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Akemi's Bizarre Adventure
Chapter 7: Strength
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"Woah, a- a freighter! I didn't see it at all!" Called a crewmate. Akemi could feel Jotaro's apprehensiveness from beside her as he straightened. Almost, at that, through her own. The ship was huge, and it made Akemi feel uneasy.
"Do you think there might be another Stand user on this freighter, too?" Joseph asked.
Akemi stayed silent. She was unsure.
"No, I was just wondering why no one's shown themselves, even though the ramp is down." Said Jotaro grimly. She looked nervously up at the ship.
"I dunno... it's giving me a weird feeling. Is it really a good idea to board this ship? What if it's a ghost ship, and no one's been on here for years?" Akemi looked at Joseph, who looked back at her grimly.
"They came this far to rescue us! There has to be someone aboard!" Claimed Polnareff. "Even if they're all Stand users, I'm getting on this boat." Akemi and the boys all exchanged glances.
"Even then, we could probably use this boat to get safely across the sea." Agreed Mo, following suit.
Akemi got on reluctantly after Jotaro, and turned to help Anne. She looked scared.
"Grab on. I'll help you up." Jotaro offered a hand.
For some reason, that made her heart jump. However, Anne ignored him and, instead, jumped into Akemi's arms. She yelped and stumbled back, not expecting the sudden weight, but steadied quickly, this not being an uncommon occurrence for her.
Anne turned her head and stuck out her tongue at Jotaro. Akemi looked up at the victimized seventeen-year-old, who was glaring at her. She sent him a small giggle, and he turned his head, tugging his hat down, muttering something about 'good fucking grief'. His aura glowed a bit pink.
Akemi tilted her head to the side, an amused smirk crossing her face. Hmph. Weirdo.
The crew boarded the boat, spreading out on the deck. It was empty.
Anne was stuck to Akemi's side, obviously placing her trust in the only other girl in the group. Akemi felt an emotion close to honor. She followed Jotaro, Kakyoin, Polnareff and Joseph into the pilothouse, looking around. The steering wheel seemed to be moving on its own.
"W- what's with this boat?!" Exclaimed Joseph incredulously. "There's no captain in the pilothouse! There's no operator in the radio room. There's no one anywhere! And yet, look! All the meters and machines are working properly."
"Maybe they're all in the bathroom with a bad case of diarrhea." Polnareff joked. Akemi let out a small giggle.
"Guess they all have seafood allergies." Akemi huffed, amused, appreciating Polnareff's attempt to ease his obviously tense companions. Anne tugged Akemi to an open door, and she let go of her hand out of shock as they gazed inside.
"Hey! Isn't anyone around?" Called Joseph.
"Everyone, check this out!" Gasped Akemi, aghast. The men's attention was summoned to the two girls, staring ahead, shocked by whatever was in that room. They joined without another word and peeked inside.
"A monkey. There's a monkey inside that cage." Anne pointed out, uneasy. Akemi grimaced. The whole odd feeling seemed to resonate from that orangutan. It was just... so bizarre, so out there, that there was a monkey on the ship.
"An orangutan." Akemi and Kakyoin said at the same time. They exchanged surprised glances, then let out chuckles.
"Who the hell cares about a monkey?!" Snapped Jotaro, annoyed.
"Orangutan." Kakyoin corrected him again, earning him an annoyed glare from Jotaro.
"Well... I just think it's odd... what's an orangutan doing in a ship sailing South China Sea? Did these people work for a zoo, or are they animal traffickers? ...I'm getting weird vibes from this ape. Like... really weird. Can we leave?" Akemi stood back up and backed away slightly upon scanning his aura further.
Its eyes looked terrifyingly human. Its aura showed... hatred? Deceit? This aura was quite complicated for an animal. Maybe she was seeing things.
Jotaro narrowed his eyes at her. Another burning purple gaze joined his, sharing a target. Could they be scanning Akemi's reaction, knowing she was easily affected by intention and other peoples' energies? She felt a bit embarrassed.
Merely days into the trip, and the three teens had already taken a big step toward truly being able to rely on each other.
"Either way, we need to split up and find whoever's been feeding it." Said Joseph, making his way out. The others agreed, and Anne rejoined Akemi at her side. The small rush of warmth distracted her temporarily from the anxiousness in her chest. At the door, they both turned to look at the ape.
"Come on. That orangutan freaks me out." Akemi said. Anne nodded.
"You don't have to tell me twice." She agreed, her tone revealing her perturbedness. They followed the group outside on the deck, and the crewmates plus Mo were crowded around some machine next to a crane.
"Well?" She heard one of them say.
"It doesn't appear to be broken, but..." Said the one studying the machine. A foreboding sense of dread suddenly pierced her chest. The crane's hook started swinging.
"Mo, that sailor's in danger!" she cried suddenly.
"Whoa!" Mo exclaimed, taking a step back. He pointed up at the crane. "H- hey, watch out!"
The crane swung low before anyone could react but Akemi, who covered Anne's eyes.
The noise the crane's hook made as it impaled the sailor's head made Akemi wish she could deafen Anne as well. As if the sailor was a fish, the hook stole the sailor from the ground and swung back upwards, unmoving, aside from a slight sway.
"Good grief. A welcome like this is a bit much for a little girl." Said Jotaro, noticing her expression.
"Anne, don't look up." Said Akemi, taking her hands off her face. Anne, afraid, obliged, looking down. The seven remaining sailors looked up at their crewmate in terror.
"Marcus! No!" Cried one.
"B- but no one was touching it..." Wailed one. "Poor Mark…"
"I saw that crane move, even though there was no one operating it!" Another shouted raucously.
"Th- that crane impaled him on its own!" A third one whimpered. Joseph stood in front of the gang.
"Be careful! There's someone here." Joseph warned them. He turned to face the crewmates. "Hey! Don't touch any of the machinery. If it moves or runs on electricity, don't lay a finger on it! If you want to live, follow my orders. Don't leave the cabin below until we say it's okay!" He commanded. The sailors really had no choice but to oblige.
"I'll go with them. We don't know if there's danger down there or not." Akemi said. Joseph nodded.
"Alright, good luck, then. We'll stay up here and see what we can do." He told her.
"Akemi, do you need me to come too?" Kakyoin asked, concern in his lavender eyes.
"You don't need to go alone, you know." Jotaro stated, putting his hands in his pockets. Akemi raised an eyebrow, though she appreciated the gesture.
"I appreciate the offer- I do." Akemi smiled. "But I can take care of myself, and of Anne. If I need help, I'll be able to reach one of you quickly." She assured them. They seemed unconvinced. It rubbed Akemi the wrong way. Had they not seen how she'd dealt with Dark Blue Moon? And although Polnareff and Kakyoin hadn't seen it, had Joseph and Jotaro not witnessed Akemi beat him down in his former jail cell?
She started down the stairs, but stopped and looked up when she saw Anne staring at them past the door.
"Anne?" Questioned Akemi. Her aura was colored with fear and apprehension. Anne shook her head and turned her gaze down to Akemi's.
"Coming!" She said, running toward her. She was silent the whole walk down, and it suddenly came to Akemi that Anne... she was just an innocent kid caught up in all this.
"What's on your mind, kiddo?" Asked Akemi, her voice light.
"...It's just that... I have no idea what's going on. Weird... and dangerous things keep happening when you guys are around. I- I was wondering if you guys w- were jinxes or something. L- like people I should be avoiding, because you cause disasters to people around you." Anne explained. Akemi gave her a sympathetic look. She was really stressed.
"Well..." Akemi started, scratching the back of her head. "If I explained it all to you, you probably wouldn't believe me." Akemi said cryptically, turning away for a moment. Looking back at the girl, Akemi fed her the half-lie. "...But we're on a very important trip to Egypt. We can't fly a plane, as it was too dangerous. Joseph's daughter- Jotaro's mother- is very sick, and the only way we can help her before she succumbs to the sickness is to find her medicine in Cairo. Mo- or Avdol, Polnareff, and Kakyoin are all friends who offered to help us. As for me, I've known Jotaro and Joseph since I was born, and Mo since I was fifteen. We're family friends."
"Jotaro... The mean guy with the hat?" Anne questioned. Akemi nodded. "You're friends with him? Why? He's mean! And he looks angry all the time." she complained. Akemi chuckled and leaned down with a smug look.
"Well, it's because I can see right through his act." Akemi smiled, raising a finger. "He acts like a tough kid on the outside, but he's a total softie on the inside, no doubt. Teenage boys are weird, you'll find that out as you grow up." She explained. Anne's expression changed.
"He's a cutie, isn't he?" Anne asked dreamily. What a change in attitude. Akemi let out a huff of laughter, giving it some thought.
"As rude as he is, I'll admit- he's gorgeous. I don't think I'd date him, though. He's pretty impatient." Akemi said, as if she weren't just as impatient as him. She pushed away a blush.
"All mine, then!" Anne half-joked. Akemi barked a laugh.
"Yeah, he's allll yours." She grinned.
"Ooh, c'mon! I wanna see the monkey again." Blurted Anne, abandoning the subject in the blink of an eye.
Thinking about the orangutan, Akemi forgot her earlier thoughts in an instant.
"...I don't think it's a good idea." Akemi stated, hiding her uneasiness with firmness. She looked down at the kid, her hopeful brown eyes dulling with disappointment at her answer.
"I just wanna look at it once, then we can meet up with the sailors. Please? I've never seen one before today!" She begged.
"You just saw him!" Akemi shot back, raising a hand.
"Yeah, but it wasn't for very long. Please? I've never been to a zoo, and I just want one last look..." Akemi pursed her lips, her conviction failing with each passing moment.
Eventually, her internalized debate settled on a compromise: Akemi herself hadn't ever seen an orangutan before either, so she totally wanted to look at it one more time too.
"Okay, fine. One look." She relented with a heavy sigh. Anne brightened and grabbed Akemi's hand, tugging her toward the pilothouse.
After climbing some stairs, they arrived and paused at the door.
Akemi had an odd feeling she just couldn't push away. It was like there was a little Navi in her brain, telling her 'Stop!' 'Hey, listen!'.
They walked in, turning toward the door. Akemi tugged it open, and saw the orangutan tugging on the bars, making noises. When they approached the cage, it stopped and tapped the lock above its cage, its intelligent eyes clearly trying to get something across to them. Akemi's eyes widened.
"You want us to open the cage?" Questioned Anne. Akemi gave the orangutan a mistrustful look. "I can't. I don't know where the key is, and you're so big." The orangutan, in retaliation, handed her a half of an apple. It was... it was fresh. Not even browned on the inside.
"You're giving us an apple?" Asked Anne.
"That doesn't make sense... it's not even brown on the outside." Akemi muttered, kneeling down. The orangutan took the apple back into the cage. It wasn't giving it to them, it was showing them that. As if telling them that they weren't alone. "There's someone else on this boat, isn't there-?" Asked Akemi. Her sentence was cut off by the sound of a match. She looked back up at the monkey, and it had... a cigarette in its mouth. Akemi gave it a bewildered look as it lit the cigarette, and reached behind it, pulling out a playboy magazine. Akemi made a noise of disgust.
A scarily smart, pervy monkey. Great. Maybe she wasn't seeing things earlier. Could this orangutan have a higher capacity for intelligence than she originally thought? ...Could he possibly...?
"Is a monkey like you... looking at a magazine with pinups of human girls?" Anne asked, mortified. They both flinched when the door beside the monkey's cage opened, revealing two sailors.
"Hey, be careful, you two! They say an orangutan has five times the strength of a human, so it could easily rip off either of your arms." One said, walking toward them. Akemi stood up, moving in front of Anne, staying silent. "Come on. Stay with us in the room on the other side. Don't go off by yourselves. It's freaky here…" Said the other sailor. Akemi moved before either could put a hand on either of them.
"You're right." She replied. Akemi and Anne walked away, out of the door. The sailors followed suit. Akemi felt an odd sense of dread as she left.
It was sunset, and the sailors still couldn't get a hold of the radio. Anne and Akemi watched from the door with furrowed brows. Anne sniffed her shoulder, and turned, feeling her hair.
"I'm all sticky from the salt water... and you're probably worse than me, Akemi." Anne commented. Akemi sweatdropped.
"Yeah, you're probably right... maybe there's a shower here, maybe we can take a quick one?" The teen suggested, looking around.
"Hey, I think I saw one earlier! This way!" Said Anne, grabbing Akemi's hand.
"Uwah!" Cried Akemi, narrowly avoiding toppling over.
Akemi held out her hand to test the water- it was surprisingly warm.
"My, my. The water's hot. This will work, for sure." Akemi said, walking over and turning the other shower on.
"Okay!" Replied Anne. They both tossed their clothes into a corner and stepped in their own showers, closing the curtains. They sighed in relief as they relaxed under the warm rain of water.
"Hey, do you have shampoo?" Asked Anne, poking her head out of the shower.
"Yes, let me use some real quick, and you can have the rest." Answered Akemi, pouring a minuscule amount of shampoo, reserving a good amount for Anne. After she scratched her head thoroughly, she stretched her arm past the divider, sticking her hand with the bottle into her shower.
"Thank you!" Anne said, taking the soap from her. After a few moments of washing out the shampoo, dread filled Akemi to the core when she felt cold air by her feet.
She opened her eyes wide, looking at the curtain. She saw a shadow- a large, tall one. Not one of the sailors. Not one of the boys. None of them were this round.
Did the orangutan manage to escape..?
The curtain was yanked open, and the hungry face of the orangutan was revealed. Akemi gasped loudly, backing against the wall and covering her body with her arms. It breathed through its mouth, scratching its chest.
"Anne, get out of here! Quick! Get one of the boys!" Screamed Akemi as she took her towel from the wall, covering her body with it.
"What?!" Anne cried back fearfully.
"Just go!" Exclaimed Akemi desperately. "It's the- the orangutan! Go, fast!" She heard Anne's curtain yank open, and a loud gasp. Then the pitter-pattering of wet feet running.
Akemi knew backup was coming, but she couldn't help but be seriously afraid as the orangutan pointed at her, a pointed finger moving from the bottom to the top of her body.
It moved forward and cornered her, and Akemi's heart rate rose. She breathed fast, unable to keep her voice out of her breathing. "Hey, be careful, you two! They say an orangutan has five times the strength of a human, so it could easily rip off either of your arms." The sailor's voice rang in her head.
"E- Empress-!"
Suddenly, it lunged forward with a roar, and Akemi screamed at the top of her lungs, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Oi!" Came Jotaro's voice, like an angel from the heavens. It stopped in its tracks and looked behind it. Akemi opened her eyes, shaking with fear. When it turned its head, there stood Jotaro. He slammed the lock on its head, and she heard a cracking noise. It stumbled away, breathing hard. "Here's your lock!" He snarled, tossing it behind him. The lock hit it in the face, and it was thrown backward.
Akemi looked up at Jotaro as he fought the ape, still breathing hard. She was clutching her towel around her with an iron grip.
Akemi, Akemi, you're okay, you're fine. Get a hold of yourself. Jotaro could be in trouble. Snap out of it!
Akemi shook herself off just as the ship began to shiver. She turned off the water and stood, tying the towel across her chest. Before running out of the room, she picked up her and Anne's clothes and dashed away, fuming, her fear turned to anger now that she wasn't caught off guard.
The ape wasn't too far down the hall, giggling at Jotaro. Him and his Stand were strapped to the wall, and Jotaro was staring ahead with a hateful look. Anne was watching, her back to her.
"Anne! Get behind me." Akemi shouted, Empress Gaea appearing at her side with an equally angry expression. She glowered at the ape, only her left eye visible through her wet bangs. Anne obliged, fearful of Akemi's rage. The orangutan met her gaze, and crushed the solved rubix cube in his hand. She hated the way its eyes trailed down her body.
"Empress Gaea!" Akemi called raucously. Using the anger within her as strength, she grew coral from right beneath them. As it grew, the hall was silent. Jotaro and the orangutan stared at her intensely. She handed the clothes to Anne, and she looked up at her, panicked.
"Akemi, what are you doing!?" Anne's cry broke the silence, echoing down the hall, fear edging her tone.
"Ending this damn, perverted ape!" Akemi shouted raucously.
Silence was pierced by the ripping of metal. She could tell from the expression on the orangutan's face that he could feel the coral pass through the ship.
"Wh... Akemi, what are you doing?" Anne shouted.
Jotaro's eyes widened when he realized what was happening. His Stand's jaw dropped.
Loud creaking came from below as the coral dug through the metal. After a few seconds, the multicolored coral penetrated the floor. She'd clearly grown more than she realized, because it was everywhere. It quickly grew around and into the orangutan, piercing its sides before it could react.
"I- it's just like when you saved me from the shark..." Anne breathed, shocked.
It roared as the coral dug into his sides and through his legs and arms.
The coral also grew in between Jotaro and Star Platinum and their bindings, breaking them and effectively releasing them. She couldn't stop them from growing, though, and watched as they pierced the ceiling.
As the orangutan's life drained from its eyes, Akemi's vision began to swim. She stumbled as the ship warped, its owner dead. Realizing just how exhausted the action left her, she let her body fall limp, sitting on her knees, a hand over her towel, keeping it wrapped securely around her.
"I... may have taken it a bit far..." Akemi mumbled, struggling to keep her eyes open.
"Akemi!" Called Jotaro, worry piercing his tone. Star Platinum punched through the coral that surrounded them like a prison and reached the two girls quickly.
"Are you okay?" Asked Anne fearfully. Akemi nodded and kept her head up. "It's twisting! The whole ship is distorting!"
"Y- yeah, just a little tired." Akemi responded, giving her a tired smile. "Huh, so it's not my vision that's messing up."
"Oi. Be surprised later. This ship's about to sink. We're gonna get out of here, with the boats we came in on." Jotaro said. "Akemi. Can you walk?" Akemi wanted to say yes, she really did, but with the ship moving like this…
"Do you want me to be honest?" Akemi asked with a faint smile, feeling as if she were dragging weights on her shoulders. Jotaro gave her an annoyed look, but Star Platinum, from his side, had a rather worried expression cross his face. It made her smile a bit wider before she let the blackness overtake her vision and her muscles failed.
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"Akemi!" Anne cried, panicked, as Akemi crashed to the ground.
"Good grief." Jotaro muttered, Star Platinum disappearing behind him. He picked Akemi up bridal style and looked down at her. "She used too much of her power. For someone that was supposedly trained most of her life, that was pretty stupid." He commented.
"But she just saved our lives!" Anne protested.
I would've been able to get out myself. I didn't need her help, anyways. Jotaro, however, was unable to release those words, not while looking down at her pale figure. Maybe... but it would have been considerably harder. If I'm being honest with myself, I may not have survived that...
Scoffing, he turned.
"Let's get the hell out of here." Jotaro simply said. Anne sent him a look and picked up their clothes, racing after him as he ran back to the deck.
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"I- I can't believe it." Anne said, watching as the gang drifted away from the Stand. "The ship's shape is changing." And as it did, it revealed the web of coral that Akemi had grown. It looked like a forest, and the ape and its dingy little boat tangled in its vines.
"Unbelievable..." Breathed Mo. "So that monkey used its own Stand to get this far into the ocean. What terrifying power. That was the first time I've encountered such energy since I first met Akemi."
"We were completely overwhelmed. If Jotaro hadn't figured it out, if Akemi hadn't defeated it, we would've been done for. But are we going to encounter even more Stands with unknown powers from now on?" Wondered Joseph, a hand over his mouth.
"And look at that web of coral. Did Akemi-san grow that?!" Kakyoin asked, awe-struck, as he combed his hair absentmindedly. Akemi was sleeping peacefully at the other end of the boat, her leather jacket draped over her towel-clad body.
"She did." Confirmed Jotaro, lighting a cigarette.
"Wow. No wonder she's out cold." Commented Joseph, looking at the white-haired teen with astonishment.
"Why does her Stand do that?" Kakyoin asked vaguely, looking down at Akemi.
"What do you mean?" Asked Joseph.
"The way it knocks her unconscious. Why does it draw on her energy like that?" Kakyoin asked. Jotaro shifted the cigarette between his lips and listened.
"Well, it's not that Akemi doesn't have the capabilities to withstand a Stand. In fact, she's stronger than most. She was actually supposed to be a twin, but she absorbed her sibling in the womb. Every Stand has a unique ability. Her Stand isn't just growing plants- it's transferring her life energy from her to another living being. It's possible for her to transfer her own energy to someone else, so as to boost their own vitality, but when she applies it to plants, it doesn't take as much energy for her to do that- unless she lets her emotions take over and she forgets to regulate the energy she outputs. So, to regain fighting energy, she has to sleep more often." Joseph explained. Jotaro glanced down at Akemi, feeling a strange, new admiration for her.
"That sounds... like it could potentially be life-threatening." Kakyoin murmured worriedly, leaning on his hand as he stared at Akemi. "The fact that she's been able to control it thus far... that's quite an impressive ability. I had no idea it worked like that..." Said Kakyoin, eyeing the coral forest.
"Sounds like a headache." Jotaro grumbled.
"Want some gum?" Asked Polnareff, dissolving the grim atmosphere with ease.
"Sure." Anne said, indulging.
"So we're going to be drifting again..." Groaned Mo.
"Good grief. My cigarettes are soaked." Jotaro complained irritably, his gaze falling inexplicably on the sleeping girl once more.
"Good, you'll finally stop that bad habit." Joseph commented gruffly.
"There'll be plenty of sun and time for them to get dry, Jojo." Assured Polnareff.
"We'll just have to pray that we get rescued and reach Singapore safely." Said Mo.
"Why do you keep looking at Akemi-san, Jojo?" Asked Kakyoin, his voice dynamic with a teasing tone. Jotaro's head swiveled from its place staring at Akemi.
"What are you talking about, Kakyoin?" Jotaro asked irritably. Kakyoin snickered at his defensive nature.
"Oh, you weren't just staring at her?" He smiled smugly. Jotaro gritted his teeth.
"No, I wasn't, idiot." Jotaro scoffed, before turning away once more to do the exact thing he said he wasn't doing.
"He thinks he's so smooth..." Mo snorted under his breath. Joseph almost failed to hide a guffaw behind his fist.
"Teenagers..." The old man reminisced. "Good grief."
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i didnt make akemi too op i didnt make akemi too op i didnt make akemi too op i didnt m
facts
-catching feelings is not an option while on this trip to save holly's life. however, it may not be up to her. Or him.
-that's right- the reason she's able to have a stand is not only her strong sense of justice and fight, but also because she absorbed her twin in the womb before she was born. normally, absorbing a twin in the womb wouldn't have much of an effect on the child, but because they were both destined to be stand users, akemi was given a bigger capacity for energy and vitality and also an opportunity for a more powerful stand. jojo logic. deal w it.
see yall next chapter :)
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word count: 4,582