Sweet Cherry | Kakyoin X !Fem¡Reader

Chapter 20: Hook

"That was definitely an odd sight." You said as you walked back to the deck. The three of you walked together, you in the middle.

"You can say that again." Jojo replied. "I never thought I'd see a monkey on a ship. In fact, I never thought I'd be on a ship."

Both you and Noriaki laughed.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd be on a ship at all." Noriaki laughed. "I didn't think Heirophant would be used as much as he has been, either."

"Look, I barely knew I had a stand." You reminded him. You turned to your tall, black-haired friend. "Without you, Jojo, I don't think I ever would have fully understood her. I never thanked you for that."

"No need for that." He said, pulling his hat over his face. He had a slight smile plastered on his features.

"You know I'm short enough I can see your face, right?" You smirked.

"Yare yare daze." He muttered, turning his head to the side and pulling his hat even lower.

Noriaki cackled beside you as you teased Jotaro further. You were glad to see this side of him; young, happy, vulnerable. He felt safe around you and Noriaki. You were glad for that.

Anne was close to you, as always, and she was laughing, too. She had a red flush across her face as she looked up to Jojo, his face also tinting a warm color of pink.

'She doesn't... does she?' The thought made you laugh harder, not towards Anne, but for Jotaro. He could never seem to catch a break from the girls.

"Screw you." He mumbled.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Jojo." You patted his arm. "I'll stop." He sighed and shoved his hands onto his pockets.

"Tch."

"Hey guys, do you hear that?" Noriaki asked suddenly.

"Hear what?" You raised an eyebrow.

"Listen."

Now that he mentioned it, you did hear a rattle. A metallic rattle, like steel hitting steel.

"I hear it." Jojo whispered, though it didn't help much. His voice was so deep it was almost impossible to go that quiet.

You searched the deck for the noise. You noticed Joseph looking around, too. As you strained to listen, you realized it wasn't coming from on or below the deck. It was in the air. You looked up to the tall, tower-like thing near you. A hook hung from a long chain, rattling together and hitting the tower. It was moving much more aggressively than the ship was. It was almost as if it had a mind of its own.

"Oi! Sailor! Watch out!" Joseph cried, reaching his hand out to one of the sailors on deck.

The hook whipped down towards the man, surprising even Avdol, who was on high alert. The hook swung unnaturally, and it embedded itself into the back of the man's head. It sprang out of his mouth, spewing dark red blood and flesh on the cold, metal deck. It yanked him up into the air, continuing to fling blood every which way, letting it drip off of the body once hung.

Joseph and Polnareff were the first to react, yelling and looking around. You and Noriaki just gaped at the man, blood trickling down his body, staining his white pants and striped shirt.

"Yare yare." Jojo said breathlessly. He had his jaw clenched and eyes wide open in surprise, but his demeanor was calm. He held his hands over Anne's eyes, shielding the gruesome sight from the young girl. "That's no way to greet a lady."

"No one was touching the controls." A crewmate choked.

"Nobody touched the lever." Another cried, panic rising in his voice. "The crane moved by itself! I saw it!"

"Careful! Something's here." Joseph announced to your group. He turned back to the crew. "Oi! Don't touch anything. If it uses electricity or even moves, don't lay a finger on it!"

Noriaki looked at you warily and moved closer.

"Shit." You breathed. "Taking advantage of non-stand users."

"Pisses me off." Noriaki muttered to you. He sounded pissed. It didn't feel like the time for it, but you felt a warmth on your face at his voice. He had to be so damn attractive.

"Listen, if you want to live, do as I say." Joseph announced. "Get below deck, into the cabin. Stay there until one of us says otherwise!"

They all walked off muttering amongst themselves.

"That means you too, Anne." You told the girl at your side. "We don't want you caught up in this again."

"But, the men..." She trailed off. She looked really uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot and her lips pressed together.

"Oh." You thought for a moment. It would probably make her more comfortable if another girl was around. "It's okay, I'll go with you."

"Y/n, we may need you here." Avdol said. "Your newly acquired abilities could be of use."

"Well, you can call for me if you need me." You told him. "If Anne doesn't feel comfortable around so many people, then I'll stay with her. I don't think my abilities will make a significant difference."

"I'll go with you." Noriaki offered, stepping forwards to follow.

"No, now Kakyoin, we will need you." Avdol said. "Hierophant can search the ship with its form."

"Ah. Okay." He grumbled, taking a reluctant step back.

"I'll be fine, Cherry." You smiled. "I can take care of myself."

"I know." He waved as you began making your way to the door. Smiling, you waved back. You turned took Anne's hand, and disappeared into the cabin.

Jojo walked up to Noriaki and patted him on the back.

"You were gonna try to talk to her, weren't you?" He asked.

"Yeah." Kakyoin sighed. "Yeah, I was."

"Tough luck."

"That really helps, Jojo." Noriaki rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome." Jojo smirked.

"Oi, Kakyoin. Can you use Hierophant?" Avdol ushered.

"Oh, yeah, of course." He released his stand and sent it into the depths of the ship. He glanced back over at the door you disappeared through. He couldn't help but feel a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach.