SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Darkness Manifest

by Jojoleopard

Episode 18: Swimming with Sharks

“Did you find her?” Subterra ran over to Leilani after another walk around the dome’s perimeter.

The native shook her head, raising both hands. “Someone saw her running after a man down to the jungle. It must be the enemy Stand user Shiho mentioned.”

“Is she going to be ok? We should be helping her.” Subterra looked past Leilani at the exit.

“Ocellus is a capable woman. She can take care of herself,” Leilani said. “We should take care of Shiho’s injuries first. Whatever she ingested must’ve been quite dangerous.”

Subterra agreed and the two of them returned to where Shiho was seated at the Red Panda cafe. She seemed a lot better now and she was grumbling to herself about how she was going to punch the lights out of the Stand master’s eyes. Leilani agreed with her at the end of every sentence as she inspected her wounds.

Subterra Shiver could only stand to the side as the two went on. She didn’t have any expertise at dealing with injuries, especially since Shiho’s seemed to all be internal. She had told them that Ocellus left some Forest Rangers inside her, busy repairing her blood vessels and she would be better in no time.

“After this… I really need a drink,” Shiho said and groaned. “Whatever I had before wasn’t enough.”

“Subterra, after we’re sure Shiho is ok, we have to go help Ocellus.” Leilani met the young girl’s eyes. “After we’re sure there aren’t anymore Stand masters coming after us, we can start looking for signs of the TWIsland. In the meantime, could you get some spare cloth for Shiho? I want to tie them around her arms to put some pressure inside her body.”

“Sounds good.” Subterra nodded and scurried off.

The best place she thought to look was the cafe’s counter. She asked for a few rags from the bartender and after seeing Shiho sitting there with blood under her skin, he walked away and grabbed three for Subterra. She gave him a nod and brought them back for Leilani to use while she stood to the side, not wanting to crowd around Shiho as Leilani tended to her.

After a while, she decided it would be good to examine the dome’s surroundings again to see if she could find Ocean Man’s Charter. Once they had it, they would have the way to the island. Subterra remembered the stories from her time there, along with the experience of passing through the mist during her escape from TWI. The ride through Ocean Man’s powers had been unpleasant, as though one was passing through the planet’s atmosphere. While not a combatant, Ocean Man’s powers could hide entire cities from the world; it was a powerful Stand in its own right. Plus, if your enemy could never get to you, you would never have to worry about fighting for your life, and that was exactly why Imbibed Man chose to lie on the beach all day long, without a care in the failing world.

Subterra knew without a doubt that there was truth to TWI’s words, that she could indeed do something to change the state of the world. Already, her friends were having doubts whether their quest was just, and she too had thought about it. If killing the government heads was all she had to do, what was so wrong about that? It was simply a few human lives for the sake of billions.

“Is that so bad?” Subterra asked herself. She clenched her fists. “No, no one should just lose their lives like that.”

“Why not, Subterra?” Crafteon’s quiet voice whispered in her ear. “We’ve killed plenty of TWI’s followers. What are a few more?”

Subterra shook her head. “That’s because… it was self-defense. If they didn’t attack me, I wouldn’t have to fight back.”

“The heads of this world are killing the planet for their greed. Is that not the same thing? To fight back against them in self-defense for the world?”

“I… w-who’s side are you on?” Subterra grumbled.

“I am merely speaking from within you, Subterra. It is but an opinion. One you have to think about for yourself.”

As she was backing away from the dome’s windows, Subterra’s foot collided with something and she would’ve fallen back if a hand hadn’t caught her from behind.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry, are you ok?” a woman’s voice asked.

Subterra turned to see a woman with long red hair, braided all the way down from the back of her head. She had on a silvery tank top and black shorts that had triangle patterns near the edges.

“It’s ok, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Subterra replied, planting her feet on the ground as she got back her balance.

“No, it’s fine. I’m sure I was the one at fault. You don’t have to say that…” The woman waved a hand in front of her face. “I do notice your… friend seems to be in some kind of pickle. Uh, perhaps I could help you?”

Subterra felt flustered and began waving her hands. “O-Oh, no no, there’s no need.”

“It’s the least I can do. Here, I can get you something to help.” The woman dug in her pockets, looking for something. “Here, painkillers. I always carry these around in case.”

“Uh-umm…” Subterra looked at the white box in her hand. She slowly took it from her. “I-I guess. Thank you.”

The woman smiled and took her hand and shook it. All of a sudden, her expression changed. It was as though a darkness had crossed her face and she grinned madly. “Gotcha.”

Subterra had already known something was going to happen, but a massive spike emerged from the woman’s chest, spearing through her own as the woman let go of her hand. Subterra staggered back and landed on the ground, gasping for air.

“No, Subterra. Thank you,” she said as she left her lying on the floor. “Now to deal with your friends…”

The overwhelming metallic smell of blood filled Subterra’s nostrils and it was getting harder and harder for her to breathe. She had to warn her friends. She had to let them know there was another Stand master here.

“The woman was suspicious from the beginning, but you cannot die here, Subterra.” Crafteon floated above Subterra’s head. “There is still much we have to do. People we have to end.”

Shadows filled Subterra’s wound. She instantly began to feel colder, but she found herself calming down, almost like the darkness was blocking out everything that made her worry in life. Strength began returning to her limbs, but only ever so slightly. She would survive this, but would she recover fast enough to save her friends?

---

From across where Leilani Seabell and Shiho Sunfast were seated in the cafe, the woman with red hair had found a comfortable spot on a large round pillar to lean against, far enough to watch them, but not near enough for them to suspect she was up to something.

Already, their little group had drawn eyes all over the dome from their various injuries, with Shiho bleeding internally thanks to Placid Lake and his Stand, Crocodile Rock, and Subterra Shiver lying on the ground thanks to her own deceptive Stand, Sharks. She knew TWI said to bring Subterra back alive, but at this point, she just wanted to see them all dead.

Her name was Sharkangel, and she had been recruited by TWI only four years ago, after she had attempted to stop a whaling vessel from harpooning a humpback whale, a species thought to have gone extinct in 2057. She had failed and the humpback whale had been killed for its fat and meat, but it was there that Sharkangel met Will. I. Knoe, who decimated the boat’s crew with his Stand, Ripple. After that, he had taken her to TWI, who had given her Stand power with the use of her special arrow imbued with mysterious power.

That was how she had developed her Stand, Sharks. It wasn’t much of a fighter, but should someone acknowledge a good deed she had done for them, Sharks would emerge and deal a devastating blow to them, which was exactly what she had done to Subterra, and it was what she was going to do to the rest of her friends.

“This is for Will,” she muttered under her breath. “He brought me to TWI back then. It was because of him that I was able to fight back at the cruelty of this world. And now he’s gone. I will never forget his kindness and I will take you all down after what you did to him. Just wait and see, you’re swimming with sharks.”

If she was anything, it was patience. Sharkangel had watched the world for years, waiting for the right time to do something good, to do something that mattered. When someone she used to call a friend had caught wind of a whale sighting near Japan’s borders, she thought she could give back to the world after all these years. Instead, she received something much more amazing. If she could wait twenty years for the right time to act, she could do it for hours, days, even weeks.

“I make this vow to myself and to TWI,” she said to herself. “I will not leave this place until all of Subterra and her group are dead. One is already down for the count. And Placid Lake will surely take care of one. That leaves two for me.”

After the one called Leilani had finished cleaning Shiho up, she got up and walked towards the bar counter, likely to get a drink or perhaps more rags. This was Sharkangel’s chance and she swiftly left her hiding spot and ventured over to the Red Panda to continue her plan.

With her unassuming presence, people were usually more interested to talk to her than to just leave. Plus, it helped to be a woman. A man approaching anyone, especially females, would always be taken as more suspicious.

“Time to get to work…” she said to herself sinisterly as she approached the dark skinned woman. “For the whales. And for Will.”

She grabbed an empty mug off one of the tables and placed it on the counter as she stopped a good distance from Leilani, out of arm’s reach.

“Bartender, another glass of lime vodka for me, please, and… whatever it is this lady needs.” She gave Leilani a wink.

The man walked out from the back and gave her a nod, before grabbing the glass from her.

“Your friend, she looks like she’s in trouble,” Sharkangel said, trying to put as much sympathy into her voice as she could. It sounded disgusting to her, but no one would know that.

“She’ll be fine. She’s strong.” Leilani nodded. “Just doing what I can to ease it.”

“Hey no, I know something that works even better.” Sharkangel took a few steps away and waved for Leilani. “Come, there’s another cafe around the other side, The Steaming Iron, it has some concoctions with medicinal properties. I’ve tried some, I’ve been here a few times before. You need to try the scarab juice. I promise, your friend will feel so much better afterwards. Come!”

It took a bit more coaxing and hopping, but eventually, Sharkangel got Leilani to follow. She scurried further excitedly, glad for her plan to have worked. She led her right to The Steaming Iron, then flipped herself over the counter as she again waved for Leilani to follow.

As a contingency plan, Sharkangel had already taken care of the workers at this cafe. She needed to make sure she could go around back without any issues or anyone finding her. It had been almost too easy dealing with the workers. Right now, the three of them were tied up and gagged in the maintenance closet in the back. She had first thought of killing them, but it would’ve taken too much time to kill each one with Sharks without alerting the rest. These people were the reason animals were going extinct, cooking up things like lizards and armadillos into juices.

“The workers are away for lunch or something. They wouldn’t mind us taking just one drink,” Sharkangel said.

But Leilani didn’t move to follow her. She still stood on the other side of the counter. “But, it is against God’s will to steal. Thou shall not steal, he commanded.”

“Oh great, one of these…” Sharkangel rolled her eyes. “B-But it’s for the good of your friend! Trust me. Once she drinks this, she’s going to feel so much better. Come on! Don’t you want to help her?”

Leilani seemed to think about it, then she put her hands together and closed her eyes. “Forgive me, Father.”

Then she climbed over the counter and joined Sharkangel in the back where all their machines sat. Sharkangel grabbed a steel cup and began filling it with fluids from various containers. Once it was ready, she gave it a shake before handing it to Leilani.

“There. Scarab juice. A wonder for the body,” she lied. She had no idea what she had just made, but as long as she looked convinced, Leilani would never know.

Leilani accepted the cup and nodded. “Thank you. You don’t know who I am or who my friend is, but you helped us anyway. May God bless you.”

“Oh, but I do know who you are…” Sharkangel took her hand and smirked. “And you’re swimming with Sharks.”

Her Stand emerged from her chest faster than Leilani could realize. She didn’t even have time to move before its spike pierced her chest, sending her sprawling to the floor in her own blood. Leilani coughed and began crawling away.

“I’ll leave you to it. It won’t be long before you’re gone.” She dusted her hands and flipped back over the counter. “Now all that remains is Shiho Sunfast, the princess’ mortal enemy. And she’s already weakened from Placid’s attack. This is going to be a piece of cake.”

She made her way back to where Shiho was sitting. She was still there, as grumpy-looking as ever, and Sharkangel could already taste the victory she was about to attain. None of the other hunters had been as close as she was. Even Djirt and his ugly brother, Sejnnd, with their powerful Stands, could not accomplish this menial task.

“And they had all laughed at me for having a Stand that can only attack if my goodness is acknowledged. Ha! Who’s laughing now?” She stopped a few steps away from Shiho. “This is it. This is my moment to shine.”

She approached, carrying the cup that she had made for Leilani earlier. Without warning, she swooped into Shiho’s view, holding up the cup to her.

“Your friend asked me to give this to you. It’s a drink blessed by her holy god.” Sharkangel cringed after saying that.

Shiho raised an eyebrow. “She couldn’t give it to me herself?”

“She’s still tidying up the cafe. She made quite the mess,” Sharkangel chuckled.

Shiho sniffed at the cup, which was a yellowish-green liquid. “Tell her I drank every last drop.”

And she flicked the cup’s contents into the nearest potted plant before setting it on the table.

Sharkangel blinked as Shiho placed the cup on the table. She hadn’t slipped any poison or anything into the drink, but she hadn’t expected her to just toss the contents aside.

“You’re still here?” Shiho turned her attention back to her. “Go see if Leilani’s ok. Cleaning should be left to the staff.”

“Uh. Sure…” Sharkangel walked out of Shiho’s sight. “That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. You were supposed to say ‘thank you’. And then Sharks would destroy you.”

She walked in a circle, then paused for thirty seconds. She had to come up with something else before heading back to try again. She grabbed a packet of fries off a couple’s table while they were busy chatting away and brought it back to Shiho. “No one could resist french fries, not even vegans.”

She returned to Shiho and put a huge smile on her face as she held out the box of french fries towards her.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” Shiho raised a corner of her mouth, which in turn raised a corner of her nose.

“Another gift from your friend!” Sharkangel injected more friendliness into her voice. “She felt bad about having to leave you here all injured. She wants to finish cleaning up the place. Something about her god being nice. She didn’t want to leave you here without anything.”

Shiho grumbled and took the fries from Sharkangel, but she didn’t say anything else. Sharkangel’s smile deflated a little.

“This is not how things usually play out…” she muttered to herself. “People are normally thankful to strangers…”

“You’re still here?” Shiho asked her, then waved a hand. “You don’t have to keep standing here. You’re done. You can go.”

“O-Oh!” Sharkangel stood straighter. “But… You look hurt! I think I should stay here and watch over you. In case you need some help!”

Shiho held up the fries. “Ugh. Buzz off, I don’t need anything. This will keep me from being bored. A little.”

“No, you’re supposed to-” Sharkangel stopped herself from smashing her face into her hands. “A-Are you sure? I’m a really helpful person. All my friends think so. Most people think so. Your friend did.”

“Well, right now you’re making me think you want a beating, so beat it, will you?” Shiho growled.

“I just want to help,” Sharkangel stated simply.

“Yeah, well, you can help by pissing off and leaving me alone,” Shiho said with a grumpy look on her face. “I’ve got more important fish to fry right now, and you’re standing between me and the fryer.”

Shiho then took out her lightphone and began checking things on it, ignoring Sharkangel as she stared at Shiho with disbelief.

“Impossible. How can I deal with her if she won’t acknowledge my good deeds?” Sharkangel was about ready to tear out her red hair.

She ran up to Shiho and grabbed her hands as she dropped to her knees. “Please. Please just acknowledge what I’ve done. Tell me that I’ve done something good. Please. I need it!”

“Good grief, don’t tell me you’re one of those pathetic people who need validation from everyone around you,” Shiho exclaimed, yanking her hands back. “I’m not going to tell you again; turn around and walk away, dig a hole and fall in it, whatever. I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with your mental issues. So for the last time, go away and leave me alone!”

“Please, just one simple ‘thank you’. I’ll be gone after that, I promise!” Sharkangel continued to grovel.

Shiho shoved her away, then threw a punch at her with Curtain Call. “Neigh!”

“Eeeep!” Sharkangel squealed just before Curtain Call’s fist connected with her face.

She got launched across the cafe and into one of the potted plants, knocking it over and shattering the pot into bits. She pushed herself up and rubbed at her cheek, which was already starting to swell.

“W-W-Why?!” she yelled.

“I warned you. I hate it when people try to get me to do something I don’t want to do.” Shiho stood up, glaring at her. “And another thing. You were able to see Curtain Call’s fist heading at your face. You must be a Stand user just like me.”

“W-Whuhh…?” Sharkangel’s words came out garbled. “N-Noh… Ish not… I’m not…”

Subterra stumbled to the floor near the entrance of the cafe, clutching at her chest which was spilling shadows. “Sh-Shiho.”

“Whuh?” Sharkangel looked at her in disbelief. “How dih you shurviuhh?”

Shiho returned her gaze to the red haired woman. “I see what’s going on here. I was right to give you a good hit.”

“W-Waiht, noh…” Sharkangel began waving both hands, but it was too late to change Shiho’s mind.

Curtain Call flew towards her and grabbed her around the shirt collar before tossing her into the air. As she began descending, Shiho’s Stand began throwing a series of rapid punches at her, distorting her body with each blow. Sharkangel crashed into a table and chair, knocking both over dropping to the ground in a heap.

“Humph, tryhard.” Shiho spat at her before going over to help Subterra up. “Are you ok?”

Subterra took a few deep breaths. “A little. Crafteon’s darkness saved me, but Leilani, she needs help.”

“Tch.” Shiho made a noise and followed Subterra.

To their surprise, Ocellus was already at the other cafe by the time they got there, busy working with Forest Rangers to stop Leilani’s bleeding.

“How is she?” Subterra asked.

“Better. Now that Forest Rangers are inside her. They’re busy putting her blood vessels back together, just like with Shiho.” Ocellus sucked in air. “But she’s hurt way more. It’s a good thing I made it back at this moment. I don’t know if I could save her if she lost any more blood.”

“The other Stand master has been taken care of, then?” Shiho folded her arms.

Ocellus nodded, then smiled and raised a hand, pointing an index finger skyward. “But that’s not all. I found it.”

“Found what?” Shiho stepped forward.

Ocellus’ smile widened. “I know which direction we’re headed. I know where the Charter is.”

- To be Continued...-

Author's Note:

As always, Stand charts here!

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

Very amazing!

And now we’re getting much closer now on the encounter with TWI

[Golden_Reflection]

Nice, a stand that gets defeated by being rude. The perfect stand to be beaten by Shiho.