Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 23

[madimpossibledreamer]

DURR I forgot to post this here as well as AO3.  So, I guess, here's the chapter from a little while ago...

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Xander decides he needs to have a better grasp of his powers.
Word Count: 1,581
Rating: K
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS.  READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

            What comes next turns out to be pretty easy.  Fitz had stated that one only learned their Stand's powers through fighting, and even though the fights might not be challenging, Xander realized a ready-made answer from experience.  He's not sure what's coming next, but some sort of fight is a good guess, since that's really always the answer.  So learning more about their Stands and becoming better with them will help them prepare.

            Which is why he winds up hanging out in a graveyard at a ridiculous time of the morning.  He's not at all tired, thanks to Fitz's knocking him out and days spent in a hotel room unconscious.  The other is somewhat hesitant, still fearing to be attacked on any street corner or something, but doesn't question or complain.  He follows Xander's lead.

            Sometime soon, he, at least, has to go shopping for new clothes.  His clothes aren't in the best of shape, considering everything that's happened lately.  Besides the fact that the Hawaiian is a bit...obvious.  If they're out looking for him, that's probably one of the things they'll ask about, so a change of wardrobe is probably a good idea anyway.

            His idle thoughts are interrupted by a sudden awareness.  Usually, he'd just continue with the babbling, off track thoughts, never noticing the bad guys until they were grabbing him, but this was a nice improvement.  He really hated getting bruised just because he wasn't paying attention.

            He speaks without turning.  If he can throw them off-balance, all the better.  "Don't you guys have somewhere to be?  Like, hanging out in sewers, or plotting some world-ending plot?"  Honestly, he knows the sewer thing is mostly just during the daytime, but hey, coming up with something different to say would have to involve him actually thinking before he speaks.

            He hears the vampires—there's two of them, which is ridiculously easy, but he's not about to complain when he wanted a nice, easy warm-up.  "He smells good, but he talks too much."  He's not exactly sure what they mean by 'smelling good'.  He'd always been under the impression that vampires had better senses than humans, but then, he's never been a vampire and never intends to be one, so...when he probably hasn't had a bath—he hopes he hasn't had a bath—in a while and had a pretty strenuous fight and everything else, so much that he can smell it...

            He's not sure what they're talking about, but then, he's not entirely certain what he's babbling about in his own head, either.

            He grins, opening his eye.  "You have no idea how many of my dates say that."  Considering that many of them turn out to be demons or other monsters wanting to eat him or other things even more unspeakable, it's not really an exaggeration.  Maybe they're sensing the demon magnet thing, if that's even really a thing.

            He's promised himself he's not going to ask Fitz for help unless it becomes absolutely necessary.  He doesn't even plan to use Pretender, which Fitz might panic at and think is reckless, but he really does need to know how to fight, even in situations where he might not be able to call on Pretender.  He's not sure what that would even be or mean, but it doesn't hurt to be ready for anything.

            He's interested in something he's seen a few people use in his dreams.  The thing he'd used on Fitz, only he plans for it to be lethal for these undead folks.

            They charge, coming around from either side in a pincer move.  The grin grows, and for the first time he's actually enjoying combat, not being scared out of his wits but throwing himself into the fray.  That and the confidence, he thinks vaguely, he's channeling from somebody, but when it feels this good, why should he really care?

            As he thought, these are fresh from the grave, because they're overeager and moving slower than your average vamp who's lived, or unlived, very long.

            He feels the deep breathing begin, instinctual, the ebb and flow of battle, and he's rolling forward, letting momentum carry him back into a standing position before they're aware.

            He's slightly misjudged the position of the one on the right.  It's closer than he anticipated, and with a super angry roar that speaks of annoyance turns and punches him.

            Well, this one's strong, he thinks for a moment as he sails through the air, only to smack into a tombstone with a resounding thud.  "Don't like to play with your food?" he taunts, even as his breathing pattern falters.  The slightest golden glow that had been building up around his fists flickers and dies.  It's easy enough to pick himself up, like he's done it a hundred times before.  He has.

            He hears the rustle, but knows it's Fitz, somehow.  Probably freaking out at the way things are going, wanting to step in, but he can't really help it if he's picked up a few things from Buffy.  Like the optimum number of insults per fight, and not just getting things over quick and moving on.

            There's a vampire, running silent, at his left side, trying to take advantage of his blind spot.  He senses it, somehow, just like he'd sensed Fitz before, just like he's sensing him now.

            He remembered the hospital, his friends being awkward and trying to figure out a way to tell him that it was going to be okay, that he wouldn't need both eyes on the battlefield that was their lives.  It probably would have been more convincing if Buffy could stand to visit more than the once, and if they weren't trying to convince themselves at the same time.

            For the first time, he believes Willow telling him it's all going to be okay.

            He breathes in, deeply but quickly.  He's not going to have a lot of time for this.

            It surprises him just as much as his enemy when his left arm shoots out and somehow extends.  At least, that's the only thing that makes sense, because he knows how long his arms are and he knows, somehow, how far away the vamp was, and the two things are definitely different.

            He's also definitely stronger than he remembers.  He's pretty sure he just punched the unbeating heart out of a vampire's back, though of course, since he can't actually see on that side and whatever weird sensing he's doing apparently doesn't work for unmoving things...

            "Eww!  Vamp guts!" he practically shrieks.  It's spur of the moment, and his voice, though maybe a bit higher, totally doesn't sound like a girl's.

            He gets the slightest moment of tingling spidey senses...or...whatever kind of senses he has now, that's beside the point, roll now, analyze later.  He hears the sound of the tombstone cracking and cranks his head around to stare.

            He's miscalculated.  This isn't a fledge.  This is the real deal.

            "Crap."  Honestly, he would've preferred something else to put the enraged vamp off balance, but he supposes that he can't really be blamed.  The thought pops into his head, and it's a plan that he can get behind, since it's actually something he's had a lot of practice in.

            He gets up without another hesitation or backwards glance and begins running.  The only downside to this plan would be if Fitz feels that this is a serious enough situation that he needs to step in.  Honestly, given his new powers, Xander isn't seriously worried.  He's had to deal with non-fledges before, after all, and he didn't have anything fancy to help him then.  But that doesn't mean that Fitz knows that.

            The vamp, which is apparently carrying a really, really huge tombstone that it had snapped up out of the ground, worms, dirt and all, is at his heels.  He can't help the giggle of excitement.  Yeah, okay, so maybe it's dangerous, but it's also fun, too.

            "Hey.  Ugly!"  Oh, great, way to ruin the plan, Fitz.

            Still, he ended up killing a fledge, and this is probably his sire.  It's not as if he'll just go after just another dumb human when there's someone more personal to drain...Oh, and there he goes, never mind.

            Weapons, weapons.  He probably can't use the glowy hands thing.  From everything he can remember from the dreams, it's not a ranged thing.  And something tells him Pretender won't get there in time.

            There's a nice, wooden cross instead of a gravestone for this one.  Perfect.  "Sorry."  He doesn't have time for anything else, even if he feels a little guilty for defiling someone's grave like this.  Still, things to keep the living alive, and all.

            He only has seconds before the sire's on Fitz, and he doesn't think, even with Lotus Juice, that the guy's ready to take on a Sire.  Breathe in, breathe out, snap the cross and in one smooth motion throw it.

            The improvised stake buries itself in the vampire's back, and Fitz accidentally breathes in and gets a faceful of vampire dust.  Xander knows it tastes awful, even worse than mummy-kiss, and has this nasty habit of making you cough like it's trying to suffocate you as a last act of spite.

            It's safe, his senses tell him; no more creatures of the night in this particular cemetery.

            He starts laughing so hard he falls on the ground.  "You...are a lunatic," Fitz manages between coughing fits.  It only makes him laugh harder.