ʏᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ∆ ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀ ᴢᴇᴘᴘᴇʟɪ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ∆

∆ғᴏᴜʀᴛᴇᴇɴ∆

Quick warning, this could possibly be triggering for some readers. idk, you guys are pretty tough when it comes to stuff like this and usually don’t get bothered by it but i'll still put a warning.

Angst/gore warning (?)

“Are you ready?” Joseph asked. I sighed.

“Can I say no?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Nope!” He chirped, grabbing my hand as he tugged me behind him. “Let’s go!”

“Where are we going?” I whined. “My legs are tired and I wanna take a nap!”

“You can take a nap when you’re dead!” He cackled, making me roll my eyes. He’d probably been waiting for the best moment to say that. Joseph drug me into a large room with a long blue mat on the ground. I noticed Caesar and Nina talking in the room, and another man with Speedwagon was also present.

“Miss Y/n!” Nina chimed, making me turn my head to her. She held a tray with a cup on it. “Would you like some lemonade?”

“Oh, um, no I-I’m good. Thank you though,” I said, smiling gently at her. She returned it with a smile twice as bright. It looked a little...forced...to say the least.

“Hey, tootsie, get on the mat!” Joseph called, breaking my gaze away from the girl.

“What are we doing?” I asked.

“We are going to test your strength,” The man who had been standing by Speedwagon said. “I’m Master Xiao, a Hamon instructor in China.” He bowed to me, and I did the same.

“Very nice to meet you,” I said.

“And, sorry for this, but this is coming back on,” Joseph said, holding up the mask. I sighed and hung my head as he walked over.

“You aren’t sorry. You like seeing her suffer,” Caesar commented from behind me.

“You’re right,” He said, clicking the mask behind me. “I ain’t sorry at all.”

“Jerk,” I grumbled under my breath.

“Heard that!” Joseph said, walking away.

“Didn’t try to hide it,” I hummed, facing Master Xiao.

“Are you ready, Miss Y/n?” He asked. I nodded my head. “Good. First, you and I will spar to see where you need improvement.”

Oh no. Sparring? Against someone with the title of Master? Yeah. This wasn’t going to be easy at all. I mean, considering what I did earlier, I didn’t expect it to be. But at least I wasn’t completely weak. I mean, I grew up in New York with my dad and a younger, destructive brother who didn’t have friends when he was younger which means big sister stepped up. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I thought.

“Feet are too wide,” Master Xiao said, swiping my feet from under me. However, instead of falling on my butt, I bent back and placed my hands on the mat. For a brief moment, I saw Joseph’s and Caesar’s eyes light up before I was flipping onto my feet.

“Holy shit!” Joseph yelled.

“Your flexibility is impressive,” Master Xiao said, grinning at me slightly. “Let’s see if you are quick too.”

I gasped and ran to the side to avoid him. Holy crap! I thought Lisa Lisa was fast, but I think he’s got her beat! It was all I could do to dash and dart away from him. He eventually caught me, grabbing my wrist in an iron grip. I winced as he twisted my arm behind my back and seized my other arm, which I had bent to try and elbow him. He kicked the back of my knees and slammed me against the mat, knocking the breath from my lungs. He then replaced the hand on my back with his knee and grabbed the back of my neck, right over the top of my star-shaped birthmark.

My eyes went wide as a flash of light shone across my vision, blinding me for a moment. I blinked back the brightness, squinting my eyes before they focused on the figure standing in front of me. With the weight on my back, I couldn’t lift up to see them properly so I had to crane my neck to see them. And when I looked up, I felt my face flood with absolute horror.

Daniel stood above me, towering menacingly over me. His eyes were darkened, and a thick red liquid seeped from the sockets. His lips were parted as if he were screaming, and he had a hand-shaped bruise around his mouth as if someone were trying to silence him. Blood poured from his nose and the corner of his mouth, dripping onto his white shirt. His throat was slashed open, his skin torn and jagged as his hands closed around it, trying to stop the blood from spilling onto the ground below. I felt my body begin to tremble as tears formed in the corner of my eyes.

“DANIEL!” I screamed, thrashing around to escape the weight on my back. I had to get to him. He was going to die! How did this even happen-

“Y/n!”

I gasped, my eyes going wide as the image vanished in front of my eyes. I flicked my eyes around the room in a frenzy, trying to find my brother. However, I was met with a different pair of green eyes. Joseph was looking down at me as he knelt down. The pressure of my back lifted and as soon as I felt it disappear, I shot up on my haunches, gasping out. It was hard to breathe. Why couldn’t I breathe? I could feel my chest heaving up and down.

“Woah, Woah!” Joseph yelled. “Y/n calm down! You’re going to lock up the mask!”

The mask? The mask! The Hamon mask! It’s what was keeping me from breathing! I had to get it off! I grabbed at the straps and pulled, but nothing happened. I couldn’t unlock the mask because I couldn’t use Hamon. I was going to suffocate.

Suddenly, I felt something tingle in my fingertips. The next thing I know, Joseph is jumping away from me with a startled yelp. Caesar shouted my name, and Speedwagon gasped. Golden sparks shot out from my hands and washed over the mat surrounding me. The mask made a small click, before falling to the ground in front of me. I sucked in a breath, my entire body trembling. I slowly brought my hands away from my face and held them in my lap. Hamon surged across the surface of my hands before settling down to my palm and then disappeared. Shakily, I raised my head to look at Joseph with wide eyes.

“Y/n? Y/n!” Joseph yelled, lunging towards me. He enveloped me in his arms, pushing my face into his chest as I broke into a sob. I clung to his shirt helplessly, pulling myself closer to him. “What the hell did you do?!” He yelled, anger evident in his voice. I gasped quietly. I’d never heard Joseph yell like that before.

“I didn’t do anything,” Master Xiao replied, from somewhere behind me.

“What the hell happened?” Caesar asked, kneeling beside Joseph. I don’t know why, but I flinched away from him as he tried to place a comforting hand on my shoulder. I was so afraid all of a sudden.

I saw Joseph push Caesar’s hand away, before he slid his arm under my legs and lifted me up. I clung to him tighter as he took long strides from the room, ignoring the calls of others. I kept my face against his chest, too scared to open my eyes in the fear of what I would see. However, I cracked one open when I felt a light shining in them and warmth across my face. Joseph placed me on my feet and pulled the sleeve of his shirt down to wipe under my eyes.

“Take a deep breath,” He said softly. I drew in a shaky breath. “Now breathe. It’s okay.”

“W-what was that?” I whispered, my voice wavering. “I-I saw D-Daniel...but hi-his...his throat w-was s-s-slashed,” I saw Joseph’s eyes widen, before narrowing.

“We overworked you,” He hissed. “ I knew she shouldn’t have done it so soon.”

“It f-felt so real,” I said.

“It wasn’t real, Y/n, I can promise you,” He said, grabbing my face in his large hands. “I’m telling everyone you need to take a break. Hamon is dangerous in the beginning, and is very challenging depending on your mental state, especially when Lisa Lisa is your coach. There’s a phone in the den. Why don’t you call and talk with your brother for a while?”

I nodded gently, and Joseph kissed the top of my head before motioning me to follow after him.