!" Joseph and Polnareff cheered.
A hole appeared on Steely Dan's forehead with blood gushing out from it. He was taken by surprise from the attack that he almost lost his balance.
"Well, well, well, well…" Jotaro said as he finally stood up while smiling. "Looks like you finally got your answer if Noriko wants to be with you or not. Once she's done with you I wonder if I'll have time for my personal payback…"
Steely Dan looked at his bloody hands and screamed.
"Look!" Silver Chariot points at the frightened Lovers trying to escape. "He's already done for! He's trying to escape through the artery!"
"He's trying to get out of Mr. Joestar's brain!" Noriko stated.
"I-It's finally leaving?!" Joseph asked, sounding much happier than before.
"All right! That's great!" Polnareff remarked.
"Mr. Joestar, you need to hurry and get rid of the flesh bud!" Noriko reminded him.
Joseph nodded and placed his hands on the sides of his face. "Overdrive!" The sound of Hamon coursed through his hands, sending the sunlight energy into his head and disintegrate the flesh bud.
"The flesh bud is gone now!" Polnareff said.
"I-I'm saved…" Joseph said in relief.
"At least we can all stay best buds with Mr. Joestar." Polnareff quipped with a smile.
Joseph frowned at the witty remark and widened his eyes with a gasp, "W-Wait a minute!"
"What is it, Mr. Joestar?" Noriko queried.
"If it's leaving my brain, that means Steely Dan is…"
A tiny Stand flew out of Joseph's ear.
"...recalling his Stand!" Polnareff finished the sentence.
"This isn't good! Jotaro doesn't know it's coming back!"
Noriko gave the two men a smirk, "Don't worry Mr. Joestar, I'm pretty sure he knows what Steely Dan is up to. And that bastard is not getting away that easily."
Steely Dan was breathing heavily and took a step back, away from Jotaro as the panic was setting in. His mission to kill the Joestars failed and he knew what was coming to him. He continued slowly stepping back.
"What's the matter, Dan?" Jotaro asked, staring down at the panicked man. "Are you not gonna tell me what's happening to my grandfather?"
He quickly turned around and tried to run but Jotaro roughly grabbed him by his hair.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's got you so worked up?" Jotaro queried. "You have somewhere to be? You weren't planning on running away after everything you did, right?"
Steely Dan thrashed around, desperately trying to get away from Jotaro's hold. But it ended up getting a good chunk of hair pulled out and falling down on the ground.
He turned around to face Jotaro and got on all fours. "P-Please forgive, Master Jotaro!" He pleaded and crawled over to his feet. "I admit defeat! I-I'll change! I'll lie on the ground and lick your shoes clean!" He wrapped his arm around the teen's leg. "What I did was awful! You can hit me as much as you want! Punch me! Kick me! Whatever you want! But please spare my life!" He then began licking Jotaro's shoes.
Jotaro only stared down at Steely Dan with disgust.
"Soon my Lovers will come back at any moment!" Steely Dan thought with a frown. "That dumbass Jotaro is fucking clueless! I'll go inside his brain through his ear just like what I did to his grandfather! That stupid bitch Noriko is several hundred meters away. Just you wait, Jotaro…you'll be in so much pain that you'll wish you were dead!"
He sensed his Stand approaching and glanced up. "I-It's here! It's here! It's here! It's here!" He smiled to himself. "Now go inside his brain!"
Before Lovers could have a chance to enter Jotaro's ear, Star Platinum appeared and caught the tiny Stand between its fingers.
With its index finger and thumb, Star Platinum slowly began crushing the tiny Stand, breaking its arm and leg. Steely Dan shrieked in pain.
"I figured you were trying to pull something like this." Jotaro stated. "Didn't you know that my Stand, Star Platinum, has perfect eyesight and precise reflexes?" He walked towards the panicked man. "Are you sure you did your research on us?"
Steely Dan fell back on the ground with his hands up in defense. "I-I-I wasn't planning on doing anything!" He begged. "Y-Your Stand's power-"
"Your Stand? Just your?" Jotaro asked.
"N-No! I-I meant your excellency's Stand is more powerful than just any other! I wasn't intending on attacking you! I was just recalling my Stand! P-Please! Just look at me! That attack broke my arm and leg! I can't fight anymore!"
Star Platinum applied more pressure on the tiny Stand, breaking more bones.
"GGRRRAAAAHHH!" Steely Dan shrieked.
"Well then, as for what you'll owe me...I guess I'll take your arm and leg as a payment." Jotaro said. "Do you swear you'll never show your ugly face to us ever again?"
"I-I swear!" Steely Dan promised. "I'll go to some deserted island! I'll even go to the ends of the earth and never come back!"
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Jotaro queried. "I'll punch you one-thousand times if I ever see your fucking face again."
"No I'm not lying! I wouldn't lie! I swear!"
Star Platinum releases Lovers and Jotaro turns around, "Fuck off." And with start, he starts walking away.
Steely Dan glared at Jotaro while greeting his teeth. He then spotted a group of little kids running out from an alley between two buildings playing soccer.
The fight still wasn't over.
He pulls out a switchblade from his pocket, "Jotaroooo!" He laughed while grinning. "You stupid fool! Take a good look at the little girl over there! My Stand, Lovers, has just entered her ear! It's currently heading to her brain!"
Jotaro stopped walking and was about to turn around.
"Don't you dare fucking move!" Steely Dan snarled and slowly stood up. He began limping his way to Joatro from behind. "I'm going to stab you with this knife and make sure you'll never move ever again! Don't even think about attacking me with your Star Platinum! That little girl will surely die! You would never kill an innocent child, would you?"
Jotaro sighed, he was already tired of his bullshit. "Gimme a damn break…" He turned around. "Fine, go ahead and do it."
Taken aback from his words, it only pissed him off even more, "Hey! Don't you fucking get it?! I told you not to mo-!" His words were cut off when he suddenly felt he couldn't move anymore.
"...move? M-Move?!" He was trying to make his arm and legs move but they wouldn't budge.
He was so in shock that he didn't realize Jotaro was already standing in front of him.
Jotaro grabbed Steely Dan's wrist, "What's the matter? Didn't you say you were gonna stab me? Like this?" He twisted Dan's wrist and made him stab himself in the cheek.
"W-Why can't I move?!"
Inside the little girl's ear, Lovers was still on the ear canal but wrapped around with Hierophant Green's tentacle.
"What the hell is wrapped around me?!"
"So you didn't notice?" Jotaro asked. "Noriko tied her Hierophant's tentacles on your Stand while it was trying to escape. You must be pretty fucking oblivious if you didn't realize it was leaving a trail all the way here."
Hierophant Green's tentacle pulled Lovers out, taking it all the way back to where the other three Crusaders were.
Steely Dan gasped in horror. The worst was about to come.
"Please forgive me, Jotaro!" He begged once again.
"You should ask Enyaba, the woman you killed, if you want forgiveness." Jotaro tilted his hat to the side with his finger and took a step toward Steely Dan. "Forgiving you never once crossed my mind."
"L-Lord Dio paid me in advance! You can have it all!"
"Gimme a break..." Jotaro sighed in disappointment. "You truly are a fucking scum. The debt you owe…can't be repaid with money!"
Star Platinum reappeared and charged at Steely Dan.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
Every punch was much harder than the other while Dan screamed from the intense pain while being punched like a ragdoll.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORAA!"
The barrage of punches continued, breaking every piece of bone and muscle of Dan's body. All the rage Jotaro had built inside of him was being released with Star Platinum's fists.
The piece of shit threatened his grandfather and friends. All the things he said about his grandfather dying, killing him afterwards and bringing up what possibilities he would do to Noriko. It only enraged him even more, mainly from the way he talked about Noriko. Making him punch much harder and faster.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
And with one last Ora, Steely Dan was sent flying into a brick building. His body broke through the wall of the building and all the bricks fell over him.
Jotaro pulled out his small notebook that he had retrieved from earlier and wrote his name on it.
"Here's your receipt…"
He tosses the piece of paper at Steely Dan's direction and turns around to reunite with his group.
The debt that Steely Dan owes has been fully paid.
To be continued….
So...(„ಡωಡ„) What did you guys think?
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I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter and have a wonderful weekend! Cya next time! ～('▽^人)