Fanfic #204 Gems are Unbreakable by Black Mage of Phantasm(JoJoXStevenUniverse)

This fanfic is a crossover between Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Steven Universe following Yoshikage Kira and Josuke Higashikata in the world of Steven Universe. I like this fic because it's non stop action all the way through that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I also like the way that they show how scary Yoshikage is in the fic.

Rated M

words: 280k

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/gems-are-unbreakable-jojos-bizarre-adventure-steven-universe-crossover.533773/reader/

Here's the first chapter:

Two men stared at one another with such intensity it would make others cower. Although it was no longer raining, there was a different kind of storm happening in front of an empty house in the city of Morioh.

One was a tall, muscular teenager with purple pompadour-esque hair, one hand clutching his bloody arm. He wore a dark blue Japenese school uniform and had two golden stud earrings in both ears. On his collar, he had a golden, small, metallic anchor emblem on the left side and two equally golden hearts on his right. The topmost buttons on his jacket were undone, pinned on the right side of his open jacket was another golden heart and a gold colored peace sign pinned the left side, revealing a light green t-shirt underneath. His pants were the same shade of blue as his jacket and on his feet were stylish dress shoes that cost a small fortune. Two gold bands were located on his wrist, circling on top his sleeve to complete his outfit.

Though, right now, most would not be able to appreciate the young man's fashion choices, as they would be too distracted by the blood dripping from seemingly everywhere on the man's body. His face had deep gashes surrounding every inch of it, the left side of his body was bleeding profusely as the man found his left arm incredibly difficult to move. The reason being was because there was a broken piece of stair railing lodged deeply within it, and another jagged piece of wood pierced his hip, making each step even more painful when added with all his other injuries.

This man's name was Josuke Higashikta, and right now he was not concerned about his wounds. His entire focus was on the man, no, the psychotic bastard he had been fighting in a vicious battle to the death.

And the other fighter, who was only a few feet away from Josuke on the brown pavement, was a fully grown adult male. He was tall and had an athletic build, wearing a simple light purple jacket, and underneath he had on a green undershirt with yellow pinstripes moving down his shirt. His hair was a was a light black, with only a few strands truly being dark, and was perfectly combed back. His pants were just as purple as his suit, and he had on a pair of dark black shoes that looked well shined. A dark black tie was clipped neatly to his shirt, and in the tie, there was a column of skulls with upright, almost catlike ears.

At first glance, the person in front of Josuke looked like a salesperson, a simple and ordinary man just like anyone in his town. However, once someone looked into his eyes, they would see something dark and unfeeling within the man. To Josuke, he could almost feel the murderous rage radiating from the man's glare; his cold, dark black pupils seemed to hold a darkness that threatened to consume Josuke should he let his guard down even for a moment. Josuke knew that this seemingly average man could kill him and would if he made even one mistake. Adding the fact that blood was dripping from the man's back, chest and especially down his face, the man in front of Josuke was more than just menacing, looking more like the unholy demon that hid underneath a facade of normality that he truly was.

This monster's name was Kira Yoshikage, and Josuke had finally cornered him.

Josuke had seen first hand the despicable deeds this bastard had done since he first started tracking him down, and he would stop him here and now. He would not let this man walk away after killing all the innocent people in his home, after murdering his friend, he would make sure this bastard would pay for what he did.

But he would be lying to himself if he said this battle had been easy because it had been the most painful and challenging battle Josuke had ever fought. Had he not fought against other strong opponents, he would have been dead already. He was also very grateful that Hayato Kawajiri, a boy with shoulder length brown hair and who was the son of the man Kira murdered and stole his face, had been giving him advice and helping him throughout the fight. He might have gotten even more injured had the little kid not been there.

And said injuries were wreaking havoc on Josuke's body. His stomach felt like it had been ripped open, he was choking back on blood he had almost coughed out, and his legs and arms felt like they were made of cement. His vision was getting a little blurry, and the blood dripping down his forehead went into his eyes and stung like hell.

In other words, he felt like dog shit. His muscles were exhausted, screaming at him to stop for just a moment. But Josuke knew he couldn't, not until the bastard in front of him was down for good.

As he glared at the bloody and dangerous killer in front of him, he saw that Kira's breathing was just as labored as his. Josuke could also see that Kira was trying his best not to move his right shoulder, most likely because of the two large holes that Josuke had stabbed into the man. He could tell that they both were close to running out of energy, which only meant one thing.

It was time to end this fight.

"Josuke..." Kira said, blood dripping from his lips as he slowly pronounced his enemy's name. "Higashikata..." With just those two words, Kira was able to vocalize all the hatred and frustration growing within him as the fight progressed. The man's glare could pierce through steel, and Josuke could see through those cold eyes how this man was able to outsmart and almost kill his friends and his family.

The feeling of contempt was mutual, as Josuke also gave Kira his harshest glare before saying three simple words.

"Bring it out."

Because Josuke knew the final act in their battle would not end in a fist fight between them, but instead, would end in a brawl between who could use their abilities to the best.

And without a word, they both reached deeply into their very core and unleashed the energy that had been infused with them for so long. To any random passerby, all they could see were two severely wounded people glaring at each other.

But to a rare few, they would see something spectacular.

A light purple aura surrounded Josuke, growing as he channeled more energy from inside himself. And then, from seemingly nowhere, a humanoid figure floated right next to the purple hand teenager with its arms crossed. It was tall, a full two heads above Josuke, glaring at Kira with light blue eyes. The figure had bulging muscles that made it look like a pro fighter, and had long black cables on its neck that connected to its upper back. Armor like plates covered large portions of its body, especially around both its arms and legs that formed a pair of gauntlets and shin guards. Its skin was bubblegum pink, visible through the gaps between each plate, and on its head was an ancient Greece-like helmet. The helmet also acted as a mask with only its eyes and chin were visible through the headgear. Finally, all over its body were plated heart motifs that were just like Josuke's but silver.

This was Crazy Diamond, Josuke's Stand, a physical manifestation of his life energy, the personification of his very fighting spirit. His Stand had been with him for so long; it was hard to remember a time when he didn't have it. And right now he was glad he had his Stand by his side for this fight.

A dark purple aura whirled around Kira, the energy circling him like a tornado as he clenched his fist. And then a humanoid figure floated right next to the serial killer in the same pose as Josuke's Stand. Its skin was a dull pink, wearing dark, studded, leather forearm length gloves, mirrored in style by a garter belt at its waist and ankle height footwear. Its eyes were cat-like and vertical, and instead of its sclera being white it was pink, and it had single white dots for pupils. The crown of its head was flat, while two sharp, triangle shapes that almost looked like cat ears extending from both sides of its head. Its lips were in a thin line, never opening its mouth even when its monster of a master talked through it.

On its shoulders, the back of its gloves, and on its belt buckle was an emblem of a skull that looked exactly like its face. When considering its muscular body and inhuman face, everything about this being was unsettling. This was Killer Queen, Kira Yoshikage's Stand, and it was a perfect fit for the murderer. It was unfeeling, uncaring, and above all, was a perfect killing machine.

Both Kira and Josuke continued to glare at the other; silence growing with the seconds that passed.

And without a word, the two fighters respective stands charged at one another, shooting through the air like missiles as they followed their users' orders.

Killer Queen moved slightly faster, going under a swift uppercut Crazy Diamond threw and moved even closer to the pink Stand's body, both arms outstretched and palms open trying to touch Crazy Diamond. Josuke knew everything about Kira's Stand, so he was aware that if a single fingertip from the cat-like Stand so much as brushed against Crazy Diamond's or his own body, Killer Queen would turn them into a bomb, and it would be over.

Acting with lightning quick speed, Crazy Diamond slammed the back of its fist into the side of Killer Queen's face, stopping the cat-like Stand's hand from reaching its body. Killer Queen was pushed back a short distance from the strength of the blow as cracks began to form from where Crazy Diamond hit Killer Queen, and then they began to expand across the Stand's face.

"Ugaaaah!" Josuke saw the side of Kira's head exploded in a mountain of blood, a strange dent appearing on his face almost like someone had just hit him. This was the one bad parts of being a Stand User; anything your Stand felt, you felt.

And by God did it feel good to see that bastard bleed.

"Killer Queen!" Kira shouted at his Stand as it floated back towards him before nodding, knowing what it's master wanted to do. Flying once again towards the high school student and his Stand, Killer Queen threw a swift punch at Crazy Diamonds face. Josuke's Stand deflected the punch by hitting Killer Queen's forearm with the back of its fist, sending the punch off course and missing Crazy Diamond by a mile.

Quickly reeling back its long arm, Killer Queen let loose a salvo of rapid palm strikes, but Crazy Diamond was faster. The Stand weaved through each and every blow with precision and grace, even as Killer Queen's attacks grew faster, Crazy Diamond was still able to duck and slip under every punch. Just as Killer Queen launched two more palm strikes, Crazy Diamond hit Killer Queen in its elbows with two powerful punches, the force bending the Stand's arms at an awkward angle.

"Gaaaaaah!" Once again hearing the murderer scream in pain, Josuke saw Kira with one knee on the ground as he coughed up blood. Seeing this as his chance, Josuke had Crazy Diamond strike a heavy and swift left hook into Killer Queen's side. The Stand buckled over, as did its master who coughed up more blood. Josuke knew that Kira and his Stand were on their last legs, barely able to keep up with Crazy Diamond's speed and power.

So it was time to land the finishing blow.

"Ooooooohhhhhhhh!" Josuke screamed a fierce war cry as his Stand charged forward, unleashing a massive volley of fists at high speed.

Land, Josuke thought, praying that Crazy Diamonds fist would hit and end this fight. Kira was out of tricks, out of luck, and literally on his knees; so if his Stand's attacked hit it would be the end of Kira Yoshikage once and for all. It would be the end of the man who hurt so many people just to satisfy his disgusting desires.

Laaaaaaannnnnnnd!

Crazy Diamond hit Killer Queen right in its chest with an onslaught of fast and metal crushing fists, each punch slamming into Kira's Stand.

Or, at least, that's what he thought.

Whenever Crazy Diamond hit anyone, Josuke could always feel the sensation of flesh meeting knuckle on his fist, almost like he was the one that had punched someone. Now, though, he didn't feel that impact; instead, it felt like his hand hit something incredibly soft.

It was then Josuke saw something appear from nowhere that made both his and Crazy Diamonds eyes widen. Crazy Diamond's fists had not hit Killer Queen but instead had hit two transparent bubbles, blocking his Stand's punches from connecting. The bubbles themselves looked like they were made out of air, yet were still firm enough to cushion against Crazy Diamonds powerful strikes.

Air Bullets!? But how? Kira had no time to form the balls of thick air; there was no way he could have the time to create them when his Stand had been pummeling him to oblivion.

It was then Josuke heard the soft hiss of a cat, and his eyes traveled down to Killer Queens stomach. Slowly, like a garage door, it opened to reveal its insides were hollow; instead of having organs and blood, all it had was empty space for a gut.

Well, almost empty. For amidst the void that was Killer Queens stomach, Josuke saw a small rosebud with eyes, two big leaves that seemed like arms, and a stem for a body glaring at him. This was Stray Cat, another Stand and Kira's little pet that had been helping him throughout the fight. It had the ability to manipulate air, able to compress the air and turn it into bubbles which Kira would touch with Killer Queen and make it into a bomb. The fact that the bubbles were near impossible to see unless someone was mere inches away made it all the more deadly.

The cat must have thought that Josuke was attacking it, so it released two air bullets to protect itself, unintentionally saving the murderer who was using it as a tool.

"Stray Cat!" He looked up and saw Kira was just as shocked as he was. The killer was looking down at the sentient plant Stand resting in Killer Queens stomach. "You ended up protecting me when you were only interested in saving yourself, but now because of you I can end this!"

Shit! Josuke thought, jumping back as he knew what Kira was about to do. However, his injuries finally caught up with him as he was hit with an agonizing pain that shot up his body. When he landed, he found his legs could no longer hold his weight as he collapsed onto the pavement back first. Crazy Diamond flickered out of existence as Josuke could no longer focus on maintaining his Stand's form.

"Die, Josuke Higashikata!" With a tap of Killer Queens fingers, the air bubble was sent towards Josuke. The moment Kira's Stand touched the bubble, it gained a purple hue before Josuke lost sight of it, becoming too transparent to see which way it went. He wouldn't be able to completely see it until it was right in front of his face, and by then it would be too late.

"Josuke get up!" He heard Hayato shout from behind him, but as much as he wanted to move he couldn't. The pain in his body only grew with each second, unable to move so much as a finger. For an instant, he saw something moving through the air and slowly approaching him, and then it vanished away from his sight. He knew it was the air bubble, and the fact that he was starting to see the ball of air again meant it was getting closer, and he needed to do something now. His legs still refused to budge, so instead, he looked to his side and saw a stray piece of glass lying only a few feet away from him. He knew that while the bubbles were deadly, they were also extremely fragile so popping them was easy if something sharp was used.

Josuke shakily raised his arm, wincing as his limb felt like it was on fire. Once again concentrating on the energy within him, Josuke summoned Crazy Diamond right next to him, or at least the top half of his Stand up to its waist, and attempted to use Crazy Diamond to reach for the broken piece of glass. Josuke saw the bubble reappear, this time even closer, maybe five feet away. Crazy Diamond floated towards the piece of glass, its gauntlet hand only a few inches away. From the corner of his eye, Josuke saw the bubble was even closer now, and just as it disappeared again from his sight, Crazy Diamond was able to grab the piece of glass.

Only for it to fade away as Josuke coughed up thick globs of blood. His stomach suddenly flared with a horrible, burning pain as he held his gut with his arms.

Damn it, those bomb attacks from before completely fucked me up! Josuke looked up and saw the air bullet only centimeters from his face. He didn't have enough time to try and dodge the bubble of air or even call Crazy Diamond to have the Stand try and block it. He could only look on in horror as the bubble was about to crash into his bleeding face.

"It's over!" Kira screamed with absolute delight, a demonic smile spreading across his lips as Killer Queen brought its thumb down on his hand like a detonator.

Josuke saw the air bubble start to swirl, and he felt the bullet scrape and attack his face, causing more blood to fall down from his head. He saw the ball of compressed air beginning to glow a sick red as he closed his eyes and braced for the explosion.

The air bullet went off, and a large explosion traveled and rippled through the pavement, leaving large holes in the ground, yet it did not make a sound despite the size of the explosion. But Josuke did not feel the painful burns from the explosion; because just as the fireball went off, he felt his whole body being dragged backward as if an incredibly strong and invisible cable was pulling it. In the span of one second, his back was leaning against the wall of the abandoned house he and Kira had been fighting a short distance away from.

What the hell? How did... Josuke's thoughts trailed off as he heard footsteps coming from his left; followed by a voice all too familiar to him.

"Phew, that was way too close, Josuke." For a moment, he couldn't believe his ears, sure he was hallucinating at this point. For the voice he heard belonged to a man who was supposed to be dead. "Man, I can't believe some jackass was able to push you so much. Kira must be some terrifying dude."

Slowly, Josuke turned his head and saw a tall and muscular teenager around the same age as him. He had on the exact same uniform as him, with some added features. His jacket was a darker shade of blue then Josuke's and was double breasted. On his right arm, the word "Billions" was written in bold white letters, he had a dollar sign on the left of his collar and on the right side a yen sign. On his waist were two thin, light green, sagging belts and on his chest was a much larger golden dollar sign. His right shoulder had on the kanji for a hundred million. His hair was a dark black, the top part of his head shaped in the same pompadour style as Josuke's, though not nearly as big and rather small, and the hair on the side of his head was well trimmed and combed back. Finally, two scars in the shape of semi-circles traveled from the inner corners of his ears to the center of his face.

Josuke immediately recognized the punk, his eye widening as his mouth dropped to the floor. "O-Okuyasu?!"

"You're alive?!" Hayato shouted, just as shocked, running towards Josuke and Okuyasu. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kira looking on in disbelief as he stood as still as a statue.

"Hell yeah, I'm alive!" Okuyasu replied with a broad smile before his expression became sullen. "But I had the craziest dream. I was walking through the darkness, and then there was this light, and then I saw him..." His voice grew shaky as Josuke saw Okuyasu seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "I saw my big bro Keicho. He asked me where I was going, and I said, 'I'm going with you,' 'cause then I can be with my big bro Keicho again, and I can rest easy knowing he'd make all the right decisions I never could. Then he said I had to decide for myself, to not rely on others to make the big choices, even him, and that I had to choose my own destination."

He looked towards the sky, then to the streets around them. "So I thought for a bit, then I answered, 'I'm going to Morioh' and then I woke up..." He trailed off as his eyes gained a sorrowful look. "I felt real sad when I did."

"Okuyasu," Josuke said between pants before his face turned furious and he glared at Okuyasu, "You damn bastard, you picked now to lie on your ass and dream!" He shouted as anger flared in his voice, and it only seemed to grow with each syllable.

"Woah! Talk about a bad attitude." Okuyasu said with a small whistle and grin.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Suddenly, tears started falling down the Josuke's face as a big relieved smile spread across his face. "If you were alive this entire time, then you shoulda gotten up sooner, damn it!" He had been so worried that he failed, so worried that Crazy Diamond had been too late and Okuyasu had died just like his grandfather; so worried that he had been killed by Kira and Josuke couldn't save him, just like with his other friends. So seeing his best friend alive and walking was the best thing that had happened to him since this shitty day started.

"Damn it!" Kira shouted, drawing everyone's attention back to the murderer. Kira was enraged at coming so close to ending Josuke only to watch as he was saved at the last minute. Kira's voice blazed with hatred as he glared at the three men who had been trying to defeat him. "Don't think because you have your idiot friend back means-

"Ya know," Okuyasu interrupted, raising a brow at the serial killer who in turn looked at the punk with murderous fury. "If I were you, I wouldn't be talking so much," a broad, feral grin grew on his face. His eyes held a vengeful glee as Okuysasu let out a small chuckle. "Especially since you're in my range."

Both Kira and Josuke quickly knew what Okuyasu meant as a dark blue aura grew around Okuyasu. A humanoid figure clad in attire similar to dark blue football pads on its chest and shoulders, with the only difference being the yellow spikes jutting from each pad, stood right next to Okuyasu. It was tall, bulky, and had white skin with dark black lines traveling down its body. It had a towel-like object draped around its shoulders with a yen symbol on one end and a dollar symbol on the other side, corresponding with Okuyasu's fashion theme. On either side of its head were blinders that partially cover its headlight-shaped eyes. Spiderweb patterns were drawn on its right hand alongside two rather large bumps, and its mouth held no teeth and was in a permanent frown.

This was Okuyasu's Stand, The Hand, and it was a deadly fighter.

"For hurting me and my friend," Okuyasu said as he lifted his right hand, his Stand doing the same as both of their appendages seemed to overlap with the other. "I'm sending ya straight to hell!" Okuyasu and The Hand brought their arms down in a swiping motion and sliced the air in front of them. A dark blue rift suddenly appeared, as if a sharp blade had cut through the air. This was The Hand's ability, to scrape away space, sending anything it's right-hand touches into a void. And as a result, if Okuyasu didn't touch a physical object and instead scraped away empty air, then the void he created would "stitch" itself back together by dragging adjoining space to fill the hole. And as a side effect, it would also pull physical objects towards the rift in space and time at tremendous speeds, provided they weren't too heavy or bolted to the ground.

Such as Kira Yoshikage, who appeared right in front of Okuyasu as if he had just teleported. The murderer responded quickly, Killer Queen following his silent command as it moved around its master. The Stand rushed towards Okuyasu, fingers dangerously close to touching Josuke's friend as it sailed through the air. But Okuysasu was faster as both the punk and his Stand moved as one before swiping down their right hands at Killer Queen. Another dark blue tear in space appeared right on Killer Queens abdomen, causing more cracks to appear on the enemy Stand's body as both it and it's master were sent flying backward a second later. Josuke smirked as he saw Kira's body practically explode with blood before landing in the streets across from the house in a painful tumble. The murderer was now laying on his stomach, a puddle of blood forming around him as he trembled in an attempt to get back up.

"I thought this guy was supposed ta be tough," he asked Josuke, placing one of his friend's arms around his shoulder before carrying him up. "He seems more like a total dumbass to me."

"Takes one to know one," Josuke said with a grin as Okuyasu scowled at him. Josuke looked at the streets and saw Kira shakily standing up, blood gushing from deep wounds on his abdomen. And Killer Queen looked just as awful, the Stand's pink skin looked a shade paler, and inside its hollow stomach, Josuke saw Stray Cat's lying still on it's grassy back, green blood dripping down from the new and severe wounds The Hand caused. Josuke was sure the cat was out of it, which meant it just become a whole lot easier to beat the cold-hearted killer.

"Damn you both!" Kira shouted, his mouth now in a snarl, pure rage etched into his face."I will not be defeated by two incompetent teenagers!" The moment he said that, blood gushed from his mouth as he fell to his knees. Killer Queen was flickering in and out of existence as Kira continued to cough up blood.

"Oh really!?" Josuke shouted, "Because from the looks of it I say you have the stability of a house of cards right now!" His condition might be as bad as Kira's but with Okuyasu back in the fight their chances of winning skyrocketed. There was no way Kira could take them both on, especially since one of them was fully healed. The murderer could barely even stand, and with one of his main weapons now out of commission, his defeat was inevitable. The murderer was finally going to pay for his crimes; finally out of ways to -.

Josuke thoughts came to a halt when he noticed something.

Kira was kneeling on the street, his head lowered at the ground slowly being covered by his blood as he stared. His body was trembling like a leaf caught in a storm... until he stopped shaking. A disturbing calmness seemed to envelop Kira's body as the murderer ceased moving. He was bleeding, wounded in so many places, bones most likely broken after taking The Hand's attack... yet his very presence seemed to secrete a frightening tranquility that made Josuke swallow audibly. He had expected Kira to get desperate, expected him to scream at them as rage burned throughout his expression...but instead, Kira just continued to stare at the ground, shadows obscuring his face as anxiety swirled within Josuke. He shouldn't be scared, Kira was bleeding buckets of blood, Okuyasu was back at full health and with his help both of them could easily defeat the weakened murderer. But the way a frigid fear slowly crept and slithered inside Josuke's body, the fact that even though he could not see Kira's face, he could still imagine an eerily calm expression devoid of any emotion on the killer's expression...

Josuke felt his breaths get heavier as his fingers dug into Okuysasu's shoulder.

And then, Kira raised his head and looked at the three men.

And he was smiling.

A big, wide, smile that stretched to both ends of his face. Eyes bulging with deranged exhilaration, low chuckles radiating an insane joy as Kira slowly got onto one knee. The smugness that emitted from his smile grew with each second, to Josuke that disturbing grin was saying that Kira knew something he did not.

The apprehension gripping his heart would not stop growing. Josuke had never seen Kira look so crazy; the murderer looked like a beast made of pure insanity, the manic energy spreading throughout his expression stabbed right into Josuke's body as his breath hitch in his throat.

What the hell is that bastard planning, Josuke thought as Kira got up, his legs wobbling as the murderer struggled to support his own weight. Around him, both Okuyasu and Hayato were now incredibly tense, watching Kira's every move with narrowed eyes.

"I will give you both this," Kira began, blood dripping from his lips. The demented smile still present on his face as it only seemed to grow with maniacal amusement. "You have made me realize how everything in one's life can go to hell." His dark purple aura was once again covering him and his Stand, but this time, the energy around him was much bigger, and as he continued to talk it grew. The smile slowly faded as his psychotic expression was replaced by his usual emotionless gaze, his face once again an empty husk of murderous ferocity. His hands were now clenched into fists, blood dripping down from his knuckles as his lips morphed into a deep frown. "You've shown me why even when you're so careful about hiding your secrets, even when you're a powerful monster whose always came out on top, all it takes is one bad day and suddenly everything's working to hurt you." Josuke was on edge now as Kira started to walk towards them, the aura around him still growing as his voice became cold; the temperature in the streets seemed to drop a few degrees. An inhuman maliciousness swirled within Kira's features, cold hatred radiated from every step he took. It was as if a blizzard was raging in the streets and Kira Yoshikage was at the center of the storm. "Even when you're a monster, you somehow meet foes who are just as scary as you, and before you know it you're bleeding through your teeth and your nice suit is ripped to shreds."

The energy building on Kira showed no signs of decreasing, Josuke was starting to sweat as he turned towards Okuyasu. "Okuyasu, use your Stand! Hurry up and use The Hand's power!" Whatever Kira was planning he knew he had to stop it. An instinct inside his body told him that if he did not act, he and his friends would die. Fear twisted Josuke's very soul as he stared right into Okuyasu's eyes. His friend gave him a curt nod, seeing Josuke's fear as he scowled at Kira.

"Got it," The Hand appeared to Okuyasu's side, but before they could act Kira and Killer Queen slammed their hands on the street.

"I'll be sure to remember all the valuable lessons you taught me... Even when you're all long dead!" The purple aura around Kira merged with the streets, traveling under the gravel and through the cracks, making it look like the entire road had turned a dark purple. The purple energy soon moved towards Josuke's group, the aura moving underneath the concrete and engulfing the house and the surrounding area in a purple glow. Josuke and his friends were all bathed in a dark purple light, eyes widening as he instantly knew what Kira was doing.

The murderer had just turned the entire street into a bomb and was planning on swallowing his enemy's, and himself, in a fiery explosion.

A last-ditch suicide attack.

Before Josuke could say anything, Killer Queen stood up and brought its thumb down to its hand. A familiar click rang through the empty streets.

"Shit!" Okuyasu, Josuke, and Hayato shouted, expecting an explosion bigger than anything Kira had used so far; they braced for the flames that would soon consume them all. From within the streets, plumes of smoke and ash erupted into the air, the force of the sudden explosion of smog sent Josuke and Okuyasu tumbling backward, searing pain frying Josuke's nerves as he landed onto the pavement; his vision clouded by the dense and black fog.

But even amidst his pain, Josuke quickly realized there were no flames following the clouds of smoke.

The entire area from the streets to the house was filled to the brim with smog, but strangely there was no fire. Instead of feeling the fiery heat from a sweltering inferno, the only thing Josuke felt was the smoke blowing into his eyes and the unholy pain ripping him apart from within.

"What the hell?" Josuke said, coughing as he was unable to see through the smoke hitting his eyes. The fact that there was no fire immediately told him something was wrong. Killer Queen never released duds, so he knew Kira had summoned all this smoke on purpose. He tried to get up, but he found could not move due to the agony his body was going through. After coughing up a bit of blood, he felt something grab him from behind, and turning his head he saw Okuyasu through the smoke, his best friend slowly and carefully lifting him up from his armpits.

"You alright bro?" Okuyasu asked, placing Josuke's arm over his shoulder, his words full of a deep worry.

"I'm fine," Josuke answered, though he really wasn't. By his expression, Josuke could tell Okuyasu didn't believe him, but right now his friend couldn't argue with him.

For right now they had to be on their guard for Kira.

"Okuyasu be careful. Kira's probably gonna use this smoke to launch a sneak attack." He had already taken out Crazy Diamond, the Stand materializing next to Josuke as it tried to fan away the smoke surrounding itself and its master.

"Fuck!" Okuyasu shouted, still carrying Josuke on his shoulders as his The Hand floated above him, head turning in every direction as it tried to locate the man its master no doubt wanted to punch. "That wasn't one of his normal bombs," Okuyasu said, coughing slightly before continuing. "Shit, I can't see anything. Can you, Josuke?"

"Not a damn thing," Josuke said, turning his head from left to right to try and spot any movement within the haze. "Where the hell are you, Kira?" He whispered. The smoke started to dissipate into the atmosphere, and Josuke's vision became somewhat clearer, but he was still unable to find the murderer. His entire body was tense, expecting Kira to jump out from the haze and attack both him and Okuyasu. He would not let that bastard get the drop on him; Josuke's mind worked a mile a minute as he tried to figure out what Kira was plotting. He refused to let that monster beat them when they were so close to-

"Wait a minute," Okuyasu said, snapping Josuke out of his thoughts as his friend turned his head towards Josuke. "Where's Hayato?"

At the mention of the small boy, Josuke's eyes immediately widened. He had forgotten about the young child when the explosion sent them tumbling. His head whipped towards the side as gaze lowered to the ground, but Hayato was no longer anywhere near him. "Oh crap I forgot about him," he said, fear entering his body as he tried to make out Hayato's figure through the smog. "Hayato! Can you hear me? Hayato!" Josuke shouted as loud as he could, but he received no answer. It was only now that Josuke noticed how eerily quiet it was, and the silence was worse than any of the attacks Kira had unleashed on him thus far. "HAYATO!"

And then Josuke heard a voice. It was overly sweet, faux sympathy dripped from each word as Josuke could practically see a mocking smile full of arrogance appear right in front of his face.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about him."

The smoke had almost completely disappeared now, Josuke's head slowly turning in the direction he heard the voice; cold sweat dripped down his forehead as his throat felt incredibly dry. And Josuke saw within the dispersing ash the blood-soaked Kira Yoshikage standing tall and proud, ten feet away from him and Okuyasu.

And Killer Queen was standing right next to Kira, holding Hayato by his shirt collar in one hand, blood dripping from a fresh wound on the side of his head. Pain was evident in Hayato's expression as it looked like the kid was desperately trying to keep his eyes open. The Stand easily lifted the Hayato up in the air as the kid struggled to get free, legs kicking uselessly at the creature holding him.

"Hayato's with his 'Dad' now," Kira said with a devilish smirk.

"Hayato!" Josuke and Okuyasu shouted. Instantly they both prepared to launch their Stands' at the murderer but were stopped as Killer Queen and Kira lifted their thumbs. Josuke did not move an inch as Kira glared at the two teenagers.

"I believe you know what will happen if you try anything," Kira said, a deep frown on his face as Killer Queen brought its thumb dangerously close to touching its hand. The malevolence in his eyes was tangible; the air around them became enveloped by a revolting maliciousness that made Josuke's heart beat a mile a minute. And as Josuke glared at the bastard in front of him he tried to think of something to get Hayato away from Killer Queen, trying to figure out a way to save his friend and prevent him from becoming another of Kira's victim.

"Damn it!" Okuyasu snarled, clenching his right hand into a fist. "Let go of Hayato you bastard!"

"Unfortunately, I don't see that happening in the near future," Kira said with a goading smile, loving the fact he was now the one in control again. Loving the fact that he had snagged away victory from Josuke and Okuyasu when he had been cornered yet again. Kira's expression gleamed with arrogance, his eyes held an immense smugness as it looked like Kira was desperately trying not to laugh at the two of them. Kira was exhausted, injured, and had so many wounds that Josuke couldn't count, but he was still able to outwit him.

The thought infuriated Josuke to no ends.

"I bet you never once considered my Killer Queen could make a smoke bomb," Kira began, his smile growing as his stance was now incredibly relaxed. "It's not something I usually do, you see it requires a lot more concentration and power than I normally need for my other bombs, but given my situation, I knew I had to use it. All that energy you saw surrounding me was just for show, to trick you into believing I still had the power for one last bomb." He explained, acting like he wasn't in an intense fight to the death and was instead giving a lecture to an unruly teen. "And now, this battle's victor is Kira Yoshikage!"

Josuke was growling, livid at the murderer in front of him, and despite his injuries pushed himself off Okuyasu and limped towards Kira. His expression was full of lethal fury as he pointed a finger at the killer, eyes blazing with rage. "If you think just because you turned Hayato into a bomb you've automatically won, then you're dead wrong! My Crazy Diamond will heal Hayato the moment you detonate him, and after that, I'll beat the ever loving crap out of you!"

Kira let out a tiny scoff, smile still coursing with enormous arrogance. Josuke ground his teeth at the infuriating look Kira gave him before the murderer spoke. "Hmph, you think I'm only using Hayato as a hostage?" Kira said, eyes glancing at the still struggling child, who continued punching and kicking at Killer Queen in a futile attempt to escape. "Oh no, I'm using him for something far worse. I've recently gained a new ability, and I don't see a better time to use it than now."

Josuke saw terror erupt within Hayato's expression, understanding what Kira was planning. When the killer saw Hayato's face, he chuckled. "Ah yes, you know quite a lot about it don't you Hayato."

"Josuke forget about me and kill this monster right now!" Hayato shouted, his voice held an intense and unyielding horror, his expression filled with fear as his eyes begged Josuke to listen to him.

"You know everything about my Stand's hidden ability, Bites the Dust." Kira continued before he turned towards Josuke and Okuyasu, a mocking glint in his eyes as Josuke suddenly felt a fear coil around his body. The dangerous expression Kira wore was setting off every alarm inside his mind. "It's a truly incredible ability, but can only be used on non-Stand Users, like Hayato. My Killer Queen enters the person's body, and if anyone asks the person infected with my Stand any form question about Kira Yoshikage, they will blow up into thousands of pieces. But that's not all it can do," Kira paused, taking in long heavy breaths as blood kept dripping from his wounds to the pavement. "This bomb can also rewind time by one hour."

Josuke heart stopped pumping blood when he heard that. For an instant, his skin lost all of its color as he felt terror grip every part of his body. "WHAT!?" he shouted.

"It can rewind time!?" Okuyasu also screamed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

No,no,no,no,no,no! After all of this, the bastard was about to get away again! He still had one last power to use, something as incredible as rewinding time that he had been saving for this moment. How can one man have such powerful abilities?!

"Yes, and it is my ultimate trump card!" Kira was laughing now, a deep, haunting laugh that sent chills up Josuke's spine. "A bomb that even after it's done rewinding time, any people it's killed in a previous timeline will still die even if the target tries to change anything! Like you fools!"

Kira must have loved the shocked faces on Okuyasu and Josuke's faces when he told them they had already died, as his laughs grew louder and even more hideous to hear. When Josuke heard that, he stopped breathing as his eyes moved to the ground. Despair wrapped itself around Josuke as he suddenly felt very cold.

If he had died in a previous timeline...did that mean he had already failed?

"And once time has been reset, only I and Hayato shall remember any of this!" Kira's words immediately snapped Josuke back into reality, the teenager pushing away his dread and doubt. Fury burned from within his body as his mouth moved into a snarl. "Normally even I wouldn't remember if time was reset, but since I'm physically activating the bomb as opposed to it automatically activating, I shall remember everything about this accursed encounter!"

"Like hell we're gonna let you do that! Okuyasu, attack him with everything you got!" Josuke charged at Kira, ignoring the pain rushing through him as his trusted Stand floated a few feet ahead of him. Okuyasu quickly followed, calling The Hand to his side and about to scrap away space.

But neither of them were fast enough.

"It's useless; I've already won!" Killer Queen dropped Hayato and the unfeeling Stand disappeared. But when Josuke looked at Hayato, he saw that within the kid's pupils was Killer Queen.

Kira then brought down his thumb to his hand and a sickening purple aura surrounded him and Hayato. Josuke eyes bulged out his socket; terror swallowed him whole as the young stand user's world suddenly turned pitch black as only he and Kira stood in the never-ending darkness. He felt like he was falling into a bottomless abyss of dread as he heard the familiar click ring out through the area. The world was back to normal as Kira began to laugh like the horrifying abomination he truly was.

"No!" Both Josuke and Okuyasu shouted; despair clung to their voices as Hayato screamed in pure horror.

"Bites the Dust!" Kira shouted, and Josuke expected a massive explosion to rock the area. He expected Kira's laughing to suddenly come to an abrupt halt as he found himself back in his room with no memory of what happened.

But nothing came.

There was no overwhelming heat that had burned Josuke dozens of times throughout the fight; no silent fireball erupted into the air before sending Kira back in time, if that was how Bites the Dust works. Kira's laughs were soon decreasing in volume as he looked around and realized he hadn't been sent back. It was clear he was confused as to what was taking so long as he stopped laughing as a frown spread across his face.

For several seconds no one, not even Kira, moved at muscle. Everyone was expecting the explosion that would send Kira back in time to occur at any moment, Killer Queen never fired any dud bombs, and Josuke was sure that the bomb would go off at any second.

But it never did.

Josuke looked around to make sure he was still fighting, seeing Okuyasu standing behind him and the house a safe distance away. He then looked towards Kira, whose mouth was hung open as his head swiveled in every direction, shock consuming the killer's face. Hayato, who looked just as surprised, slowly turned his head in every direction to make sure he was still in the present.

And after several minutes, Josuke realized that a small miracle had just happened.

Killer Queen's bomb had failed.

Josuke glared at the murderer in front of him as he realized that this was the end for Kira Yoshikage.

"What was that about you winning, Kira?" Josuke asked, Both his and Crazy Diamond expression's burned with a scorching fury. Hayato, realizing he wasn't about to be sent back in time, quickly ran away from the murderer towards Okuyasu. Kira was too shocked to even attempt to stop the kid.

"Im-Impossible!" Kira said as he took a step back in disbelief, looking around the house and then back to Josuke. "Killer Queen never fails, it should have worked! Luck has always been on my side whenever my back has been against the wall, so why is fate betraying me now?!" In the next second, Killer Queen stood right in front of Kira. The murderer looked towards his Stand with wide eyes. "Killer Queen, what are you doing?! I didn't call you; go back into Hayato and use Bites the Dust!"

"It looks like both fate and your Stand are actively trying their best to screw you over," Josuke said, stepping even closer to the murderer. Kira glared at him and his Stand as both Josuke and Crazy Diamond were about to pummel the man to death with their fist. From the corner of his eye, he saw Okuyasu grinning, and Hayato's eyes beaming with bright hope. Right now, Josuke's injuries were nonexistent as he continued to walk towards the murderer, who in turned braced himself for one last fight. Killer Queen stood protectively in front of its master, but no matter what Kira would do, nothing would stop the ass-kicking Josuke was about to unleash on this bastard.

But just as Josuke was a few feet away from the murderer, he had to stop walking.

For the ground started to shake.

It quickly ended, barely lasting for a second, but the small shockwave was enough to slightly off balance Josuke. Regaining his balance, Josuke felt confusion grow inside him as he raised an eyebrow.

"What the-." The ground started to shake again, this time even harder than before as everyone present had sudden difficulty standing upright. Josuke growled at Kira as he struggled to stand, the shaking causing his injuries on his legs to bleed even more. "Kira, what the hell are you doing?"

Kira looked...bewildered. It was a look Josuke had never seen before on the murderer. "I thought this was your doing?" He wasn't lying, the puzzlement in his expression was genuine. Josuke could tell that he didn't have anything to do with the earthquakes suddenly attacking the area. The ground now shook with such intensity that cracks began to form on the pavement. But then what the hell was causing these sudden quakes; it couldn't have been another enemy Stand user, neither Kira or the murderer's Dad had any time to make any more fighters.

"What the hell is going on!" Okuyasu shouted and just as he said that, on the street located near the house, the concrete split in two. A deep crack appeared on the street, even from where Josuke was standing he could see how deep it was. A glowing yellow energy started to pour from the crack, blinding the three Stand users and one kid. A typhoon seemed to sweep through the streets of Morioh as intense winds blew throughout the streets; and it was then all four of them were lifted off their feet, pulled by an incredibly strong invisible force towards the glowing crack.

"Shit!" Josuke shouted as he and everyone else were flying through the air. Okuyasu got lucky and was able to grab onto a spire sticking out of the front stucco walls that guarded the house, using the Hand to grab Hayato out of the air and towards his chest as they both held on for their lives.

Josuke and Kira weren't so fortunate as they flew further, soaring through the air and getting closer to the crack with each second. But as he flew Josuke saw he was quickly approaching a parked car, and he instantly knew what to do.

"Crazy Diamond!" He shouted, and just as he was flying over the car, his Stand dug its fingers into the small car with ease. The metal groaned as Crazy Diamond's finger pierced the hood and stopped Josuke from getting closer to the crack, his body flailing in the air against the unseen force. Kira acted just as quickly, using Killer Queen to grab onto one of Josuke's injured and flailing legs, causing the teen to shout in agony. Josuke wasn't expecting such a dramatic shift in weight, so his Stand was dragged back, fingers coming closer to the edge of the car's hood.

"Let go of me you bastard!" Josuke shouted over the roaring winds. Kira's form was hard to make out because they were so close to the blinding light, but he could see a snarl on the killer's lips.

"If I am forced to die today, then I will take at least one of you with me!" Kira replied, cold determination raging within his eyes.

"Josuke hold on!" Okuyasu shouted, looking worried as he struggled to hold onto both the spire and Hayato. A blue aura soon surrounded the punk as his grip on Hayato tightened. "I'll use The Hand ta-,"

But Josuke would never hear what Okuyasu had to say.

Before Okuyasu could finish, Crazy Diamond could no longer hold on to the car as its finger came unhinged to the hood, Josuke and Kira's eyes widening as the two Stand users were sent careening towards the large crack in the center of the deserted street.

"Josuke!" Okuyasu and Hayato shouted, and even with the blinding light, Josuke could see the massive horror on their faces as both he and Kira went into the crack, disappearing as the fissure quickly closed its wide mouth.

It was on this day that Josuke Higashikata and Kira Yoshikage ceased to exist in this world.

xxXXxx

Beach City was rather small, despite its somewhat misleading name, and for the most part was a quiet town. All the houses and hotels were located a reasonable distance away from the ocean, and most of the residents in the small community knew one another. The boardwalk was how most people killed their free time. It had a variety of games and attractions even adults could enjoy, so it was a favorite spot for people of all ages. Whenever someone walked in the streets of the central town, they could always feel the cool ocean breeze on their backs and could taste the salt water on their tongue.

The best time to have fun in Beach City was on warm, sunny days. Eating a large scoop of ice cream on the streets along with a donut from their most popular donut store was the best way to enjoy both delicacies. Many people would confirm this fact. The cold water of the sea was refreshing to everyone, and the ocean was so reflective one could see their face clearly in the waves. Yes, the small town was very welcoming and friendly, as even new arrivals in the town feel like they've lived in Beach City their whole lives. The town, most of the time, was peaceful, and it was an almost perfect place to live in.

Almost.

The only problem was, dangerous magical creatures, though they technically weren't all the magical, would sometimes appear and wreak havoc on the town. Although no one had ever been hurt because of these monsters, it was a little...uncomforting to know that powerful creatures could come and attack people at any time of any day.

Thankfully, the town had their own guardians to protect them from said creatures.

Engraved in the face of the tallest cliff at the edge of the town was a statue of a giant woman. It was old and decaying, large portions of its body covered in a dark green moss and large cracks littered its stone body. It had eight arms, and almost every one of them had no hands except for its top right one, which held a washing machine at the center of its palm. While four of its arms were spread out, the other four converged near the bottom of the cliff. Specifically at a small white beach house which was built on top of its forearms. A staircase built on a sandy hill allowed people to access the beach house and inside the house lived a family of heroes. This family who lived here was known throughout Beach City, and currently, two of these family members were fighting a battle of epic proportions.

"You sure that's what you want to do?" Asked a short woman with bright lilac skin, her lips in a teasing grin. She had a somewhat stout build, having one eye covered by her long white hair that reached all the way to the floor. She wore a white tank top with a jagged hem, black leggings with dark mauve stars on her knees and equally dark boots. A purple gemstone was embedded in her chest, and her dark indigo eyes held a challenging gleam to them.

"I'm sure," replied a stocky boy, his height around the same as the purple woman, and had curly brown hair and dark black eyes, a deadly serious expression on his face. He wore a salmon pink t-shirt with a gold star in the center of it, dark blue jeans with sky blue cutoffs, and had pink flip-flops on his feet. His shirt was raised slightly, revealing a rose quartz gemstone where his navel should be.

"All right then," The short woman replied, a sinister smirk on her face as she crossed her arms. "Take your best shot, little man."

The boy nodded, before pulling his arm back and then thrusting it forward at great speeds...to a Jenga tower.

Just as the boy's fist was inches away from the construct of wooden blocks, he quickly opened his hand and grabbed one of the sections partially sticking out from the tower's side and then placed said piece at the very top, stacking it neatly next to two other blocks of wood.

The boy did this all in a matter of seconds.

"Yeaaahhh!" The boy shouted, proud of his Jenga skills.

"Woah, not bad Steven," The purple woman said, nodding her head in approval.

This boy's name was Steven Universe, a fourteen-year-old boy who was a part of the Crystal Gems, a team that was dedicated to protecting not just Beach City, but the whole planet from otherworldly threats. He was the son of the Gem's former leader, Rose Quartz, and had been living with the Gems for quite some time now.

"Thanks, Amethyst," Steven said to the purple woman with a smile on his face. Amethyst was also a member of the Crystal Gems, but she was so much more than that. She was from an alien race known as Gems, just like the other Crystal Gem; and like them, she had been alive for thousands of years. Steven himself was part Gem, his mother actually giving up her physical form to give birth to him, and now he literally walked around with a part of her inside him. There was still so much Steven did not know about the mysterious Crystal Gems, but there was one thing he knew for certain.

They were his family, people who loved him with all their hearts, or whatever Gems had that counted as hearts, and he felt the same way about them.

"All right, my turn now," Amethyst declared loudly, leaning forward on the table they had been playing on and examining the slightly swaying tower of blocks. Both were currently playing in the living room, crumbs littering the table from all the snack they had eaten after retrieving them from the nearby kitchen. Amethyst slowly and cautiously reached for one of the blocks, and just as she was about to touch one of the sections of the tower, she swiftly chopped the Jenga tower in its sides with one hand, causing an explosion of blocks to hit everyone in the area.

"Amethyst," Steven said, laughing at the purple Gems usual carefree antics as he used his hands to shield himself from the pieces of wood flying at him. Amethyst spontaneous rowdiness was one of the things Steven had grown to love about her. "We both know that's not how you win in Jenga."

"It should be," Amethyst said with a shrug, "It would make the game a lot more fun."

"Amethyst!" Both Steven and Amethyst turn around to see a slender, thin and ivory-skinned woman with an incredibly pointy nose. She was very tall, easily towering over the two by several feet, and had peach colored hair that was pointed back. She wore an aqua blue tunic with a small golden star in the center, pale blue ballet flats with pink socks, and had a light blue ribbon tied around her upper waist. This was Pearl, another member of the Gem's.

Her sky blue eyes were currently digging holes into Amethyst, more than a little peeved at the shorter Gem. Pearl never really liked it when Amethyst got wild and messy. "What did I tell you about needlessly destroying blocks in the house?"

"I hate to break it to ya, but I wasn't listening when you scolded me that time. Though it ain't like I've listened to your nagging anytime before," Amethyst replied with a goading smile.

Pearl's eye twitched a little as she continued to glare at Amethyst. "Honestly Amethyst, would it kill you to be a little more careful, especially when you're playing with Steven. I mean, you almost hit Garnet and me."

Upon hearing this, Amethyst looked up at the taller Gem before letting out several small giggles. Steven followed her line of vision, and upon seeing what was making Amethyst giggle, he to found himself holding back chuckles with his mouth.

The reason was that sticking out of Pearls hair were several Jenga blocks, her hair now looking like a pin cushion. And because it was so thick, the white Gem had yet to notice.

"What?" Pearl asked, curious as to why the two people in front of her were steadily laughing louder and louder. "What's so-" Her hand brushed against the side of her hair, and upon feeling the strange object in her head, she pulled it out. Realizing what the object was, her cheeks turned light blue as she blushed.

This only made Amethyst and Steven laugh harder, so much so they dropped to the floor and rolled on their sides.

Pearl's blush intensified as she shook her head, causing all the Jenga block in her head to fall out. "Amethyst!"

"Getting madder only makes it funnier, Pearl!" Amethyst said in between laughs as she and Steven got up from the floor, wiping away tears as they did so.

"It's not funny!" Pearl almost shouted, and just as she was about to continue, a smooth and calm voice interjected.

"Pearl, you have to admit," Turning around, Pearl saw the leader of the Crystal Gems, Garnet, sitting down on one of the couches. She was taller than any other gem present in the room, having a dark indigo cubed shaped afro. She wore a body suit that was divided into two colors right down the middle, one-half violet and the other half a dark purple. She also wore elbow length gloves that covered both of her middle fingers, oval-shaped shoulder guards and on her chest was a star with a magenta outline. Her skin tone was a deep red and triangular shaped soft pink shades covered her eyes.

"It was pretty funny," She finished, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.

"HA! If even Garnet agrees with me, then you know I'm right P!" Amethyst shouted, and an argument broke out between the two Gems, with Pearl telling Amethyst she needed to control her outburst and Amethyst telling Pearl she needed to be less of a stick in the mud. All while Garnet stood up, went through the two arguing gems, and headed further back into the lobby, going into the second room towards a large doorway with a star and five gems embedded into it. Her usual stoic front had returned, but Steven swore he could still see a hint of amusement behind Garnet's shades as Pearl and Amethyst continued to argue.

Steven watched the Gems from his chair, a smile growing on his face. This was what it was like to live with amazing aliens from another world, and Steven loved every part of it. Going on magical adventures, making friends with people who had been once enemies like Peridot and Lapis, and fighting against evil aliens on an almost weekly basis. The only thing he really wished for was to learn more was his mother, but he assumed he would learn all about the woman behind the rebellion of Homeworld one day. But he doubted it would be anytime so-

All of a sudden there was a loud crash that echoed through the house. Steven turned around to face the direction the noise came from as did Pearl and Amethyst, who stopped arguing upon hearing the crash. And when they found what caused the noise made, each of the Gems gasped.

For on the ground, near the Warp Pad, a circular diamond-like device planted on the floor, Garnet laid on her stomach. Not moving at all, and that immediately worried everyone.

"Garnet!" Pearl, Amethyst, and Steven shouted, racing towards their fallen leader. Steven was the first to reach her, quickly flipping her over so her back was now on the floor as he examined her body. "Garnet, are you okay?" Pearl and Amethyst soon arrived at Garnet as well, and the leader of the Crystal Gems did not answer Steven. "Garnet?" Steven shook her slightly, but he still received no reply. "Something's wrong with Garnet!" Steven shouted in fright.

"Maybe she's just resting?" Amethyst offered, though the look of worry on her face told Steven she wasn't so sure. "Or maybe she just decided to take the whole "I'm silent and never show my emotions" shtick to another level."

Pearl crouched down next to Garnet, "I don't think that's the case, Amethyst." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she took of Garnets shades, revealing the Gem's three eyes, each one a different color. But what grabbed Steven's attention was the fact that Garnet's expression was one of complete horror. Her mouth hung open as her eyes stared at the ceiling, the terror on her face growing as the seconds past. Steven had rarely seen Garnet lose her composure, she always had an iron grip on her emotions. So seeing his mother-like figure in such a state made his heart fill up with anxiety.

"Guys, what's wrong with her?" Steven turned to the other Gems for answers, but they looked just as scared and confused as he did.

"We don't know," Amethyst answered, "This has never happened-." She never finished as Garnet's form started to glow a bright pink and floated up into the air. Her entire body became transparent, the pink light only growing stronger, before two new people collapsed onto the spot Garnet had just been in. One was a red scarlet skinned-woman, wearing a maroon tank top and a matching colored headband. She was short, only slightly taller than Steven, having thick, fluffy hair, burgundy shorts, and pointy red boots. The other person was also a girl but had pale blue skin and wavy light blue hair that covered the top part of her face. She wore a full-length dark blue gown with puffy white sleeves, white elbow-length gloves, and a dark blue skirt.

"Ruby, Saphire!" Steven said to the two women on the floor, rushing to Ruby to make sure she was alright. He placed a hand under Ruby's head and slowly lifted her up; he saw Amethyst and Pearl doing the same thing for Sapphire. He knew all about the two Gems that made up Garnet, who herself was a literal fusion of the two smaller Gems, and the fact that they had un-fused made it clear to Steven something was wrong. Garnet had told him in the past that the only time she would ever come forcibly undone is if her body was under intense physical or emotional stress, and either of those two options would be painful for Ruby and Sapphire.

"Ugggh," Ruby slowly shook her head as she groaned, bringing one hand up to her head and rubbing it gently. She then looked around as if wondering where she was before her eyes widened as her head turned to Sapphire. "Sapphire!" Ruby quickly jumped to her feet before rushing towards the blue Gem. Amethyst and Pearl stepped back as Ruby charged towards Sapphire. Once Ruby reached her, she picked Sapphire up by the back of her head, moving the blue Gem's hair out of the way and revealing her single closed eye in the center of her face. "Sapphire, wake up, please!" She started to shake the smaller gem, but Sapphire would not stir even a little, her eye still closed.

"Ruby, what's wrong with Sapphire," Steven asked, his voice full of dread as he looked over his shoulders. Amethyst was worried, biting her lower lip as a mixture of confusion and anxiousness entered her eyes. However, Steven's attention was quickly drawn to Pearl as the tall Gem slowly walked towards Ruby.

"Sapphire, please, I need you to wake up!" Ruby hadn't answered Steven's question; she hadn't noticed any of the other Gem's as she was frantically trying to wake Sapphire.

"Ruby," When Pearl had reached Ruby, she put a hand on the shorter Gem's shoulder. Ruby's attention was drawn away from the woman she loved as she turned to look at Pearl, tears starting to brim in her eyes. Pearls face had suddenly seemed to age, looking so wise Steven almost thought she looked like Garnet. "Calm down. You won't do Sapphire any good if you're too preoccupied shouting. If you could, would you let me examine her to see if she's hurt?" Her eyes were full of sympathy as Pearl stared at Ruby. After a moment, Ruby started to take deep, long breaths, calming down significantly as she gently placed Sapphire back on the ground before backing away.

"You're right. I...I got to relax, can't help her if I'm blowing a gasket," Ruby said a bit shakily.

This was something Steven admired about Pearl; though the elegant gem was usually overwhelmed whenever something unexpected happened, whenever the situation was truly serious, Pearl displayed the skills and experience she had gathered through the intense war she had fought in and would analyze and find the best way to deal with any problem. All while still being the kind and gentle woman that Steven and the rest of the Gems had known for so long.

Pearl picked up Saphire and examined her, hands moving everywhere on Sapphire's body. "There's no physical damage done to her gem, so she's just unconscious right now. She should wake up soon. But Ruby, what caused you to and Sapphire to un-fuse?"

Ruby did not respond, choosing to look at the ground and not look at any of the other Gems. Though Steven could still see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Ruby," Amethyst said, walking over to Ruby and wrapping an arm around the equally short Gem's shoulder. She had a warm and encouraging smile on her lips. "We all know it takes a lot to get Garnet to un-fuse, after all, she's such a boss," she said, hoping to get Ruby to crack a smile. But the red Gem did not, so Amethyst continued, smile fading as she grew more serious. "And since it happened in literally zero seconds, I think we all wanna know what the heck happened."

Ruby continued to look down at the wooden floor, rubbing a hand over her eyes to wipe away the tears. "W-we were fine, you know." To Steven, Ruby's voice was a little hoarse; the red gem was trying push down the sadness festering within her. "Everything was going normal, there wasn't anything weird going on, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and that's when.." She paused, her face looked unsettled as she struggled to continue. There was fear in her eyes as she let out a shuddering breath. "Garnet saw something with her future vision."

Steven did not like how Ruby's voice went extremely quiet as she spoke her last words, nor did he like the way her body trembled as her expression practically glowed with horror. But he needed to know what happened. "What did you see?" He asked, and he saw everyone's eyes looking towards the trembling Gem before she finally spoke.

"Death."

That one single word was able to make Steven's eyes widen in fright, his body suddenly feeling a lot colder than it had before. He found himself breaking into a cold sweat as he tried his best not to let his fear show on his face. "De-Death?"

"Death," Ruby replied firmly, even though her body was shaking even more now. "Just Death."

"Ruby," Pearl said slowly, "I know getting those types of visions... are beyond awful; but I thought Garnet was used to seeing the occasional glimpse of death in some possible timeline." Pearl was clearly uncomfortable talking about such a sensitive subject in front of Steven, but that would not stop her from getting to the bottom of this mystery.

"You don't understand!" Ruby suddenly shouted. The three other Gems were not expecting Ruby's voice to become so loud so quickly as they all flinched. Her voice held nothing but dread; her entire body shook with fear. Terror radiated from Ruby's tiny body and caused the three Gems to take a step back, all of them looking on in concern. "This wasn't just a random death that seems next to impossible to happen; this wasn't just a single timeline possibly happening to result in death, no it was something so much worse!" Ruby's eyes were brimming with a fiery anger. "All we could see was Death! Suddenly our visions were basically made of nothing but death! In every possible event, in every possible future, all we could see is death after death after death!" Clamping her hands to the side of her head, she looked on the verge of a breakdown. Ruby let out several harsh gasps as every inch of her body trembled. Eventually though, the trembling lessened and she continued; her voice now quiet. "It was horrifying. Seeing so much pain, seeing so much loss all happening at once in front of us overwhelmed Garnet's body and we had to un-fuse."

Nobody said a word, and Steven's throat felt very parched. He had never seen any one of the Gems so terrified, and it scared him to think that something other than the monsters they faced could frighten his mother-like figures so badly.

"Do you know who exactly died," Amethyst said, no longer smiling and instead her lips were in a deep frown. It was rare to see the purple Gem so serious about anything. "Because from how you're making it sound, I think we might have to prepare for some serious business in the future."

Ruby let out a few more sharp breaths before she responded. "N-no. I...I didn't see anything specific," She said, her voice a mutter. "When we're fused, all the visions Garnet sees, to me, look blurry. Which is probably why I'm still on my feet while Sapphire..." She trailed off, unable to finish as she looked at the Gem laying in Pearl's arms. "She's gonna be alright, right?"

"Of course she is," Pearl answered with a smile. "You of all people should know how tough Sapphire is." The smile soon faded as her lips became a thin line. "But if these visions were as intense are you are describing, Sapphire most likely felt an even greater strain on her body, so it's doubtful she'll completely remember what she saw."

Steven had started to feel the roots of fear growing in his stomach after Ruby finished talking. And now those roots were gripping his entire body in an icy hold of panic and terror before he spoke.

"So what are we gonna do?" Steven asked, drawing everyone's attention to him. His voice was crackling with fear, even though he tried his best to control his emotions. "I mean, we have no idea what's coming, and it looks like it's way stronger than anything we've ever faced before and is gonna hurt a lot of people. Jasper, Homeworld, some new big and powerful corrupted Gem, it could be any one of those things and we don't know! What if we can't-"

"Steven." Pearl interrupted, her expression now warm with caring love as she looked into Steven's eyes "We can, and will, handle anything the future throws at us. We're the Crytal Gems, after all. So no matter what..." Pearl moved to one of the couches and gently placed Sapphire down before turning back to Steven and smiling confidently. "We will always save the day."

And with those simple words, Steven felt a whole lot better. "Yeah, we always will."

"Heck yeah, we will!" Amethyst shouted enthusiastically, drawing a few chuckles from everyone, even Ruby who seemed more peaceful after hearing Pearl's words. "After every big bad we've taken down, I'm sure whatever's coming is gonna regret ever facing the awesomeness of the Gem Squad!"

"All the same, we best start preparing for whatever this threat is," Pearl said before looking at Steven. "Steven, I want you to be extra careful in the following days. And this goes double for you Amethyst."

"Okay Pearl," Steven nodded, before turning to Sapphire. "But what are we gonna do about Sapphire?"

"For now, we have to wait for her to awaken since Gems can't fuse if one's unconscious." Pearl explained, "Ruby, it would be best if you stay by Sapphire's side; just in case something happens."

"Got it," Ruby said, walking to Sapphire as she sat down on a chair next to the couch, eyes not moving away from the blue Gem. "I ain't leaving her alone for a second."

"Alright, now," Pearl looked towards the other two Gems. "Steven, Amethyst, you can do what you want, but when Sapphire wakes up you are to immediately go get Peridot and Lapis, they need to know what's going on. When Ruby and Saphire re-fuse into Garnet, She and I will try to come up with a more cohesive plan as you go get those two from the barn." And with that, Pearl walked towards the Warp Pad, "I'm going to check on all the corrupted Gems we bubbled, just to be on the safe side." The moment she stepped on the circular device, a bright blue glow surrounded her, the light growing in size and touching the ceiling before the glow faded and Pearl had vanished.

Steven, Amethyst, and Ruby were left in the room, no one saying anything for several seconds.

"So, do you still wanna play video games," Steven turned around and saw Amethyst already upstairs in his bed twirling a controller in her fingers.

"Ummm... Maybe later," He answered, as he walked towards the screen door, wanting to get some fresh air. He appreciated Amethyst trying to return things to normal, to try and ease Steven and assure him everything would be fine. But Ruby's face was still present in his mind, and he had to get out of the house.

"Suit yourself," Amethyst said with a shrug, turning on the console before a soft smile spread across her face. "If you need anyone to talk to, don't hesitate to ask me. But please do it after I crush this guy's skull." She said, before instantly smashing the buttons on her controller. She seemed to be taking the shocking information in her usual nonchalant stride, and Steven was slightly envious that Amethyst could take such dire news with ease.

"Hehe, will do," Steven exited his house as Amethyst watched him leave. He did not know where he was going, but he needed to find someplace to think. He walked along the beach, gazing into the clear sky but for once was not happy to see such a beautiful sun hanging in the air, or the nice breeze pricking his skin.

I can't see the future, but...why do I have the feeling that something awful is coming. The dread in his stomach only grew with each step he took, but he tried to ignore that feeling and bubble it away. He had to be calm now. He needed to be calm. Feeling scared right now was stupid.

He was a Crystal Gem, just like his mother, and he would fight and win against anything that tried to harm his family or his city.

At least...he hoped.

xxXXxx

Falling.

Josuke Higashikata knew he was falling, yet he wasn't panicking.

Around him, it looked like he had fallen into a tunnel of pure yellow; the curving walls a few feet away from him seemed to be made out of stars as he felt his body continue to descend. Gravity did not appear to exist here as Josuke's body floated in the air, blood dripping up into the air and right in front of him.

What the hell? Josuke thought that he must have been dreaming. But then the searing pain in his hips from the railing impaling him reminded Josuke that he wasn't dreaming. He also realized that his adrenaline was wearing off, and it was getting harder and harder to stay awake.

He wasn't sure how long he had been falling for, but for some reason, it felt like he was still floating in the same spot since he started. He remembered Kira had also fallen into the same crack, so he immediately turned his head and searched for the murderer, but all he saw were the walls. And strangely, Josuke found his eyes glued to the bright and glowing walls, inexplicably drawn towards it. It was almost like the walls were calling out to him, begging to be touched. He stuck out his hand, intent on at the very least placing his finger on the wall, but something grabbed his wrist and stopped him dead in his tracks.

Josuke looked up and saw Crazy Diamond had materialized right next to him, even though he had never called his Stand, and was grabbing his wrist. Underneath its helmet, Josuke could see it's mouth in a frown as it shook its head.

Crazy Diamond seemed to be telling him not to touch the walls, and Josuke would be a fool to ignore his own Stand's warning. How his Stand knew the walls around him were dangerous, he did not know, but he trusted his Stand's judgment.

And then from the corner of his eye, Josuke saw a jet black hue coming from behind him. Josuke turned his body, inadvertently twirling in the air, and saw far below him at the end of the tunnel something that looked like a large, bubbling, trench of black lava. It was so far away, yet Josuke could feel the sheer power coming from the pit as he felt a chill run up his spine. The corrupt malevolence that the trench leaked pierced Josuke's weakened body as fear crept within his body. The trench unsettled him, and he decided he needed to figure out some way to get out of this passage now before he got too close to the black ooze.

"JOSUKE!"

Josuke immediately recognized the voice and whirled around, his Stand ready to unleash hell, but he never got a chance.

For a piece of clothing crunched up into a ball had just hit his right arm. And the moment it made contact, Josuke felt a burning, white-hot flame travel up his arm and spread to the other parts of his body. The pain was so intense it felt like his muscles had been lit on fire.

And then they actually were lit on fire as a large portion of his body was engulfed in an explosion. But the fireball made no sounds so Josuke could hear his own screams as clear as a bell. Bright red blood soon erupted from fresh wounds; his body was in such a searing pain he was vomiting blood and he could no longer feel his right arm. There now severe burn marks on his exposed right arm as Josuke suddenly felt his voice die in his throat, no longer able to even scream as the pain seemed to increase.

Josuke found himself flying backward, his Stand disappearing back into nothing as his body slowly stopped careening and he was once again floating. Though he could barely think straight through all the pain, he could still see Kira's enraged face looking down on him from far above.

"The pain your feeling right now is only a fraction of the anger running through my blood!" Kira shouted, blood dripping from his wounds. Josuke could see Killer Queen, stomach open and Stray Cat's body still limp inside the space, standing right next to Kira. Kira suit had a new, long tear in it, different from the other ones present, and through the haze in his mind, Josuke knew how Kira made a new bomb. "Being sucked into this...Place and being taken away from Morioh is a fate worse than death to me!" The blistering rage in his voice grew with each syllable he spoke; his purple eyes burned with malicious hatred. "And it's all your fault! If you had just left me in peace, I wouldn't have killed your friends, I would be just another man you see across the street, and most of all I would have a normal life and still have a place I could safely call a home!"

Kira's expression was growing more livid with each word he spoke. "Now because of you and your friends, I have gone through hell these last weeks, and am now in some form of purgatory with my only company being you!"

Absolutely searing fury burned within Kira's expression, his entire body leaking with repulsive malevolence. The air around them now clinging with darkness despite the bright light of the tunnel as Kira's mouth morphed into a snarl. "All I wanted was to live my life as I please Josuke Higashikata! So why are you so hell-bent on making sure I don't have a future!?"

Kira pointed a finger towards Josuke, the blood dripping down his face and further highlighting darkness that now ran rampant throughout the murder's face. Josuke could see all of Kira's hatred, his fury, and all of his demonic cruelty with crystal clear clarity even through his blurred vision.

"Why are you so determined to deny me my peace!"

Josuke was barely listening, the pain he felt was so intense he was surprised he wasn't dead yet. Though right now death seemed very appealing to him. He was so tired, and right now he didn't care about Kira, all he wanted to do was rest and be...at peace.

At peace...that was...what Kira wanted...to be at peace..?

He suddenly saw a girl with bright pink hair.

At peace...

He suddenly saw a small boy grinning at him. And another girl with long brown hair actually complimenting his pompadour.

At peace...

Then he saw newspapers. Newspaper after Newspaper detailing people going missing. Detailing ever devastated mother, every broken family, and all of the lives that had been ruined after someone "disappeared."

A purple aura surrounded Josuke.

...At peace!?

And his eyes shot open as they blazed.

That word, peace. The word Kira had been repeating over and over again since Josuke had first met him, the last word of Kira's rant sent something primal through Josuke.

Pure, unadulterated, rage. A rage that burned through his body almost as much as the explosion; an anger so intense it made every cell in his body go into overdrive as a new more dangerous energy ran through his blood. The vicious hatred within him made his entire body tremble as he clenched his left fist so hard he drew blood.

All while he felt his eyes continued to blaze.

This bastard... This bastard had the balls to talk about wanting peace! Josuke remembered his friend, Shigechi, using his Stand to deliver the warning about Kira being a Stand User. Just before his friend's Stand blew up and even now they still could not find even one part of the small boy. He remembered Aya, her bruised body lying in a pool of her own blood with a hole in her neck, and yet she still tried to tell him and his friends what Kira looked like before she had been killed in a fiery explosion. Now nothing more than ash in the wind.

And then there was Reimi Sugimoto, the girl who had died fifteen years ago, the ghost girl who was still stuck in his world and couldn't move on, the girl who wanted to bring her killer to justice and avenge all those he had killed... Was unable to get even the slightest hint of peace because this bastard was still breathing and hurting others to this day, and Remi couldn't get to move on as she should have so long ago.

The fire in his eyes would not stop growing.

And this monster dared talked about wanting to have peace for himself? After everything, after every horrible deed he had committed, he had the guts to ask to live in peace?

Kira's expression suddenly lost some of its contempt. The malevolence that the murderer radiated wasn't as strong as before. And within Kira's eyes, he could see a touch—just a touch, but he still saw it—of fear. Because the bastard saw it.

He saw the fire in Josuke's eyes born from the teenager's righteous fury. He saw the sheer hatred within those flames that would burn a hundred normal men as Josuke glared at the murderer. And Kira saw that the anger, the immense, blazing anger within Josuke's eyes was only a mere fraction of the rage the teenager had within his soul.

The fear Josuke saw suddenly grew.

Despite the pain running through him, despite the fact that his body was roaring with exhaustion, Josuke stood tall as he glared at Kira with every ounce of pure rage within him.

"You wanna know why I keep trying to kick your ass? You wanna know why I want to make sure you never harm another innocent person ever again?" Josuke's voice was rough and barely above a whisper, but the rage within it roared.

The fear grew again; and he saw Killer Queen flinch.

He looked at the ragged ball of clothing floating by his side. Whatever Kira turned into a bomb would not be damaged in the explosion, but once used, Kira would have to touch it again to reignite it. Which meant right now that ball of cloth was safe to touch.

"It's simple..." Josuke used the energy flowing within him to call Crazy Diamond's arm, the limb appearing in front of Josuke as it overlapped with his elbow before it grabbed the small ball of clothing into its fist. A dark yellow aura surrounded it, and the same aura surrounded Kira and Killer Queen, both of their eyes widening as they realized their mistake. Crazy Diamond could repair anything it touched back into its original form, and it could control where said objects would reform.

Even if someone was wearing the object.

"You..." Kira's eyes widened even further as he was suddenly sent flying towards Josuke, his body moving faster and faster as if there were strings pulling his body to Josuke. Crazy Diamond's entire body appeared only a few inches away from Josuke as both master and Stand pulled their fist back. Josuke summoned every ounce of strength left as both he and his Stand launched their fist together at the murder careening towards them.

"PISSED ME OFF!"

The fear in Kira's eyes changed. And every bit of hatred and malevolence fled from his expression as pure terroroverwhelmed the unfeeling murderer.

And it was at that exact moment that Crazy Diamond and Josuke's fist plowed into both Kira and Killer Queen's face; their eyeballs popped out of their sockets and blood sprayed into the air in a geyser.

It was the most satisfying thing Josuke had ever seen.

Josuke roared. And Crazy Diamond quickly followed with its' own right before his Stand ended this.

"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA!"

Moving as fast as light itself, Crazy Diamond rained blow after blow on both Kira and Killer Queen, smashing fist after fist into every part of their bodies. Punch after punch hit Kira with organ shattering force, Crazy Diamond somehow moving faster by the second as it seemed to grow a thousand pair of arms that unleashed a maelstrom of destruction on the murderer and his Stand. Kira's body was like a ragdoll, the force of each punch sent his head and limbs twisting and veering as Crazy Diamond kept attacking with such powerful hits Kira's bones could be heard snapping with each punch.

And after what seemed like a neverending barrage of dense and immensely strong blows, Crazy Diamond stopped punching, turning away from its targets. Killer Queen and Kira were still for one, solitary second.

Until both the Stand and the murderer's bodies erupted in blood, every inch of his body now covered in the red liquid. Every painful blow Crazy Diamond had landed caused deep dents in both Kira's and Killer Queen's bodies as they were sent careening backward. Kira let out the most painful scream Josuke had ever heard as his body hit the bright yellow walls; his Stand disappeared from existence as it's owner had been utterly crushed by Crazy Diamond. But to Josuke's surprise, the wall seemed to absorb the stand user, enveloping him in tendrils of yellow energy as his bloody body slowly began to fade.

"Damn...you..." Kira began through broken teeth and blood filled mouth as his body began to sink deeper into the light. And even though Kira was in immense pain, even though Josuke could see he was so close to dying...the murderer still had enough strength to shout his next word with a bottomless fury.

"JOJO!"

Hatred whirled within Kira's bruised face. Hatred that was just as lethal as any of his Stand's explosion.

And in response to Kira's anger, Josuke along with Crazy Diamond struck a pose, one arm placed under their chins while their other arm was above their head and pointed at Kira; both Stand and master twisted their upper body to the left to give Kira a view of their steely blue eyes. Josuke gave the murderer a scowl before he was completely absorbed.

"Rest in hell with all the other scumbags, Kira." And those would be the last words Kira would hear from Josuke as the wall finished enveloping him.

And in the next moment, his injuries were too much for him as his Stand faded out of existence. The only reason he did not collapse onto the floor was because there was none. He floated down the tunnel of light, down to the pit of black lava only a few feet away now.

"Aya...Shingechi...Remi...Everyone, I got him..." Josuke was coughing blood as he spoke, his eyes slowly closing. "Sorry...but I don't think I'm coming back to celebrate." Even with all the pain in his body, he still smiled as he suddenly found himself sinking into the black liquid.

And just before he lost all consciousness, there was one thought running through his head. One last thought before Josuke Higashikata entered a new plane of existence.

This is just... Great

To Be Continued~