Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 66

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Darling Violetta waits for Fitz to return and thinks about her parents...
Word Count: 1309
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS.

            Darling sighs, ice cream mostly neglected and dripping onto her hand, staring after where Fitz had gone.
            He was a weird bloke, with his hat obsession and the way he talked and how awkward he was dealing with her and everything.
            Not a bad bloke; she was sure of that.  Someone had told her that.  She didn’t quite remember it, but she didn’t quite remember a lot of things, so that was fine.  She was sure someone trustworthy had told her that Fitz wasn’t a bad bloke, so Fitz wasn’t a bad bloke.
            He’d been gone a while, though.  And the two of them had had a vague sense that something was wrong and were trying to figure out what it was that was wrong on a bench for a while as they ate their ice cream, even as Fitz complained about the state of his wallet (and looked confused, like he’d accidentally spent more than he thought).  Who had suggested the shopping trip, anyway?
            “Do you think an enemy Stand User found him?” she asks Whisper in a low voice, and in reply Whisper slithers comfortingly around her hand as if to say “It doesn’t matter, because I’ll protect you from anything”.
            That’s why he existed, honestly.  That’s why he was one of the most reliable things in her life.
            She glanced up at the TV on the opposite wall.  It wasn’t loud enough to hear, but the subtitles said something about a bunch of people dying similarly, and that the police had yet to figure out whether it was an accident or homicide (or maybe suicide).  Fitz had been trying to keep the answers from her, as to what had happened to her adoptive parents.  Trying to protect her.  But Whisper understood the way he didn’t that she didn’t want to be protected by ignorance.  Because if anything ever happened, she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, and she was stronger than he apparently thought.
            Someone else understood that too, but she didn’t remember who.  Whatever.  It didn’t matter.
            Fortunately, he hadn’t taken into account her being a thief. 
            Her head feels funny.  Empty.  Like it’s missing something.  She shakes her head.  That dizziness came out of nowhere.  It’s just…stress, maybe.  Or hunger.  She probably should eat the ice cream, however much she’s not hungry, and licks halfheartedly.  She feels a little better.  It’s just her imagination.  Nothing is wrong.
            Maybe he hadn’t figured that part out yet.  But no, he’d chased her without backup and almost died.  Because she’d been stealing from his hotel room.  He still wasn’t on his guard enough, though.
            She’d managed to get the printout he’d been staring at.  She even managed to return it to exactly the position it’d been in before he’d fallen asleep, head on the desk, snoring loudly.  And what it said.
            Well, it was scary.  She didn’t spend too long staring at the pictures.  It was bad.
            Apparently, though, a stabbing of a man and a woman had happened in the same exact house ten years prior.  The details hadn’t been released to the public, and the bloke had been shot by some other bloke when fleeing, so they’d considered the case closed.  They’d managed to put the shooter in prison, and that was all they really bothered with.  Well, the bloke who was shot was suspected criminal, anyway.  The evidence was pretty good, but they didn’t bother to look into it any further, which is why they were freaking out so much when it seemed like the murderer was back.  And all of the details (the MO or whatever?  she doesn’t remember the Latin but it looked super hard to pronounce) were the same, so it probably wasn’t just some copycat unless he’d left behind detailed instructions or something for an accomplice or whatever.
            She sighs again.  It’s probably been at least ten minutes.  That’s way too long for just a quick search.  Which means that there probably are Stand Users here, which scares her.  She has to get ready. 
            But what if they’re sociopaths and they don’t have any emotions?  Will Whisper even work on someone without emotions?
            “Stop that.  You can’t talk yourself out of a fight that hasn’t even started yet,” she tells herself sternly.
            And then staggers a little as she realizes something crucial that had been missing.  Something that she’d forgotten and hadn’t seemed more than a vague curiosity until now.  “Jojo!” she yells, and earns a few curious or annoyed stares.  She sticks out her tongue childishly, and they look away and hurry on.
            At least she’d not in her old clothes, or they would’ve tried to have her thrown out.
            But seriously, it’s something that deserves to be yelled.  She forgot he existed.  Of course Fitz didn’t come after her on his own.  He would’ve died without Jojo.  Which was her fault, so maybe a little of the awkwardness is of the ‘I almost killed you’ variety, but.
            But it’s Jojo.  Jojo, who understands what it’s like to be in a family that’s not that picture-perfect kind you see on TV.  Who’s funny and switches between accents all the time and seems like a big, gentle, clumsy goof and actually can get dangerous and serious.  And who knows how to deal with younger people without being patronizing.  How had she forgotten him?  That’s scary!
            Whisper curls tightly around her arm, almost enough to cut off circulation, but it’s enough.  She heads to the bathroom, using a few coins she’s picked up during the trip, and tucks herself into a corner.  Fitz will be angry, or just disappointed, later, because it’s filthy and these are new clothes, but she needs to calm down.
            It only takes about a minute of sitting wedged in with Whisper moving as she breathes to calm, partly because she realizes that Jojo and Fitz might need her help.  She stands, walking to the sinks quickly, and washes her face.
            And sees something behind her.  Movement, really.  She whirls around, and Whisper moves off her arm to float in a position to strike, just the second the enemy shows themselves.
            There’s just mocking laughter.