Hello everyone! Here is the 38th chapter of Living Things! Hope you enjoy the fanfic-exclusive chapter that covers the beginning portion of the four-chapter fight. This chapter, and the next one, will be the final chapters for the second act of Living Things.

Let's get to reading!

Kotaro's Mansion, 4:30 A.M.

In the living room counting as a bedroom during nighttime, fourteen zombies are seen peacefully sleeping, their light or heavy snores being the only sounds in this usual time for rest. The way they're all lying under the futon's covers, and their heads nested on soft pillows comfortably, almost makes them look like they're alive if their gray skins haven't given it away. They may be inclined to not breathe since they don't need it to function; they'll appear truly dead while asleep if they do.

Tae's snoring is the loudest among them, her sheet covers thrown aside when she moved her arms around finding a comfortable position to maximize her sleep. Her mouth is wide agape and a snot bubble is on her nose, making her look silly. In spite of how loud her snoring is, none weren't stirred up or disturbed; just sleeping their worries away until morning arrived.

Given how deep asleep they are however, they expectedly couldn't notice someone standing besides their futons, right next to Sakura and Kakyoin's vulnerable forms. Weird thing about the apparent intruder is… they didn't enter through the door. It's like they simply appeared into thin air.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

The figure's concealed gaze scanned the fourteen, obviously saying nothing so they wouldn't awake them. This goes on for a minute before they stop and move next, carefully and quietly stepping between the small space so as to not step on them. They stop when they stand before Yugiri and Lily's sleeping form, seemingly keeping their hidden eyes on them while their back's on the seven guys. A silent hum escapes from their lips, as if contemplating something, then they turn towards Ai, humming again.

It looks like they chose who will be the targets of the latest Stand attack. They'll just have to capture and transport them to the massive forest north of Mount Kagamiyama where they'll be stuck with no way to contact anyone and get attacked by the last two enemy Stands until they are rescued. It's a cruel act but they expected to do it if it meant rousing Rianima to action.

Well then, it's settled. Ai, Yugiri, and Lily will be the ones to be attacked. They just have to choose who will be possessed by an enemy Stand… They were carrying a long object housing it in their left hand, appearing as a concealed sword or katana.

Once the figure is gone, only eleven zombies remain sleeping in the room.

"Mmm… Hnmmm…?"

Rubbing her head as she stirred up, Yugiri woke up with a groan escaping her lips, finding herself feeling a little disconcerted for some reason. "Huh? What's this?" Why do I feel like my body is being scratched all over?

Opening her eyes, the first thing Yugiri noticed is that she's not lying on her futon, but rather, on the cold ground. She was also lying on her stomach instead of on her side or on her back. All of these tell her she's outside, and not home.

"W-What? Why am I in this… forest?" She asked while rising up, no doubt baffled at the change of location that happened during her sleep. Before she can stand up on her feet to learn why she's in a clearing, her ears pick up two girls rousing from their sleep. She turned to them, and if her face didn't show more surprise than before, it would now be upon recognizing the two girls waking up uncomfortably like her.

Huh? Ai-han? Lily-han?

Yugiri didn't say more as she watched Ai and Lily rise up from their sleep, looking weary and groggy still. With a hand on her forehead, Ai shakes her head in an attempt to ward off a headache that came to her when she stirred up from her sleep. "Ugh, my head… why is it throbbing?" She groaned.

"Oooooh, Lily feels… fatigued. Why do I feel so tired?" Number Six said with a whine. The amount of lethargy she is feeling has never been this great.

Listening to her complaint, Ai soon noticed that she and Lily are not in their homes, but are lying on the ground surrounded by black pine trees. "Huh? Trees? Are we in a forest? Wh-Why are we here?" She looked around, which she made eye contact with Yugiri, surprising her and Lily that she's here too. "Yugiri-san?"

Despite their odd situation, Yugiri never forgets her manners, waving her hand at them with a soft smile. "Good morning you two. Are you alright? It appears you two haven't gotten a good sleep."

"Well that's true," Lily didn't deny her, rubbing her eye with a yawn before she stood up quickly and said, "b-but Lily's fine! Maybe I'm not feeling comfy because we were lying, or sleeping, on the ground. Speaking of that, why are we here? Last I remember, we were sleeping back in our home." She scratched her head, her face showing her confusion shared by the other two.

Yugiri's smile vanishes, giving Lily a shaking head to say she has no idea. She looks up to the sky as she says, "The sudden 「change」 in location is certainly peculiar. Not only just the「location」, but also in 「time」 too. Oh! It's actually incorrect for me to say to you two, 'good morning'."

"Time?" Ai repeated

"I just saw… The sun up in the sky is 「overhead」," she pointed to the blinding disc sailing between or over the clouds, which blocks the sunlight as long as it hovers over them. "As I said, my first greeting to you two is wrong. I should've said, 'good afternoon' instead." She fretted over her wrong greeting, ignoring at first the surprised looks on Ai and Lily.

"W-Wait, it's already past noon!?" Number Three exclaimed in disbelief.

"Have we… slept that long!?" Lily trembled in nervousness. "A-And during that time, we must have gotten… k-k-kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?" Yugiri glanced at her instantly, concern evident on her face.

"That… does seem to make sense," conceded Ai while covering her mouth. "We were surprised that we're in this forest and that we woke up much later than usual between our kidnapping. Oh, this is really worrying." She gulped, knowing their safety is at risk and the reactions their companions may have when they realize they're missing.

Yugiri frowns, glancing left and right before saying, "I'll say. An 「enemy Stand」 must be the one who kidnapped us to this forest, far away from our bodyguards. As to where they could be, I dare not think they must be nearby waiting for us to wake up so they can kill us."

Ai and Lily blanched at her guessing declared in a calm manner, adding more to their restlessness and fear. "Ah! Y-You're right! We mustn't stay here any longer! Our bodies look alive and normal, and I can feel my heartbeat and breathing, meaning we're under the enemy's 「sights」!" Lily revealed, looking at her healthy hands.

ドドドドドドドド

Naturally, the three couldn't be more concerned and scared than ever. Even though many months have passed after the Saga Rock concert, Kotaro, Franchouchou and Rianima didn't forget the four Stand fights tied to weather phenomena, one of them Yugiri and Lily remember being White Album, who made his appearance in the mansion's living room. Back then, they thought their mansion was a safe zone, but an enemy Stand appearing inside their homes invalidated it. Despite Rianima trying to make it up by being present all the time when they are practicing or doing something during their free time, the fear of getting ambushed by a Stand of any kind puts a sense of foreboding over the idols. What's to say will happen when their bodyguards might be absent when the next enemy Stand comes? Or if they'll be too late to intervene?

It dawned on them instantly that the enemy who kidnapped them in their sleep should be still around, probably watching them before they wake up. Out of fear for their lives, Ai and Lily huddled close together, with Ai soothingly rubbing her youngest groupmate's head as she whimpered fearfully.

"T-T-The Stand…" Lily stammered. "T-They must be nearby. We… We must move! W-We must!"

Not liking her whimpering and panicked words coming out her mouth, Yugiri hugged her, taking over Ai, doing a better job calming her down because they're close.

"Shhhh, it's okay. We're going to be fine, Lily-han," reassured Yugiri in a quiet and soothing tone. "Please do not let your fear get into your head. This is no time for panicking. Right now, we must move far away from the enemy. We should be the only ones present so we wouldn't be seen by other people, but we must be careful to stay hidden until we safely get out."

"Y-Yeah, you're right…" Feeling a little calm, Lily let go of her before she took a deep breath to prepare herself for a trek through the trees that the three must undertake if they want to get out of the Stand's range. Showing a determined expression, Lily says, "Let's get moving Yugirin and Ai-san! Lily will not be happy until we are out of here!"

Imitating Lily, Ai can feel her fear slowly vanish, or at least pushed aside, with each breath she takes in. She knows panicking will not solve their current problem, as it will only hasten their fate and leave them vulnerable for an enemy Stand to take advantage of. She's scared, yes, but she's more scared about everyone's reactions when they hear they got killed by the Stand.

"Right! We mustn't linger here anymore." Ai agreed with a nod.

Giggling at their show of bravery that contrasted the lingering fear left in them, Yugiri felt roused up by Lily's mini speech to help boost their morale and Ai's remark. While she appears level-headed, she felt worried about their predicament too. But because she is the older figure of the three, she has to act like an older, experienced sister who doesn't want them to get scared over a possible scenario that harms them and wants to protect them with everything she has.

"Well then," Yugiri spoke up. "If there is nothing to say, let us be off, you two."

Nodding in reply, Lily and Ai start moving together, being careful in their steps owing to their unfamiliarity with the forest. Lily recognized the trees as Japanese pines though, so she realizes they're in Niji-no-Matsubara. If they're gonna keep moving in the supposed direction pointing at their home, they're gonna take an hour or two before they can reach it, and that's assuming they escape the enemy's range. The two have passed by the pine trees when Yugiri proceeds to catch up.

"You there…"

"Huh?!"

Flinching, Yugiri turns around quickly in alarm. With eyes focused and peeled, she looks around to see who has spoken. It sounded like a male voice.

"Who's there?" Yugiri demanded.

Scanning her surroundings again, her eyes fell upon an object lying next to a tree a few meters away. "Huh? Is that… a katana?"

Deciding to examine it, Yugiri moves closer to the object, noticing the sword is sheathed and curved. The scabbard covering the blade is dark brown with three yellow, engraved lines spaced unevenly from the jewel-encrusted cross-guard that has golden decorations and a small red jewel. The handle is colored black and overall, the sword looks pretty and impressive. It's possible that the blade itself could be pretty as well, possibly producing a beautiful shine when a light reflects on the surface.

Wondering if this is a foreign sword, Yugiri crouched down to grab the sword's hilt and pull it up close to examine the sword's intricate decoration. "…What a marvelous scabbard," remarked Yugiri in awe. "What's a sword doing here lying on the ground? Did someone leave it here without intending it?"

Not only to her, but also to Ai and Lily.

"I wouldn't say I was thrown away; my master put me here so I can wait for someone to see me. And how lucky I am to have found someone who can 「use」 me."

! !?

Yugiri had a look of surprise when this sword… spoke. The voice is deep, commanding, and has a noticeable echo in its tone that allured her.

What… is this? This feeling?

Before she could do something, the sword unsheathed by itself, exposing part of its blade that shines radiantly before Yugiri's stunned eyes.

"Ah! The blade… It's so… shiny…" She murmured like in a trance. "This doesn't look like any sword I've seen before… The quality… It's one-of-a-kind."

"Keh keh keh keh keh. Well color me surprised!" The sword exclaimed in delight. "I can sense it within you. Yes… You shall be the 「one」 wielding me because you 「possess」 swordsmanship skills! They may be dulled, but I can hone them again as long as I'm being wielded! What do you say? Do you want to test me? Become an expert in swordsmanship like you used to? Fortunately, I already know your answer…"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Not realizing she's becoming more entranced, Yugiri, eyes becoming sharp and dull, asks the Stand bound to the sword of its name just as she completely unsheaths it, displaying its shiny blade glowing in purple. "Who… Who are you…?'

Letting out a chuckle, the Stand decides to answer her so she and the two have knowledge of who it is. "I am 「Anubis」! Named after the Egyptian god of the underworld, spirit of death and mummification! As I said, you will be my body, so I will make you a master of the sword. No one, and I mean no one, is stronger than you, especially when you will hold another Stand to complement your skills in swordsmanship… One that will give you a range advantage that even I could not hope to reach even with the speed you will soon have…"

The newly-christened Stand would've directed Yugiri to the second object she missed after her attention was on the sword, but then they heard Lily's voice.

"Yugirin! Why haven't you followed us? Come on, let's move before the enemy sees us!"

"On second thought, hold that thought for now."

Adjusting the sheath snugly within her belt, "Yugiri" turns around and sees Ai and Lily running towards her after moving back to their waking spots. They must have realized their reliable member didn't move so they came back to get her.

"We would like to ask why you didn't follow us, Yugiri-san but there's no time for that so- Hm? Yugiri-san? Is that… a sword you're holding?" Ai's curious face turned into puzzlement when she noticed the weapon in her left hand and the scabbard in her belt.

"Eh? A sword?" Lily blinked. "Where did you get it, Yugirin?

Facing them, Yugiri walks closer to the two, her face blank and not saying anything. Her silence and stern walking unnerves them, cluing them that she's acting strange all of a sudden.

"…Yugirin? Hey Yugirin, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying something?" Lily implored. "And… the way you're holding that sword… It's like… you're preparing to attack."

"Yugiri" continues moving without a word, shifting her dull eyes at them. Becoming alarmed, Ai and Lily start backing away, the former ushering the kid to get behind her, as they try to make sense of her weird act.

"Y-Yugiri-san, say something! We're not liking your unresponsiveness!" Ai pleaded, her gaze focused on the sword she's holding. Wait, is it just me or did that blade is shrouded in aura? An image also flashed there in a split second, and I could be mistaken but… was it a figure?

Wait, an aura? A figure on the sword's smooth blade? Kinda like a…

Her thought was interrupted when Ai noticed "Yugiri" swinging the sword in an arc… directed at them.

"Gah! Lily, GET BACK!"

"Wha!?"

Thanks to her quick response, Ai and Lily avoided getting cut or sliced by "Yugiri", stumbling backwards in surprise before steadying themselves. Panting, Ai glanced back at her, wondering what's gotten into her. "Y-Yugiri-san!? What the heck?! What's gotten into you?!" She asked angrily.

"…Yugiri is on sabbatical leave."

Her… His response came as a total shock as it's unlike Yugiri's voice, snapping Ai out of her anger and alerting Lily more.

"Eh? Y-Yugirin…?"

"She's not here… in this body. Or in other words, she's dormant so I'm possessing this body to slaughter you two," "Yugiri" finally faced the girls in shock, flashing a manic smirk. "Try calling out to your dear Yugiri all you like, but she won't respond. I, the great Anubis, have fully possessed her so I can kill you two as instructed by my new master!"

At this point, they now see they're not speaking to Yugiri. On that realization, Lily looked aghast watching her close groupmate become a vessel for the enemy Stand. "No… Y-Yugirin…? S-She's…"

"USHAAAAAA!"

"WAAAAAAHHH! RUN! WE MUST GET AWAY!"

"Aaahh!"

Pulling Lily away against her protest, Ai dashed through the trees in a panic, not wanting to be stabbed or gutted by the enemy that had found them. Lily could only cry Yugiri's name in worry, one hand reaching out at her while being pulled by her other hand until they disappeared in the woods.

"Heh heh heh heh… Run as much as you like, I will find you… then I will kill you. No matter where you hide, my sword will get to your flesh without obstruction! "Yugiri" cackled, sheathing the sword back to the scabbard before "she" picked up the second object off the ground - a gun. Anubis smirked at the thought of killing them, hoping to repay its new master out of gratitude for freeing him from the river of Nile and returning its proper form back from its rusty state. Said master possesses a power greater than him that he couldn't hope to surpass, which is why he serves under them.

Never letting up the smirk, Anubis left the clearing in pursuit of his fleeing targets.

"Well Narancia? Found anything?"

Johnny asked Li'l Bomber for the third time after they stopped moving to let him focus on the radar and search either Yugiri's, Ai's or Lily's carbon dioxide within the area.

So far, Narancia hasn't detected their presence that may show up in his radar. This is the third time, and coupled with having to hear the same question after scouring meters through the forest, he groaned in frustration and irritation. He's thinking on answering Johnny or not, but thankfully for him, he made a guess from his groan alone. "Still nothing? *sigh* Guess they're not in this area too."

"You don't have to state the obvious," the radar vanished as Narancia let out a sigh. "With how big this forest is, searching for those three will take long, not helped that their exact location is vague so we can't know for sure if we're still too far from their location or must have passed them by without us knowing."

"Either way, as much as I don't want to agree with Kotaro, our search and rescue will take long for sure," grunted Johnny. "Even with Slow Dancer and Valkyrie reaching their top speed to go from one place to another quickly, we would take a day to comb the entire forest, maybe even the entire night if we're too slow."

"Let's hope that ain't happening," asserted Gyro, feeding Valkyrie with hay Kotaro bought for the two equestrians. "You're all aware Ai and Lily don't like having to face a hostile Stand that can kill them. They must be scared after they get kidnapped, and as for Yugiri… I'm sure she can tough it out, considering she does have a nasty slap."

"You're not wrong Gyro. From what I've seen from her, she can stay calm under pressure," commented Mamezuku, the man standing on a branch of a pine tree after swinging towards it using Doggy Style. "But that doesn't exempt her from feeling afraid; she doesn't show it outwardly because she doesn't want us to be worried. I respect her for that trait, regardless of the extraordinary circumstances she experiences."

"Oh, really?" Gyro looked interested in his statement, including Johnny and Narancia, though that's probably because Rai chose to perch up on a branch like a bird. Smiling slyly at the thought of a guy who prefers to be alone most of the time as Mamezuku giving praise to someone, let alone a member of Franchouchou, he wondered if he is coming around and sees Franchouchou and Rianima as his friends, possibly a family too. Spurred by this, he says, "Is our cold and slightly rude Rai Mamezuku willing to broaden his interactions to the rest of us aside from me, Johnny and Tae?"

"Huh? What are you saying?" Rai turned to him quizzically.

"Come on, you yourself should know that," stated Gyro, still with a smile. "I have a feeling you're denying it but… everyone, myself included, can see it that you do enjoy our company. In fact, now that I think about it, you're close to Tae the most compared to us. Care to tell us why?"

"…That's confidential." He answered, quickly so while he returned being the lookout.

"Nyo-ho ho ho! So you admit it then!" Gyro confidently claimed.

"Admit what?"

"As I said, you should already know!" He insinuated further, his smile becoming wide in a mischievous way. "You gravitate to Tae after you woke up from being a shambling corpse. Is there a reason why~? Huuuuuh, Mamezuku?"

Though it's hard to see, one can see his composure slightly faltering from Gyro's words. He himself knows why, but he denied such a notion. "I told you before, it's because I want to inspect what it's like being an unawakened zombie while all of us woke up. And before I forget it, I have learned quite a lot from Tae whenever I or Sakura interacted with her."

"Yeah, keep saying that Mamezuku," Gyro is unconvinced, "But all of us know that you have a-"

"Enough Gyro," Johnny stopped him, maneuvering Slow Dancer in a direction he and Narancia will take off to, deciding it's time to move. "We wasted enough time. Let's get moving if we want to rescue Ai, Lily and Yugiri soon and return home before it's the middle of afternoon."

Though disappointed Johnny stopped him, Gyro shrugs, muttering an apology to Mamezuku half-heartedly. "Whoops, almost lost track of time. Sorry for wasting our time, and to you too Mamezuku. I'm just, y'know… curious about your… *smacks lips* relationship with Tae."

"Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that." He spun Gyro's earlier statement back to him as a little payback, grinning in amusement. He proceeds to move ahead of them by latching his unraveled arms to another branch and then swinging or pulling off the branch he's on.

Once he's gone, Johnny moved beside him and elbowed his chest. "Gugh! W-What was that for, Johnny?"

"For messing with him and wasting our time? There's a reason why someone might say it's 'something personal'. You can't just prod on them casually…" Johnny said it like he expected him to know it. Gripping the harness, Johnny turns to Narancia and says, "Anyway, hold on tight Narancia. Slow Dancer will be going faster than usual, so the ride's going to be bumpy."

"Understood!" Narancia exclaimed. He turned to Gyro and said, "You should do the same Gyro!"

"Yeah, I heard. Alright, enough talking! Let's move!"

And so, the four Stand Users marched through the black pine forest, or as it's known in scientific terms to differentiate the pine trees native to North America, the pinus thunbergii. The forest the four are currently in is called Niji-no-matsubara, a 360-year-old pine forest located northeast in Karatsu. Reaching 5.1km apart between their home and the forest, this forest has a width of 400 – 700 meters, a length of about 4 km containing a total area of 240 hectares of trees. It is said that the forest was originally planted by a feudal lord as a countermeasure against the strong winds and tides in Karatsu Bay. While it still serves its original purpose, it is known today as a popular tourist spot and considered as one of the most beautiful places in Japan, a fact that Kotaro takes a shine in with pride.

Under the producer's order, the four Stand Users must scour the forest and find Ai, Yugiri and Lily. The three girls got kidnapped when everyone was sleeping, so when they wake up, they are surprised and aghast to see their empty futons. Panic ensued from the discovery that only Kakyoin, Sakura, Bucciarati and Junko along with Kotaro's (loud) assistance could dispel, and even then, the amount of apprehension was felt. As they wonder where did the three go, Kotaro reveals that someone left a note in his desk, telling them that the three missing members got kidnapped by their main enemy, soon to be attacked and killed by two enemy Stands if they do not hurry and rescue them. Fortunately, the note's contents reveal the purported location, which is the aforementioned forest, so at least they know where to search. As for the enemy Stands, they are Anubis and the Emperor. Kakyoin and Avdol recognized these as well as Kotaro, so they impart what they know about them to the four.

When the time came for who's going to rescue Franchouchou's missing girls, Johnny and Gyro immediately accepted, worried for Lily and Yugiri's safety. Next, Mamezuku decides to join them because he wants to work together with his two sensei that have taught him how to properly manifest Spin energy and use it in his own way. Lastly, they needed someone with a long-ranged Stand, so they considered Kakyoin at first, but Narancia volunteered because his radar is perfect in detecting their carbon dioxide.

With the team assembled, they and Kotaro pile into the van and drive off to the pine forest. Kakyoin, Avdol and Bucciarati are left behind to closely monitor the girls in case an enemy Stand (even if Kotaro now finds it unlikely because the last two remaining Stands will soon be eliminated) tries ambushing them.

After they made it in the forest by parking in a parking lot on the forest's western side, Kotaro proceeds to loudly order them to get a move on and save Ai, Yugiri and Lily from the enemy Stand's clutches. Narancia and Johnny hit him again thanks to his rudeness, and if it weren't for Gyro and Mamezuku, they would have given him a bad beating.

Continuing on, the four ventured deep in the forest in search for Ai, Yugiri and Lily's whereabouts, hoping and praying that they would find them first before the enemy Stands got to them. Using Aerosmith's radar, Narancia is closely monitoring the screen so he will be the first to detect the girls' presence and inform Johnny, Mamezuku and Gyro as fast as he can. Earlier, Narancia gets to use the radar when they stopped in one area in the forest, but after failing to find them, he decides to use the radar during the entire ride for maximum efficiency and range. Since they are on the move, finding them would make it easier for him to detect any breathing they expel, and thus lead the three to the precise location his radar detected.

Related to this, Johnny, Gyro and Mamezuku decide not to make a stop in one area because they had wasted enough time as it is scouring one area only to come up empty-handed. But with their suggestion melding well with Narancia's own, they hope it will be an effective strategy that makes the best use of their respective strengths, working together like a team.

The next ten minutes are spent constantly moving for up to one kilometer or more from their starting point. So far, the radar detects not of the girls' breathing, but other people who happen to be in the area they were passing by. Most of them gawked at the sight of one man swinging and jumping across the forest and two weirdly-dressed jockeys and one companion riding on their horses passing through the wide and tight spaces between pine trees without issue. This is helped by them utilizing the Spin to either propel Slow Dancer and Valkyrie up in the air or get any trees out of their way. This is made possible through Gyro's steel balls, which became three because Johnny retrieved the steel ball from Kotaro's possession after giving him permission. The producer gave it back to him without hesitation.

When it appears they are not making progress and two of them are about to lose it out of impatience and worry, a large blip appears on the radar's screen, prompting Narancia to exclaim, "Ah! Stop! Stop moving guys! The radar…! The radar detected a 「blip」 unlike the ones it detected coming from other people!"

!

Hearing him, Johnny and Gyro pull the reins, stopping Slow Dancer and Valkyrie from moving after they slide across the ground while Mamezuku descends from the trees by rappelling down. Staring at Narancia, he moves close to him as he disembarks out of Slow Dancer as he says, "Are you sure? Did your radar manage to detect any of them, Narancia?"

Facing him with a nod, Narancia exclaims, "Yeah! If you want, take a look at the radar! The same goes for you two!"

"Right! Let us see then…"

With the two jockeys getting off their horses (with Johnny being able to finally walk properly after many months of enduring being a semi-cripple, much to his, Gyro and everyone's delight once they found out), the three look at the beeping radar showing a large blip popping up on the screen when a line passes them.

ピコーン… ピコーン… ピコーン…

After seeing the proof and that it's coming from northwest from their position, Gyro hollers in delight, clenching his fist before pumping as he says, "Okay! We finally found them! Looks like they must be nearby!"

"But why only one though?" Mamezuku pointed out. "Shouldn't there be three blips in the radar? Could they have gotten separated?"

"Oh yeah. That is odd," replied Narancia, raising a brow. "Maybe we just have to ask any of the missing girls where the other two are. 'Least we found one of them! I have a feeling that if I hadn't joined you three, you would be stuck looking around in circles."

Grunting, Johnny agrees, saying "I can imagine that. Good thing you joined us. We owe you one, Narancia."

"Save your words you three," Mamezuku suddenly said, his eyes having been focused on the screen the whole time. "This blip is moving towards the 「center」. It seems whoever they are, they're moving to our 「position」. We must go meet them."

ザザザザ

"Uh!?" Johnny, Narancia and Gyro let out in surprise, whipping their heads to the one who's walking toward them. Mamezuku soon followed after the radar disappeared, calmly looking at the approaching person.

The approaching person turns out to be Yugiri. Her familiar walk gait and calm expression gave them a bit of relief that she appears unharmed and fine.

However, the only one who isn't relieved is Mamezuku, whose eyes next settled on a sword she was holding. Also of note is the dark red lipstick Yugiri has, even though he is sure she's unable to put makeup on when she was kidnapped.

The three don't notice the odd details Yugiri has as they huddle up to her, with Johnny saying, "Yugiri! Thank goodness you're okay! Everyone has been so worried for you, Ai and Lily!"

"Well, I'm sure if we tell Kotaro that we found them, he will be immensely relieved!" Gyro remarked. "Hey, speaking of Ai and Lily, where are they, Yugiri? Did they split off from you on the off-chance we were looking for you?"

"What he said," added Narancia. "When you three showed up in my radar that detected your breathing, we saw two blips branching out from you in different directions. I think they must be nearby, so can ya call them back so you can go home? If you do, we can take care of the enemy Stands without worrying for your lives."

"…" Yugiri said nothing to the four. During their conversation, she has a distant but sharp look in her eyes as she observes them. Her grip on the sword never wavered and at this moment, she doesn't care about their worries for her and the two. She only waits for a chance to turn up that will certainly surprise them. In an unpleasant way.

ドドドドドドドド

Noticing she was being silent and unheeding of their concern for her safety, Johnny asks, "Yugiri, are you okay? You're keeping yourself quiet."

"…" She said nothing.

"Yo Yugiri! Are you there?" Narancia speaks up, finding her silence to be uncharacteristic, which weirded him out.

"…" Still no response.

Sensing something odd about her silence, Gyro gazes to the sword she was holding the whole time. Intrigued of the object, he inquires about it. "Hey Yugiri, where did you get that sword? It looks so… pretty well made." His statement led Johnny and Narancia to notice it as well. "Say, can I touch it? There's no harm in taking a look at the blade, right?

"…" While Yugiri remained eerily silent, her mouth turned into a smirk. A smirk that sends a chill on anyone's spine. Then unexpectedly, she shouted, "DIEEEEEEEE!"

! !?

It took fast reflexes and instincts supported by Mamezuku's assistance with Doggy Style for the four to barely avoid getting sliced by the newly-unveiled sword of Anubis.

To be continued

Stand Analysis:

Anubis

Destructive Power: B
Speed: B
Range: E
Stamina: A
Precision: E
Developmental Potential: C

Named after the Egyptian god of death, embalming, and guide to the afterlife, Anubis is a Stand bounded to a Shamshir-like sword, forged by its former master over 500 years ago. Being a rare Stand who exists without a user means Anubis is able to potentially be wielded by many users of his choosing.

Its abilities include possessing anyone who grabbed the sword's handle no matter how strong their willpower is, forcing them to wield the sword under Anubis' control, select what objects Anubis will slice, being able to pass through an object blocking its target without directly harming them, and remembers every moves and attacks launched against its possessed user, making Anubis more powerful and faster with every swing and moves learned, no matter how well-planned the same opponent's attack is.

For those wondering what "Demon of Hibiya" is referring to, it refers to Yugiri as a fabled swordswoman when she was alive, as revealed in Zombie Land Saga Revenge. Thought it fitting to change the title since Anubis possesses Yugiri.

Oh, and Merry Christmas! This is my gift to you: a new, refurbished chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!