Always With You (Caejose)

Eternity (6/7)

....Caesar POV....

Screams echoed through my ears, making my head spin. I stared at Jojo as blood poured through his fingers, face contorted in anguish. Stroheim was stunned into silence as Kars' shell fell apart, as he stepped forwards with a sneer on his mouth.

"What music to my ears," he sneered, gaze locked on Jojo. "I've been waiting so long to hear it."

He stared at Kars, and I saw an emotion in his eyes that I'd never seen before. Despair.

My heart lurched. No. He couldn't be giving up. If he was giving up- then-

I sucked in a sharp breath, making to take a step forwards. Kars gaze snapped up at me, teeth baring in a snarl.

"You were supposed to die," he seethed, taking a step past Jojo. Jojo fell, and my stomach lurched. His wound wasn't lethal- not if he stopped the bleeding. But it would be agonizing- enough that he wouldn't be able to think.

He rose his blade.

"I'll take care of you first."

I took a step back. His eyes widened as he saw it, then a slow, sneering smile spread over his mouth.

"Are you scared, little ripple warrior?"

I met Jojo's gaze behind his back, giving him a small, soft smile.

His soft, ocean colored eyes met mine. He shook his head fiercely, pushing himself up.

"No. Caesar," he choked. And he moved before I could sacrifice myself, rearing up to slam ripple-charged hand into Kars' back.

And we both watched in horror as nothing happened. As Kars took another step towards me, that blade raised.

Because the ripple was the energy of the sun. The energy of life.

And Kars had overcome his power of the sun.

He was immune to the ripple.

My breath nearly froze in fear. Kars grinned, face contorting in what could only be described as an expression of pure contempt and triumph.

"You can't hurt me," he snarled to us. "You can't do anything but watch as I kill you- slice you both to pieces."

He stepped forwards, blade raised, I slipped a hand behind my back, a shard of metal slicing through my palm.

The blade cut down as Jojo screamed my name, his voice cracking with anguish- whether from his wound or the fact that I was about to be killed-

A bubble spread in front of me, taking the blow meant for me. The sharp crimson hue glowed in the light of the noon sun, replicating the shade the sky would turn once it had set.

I gave Kars a grin as his blade sank into the bubble, billowing around it. The hamon crackling through it kept it sharp- hard enough that the blade was stuck.

"I'm glad I ran out of soap. Blood, as it happens, is quite more sturdy."

Kars screeched as I jumped out of his range, twisting my body so that I landed closer to Jojo. Stroheim was shouting from his position on the other side of the volcano, though neither of us could hear him over the boiling lava.

I tugged my scarf off, quickly wrapping Jojo's wound with it as Kars reeled around to face us. Jojo took a deep breath, glancing at me.

I avoided the risk of glancing at him to watch our enemy. Blood dripped from my palm. I was loosing more than I cared to.

But if it got us through this, I wasn't about to complain.

I took a deep breath as Kars rose his arm, that telltale sparkle running over the edge of the blade. More than just the small saws. That was ripple.