Jonathon Kujo, better known as Johnny Kujo, just got off the phone with one of the bodyguards aboard the private jet he sent to pick up Joseph and his long-lost niece, Yoshihara; and he was none too happy about what the conversation had been about. He had been assured that the people he hired would be able to keep his new interns safe, and yet, here he was, after just getting off the phone with the guards saying that one of the things he was worried about happening had happened.

Somewhere along the line, an assassin from the people who had been targetting those two was able to slip onboard. They did their research, too. They disguised themselves as one of the only people on board who wore contacts after taking them out and were able to assimilate themselves amongst the crew.

Thankfully, nothing bad happened to the two, but still, by that, he meant that they didn't die. He didn't think they would, but still. He was glad that they were able to deal with it, but that wasn't his main issue. The fact that it happened at all, especially after he had been assured that nothing would happen, was more than enough to set him into a bad mood.

According to Satoshi Jennings, a long-time friend and employee of the Speedwagon Foundation, the assassin had an ability that locked those affected by it in their minds. Of course, Joseph and Yoshihara came out on top, but that still didn't change the fact that someone ordered a hit on his family.

It had been a long time since that had happened. He should've assumed that it would happen again, but still. He thought that his lifetime of fighting and his track record of making examples of those who thought it funny to go after his family would've kept his family safe and deter anyone who had the bright idea to go after them. But, apparently, there were still some people out there who didn't catch the memo.

He remembered the last Stand Fight he got into. It was 13 years ago when Joseph was three years old. An assassin sent by some bitter old rival of his tried to kill his son for revenge. The assassin found out the hard way why, aside from his Hero name, Joekid, he was known as the Guardian Devil. The bitter old rival hadn't been who he thought it was, but it was still surprising. It had been some asshat named Smitten.

Smitten never saw the light of day again after that. Jonathon pulled some strings with his governmental connections to make the man "disappear." His family was told that he was killed in a car accident, and that was the end of that.

Just because he was a hero didn't mean he wasn't going to abuse his connections to ensure his family's safety. After all, he was a bureaucrat. He would do whatever it took to ensure his family's safety, even if it meant he had to use his power against those whom he was supposed to protect.

It also didn't help he had direct connections with The President. If it wasn't for him, then he wouldn't be in power anyway. The irony was palpable with that, considering he killed Valentine, but regardless, it didn't matter. Not right now, anyway. Although he did need to have a talk with The President at some point.

Back to the point at hand, the younger him would call him a monster. But then again, the younger him didn't know what he had been through in his adulthood. Sure, his childhood was shitty, and the less he talked about his Aunt and Uncle, the better. All that said, he wasn't going to fail his family. He couldn't afford to.

As for the assassin, unfortunately, the man had killed himself before anyone could "ask" him any questions. What was worse was that he didn't leave behind any evidence suggesting who it could be who hired him in the first place or if he could have been from some Yakuza Group who wanted them dead, seeing as the man was Japanese.

However, according to Joseph, he thought there to be a chance for it to be related to the Stand Bullets that they had been looking into. Now that someone had tried to kill them for going too deep into it, Johnny had to agree. That, and now that someone was willing to kill them, he didn't want them to send the wrong message by forcing them to back away. It was clear they were on the back foot, and they were threatened.

As much as he didn't want to endanger his son and his niece, if it wasn't for them, then they wouldn't have gotten this close—at least, he thought so anyway. That, and they were in too deep, and he doubted that backing out was an option now. They were too invested in this enhanced version of the Stand Arrow to back out now.

Plus, he wanted to kill the person who dared to try and kill his family. No one, and he meant no one, was allowed to get away with endangering them. While he couldn't be on the move due to his position, unless he had free time, if he had a chance to get his hands on them, he would tear them apart.

All he would need was Tusk. He wouldn't even need Slow Dancer. Besides, Slow Dancer was starting to become sick. Riding her was nearly impossible without hurting her. As sad as it was to see, Johnny knew that Slow Dancer was on her last legs. She was going to die before he turned 42, and that was something that he couldn't bear to see.

Slow Dancer had been there for him in his darkness. Gyro promised that when the time came, he'd ensure that Slow Dancer got a hero's burial. That was all Johnny could really ask for. But that wasn't for another few months.

Slow Dancer was already an old horse when The Steel Ball Run 2.0 happened. She shouldn't have been able to live past 30, but Slow Dancer was a trooper. She was 33, but it was clear that she wouldn't be around for much longer. Last night, when Johnny was grooming its mane, Slow Dancer had collapsed, and he had thought that was it.

Thankfully, Slow Dancer got back up. Johnny couldn't stand seeing Slow Dancer like that. It hurt his soul. But, at the same time, he didn't want to put Slow Dancer down. He wouldn't even entertain the thought.

Moving swiftly on from that thought, his scientist team finally got their hands on those sample bullets. If nothing else, they were a scientific "miracle," as one of his scientists had said. One of the Stand Users among the group had pointed out the bullets seemed to function on some sort of Stand ability.

How did that Stand User figure it out? Simple, he tested one of the bullets that they used on one of the death row prisoners that Johnny was given access to every now and again. The more he thought about it, The Speedwagon Foundation was slowly becoming something kind of like that weird website that was super popular in the pre-Quirk era. The… SCP foundation? He was pretty sure that was what it was called.

Regardless, when testing the bullet, they fired it at the death row prisoner. Once the bullet made contact, a Stand appeared behind the man. It wasn't his Stand, obviously. They made sure to test a few more, just in case.

The mysterious Stand emerged out of the bullet capsule, grabbed the sides of the man's head, and caused a burst of electricity or something of the kind, rewinding away the man's Quirk Factor. After that, the tiny amount of virus within the bullet entered the body and attempted to turn the prisoner into a Stand User.

The man died not even a few seconds later, collapsing on the floor. After testing a few more bullets, the Stand kept appearing. Johnny tried using Tusk on the Stand to stop it, but when Tusk got close to the strange Stand, it was able to grab Tusk and break its arm with relative ease.

Johnny had to stop trying to stop the Stand, but at least it was proven that the Stand was automatic. Whoever the user was had to have been either in on what was happening or being held captive. Automatic Stands followed orders given to them. Either that or it was part of their ability.

Whatever the case, Johnny didn't have enough data to make an assumption about the Stand's ability. It obviously wasn't giving Stands to people like Whitesnake could via other avenues. This Stand, while a part of the process, clearly belonged to someone.

After doing some bloodwork on the blood found within the bullets, they couldn't find a match to an exact person. What he was able to do was determine the age of the blood. After another day of research, he was able to determine that the blood belonged to a child. The child couldn't be any older than six years old, and they had a heavy amount of iron in their blood. Their blood also contained twice the amount of plasma regular blood would.

The DNA was also comprised mostly of silicon rather than carbon. Whoever that child had been, they were extremely strange. Not only did they have more iron in their blood, but they were also different—special, even, down to their DNA.

However, that led Johnny to believe that whoever the blood belonged to was, in fact, not human—or, at the very least, not human according to the traditional understanding of humanity. A part of him wanted to consult the living rock that they had in the basement. Hostile as it might've been, it probably had some form of answer. It had been alive for well over 1,000 years, so it might know something.

But that was for later.

Right now, Johnny was standing in the living quarters of the Speedwagon Foundation building, which was located on the first floor of the building. It was for those whom Johnny knew personally, and or those who were family, could live without having to worry about rent, so long as they bought their own food and what-have-you. That didn't apply to internships, seeing as all costs were covered for those. It was a learning experience, after all.

Right now, it was 11:45 a.m., and considering the plane had left for Japan the day prior and was now heading back, that meant that technically speaking, due to how crazy time zones were, both Yoshihara and Joseph should've been arriving in about ten minutes, more or less. So, in an act of goodwill, Johnny was setting up the coffee pot for them so that they could get a nice jolt of caffeine into them.

He didn't plan on working them to the bone just yet. They still had a day until their internships started in earnest. So, in other words, this was a "get to know the family day" for Yoshihara and for Joseph to do whatever the hell he wanted, considering he was finally coming back home after nearly one and a half years of not being back in America.

Well, maybe not whatever he wanted. But pretty much anything he said he wanted to do, within reason, would be allowed for him to do. Johnny was a very simple man in that regard. He did anything to keep his son happy, but also keep him humble enough to where he wasn't a spoiled rich brat.

The Joestars maybe be rich—in fact, they were probably now considered the world's richest family, outpacing the Japanese Giants known as The Yaoyorozu's by a couple billion—and a bit out of touch with the greater society, but at least they weren't rotten pieces of shit like some other rich families were.

However, another thing happened this morning that, while not as worrying, was still something he didn't expect to receive. Earlier in the morning, about thirty minutes after he woke up, and an hour before he'd gotten that phone call from Satoshi, he had gotten an email from Eraserhead, aka Shota Aizawa, Joseph's and Yoshihara's teacher.

The email had been about Kira, and how he wanted Johnny to remind Yoshihara to take a pregnancy test four days from now. To say Johnny was more than a little shocked was an understatement.

Johnny didn't know why she had to do that, but the email went on to explain that she had been showing symptoms of early-stage pregnancy and that he wanted to be sure that it either was or wasn't the case. There was also a good chance that she could simply be exhibiting symptoms of a fairly bad flu, but given how everything was "lining up," as the email went on to say, Eraserhead didn't want to take any chances.

Johnny wasn't one to pry into someone's personal life. However, that tidbit of information was important for him to know. Both he and Eraserhead would need to know what was up in the coming days, especially Johnny, because he planned to train them both extremely hard throughout their internship.

If Yoshihara had gotten pregnant with someone's kid, then that meant that he couldn't train her nearly as hard, or at all for that matter, what with thinking about all the potential dangers that could cause a growing fetus. Of course, that was if she was. Johnny wasn't going to assume anything. He wouldn't have to.

"Oi, Gyro, come 'ere for a second," Johnny said, his southern accent more apparent as a taller, lean but muscular man wearing a green shirt and brown shorts walked over to the Kujo patriarch. The man had long grey hair, wrinkles on his face, and a tired expression. He looked to be in his mid-60s, but that couldn't have been further from the truth.

In fact, Julius Caeser "Gyro" Zeppelli was 85 years old. But, thanks to his intense training in Hamon, as well as his intense training with The Spin, he was healthier than most people in the world. He was in above excellent physical condition, his medical record was cleaner than the most germophobic person on the planet, and he was energetic to boot.

And that was not to mention that Gyro was a doctor and the leading example in the world's health. Another thing about him was that he was Quirkless, making him the first person who was naturally Quirkless to not only become a Hero but to become the very best Hero in a country. It shocked the world to learn that Italy's number one pro hero was a man who lacked a Quirk.

Yet, through sheer dedication to his family's sacred techniques that only his family and Joestars widely knew about, Gyro was able to say, "screw the rules, screw everyone, I will be a Hero." That was exactly what he did. Not only that, but he had continued to be a Hero for longer than even All Might, having a career that started at the ripe age of 17 years old and going into his late 80s.

Gyro had been a Hero and a Doctor for 68 years. Throughout his career, he only had one scandal, and that was in his younger years after it was found out that he had been caught in a brothel, which in Italy was heavily frowned upon. Many thought his career died that day, at least for the public. But, surprising everyone, he was able to move past it.

Gyro, or Spin King as he was known in Italy, was famous for pushing past adversity, and he proved himself to be the kind of Hero who not only didn't care about his reputation in the media but openly told the media to go fuck itself during an interview. He was known as a rebel, and it was because of that the younger generations loved him.

In that way, Jonathon saw a lot of himself in Gyro. Then again, he had practically grown up around the man. The Zeppelli Family were close friends with the Joestars and one of the only families that Johnny considered to be true allies to his.

That was only shared with two other families, the Giovanna Family and the Jirou Family, though the latter was mostly because of his deceased wife and his other niece, whom he knew were part of the Jirou family.

In other words, Johnny trusted him more than anyone else. Both for the fact that he was his mentor in the hero world and also his greatest friend who had been by his side through thick and thin. If Gyro ever needed his help, he would give it to him, and vice versa. There were times when they didn't have to look at one another to know if something was up. They just knew. It was like a psychic link.

And while Gyro was an amazing Hero, Johnny didn't need him for his heroic skills. No. Johnny needed him for his doctoral skills. That was normal, especially because Johnny was kind of illiterate when it came to medicinal stuff. That, and seeing as Gyro practically lived on at the Speedwagon Foundation, only going back to Italy when he needed to or when he wanted to be with his Grandson, Gyro would always answer Johnny's questions about the medical world.

Sure, Johnny knew basic first aid, but didn't he know shit about other things or what symptoms led to whatever illness. He never bothered giving a shit because he rarely ever got sick, and when he did, the worst it had ever been was a cold. So when something big did come about, he always had Gyro on hand to point it out to him.

"Hm? What is Johnny?" Gyro asked, looking at what Johnny was reading, that being the email from Eraserhead. His eyes quickly scanned the contents of the email, earning a frown from the Italian. "Mio dio, I see… I'll keep an eye on her when she arrives."

"Yeah… but don't overwhelm her or anything like that. I know how you can get sometimes with patients. Need I remind you of the last patient you treated here? You scared them off because you kept asking questions that scared them," Johnny said as Gyro shrugged.

"No offence to you, Johnny. But Americans are soft. Japanese folk, and anyone outside of America? Not so much. They can take a mental beating when it comes to important questions. I'm sure she'll be fine with a few questions here or there," Gyro replied as he crossed his arms. Johnny shook his head, muttering a curse under his breath as he smirked. Gyro returned the favour, smirking as he walked back over to the couch, reaching for the TV remote.

There were some days when Gyro could be the best person to talk to and a good drinking buddy, or he could be the most obnoxious person in the known universe. There was just no in-between. However, they were still best friends.

It was strange. A 40-year-old man was friends with an 85-year-old geezer, and yet they still had the same close-knit bond someone who had known the other for decades would have. Most middle-aged adults and geezers never got along, at least in Johnny's personal experience. But Johnny chalked it up to the fact that Gyro had been his mentor and, therefore, knew him better than anyone else.

A series of knocks came from the door. "It's open!" Johnny shouted as the door opened, and in walked Joseph, his hair still shaven but slowly growing back. He was wearing a U.A. uniform, and he looked refreshed and well-rested.

Next to him was someone that Johnny recognized, if only because he had watched The Sports Festival. The blonde took off her shoes at the door first and foremost, while Joseph didn't. Seeing that already showed that the two grew up in a different world, and that showed Johnny that this was going to be… far more different than he had expected.

"Ah, Joseph! Yoshihara! You're finally here! Good afternoon!" Johnny greeted them as he approached them, placing a hand each on their shoulders. "Welcome to The Speedwagon Foundation. It's great to have you two here. Now, I'm sure Joseph can show you around, uh… do you want to be called Kira or just Yoshihara?" Johnny asked as Yoshihara shrugged, Johnny letting go of her shoulder.

"We're in America. From what Kujo-kun, or, I guess, Josefumi, told me, people from America address others by their first names. If it makes you more comfortable, then call me Yoshihara. But I will refer to you as Kujo-sensei. That is how I was raised," Yoshihara said, her tone matter-of-fact. Johnny nodded in acknowledgement, then looked over to Joseph.

"Go show her to her guest room. You remember where those are, yes?" Johnny asked as Joseph hummed in affirmation.

"Yup! C'mon, Kira. Oh, and while we're in America, I'm Joseph. Don't want to confuse anyone, right?" Joseph said as Yoshihara nodded, dragging her suitcase behind her as she followed him down the hall and to Johnny's right.

Gyro raised an eyebrow as he stood up from the couch. "So, that's Kira, eh? She looks pretty healthy to me, doesn't she? Sure, she's a little pale, but from a quick glance, I can tell she's fine. For now, anyway," Gyro said, earning a frown from Johnny. "Hey! Don't look at me like that. I'm just giving my honest opinion. Though, if I had to guess, she's taking some sort of pain meds. That topic aside, I wanted to ask…. Do you think that this, all of this, is a good idea? I know the stories, you know that, right? Do you think it was a good idea to fly him out here as well?"

Johnny sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against a wall. He looked down at the floor, a contemplative look on his face as he narrowed his eyes. "I didn't tell him anything. He doesn't know about Kira yet. I get your concerns, though; what with him being in his late 90s? That aside, to him his age is just a number, especially considering just how insanely healthy he is. Unlike his father when he was growing old, he's far healthier, and quite the capable Stand User to boot.

"While he's gotten weaker with age, he could still put up a fight. However… I invited him over not to antagonize him but rather to show him the future. When I told him about Yoshikawa when she joined The Speedwagon Foundation, he was thoroughly against it. He was younger back then. About 17 years younger. But that still doesn't change the fact that he's incredibly bigoted against the Kira family. I don't blame him for it, either. Especially after what their ancestor did."

Johnny sighed, shaking his head as he looked up at Gyro. "However, I've seen Yoshihara in action. Despite her willingness to kill her enemies, I can see the heart of gold in her. While her eyes may be hollow, and while she may not have the heroic spark most of us do, she's still a Joestar. Deep down, in her blood, in her very soul, she's a good person. I want him to see that, to see that our ancestors don't define who the future generation is. Hell, if we all did that, then we would've assumed that he would've cheated on his wife because his father did." Johnny paused, now looking up toward the ceiling. "I just hope I'm doing the right thing. I don't want to open any old wounds, but I feel like this is necessary."

Gyro smirked, putting a hand in his pocket as he turned off the TV. He walked up to Johnny, nudging him on the shoulder as he walked past him, the two making eye contact. "I get it, but right now, we need to focus on said future generation. After Kira's tour, we'll need to tell them what's going on and what the schedule will be like. I'll go get my hero gear on. You should do the same."

And with that, the pair walked down the hallway, both prepared to help open up the world of heroism to the two bright-eyed teenagers who foolishly walked into what they would turn into a hellscape.

What could they say? Being a Joestar was never easy, and if they hadn't learnt that already… well, they were damn well about to.

[XXXX]

"…And that's about it! This is where you'll be sleeping for the next two weeks, so get used to it. Trust me, it's not that bad," Joseph said, smiling at Yoshihara, who gave him a blank expression. The tour had been… interesting, to say the least. The Speedwagon Foundation location they were in had three recreational floors, aka the floors they had access to.

The first floor was pretty much the "hang-out" section. What she saw of it was the main room where she had met Jonathon Kujo, alongside that old man she caught a glimpse of. There was also a kitchen somewhere in the back of the "hang-out" section of the floor, but she wasn't too concerned about it. Once again, she had brought her own food. The most she was going to use was the microwave.

The second floor was where things got… interesting. It was an entire workout room. Weights, treadmills, punching bags, gloves, pads, mats, sparring sections, bathrooms, water fountains, and different machines for different things. It was a workout fanatic's wet dream. Josefumi, or Joseph as he wanted to be called in America, said that would be predominately where Johnny would keep them, as well as go on patrols in the state of Florida. It was something she was going to keep in mind when it came to this current internship.

This reminded her that she was lucky that Johnny was fluent in Japanese. That meant she would have to learn how to speak English. "Oh, shit…. I didn't think of that, did I?" Yoshihara thought as she felt a sense of dread wash over her. She truly hadn't thought about the prospect of learning another language.

Moving on, finally, there was the third floor. The third floor was the sleeping quarters. There were ten rooms for ten guests, as well as another rec room, though far smaller than the other one. It had a small library to choose books from, as well as a few desks for studying. Aside from that, it was your standard agency building…. Not that she had any experience being in an agency before this, but it was what she had expected an agency to look like.

"Well, I'll be the judge as to whether or not the room is good, Josef—I mean, Joseph…" Yoshihara said, glancing over to the door as Joseph smirked at her stumbling on his name. When Yoshihara opened the door, she was greeted with a rather simple bedroom. There was a single bed, a dresser, a window, and a TV. Aside from that, it was pretty basic.

"Trust me, it may not look like much, but I can assure you the beds are comfortable. Hell, I slept in these constantly when I was younger. They were like my home away from home, er, Yoshihara." Joseph stated, earning a raised eyebrow from Yoshihara.

"Sure…."

Joseph frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, if you don't believe me, just lay in it for a while. You wouldn't want to get up even if you were forced to!"

Yoshihara rolled her eyes, walking into the bedroom and setting her suitcase down. Joseph closed the door for her as she sighed. She walked over to the bed and sat down on it. She was tired, miserable, and exhausted from the flight. Jet lag was, for lack of a better word, a bitch. She hadn't realized that the drastic shift in time zones would've caused her this much strife, yet here she was.

And she had to admit, the bed was comfortable. Joseph wasn't lying about that. A part of her just wanted to lie down and fall asleep. She was already tired from waking up earlier in the morning, so the Jet lag didn't help things any. As her head plopped against the pillow, almost as if she was given some sort of sleeping medication, Yoshihara fell asleep.

On the outside of the dorm room, Joseph sighed as a pair of footsteps approached behind him. "So, Joseph, I take it Yoshihara is getting changed into something other than the uniform?" his father's voice said, causing Joseph to turn around and shake his head.

"She probably fell asleep. Kira's been sleep-deprived for the last two days. Waking up at 4:00 a.m. and experiencing Jet Lag for the first time won't help things. I think it's for the best to leave her be, at least until supper time," Joseph replied as Johnny hummed, putting his hands into his pockets.

"Well, I had a few plans set up for today. But… considering the email I got from Nedzu and Eraserhead, I think I'll let it slide for today," Johnny said, earning a raised eyebrow from Joseph.

"Email? What kind of email?" Joseph questioned as Johnny waved his question away.

"It's no big deal and none of your business, Jojo. Now, I want you to get unpacked and set up. Then, I want to see how far you've come with The Spin. Don't keep me waiting," Johnny stated, his tone of voice serious. Joseph nodded, which earned a similar gesture from Johnny as he walked away.

Joseph wasn't going to lie. There were times when his father could be scary, and his seriousness was one of those times. While his dad was usually nonchalant about most things, when he got serious, it was expected that you didn't try to mess with him.

He loved his Dad to hell and back, but there were times when he was a bit too intense. But, much like him, his father was stubborn. Except, he was fairly certain his father was more stubborn than he was.

At least he wasn't drinking nearly as much as he used to.

Joseph didn't really remember much from before he was ten years old, but there was a point in time when he lived with Josuke. His Dad was still reeling from Mom's death, and his go-to solution was drinking. According to Gyro, it was bad. Like, two bottles of pure Russian Vodka a night levels of bad.

It took Gyro beating him into the dirt and a very, very heated argument to get him to wise up. So much so that it nearly ended their friendship. Apparently, they both said things that they regretted heavily, and they refused to speak about it. Something revolving around a dead daughter that Gyro had and Gyro having said something about Mom.

Whatever it was, Joseph wasn't there to see it. When that fight and argument happened, he was living with Josuke and his wife. They never had children of their own, and it was also where he had adopted the name "Josefumi", mainly because Josuke was a little uncomfortable calling him Joseph.

When his father finished going to the therapy he had desperately needed, Joseph was ten years old and had lived most of his early childhood in Morioh. When he was twelve, he moved back to Morioh, mainly because his father was super busy running The Speedwagon Foundation.

That, and… for as much as he loved his father, he felt as if Josuke was more of a father to him than his actual Dad had been. It wasn't out of resentment. It was more out of a lack of a bond that he had. It also didn't help that his father's coping mechanism was burying himself in work.

He was pretty sure his father still couldn't get over what happened to Mom.

Something that Joseph blamed himself for.

"Don't think about it. Just… go train. That'll be better than feeling guilt for something that was entirely out of your control," Joseph thought as he exhaled before making his way to the training floor.

[XXXX]

The early morning light coated over the skies of Hosu. Small children were starting to come out of their homes to meet up with their friends. Even in a city like Hosu, which was one of the most crime-ridden cities in all of Japan, second to Shibuya, to the mind of the child in a world full of heroes, they could rest easy knowing that a hero would save them if they were ever in danger.

Despite that, though, deaths still happened. Naïve children were just that, naïve.

That was what made them very easy prey.

"Tell me…" A man wearing a full-head mask and a completely black body suit loomed over a downed hero. They had a shark theme to their appearance, with slicked-back black hair and slanted black eyes. Their teeth were sharper and more blade-like than normal, and he had fins protruding from his back and his lower arms.

His outfit was also themed like that of a shark, with a dark grey colour to match his fins. He had a water emblem in the center of his chest. His eyes were filled with fear as the man before him towered over him. "Why would you attack me?"

"C-Cause you killed that boy!" The hero shouted, snarling as the man smirked. Behind him was the corpse of a small child. His body shrivelled like a raisin, completely drained of blood. He didn't look any older than seven years old, maybe eight if he was lucky. The hero sneered, and despite his fear, a hefty amount of anger filled his eyes. "Y-You're a vile p-piece of shit!"

"And you're a weak, pathetic human. Lesser than me. Beneath me in every way. Therefore your morals and opinions mean nothing to me," the man replied, his voice sing-songy as he grabbed the hero by the neck, lifting him off the ground. The hero struggled, trying to claw away at the man's arm, but to no avail. His strength was weakening every second; all the while, the man's strength never wavered.

"I've always wondered what mutant blood tasted like. But, I'd rather it be someone more mature than a recent graduate," the man mused, applying more strength as a sickening crack filled the air. The shark-themed hero fell limp, his final gasp of breath coming out in a rushed wheeze. The man threw him to the side, the hero's body slamming into the nearby dumpster, leaving a small dent.

"A waste of life and a waste of death," the man grumbled as he looked up at the sky. The sun. Oh, how he used to love the sun. But now, he viewed it as an annoyance. It was why he had to dress head to toe in complete black and had to cover every inch of his body.

But that was in the past, and he would have to wait for another twelve hours before the sun went down and the glorious moon would come up, allowing him to shed his protective skin. In the daylight, he was constricted. In the night time, he was free to do whatever he wanted.

The man looked back over his shoulder. Back at the corpse of the drained child, and felt a snarl slip out of his lips. "I hate children. Children are nothing more than pests. Rats. Cattle, even. The only child that deserved to live was my brother."

The man scowled under his mask.

He would avenge his brother.

He would kill Yoshihara Kira, and then the Kira bloodline would be gone, and his little brother could finally rest in peace. That was his personal agenda, that, and her death would aid in The Boss.

It was a win-win, all things considered. He would kill Yoshihara Kira and anyone who associated with her. Now that The Boss was letting him off his chain, he could finally do what he wanted. When he heard Yoshihara Kira was a person, he wanted to go to the USJ and slaughter her first.

The Boss, however, told him it was a bad idea. He was Damnatio Ad Bestias's trump card. If he was captured or killed before their plan could fully kick off, then things could go south and fast. Not that he believed anyone that U.A. had could've killed him in the first place. Not even All Might.

After all, he wasn't a human.

He was a Vampire.

A small laugh escaped his lips as he walked deeper into the alleyway. There was going to be a reckoning. He knew, deep in his bones, that U.A. would suffer drastically after this week ended. He had done his research and found out that internships were happening. It was why that Jirou Kyoka brat was in The Boss's possession.

The man had no idea what The Boss planned to do with Jirou Kyoka, although a part of him hoped that he planned to groom her to join Percussores Damnatorum. They were low on people, and he needed to fill slots. No one else in Damnatio Ad Bestias was worthy or powerful enough.

Of course, The Boss would need to make Jirou Kyoka a Stand User. From the small glimpse he had gotten of her, she seemed powerful enough to withstand it. That, and she gave off a very familiar aura.

It would explain The Boss's intrigue regarding her. Having a relative of him in the Damnatio Ad Bestias was a smart idea. That meant that they would have a bargaining chip with him. There was no way they were going to try and fight him head-on, but if they could twist his arm…. Well, it wouldn't be that hard to do.

A few torture sessions and a pleading for help video later, and they'd have all the money they'd need!

Or, they'd be utterly destroyed. That was also a possibility. But what was the point of living life if you didn't take a risk or two? Poking the sleeping hydra was usually the best way to live. Living on the edge, constantly wondering if you'd win or die… that kind of thrill was something that the man lived for.

After living for well over 100 years, thanks to his vampirism, he had seen, done, and participated in so many crimes that he knew the best ways to break people. He knew the cruellest things to do to someone for the best screams.

He had fantasies of brutally maiming people. He had them since he was a young child, but he never enacted them. It was only when the became a vampire that he became bold enough to do whatever he damn well pleased. When he met The Boss, he joined him under the agreement that he was to be allowed to do whatever he wanted to those who Damnatio Ad Bestias viewed as enemies.

He had a list of names, and he was going to go through them one by one. While he wanted to get to Kira Yoshihara and Kujo Josefumi first, they were in America, and he was ordered to stay in Japan. So, that meant he had to move on to the next person.

And that person was Tenya Ida. It was just his luck that tomorrow he would be in Hosu, and wouldn't you know it? So, too, was The Hero Killer! The cosmic irony of it all, or perhaps a purposeful thing.

Either way, it didn't matter. He'd wait until an enraged Tenya Ida would track down The Hero Killer, and then, he would strike.

Oh, how he loved his job.

-To Be Continued-