#pillarman!reader

In the past, whenever Kars asked you to be his, you would always brush him off and give him no definite answer. You would always say that you didn’t know how you felt about him and you would need more time before you could give him a proper answer. 

But now…

As Kars slightly lessened the grip he held on your throat…

You did not hesitate to give him an answer. 

“No!!” you rasped. “My answer will forever more be no! I hate you Kars! I hate the monster you’ve become! I hate what you did to our people! I hate what you did to Whammu and Santana! And I hate what you did to me! I will die before I give you my love!” 

Kars’ response was to squeeze your throat so hard you thought he was trying to break your neck rather than strangle you. After a moment, the anger in his eyes gave way to a cold stare. You feared the emptiness in his eyes far more than his anger. It was an unfamiliar look on him and you didn’t know what it meant, though you were certain it didn’t mean anything good. 

Kars tossed you to the ground as if you were so much trash. He stood over you and looked down at you with contempt. 

“Your stubborn pride was one of the many things that drew me to you, my little prize, but after being forced to deal with it for centuries, I’m beginning to think it is the thing I like about you the least.” he said. 

You looked up at him, unable to tell what was going through his mind. A tiny spark of hope lit up inside of you as you thought that he may finally be willing to give up his pursuit of you. Though you had to wonder about what that would mean for you, JoJo, and the other humans. 

“It seems that my only choice is to remove that stubborn streak of yours, one way or another.” Kars said, extinguishing that spark of hope completely. 

“I suppose the fault is my own. I’ve been far too lenient with you. No longer will I ignore your hateful glances and rebellious behavior.” 

At this point, a sinister smirk stretched Kars’ lips. He gave Speedwagon a knowing look that confused both you and the old man. 

“You thought you could turn against me because both Santana and Whammu were dead.” he mocked. “But as I approached these old ruins, I overheard a very interesting conversation.” 

Your eyes widened and Speedwagon gasped. He knew! He knew that Santana was still alive!

Kars suddenly seized you by the hair, forcing you to look up at him. 

“Do not worry, dearest,” he taunted you. “I will find your little Santana, wherever these worthless humans are hiding him, and bring him home to you.” 

His mocking smile became a vicious sneer. 

“And then your rebellion against me will come to an end! Because if it does not, then Santana will pay for it! I will refrain from killing him, but for every time you forget to adore me as I should be adored, Santana will be the one I punish! You will love me, or Santana will suffer!” 

Your eyes glistened with tears. Any other time, you would hold them back, refusing to let Kars see your weakness. Not now. While you were overjoyed at hearing that Santana was still alive, you realized that you were right back to being under Kars’ thumb. It seemed that you would never be rid of him. Kars would never leave you alone and now he threatened to punish Santana whenever you displeased him. Your tears flowed freely and Kars gave you a satisfied smile. Everything was finally going his way. He had finally conquered you. It was not quite the victory he hoped for, he never wanted to win your affections by force, but at least now you would never try to leave him again. Not if you wanted your adopted son to remain unharmed. 

It seemed Santana was not as useless as he first thought. 

“You will remain here until I come to fetch you. Then we will go find where they are keeping your precious Santana.” he ordered, adding the last part with a cruel smile. 

He turned away from you, where you were crumpled onto your knees, and left the ruins. Without his hulking form blocking the sunlight, the golden rays flooded into the ruins. Speedwagon almost cried out to beg you to move before the sunlight hit you, but he could see that you had already turned yourself into stone. He limped over to you, examining your stone expression. You looked like the work of some great sculptor, but one who decided to carve your near perfect features into a permanent expression of sorrow.  

The old man crouched next to you, placing a hand on your stony shoulder. He didn’t know the full story between you and Kars, but after witnessing the way the villain treated you and spoke to you, he could guess just what kind of terrible relationship you had. And to think that you had been enduring Kars’ cruelty for longer than human civilization had existed. It was unfathomable. Unthinkable! Speedwagon found himself getting emotional. 

“I don’t know if you can hear me when you’re like this,” he said, tears forming in his eyes. “But I want you to know that JoJo is still out there and willing to fight. I can’t say if he can actually beat a monster like Kars, especially now that he’s outwitted the sun, but I know that JoJo is a clever one. If he can’t beat Kars in hand to hand combat, then he will find another way to do it. I know it feels hopeless, but I’m asking that you please not give up just yet. Just do like I always do and hold out until JoJo sets things straight.” 

You emerged from your statue form sometime later to find yourself in a completely different place. Instead of broken stone and rubble, you were surrounded by stark white walls and strange machinery. The room was lit from above with lights nearly as bright as the sun, but they did not cause your skin to burn. You were so stunned at your surroundings that you didn’t notice that you weren’t alone. 

A gray haired human wearing a long white coat stood holding some kind of tablet with parchment on it in the far corner of the room. He seemed nervous and took a few steps back from you when you rose to your feet. 

“Ah! Y-you’re awake! I’ll tell Mr. Speedwagon!” he stammered and hurried from the room, leaving you stunned and confused. 

A moment later, the one called Speedwagon entered the room. His face broke out into a joyous grin when he saw you. 

“And there you are, hail and healthy!” he said with a chuckle. “They told me that your stoney shell was crumbling and I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long until you were on your feet again.” 

You responded by bombarding him with questions. 

“What happened to Kars? Did JoJo win? And Santana? Where is my son?!” 

Speedwagon held up a hand in an effort to calm you. 

“You’ll be happy to know that Kars will no longer be a problem for anyone. He’s long gone from here.” he said. 

“Gone? What do you mean? Is he still alive?” you asked. 

“Well… let’s just say that he’s in a position where he can no longer reach you… or anyone else for that matter.” 

Here the smile dropped from his face. You felt your body tense up. 

“JoJo… he didn’t make it.” Speedwagon said, his eyes watering up.

The old man’s body trembled with emotion. You didn’t know the exact situation, but you knew that JoJo had been important to Speedwagon in some way. The old man seemed to have a very grandfatherly affection for the young one, in spite of not actually being related to him, so his loss was surely an awful blow. And strangely, your heart stung at the news. You had only a few brief encounters with JoJo, one of which had you as his enemy. Yet, in the short time that you knew him, you felt an odd fondness for him. 

“He risked his life to end Kars’ cruelty.” You said. “I knew what Kars had planned for this world and for humanity… It may sound like an exaggeration, but JoJo may very well have…” 

“... saved the world…” Speedwagon said, finishing your sentence. 

You looked up at him and he had a strange, faraway look in his eyes. 

You stood looking at him for a moment before breaking the silence. 

“I am sorry for your loss, Speedwagon.” you stated plainly, but sincerely. 

Speedwagon looked as if he wanted to say something, but loud shouting and the sound of something crashing against a wall could be heard from somewhere else in the building. 

“Blast it all!” Speedwagon growled. “I told those fools to wait!” 

He motioned for you to follow him. 

“Come! Quickly! They must’ve taken the lights off of him! You said you could make him behave?” 

Did he mean? 

Your heart soared. 

“Yes! Take me to him!” you said, almost barreling the old man over in your excitement. 

Speedwagon lead you through the strange facility to a heavily reinforced door. He entered the room and you followed after him. 

There he was. Your little boy. Though he wasn’t so little anymore. He was almost as tall and as muscular as Whammu and his fiery red hair was much longer. It cascaded down his back like a cape. 

It has only been a few centuries since I last saw him, you thought. They grow up so fast.

Santana towered over a group of terrified humans in white coats. Broken bits of what was once some kind of machine lay scattered in a far corner of the room. The humans looked relieved when they saw Speedwagon come in, but the old man looked like he wanted to punch them all. 

“Mr. Speedwagon!” cried one of them, “Sanviento broke the UV light machine! We can’t put him back into stasis!” 

“What on Earth made you turn it off to begin with!?” Speedwagon shouted back. “I told you not to turn it off until I came back! Why didn’t you wait? What were you thinking?!” 

Santana silenced them both with a rumbling snarl. 

“Sanviento?” he hissed, turning his attention to the human who referred to him by that. “Why do you humans call me that? That is not my name!” 

His voice was furious in spite of how calm he sounded, but underneath it you could hear the strain in his tone. He was lashing out at these poor humans. He was hurting, and you had a very good idea of what was the cause. 

Santana grabbed the human and lifted him over his head, preparing to smash him against the wall as he’d done to the machine. 

“I am sick of being locked away! I will stay here no longer! And for the very last time, my name is--!” 

“SANTANA!!” you shouted, your voice clear, loud, and firm. 

Santana looked back over his shoulder, not believing that it was your voice that he heard. Upon seeing you, his eyes went wide. 

“Put the human down Santana.” you said, voice wavering with the flood of emotions that threatened to burst forth. 

Santana did as you told him, dropping the frightened human to the ground. The human crawled away as Santana crossed the room in a matter of seconds and all but threw himself at you. You braced yourself but still found yourself being pushed a few feet back as Santana grabbed you up in a bear hug. After a moment of holding you like that, Santana’s knees seemed to buckle and the two of you fell over in a heap of tangled limbs and Santana’s crimson locks. He held onto you so tightly that it almost hurt. 

After a moment of clinging to you, he looked down at you. Tears were streaming down his otherwise blank face. The slight tightness to his jaw also betrayed his feelings. He was angry, hurt, and scared. And he blamed you. 

“Why?” he asked, reverting back to his habit of clipped speech and single word sentences. 

He only did that when he was extremely uncomfortable or unsure of himself. You knew what he was asking, though. 

“Santana… please understand…” you began. 

“NO!” he shouted. “You said you would return. I waited. You never came back! I woke up surrounded by humans in a place I did not know. I was alone! You were not there!” 

His words were like ice and they did not hide his resentment. The guilt you felt was immeasurable.

When Kars planned to go to Rome in search of the Red Stone of Aja, he told you he was leaving Santana to guard his masks. You should have known then that Kars planned to abandon the boy. In hindsight there wasn’t much you could have done. If you stood up to him, that would have ended badly for both Whammu and Santana. 

“If I had known that Kars would have us go into hibernation, I would have insisted that we take you with us.” You tried to explain. 

Santana stiffened at the mention of his brutal master, but said nothing, letting you continue. 

“Please forgive me, Santana.” you begged. “I did not abandon you! No matter how it seemed, I had every intention of coming back to you!” 

“He would not let you.” he stated, bitterness in his tone. 

You closed your eyes tightly and held on to him, running your hands through his tangled hair. 

“He cannot hurt us anymore, Santana.” you told him. “Kars has been sent far away from here, so far that he cannot return.” 

Santana looked down at you with a skeptical expression. 

“Who told you that? One of the humans?” he asked, glaring back at the cowering group that huddled around Speedwagon. 

“M-Mr. Speedwagon,” said the one that Santana nearly splattered against the wall. “Are you sure this is alright? Having them both awake and free…” 

“No need to worry.” Speedwagon said. “The older one isn’t hostile to humans. And Sanvie--- I mean, Santana should calm down now.” 

There was a very slight hint of doubt in the old man’s voice, but the fact that he put even the slightest amount of trust in you, even after all your kind had put him and his allies through, was touching. 

“These humans aren’t our enemies, Santana.” you said. “If not for them, you and I would not have reunited.” 

At that, Santana’s hostility faded significantly. 

“The humans… brought you here?” he asked, having a hard time accepting the idea. 

You nodded, giving him a slight smile. 

“Why?” he asked, some of the skepticism still clinging to his voice. 

“It’s as your caretaker said,” Speedwagon said, taking the time to step in. “We aren’t your enemies, Santana. As long as you don’t attack any of us, the two of you are welcome to stay here as long as you like.” 

“As your prisoners?” Santana suggested cynically. 

Speedwagon scoffed at the idea. 

“Not at all.” he said. 

Santana glared back at the white clad humans. The other humans that dressed that way, the ones that had him trapped in that room when he first woke up, weren't nice at all. They talked about him like he was some kind of animal. 

“Test subjects?” he said. 

“Guests.” Speedwagon corrected. “You will be our guests here. Nothing more.” 

Santana scowled at the old man, not sure if he believed him. He looked down at you for your response. 

“I trust them, Santana.” you said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” 

HIs eyebrows furrowed and his lip twitched as if he wasn’t fully on board with the idea. Eventually he let out a long sigh and you took that as him relenting. 

-----

Some weeks later you walked up to the little memorial you set up at the highest point of the cave that served as your new home. The Speedwagon Foundation had been kind enough to build a living quarters for you and Santana within a cave system near the Foundation headquarters. It was fitted with many things to make your daily lives easier. While neither of you had much need for human technology or “modern conveniences”, you still appreciated it. Sunlight was allowed to shine into your home through windows made of specialized glass that filtered out the parts of the light that were harmful to your kind. You were allowed to see what the world looked like during the daylight hours for the very first time. 

Indoor plumbing was also nice. 

Santana was fascinated by many of the things that the humans made. It seemed that the human that Santana nearly killed on the day that you reunited with him started visiting him at regular intervals. At first Santana wasn’t too pleased about it, until the human started bringing him gadgets to play with: cameras, desk lamps, telephones, toasters, etc. His favorite were the radios. Santana loved to listen to the strange music and voices that came from miles and miles away. He had learned at least ten new languages already. 

You were just happy that he had made a friend. 

Santana and you had reconciled over your supposed abandonment of him. He didn’t resent you anymore. More than anything he was just glad to have you back. When he wasn’t taking apart and reassembling things with his new human friend, he was by your side, quiet and content to just be in your presence (without Kars or the others looming over him). 

He left you alone when you visited the memorial though. He didn’t like going up there. You didn’t really blame him. The memorial consisted of one large stone monument surrounded by smaller monuments. The large one was in honor of your lost tribe (a painful reminder that you and Santana were the last of your kind), the smaller ones were for Whammu, Esidesi, and Kars. Yes. You honored the memories of both Esidesi and Kars, but not the memory of them when you were forced to act as Kars consort. No. You honored the memory of them before they became the men you feared and despised. You missed the playful little boys that you grew up with. You missed the older brother figure you saw in Esidesi before he became little more than a bully and a brute under Kars’ Influence. You mourned for Kars and the friendship that you had before he became consumed by hatred, powerlust, and obsession. He, too, you saw as an older brother. 

It had been Kars that sat with you through the process of becoming the Tribe’s executioner. He would sit and watch as your mother or grandmother fed you lightly poisoned prey, during a time when you were too young to understand just why some of your meals tasted so bitter. Kars would hold your hand as he dragged you off to show you something he found or grumble and pout as you helped him pick weeds and branches out of his wild locks after the two of you got into some misadventure. His crush on you was present even then. 

How you wished things had turned out differently. 

You let those bittersweet memories fade as you placed offerings on the last two memorials. One for Whammu and one for JoJo, too. 

Whammu… Whammu’s loss had been the most painful. Whammu’s pride had been his downfall. Pride that had been enforced on him due to Kars influence. When you found out that JoJo hadn’t killed Santana after all, you tried to convince Whammu to call off the arena fight with him, but he merely gave you a sideways look of disgust at even suggesting such a thing. 

“A challenge is a challenge. Santana being alive or dead is of no importance.” 

Your heart shattered completely hearing him say such a callous thing. 

That was exactly like something Kars would say. You had known for a while that Whammu idolized Kars in the way a child would idolize their father, but you never knew it was to such a degree. 

Watching him die just to fulfill Kars’ wishes was the most awful thing you’d ever witnessed. 

A tiny part of you wanted to be resentful to JoJo for taking your other son’s life, but you knew that the fault didn’t fall on him. As long as Whammu followed after Kars, always seeking his approval, an outcome such as that was inevitable. Whammu had proven time and time again that he was willing to die to please his master. 

Whammu had been taken from you long before any of you met JoJo. By the time he reached maturity, he no longer even viewed you as a parent. It was something Kars delighted in, always pitting himself against you to flaunt Whammu’s favoritism of him. If you asked Whammu to do something he would give you a non-committal response that basically translated to, “I’ll do it when I get around to it.”, but Kars would do little more than glance in Whammu’s direction and he was up and on his way to complete the task. Then Kars would give you a smug grin and mock you. 

“You must be firm with younglings, my dear.” he would say. “I don’t mince my words when I give commands. Keep coddling Santana the way you do and he’ll lose respect for you, too.” 

The memory made your chest tighten and your eyes burn with unshed tears. 

You turned your gaze to JoJo’s memorial. 

JoJo had been so kind to Whammu during his last moments. You wanted to thank him for that, though it looked like you would never get a chance. 

You placed the offering on JoJo’s memorial, then turned to address the presence that you sensed behind you for the last few minutes. You expected to see one of the Foundation scientists, Speedwagon himself, or maybe even Santana in spite of his dislike for being around the memorials, but what you didn’t expect was to see JoJo standing there looking sheepish. 

“JOJO!” you cried. 

“Hello again!” JoJo said pleasantly. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to…” he glanced at the memorials. “I didn’t want to disturb you.” 

You stared at him, not really focusing on what he was saying. 

“But you… Speedwagon told me…” you sputtered. 

“That I died, I know. Well you can see I’m not dead. Suzie Q’s been taking care of me while I recuperated. She forgot to send the letter to let everyone know that I was still alive though.” 

“Suzie Q?” you questioned.

You had no idea who that was. 

“My fiance,” he clarified. “She was Lisa Lisa's maid, but that’s not what I came here to talk to you about.” 

“Is something wrong?” you asked, anxiety peaking. “Is this about Kars?” 

JoJo scoffed. 

“You don’t have to worry about him anymore.” he said, smiling cheekily. “I launched that old fossil into space! He can’t hurt you or anybody else anymore!” 

“You… launched him… into space?” you repeated, unsure if you heard JoJo correctly. 

When Speedwagon told you that Kars had been sent far away, you hadn’t expected it to be quite that far. 

JoJo chuckled. 

“Yep. You heard that right. Kars is too busy being a frozen asteroid to terrorize anyone anymore.” 

You grasped his gloved hands (Why was he wearing gloves indoors?), filled with the hope that what he was saying was true. 

“Then what Speedwagon said was true? You really did defeat him? Is he truly gone? You… JoJo…???” 

One of his hands felt strange. 

“Your hand…” you said, the question left unasked but hanging in the air. 

JoJo huffed and pulled his hands out of your own. He pulled the glove off of one of them to reveal a mechanical prosthetic. He wiggled the metal fingers. 

“Kars did it.” he said. “I was lucky to get away with only the loss of my hand.” 

He looked up at you, glanced over at the memorials, then looked back at you. 

“Can we talk somewhere else? I want to tell you what happened in the fight with Kars and I’ve got something that I need to say to you but…” 

He sent another uncomfortable glance toward the memorials. 

“I don’t feel right about saying it here.” 

You followed his gaze to Whammu’s memorial and nodded in understanding. You got to your feet. 

“Follow me.” you said. 

You lead JoJo to a sitting room where you and Santana would often go to watch the sunrise through the special sunlight filtering windows. JoJo plopped cross legged on the floor cushions while you said across from him. He told you of the final fight with Kars and how he launched the “old fossil” into space by infusing Hamon into a volcano, causing it to erupt so violently that the force of it sent Kars into orbit. You wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. To think that the tyrant that terrorized you your entire life was defeated in such a way. It was so utterly ridiculous, but you had to admit that there wouldn’t have been many other fighters that would have thought to use the volcano in such a way. 

“You are a strange, yet creative warrior, JoJo.” you said with a demure smile. 

The smile faded from your lips and was replaced with a serious, apologetic expression. 

“I’ve been meaning to apologize to you.” You said. “Kars told me that he heard that you killed Santana. I should have known that he was lying, but I believed him. That was why I suggested Whammu use the ‘wedding ring’ on you. I could think of nothing else but avenging Santana at that time. I regret allowing myself to be influenced by Kars that way.” 

You bowed your head lowly to show your shame at your past actions. 

JoJo scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how to react. 

“Well, that explains why you kept scowling at me,” he said. “You don’t have to apologize for that, though. But since we’re on the topic of apologizing… I just want to say that I’m sorry about Whammu. I understand that he was supposed to be like a son to you… to be fair, I didn’t really want to kill him…” 

You gave JoJo a solemn look. 

“I know, JoJo.You were forced into a situation where you had no choice but to fight. You were only trying to survive.” you said in a soft tone. “I want you to know that I am thankful for your kindness towards Whammu after you defeated him. He was suffering and you eased his pain with your own blood. Not many others would have been so courteous.” 

You reigned in your emotions as best as you could, not wanting to break down in front of your guest. 

JoJo was quiet for a while, not expecting to have been forgiven so easily. 

You don’t know why you decided to do so, but you found yourself opening up to JoJo. You told him your story, of how Kars became so obsessive and possessive over you, how he killed nearly every member of your tribe, only sparing Whammu and Santana so he could hold their lives over your head. You told him about how Kars had manipulated Whammu away from you and belittled Santana for being weaker than the rest of you. You told him about everything that led up to your first meeting with him. When you were done, you looked over at JoJo. His eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was twisted into a snarl. His whole body shook with rage. 

“As if I needed any more reasons to hate that bastard…” he hissed under his breath. 

You smiled at him. 

“Thank you, JoJo.” you said. 

JoJo looked up at you. 

“For what?” 

“For freeing me from Kars.” you said. “I know you weren’t really fighting Kars on my behalf, but…” 

“No, I was,” he said. 

You gave him a questioning look. 

“I mean, I was going to fight him anyway, but when Speedwagon told me about the way he treated you in the ruins…I guess I just lost my cool.” 

You chuckled at him and he smiled sheepishly. 

“You really are a strange one, JoJo.” you said. 

“What is he doing here?” 

The angry voice brought your conversation with JoJo to a halt. You looked up to see a very annoyed Santana standing there, glaring at JoJo. 

Upon seeing Santana’s hostile stance, JoJo got to his feet and stood in a battle pose. Santana just glared at him. 

Seeing that things were getting tense you raised your hand at JoJo to show him that you had things under control. JoJo dropped his hands, but not his guard. He trusted you, but he didn’t trust Santana at all. 

“Santana, JoJo is just paying us a visit. He doesn’t mean any harm.” you explained, trying to soothe your adopted son’s temper. 

Santana snorted derisively, never taking his glare away from JoJo. 

“There is a radio program coming on in a few minutes that I like. I wanted to ask you to join me while I listen to it.” 

JoJo looked like he was thinking for a moment when a look of realization came over him. 

“Do you mean ‘Slaughter Theater’?!” he asked. “That’s the one with the host who’s a vampire, right? Don’t tell me you actually like that show!” 

“Not a fan?” you asked with a wry smile. 

“Well it’s okay, but I prefer something a little more action packed, like superhero shows. Besides, the sound effects they use in that show are disgusting!” JoJo said. 

Santana turned to walk away. Sensing his impatience, you said, 

“I’ll join you in a moment, Santana.” 

Santana stopped walking for a moment to look back over his shoulder at you. 

“Don’t take too long or you’ll miss the first half.” he warned. 

When Santana was out of earshot, you turned back to JoJo. 

“Since you are in an apologetic mood, I want you to apologize to Santana.” you said. 

JoJo gave you an insulted look. 

“What?! What for?” he demanded. “I only fought with him because he attacked Speedwagon!” 

You raised your hands in a placating gesture. 

“I know, JoJo. Will you please hear me out?” you said. 

JoJo huffed but didn’t protest anymore. 

“Santana has a problem with holding grudges against people.” you explained. “He told me that you were teasing him when you first met him. If you apologize for it, he may agree to let go of his grudge against you.” 

“Was he referring to me tapping him on the nose?” JoJo cried. “I was just joking around! Surely he knows that?” 

You shook your head. 

“Santana can’t tell the difference between good natured teasing and cruel mockery.” you said. 

JoJo looked confused. 

“Why’s that?” he asked. 

“Because of Esidesi.” you said. “He was in charge of much of Whammu and Santana’s training during their childhood. As I told you before, Santana had difficulty keeping up with Whammu and he was treated poorly for it. Esidesi developed a habit of teasing him in a friendly way just before he beat him for his poor performance. I wasn’t always able to shield him from such treatment, but when I did Esidesi would berate me for coddling him. If you explain to Santana that you never meant him any harm, he will hopefully stop seeing you as an enemy.” 

JoJo sighed. 

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll go talk to him.” 

------

1988

Joseph Joestar and his group stood nearly melting in the heat of the desert as a Speedwagon Foundation helicopter found a place to land. They were all awaiting a new ally. 

“Are you saying that this guy may actually harm us?” Kakyoin asked. 

“Correct.” Avdol said with a nod, not really liking the fact that things were getting so desperate that they were having to rely on someone like Iggy. Still, with near constant attacks from enemy Stands, they would need all the help they could get. 

His eyes slid over to Joseph who seemed worried. Considering that the whole reason for this bizarre adventure in the first place was to save his daughter’s life, Joseph had plenty of reason to be worried. However, it seemed that something else was bothering him. 

“Are you alright, Mr. Joestar?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Joseph said. “I guess I should mention that aside from asking for an additional Stand user, I also asked that the Speedwagon Foundation bring along someone that could offer some insight on taking down someone like DIO.” 

“Insight on someone like DIO?” Polnareff repeated. “Who do you know that knows anything about DIO that we don’t already know?” 

“Wait! Do you mean…?” Avdol trailed off.

The helicopter landed before Joseph could explain anything. The doors opened and everyone seemed on edge… except for Polnareff who, as usual, was unable to sense the tension in the air. 

Jotaro felt as though his hair was standing on end. Through Star Platinum he could sense more than just the Stand user in the back of the helicopter. Someone else was back there and the power he could feel from them was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Whoever they were, there was no way in Hell they were human. 

You tried to warn the loud man with the tall hair not to get too close, but Iggy had already latched onto him and was happily tearing his hair out. You could sense that the silver haired human also had used the invisible force known as a Stand. A fight broke out between them. You took that moment to climb out of the helicopter and place yourself between the two of them. Aside from the wind blowing grains of sand around and billowing the cloak that covered you from head to toe, everything seemed to freeze.. 

“Iggy, I think you made your point. Leave the human alone.” you said. 

You were promptly answered with a series of barks and growls that you were sure roughly translated to, “Don’t be such a killjoy! The human had it coming!” 

The human you knew to be called Avdol presented a pack of gum and Iggy forgot all about what just transpired. The last time you met Avdol he seemed very nervous around you. Even now, you could sense his discomfort in your presence. The other humans seemed just as nervous, even the helicopter pilots, something that made no sense to you. One would think with all the time that you spent working alongside them at the Foundation, the humans there would have learned that you weren’t a threat to them by now. You bent down to help up the human that Iggy attacked. 

“I apologize for Iggy.” you said as you pulled him to his feet. “The other humans did try to warn you though.” 

Yelping, he wrenched his arm from your grasp. 

“Oh! Did I hurt you? Forgive me, I was trying to be gentle.” you said guiltily. 

“N-no, it’s f-fine!” Polnareff stammered, rubbing his wrist and moving away from you. All of his anger and bravado from before seemed to have vanished.

 “Who the hell are you anyway?!” he demanded. 

“A friend.” you said simply. 

You surveyed the faces of the group before you, until your eyes landed on a face you recognized. Joseph waved at you, grinning that same old cheeky grin that you remembered. You ran to him, scooping him up like a child. 

“JoJo!!” you cried, spinning him around a few times. 

He wiggled in your grasp, turning a little red when he saw the others staring at the two of you. It surely looked odd for someone like you to be holding and snuggling an old man like him as if he were a little kid. It would come as quite a shock when they found out that you were several centuries his senior. You placed him on the ground and reached up to fluff his bearded cheeks. 

“You’ve gotten all scruffy!” you said, with a playful smile. 

Joseph lightly swatted your hands away and ran his hands down his face to “unfluff” his beard. 

“Human women find this look very attractive, I’ll have you know!” he protested. 

You pressed a finger to your lips as if you were contemplating something. 

“Is that so? Or did you grow hair on your face to hide your wrinkles?” 

Joseph nearly fell over at the accusation. He couldn’t always tell if you were serious or just messing with him. Over the years, you had become something of a weird older relative to him and you had a habit of teasing him in ways that always caught him off guard. You were probably the only person that managed to do that to him. 

“Pfft!” someone, who may or may not have been Avdol, tried to hold back a laugh. 

Joseph sent a slight glare over your shoulder before offering you another smile; hoping you would stop picking on him and his poor beard. 

“My abused beard notwithstanding, I’m glad you’re here.” he said. “I take that you deciding to come here means that the experiment you’ve been helping the Foundation with was successful.” 

You nodded and threw back your hood, revealing to the others possibly the most beautiful person any of them had ever seen. Your beauty, however, did nothing to negate the dangerous edge your aura gave off. Even Polnareff kept his distance, as much as he didn’t want to. After having you nearly yank his arm out of its socket when you were trying to be “gentle” he felt that flirting with you may not be the best of ideas. Danger prone or not, even he had his limits. 

The sun shined down on your uncovered skin and you smiled. After a moment, you covered yourself back up, squinting as the sun’s brightness became too much. 

“Santana’s friend at the Foundation managed to replicate not only the stone masks but also the Red Stone of Aja. I volunteered for the first test. You can see the results for yourself. Though I wasn’t granted godhood like Kars, I can stand in the sun unharmed. Although, for someone who’s been living in darkness for as long as I have, it may take a while for my eyes to adjust to this brightness. And don’t worry, the masks, stones and the experiment notes have all been destroyed. No one else will be able to replicate them and abuse their power.”  

Joseph nodded in approval, letting out a sigh. 

“Listen,” he said. “While I’m happy you decided to come, I just want to say that I’m sorry for roping you into my affairs. But we’ve found ourselves under near constant attack from day one and the closer we get to Cairo, the worse the attacks get.” 

You ruffled his hair, earning a disgruntled groan at how rough the action was. You were so damn heavy handed. 

“JoJo, after all that you’ve done for me I feel that this is the perfect opportunity to repay you.” you said. 

Meanwhile Jotaro was trying to figure out just who and what you were. You had an aura that said “bad guy” but you didn’t act like you had a violent bone in your body. You picked up his grandpa like he was no heavier than a pillow. Not only that, but you talked to his grandpa like you were one of those elderly, cheek pinching aunts that showed up at every family reunion. Just who the hell were you and why did you act so familiar with his grandpa? 

Jotaro was suddenly engulfed in an immense shadow just as he felt a presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and nearly lost his “cool guy” composure. Standing there was the biggest person he’d ever seen. Even beneath his cloak, the man’s muscles stood out. Long hair, almost as bright red as Kakyoin’s, cascaded over his shoulders and down his back. What appeared to be two small horns jutted out from the man’s crimson mane. The man towered over Jotaro, a feat not many others could pull off. 

The man seemed to glare down at Jotaro. Jotaro glared back up at him. Neither of them spoke. They just stood there, sizing each other up. Jotaro couldn’t tell if the guy was a Stand user or not, and frankly, he wasn’t anxious to find out. That dark aura he felt coming from you was nothing compared to the aura he felt from the man standing over him. Whoever this guy was, he practically exuded danger. Jotaro could tell that while he seemed relaxed at the moment, any wrong move would set this guy into attack mode in seconds. So Jotaro just stood there while the strange man examined him. 

Santana circled the oddly garbed youth, studying the human’s clothing, face, and especially his unusual headgear. It was just a soft cloth hat, so it served no purpose as armor. It was decorated with golden adornments, though whether or not they had any significance or meaning he couldn’t tell. The strangest thing about the hat was that the back of it seemed to have been ripped off. It confused him as to how the hat stayed on the human’s head with no back to it. It confused him even further how the hat’s fabric seemed to be the exact same color and texture as the human’s hair. It was almost impossible to tell where the hat ended and the hair began. 

After circling the human for a moment he bent down and looked the human directly in his eyes. Jotaro leaned back a bit, uncomfortable at Santana’s closeness. 

“Human,” Santana said. “Your headgear makes no sense.” 

Jotaro was taken aback by the stranger’s bluntness and felt a little insulted. 

“It’s fashion,” he said, sounding a bit miffed at the comment towards his beloved hat. “It doesn’t have to make sense.” 

“Pfft!” came a laugh off to his left. 

Jotaro aimed a glare in the direction the laugh came from, seeing only Polnareff who was staring wistfully at you while you talked to his grandpa, and Kakyoin who was doing a poor job of hiding his amusement. 

Traitor. 

It was then that you happened to look over at your son. Joseph’s gaze followed yours and his eyes widened. 

“You brought Santana?!” he cried. 

You huffed. 

“I’m sorry, JoJo.” you said. “I hardly had a choice. He still struggles with his fears of abandonment and when he heard that I was going to be going away for a while, he refused to stay behind.” 

“Well he’s annoying my grandson.” Joseph said, worried that a fight was about to break out. Jotaro’s Star Platinum could demolish most adversaries, but up against a non-human like Santana? He wasn’t sure how that would play out. 

You watched as your adopted son kept inching closer to the human youth, who kept inching further away from him and appeared to be getting angrier by the second. You shook your head. You knew Santana was just lashing out because the people at the Foundation told him he wasn’t allowed to pilot the helicopter. 

“Santana!” you called out to him. 

He turned to look at you and you moved your hands as if to imitate two things moving away from each other while mouthing the words, “personal space”. 

Santana stepped away from Jotaro. He was about to join you and Joseph before he stopped as if he suddenly remembered something. He stood in front of Jotaro for a moment before giving a half-hearted bow. 

“I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” he said before walking away. 

Jotaro raised an eyebrow at how practiced and unenthused the apology was. It seemed like he was saying it more out of necessity than anything. 

“Freakin’ weirdo…” Jotaro grumbled under his breath. 

Kakyoin sidled up to him. 

“So what do you think of our new companions, Jotaro?” he asked. 

Jotaro stared at you and Santana, who had his hands all over his grandpa’s beard while you laughed demurely at his annoyance. 

“Don’t know what to think,” he admitted. “The old man seems to know them, but I don’t remember him ever mentioning anyone like them before. I can’t tell if they’re Stand users or not. Not only that, but they talk and act as if they aren’t even human.” 

Kakyoin nodded; signature hair curl wiggling as he did so. 

“I’ll have to agree with you there… little guy.” 

Jotaro’s usual glare gave way to a look of shock when he realized what Kakyoin just said to him. He turned to give Kakyoin a much deserved sneer. Did Kakyoin of all people just make a joke about him being short? Sure, Jotaro’s height was nothing when he was standing next to a behemoth like that Santana guy, but Kakyoin was the shortest one in the group! Jotaro pointed his finger in Kakyoin’s face, giving him his signature gesture that usually warned of impending pain. Though, this time, it didn’t carry its usual violent vibe. 

“You better watch it, noodle head.” Jotaro warned. 

Kakyoin merely grinned. 

Jealous Kars is vengeful and full of spite. Kars prided himself on being able to stifle his emotions and think rationally and logically in stressful situations, but he instantly lost that ability when it came to you. Back in the ancient days, Kars developed a strange, unhealthy attachment to you. You thought that it came about due to you being one of his only friends aside from Esidesi, though you could not say for sure what it was that caused him to be so overly fond of you. After some time, it became very clear that Kars was looking to have you as a mate. You weren’t sure of your feelings for him just yet and each time he proposed the idea to you, you told him that you needed more time to think about it. With each denial, Kars became more and more impatient. 

Eventually, Kars decided to go over your head and ask your parents for your hand. As per the customs of your tribe, they would only relent if Kars could prove himself to be an adequate mate by dominating your other (more desirable) suitors in combat. He agreed, in spite of not being trained as a warrior the way your other suitors were. Surprisingly, Kars rose to the challenge and brutally tore his way through the suitors during the trials. Both of your parents watched the trials with discerning eyes. Your mother was especially judgmental of Kars performance as it was she who picked up on some of his more unsavory personal traits and was adamantly against you having anything to do with him. When the trials were over, she gave your father a meaningful glance and they left the arena to discuss their decision. 

When they returned to the arena, they both bore cold, unreadable expressions. Kars’ heart dropped, for he already knew what their judgment would be. Your father stood up from his seat and gave his final judgment. 

“I declare Kars the winner of the trial by combat,” your father said; his deep baritone booming out over the arena. “In spite of this, my mate and I have deemed him an unworthy suitor for our child.” 

Kars eyes widened in shock and anger and he bit his lip to keep from screaming his rage up at your father. His fists tightened and he began to tremble in his anger. 

“For what reason do you find me unworthy?” he asked, voice straining with held back fury. “If I have proven myself in the trials then why do you still deny me the right to…” 

Your mother stood and cut Kars off mid sentence. 

“Because you lack honor, Kars.” she said simply. “You only won the trials today through underhanded methods. While we admire your ability to use your wits to make up for your lack of strength, we find your tactics base and cruel. Your unnecessary brutality during combat is… undesirable. Due to this, we find you undesirable as well.” 

“Furthermore,” your father added. “It has come to our attention that our child has already refused your advances several times before you came to us with your proposal. We do not wish to force a marriage if it is not wanted. For all of these reasons, we find you unworthy.” 

“NO!” Kars shouted, unable to control his emotions any longer. “NO! You cannot deny me this! I have won the trials! What does it matter how I achieved victory as long as victory was achieved!? You have no right to refuse me! I will not--” 

Once again Kars was interrupted, this time by a member of the Council of Elders that were also there to witness the trials. 

“That’s enough!” he said. “Kars, the parents have every right to decide whom they deem worthy of their own offspring. The parents have made their decision and they have declared you unworthy. There will be no more discussion of the matter. Accept your judgment and move on.” 

With that, all those in the audience rose to leave the arena. Only Kars remained where he was, staring down at his bloodied hands in silent anger. Unworthy? UNWORTHY???!!! They called him unworthy of you, simply because he used his mind instead of his muscles during the trials? It was those other suitors that were the unworthy ones. They didn’t deserve you. They were all just empty headed brutes with no true ambition. They were just like all the other members of your tribe who had no interest in becoming more than what they were. Idiots like the Council of Elders and your parents who were content to hide themselves from the sun’s rays and allow the lowly humans dominate the planet. No, if anyone was truly unworthy, it was them. All of them! He would give them one last chance to see reason. If he could show them the results of his latest project. If he showed them that he found a way to triumph over their biological weakness to the sun, then maybe they would listen to reason. (Maybe then you would look at him fondly for once.) If not… well… then there was only one thing left for him to do. 

Meanwhile you were going through the last of your training with your grandmother, who was the shaman for the tribe. From birth it was decided that you would act as the tribe’s assassin… and executioner should there be a need for it. While your kind were mostly peaceful (aside from the trials and occasional personal duels), there were still those that allowed themselves to be corrupted and caused trouble for the tribe. So, since you were an infant, you had been fed food laced with miniscule amounts of poison that was steadily increased as you got older until you were able to swallow what would normally be fatal amounts of pure poison. Due to your inhuman physique, your body not only developed an immunity to all forms of poison, but your very blood became a deadly poison itself. If an enemy managed to cut you, just the scent of your blood would be enough to cause them a painful death. And any human that crossed you and came into contact with your toxic blood would die instantly. 

Recently, your grandmother began to train you in earnest. Ever since Kars started showing interest in you, she began to notice some things about him that made her wary of him. She was certain that there was something terribly wrong with him and that he would soon turn violent. She was training you to… to take him down. The thought saddened you. Yes, Kars’ advances made you uncomfortable, but the two of you had been friends since childhood. The thought of having to execute him… you didn’t want to think about it. Your grandmother had never been wrong in her predictions before, but this time you really hoped she was mistaken. 

Unfortunately, your grandmother had judged Kars correctly. After locking himself away for nearly a month with one of his secret projects, he suddenly reappeared again and attempted to appeal to both your grandmother and the Council to try to get them interested in his latest project: a stone mask that would unlock its wearer’s hidden potential. All they needed was a certain magical stone that the humans possessed and the mask would be completed. Then the tribe could rule the Earth, as they were meant to, instead of the lowly humans. The Council firmly turned him down. The tribe made it a point to live separately from humanity and that meant avoiding conflict with them where possible. Stealing the magical gemstone from them would certainly cause problems with them. Furthermore the tribe had survived in darkness for so long and done just fine. What need did they have for walking in the sunlight? And they were content as they were, living underground and in caves. Though humans greatly outnumbered them, each tribe member was far stronger than any army of humans. So what need had they for conquering them? The tribe was fine as it was. There was no need for such barbaric ambition. 

Kars lost his mind then. His mental health had been teetering on the edge for so long, but having been denied his wants twice in a row broke him completely. He went on a rampage and the Council labeled him a criminal. You were called in to deal with him, but by the time you found him, it was already too late. He had killed nearly every single member of the tribe including both your parents and even his own. You were appalled that someone you loved like a brother could do something so heinous. You struck out against him, actually managing to inject your poisonous blood into him by turning your fingernails into makeshift syringes, but he laughed in your face. You pulled away from him in horror as he held up a tiny vial of liquid. 

“Do you know what this is, my cherished one?” He asked in a mockingly loving tone. 

You didn’t answer, just looked up at him in fear and confusion as to why your poison had no effect on him. 

“You should know by now that I have no interest in fighting fairly. I only fight to win, nothing more. Your parents and the rest of this tribe were so attached to outdated ideas such as honor among warriors, but I have no such attachment. What I have in this vial is an antidote to that oh so deadly poison that courses through your veins.” he explained to you with a triumphant, manic grin on his face. 

You made a move to step back from him but he grabbed your wrist with his free hand and pulled you closer to him. 

“That’s right, my beloved.” he cooed. “You cannot win this fight. Without your poison, your attacks are completely ineffective.” 

The sound of footsteps approaching caused you to look up over Kars’ shoulder. You saw Esidesi coming up to the two of you. In his arms he held two infants. You recognized them as Wamuu and Santana. They were the only two children in the tribe at the time. Esidesi made eye contact with you, but his gaze was hard and detached. You knew then that you had been doubly betrayed. Esidesi was on Kars’ side and most likely had a hand in committing all out genocide against your own kind. You gritted your teeth in hatred for the both of them. 

“Look there,” Kars said, drawing your attention back to him. “Those two children that Esidesi carries are the last remaining members of the tribe. I will spare them as long as you agree to be my consort. Make your decision now and choose wisely. My patience with your indecision has long run out!” 

You swallowed thickly, trying to quell your disgust and terror. 

“I relent, Kars.” You said. “Spare the children, and… I will… I will be your mate.” 

You almost gagged on the words. Never in your life did you think that Kars could stoop so low, or be so insane. More than that, you never thought that Esidesi would aid him in attacking your own tribe. You were repulsed by the actions of your former friends. The fact that they would drag children into it, holding the little one’s lives over your head as leverage, made it all the more odious. Still, you had no choice. You were doomed to be the consort to a mad man and there was nothing you could do about it. 

Thousands of years later, when you and the others awoke from hibernation, you found hope in an unlikely source; a strange human by the name of Joseph Joestar, otherwise known as “JoJo”. 

At first you hated him, because Kars told you it was he who killed Santana in Mexico. Like Wamuu, you helped to raise Santana from infancy. He was practically your own son in your eyes. Though unlike Wamuu, Santana wasn’t brainwashed by Kars’ teachings and preferred you over him. Wamuu had been turned against you in the same way that Esidesi had and was far more likely to listen to Kars over you. Santana was far more loyal to you, though he would never admit it out loud for fear of Kars’ wrath. In retaliation over the “death” of your adopted son, it was you who suggested that Wamuu use the poisonous “Wedding Rings” on Joseph. The rings were designed by Kars and used your own poisonous blood to act as a “motivator” to anyone that found themselves wearing one. Of course, Kars provided each of the other Pillarmen with his antidote inside of their piercings. 

Much later, you found out from the human woman called Lisa Lisa that Santana wasn’t dead but in a state of dormancy in a place called the Speedwagon Foundation. You realized then that Kars had lied to you in order to get you to view these humans as enemies. You were ashamed of yourself for letting Kars manage to get into your head. Not only that, but you realized that Kars had fully intended to abandon Santana, most likely out of jealousy over your affections for him. You decided then that you were going to aid Joseph in his fight against your own kind. You stayed out of the battle between him and Wamuu, however. Even though Wamuu had turned his back on you to gain Kars’ favor, you still held a parental affection for him and could not bring yourself to aid in his defeat. Joseph managed to win all on his own however. 

When it came to Kars however you were merciless in your betrayal. Wamuu was defeated and Santana was safely out of Kars’ reach. He no longer had any leverage over you. So when the time came for Kars and Lisa Lisa to have their battle you decided then to openly turn against him. You knew Kars would not take this fight seriously. You knew that he would use trickery and deceit in order to win, as he did in all fights. So when the fight started and you saw that the “Kars” that Lisa Lisa fought was actually a vampire minion disguised as his master, you intervened, draining the vampire of his life force and saving the human woman’s life. 

“Did… did you just kill your own master?” Joseph asked, confused by what just happened. 

“No.” you said. “I killed an imposter.” 

You turned to Lisa Lisa. 

“Kars tricked you. He had that vampire take his place so that he could ambush you. He had no intention of fighting you fairly.” you explained. 

“Hmph. Coward.” Lisa Lisa scoffed. 

You looked down at Joseph where he stared up at you, still not fully understanding the situation. 

“I would like to correct you, one called “JoJo”. From this moment on, Kars is no longer my master.” you said. 

Joseph smiled, overjoyed at the turn of events. 

You heard a snarl of outrage as Kars emerged from his hiding place. He approached you, his face contorted with anger and madness. 

“You dare intervene?!” he growled. “You dare turn against me?! You belong to me!” 

“No, Kars. I do not.” You said in a cold tone. “I never belonged to you and I never loved you. You killed my parents and my grandmother. You even killed your own parents. You slaughtered nearly all of our own kind. You held the lives of Wamuu and Santana over my head for thousands of years. You did all of this simply because you did not get your way. You murdered our friendship with your selfishness and caused my heart to grow cold towards you.You are unworthy of my love and you shall not have it.” 

Kars let out a growl of animalistic rage and you heard the sound of his bone blades whirring to life. He swiped at you but you ducked under the blow. He had forgotten all about Lisa Lisa and Joseph and was intent on punishing you for your betrayal. 

“Still you deny me!” He roared, swiping at your legs with a powerful kick. You only barely managed to dodge the blow. 

“You betray me after all I’ve done for you! I placed you above all others! Lavished you with treasures beyond imagining! Gave you an honored place by my side! All that I’ve done, I’ve done for you! And still you call me unworthy?! What more must I do to gain your affections?!” 

From out of nowhere Joseph appeared and landed a hamon infused kick to the Pillarman’s back. The sun fueled energy seared and melted his skin causing him to bellow out in pain and rage. He lost his balance, nearly falling onto the crystal spikes below. 

“You can start by not being a psychotic jerk!” Joseph quipped. 

He bounced over to you, standing by your side in a battle stance. He gave you a cheeky grin and chuckled, happy to have you as an ally against Kars. You looked to your other side and saw that Lisa Lisa was there. She shot you a look over her shades before readjusting them and taking a battle stance next to you. You smiled at your new allies, knowing that you finally had a chance to defeat Kars and earn your freedom. 

Kars regained his composure just in time to see you and Joseph exchanged glances. You had the audacity to stand before him and smile at another. You never smiled at him. Not once since becoming his mate did you ever show him your smile, only giving him blank, cold stares that did nothing to hide your hatred. And here you were wantonly smiling at a human! A lowly, sniveling, frail and FILTHY HUMAN!!!

Kars' vision went red. 

He roared, baring his teeth like a mad dog and pounced on Joseph. 

Joseph, always the quick thinker, reacted just in time, flipping onto his back and kicking out with both feet. He sent a blast of Ripple energy through his legs and sent Kars falling to his doom. You turned away, unable to watch as he was impaled on the crystals below. You despised the man for all the horrible things he’d done, but there was still that painful lingering affection you had for the memory of your time together before he lost his mind completely. 

After that, more humans arrived on the scene wielding devices that somehow weaponized sunlight that they used to fight off the vampires. Joseph, or “JoJo” as he insisted that you call him, told you that the Germans would seek to destroy you, too and as soon as they realized you were still alive they would turn their sunlight weapons on you. They wouldn’t care that you weren’t an enemy anymore. Not only that, but the actual sun would be rising soon, so you would need to find some kind of shelter before you got vaporized. You took his advice and found some old ruins to shield yourself from the sun’s deadly rays. 

Some time later, an old man came to talk to you. He told you his name was Speedwagon and you recognized the name immediately. This man must be the leader of the organization that had Santana in their care. 

“Santana! Is he safe? I wish to see him!” you blurted out, anxious to see your adopted son again. 

Speedwagon smiled warmly at your obvious attachment. He’d never seen one of your kind show anything but violence and hatred before. You were a refreshing change of pace. 

“He’s quite alright. But he’s turned back into stone at the moment. His body was badly damaged in the fight, but I’m sure a few… feedings will help him heal himself.” he said. He seemed to grow slightly uncomfortable at the mention of feeding Santana.

“Before I let you see him, however, I need to know that you can control him. He gave us quite a bit of trouble when he first woke up.” he added. 

“Do not worry.” You consoled him. “Santana will listen to me before he listens to anyone else. I can make him behave.” 

Speedwagon smiled. 

“I’ll arrange for a plane to be fitted with a specialized compartment for you. It will be made of material that blocks sunlight. Then we’ll take you to where Santana is kept.” 

“Plane?” You asked, not sure what he could be referring to. He informed you that it was one of those flying machines that you’ve been seeing in the air. You were intrigued by the idea of riding on one. 

Before anything else was said, a great commotion came from outside. You and Speedwagon exchanged looks of worry and confusion before the old man turned toward the entrance.

“I better see what’s going on.” he said. He started to go back outside when he was suddenly knocked back. You darted forward, catching the old man before he could land on the hard stone floors. A sinister chuckle caught your attention and you looked up towards the entrance. 

Standing there, blocking the sunlight from entering the ruins, was Kars. 

“No…” You said, unable to understand how he could still be alive. Even if he survived being impaled on the crystal spikes, the sun’s rays should have reduced him to dust by now. 

“How?” you demanded. 

Kars licked his lips and grinned, holding up the broken shards of the Red Stone of Aja and bits of what you recognized to be one of his stone masks. He must have managed to snatch the stone from Lisa Lisa as he fell from atop the ruins where he and the female Hamon warrior chose to have their fight. How he managed to do such a thing you did not know, but Kars had always proved himself to be confoundingly resourceful. 

“I’ve won, my sweet one.” he said, snickering at your growing horror. “I’ve triumphed over all that stand in my way. I’ve conquered the sun and soon I will conquer everything else. Including you!” 

He let the broken pieces slide from his hands where they landed on the stone floor, then he strode up to you, towering over you and standing as the only thing blocking the sunlight from shining directly on you. You set Speedwagon down and stood between Kars and the frightened human. 

“I did what everyone said I could not… no, should not do. I’ve unlocked my own potential and become a god among mortals!” he said, trembling with delight at his own power. 

He suddenly reached out and seized you by the throat, lifting you off the ground. Speedwagon cried out, but there was little he could do to help you. He couldn’t fight against a monster like Kars. Kars gave your throat a squeeze, just enough to cut off your breath for a moment, before allowing you to breathe again. It was a show of just how much power he welded over you. You coughed and struggled against him. He was far stronger than you remembered and your struggles did little. Kars pulled you close, bringing his face close to yours. You almost thought he would kiss you when he turned his head so that his lips were mere inches from your ear.