Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 56

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Johan learns a little more about the Thief Girl.
Word Count: 1250
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS.

            It takes a little while to convince the thief girl that they’re not both insane.  For once, he’s glad Fitz is still a little unsure, nursing a wounded ego.  He’s feeling a little better—they both are, but it’s not as if they have time to mourn.  Well, it’s not as if he has the time to mourn.  The others don’t know Angel.  Now, though, he might be able to call and not put his friends in danger.  They’re back to the normalcy of constant crises, no matter how calm it all seems.  The last place they were at caught on fire.  Maybe he’s paranoid, but his Scooby senses are screaming that there’s something wrong.

            His thoughts are still whirling.  It’s hard to grasp any of them.  He learned so much…

            Stop.  Your name is Johan Higashikata.  You have to protect them.  Thief girl and even Speedwagon.

            The thing is, they have an understanding, which is horrible, because he knows the origin of that understanding, but it also lets him talk to her without freaking her out in the same way Fitz had.  Speedwagon doesn’t know how to talk to her, and he’s pretty sure she can’t look at the green-eyed Brit without thinking I almost killed him.

            “What happened?” he asks seriously, and she stares at him, while Whisper slinks out to watch him cautiously.  He turns to look at their surroundings.

            They’re in what is probably an apartment building—flat complex—and they’re standing on the balcony, now.  He’s tempted to say that this is where Fitz lives, but there’s not enough hats or books around, and it seems like the entire place is abandoned.  How many people owe him favors?  Will any of them come to collect from him?

            He shakes off the thought and begins talking conversationally.  “You know, I’ve been dealing with this since I was only a little older than you.”

            She blinks at him, and he feels the snake brush by his feet.  In curiosity, he guesses, but he wishes she’d be a little more careful with the whole touch thing.  Well, he’s wearing shoes, so it shouldn’t hurt, this time.  “It turned out that one of my best friends had been chosen.  By fate or destiny or whatever you want to call it.  She had to fight scary things to keep the whole world safe, and the people training her or whatever didn’t care what happened to her.”

            He lets his hands dangle over the railing.  Keeps going.  “Every week, we’d face a new monster.  Have to research it, before we can stop it from hurting people.  There are more things than Stands in this world, you know.  Vampires and all sorts of demons.”

            His hands are shaking, but one slender hand slips into his and he manages a smile.  “But the worst thing was that as horrible as it was, I knew that the humans were worse.  Could be worse.  Buffy was always telling me to stay out of it, that I might get hurt, but it was better than going home.”

            There’s a heartbeat.  Thief Girl squeezes his hand comfortingly.  “There was a fire.”

            “Fitz mentioned that,” he responds, still not turning to look at her.  Still not moving.  He might scare her away.

            “He tried to tell me that it was fine.  That it probably had nothing to do with Mom and Dad, but I don’t know.”  She sighs, then sits, hugging her knees.  “I’m adopted, you know.  They weren’t the worst.”  She sighs.  “I wish that Mr. Speedwagon wouldn’t lie to me just to protect me.  It’s annoying.  I’m not a complete child.”

            Johan leans in a little further, as if he’s about to tell her a secret.  “Well, he kidnapped me to keep me safe the second time we met.  He means well, but he’s an idiot sometimes.”

            That earns a smile, but she’s also seeming a little more well-disposed to Fitz, so it’s something.

            “I felt something.  Like a Stand.  Whisper might’ve noticed something, I don’t know.  But you felt it too, right?  Just from the street.  Whatever happened wasn’t normal.”  She shivers.  Xander would pull off his coat and put it over her shoulders if he had one.

            “I think you’re right.  We can’t know for sure, not until we caught whatever jerk did that, but.”  He sighs.  At least Mom—Josephine—is fine, and from what little his dreams tell him, she can handle herself.  “Is there something we should call you?”

            She hesitates for a very long time before Whisper slithers up to him again, wrapping around his foot in a manner that, he guesses, is supposed to be reassuring or supportive or something.  “Darling Violetta.  I don’t like my name very much.”

            “Well, I’m going to change mine,” he confides.  “The Harrises pretty much all suck.  And it’s not as if you’re not around people whose names are just as weird as yours.  I’m descended from the Joestars.” 

            She giggles.  “That’s silly.”

            “So, where are we, exactly?” Xander asks, and a voice speaks from behind them.

            “A friend’s.  They bought the building, but no one wanted a flat here.”

            They both jump.  Xander puts his hand on the others’ shoulder, just to steady her, and Fitz smiles wanly at them.

            He looks awful.  Like he’s strung out.  The blond sighs.  “The next step is to hack into the police database and find out the details of the case, to confirm your theory.  If it sounds like a Stand, I have another friend we can go meet to discuss all the notes on Stands he’s managed to find so far.”

            Johan grins giddily.  “So, you and Wils would get on, huh?”  It’s the stare that gets him.  “…She’s my best friend.  A witch and hacker.”

            “That wasn’t…never mind.”  Green eyes quickly direct themselves to the side.  “We promised we’d help you, Darling.”

            “That sounds so weird,” she mutters, before looking back up.  “It’s cool if I raid the fridge, right?”

            “Help yourself,” Fitz agrees.

            “I—that one I told you was dead?  I should tell the others about that.”  Fitz looks worried, but doesn’t contradict.

            Xander rolls his eyes as he heads for…well, where he hopes he’ll find the phone.  If nothing else, he can have an adventure looking for it.  “I get a little annoyed when people act like I can’t take care of myself, but I don’t mind discussions or people looking out for me.  Just give me respect and a voice.”

            “All right, Jojo.  Then…you didn’t want to do that because you thought it would put them in danger.  Are you sure it’s all right now?” he asks, stifling a yawn politely behind a hand.

            “Sure?  No.  Pretty sure that they’re currently in danger, and it feels like they’d be in more danger if I didn’t tell them.  I’m not sure how, exactly, but someone got their hands on an Arrow and took out one of our heavy hitters.  Any way we can help each other right now is a good idea.”

            Speedwagon nods, and a mischievous smile comes to his lips.  “Well, I’m glad you can think these things through.”

            “Hey!” Johan protests, but smiles and ruffles the kid’s hair.  The thought occurs to him, and before he can stop himself from making another reference he’s pretty sure no one else in the room will get, his voice makes the decision for him as he ducks a little (these doors are lower than he thought).  “See you, Space Cowboy.”