The brisk tap of Alex Van's shoes on the polished floor echoed 
throughout the halls as the man hurried towards Jacko's office. Just 
previously, he had presumed that this operation was hidden well enough 
from sight for his boss to be able to acquire his goal before anybody even 
suspected his intentions. Even Speedwagon had yet to trace down any 
lead to their operation, let alone local authorities who knew nothing of 
stands and their powers. Yet, somehow somebody had found a 
connection, something that must have been ignored amongst the rest of 
their planning. He simply hoped that it would not upset Jacko too much 
when he found out.
Straightening the tie on his dark suit nervously, he fingered a small black 
folder under his arm as he pushed aside the penthouse doors and headed 
straight for his employer's desk. 
"Mr Jacko," he said quickly. "There's been a slight problem that popped 
up recently."

The smiling man merely lowered his eyes from the daily paper and 
peered over the top of his reading material as he lounged comfortably in 
his chair. 
"Please continue," he said smoothly. "I don't like being left in suspense."

Van's cleared his throat uncomfortably as he brought the folder on the 
desk and began to draw several papers from its folds. 
"Just recently, some of our sources have discovered that you have 
become a 'wanted man.' A New York-based bounty agency has recently 
released an award with your face as the trophy, though your name was 
apparently not mentioned. They have not stated a reason for your capture, 
but the award has been released as one million American dollars. Quite a 
hefty sum, enough to make even the most inept men work for their pay. It 
also seems that this job was picked up very quickly after it was offered 
on the market, meaning that there's already somebody out there with 
intentions on your life. I thought I should bring this to your attention 
before---" 

The last of his words faded away as Jacko roughly tossed the newspaper 
aside and rose up to leer menacingly at his henchman. His smile never 
faded. If nothing else, it grew wider. 
"You know just as well as I that we can't let our base of operations be 
discovered," he said in a disturbingly cool voice. "Who issued the 
bounty?"

"One 'Joseph Joestar,' as reported by our source," said Van, maintaining 
his dignity even under his boss' stare. "At the moment, we don't have any 
information on this man's background, but we're working on it as we 
speak. As for the ones who took the job, we've identified them as one 
Michael Christian Hammer and Hol Horse, both of them freelance 
bounty hunters. Again, we're still searching for specifics on their past, but 
we should have bios for you within the next twenty-four hours, no less."

"Please do so," said Jacko, abruptly leaning back as he took his paper in 
hand once again and idly flipped through the pages. "I would at least like 
to know who would be so interested in having my head. In the meantime, 
take care of the situation in a way so that it will not impede on my 
intentions for the future. I have enough to worry about it without loose 
ends floating around to obstruct my advance."

"Yes, Mr. Jacko," said Van, gathering up the scattered sheets and 
preparing to leave. "We'll take care of it immediately. I think Kyo might 
be interested in dealing with these ones. If nothing else, I'll make him an 
offer that he can't resist."

.

"Disgorging confusedly, I hang from the trap which is adorned to the 
wall, writhed within poisoned fangs 
'Do it !'
I know the pain, I know the nausea, allergy to pleasure."
			--- Dir en Grey, Schwein no Isu

.

And Justice For All
Chapter 2: "Kyo: The Rose of Pain"
Conceived by Gaijin Dan Mastriani
This chapter by Yuusuke
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and the characters from said story used herein
created by Hirohiko Araki.

.

.

.

In the middle of my room, I await quietly, patiently. I do not complain, I 
do not cry, I do not bleed, for if I am persistent in my attempts to conquer 
this horrible pain, perhaps someday it simply disappear. Perhaps, 
someday...

I have already been shown a fate far worse than death, and so I no longer 
fear anything.

.

Van opened the door to a dark room, listening to the creak of the rusty 
hinges as they cracked open in the first time in months. There were no 
windows to this dingy chamber, an errie silence penetrating the plain 
walls as scattered rays of light slowly poked their way into the tomb. A 
musky smell of death clung to the walls as the gentleman ignored the 
atmosphere and walked into the darkness with strong, confident strides, 
stopping near the far corner and he resting his hands comfortably in his 
pockets. In the void, a crouched figure glanced up in the darkness. Upon 
the ground, spiked tendrils twitched about uneasily, and a few stray 
flower petals--- as red as blood--- blew towards the open entrance to 
escape into the light of the world. 

"Mr. Jacko has a job he would like you to do," said Van, addressing the 
huddled man who sat on the floor. "I'm sure you'll find this assignment 
much to your tastes, if nothing else. I'll give you the necessary 
information on your targets as soon as it becomes accessible, but I doubt 
you'll have much trouble with these ones anyways."

The man only glared up at Van with eyes of bitter hatred, the shadows 
hiding all but his flaring, bloodshot eyes. 
"And if I refuse?" he whispered hoarsely. "What then?" 

"I believe that would be an unwise choice, my friend," said the 
gentleman without hesitation. "Your noncompliance merely means that 
you'll be left to rot here for the rest of your days; an unpleasant fate if I 
don't say so myself. We run a strict business here, so we'll be most 
willing to assist you in a cure for your condition as long as you provide 
us with service in conducting our affairs. However, don't expect anything 
for free; that's not the way we work."

Van stiffened slightly as he felt a slight sting about his neck, and sharp 
thorns bit into his gullet as the vines that were once scurrying along the 
ground reached up and twined about his throat, holding him still with the 
promise of a more painful assault to come.
"And why shouldn't I just kill you right now?" said the crouched man 
softly. "Your torment has continued to ail me for years and I have seen 
no results on your side. You talk of your employer's desire to help me, 
but I haven't seen his face since the day of his proposal. What do I have to 
loose if I simply end this stream of useless babble that flows forth from your 
mouth?" 

But the gentleman only laughed, a cold calculating chuckle that mocked 
the efforts against his life. 
"Stop this nonsense," he said. "You know as well as I do that killing me 
does nothing. If nothing else, it will only prolong your suffering. Mr. 
Jacko is very willing to assist you in your plight, but certainly not if you 
would resort to such actions. And I doubt many others would even hold a 
fraction of the ability to do what he can, wouldn't you agree?" A moment 
passed in silence as he waited for his subject to absorb the information he 
had just put out, and he smiled a bit as felt the sharp spikes eventually 
loosen their grip on his flesh. Reaching up to straighten his tie, Van 
observed the huddled man before him with every bit of assurance that he 
would do the job for them. "Brighten up, Kyo. With our new system, 
we're growing closer to our goal with each passing day. Once Mr. Jacko 
has found what he's looking for, you can be assured that we'll do our best 
to attend to your needs." 

Without another word, Van turned on his heel and made his way out the 
door, swinging the ancient door shut once again. He never saw the pool 
of blood that had flowed from the fallen man's face, his once fine flesh 
deteriorating into liquid red from which the green vines of roses grew 
forth.

.

Joseph Joestar wheeled his luggage out of the busy terminal as he made 
his way towards the meeting area of the airport. His nap had been restful 
enough, but he still felt exhausted over the entire situation. There was 
someone out there who held the power to raise stands from the bodies of 
normal people, and from the look of it they didn't seem to be the type 
who was going to use it for anything good. Beck's information had been 
vague when he last talked to him just before they landed, but it appeared 
as though the man believed there was a connection between the newly 
arisen bow and arrow and the recent string of murders that had taken hold 
of the Manhattan area. The bodies never seemed to by physically injured 
in any way, save for the ceasing of their natural bodily functions. Even 
biopsies revealed nothing in terms of poisonous substances that might 
have been used to accomplish the murder. The next natural conclusion 
was that it was something a little more advanced that had taken it upon 
itself to destroy its victims. However, the question remained as to why.

"And to make it worse, he stuck me with that good-for-nothing cowboy 
too," muttered Joestar under his breath. He personally didn't care how 
much Hol Horse had reformed himself; he was still a gutless bastard in 
his eyes. Nothing was ever going to take away those memories of what 
he had done to Abdul back on their trip to Cairo. Things like that were 
not easily forgotten and much less easily forgiven. Yet, maybe Beck was 
right in saying he would need a little more power this time around. Even 
against Dio, he surely could not have won if not for the others, and not 
before Abdul, Kakyouin, and Iggy had all sacrificed themselves for a 
bittersweet victory.  Who knew what they would be facing this time 
around.

Joestar raised his head and glanced about at the various people waiting 
for travelers to arrive.  One particular group caught his eye, one of the 
men wearing a pair of dark sunglasses with his hair cleanly slicked back. 
Very professional looking, the man seemed to know exactly what he was 
doing. However, it was his accompaniment that caught Joestar's eye, a 
meek and grinning Hol Horse who opted to stand half behind his partner 
rather than in full view of the hamon user. As the two matched eyes, the 
cowboy's goofy smile only opened wider and he raised a hand in a 
somewhat less-than-enthusiastic wave. Joestar only sighed. What the hell 
had he gotten himself into?

.

"That must be him," said Hammer as he spotted an older man walking 
towards them, the ruffled overcoat and hat out of an Indiana Jones movie 
betraying the gray in the elder's beard. "We should probably wave him 
down, it didn't seem as though the contact who gave us this job told his 
boss who took it."

"I think it's all right," said Hol somewhat shakily. "I think he knows 
exactly who to look for." 

"Have a little backbone," muttered the ex-cop to his partner. "I don't care 
what kind of past you had with this guy, we're on a different level now 
and you've proved yourself more than enough times that you're on our 
side now. Remember, we're professionals, at least act like you know what 
you're doing."

The old man stopped just before them and dropped his luggage on the 
floor. Sizing the two men up for a moment, he stuck out his hand to 
Hammer with a faint smile. 
"I'm Joseph Joestar," he said warmly. "You must be Michael Hammer."

"Just Mike is fine," replied Hammer. "It's a pleasure to meet your Mr. 
Joestar. This is my partner, Hol Horse, though it seems like you two 
already know each other..."
Hammer faded off when he noticed that Joestar was already boring holes 
into the cowboy with steeled eyes, Hol trying to maintain his dignity 
beneath the malignant stare. He at least had to give his partner credit for 
trying, even if he did seem to be sweating like a pig.   

"Yes, we've met before," said Joestar coldly, never taking his gaze away 
from Hol. Hol only put on a winning grin while trying his best to appear 
casual, failing miserably in the process. The old man just sighed. "I guess 
it's not going to help much if I'm at your throat the whole time instead of 
paying attention to the real enemy. But you better keep your ass in line if 
you don't want me to kick it all the way back to Egypt.  I may be old, but 
I can still whip your behind any day of the week."

"Hey hey, I believe you!" said Hol defensively. "I'm a new man though, 
I'm one of the good guys now! Besides, why would I turn on you when I 
got such big bucks promised to me in the end?"

"That's not very professional..." mumbled Hammer under his breath as 
he buried his face in the palm of his hand. "Anyways, I'm sure you're 
hungry after your flight, Mr. Joestar. Airlines never did serve anything 
even remotely resembling food. Why don't we get your things dropped 
off at the hotel and get some lunch while we catch up on the situation?" 

"That sounds like a good idea," said the old man. "It's been a while since 
I've had a decent slice of New York-style pizza." 
As he bent down to pick up his suitcases, Hol quickly ran over to assist. 
However, it only took one glare from Joestar to tell the cowboy that he 
was more than capable of doing the job on his own, and Hol hastily 
retreated back to his partner's side. Hammer only sighed. He severely 
hoped he wasn't going to turn into a babysitting job rather than a bounty 
hunt.

.

"Michael Christian Hammer, eh?" 

A young man in a black trenchcoat lounged comfortably in the airport 
caf, as he watched the trio make their way out of the building to hail a 
taxi. Raising a blurry photograph to his eyes, he recognized two of the 
figures from the departing group in the print, but the old man had not 
been visually identified by the information Van had given him. 
"Must be Joestar," he muttered to himself. It really didn't matter very 
much in the long run. As soon as he set his snare, they would all meet 
their end regardless of who they were. And he would be one step closer 
to his own goal...

Leaving a couple dollars on the table and hastily downing the last of his 
cappuccino, the man quickly left in pursuit of his targets. In his wake, he 
neglected to pay attention to his own body, a small piece of rotting flesh 
falling from the folds of his overcoat onto his chair, the overwhelming 
stench causing several patrons to turn their heads in the direction of the 
offending odor. Neither customer nor personal were able to identify the 
lost material, but it's putrid mass was as cold as ice, as though it had 
come from the corpse of a man dead for weeks.

.

"So you don't know the man behind this operation?" asked Hammer 
inquisitively.

"Not at all," said Joestar. "Like you, I'm a stand user. The photograph 
you saw was produced through my stand's ability of clairvoyance."

"But why this guy?" asked Hol as he stuffed half a slice of pizza into his 
mouth. "What the heck does he have that's so important to you?"

"Heh," said the old man, giving a short laugh. "I'd bet you'd recognize it 
more than anybody, but one of my associates has recently uncovered 
information that another bow and arrow has recently been discovered in 
the New York area. I traced the artifact to this man with my power, but I 
have no idea who he is nor what his real intentions are." 

"Bow and arrow?!" exclaimed Hol, nearly doing a spit take. "How did 
that thing come up?"

"More importantly, what exactly does this thing do?" asked Hammer, 
taking a sip of his soda. "I mean, I don't quite understand what the big 
deal is about finding some outdated weapon."

"It's not just a weapon, persay," said Joestar carefully. "This particular set 
has the power to awaken stands in normal human beings when it hits 
them. If I remember correctly, it was how this lazy bum---" He pointed to 
Hol, who pretended not to listen as he busied himself with finishing his 
slice. "--- managed to get his power. In the wrong hands, it has the 
potential to create some pretty ugly situations. At this point, we don't 
really have any strong leads, but it looks like the recent string of murders 
that have been popping up in the area might be something to go on."

"Mmm, that would probably be a good idea." muttered Hammer, staring 
into his drink and stirring the plastic straw placidly. Joestar raised an 
eyebrow at the less than enthusiastic reaction and leaned over to inquire.

"Is something else on your mind?" asked the old man. 

"Mike here has a beef against the guy you've pointed out for us," said 
Hol, sucking the grease off his fingers. "I may be in this for the cash, but 
he's got personal reasons for this hunt."

"Ah," said Joestar, backing off a little. "I understand. At any rate, I'm not 
the type to pry into a man's exclusive reasons for doing something. For 
now, lets just get settled and---" 

He was cut off as a shrill scream cried through the air from outside. 
Before Joestar could even question what had just happened, Hammer 
instinctively bolted to his feet and moved to observe the situation, his 
two companions in tow. As he rushed outside the pizza shop, he spotted a 
small crowd gathering in a circle just down the street, some of them 
pulling back in horror when they actually saw just what had pulled them 
to attention. Pushing the crowd aside, the ex-cop finally made it to the 
center of the circle to find a motionless woman laying on the sidewalk, 
her mouth and eyes open as wide as they could go in a horrific 
expression of fear and terror. Joining his side, Hol quickly bent down 
next to the victim and lay his head against her chest, listening for a beat.

"Dead," he said bluntly. "No heartbeat, no breath, but she was still 
screaming a second ago! It's like she died instantly!" 

Hammer said nothing as he bent down near the woman's arm and rolled 
her over. Her hand was closed in a tight fist, her fingers wrapped tightly 
about a single rose.
"A rose?" mused Hammer cautiously as he began to pry her fingers open. 
"What does this have to do with anyth---" He stopped when his eyes met 
the inside of her palm. The thorny vines of the flower had rooted 
themselves into her appendage, the spikey tips dripping crimson as they 
pierced her flesh. When the ex-cop looked closer, he saw that the 
mysterious tendrils actually ran into her veins and arteries, completely 
closing them off with their poisonous mass. Grimacing as he tore open 
the arm of the corpse's blouse, he saw that the plant had completely 
corrupted her body, extending to every inch of her flesh to create an 
instantaneous and agonizing death.

"Geezus!" said Hol as he took a step back. "What the hell---?!"

"A stand user," said Joestar, looking about warily. Pulling Hammer up 
and dragging both him and Hol from the circle of bystanders, he 
apprehensively whirled about as his sharp eyes shot their icy stare in 
every direction. "This was done in broad daylight and a blatant murder at 
that, not like the earlier ones that never left a trace on the victim's body. 
This wasn't done for the sake of killing; this was done to get our 
attention. The killer must still be around here somewhere, so keep your eyes 
peeled for anything out of the ordinary."

Hammer turned back to the onlookers as his trained eyes searched the 
masses for anyone suspicious. His time on the force had given him a 
keen ability for picking out their target amongst the numbers of society. 
It was an essential ability in tracking down a criminal amongst the 
innocent. However, this time his target didn't even bother hiding from 
them.
Hammer gave an abrupt start as he matched eyes with a young man in a 
trenchcoat, a playful smile crossing the other's face as soon as he realized 
that he had the ex-cop's attention. A mysterious tattoo fell from the boy's 
left eye, resembling the falling of tears, and long bangs of hair dyed 
bright red fell in front of a sinister gaze as he almost seemed to beckon 
for the man's attention. But before Hammer could even make an advance 
to question the subject, the boy turned heel and briskly turned down a 
nearby alley, the ends of his coats devoured by the dark shadows of the 
buildings high above.

"I think we've found our man," said Hammer as he tugged Hol and 
Joestar in the direction of the boy's departure. Without looking back, he 
ran towards the alleyway only to be surprised when he found it 
completely empty, no trace of his suspect in sight. The cowboy lit up a 
cigarette as he looked up and down the shadows that stretched to either side of 
the building walls, almost expecting something to come out of the layers of 
bricks and sheer concrete fortification.

"You seeing things, Mike?" said Hol, scratching his head. "I dunno about 
you, but I sure don't see anything."

"He came this way," insisted the ex-cop as he began to follow the path of 
the hallway hidden from the sun. "Remember, this guy's probably a stand 
user, we should be ready for anything." 

"Hey, if you say so," shrugged the cowboy. He flourished the emperor in 
his hand and cautiously held the weapon out in front of him as his eyes 
scanned the area. "He seemed to move pretty damn fast though if you 
only spotted him a moment ago. Any idea how he did it?" 

"My Karma Chameleon didn't get a good glimpse of his ability at all, so I 
still have no idea what he's capable of," said Hammer as they rounded a 
corner. "Still, he's only one guy. He must have a lot of guts if he wants to 
take on the three of us." 

As the trio reached the end of the alley, they found themselves nearly on 
the other side of the city block. The only thing that stood between them 
and the frantic mobs of Manhattan traffic was the back entrance to a 
sprawling greenhouse whose glass ceiling rose several stories into the air. 
The surrounding small shops lent no other passage for escape. At least, 
presuming that their target couldn't fly.
"Doesn't look like there's another way around," said Hammer as he eyed 
the building with discretion. "He must have gone in this direction, but 
something doesn't feel right about this."

"Like the obvious feeling that this is a trap, maybe?" said Hol, throwing 
his hands up in the air. "Hey, I was paid to kill ONE guy, not two! I'm 
getting the distinct feeling that someone's getting the blunt end of the 
bargain here!"

"I'm offering you more money than you'd make in your entire life, you 
coward," muttered Joestar as pushed his way past the two and entered the 
building. "Just keep that in mind for the next time you want to run away."

As Hammer shrugged and followed the old man's lead, Hol paused outside for a 
moment as he balanced the consequences in his brain. It didn't take long for his 
affection for cold, hard cash to win over the value of his life. Hey, what was 
life anyways if you didn't have the means to enjoy it by? After a short silence, 
he bit his tongue and ran in after the two in a desperate effort to catch up to 
their lead.
"I never SAID I wanted to run away!" he shouted as he entered the 
seething greenhouse. "Just wait up for a minute!"

.

Fools, all fools.

The young man watched from behind the safety of a thick bush as the trio 
made their way into the steaming building. They had sorely 
underestimated him if they thought that he wouldn't be a match for the 
three of them. If nothing else, they should have probably been worrying 
about their own hides rather than being so focused on bringing in that of 
another. 

.

"Geez, it's like a sauna in here," muttered Hol as he tugged 
uncomfortably at his collar, glancing from side to side at the lush 
greenery. "If I were a killer, I sure wouldn't pick a place like this to hang 
out in."

Joestar threw the man a dagger-like stare over his shoulder, but Hammer 
forced himself to stay on track. Their target could be in the building, but 
he also could have simply passed through and continued his escape on 
the other side. Still, that wouldn't make much sense. Joestar seemed to 
think that this incident meant there was somebody out to get them. 
Running away would certainly not be the right way to go about 
accomplishing such a task. If their man wanted to lure them into a snare, 
here would certainly be the right way to do it. Maybe Hol did make a 
little sense in not wanting to come in after all.
However, one thing persisted in bothering the ex-cop. He and Hol were 
bounty hunters, hired by Mr. Joestar to take out a certain target. But, now 
it seemed like they were the ones being hounded, corned in a Manhattan 
greenhouse by a man they didn't even know. The question was who 
wanted them dead? Perhaps more importantly, why?

"What do you make of this, Mr. Joestar?" asked Hammer as he pushed 
aside a thick branch in their path. "Any idea why anybody would be after 
us?"

"I've made a lot of enemies in my day," grimaced the old man. "But most 
of them are dead, killed by my own hand. I can't think of anybody alive 
right now who'd be tracking us down."

"You never know," said Hol, idly twirling the emperor between his 
fingers. "One wrong step back then and you might've left the perfect 
opening for the---ACK!!!" 

Joestar nearly fell on his face as Hol's full weight fell against his back, 
the cowboy's hands flailing wildly as his skull hit the floor with a dull 
thud. The old man whirled about angrily on the fallen man while 
Hammer turned back his head to get a handle on what just happened. 
"What the hell are you doing, you moron?!" shouted Joestar, but Hammer 
simply put a calming hand on his shoulder before he could say another 
word.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," said the ex-cop. "Accidents do 
happen." He turned to Hol and extended a hand to help up his partner, 
pushing aside the thick branches of brush as he bent down. "Getting a 
little clumsy in your old age, Hol?" he jested. 

However, Hol didn't seem to return his light sentiment. 
"It wasn't my fault!" he exclaimed wildly. "I was tripped!"

"Tripped?" said Hammer, looking down towards the cowboy's feet. To 
his surprise, his ankles had been entwined by several thick vines, their 
green lengths baring fat thorns that seemed to bristle with fury. Some of 
them bore roses, the fluttering petals falling off and blowing about 
listlessly on the ground. But the most disturbing part was that the vines 
were moving, wrapping tighter and tighter about the man's leg with every 
passing second.
"Damnit, move Hol!" shouted Hammer, recognizing the trap too late for 
them to escape. "Karma Chameleon!!!" 

The second Hol glanced down, his head was suddenly whipped back as 
the tendrils began to drag him along the floor with amazing speed back in 
the direction from where they had come. The only thing holding him in 
place was the ex-cop's stand as it grabbed the cowboy's hand and held 
him like a vise. 
"Damn!" said Hol as he aimed the emperor towards his feet. Several 
gunshots rang out as the metal projectiles ate their way through the 
organic material, freeing one of his legs. However, where one vine was 
severed from its prey, several more sprang up to take their place. "It's no 
good!" he shouted. "There's too many for me to cut!" 

"OH MY GOD!!!" 

Hammer spared a single glance over his shoulder at the sound of the old 
man's shout only to find that he too had been tangled by the mutant plant, 
several bright roses blooming from the foliage that covered his body. 
Even as the ex-cop found himself loosing his grip on Hol, several more 
tendrils appeared out of nowhere to wrap about the arms and legs of his 
stand and drag it to the ground, Hammer following in suit as he 
helplessly watched his companions become completely immobilized by 
their enemy. 

"This... is not good," said Hol in a tweaked voice, his breath slowly 
being squeezed from his body as his binding continued to contract tighter 
and tighter about his body. Hammer would have offered a nod of 
agreement if he could move, but he was still reeling from the impact of 
his head smashing against the floor when Karma Chameleon had been 
brought down. He felt discouraged that they had been ambushed so easily 
and moreso that he hadn't even been able to clearly see who was 
attacking them yet. If only he could get rid of pounding headache, then 
he could think more clearly on how to escape.

"It seems like somebody wanted you dead pretty badly for them to send 
me after you."

Hammer's eyebrow arched slightly at the new voice, and he glanced 
upward to find the young man in the trenchcoat leaning down over him, 
his vicious gaze seeming to mock his current situation. 
"Who are you?" said Hammer gruffly, working against his constraints in 
a futile effort to free himself. "Why are you after us?"

"Now, if I told you that, it'd take all the fun out of the game," said the 
man cruelly. "My name is Kyo, if it would really make you that much 
happier to know it, Michael Hammer. As for why I'm after you, I thought 
it would be obvious enough that I want you dead."

Hammer's eyes widened as soon as the boy said his words.
"How do you know my name?" he said quickly. "Just what the hell is 
going on here anyways?" 

"That is merely an extraneous detail that you don't need to know right 
now," said Kyo as he backed away a bit. "Or even later, for that matter. 
After all, 'dead men tell no tales,' isn't that right?" 
Hammer found himself jerked to his feet as dozens of vines twined about 
his body and jerked him to his feet, suspending him in midair in a tight 
cocoon of rose brush alongside both of his comrades with only his head, 
hands, and feet poking out from amidst the jungle of green that grew all 
over his body. Meanwhile, the young man grabbed the collar of his 
trenchcoat and tossed it to the side in a flourish before crossing his arms 
and resting on of the many shelves in the building. Even though the heat 
within the greenhouse was enough to make a bull elephant pass out, the 
boy sported layer upon layer of thick leather, his simple coat strapped 
tightly to his limbs by a number of straps, his pants arranged in a similar 
manner. Yet, he didn't even break a sweat as he crossed his arms and 
relaxed, the thick foliage gathering at his feet and waving their spiked 
tips in the air as they waited for their master to give the next order.

"You young punk,"spat Joestar as he struggled against the bonds. "I'm 
gonna make you pay as soon as I get out of this mess!"

"Hey, you better believe the guy," added Hol from the sidelines. "He's 
tougher than a week-old steak with a disposition that's twice as rancid! 
Heck, I'd sooner---"

"Shut up, Hol!!!" retorted the old man before the cowboy could get off 
another word, and the latter quickly shut his mouth lest he receive 
another reprimand. 

"Mmmm," muttered Kyo as he scratched his chin, half amused by the 
fact that Hammer's allies couldn't even talk without being at each other's 
throats and half annoyed by their own self-created distraction. "At any 
rate, Joesph Joestar, I've been told that my employer does not appreciate 
you poking around in his business. You might have been better off 
keeping your inquiries to yourself rather than prying into places where 
you're not wanted." 

"Feh!" said Joestar, spitting in the boy's direction. "I don't even care why 
you know who I am, but someone like you sure as hell isn't going to tell 
me what to do."

"Really?" mused Kyo, raising his gloved hand in the man's direction. 
Joestar's once provident bravado somewhat faded as several vines circled 
his head in a cage-like structure, their juicy thorns seeming to inch nearer 
to his face as the tendrils slowly closed in around his flesh. "You don't 
seem quite so courageous when you own life is at stake, Mr. Joestar. Do 
you have any last words before I finish you off?"

"Actually, I have something I'd like to say," said Hammer, and Kyo eyed 
the ex-cop cautiously as he prepared to finish off the first of his prey.

"Yes?" said the boy dryly. "Did you have a eulogy in mind, perhaps?"

"Not especially, I was never good at making closing speeches," said 
Hammer with a grin, his eyes narrowing behind his dark glasses. "Return 
of Saturn!"

The floor suddenly churned up in a storm of dust as small particles of dirt 
flew about and gathered in massive discs that whirled around at fearsome 
speeds. Before Kyo could recover from the shock of such an unexpected 
action, the speeding rings spun about the three immobilized men and 
severed their bonds into thousands of pieces, none of the liberated 
captives looking the least bit happy about having been tied up. Without 
giving his enemy enough time to realize what had happened, Hammer 
dashed forward into the surprised boy's face with his index finger pointed 
at his forehead, Hol's emperor appearing in the open palm only seconds 
later as the ex-cop's fingers closed around the trigger. 
"Playtime's over, kid," he said coolly, taking aim just between Kyo's 
eyes. "Since you like talking about death so much, why don't you join in 
on your own hobby?" 

Gunshots rang out as Hammer let loose with two shots at point blank 
range, each aimed directly into his target's brain. From the side, Hol had 
already let off with a couple bullets of his own, intent on tearing into the 
boy's midsection while his partner distracted him with his own blast. But 
once the noise and smoke cleared, Hammer was surprised to find that his 
rounds never made it into his target's skull. Instead, several of the young 
man's vines had entwined themselves about the projectiles with 
incredible precision faster than they had been able to pierce his flesh, Hol 
gawking openly to the side when he saw that his ammunition had been 
similarly paralyzed. As the vines quietly loosened their tight grip on the 
shells and the empty echo of the bullets hitting the solid ground rang 
throughout the motionless complex, Kyo leered forward with a psychotic 
grin at the man who had just tried to take his life only seconds ago.
"DIE," he seethed, and ducked just in time before a thick vine whipped 
about from behind and smashed into the ex-cop's jaw, sending him 
crashing through several displays of flowers before slamming up against 
the glass wall on the other side. As Hammer spat blood and tried to prop 
himself on his feet once again, he suddenly realized that dozens of the 
snake-like vines had closed in from him on all sides, eager to extract a 
quick death after having been cheated of their prey once already. 

"Karma Chameleon, Return of Saturn!" shouted Hammer desperately, 
and his stand abruptly appeared in front of him and sliced his assailant's 
attack to pieces before they could even touch his flesh. 

"Interesting power," mused Kyo as he lounged on one of the flower 
shelves and crossed his legs. "But you can only avoid my stand's assault 
for so long. Even someone like you will get tired, and one mistake is all I 
need to get my roses around your throat and break your neck." Hammer 
stiffened as he watched a black figure suddenly rise up beside the boy. 
Covered even more in leather than his host, Kyo's stand almost seemed 
mummified by the sheer amount of straps and buckles than held him 
together, the emancipated figure's legs actually tied together from the 
knees down by the strips of dark material. As the tall figure looked up 
from its hunched position, Hammer suddenly became aware that he 
stared at him with only a single, bloodshot eye, the mouth and left side of 
his face completely covered by straps and pieces of black leather that 
were literally sewn into its flesh. Had it not been for the parts of armor 
that covered parts of its chest and limbs, the thing could have easily been 
mistaken for the victim of some poor psycho's homicidal killing spree, a 
dead corpse wrapped up and packaged like some sort of deranged fetish. 
But Kyo seemed to take the appearance of his stand in loving stride, only 
raising his hand for the creature to follow, pointing directly at the ex-cop 
with playfulness no longer crossing his eyes. 
"Macabre," he said coldly. "KILL HIM." 

As the deranged marionette raised its deformed arms in his direction, 
Hammer leapt out of the way just moments before a hail of vines crashed 
into the spot where he had once been crouching, the glass easily 
splintering apart beneath the pressure of the plants. Whirling about in 
half-stride, the ex-cop cursed to find that the tendrils had just as quickly 
changed their direction after the elusion of its prey and were already 
darting towards him with deadly accuracy. Knowing he couldn't possibly 
outrun them, he planted one foot hard in the ground and quickly shifted 
his weight so that he was running in the opposite direction, facing the 
assault head on instead of trying to outrun it.
"Return of Saturn!" he shouted, the fearsome discs rising up from the 
ground and tearing through the vines before they even had a chance to 
touch him. Dashing towards Macabre with fire in his eyes, Hammer 
barely had enough time to open his mouth in exclamation as the concrete 
suddenly broke beneath his feet and several more of the green limbs 
reached up to rip his body to shreds. 

"Watch it there, Hammer!" 
The ex-cop suddenly found himself lifted off the floor and pulled away 
just as the bloodthirsty stalk shot up between his legs and crashed into 
the ceiling above, a hail of glass falling from the sky as Joestar's Hermit 
Purple pulled him to safety. 
"This one's tough," said the old man, catching his breath as he eyed the 
young boy warily. "He's far too fast for us to take care of up close. I 
really hate to say it, but that bastard Hol probably has the best chance of 
getting a winning shot on this one."

"I agree with you there," said Hammer as he wiped blood from his lip. 
"The emperor definitely has a lot more range than I could pull off alone, 
and Hol can sure use it a lot better than I could. So where did he run off 
to anyways?" 

"Right here, Mike," said Hol meekly from behind one of the plant-
covered shelves. "You know I'm not the type for the 'direct 
confrontation,' that's more your thing."

"Figures," snickered Joestar to the side, glaring at the cowboy. "But 
forget about that for now, we need your help if we're gonna get out of 
here with our heads still attached to our shoulders!"

The old man jumped as the entire greenhouse gave a sudden heave, 
almost as if it had been tipped to one side of its foundation. Turning 
around, he stared in disbelief as Kyo's rose bushes erupted from every 
inch of the complex, covering the area in a thick garden of crimson 
delight.
"You can't hide from me forever!!!" he shouted, rising high on a throne of 
thorns, Macabre's dreadful shade accompanying him by his side. "I'm 
going to tear you apart before today is through!" 

But Hammer only grinned, shooting the young man a cocky look from 
over his shoulder as he raised his eyes slightly above his black-rimmed 
glasses to stare him down. 
"I hardly think so," he said confidently. "Hol!"

"I'm on it!" shouted the cowboy, and several shots rang out as the metal 
bullets flew through the green maze and towards the young boy's head.

"You've already tried this one!" said Kyo as the rose tendrils again 
whipped up with uncanny speed and snatched the small projectiles out of 
midair with pinpoint precision. However, just as he was about to grasp 
the last of the rounds from its speeding trajectory course, two wide discs 
of dust flew up and tore the interfering vines to shreds before they could 
do their job.
"The hell---?!" said the boy as his eyes widened in horror. A hundred 
more tendrils leapt up from the garden to pull down the offending 
assault, but the bullet stayed true to its path as the spinning razors cut 
down everything in its path. 

"You seem to forget that we're a team," said Hammer with a smile. "You 
made the mistake of thinking you could kill us individually, but now 
you'll see that our true power comes from our combined cooperation."

Kyo cursed as the bullet closed in on its target, and Macabre moved 
forward to block the shot with its arm as a desperate last resort. But at the 
last minute, the slug twisted around the marionette and slammed itself 
directly into the young man's belly, the force of the blast taking him so 
much by surprise that the garden of thorns immediately retracted in upon 
itself as an instinctive reflex to the pain.

"We did it!" shouted Hol, but before he could jump up to celebrate, 
Joestar grabbed his shoulder and kept him firmly rooted to the ground.

"Don't get excited yet," said the old man grimly. "Looks like this one's 
still got some juice in him."

"What are you talking about?" said Hol. "I got him right where it 
counted, no one's gonna survive a shot to the stomach like that!" 

"No one, you say?"
Hol looked on in horror as Kyo began laughing hideously, slowly 
propping himself to his feet as the barbed vines began to swirl about his 
body once again. "Do you think that your mere bullets can kill me?" he 
asked as his voice peeked in a high squeek, his twisted cackle still 
terrifying despite the fact that it sounded like a mangled parody of his 
normal voice. "If I could die, I would have done so long ago... but nothing 
can kill me... nothing..." Macabre's body seemed to glow red as the young man's 
hand's clenched into tight fists and his body hunched over like a starving 
animal, his strangled giggles abruptly being replaced by an unsatiable 
and overwhelming desire for violence. His eyes glowing crimson with anger, 
Hammer suddenly realized that he was no longer staring into the gaze of 
a normal person, but rather something completely different. A monster, 
consumed by hatred and vice, something that could not be possibly 
reasoned with in the context of human language. And as the young boy 
reared his head back to let loose his horrible scream, the ex-cop slowly 
became aware of the extent to which their opponent was absolutely and 
completely lost in the waves of ecstatic ecstasy. It was frightening to 
think that a man this insane wanted them dead.
"NOTHING!!!"

The already scattered debris of the greenhouse flew in all directions as 
the ground exploded with thorns, mountains of vines filling the air along 
with the scattered petals of their flowers. The trio of heroes could only 
look on in silence as they wondered what they could possibly do next. 
"OH SHIT..." said Joestar under his breath. "I think we pissed him off 
him time."

Hol offered a silent nod as he fingered his pistol listlessly. It was the only 
thing Hammer had seen the two agree on since their reunion. 
"This guy's not human," said the cowboy softly. "What the hell have you 
gotten me into this time, Mike?"

"Just move it, you two!" shouted Hammer, shoving them to the side and 
knocking them out of their state of shock. "You can chew me out later for 
this one, but you better keep concentrated on keeping your own life right 
now if you want to live to do it!" 

Hol nodded hastily as he turned to do what he did best: run like hell. 
But before he could even get a foot off the ground, a heavy weight 
slammed into his back and smashed him against the ground, an enormous 
column of thorns winding about each other as they sank their painful 
teeth into his tender flesh.
"You may have done better than I expected you to," started Kyo as he 
lifted an outstretched hand before him, Macabre imitating his movements 
in his wake. "But you have yet to see my real ability yet..."

"Damn!" cursed Hol as he felt himself bleeding from every inch of his 
body until he could see even the vines that bound him covered in the 
warm, sticky fluid. However, as the crimson substance bled out onto the 
plant's surface, his eyes widened as he saw the green exterior suck up the 
matter like a ravenous beast, thick veins popping up out of the weed  in 
the places where his vital juices had fallen. "What the---?!" he started, 
but didn't have time to finish as the vines suddenly morphed together, 
their mass growing larger and larger, developing muscles and tendons, 
bones and teeth, until it was no longer a rose bush that threatened to 
crush his body but rather a gigantic, monstrous skull that bore down on 
him with fangs each as long as a man's forearm. Hol could look up in 
terrified horror as the creature bore down on him from above, intent on 
devouring his head for its own sustenance. "Aw, you gotta be kidding 
me!" he cried out. He tried to raise his gun to the thing's head to get off a 
clean shot, but his arms were pinned to the extent that he couldn't even 
flex his fingers to pull the trigger. All he could do was watch as the 
drooling, hungry face of death closed in on him, prepared to devour him 
in one bite. 
"Help meeeee!!!" cried out the cowboy as he flailed about helplessly. 

"Just quit your whining for once, you'd be surprised how far you could 
get asking for help like a normal person!" said Joestar with a grimace. 
Wrapping Hermit Purple as tight as he could around the skull's forehead, 
he yanked back with all his weight and narrowly kept the furiously 
thrashing creature from dismembering his terrified cowboy. Yet, his 
strength was barely enough to just keep the thing at bay and the old man 
could already see another wave of the hungry vines closing in for another 
assault. "Crap," he muttered as he concentrated on keeping Hol from 
becoming plant food. Even he couldn't keep this up forever, he didn't 
have the endurance nor the strength to pull ahead in the long run. 
Something was going to have to give soon if they wanted any chance of 
getting out of this one alive.

"Doesn't look like your friends can hold out against me after all," said 
Kyo coldly as he approached the lone Hammer. With the thirsty tendrils 
closing in from all sides, the ex-cop only stood silently within their 
midst, waiting as his enemy drew closer and closer, mocking him with 
every step. "All alone now," breathed the boy softly. "Nobody to help 
you this time, Michael Hammer. Nobody to pull your sorry ass out of the 
fire this time. I'll give you credit for putting up a better fight than I 
thought you would, but I'm through playing games. Once you're dead, 
I'm one step closer to my goals, and that's all that really matters to me."

Hammer didn't even flinch. Instead, he coolly raised his hand to his eyes 
and slid off his sunglasses, revealing a calm and shining gaze beneath. 
Neatly folding the eyewear and slipping it into his shirt pocket, he looked 
up with a sparkle in his eyes, patient despite the promise of impending 
doom that rose up in waves about him. 
"You're right about one thing," he said nonchalantly. "I don't have 
anyone to help me out this time. You've effectively cut my allies off from me 
with your power." He suddenly looked up straight into the young boy's 
eyes, his own stare cutting directly into Kyo's heart. "However, like you, 
I have had yet to reveal my stand's real ability."

As Karma Chameleon warped out of thin air before the boy, the stand's 
arm shot upwards only to be suddenly covered in grotesque leather and 
peculiar armor, just as Macabre's was. Kyo could only stare in surprise as 
his opponent suddenly became the mirror image of his own ability, the 
thorns that gathered about the stand's hand freezing him in his tracks. It was 
too late by the time he realized he had made his error in hesitation, and the 
vines desperately swirled in front of his body like a shield in a vain effort to 
block his opponent's attack.
"What the hell----?!" he spat out, but he was quickly cut off as the 
bloodthirsty tendrils leapt forth from Karma Chameleon's fingertips and 
punctured his body in a dozen places. Falling to his knees, the boy found 
the strength being sapped from his shell as Hammer drank deeply from 
the blood in his body, and he desperately cried out for mercy when he 
realized just how deeply in trouble he was. "No!!! How--- how are you---
?!" 

"I thought your stand's power was based off the vines themselves at first," said 
Hammer slowly. "But there had to be a way you killed that girl earlier 
Without leaving a mark on her body, and even strangling typically leaves a 
bruise around the throat. The rose in her hand was the key, and what you did 
with Hol just a moment ago was all I needed to figure out that you 'drink' the 
blood of others to fuel the shape-changing ability of your own stand. That was 
how you filled your victim's body with the mass of your rose bush, destroying 
and corrupting their circulatory system and shutting down their body in mere 
seconds."

Kyo sputtered as he coughed up a geyser of blood, his hands grasping at 
the ground for a firm hold. 
"But... I saw your stand's power! The Return of Saturn---"

"--- was only something I learned from an earlier stand user," finished the 
ex-cop with a grin. "What you've just seen is Karma Chameleon's real 
power, the ability to take skills like yours and use them to my 
advantage!" Cocking his hand back and aiming an index finger at his 
opponent's head, Hammer rose confidently above his fallen foe with 
Karma Chameleon at his side. "You've lost, kid. Nothing stands up to the 
forces of justice, not even your hatred."

But Kyo only choked on his own body fluids as he convulsed on the 
ground wildly. 
"No---you don't... understand!!!" he said desperately. "I can't---- die! He 
won't let me!" Through Karma Chameleon, Hammer felt his stand suck 
every last drop of blood from the young boy's body, but somehow his foe 
still managed to be moving, trying to steady himself on the ground and 
gaze into the eyes of his attacker. As Kyo managed to prop himself up 
once again, the ex-cop looked on in shock as pieces of the boy's body fell 
in chunks to the ground in small bloody spots of gore, their cold matter 
decomposing at unnatural speed into pieces of twisted vine with the lack 
of blood to hold their structure together. 
"I must kill you," breathed Kyo heavily, crawling his way towards 
Hammer with fingers that were rotted nearly to the bone. "I can't be this 
way my entire life, I can't live out the rest of my existence as some kind 
of fucking freak!!! If I kill you, they'll help me find a cure for this stand, 
this goddamn stand! If I kill you, everything will be all right again!!!" He 
was shrieking wildly now, clawing the ground with his fractured hands 
but failing miserably to move anywhere as the last of his strength drained 
away from his body. With nothing left to do, he finally gave up in his 
hopeless fight and curled up in a ball on the greenhouse floor, tears 
streaming from his limp sacs that were his eyes, every inch of his body 
seething pain as the smell of death overwhelmed the sweet scent of 
flowers in the building.

Seeing the young boy broken beyond the ability to fight, Hammer 
silently retracted the power he had learned from Macabre from his 
opponent and walked over to bend down near the boy's head. Surely, he 
was a little bitter at having attempts made against his life, but he also did 
not like to see the sight of a man suffering, no matter how awful that man 
may be. 

"This is how you are naturally?" asked Hammer quietly, letting his voice 
soften just a bit despite the fact that they had been trying to kill each 
other only moments before. "This is how you live your life?"

"This is Macabre," whispered Kyo softly between his sobs. "For what I 
gain from taking from others, I also loose from myself. Every day of my 
life, it eats another part of me away to fuel this power of mine, making 
me into a goddamn abomination that no one in this world could ever 
accept. The man who hired me... he promised me a cure as long as I 
worked for him, but I haven't seen anything since we first talked. If only 
that day had never happened, that arrow..."

"Arrow?!" exclaimed Hammer. "Was that how you got your stand?"

"Yes, since that day." said the young man as he lay upon the ground, 
his cold body quietly bleeding along the ground, pieces of his body 
falling off and changing back into his plant-like stand. "Since that day, 
I've had to cover up my appearance with my own stand, using my own 
blood on my roses to make me appear normal enough to roam in the 
outside world. But inside, I'm an undead zombie, constantly in pain by 
this plague that eats away at my shell." He curled up even tighter as he 
spoke, his body trembling with hopelessness. "But now I've lost, and I'll 
never get rid of this curse. I'll live out the rest of my existence in pain 
and suffering, fated to die a thousand times over until the end of the 
goddamn world."

Hammer hastily pulled the photo of their target that he had received from 
Joestar out of his shirt pocket, procuring it in front of the young boy's 
eyes as he spoke. They still had no idea why this boy had been sent to 
kill them in the first place, but if Kyo had also been a victim of the bow 
and arrow that Joestar spoke of, perhaps there was some kind of 
connection between him and the man they had been hired to hunt for. At 
this point, anything was worth a shot.
"Is there any chance that this the man who hired you?" he asked. 

The young man's gaze widened in their empty sockets at the sight of 
the blurred snapshot, and his mouth gaped open as rotting teeth fell from the 
orifice. 
"That's him!" he said. "But... how did you know?"

"We've recently received information about a bow and arrow with the 
power to create stands in people and this man is our primary subject," 
said Hammer smoothly. "Only in your case, since your stand was caused 
by contact with this bow and arrow and this particular figure is our 
strongest lead at the moment, it looks like you might have been suckered 
by this guy just to work for him. If he owns the set like we're guessing, it 
might have been him or his goons who shot you in the first place, 
offering you a 'deal' to get you under their payroll without you ever even 
noticing. I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear, but if that was the 
case, there's probably no promise at all that he would have even tried to 
help your condition once he got what he wanted. To him, you were just a 
disposable thug, someone to use when it was most convenient for him."

Silence ensued as Kyo unfolded himself and looked up at Hammer, his 
face pleading for a different answer but knowing that he would receive 
none in the end. The ex-cop didn't say anything. Reality was harsh 
sometimes, playing undeserved tricks on people who only wanted a 
simple answer to their problems. He didn't need to be the type to rub that 
in right now.
"He... tricked me?" said Kyo softly, touching his forehead to the ground. 
"I... may be like this forever?"

"Mike!!!" 
Hammer turned his head about to see Joestar holding a bloody Hol up by 
the shoulder, the cowboy having a baffled look on his face as he stared at 
Kyo's pile of meat on the ground. 
"Why the hell is he still alive?!" he asked wildly. "Hey, I'm glad you took 
care of him, I owe you one for that! But I wouldn't dare trust this guy any 
further than I could spit! He's better off dead if you ask me, I wouldn't 
want to deal with a psycho like him again."

"I hate to say it, but I actually agree with the coward this time," said 
Joestar grudgingly. "This guy's a loose cannon, who knows where he'd go 
from here? I'm not saying we couldn't take him on a second time, but if he 
did come back for us---"

"I doubt it would come to that," cut in Hammer, stepping between the 
fallen Kyo and his companions. "It would appear that our little friend 
here was duped by the very man we're after, I doubt he'll be returning for 
future employment. If nothing else, I'd say that he's the victim in this case. 
I'm not going to be the one to kill him, and I don't think I'll let either of 
you do the deed either."

"Oh, COME ON, Mike!" exclaimed Hol, flourishing his free arm towards 
their defeated opponent. "The guy would have killed us without a second 
thought if he had had the chance, who's to say he'll be any different in the 
future? Who knows what he might do if we let him go? We just can't take 
that chance!"

But Hammer on gave him a calm stare, eyeing him carefully as he arched 
an eyebrow in his direction. 
"Hol, do you even realize what you're saying when you talk like that? 
There was a reason you were in that hospital in Cairo and there was a 
reason why I decided to help you move on to something different. You 
do grasp that if I had never trusted you to become my partner in the first 
place, you'd still be serving time across the Atlantic Ocean, right?" 

Hol only turned red with embarrassment, and Joestar couldn't help but snicker at 
his side.
"Well... uh..." stammered the cowboy. "That was a little different. 
Maybe... well... okay, I guess it wasn't."

Hammer just chuckled, crossing his arms across his chest in slight 
admiration.
"Well, at least you can admit when you're wrong," he said curtly. "It's a 
start, if nothing else."

"But if the man we're after sent this guy to kill us, then something must 
be up," said Joestar sternly. "He must know we're after him, but how? 
Trust me, my sources aren't the usual government fare; we keep our operations 
under much tighter wraps than they could ever hope to. There must be some kind 
of strings he's pulling to get his information."

"I was wondering about that too, but there's not a lot we can do about that 
now," said Hammer. "You'll need to check back in with your informats 
when you get the chance. Maybe they can find out why this guy got the 
jump on us. But back to our friend here, I don't think that this situation is 
quite what it seems." 
Turning back to the fallen boy, the ex-cop bent down at his side with a look of 
understanding on his face. "I know what it's like to have something taken from 
you that you treasure that much," he said slowly. "This man has also taken 
something very special from me, and I want his life because of that. If you're 
sincere in your words now, then I'm guessing you feel the same way."

"I... just want my life back," said Kyo tiredly. "I've spent years 
walking around like a corpse and I miss what its like to just feel alive. In 
that time, I've been lied to, twisted about, all by someone who took 
advantage of my own pain for their pleasure. Now that I know he's a lie, 
I'm not quite sure how much faith I have in getting back any of the things 
I lost. But making him pay for hurting me would certainly be at least a 
small start back in the right direction."

Hammer gave a small smile at that, and stretched out his hand towards 
the fallen boy. 
"Will you be all right? With everything Karma Chameleon did to you?"

"It should be fine," replied Kyo wearily. "I may be almost dead, but my body 
still manages to produce blood even when I loose some. Just give me 
some time and I should be able to look somewhat normal again."

"Good," said the ex-cop, grabbing the boy's bony hand and pulling up 
once again, stray rays of sunlight falling about them from the broken 
ceiling of the greenhouse. "Then let's get out of here. We have a lot of 
work to do."

TO BE CONTINUED...

----------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes/ Charac. Info:


Hontai (Host): Kyo
Stand-Mei (Stand Name): Macabre
Age: ????, he no longer physically ages because of his condition. His body's 
appearance is a product of what he remembers himself to be before he was hit by 
the arrow. 
Nouryoku: 
- Vines: unspecified range and number, alwayys covered with thorns and 
the occasional rose. Strong enough to break concrete, and various other 
substances. 
- Blood: Macabre's primary ability. Whereverr blood falls upon the rose 
plant, that part can grow into pretty much anything Kyo can think of, 
often taking the form of teeth, claws, and other sharp objects. The 
amount of blood he comes in contact with is proportional to how much of 
the vines he can morph, but an affected vine can combine its mass with 
that of another affected part to build a larger product if he does so wish. 
Kyo can even use his own blood to form things, as he does to conceal the 
natural state of his body that his stand afflicts upon his being. However, 
blood is an important part to the integrity of Kyo's own health/strength, 
and using this not only decreases his ability to hold himself together, but 
it lowers his power as well. 
- Speed: Macabre itself is incredibly slow,  but the vines it wields more 
than make up for its lack of movement. Not only can the vines more with 
speed almost faster than the human eye can follow, but they contain 
pinpoint precision as well that does not decrease the faster the tendrils 
move.
Strength: C
Speed: E
Agility: B
Endurance: A
Range: A
Potential: B


Notes:
Yes, the end is crap. But trust me, I'm regretting not having more time on 
this a lot more than any of you are >B You punks all missed a great 
sunrise. yeah. I should probably sleep now. Yup... Sorry ^^; 
(re-writing parts of these notes at 12:30pm, more awake now ^^;)
But thanks for everything, Dan, Jon, BWA, and all the other guys who helped me 
out on this one. Since this was written so late, I didn't quite have time to ask 
people to pre-read, but I'm hoping it will reach the approval of jojo fans 
everywhere. It's a great series that surely doesn't get the recognition it 
deserves in America just because people catagorize it as one of those "obscure" 
mangas that pops out of Japan. However, not only is it probably one of the most 
innovative stories today that continuously manages to revitalize the shonen-
action genre, but Araki's characters and ability to capture audiences with his 
style that can indeed only be described as "bizarre" is something that has made 
him--- without a doubt--- one of the greatest manga artists in Japan. (Hey, I 
had a discussion about this with my friend from Tokyo. It takes a lot of 
freakin' effort to still be fresh and bring forth new worlds after almost 70 
books worth of work!) Okay, I'm starting to preach now, so I'll just wrap up in 
saying that I'm glad Dan put this fic out there and I'm glad I got the chance to 
write for it--- no matter how bad this chapter may be ><; 

Send all complements, complaints, bitching, angst, love letters, hate mail, etc.
to Yuusuke at SSIVYuusuke@hotmail.com.

www.geocities.com/busyyuu/
[Shonen, Rock Music, and Dreams]


Special thanks go out to the following:
-Gaijin Dan, for creating this fic, giving mme some neat-o ideas for this 
chapter (sorry I didn't use all of them ^^;), and showing me that bad-ass 
jojo site with info on all the stands (I FINALLY know just what the hell 
Gold Experience Requiem did to Diablo at the end of the 5th series! O-
O;)
-BWA, for just generally being BWA and cheerring me on ;)
-Jonatan, for putting up with my excuses andd crap about deadlines and stuff :B
-Dir en Grey, for their influence in creatinng Kyo and giving me hardcore 
music to keep me awake at 4am in the morning.
-Ishiwatari Daisuke, for more of that great  hardcore rock to keep me 
awake ^^
-Coffee, for more of the keeping me awake thhing ^^;
-Denny's, for being there with hot food at 22am.
-My sweetheart :B