A Torn Journal - Noriaki Kakyoin - Status: Alive

Strike Two

     "Are you doing okay?"
     Caesar sighed. "You could say that."
     We'd been standing out in the hall for a while now, talking and letting him cool off a little. He'd been worrying about what to say when we would eventually go back and confront the others, but I knew it would all work out in the end. He's not the only one who's made mistakes. My companions would forgive him. One time, Polnareff had insulted Avdol so badly that Avdol actually attempted to punch him, which is surprising given his incredible kindness and patience. We'd come through hard times before. But we were all united for a single purpose, facing the same threat with perseverance and faith, working towards a common goal. To save the universe. When your mission is so important, you stop worrying about petty fights among each other and start looking ahead. The end of the journey is what would matter. All of the bad things bound to happen on the way were irrelevant. I just hoped that Caesar and the others could realize that.
"Noriaki," Caesar began. My attention drifted away from my thoughts and towards my Voided companion. "Thank you." His voice was quiet and his Italian accent had temporarily returned. I hadn't heard it in full sentences for a while. Somehow, the fact that he was using his real voice made him sound more legitimate. More sincere.
     "For what?"
     "For forgiveness," he said. "I don't deserve to breathe the same air as you."
     At first, it seemed like some sort of joke to me. But his expression was so dark that I quickly realized how serious Caesar was. He actually thinks he deserves punishment? He feels like everything is against him. I felt a wave of pity for him. He can't even accept forgiveness without feeling bad.
     "None of that was your fault," I told him. "It was all Void. Don't think like that. I want you to at least try being as optimistic as you can."
     "I'd love to." His bitter eyes were no longer full of anger or despair as they usually were, but a burning pain. "But it's just... It's not that easy. I don't expect you to understand yet. But my thoughts are a prison. It almost hurts just to try to think something good. And when the Void thoughts begin to take over..." He winced. "They're so hard to stop. If you had decided to continue arguing with me, Void would've taken me today. I'm sure of it. So thank you."
     There was silence. His words rang through my head, reminding me how urgent the whole situation was. If we didn't kill The Void quickly, Caesar, Avdol, Iggy, and myself would all be overcome by it. Most of Caesar's actions to this point had been based on intense pride. While I knew I could be subject to that as well, I feared that if I were to be taken over by Void, my actions may be more violent than his. I was afraid that I might actually hurt my companions or at least attempt to. While I'd never do it by choice, I knew it was a possibility under the influence of such a darkness.
     Back when I first discovered that there were others who had powers like mine, others who had Stands, I began to see things differently. I started to believe that might made right, and that the weak had no place in the world. My mind was changed when Jotaro saved me on the day we first met. I couldn't comprehend it at first. He had defeated me in battle, so why keep me alive? But as I travelled with him and his group, trying to find Dio, I finally understood that reality wasn't about needless violence, or about being in control. And although there were still some times that I showed no mercy to an enemy or punished a foe harshly, I now knew that protecting and helping others was what made people right. Those who stepped on the weak and killed the innocent were the evil ones. But if a force like The Void were to control my thoughts, I'm sure I wouldn't think like this anymore, I noticed silently. I can't think of any better word for it than pessimism... But something, some bad emotion that I forgot a long time ago, would come back and cloud my mind. The belief that 'might makes right' would come back to me. And if that mixed with my pride, I know I'd end up attacking my friends. I'd think that I'm better than them somehow, and it would turn into a fight. A chill went down my spine. A dark, cold ripple, reminding me that Caesar wasn't the only one afraid of Void. I can't let that happen. I don't want to hurt them, and if it comes down to my life or theirs, I'd want to be the one to die...
     "Noriaki," Caesar said suddenly. It completely interrupted my thoughts, and I was thankful for that. This might sound strange, but it felt like he did it on purpose. It seemed like he knew I was struggling with dark thoughts. As a matter of fact, it seemed like Caesar always knew what I was thinking. He'd claimed that he could 'see it on my face' back when we were getting on the plane to France. I hadn't believed it then, and I didn't believe it now. But if he wanted to hide how he knew, that was his business, and by now I'd decided to respect that.
     "Yes?" I replied.
     "Do you happen to know..." He paused. "What happened to Speedwagon?"
     Fortunately, I was able to provide him a comforting answer to that question. I'd talked to Avdol and Iggy about it during our walk to the café.
     "Back during the Void attack," I began, "when Void was just about to take the rest of the dimension, he used his Stand. He was just conscious enough to get The Rainbow to use its power and bring everyone in that dimension back to Earth, including himself. I'm not sure where he is now, but I know he's safe."
     "He used The Rainbow right before Void took the dimension," Caesar echoed my statement. "So, he saved us."
     "I guess so."
     Caesar smirked, but the usual pained and distant look didn't leave his face. "About time."
     Silence crept over the hall again. We were both lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes, until I finally decided to talk.
     "Are you ready to go back in?" It was a more difficult question to answer than it would seem, as Caesar still didn't have any idea what to say to the others. I couldn't even imagine how he felt about the whole situation. 'Horrible' would be putting it lightly.
     "Yeah," he said. "I'm ready."
     "Don't worry," I told him. "They'll understand. I know they will. None of this was your fault."
     Caesar didn't say anything, but glanced at me with a subtle expression of gratitude behind his dark look. Standing behind him, I watched as he slowly opened the door to the hotel room where the others were waiting.
     Or, at least, where they should have been waiting. The room was completely empty. The lights were still on, and a couple of drinks and bandages were still laying around on the tables.
     "Not this again," I groaned.
     "Again?" Caesar gave me a questioning look.
     "You don't remember the attack earlier?"
     "You don't mean the dream attack?"
     "No, there was a different one," I explained. "It came directly after the dream, and separated us for a bit while we were all confined to this hotel room."
     "There was another attack?" His exclamation surprised me. I thought he had been awake enough to remember it. "When did you plan to tell me?"
     "I thought you knew," I said with a nervous laugh. "You were pretty injured though, so apparently you must not have been conscious enough to notice what was going on."
     It's actually a little chilling to think about. During the entire attack, he had no idea what was happening. But afterwards, he had just enough energy to ask me to help him. I remembered it perfectly. I thought so highly of Caesar, as a companion and as a warrior, that to see him laying on that bed in such a helpless state was terrifying. It reminded me just how close we always were to losing him.
     "I guess it doesn't matter as long as none of you were hurt," he noted annoyedly. "You didn't kill the attacker, did you?"
     "No," I told. "We knocked him unconscious, but he disappeared. I think The Void withdrew him. But I doubt he'll use the same unit twice if we've already defeated them once."
     "Yes, that makes sense," Caesar murmured. "And that means we don't know what Stand power we're dealing with right now."
     I summoned Hierophant Green. I'll just have him search the room, I decided silently. I'd previously been cautious about bringing out my Stand because of what happened during the dream attack. But since then, I'd decided that he couldn't control my Stand unless he was actually present or had the power to take over the current dimension. He clearly couldn't send Void Threads over Earth, or else he would've done so already. I assumed that Caesar, Avdol, Iggy, and I were the only things preventing that. We were technically still spirits, and unless he really did have control over all of the dead, he couldn't truly take Earth as well.
Keeping this in mind, I sent Hierophant to inspect the room as a thin thread that could easily detect something out of the ordinary. It would take a couple of minutes for him to finish, but I didn't dare try anything else for the time being. My friends had all been in this room and I knew nobody had gone out the door. The window screen was intact as well, so nobody had gone out there. Not that I thought something particularly bad had happened to them as I had a good amount of faith in them and their abilities, but I knew an enemy Stand was to blame for their disappearance. I suspected something similar to the one that could alter our senses. But it could also have the ability to teleport them somewhere else, I noted silently. So I can't really be sure of anything yet.
"By the way," Caesar said as Hierophant searched, "I know Void hit all of us somehow during that 'dream' thing. How badly were you wounded, and how much has Void spread?"
"Is this really the time?" Why would I discuss my injuries when the enemy could be around any corner? That'd just be giving him free information.
Caesar smirked. "I may be dark, but I'm not a fool. Go ahead and tell me. It'll be fine."
     I trusted him. Completely. Caesar knew what he was doing far more than any of us.  But even so, something about this was against my better judgement. I didn't know what it was or why, but something just felt wrong. What is this? I feel like... Like this isn't real. But how would I ever know that for sure?
"Anthonio," I started. I used the fake name just in case the others were nearby somewhere. "This seems off. Why would you ask at a time like this?"
"Do you think I'm the enemy?" His voice was growing angry, but not too much. "Don't let Void kill your trust, Kakyoin."
That's when I knew, immediately, that my hunch had been correct. Hierophant was still searching through the room, so I thrust my hand up to the base of Caesar's neck and pushed him against a wall. When I applied pressure, a motion that would usually begin to choke the victim, he simply disappeared from my hand in a quickly dispersing cloud of black. A now familiar voice rang through the room.
     "Oh, very clever of you, Kakyoin," The Void scowled. "How did you see through my disguise, hmm?"
"Like I'd tell you," I sneered in reply. So it really was a decoy. I had no way of knowing what he'd done with the real Ceasar, or when Void had taken his place. I knew I was talking to the real one in the hall and when I first came into the room. Must've been after that, I decided silently. If Void hadn't given himself away so quickly, he might've been able to sneak attack me. But Caesar never refers to me as 'Kakyoin' like that. He's called me by my first name since day one. I guess Void wasn't paying as much attention to detail as he thought. I stood and thought for a moment, the room now empty of people except for myself and the strange presence of Void in the air. I'll humor him a little bit to see if I can get any information out of him.
"So this Stand you're using now," I noted, keeping my eyes keen for any movement around the room. "Pretty unique, isn't it?"
"It is," Void replied. His voice seemed oddly happy to be getting the attention. "It controls an impressive ability. I think you'll find it quite hard to beat."
"I can't help but notice that you often try to separate our group."
"Oh, well, you know how it goes." The sound carried a mocking tone. "The more negative emotion you feel, the faster I can get to you. Loneliness is quite negative, don't you think? And, even better, most people are susceptible to it! Especially people like you, Kakyoin, who lived most of their lives with it." He laughed in a gross manner. "Tell me, what's it like to have a lonely childhood?"
"It's just like having a lonely adulthood," I scoffed. "Surely someone as unappealing as you would know what that's like."
     "Oh, aren't you a sarcastic little brat?" Despite the seemingly annoyed comment, his mocking tone of voice didn't change. "Kids these days, right? Think they can just disrespect their elders like that. It's simply not acceptable. It demands punishment."
     He's about to attack, I noted silently. Maybe I can figure out what this Stand does without getting hurt. Fighting back wasn't really an option at the moment, as my Hierophant Green was still searching through the room. I can't retrieve him yet, I decided. He still might find the Stand user somewhere in here. I'll just have to dodge attacks and buy time.
     Suddenly, some kind of strip of material, looking much like a large ribbon, flew at me with lightning speed from one of the walls. I jumped back to avoid it. And just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
     "What was that?" I barked, knowing Void could hear me and would probably answer.
     "Oh, that?" He snickered. "Just part of this Stand. It would've cut you to pieces if it'd hit you. But that's the least of its power! Look at where it struck the air, won't you?"
     Confused, I watched closely where the ribbon-like thing had nearly hit me. It seemed like something was there. Something that I couldn't quite see, but I knew existed. For a moment, I thought about reaching out to feel it, but I ended that thought quickly. I'll probably get my arm cut off if I try that. So I just stood and watched for a little bit, waiting for something to happen in the seemingly empty air. After a few moments, I wondered if it would actually do anything, but as if on cue, a loud crack sounded throughout the room and a noise like tearing paper filled my ears. I watched in shock as the very air seemed to be torn apart. It's hard to put into words what it looked like, but it reminded me of when Void tore apart the fabric of dimensions using Void Threads. I realize that there's no way you, the reader, could ever truly understand. But maybe that's for the best. Not everyone would be able to handle the sight of dimensions being torn apart.
     "What's going on?" I questioned. I knew now that as long as I asked Void something, he'd respond. He was just glad to brag and get the attention. Whether foolish or just overconfident, it would help me out either way.
     "This Stand can tear places into smaller 'pocket dimensions' like so," the dark presence told me. "I don't think I need to explain the details too much, but technically, you and your friends are still all in the same room. But because I've torn you into pockets, none of you can reach each other!" He cackled ominously. "Better yet, I can keep cutting your pocket down until you don't have room to dodge anymore- I'll tear you to pieces, Kakyoin!"
     My heartbeat began to speed up as I realized the intensity of the situation. How do you get out of something like this? I can't jump dimensions without Hierophant, and he's still back in the other pocket...
     "You want to know a secret?" Void started. Not waiting for an answer, he continued his mockery. "The Stand user was with you in that room! If only you'd found him first, huh?" Another ribbon lashed out from the wall, but I jumped away from it. The dimension was torn into more pieces, giving me hardly any room to dodge anymore.
     Did he just say that the user was in the same room? A sly smile spread across my face. The same room I sent Hierophant to. Which means he must still be there!
     "It seems I outsmarted you and I didn't even know it," I smirked.
     "I'm ever so intrigued," Void replied questioningly.
     "I don't have my Stand with me." I held my empty hands in front of me to signify that there was nothing near me. Assuming Void could see me, it was little more than a taunt. "So let's play a guessing game. Where do you think Hierophant Green is?"
     "Probably meddling around somewhere and ruining my perfect attack," Void scowled. "You brat..."
     "No, not a perfect attack. If it was perfect you would never have been outsmarted, would you?"
     "You brat!" He repeated, his voice growling with anger.
     Directing Hierophant Green, I quickly felt around the room he remained in. Him having already searched the rest of it, it wasn't long before I found something abnormal. A human figure was sitting in a corner behind a counter. Wrapping the thin thread that was currently my Stand around his neck, I was easily able to knock him unconscious due to lack of air. But before completely doing so, I taunted The Void one last time.
     "Evil never prospers, you know," I mentioned with a mocking tone that mirrored the one he carried earlier. "And in case you wondered, might doesn't make you right. It's your morals and decisions that decide whether you're right or wrong. You're on a dark path to your own destruction. We're going to deliver it to you."
     Before Void could respond, I tightened Hierophant's grip on the Stand user, cutting off the last of his air. As he fell unconscious, the tears in my pocket dimension suddenly vanished. Everything was back to normal. I had a subtle feeling of accomplishment. I'd won this battle, and The Void couldn't get to me.
     Maybe we have more of a chance than I thought, I commented silently. Just maybe.