Asmodeus Kamoshida (III)

4/22

The group had been making steady progress through the Palace over the course of several visits, but it was tough going. As Morgana had said the Shadows grew stronger as they moved in deeper, and more numerous to boot. But they had a good idea of where the treasure was, at the top of a large tower at the back of the Castle. And on their last visit they had reached an area where the distortion was particularly bad, where the floor was constantly warping and reshaping.

Morgana said that the treasure was guaranteed to be nearby in that case.

But they couldn't go in today. Akira apparently had to work at the cafe he was living at (which sounded simultaneously cool and depressing) and Ryuji had to help his mom with something. Still, Shizuka had seen an opportunity in this and invited Ann to hang out.

They met up at a diner on Shibuya's central street, talking over coffee in a comfortable booth they had managed to snag in the corner.

"My parents mainly leave me to my own devices. I mean they're busy, I get it, and I totally appreciate their hard work but... still," Ann shrugged helplessly. "I suppose by now I'm used to it."

Shizuka nodded slowly. She lifted her coffee up, took a brief sip, and set it back down. "I get ya. My dad was involved in work whenever he was healthy enough for it, and it could take him away for long periods of time. It sucks but... it's a necessity. Still, doing modelling at your age... Japan sure is an interesting place."

Ann apparently did modelling as a part time job, and her foreign appearance and natural good looks had helped score her a bit of success in that regard. It was definitely a surprise to Shizuka, given her age, but it suited her.

"It puts bread on the table... That's like, an American saying, right?"

"Yeah if you're like, ninety," Shizuka replied. The two snickered and enjoyed their coffee for a few moments. "Truth be told though... well I had ulterior motives for inviting you out here. I mean, of course I want to get to know you better if we're gonna be teammates. But um... there's something important I feel you have a right to know about," she said.

From what she could tell, Ann apparently had no idea about Houdini saving Shiho's life. Akira and Ryuji had perhaps thought it was none of their business to talk about it, or it had slipped their minds entirely.

"When... when Shiho jumped, I saw it and... I caught her mid fall." To elaborate, Shizuka summoned Houdini to her side, with the golden figure floating above the young woman. Ann's eyes widened, wide as dinner plates as they surveyed Shizuka's Stand.

"O-oh, right, you... the guys said you could summon yours in the real world." The sight of Houdini stunned Ann for a few moments before she managed to snap back to attention, understanding just what Shizuka had said. "Wait, you were... you caught her and... so that's why the doctors said her injuries were so limited. A broken leg and some fractures. It was because you..." Shizuka nodded. A gentle smile touched on Ann's face, and she quickly reached up to dry the corners of her eyes "Th-thank you."

Shizuka smiled sheepishly. She fixed up her heart-shaped sunglasses, trying to keep her embarrassment from being obvious. "I did it reflexively. Because I... I couldn't just stay still and watch. My Stand had no choice but to act."

"Still, doing that to save a person you've never even met before. That's more than anyone else in the school did. It's more than... I did..."

"Come on Ann, don't think like that."

"But it's true!" Ann looked into the inky depths of her half-empty coffee mug. "Everyone... so many people had to know how bad things were getting. The kinds of things he was doing. And everyone turned a blind eye, or kept quiet about it, or acted like it wasn't their problem. And I, I should have known that that bastard would have done something like that to Shiho."

Shizuka reached across the table, pressing a strong hand to Ann's left shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. "Ann, the only people to blame to blame for what happened are Kamoshida, and any rat bastard teacher who knew the stuff he was into. You go blaming yourself, and you're just giving him power."

But, she supposed Ann's worrying was to be expected. This whole situation was the kind of thing that nobody ever wanted to go through, and the after effects would linger for some time.

"She said my paintings sucked." The words came out of the blue and had Shziuka raising one eyebrow from behind her shades. "When we first met, when we became friends in middle school. We were doing art and she said my paintings sucked. And you know, that might sound mean but..." She smiled from the nostalgia, slowly rolling a finger around the rim of her mug. "At the time nobody really spoke to me, but she was... genuine, and never had any issues with who I was or how I appeared. It was the first time anyone in middle school ever spoke to me without bringing up my looks. She's my oldest and closest friend and I-"

"You did nothing wrong," Shizuka assured her.

"Still... I wish there was something I could do..." Ann said, giving a quick shake of her head.

An idea popped into Shizuka's head. It was a dangerous one, to be sure, and definitely one of the wildest things she had ever thought to do. But then again, when had a Joestar gotten anywhere by playing it safe? "Is Shiho taking visitors?"

The question disarmed Ann a bit. "Yeah. I've met with her a few times... you saving her like that has really helped in that regard. She's free to leave the hospital but... well she hasn't. I think she's afraid. Or ashamed. Or both. Why do you want to know?"

"Figure it's about time to pay her a visit. I mean at a time like this... she could do with more people to talk to, right?"

----------

Ann had hesitated for a bit, but ultimately decided there was little harm in bringing someone along. And if Shizuka had saved Shiho's life, then she supposed she was a safe person to bring around. And clearly she wasn't judgemental of Shiho's action.

The hospital was, as hospitals often were, a cramped and depressing area positively stuffed with people. Mainly the elderly. Shizuka noted that a Japanese hospital had nowhere near as many injured drunk idiots as she had seen in American hospitals. A scent of medicine and disinfectant followed them all throughout the building, and medical machines maintained a chorus of hisses and beeps and hums throughout the corridors.

They encountered Doctor Lifeson on the way, who brightened a bit at the sight of Shizuka. "Oh! Ko-knee-chee-wah, Shizuka-san!" he said, sounding each syllable quickly.

"Relax dude, we both speak English."

"Well thank fucking god for that. My translator is in the bathroom," the doctor replied with a small sigh of relief. He was a large man, about a head taller than Ann and rather broadly built even under the loose white material of a doctor's coat. He was bald and had a trimmed brown beard, his right ear marked by a few diamond studs.

Nothing about him really 'screamed' doctor (other than the coat) but he did indeed have all the qualifications. But more than that, Doctor Lifeson had some 'extra talents' that made him a cut above anyone else in the medical world.

"You guys know each other?" Ann asked.

"Yeah. He's from the Speedwagon Foundation. Asked them to help handle Shiho's medical bills, and they then offered to send Lifeson over," Shizuka explained.

"I... heard you were rich but... how rich are you?" Ann asked.

She shrugged weakly. "I unno. Very? I've never really stopped to think about it, and the number probably changes on the hour so... meh. Besides this is for a good cause. I figured her folks would have a lot on their minds, and that having big medical bills hanging overhead would just make things worse," Shizuka explained.

A sudden realisation hit Ann. "Oh gosh! Shiho's mom said that the bills were taken care of but... that was really you?" Shizuka nodded. "Then... w-wow, that's incredible. But what about this... Doctor Lifeson?"

"Aha... well I have special talents that make me quite useful to the Speedwagon Foundation. We're all about helping people, after all."

"She knows about Stands doc, it's fine. She's got one of her own, kinda." When Shizuka said this, the bearded man nodded slowly. The air shimmered around him, becoming distorted with an aura of shimmering blue light. A spectral form materialized at Lifeson's side, a floating orb of blue metal with a ring of glowing golden eyes at the equator, and a tangle of gold briars growing from the underside of the orb.

"This is my stand, 『Panacea.』 It might not look too imposing, but then again it's not designed for combat," Lifeson explained. He smiled, each glowing eye blinking in sequence. The eyelids were like those of a doll, clearly mechanical. "With his power, I can instantly know the exact issues affecting a persons body, and then Panacea can create special medicines that will help accelerate the recovery."

Ann blinked "That's... that's incredible. S-so you gave Shiho something to heal her bones quicker?" Lifeson nodded in confirmation. "I knew she was recovering fast, but... wow, to think it was something like this behind it all..."

"It's not instantaneous. At present she'll have a bit of a limp for a while now, but she's certainly recovering far faster than she normally would," Lifeson paused, seeming to hesitate before continuing on. "That said... Well, my Stand can only deal with physical trauma. Outside of neurochemical manipulation, I can't do much for emotional trauma. And Miss Suzui seems to need a lot of help in that regard." Though they had known that well in advance.

"Well... thanks doc," Shizuka said. They let him pass, as he seemed to be dying for some coffee. "I figured that'd be the case. But... I don't know any Stand-using therapists."

"There are some things that you shouldn't try and find a magical solution for," Ann replied. She tapped her chin slowly and then smiled gently at the young Joestar. "Doing all this for someone you don't know.... it's impressive."

Shizuka adjusted her sunglasses. "I mean... it's the right thing to do. She's young, and she needs to be able to know that her life is worth living. That she's not worthless, like that scumbag teacher made her feel." She shook her head slowly. How had things gotten so bad? How could so many people turn a blind eye to what had been going on? Not just the people on the volleyball team, but the principal and teachers who had to know that something wasn't right.

But simply being pissed off about this wouldn't help. They'd set things right. If what Morgana said was true, and he did seem to be an expert, they could get Kamoshida to confess and then blow the whole case wide open for all Japan to see.

Shiho was seated at the side of her hospital bed, her crutches propped up near her side. A cast lingered on her left leg, and with the sleeves of her white shirt rolled up Shizuka could see a bandage on the matching arm. Lifeson did good work.

"H-hey there. How are you feeling today?" Ann asked as the two entered. The dark haired girl looked at Ann over her shoulder, and tried her best to smile. But her eyes conveyed such sadness that it was clear it was all an act.

Shiho shrugged gently. "I can walk around a bit better. Doctor Lifeson is a little strange, but whatever medicine he's giving me really works..." She noticed Shizuka standing in the doorway, specifically the prison-patterned Shujin skirt she was wearing under the hem of her leather jacket. "Oh um... are you the second transfer student in Ann's class?"

Well, it was better than what Akira was commonly referred to as: 'That fucking transfer student.'

"Yup. Shizuka Joestar. Pleased to meet you," she said, smiling brightly. She thought about extending a hand out to shake, but then wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. So she bowed stiffly and cleared her throat once she stood upright again. "Sorry. I'm not a native, I dunno what the whole... procedure is when you're meeting someone new."

And despite herself Shiho laughed. It was small, but it seemed more genuine than her earlier smile. "It's nice to meet you," Shiho remarked.

"I know you don't know me, but... well Ann and I have been getting to know each other, and I was... concerned." She wasn't quite sure how to put it. After all, this whole situation was very much new to her. But, she supposed it would be best to be slow and polite, to try and keep the atmosphere calm and civil.

She leaned in the doorway as the two friends spoke. Ann spoke, mainly, and Shiho listened for the most part. She didn't seem particularly talkative, and Shizuka couldn't exactly blame her. But Ann was determined and seemed to really want to reach her friend.

"Shiho I know this is something you're not going to want to talk about, but... but I'm sorry."

"Huh?" The dark haired girl looked up, suddenly snapped to attention.

"Kamoshida. For a while now he's been trying to... get with me. And I kept turning him down, but the last time he did..." She didn't finish, not when it was clear what she was referring to.

Shiho shook her head, taking a moment to fix her ponytail back into place as a means to occupy her hands. "No Ann, I... I'm sorry. I should have seen how bad things are. I should have left a long time ago, but instead I just... let him. And I was such a coward that I tried to... to end it all. It was like there was... something inside my head, screaming at me to escape. And standing there on the roof, i-it... it was the only escape I could think of." She sighed, her voice shaking. "It doesn't matter. He'll get away with it. Like he gets away with everything else."

"Nah. We got a little plan in mind to take that fucker down," Shizuka said. She grinned, clearly a little pleased with herself.

Shiho blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Her statement earned Shizuka a quick glare from Ann. "It's nothing. You really don't need to worry about it too much," Ann said, quickly trying to brush the conversation under the rug.

"Ann," there was a firmness to Shiho's voice now, and it was clear she wouldn't be placated eagerly "What is she talking about?"

It was a tough question to answer. After all if you tried to explain the Metaverse to a person who had never been there, they would call you crazy by the time you got to the end of the first sentence. And more than that Shiho and Ann knew each other well enough that Shiho would see through any lie Ann would spin. It probably didn't help that Ann's acting sucked.

Ann quickly scooched across the room toward Shizuka. "Uh... th-this is bad. What should we do?" she asked in a low whisper.

"Show her?" Shizuka suggested bluntly.

"WHAT?!" Ann nearly jumped out of her skin, and quickly settled down when she realised she startled her friend. "Y-you nuts? It's way too dangerous!"

"Not if we just show her the entrance. I mean, Shadows rarely go there. And the ones near the entrance are weak as shit anyway. Even if it's just us, we can handle any trouble." Ann seemed unconvinced, humming slightly. "Look... Don't you think this could be good for her? Could give her some faith that something is gonna be done about that shithead?"

Ann hummed, hugging her arms. "I dunno..."

"It's just the entrance. It'll be fine. Even if we get in trouble, I can just get us out all sneaky like. A perfect vanishing act," Shizuka explained.

Then Ann sighed and relented. Shiho wanted to know what was going on, and Shizuka gave a somewhat compelling argument. For something like this, the only way they could get Shiho to understand was with a practical demonstration.

"Alright alright..." Ann sighed and moved to Shiho's side. "Your folks are still at work, right?" Shiho nodded "Then we should be free to slip out for a little while. Follow us." She couldn't believe she was going along with this...