Josuke Higashikata was in a panic.

The Joestar blood connection had told him enough, his nephew was in a very brutal fight, no two ways about it. Johnny had been bashed in the knee and shot in the shoulder. The fact that the blood connection even kicked in at all meant that they were serious wounds.

Which, on its own, would be enough to raise red flags. But then it got worse.

Not even five seconds later Josefumi reacted to the Joestar blood connection. Clearly, Yoshihara had received a heavy hit to the abdomen. Judging by the purple-haired teen's reaction, he didn't know that Kira was a Joestar just yet, but that explanation would have to wait for later.

Currently, Josuke was running through the streets of Morioh, desperately trying to find the two and heal their wounds before they were slaughtered. Whoever it was that Karl had summoned was far more serious than the last batch of people, and they had the ability to boot. Which only added more stress to Josuke's shoulders.

'Kira was hurt worse than Johnny, meaning Johnny is still in fighting shape. His Tusk is the second most powerful stand in our family. The fact that he's struggling with this opponent more so than in the usual fights... Who the hell did Karl bring in?!' Josuke thought, bitting down his lip as he jogged.

He thought about several of his past enemies, but none of them, outside of Yoshikage Kira, were that deadly, and even then he was sure that Johnny could drop kick the David bowie lookalike with pathetic ease. But that was neither here nor there.

It also didn't help that Kyoka was freaking out. He knew that she could keep her cool when it counted, but she was also very compassionate about protecting the people she loved. He could tell just by the expression on her face that she was frightened. Concern for his nephew was bad enough, but now he had to see his student in turmoil.

Gyro had already gone ahead, using his Roller Blade technique to race around the town trying to locate his best friend. Since he was Johnny's partner through thick and thin, the Italian's presence would undoubtedly give Johnny the edge he needed.

That is if Gyro found him.

Josuke used Crazy Diamond to jump on top of a building. Pulling out his phone, he dialled his prodigy.

"Any luck?!"

"I CAN'T FIND SHIT!"

"Kyoka...calm down, he's alive," Josuke assured her. "He can pull through long enough for us to get to him, this isn't the first time he's been in a pinch," Josuke continued, scanning the town from atop the building.

"CALM DOWN?! I...you're right...I just..."

Josuke could hear the worry in her voice and lowered his head. "Remember what I taught you. It's better to have a cool head in these situations and to trust your friends. I know you love him... but don't go off and do something stupid."

"I'll keep a cool head, I promise... I'm fucking terrified right now." Kyoka admitted although that was obvious at this point. "Has he been hurt since we separated? Badly?"

"No, this opponent seems to be attacking him using guerrilla warfare. Contact Josefumi when I hang up and ask him if Kira is still alive. The way he reacted... she could've received a fatal wound, so she has a time limit," Josuke stated, sternly.

"Will do... let me know if you feel anything," Kyoka said, hesitantly.

"Yeah... and be extra careful when searching... it's only a matter of time before this guy attacks one of us too," Josuke warned, hanging up the phone as he let out a sigh.

While his student had proven herself strong time and time again, beating Stand Users and overcoming the odds, she wasn't as powerful as her boyfriend was. Hell, even Josuke, the adult in this situation, couldn't really hope to compete with Johnny when it came to power. The fact that some enemy had actually given Johnny trouble...

It was best to just find the two and rescue them, and not confront the enemy head-on unless they had no choice. This was a search and rescue mission...

That had his family on the line.

Johnny grunted as he examined his bloody knee. There was no doubt about it, it was smashed. The bullet wound in his shoulder was less of a worry, he had been shot before after all.

It was enough to trigger the blood connection, that was for sure.

Glancing at Yoshihara's body, he didn't dare try to remove the stop sign. He wasn't a doctor like Gyro, nor did he possess a Stand capable of healing wounds like his uncle. However he was pretty damn good with his survival skills, as Johnny had spent many days in the wilderness alongside Gyro, during the Steel Ball Run. He could at the very least bind his own wounds.

Johnny's eyes shifted from left to right, analyzing the terrain as his survival instincts started to come back. It was like the Steel Ball Run all over again, never quite knowing when to expect an attack. At this moment... he was completely focused.

Just like before...he was being hunted.

Glancing down at his fallen comrade once more, Johnny reached down and touched her wrist, relieved once he found a pulse. It was fading... but it was there, that was good.

Damn... I can't just sit around in one spot forever. This is an opponent who specializes in taking his prey by surprise, so maybe the trick is to use his own methods against him.

'His projectiles can't follow me into the wormholes... but I can't bring Kira inside of them. I'd be leaving her for target practice... is there any way to protect her from I Am a Rock's ability? A way to mask her from the Stand? Or is she going to be a target until she or Yagiyama, dies?' Johnny questioned in his thoughts, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of his head.

Johnny peeked out from the bushes. He had dragged Yoshihara into the forest, where it was easy to conceal them. Being in the woods again... it reminded Johnny of the nights he and Gyro would have to stand watch, always looking over their backs.

The brunette grimaced once he saw that sticks were beginning to drag themselves over to him. 'Fuck me...all he has to do is get close to us!'

Johnny retreated into a wormhole and began dragging Yoshihara deeper into the woods, carefully to avoid opening her stomach wound further, and eventually, he managed to edge himself out of I Am a Rock's range.

'If I activate Act 2, maybe my wormholes can track him,' Johnny thought to himself as he switched out Act 3. 'He isn't the only guy who has a homing attack.'

Using a Golden Rotation bullet upon spotting a certain rectangle from a leaf, he aimed into the woods and fired, the spinning bullet ripping apart the foliage as it went towards the spot he just fled from.

Knowing that firing the bullet could've alerted Yotsuyu to his position, he switched back to Act 3 and began dragging Yoshihara once more. His disembodied hand once again closed around her wrist and relaxed once he found a pulse.

"AAAAAGH! WHAT?!" Yotsuyu screamed in the distance, causing Johnny to grin. He had a method now, the Golden Rotation bullet and its resulting wormhole had done some kind of damage to their inhuman opponent.

Johnny waited in silence, not making a sound, not moving a muscle. He was one with the forest. The last thing he wanted to do was to give away his position.

A small whirring sound caught his attention, and his eyes immediately shot over to the origin. Two glowing purple eyes were focused on him, analyzing him as though they were trying to decide on what to do with him.

That's...not I Am a Rock. Johnny thought as he and the mysterious pair of eyes judged each other. Another enemy? An animal lurking in the undergrowth? It was fairly small, so he knew it couldn't be human.

"LOOK OVER HERE!"

Johnny ducked into a wormhole just as a small tank-esque contraption with a horned skull for a face rocketed over him. Shit...that's Sheer Heart Attack! Kira must've subconsciously activated it as a defence mechanism!

'It's a heat seeker, so... FUCK! Kira, you're making this whole 'saving your life thing' pretty hard. How the hell can I remain concealed while that thing is chasing me?!'

"Target disappeared. I must protect my user at all costs, that means no one gets near her," The Sub-Stand declared, whirring protectively around Yoshihara's body.

'It's guarding her. Yoshikage's version of it just blew up whatever it wanted, but this version is focused solely on protecting its user. It's sentient,' Johnny realized as he poked his head out of the wormhole, watching the miniature tank as it patrolled around its dying user.

Then, a stick came out of nowhere and hit him in the eye.

Johnny cried out involuntarily as the vision on one side of his face turned red, and the stick dragged up his forehead, leaving a large gash. Blood dripped down his face and into his mouth, and Johnny was forced to reenter the wormhole.

Yotsuyu was in range.

Kyoka gasped as she heard Josuke scream in the distance, and frantically called him up. That was a scream of pain, intense pain, and that could only really mean two things. Her boyfriend, or her mentor, was hurt. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest as she waited for him to pick up.

"WHAT'S WRONG?!" She screamed into the phone once her mentor answered.

"I... I think... Johnny just lost an eye..." Josuke panted out, and Kyoka felt a heavy weight envelop her entire body.

"L-lost an..." The purplette clenched her fists. "JoJo..."

This wasn't the first time Johnny had gotten hurt, not by a long shot. She knew damn well that Johnny had survived some pretty gruesome injuries. However, the hero in her was screaming at her to come to his and Kira's rescue. This was someone she loved, someone who brought out her best self, someone who made her the hero she was today...

He meant the world to her, what kind of hero would she be if she didn't pull out all the stops in her search? Josuke had warned her to keep a cool head, and she would do so...but that didn't mean she wouldn't try everything in her power to save Johnny from this deadly fight.

Without another word, she hung up and began swinging her way through the buildings and street lamps using her grappling hooks and Heartbeat Bounce, having one jack at the ready at all times.

She needed to find Johnny and get him the hell out of there, now.

"I heard that, Kujo," Yotsuyu said, limping into the area with a large hole in his foot. "What was that weird little hole you sent after me? Why did it follow me?!"

The woods were silent. Johnny wasn't going to be responding any time soon.

It didn't matter, because he could see a certain red hexagonal shape in the distance. Yotsuyu hobbled over to it, grunting as he saw it being dragged away. "You know, if you want to keep hiding from me, you should've just left Kira behind! She's dead weight to you, surely you must realize that?"

Wait.

Yotsuyu paused. It was clear that Yoshihara was over there, Johnny couldn't have removed the stop sign without her bleeding out. However, the Joestar himself could be anywhere... and with those spinning wormholes moving about...

He understood Johnny's strategy now. 'I can repel bullets, but not the holes they make. Somehow, the bullet holes can track me, and since they're small and barely noticeable... this is a dense forest, I could be surrounded by those things for all I know!' Yotsuyu thought, gnashing his teeth together. However, after a few seconds, a resounding calm came over him.

'It's okay...Yoshikage Kira is dying, and he's still under the effect of my Stand. All I have to do is get closer, and they'll both be pelted to death by the foliage they are hiding in.

*squelch*

"YAAAAGH!" Yotsuyu yelled as a hole was punched through his thigh, his rocky flesh falling to the ground. It was just as he thought, Johnny was using the forest to camouflage his wormholes. He didn't even notice that one had made contact with him.

There wasn't even anything he could do to stop them from doing damage to him.

'Kujo... he actually might be more of a threat than Kira! Especially in this current situation... he could actually kill me! His Stand is deadly! However, he can't play the waiting game forever... Kira doesn't have much time left. If he wants to save him, Kujo will have to move eventually.'

Yotsuyu decided his best option would be to climb a tree. It would take the bullet holes longer to get to him, and he could remain within range for I Am a Rock to have an effect.

'Top this, Kujo.'

"LOOK OVER HERE!"

Yotsuyu's eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked down, only to find a familiar mini-tank scaling the tree, its purple eyes gleaming in anticipation.

'Wait...that's... SHEER HEART ATTACK!'

He remembered that his version of Yoshikage Kira had the same ability. A deadly Sub-Stand capable of wreaking havoc on those unfortunate enough to convince said Kira that it needed to be used. Even worse, he could create multiple copies of it.

This Sheer Heart Attack was climbing towards him, slowly, nothing but death in its eyes.

"Damn you, Kira! I knew it was strange when your Killer Queen's hand started glowing, I should've expected this!" Yotsuyu ranted. "How many of those things did you create?!"

He looked down from the tree and saw Johnny had risen from a wormhole to grab Yoshihara once more, using Tusk Act 4 to shield her from oncoming projectiles. Sticks were embedded in several parts of his body, yet, he was still fighting, despite being in what was undoubtedly intense pain.

He was missing an eye, and a stick had come up from the ground, impaling Johnny through the cheek, and yet he was still alive...in fact, he only looked more determined. Despite having a hole in the side of his face, he was fighting Yotsuyu with everything he had.

'WHAT THE HELL IS HE?!'

Johnny began dragging Yoshihara out of Yotsuyu's range once more, and the Rock Human understood. Obviously, Sheer Heart Attack had been giving Johnny a hard time, so he waited for Yotsuyu to get its attention so he could retreat. Effectively trapping the architect in a tree in the process.

'It's official... Kira is no longer my main concern! It is you, Kujo! I need to eliminate him first, he is far too dangerous!' Yotsuyu declared in his head, a snarl taking over his visage.

Yotsuyu glanced at the approaching Sub-Stand, grimacing, and leapt off of the tree. Once he hit the ground, he found the remains of a stop sign. Johnny had cut part of it off once it had worn out its use, preventing him from finding them the same way.

"You are the intended target, you have harmed my user, and for that, I shall erase you. Kujo is an ally!" Sheer Heart Attack declared as it began to give chase.

*Earlier*

Johnny groaned as he carefully removed the twig from his cheek, and put a hand over his ruined eye. "That hurts like a bitch...I was careless."

"LOOK OVER HERE!"

Tusk Act 4 grabbed the miniature tank and held it steady, glancing at it as its treads rolled in midair, trying to reach him.

"You know... you're actually kind of cute, in a murdery kind of way," Johnny commented through Tusk, staring at Sheer Heart Attack, its purple eyes wavering in a threatening manner.

"I will defend my user by whatever means necessary, if I have to detonate here, I shall," Sheer Heart Attack threatened.

"No need." Tusk held up a hand. "I'm trying to defend your user too. I can assure you, I am no enemy of hers. You and I want the exact same thing. Yotsuyu Yagiyama attacked us both, and I've been trying to get her out of his range this whole time,"

"You wish to defend my user?" Sheer Heart Attack questioned, earning a nod from Johnny.

"Yes... she's... a friend," Johnny replied.

"You were attacked by her aggressor too, judging by your wounds, so you are no longer a target. Please set me down so I may continue my duties." The Sub-Stand requested, earning a half-hearted smirk from Johnny.

"Glad we understand each other... and that I won't be blown up," Johnny said as he had his Stand set Sheer Heart Attack back down. For a remote bomb that relentlessly pursues its targets, it at the very least seemed to know how to differentiate friend from foe, unlike the original.

'I guess that goes to show the differences between the two Kiras. One was a murderous psychopath that destroyed anyone who got in his way, and the other at least make an attempt to keep others out of harm's way,' Johnny reflected as the Sub-Stand went back to patrolling around its user. Who knew that the two Kiras would be set apart by Sheer Heart Attack of all things?

Johnny, now free from having to hide from the tank, began searching through the foliage while he had free time. He had shot multiple bullets into the woods, but they hadn't hit their intended target yet, so he was low.

His survival instincts came in handy once more. Thanks to surviving out in the wilderness, he knew which plants were safe to eat and since herbs made his nails grow back faster...

There! Burdock root!

Johnny grabbed said root and bit right into it, already feeling his missing nails returning.

It was time to strike back.

*Now*

Five individuals entered the forest, following what appeared to be a small tank.

Gyro snatched up some dirt and rubbed it between his fingers. "Johnny was here, this dirt has been disturbed, it has formed a spiral pattern. Only a wormhole could have done this... in fact, it looks as though he's been using Act 2, there are wormhole marks all over the place."

"Why Act 2?" Izuku questioned. "Unless he couldn't hit the opponent with normal bullets..."

"There's blood too," Josuke commented, worried. "Not sure if it's Johnny's, or Kira's... I suppose we should be grateful Kyoka heard Sheer Heart Attack calling for assistance."

"I thought it was Kira," Kyoka muttered. "Instead I got the fright of my life."

"Well, I suppose it is her in a sense," Josefumi commented. "Which means she's still alive, both of them are."

"Then let's go," Josuke stated, a deadly seriousness in his tone as he looked down at Sheer Heart Attack. "Which way do we go?" The pompadour-haired adult questioned as the Sub-Stand turned in the direction where they needed to go.

"My user is this way," Sheer Heart Attack stated as it began rolling into the undergrowth, leading the four deeper. "We do not have much time. My user can only sustain us for ten more minutes before her soul gives out, and she dies," Sheer Heart Attack stated in its robotic tone of voice, making the others fill with a sense of dread.

'Ten minutes? Shit… that isn't good…' Josefumi thought, clenching his hand into a fist. "Understood…" Josefumi replied, looking over to Josuke, who had a puzzled look on his face.

"So... why aren't you protecting your user?" Josuke asked. "Because the Sheer Heart Attack I knew wasn't exactly a messenger."

"There is another. I am not the only one of my kind." The Sub-Stand explained. "I was sent to lead you to my user, the other to protect her."

"Multiple..." Josuke breathed out. Yoshikage only had one, and it was enough to bring down Jotaro Kujo of all people... although to be fair, Jotaro was more focused on protecting Koichi at the time. Either way, multiple Sheer Heart Attacks were no joke.

He was really, really happy that they were on his side.

Granted, it appeared as though Yoshihara was using them subconsciously, as she was on the verge of death and likely wasn't aware of what was happening, so she likely didn't even know she had such a powerful weapon at her fingertips.

Kyoka had plugged her jacks into the ground, concentrating. Her brow was lined with sweat, both from fear and from exerting herself. She had swung around a good portion of the town, listening, even calling out Johnny's name.

Although in hindsight, that was probably a bad idea when he didn't want to be discovered by the enemy, but she was desperate.

The sound of nail bullets being fired in the distance eased her fears. That meant that Johnny was still fighting, as she knew he would. That means there was still a chance to save him.

There were also explosions, most likely the other Sheer Heart Attack doing its duty.

The purplette sighed and was about to get up when she spotted a fleck of gold buried in some leaves. Reaching down, she found a piece of Johnny's horseshoe, stained with blood. The attack that cut his eye out did this, of that there was little doubt.

Gyro turned to find his friend visibly shaking, and upon seeing the blood-splattered object in her hand, he put his over top of it, closing her hand into a fist and putting it over her heart. "W-we're almost there, Kyoka."

That was the first time anyone had actually heard Gyro Zeppeli stutter. Normally, the Italian was composed, even in the darkest of hours. He had never been like that when Johnny was hurt before...but that was because he was usually fighting at the Joestar's side, protecting him.

With the dynamic duo separated, and one severely wounded, it made sense that the other would be frightened. Johnny and Gyro were bound by fate, after all...

"Let's get moving," Josuke said, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. "We have little time to lose..."

"Yeah..." Kyoka's fist clenched tighter over the piece of broken horseshoe and blood dripped from her palm. The jagged edge of the metal had cut her hand, but she didn't care. Worry for Johnny was also hatred for the enemy, for leaving the Joestar in this state.

Reaching towards the sword located on her back, she drew it, and she and Gyro both shared a look as he drew a steel ball.

Both of their eyes were burning as they gave each other a nod.

Without another word, the two trudged silently into the underbrush, followed closely by a concerned Izuku and an unreadable Josefumi, while Josuke covered the rear as Sheer Heart Attack led the charge.

Pain… all she felt was pain. One moment, she was standing beside Johnny, and in the next, she had a stop sign lodged in her stomach, to which she passed out. And by the gods did it hurt.

There had been times in her life when she had felt pain. Understood pain. Had been one with pain. She knew it well, like the back of her hand. She and it shared a very common understanding with one another. It was one of the many reasons why she unlocked Killer Queen in the first place.

Had it not been for her pain, she would have never become the user of Killer Queen. She would never have been put into these, quite frankly, bizarre scenarios. She would never have been forced to fight that… thing, who went by the name of Yotsuyu Yagiyama.

Yoshihara groaned, slowly sitting up as her eyes adjusted to the light. As she sat up, she looked over herself. Notably, she still had her wound, though without the stop sign. Yet, it didn't hurt. It felt oddly serene as if looking over something dear to her, yet not in the same way. 'Am I dead?' Yoshihara thought, looking around the space she had been in.

She appeared to be in some sort of room... a simple living room you'd find in some urban home usually tucked away from prying eyes. And in that living room, sitting in a deep pink chair, wearing a pink Valentino suit, was a man. He had blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and tannish white skin.

The more she looked at the man, the more she had begun to realize that she and him looked similar, in a haunting sort of way. When she looked above the man, she saw a painting of the Mona Lisa. And that was when it clicked. From the stories she heard from Josuke, there was only one man as to who it could've been.

Yoshikage Kira.

Over to Yoshikage's left was another man. He had black hair, silverish grey eyes, and was adorned in a sailor's uniform. It looked oddly similar to Josefumi's. However, just like the blond-haired man beside him, she knew who this person was too. Though, she found it hard to believe it was possible.

It was, somehow, another Yoshikage Kira.

The blond Yoshikage was the first to notice her appearance, and, in a sort of sick way, smiled. "Ah, good, you're here." The blond Yoshikage said, crossing his legs. "It's nice to finally have a... chat, with you Yoshihara."

There was a sense of unease about him. Something that made her not want to approach him. "Josuke told me all about you," Yoshihara replied, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she stared at the serial killer.

"I'd imagine. But, like it or not...we're family," The Blond Yoshikage stated, reclining ever so slightly in his chair. "And as family, whether you like it or not, I want to talk to you. I can't imagine it being all that difficult, now is it?" the Serial said, frowning.

"Yare yare... don't bother listening to this freak, he has nothing to offer you," The sailor version of Yoshikage spoke up, glaring daggers at the serial killer. "You and I... we're the same. I'm the Kira that Yamiyagi was referring to," Sailor Yoshikage said, frowning. "I would like to apologize for getting you into this mess. It's my fault for getting in his way in the first place. However, that is not important, I—"

"Can I please talk to my great—"

"No. You'll just tell her to start killing people," Sailor Yoshikage interrupted, glaring at the serial killer, who glared back.

"She should trust no one!" The blond Yoshikage snapped, standing up fiercely, slamming a fist on his chair so hard that it rocked. The serial killer then let out a sigh and looked toward his great-granddaughter. "Yoshihara, with all due respect, I believe that the Joestars cannot be trusted. They are the sole reason why my life, and now yours, are in turmoil. Let me ask you, do you wish to live a peaceful, quiet life, without troubles? Without turmoil? Do you seek to live a life where no one can invade your privacy? To hurt you?" The blond Yoshikage questioned, raising a finger for each point that he was making.

"I...do..." Yoshihara muttered, looking down at the wound, a glaring reminder of where her current situation had brought her. Where her current life had led her.

The Blond Yoshikage smiled ever so slightly. It was a predatory smile. "I see. Then you and I are much more alike than you realize. However, the one thing that is separating us, outside of the obvious, is that you have yet to open your eyes to the truth. Kujo, and by extension his friends, are using you. To him, you are nothing more than a weapon. A tool to be used for a quick and easy kill, and nothing else. Once he is done with you, do you really think he'll let you live? He's in the way. He's—!"

"A Joestar," The sailor interrupted, taking the wind out of the serial killer's sails. "As am I."

The sailor Yoshikage pulled down his shirt to reveal a familiar star on the base of his neck. "As are you, Yoshihara. He's trying to save your life as we speak, so don't be an idiot and take that for granted. I'm... an alternate version of his father, in a way, and of you," The Sailor stated, fixing his top to cover up the birthmark.

Yoshihara looked between the two Yoshikages, quickly realizing what was happening. They were the little angel and devil on her respective shoulders. Her Joestar blood and her Kira blood, in a sense.

The sailor... was an alternate version of her? But how? They didn't look similar in the least.

"You wanted a quiet life too," The serial killer retorted, scoffing. "But your status as a member of the Joestar family made you a busybody. All you had to do was mind your own business, and you would've lived that life you so desperately wanted. You would've found that cure for your mother, and you damn well know it. But no, you had to stick your nose into someone else's business, and look where that got you? Dead, six feet in the ground, no cure for your mother in sight, with half of your mind, body and Stand fused to another busybody. Hmph, utterly pathetic if you ask me," the serial killer bemoaned, shaking his head like a disappointed father.

"As much of a pain as it was, I did the right thing," The sailor said, and looked at Yoshihara with eyes that almost mirrored her own, cold and analytical... but deep down there was a hidden warmth. "If Johnny truly didn't value your life, he wouldn't have just sacrificed an eye for you."

"He... lost an eye?" Yoshihara asked, concerned.

"Yes, he's giving it his all to defeat Yagiyama, and to make sure you both come out of this alive. His friends and family are worried sick about him, you know, including Midoriya," The Sailor stated, moving out of the doorway and into the light a bit more, straightening out his posture.

"Midoriya... he said that Johnny was there for him when he was being bullied. He described him as a brother, I believe someone like that, someone who believed in Midoriya when no one else did, wouldn't leave me to die," Yoshihara said, slowly making up her mind.

Not just dismissing her ancestor's argument...but also finally coming to terms with how she truly thought about Johnny.

"He is a hero, and he has my full respect," Yoshihara stated, a sense of warmness in her voice as she stood up to her full height, looking at the sailor.

The sailor gave her a nod and the briefest hint of a smile. "Good."

"You're making a mistake, your attachment to this Midoriya boy-" Yoshikage was about to interject, but Yoshihara cut him off.

"Is something I value," Yoshihara snarled, clenching her right hand into a fist. "With all due respect, old man, I don't give a damn what you think. Midoriya… no, Izuku… well, at least the one from my universe, is someone that I care about. Someone that I consider a close friend. I get where you're coming from. In a sense, you're right. We are alike. I'm not denying that. I can never deny that. But it's my choice. My actions in my life brought me here. Maybe, in some far-off universe, you and I would be similar down to the letter. But we're not," Yoshihara stated, glaring at the serial killer.

"Hmph… I concede then. There is no point in arguing with someone who is unwilling to see reason," The Blond Yoshikage replied, sitting back in his chair. "However, that Is not the sole reason as to why you are here. As much as we, and by we I mean the sailor and myself, disagree heavily with one another. We can both agree that you dying would be bad. As such, we have given unlocked for you an ability that will aid those pesky brats."

The Sailor nodded, leaning against the wall. "That would be correct. The name of the ability is known as Sheer Heart Attack. You will be receiving my version of the sub-Stand, with added hints of this jerkasses. Mixed with the ability to summon multiple of them at any given size, they can also cause a disastrous amount of damage. While mine couldn't do that much damage, yours being a mix of both of our Sheer Heart Attacks can, though it depends on the size of the one you wish to select," The sailor continued as the Serial killer spoke up.

"We can't go much further into detail. As it stands, you're still dying. You only have ten minutes left on the mortal coil. So… and as much as it pains me to say it, I'm banking on Josuke Higashikata finding you sooner rather than later so that you may continue living. Right now, one of the Sheer Heart Attack's is guiding him and his allies to your body as we speak. And for both of our sakes, let's hope he gets to you on time," the Serial killer noted as Yoshihara sighed.

As much as she didn't want to, she had to agree with the Serial killer on that one. 'I swear to god, if I die here, I'm not going to be too happy about it….'

Johnny was beginning to think that the universe just loved taking his limbs away from him. Because, as it stood, he was NOT having a great time. Then again, he hadn't been since the beginning of the fight, but that was neither here nor there.

Yotsuyu was getting desperate now that he was being pressured by Sheer Heart Attack, so he had resorted to using rocks of all shapes and sizes, but primarily fist-sized rocks. Just a few moments ago, a rock had came and smashed into Johnny's right arm at the elbow, pretty much disabling his dominant hand, courtesy of I Am A Rock. The arm itself was bent at an unnatural angle, and blood was flowing freely from the wound.

In all honesty, he might bleed out before Yoshihara did if the tide of the fight wasn't changed soon.

Johnny was seething in pain, groaning with every movement. His body felt like it was on fire, screaming and pleading with him for relief. However, he wouldn't answer those pleas, nor did he care about them. The former jockey was not going to abandon the fight, his will was unbroken.

In fact, judging by the dark flames currently burning in his remaining eye, Johnny's Dark Determination was only getting stronger with every wound. He was going to send this rocky bastard screaming all the way down to Hell.

And as for Yotsuyu, he wasn't faring much better.

He had several holes in his rocky body, having been surprised by Johnny's wormholes again and again. Sheer Heart Attack was refusing to give him a break, keeping him on the run, not even letting him formulate a plan. And to make things worse, his body was crumbling with each drastic movement he made.

Overall, if anything, he was panicking more than he was calm, and it was affecting how he was fighting. If anyone of his Rock Human compatriots saw him like this, they'd be mocking him.

Not even Yoshikage gave him this much trouble, and his Stand, at first, seemed more terrifying. Now he knew different, but it wasn't going to help him any.

As Yotsuyu barely managed to punch the Sub-Stand away using I Am a Rock, he suddenly came face-to-face with Tusk Act 4, the Stand already preparing a punch.

'NOT GOOD!' Yotsuyu thought in a panic as I Am a Rock went on the defensive. 'He's too close!'

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"

Tusk released a flurry of punches at I Am a Rock's guard, and broke through with an uppercut, knocking the enemy and his Stand arms upwards. It then moved to the side...

"LOOK OVER HERE!"

Revealing that it was blocking Yotsuyu's view of Sheer Heart Attack, which had used Tusk's shoulder as a ramp. Johnny had paved a way for the Sub-Stand to get the kill. With the enemy's guard shattered, the miniature tank was set to go right into his chest.

"NO!" Yotsuyu screamed, as he used I Am a Rock's ability on himself, gathering several objects to create a makeshift barrier.

*BOOM!*

The barrier worked...sort of...but it left Yotsuyu with severe burns, and blood was pouring out of his cracked skin. He was starting to resemble a rock the more he was whittled down, and his flesh was crumbling.

"That was not the intended target!"

Sheer Heart Attack slowly turned around, radiating malice. "LOOK. OVER. HERE!"

"DAMN YOU, BOTH OF YOU!" Yotsuyu screamed as the Sub-Stand approached. He began backing away in a pathetic scuttle, his legs and arms cracking and crumbling with each movement. "WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING HER?! WHY ARE YOU STILL FIGHTING WITH THOSE WOUNDS?!"

Johnny rose from the undergrowth, a shadow covering his face. All that could be seen was a single burning pupil, a sight that terrified the Rock Human down to his core. Johnny's formerly white outfit was now stained a dark red, and he was covered in wounds and lacerations, fragments of I Am a Rock's bombardment embedded in almost every facet of his body.

Yet, he was standing.

"You won't kill me..." Johnny muttered. "You won't kill Kira either. We both have too much to live for. She and I... we came from similar places, similar backgrounds. That's more than enough for me..."

"You're insane..." Yotsuyu said, his eyes widened in fear as Johnny began lumbering towards him. "YOU'RE FUCKING INSANE!"

"You may be right."

Images of his friends and family played in Johnny's mind as he raised his left hand.

Playing with Izuku as kids, fighting alongside him as teenagers. The dorky hero nerd that was his oldest, and truest friend.

From his first meeting with Kyoka during battle training to their surprisingly healthy, and genuine love for each other.

Gyro, the man who changed his life, who continued to keep him on his toes months after the Steel Ball Run ended. His partner through thick and thin, the other half of the dynamic duo.

His family, all of whom were rooting for him. They undoubtedly felt his pain through the blood connection. Josuke, his uncle and one of his role models... his father and sister, Joseph, Uncle Giorno, they were all aware of the fight, of that there was little doubt.

"I'd have to be... with the company I keep. They are the reason I fight... I WON'T DIE ON THEM!" Johnny screamed as he aimed a nail bullet at the Rock Human. "THE ONLY ONE WHO IS GOING TO DIE TODAY IS YOU, YOTSUYU YAGIYAMA!"

Sheer Heart Attack rocketed forward at that very moment, and Yotsuyu screamed, pushing through his own pain to use I Am a Rock once more, encasing himself in whatever he could grab.

Trees were ripped out of the ground, sticks, nuts, weeds...the Rock Human was using the forest as a shield.

Tusk grabbed its user by the back just as Sheer Heart Attack detonated, and chucked Johnny straight into the explosion. Yotsuyu screamed in terror as a bloody and singed Johnny emerged from the flames, hurtling towards him with a nail bullet spinning around his middle finger, ready to fire...

Point blank.

"NO! WAI-"

*BANG!*

Josuke could hear the sounds of battle echoing throughout the forest, trees being ripped, Sheer Heart Attack detonating. The forest was being torn apart due to the escalating of the Stand Battle.

It sounded like Johnny was giving it his all.

Never before he had ever heard of his nephew pushing himself to the absolute limit, with the exception of his climactic battle with Funny Valentine at the end of the Steel Ball Run. While Johnny had certainly struggled against certain opponents, they never pushed him to this point.

Kyoka was pale, paler than she normally was, her sword was quaking in her hands. That made sense, she could hear the fight better than everyone else, she probably heard everything from the dialogue to wounds being sustained.

The voice of the enemy panicked and scared, but still pissed off enough to radiate malice even after the explosions. Johnny, furious, filled with murderous intent to end the enemy once and for all, all with the help of Sheer Heart Attack and, by extension, Kira.

The sounds of the wounds that squelched and bled at rapid speeds, and yet, even despite that, Johnny kept fighting. He was like a walking, talking, ballistic missile, never once stopping or giving himself rest.

'Keep your cool Kyoka...'

Next thing she knew, her jacks twitched, and she audibly gasped, covering her mouth and forcing her eyes shut.

"Kyoka?" Josuke was about to go over to her when his arm suddenly flared up. "AAAAGH! HIS ARM, SHIT!"

Johnny's scream echoed through the forest, mirroring his uncle, but filled with rage rather than pain. He was still fighting, even with a missing eye, even with a broken arm. Josuke could feel all of it, his pain... his anger... his fear. His will to live, to come out of this fight having saved Kira. Truly... Johnny was a Joestar.

"We need to hurry, we don't have much time before Kira bleeds out... it's only about two minutes, right?" Josefumi asked Sheer Heart Attack.

"That is correct. Jirou seems to be ahead of you in that regard," Sheer Heart Attack responded in its cold, despondent voice as Josuke snapped up to look onward.

"Wha?" Josuke looked to find a fallen sword in the bushes, and a head of purple hair ducking into the woods. "KYOKA, NO! SHIT!"

Johnny crashed to the ground as trees fell all around him. The former jockey coughed up blood as the woods fell into silence.

Well, as silent as nature could be.

'Did that work? Did I kill him?' Johnny thought as he lay on the ground, his breathing taking a toll on him. Even moving his chest was a slog. It was only now that he truly realized just how much damage he had taken. 'I...don't think I have it in me to move...I think that was just about all I could give.'

Sheer Heart Attack rolled right over him, heading towards Yoshihara.

'Rude... I guess, since it isn't attacking anymore, Yagiyama is dead. Good.'

Then he heard the sound of footsteps, sprinting towards his location in a mad charge. Johnny attempted to sit up and face his assailant, but they got to him before he could do anything, trapping him in...

A hug.

He was being hugged... by a sobbing Kyoka. The purplette was shaking, holding him as tight to her body as she could, her tears hitting his skin as she began stroking his face. "What did they do to you?" She asked, softly, her voice shaking. "What did they do...?"

Johnny lifted his good arm and put his hand on her cheek, brushing away a tear with his thumb. This only made her worse, however. Seeing him in such a state was horrifying to her, to say the least. "He threw a few things at me..."

"A few?! Your eye..." Kyoka stammered out, caressing Johnny's head as she cradled him. Truthfully, the tears she shed were both of horror, at the damage done to someone she held so dearly, and of relief that he was alive. "JoJo..."

"OI, KYOKA! WHERE DID YOU GO?! KYO-" Josuke stopped once he saw his tearful apprentice cradling his nephew. "Johnny..."

Gyro emerged from the woods and knelt beside the couple, and held up a hand. "Johnny, are you alright? How many fingers am I holding up?"

He then proceeded to get a punch in the arm from the purplette. "NOT THE TIME!"

"OW!"

"Heal Kira first, Uncle Josuke..." Johnny said as his uncle approached. "She's... a bit closer to death than me."

"O-okay." Josuke went over to Yoshihara, who had a jagged piece of metal in her stomach. Josefumi stared at the wound, and slowly put a hand on his own.

'It was her... she triggered the connection. I had my suspicions... but now I know. Somehow... Kira and I are related.' Josefumi thought to himself as he saw the blond open her eyes once Crazy Diamond touched her, all the while Gyro was carefully pulling the fragmented metal out of her stomach. Yoshihara sat up and examined herself, and turned to Josuke to give him a nod of thanks. 'In a way, I'm sort of glad. I wouldn't have felt her wound otherwise, and it's likely we wouldn't have been so urgent... look at Johnny, he nearly died.'

Yoshihara, on the other hand, was staring at Yotsuyu's corpse as it began to crumble away into rocks and dust, the last things remaining to be the upper half of its head completely blown off. "Good...the bastard had it coming."

She turned to look at Johnny, still being cradled by a despondent Kyoka, and her eyes became serious. Yoshihara could see the destruction around her, the lengths that Johnny had gone to in order to save her.

His one eye met hers, and his lips turned upwards. "Good... I was afraid... I was too late."

"Rest Johnny," Kyoka instructed him, sniffling. "Rest..."

Yoshihara knelt beside him. "Johnny Kujo... I owe you a debt. I don't think anyone has gone to such lengths for me before. You put your eye, your arm, and your own life on the line... I will never forget this."

"Don't mention it."

"I mean it," Yoshihara stated, narrowing her eyes for a split second, before letting out a sigh. She looked over to Kyoka, then nodded, standing up to join the rest of the group.

Kyoka brushed Johnny's hair out of his good eye. "God damn you... you stupid bastard! You stupid... wonderful bastard. I'd hate you if I didn't love you so much."

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"I'm just happy that you're alive..." Kyoka replied, blinking back tears.

"Scared her? You scared ME!" Gyro cut in. "I'm usually not this worried about you! Holy hell, what kind of a fight was that?!"

"He wasn't human," Yoshihara replied, watching as Yotsuyu's body slowly crumbled away. "He was something entirely different... something evil."

"He was a fucking dick." Johnny retorted as Crazy Diamond got to work on him, his eyeball popping back, as well as the piece of the horseshoe that Kyoka found earlier. "I think I had just about met my match... he reminded me of a Pillar Man in a way... but he wasn't one. I don't think he was from either of our universes... ah, depth perception!"

"A third universe?" Izuku questioned. "Ifsowouldn'tthatincreaseourchancesofdyingbecausetherecouldbeevenmoredeathsthankstotheinclusionoftheotheruniversebutanywayI'mgettingaheadofmyselfIshouldreallytryandcomeupwithatheorythatcouldexplainwhatthisguyismaybehe'sanalternateversionofthePillarMenlike-"

"Izuku."

"Right! My bad." The OFA user said, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Do you think there are any more people from this third universe? Or are we safe?"

"Probably not... something tells me that Karl brought this guy here out of sheer desperation. This is something that might not be able to exist in our worlds... or maybe it does," Yoshihara kicked the corpse. "This thing is dead now, but that doesn't mean that Karl isn't going to send more of them, or someone else. The enemies are only getting more powerful..."

Johnny nodded. "Not only do we have to find the kid for the world's safety, both his own and ours. But if he brings someone as powerful as Yagiyama in again...we're toast."

"How can we locate him though? Jirou was swinging around the town and didn't even get so much as a peep from the kid." Josefumi said, scowling.

"To be fair... I was more concerned with Johnny and Kira," Kyoka admitted. "I wouldn't have thought to look for Karl at that time... I could've passed him and I would've had no idea."

"You had your priorities straight Kyoka," Josuke assured her. "Now... I'm sure you want to get out of these woods, you've been held up in here for quite a while... I'm glad we managed to make it to you both in time..."

Johnny grunted as he attempted to stand up, and Yoshihara offered him a hand. Their eyes met once more, but there was a different air between them now. There was no suspicion, no caution...

Just friends helping each other out.

Johnny grinned as he took her hand, and she pulled the exhausted Joestar to his feet. "Thanks... I could use a nap."

"You and me both," Yoshihara replied.

Josuke watched as the two began conversating with each other, trudging through the woods as they headed back to the abandoned high school.

'Well... despite everything going to shit... it seems as though I accomplished what I sent those two out to do. It's safe to say that the two have become friends. I guess that's one good thing that came out of this.'

Josuke shook his head, grunting. He didn't really like how close he was to losing his nephew today...there was more tension in this situation than there was with the Enigma Boy. The whole thing left him wondering...

Who the hell would Karl bring in next?!

'Even someone from the original JoJo canon didn't stand a chance...' Karl thought to himself, shivering. He was cold, hungry, and more terrified than ever.

He felt guilty, setting Yagiyama on them, but even the Rock Human didn't return from his encounter with his favourite characters. Which was both awesome and insanely terrifying, because these were the people that were coming after him.

He had only one option left: He was going to summon a JoFoe.

It couldn't be a JoFoe that would kill them though... all they had to do was subdue them and provide Karl time to feed himself and escape. None of them would be willing to do that though...

Unless...

'But is that possible? How do I do that?! He not only would have to have his Stand, but not have that annoying… I KNOW! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO! This is going to be difficult, and I have no doubt in my mind that it might backfire, but… screw it, here goes nothing!'

Karl opened up a rift through the dimensions for a sixth time, sticking his hand through the portal as he did so. What he was doing was risky, he knew better than to mess with fate. The last time he did that, he almost lost his spleen, but this was different.

If he could get him on his side, then he could distract the team that was against him long enough so that he could get the hell out of Morioh.

His hand gripped onto something, a soul from the afterlife. All of the JoFoes had been dead, all of them. While all the big bad villains, the ones controlling the scenes all suffered fates worse than it, this one got to die peacefully… well, as peacefully as it could've possibly been.

As soon as he yanked backward, a figure came out of the portal and landed on their rear, a small groan escaping the figure's mouth as he rose to his feet. Karl just hoped he didn't have that annoying other self already with him. Then again, that wasn't possible. Especially where he had fished this guy out of.

"Uh… where am I?" The figure questioned, looking around as he patted himself down. Karl cleared his throat, catching the man's attention. The man raised an eyebrow, a brown eye honing in on him like a hawk, not out of malice, but confusion. "Are you the reason why I'm here, kid?"

"Y-Yeah…" Karl said, catching his breath, wheezing. "My Stand ability allows me to… cross dimensions long enough to get people out to help me…" Karl said, looking up at the man, who knelt to him with a soft smile on his face.

"Well, you did save me from death, so I can't exactly say that I'm mad. I mean, to live again feels nice. But… what do you need? If you called upon me of all people, that means your desperate. Your parents hurting you or something?" The man asked as Karl shook his head.

"N-No… you see… I… I just wanted to meet my favourite characters. You know? And… they took it the wrong way, and they attacked me… well, one of them did. After that, I've just been trying to escape, but each person I send after them just… dies. But you, with your Stand, will be different. Considering what it can do. I just need you to distract them long enough so that I can get out of Morioh. After that… it's up to you what to do. But whatever you do, DON'T KILL THEM. Please, for the love of God don't kill them. I don't want them to die," Karl begged, only to get a hug from the man.

"Don't worry little buddy, I won't let them hurt you. Distract them, you say? Well… I may not have been too good with my Stand, considering I never really got to use it all that much what with Boss always saying that I couldn't… But I secretly practiced behind his back, so I think I can manage. You can count on me, kid!" The man said with a smile.

"Thank you… Doppio."

-To Be Continued-