Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi while Jojo's Bizarre Adventure belongs to Hirohiko Araki. None of the elements used belong to me, even the Stands that appear that Araki has never bothered to create. Feel free to use them.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6.1: Dark Passion Play

XXV) The Escapist

The rest of the trip was way more enjoyable for Herb. Not that the first part hadn't been but her first kill had been somewhat traumatic for her. After that, Jotaro had taken to bringing her to several Dojos to teach her the strengths and weaknesses of the styles. Herb had been surprised to be vanquished by an old aikido master called Goki Shibukawa. The old one-eyed man looked playful enough but he was a master of his own art. Lime had been beaten soundly despite his strength and even hyposthenia didn't help Herb against him since the old master had no strength to speak of and knew of the tcechnique as well. He had revealed that Happosai had taught it to him. Only Jotaro had managed to fight him to a draw. The old man had been impressed and had asked Jotaro why he hadn't beaten him if he had the ability to.

"That's the problem, I'm not sure I have it," had replied Jotaro much to his surprise. "Not without killing you at least. Even then, I'm not sure I'd really kill you even with a rocket launcher."

This had made Shibukawa laugh and he had agreed to train Herb and his retainers for a week. They still weren't able to hold their own against him but they lasted way longer by the end of the week.

They had mat several other masters during the trip, which had been progressively extended to two months. Jotaro would miss the entrance exams to the university but he didn't mind. He had warned the vice-principal that he would spend one more year at Furinkan. During their trip, they learnt about various styles and techniques from a self-exiled Karate master called Doppo Orochi, from a vicious grappler called Jack Hammer and from a former bounty killer who had become a bodyguard called Ryo Saeba. Jotaro had continued teaching Herb everything he deemed necessary. Herb wasn't as knowledgeable as he was but she could easily pass the entrance exams for the best universities of the country by the end of the two months. As spotty as her education had been, it had taught her how to learn efficiently.

They ended up taking the plane towards China. According to the map they had been given, Mount Horai was near Mongolia.

"It doesn't surprise me," had told Jotaro. "This place is the birthplace of many legends. There had to be some truth behind them."

The trek to China had been peaceful and had allowed Jotaro to meet a few martial arts masters with Herb and her retainers. Most of them had been eager enough to exchange techniques with warriors of the fabled Musk kingdom. Only Kaku Kaioh had been harder to convince but when Jotaro had fought him to a draw he had been an agreeable enough, if harsh, teacher.

The group arrived near Mount Horai after two weeks. They had little to no difficulty in arriving here. There had been a fun moment when they had had to cross a gap where the bridge had fallen. Herb had crossed with her Ryu Sei Hisho while carrying Lime. Jotaro had traumatised Mint by using his Jotaro Rocket Strike to cross the gap. This had amused Lime and Herb to no end. When they had come across the savage animals, the aura of the Musk warriors had made them flee. One lone wolf had tried to attack Jotaro since he didn't send off any aura. Jotaro had however flashed for one second in the Neko-ken. The wolf had stopped in his tracks and had howled in fright before jumping in the gap and killing itself. Jotaro had explained the technique and why he tried to avoid using it.

"This sounds like our energy surge techniques," had told Lime.

"Energy surge?" had asked Jotaro.

"A technique we learn from living a year with or animal ancestors," replied Mint. "This is where we take our abilities from. Herb can't learn it since there aren't any living dragons and we figured that you couldn't either. It seems that you can but that it was forced upon you, that's why you can't seem to regulate the energy output. I don't think we can help you with that I'm afraid."

"No matter," replied Jotaro. "I didn't even know it was possible. I have something to strive at."

The group followed the indications the Chisuiton was giving them until they arrived at a hot spring where an ornate kettle was fuming. Herb took it hesitatingly. Jotaro knew what she was hesitating about.

"Do it," he told her. "You will keep your ability to turn into a woman. You'll just be able to get your original body back."

Herb nodded and splashed herself with the hot water. The change occurred instantly and Herb staggered. He was a good head taller than his girl-form and Jotaro's male form. Other than that, losing his feminine curves, gaining some muscles and having his delicate features replaced by manly ones, he hadn't changed. He even kept his multicoloured hair, unlike Jotaro. He tried to walk and had to balance himself.

"This will take time getting used to," he said.

"Let's start now, then," replied Jotaro as he put the Chisuiton and Kaisuiton in Doorspace.

Herb went through several drills until he was reasonably sure of his equilibrium.

"I wonder what happened to my fighting abilities," said Herb while eyeing his palms.

"Only one way to find out," replied Jotaro before his face went neutral. Not that it wasn't before but Herb had learnt rapidly to decipher the extremely subtle hints he sometimes showed that no one could see. Now, he could infer absolutely nothing about his lover.

Jotaro adopted his relaxed stance with his hands in his pockets. Mint and Lime walked back almost involuntarily. Jotaro might look inoffensive in this stance but they knew better than most people. Jotaro was threatening in this stance. Herb opened his eyes slightly and took a stance that revealed almost as few about his intentions as Jotaro's. He had his arms crossed and his feet slightly apart.

"Rules?" asked Herb.

"No firearms for me," answered Jotaro. "And no killing moves. Besides, if you manage to make me use my final ability, then I lose."

"Fine with me," replied Herb with a smile.

The battle was on.

Herb started with a Ryu Sei Hisho that pushed Jotaro away. But Jotaro wasn't about to get beaten so easily and fired a ki-blast. Herb evaded and dashed at him to fight him at close quarters. Jotaro met him head on.

To Mint and Lime, it was almost a dance. The two fighters whirled around almost too fast for them to follow. They used all the techniques they knew. Although there was a slight imbalance between them. Herb was losing this part of the match.

Herb knew he was losing. Sure he hadn't taken any hits, but Jotaro had just defended himself, and only with moves Herb knew. Herb knew Jotaro knew a lot more than he had ever shown him. But it wasn't just inane pride that made Jotaro act that way. Herb was unable to use hyposthenia on him since he didn't strike him even once. For a second, Herb felt doubt about his victory. This second cost him.

Jotaro grabbed his arm as Herb was striking him. Before he knew it, the dragon prince was whirling in the air. Once he was in it, Jotaro jumped after him and lashed mercilessly at him. Herb managed to mitigate most of the hits but Jotaro scored some he couldn't nullify. Herb was sent on the ground rather violently and his head ringed under the shock. Jotaro landed next to him.

"Better step up your game, or you'll bet beaten," said Jotaro neutrally enough. The rebuke was however felt by Herb and he decided to oblige.

Herb summoned Nightwish. The avian Stand appeared and, not even a second later, all light went out. Herb's Stand had gradually become able to absorb nearby light in the blink of an eye. Jotaro took but a fraction of second to adapt.

"Nice try," he said, knowing that Herb had just moved. "But you'll have to do better than that."

Herb knew that. Jotaro may not be able to see in the dark like he was but he could feel him easily enough. He would just be less precise, to the point that he couldn't use shiatsu on Herb but not much below that. However, it took some of his awareness to pinpoint Herb's location. Herb was counting on that. He was under no delusion that Jotaro would lose awareness of his immediate surroundings. The man had a computer in lieu of his brain and recalled his surroundings even when there wasn't any light.

However, he didn't remember his remote surroundings that well. Herb was counting on it. He moved and attacked Jotaro. Jotaro deflected the hits easily enough, even though they came from everywhere. His Stand was watching his back. Then, as he was about to strike, Herb surprised him. Or rather, Nightwish did.

The Stand made the light suddenly reappear. Jotaro cursed. He was facing the sun and was momentarily blinded. Star Platinum wasn't but was facing the wrong direction. It turned around swiftly. But Herb had anticipated this and struck Jotaro's back. Only the fact that Jotaro was using hyposthenia avoided him a loss. Herb cursed softly. He had forgotten that Jotaro was at least as proficient in hyposthenia as he was. Fortunately, Herb had other strategies.

Herb took a small item from Hidden Weapon space. Jotaro widened as he saw Herb throw a grenade at him at such a short distance. Since Herb kept his eyes open and his breathing steady, it was neither a smoke grenade nor a flashbang. Jotaro jumped away to avoid the concussion grenade while keeping an eye on Herb. That was his mistake.

A blinding light burst from the grenade. It was a flashbang instead of a concussion grenade. The fact that Herb's Stand could disguise such a small item that fluidly was new to him. Jotaro closed his eyes in pain but managed not to curl on himself under the pain, no matter how much he wanted to. Herb was surely blind too and he might be able to capitalize on that. He jumped away silently. Only to be hit by Herb. Jotaro hadn't managed to prepare for hit and took the brunt of it.

'Of course,' he realised. 'Nightwish absorbs light. He got me good. Only one way to keep him away until I get my vision back.'

Herb was about to strike at Jotaro a second time when Jotaro flew into a stance that made him pause before backing away at high speed. He barely escaped Jotaro's multiple Kijin Raishu Dan. Herb knew the techniques too but Jotaro surpassed him by far given the ease and speed he could muster flowing between the Yamasen-ken and the Umisen-ken. Speaking of which...

Jotaro wasn't visible anymore. He had used the Umisen-ken to disappear from view. Herb could find him but he had to be given some time. He used another flashbang. Jotaro wouldn't be bothered by it but it would prevent him from finding Herb.

As the flashbang exploded, Nightwish created an invincibility illusion around Herb. Since Herb had moved, it would be hard for Jotaro to find him. Not impossible but hard. So they would be on an equal footing.

Herb looked at the battle ground, trying to find Jotaro. He suddenly reappeared, not that far from Herb. Herb was about to attack when he noticed that Jotaro had a multitude of rocks with him. And that his Stand was infused within him.

"I'll find you," he told in the thin air.

He then used the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken with his Stand and vital energy to throw the hundreds of rock around him. Herb avoided them easily enough. Why was Jotaro doing that?

The trenchcoat-clad man turned in Herb's direction.

"You're here," he said. He then shot a ki-blast in Herb's direction. Herb cursed and let the illusion unravel as he avoided the blast. Jotaro was on him in a second and started to pound him mercilessly. Herb flew away under the onslaught and landed roughly. He was lucky he knew Xiao-lee or he would be unconscious already. Jotaro closed on him as he rose up shakily.

'I need an edge,' he thought furiously as Nightwish landed on his shoulder. 'Or a miracle.'

And it happened.

Herb jumped to avoid Jotaro and prepared for a follow up. Only Jotaro hadn't followed him. He was looking around. He then concentrated. And opened his eyes wide.

"The fuck?" he uttered.

Herb wondered what was happening when he saw his hand and almost gasped. Or rather, when he didn't see his hand. He turned where he knew his Stand was and saw nothing. If not for the sensory input he received, he wouldn't know his Stand was here.

"What's happening Jotaro?" asked Lime from afar.

"Herb vanished," replied Jotaro.

"That's not exactly new," retorted Mint.

"You don't understand," replied Jotaro. "He didn't just vanish visibly. There are no traces of his energy. Nothing. Not even the slight part that tells me that there's a living creature nearby. He totally dropped off of my radar."

Herb realised what was happening. Nightwish had just suppressed any radiations he might send off, including the non-visible ones. Herb had just performed true invisibility, rendering him totally transparent to any radiation he might cross or generate.

He capitalized on that and dashed at Jotaro. He started to pummel him mercilessly. Jotaro managed to avoid some of the hits with luck and to nullify others with Xiao-lee but many of them were still hitting him and it was starting to take a toll on him.

As Herb was about to finish him, Jotaro muttered something.

"I lose," he simply said.

The next thing Herb knew, several blows hit him and he fell unconscious.

Stand Stats:

A: Very Good / B: Good / C: Average / D: Bad / E: Poor

Nightwish

Strength: E / Speed: A / Range: A / Staying: B / Precision: C / Learning: B (previously C)

Ability: Can alter the course of light beams, allowing it to plunge a place in the dark or to create a sphere of illusion. Can see all kind of radiations, not the visible ones only. By touching its user, can suppress any kind of radiations he emits and annul any interaction between his body and outer radiations, making the user totally invisible.

Herb came to his senses soon after that. He looked around a bit disorientated before his gaze fell on Jotaro, who for some reason was female at the moment.

"You won," replied Jotaro. "But I didn't want to end up unconscious. I have bad memories of instants like that. So I used my final ability."

"Which is it?" asked Herb. "I didn't realise what happened. I was about to hit you when I fell unconscious."

"Watch closely," said Jotaro.

Jotaro was suddenly twelve metres away from them. Herb and Lime looked inquisitively at her as Mint's eyes widened.

"You didn't teach us this speed technique," said Herb idly.

"That's no technique," gulped Mint.

"What makes you say that?" asked Lime.

"I have a keen eye for movement," replied Mint with awe. "If it was a speed technique, no matter how fast it is, I should be able to see parts of it. I saw nothing. One moment he was here, the next moment he was away."

"You didn't think my Stand was all brawn and no ability, did you?" asked Jotaro while smirking at Herb.

"You can teleport?" asked Herb with awe.

"No, I just give the impression that I can," replied Jotaro. "What I do is increasing my speed to unimaginable levels. For what feels like five seconds to me, I am faster than light. I have calculated that my speed is at least of a billion kilometres per seconds. And that's the lower limit. I couldn't calculate a speed higher than that. For all I know, I'm even faster than that. Time loses its meaning at such speeds."

Herb looked at her flummoxed. This speed was totally unbelievable.

"It is impossible on a physical standpoint," he eventually said.

"Stands have the habit of breaking the laws of physics," retorted Jotaro. "My uncle's contradicts the second law of thermodynamics by reverting items to their original state and yours turns you in a literal void. You should stop worrying about it."

Herb digested it then had another question.

"Why are you in your female form?" he asked.

"Well, you are looking extremely manly right now," said Jotaro with a seducing smirk as she sashayed toward Herb before stopping in front of him in a pose that emphasized her assets. "What I want to know is... exactly how much?"

Herb stopped pondering and looked at her. Soon his eyes were burning with desire.

"Well, I did win against you," he said lecherously. "I think this begs for some prize."

Mint and Lime looked at each other before getting away as fast as they could. They could already hear them trash talking, moaning would soon follow. They wouldn't sleep much tonight, that was for sure.

The next morning, Mint and Lime were waiting for Jotaro and Herb to come down. They had debated on the merits of going back to find them before deciding that it was better for their sanity to just wait. Herb could make them invisible but they could still be heard.

Herb and Jotaro arrived, both in male form. Mint and Lime opened wide eyes at the implications.

"Did you... er... that is..." started Lime awkwardly. Herb wondered what he was talking about but Jotaro knew.

"No," he replied. "Not yet at least. I'll teach him about it later."

"What are you talking about?" asked Herb.

"Male homosexuality," replied Jotaro.

"Oh," responded Herb simply. "That's right, why didn't you teach me?"

"You exhausted me," replied Jotaro flatly. "After such an onslaught of pleasure I wasn't in any way ready to continue."

Herb blushed slightly. It was true that he had been relentless with Jotaro. But in all fairness, it was a form of payback.

"I'll teach you later," said Jotaro with a smile.

"When?" asked Lime. "Herb has to go back to his kingdom."

Herb opened his eyes slightly and got a sad face.

"Does he really have to?" countered Mint. "He could remain away for some time. Besides, I'm not sure he won't lose his title when he comes back due to his curse."

"That might be true but should we explain the situation to the king, I'm pretty sure he will leave him be," retorted Lime. "Besides, we can't let Ginger roam freely much longer. It's too dangerous for the kingdom."

Herb seemed torn. Jotaro saw that and intervened.

"You seem to be forgetting one crucial detail," he told harshly. "Herb and I are bonded. As such, we are closer to each other than husband and wife. As his mate, I'll have you know that I refuse any coercion from anyone on him, including from me. Although I'd rather remain some more in Japan. But the decision of going back to his kingdom lies in him, not you."

Mint and Lime looked properly chastised. Herb looked at Jotaro gratefully.

"I'd rather stay in Japan some more," admitted Herb. "There many things I can learn from that place."

Mint looked about to leave him be but Lime sighed.

"I don't really want to do this," he said, "but a prince gets rid of his retainers only when they deem him strong enough. It's a tradition of the Musk, one of the few I'm sure you've been taught."

Herb looked at him betrayed.

"You don't think I'm strong enough?" he asked harshly.

"I'm pretty sure you are," replied Lime inanely. "But I want a solid proof."

He then made a sign to Mint whose eyes widened before he nodded determinedly. Mint got rid of his pelt and fell into a stance that emphasized his speed. As for Lime, He got rid of his pelt and took a stance that emphasized his strength. Soon his clothes started to creak under the bulges created by his muscles. Then they tore audibly. Finally, Lime contracted himself slightly. His clothes were ripped apart and fell behind him. He then looked at Herb seriously.

"Fight us, Herb," he told him seriously. "If your freedom is so important for you, then prove it and take it from us."

Herb opened his eyes wide before he steeled himself. He took a fighting stance.

"Jotaro," he called.

"Yes?" replied Jotaro.

"Don't interfere," demanded Herb.

"I didn't plan to," replied Jotaro. "I won't need to."

Herb smiled when he heard this proof of trust while Jotaro backed up slightly. Unless he had totally misjudged the Musk warriors, this would be the greatest fight he had ever seen.

He wasn't disappointed.

Herb was facing Mint and Lime. At first glance, nothing was happening. But should a normal person come near, they would have been left shaking by the fighting intent displayed. None of it was visible but the feeling was that of being faced with several gigantic predators. Given that Lime was of tiger descent, Mint was of wolf descent and Herb was of dragon descent, it wasn't surprising.

The trio remained totally still for a minute. Then Herb blinked. That was all it took.

The next second, Mint was in his personal space and was pummelling him. However, Herb had prepared. He had expected it after all. None of Mint's hits did anything. Herb was using Xiao-lee with brio. A kick went into his belly and Herb rolled around it. It had been a bad idea. In retrospect, Herb should have recalled that although neither Lime nor Mint had mastered Xiao-lee and hyposthenia like he had, they had seen him use it enough to devise several counters to its weaknesses.

Herb's face met with Lime's punch. Herb should have remembered that the sum of his opponents was way more than simply arithmetic. They complemented each other perfectly. While Mint was extremely fast, Lime was monstrously powerful. Herb was still using Xiao-lee so the blow was softened. However, since Lime's hit had propelled him in a rocky cliff, he couldn't dissipate all the energy with hyposthenia. Herb became imbedded into the cliff. Before he could fully regain his bearings, Herb saw Mint and Lime dashing at him. He was in trouble.

It was high time he reminded them that he had mastered hyposthenia. And that it consisted in a release of the strength.

Herb punched the ground somewhat weakly. It was all that was needed. He might not have absorbed all the energy behind Lime's hit but he had enough. The punch created a crater that spread on the ground and made Mint and Lime lose their footing. It was all that Herb needed. He grabbed Mint's head and, with a ki-enhanced burst of strength and speed, threw him away. Mint flew over a hundred metres. It wouldn't stop him but it would give Herb some breathing space.

Lime jumped at Herb, intent on pummelling him. However, his efforts were for naught. Whatever hits Herb didn't deflect, he avoided. He didn't even use Xiao-lee. Lime might be strong but it was meaningless if he couldn't touch Herb. Even while using the Amazon's speed technique, Lime was slower. And when Herb used it too, the gap in speed became wider. Lime was tough but a thousand hits from someone of Herb's calibre still hurt!

At that moment, Mint came back and dashed at Herb and was about to hit him just before Lime. Herb noticed the hand reaching for him at high speed and relaxed totally so as to use hyposthenia. Then Mint's attack hit. Although it wasn't what Herb had been expected at all.

Herb's whole body tensed slightly as Mint pluck a hair from his mane. It wasn't much but it was enough to lose all benefits from Xiao-lee. Lime's two punches hit Herb in the solar plexus and in the abs and propelled him against the cliff once more. The duo approached Herb, who stood back up but didn't move as he was recovering from Lime's hit. The duo capitalized on that and went on the offensive. For the next five minutes, Herb desperately evaded the hits. Whenever he wanted to avoid Lime's punches, Mint was distracting him and he had to block. Whenever he wanted to retaliate, Lime would block him with his strength or Mint would anticipate and counter him too quickly for him to follow. Herb was losing.

At least that was what would appear to an untrained eye.

Jotaro noticed that Herb seemed to be testing his retainers. He had talked with Herb a lot over the previous months and Herb had taken most of his advises at heart. One of them was that Stands should only be used as last resorts in battle if no lives were at stake... or to mess with people's minds. Since this was the most serious fight Herb had ever been into, Jotaro knew that he was just testing the waters.

Herb suddenly jumped in the air and launched several Kijin Raishu Dan. Mint and Lime were surprised. They shouldn't have been. Herb wasn't a master at energy manipulation for nothing. He could launch ki-attacks on the spot with a ki build-up so short that it was nearly undetectable. Only Jotaro managed to do so. The two evaded the vacuum blades but remained together. It was an instictual tactic they had developed over the year. Lime would evade and Mint, whose reflexes and speed were extremely developed, would just follow. It had made them extremely dangerous. It was one of the reasons they were hailed as the most dangerous warriors of the Musk kingdom and had been appointed to train Herb.

But Herb wasn't finished. He performed a Ryu Sei Hisho while he was already flying and bombarded his retainers with several ki-blasts. Mint and Lime would seriously suffer from that. Unless they pulled all the stops. Which they did.

Herb landed and immediately regretted the air as he had to avoid both of his retainers under the effect of the energy surge. Mint was even faster while Lime became fast enough to pose great problems by himself to Herb. Herb frantically evaded while throwing a wide variety of ki-based attacks. Since he couldn't use the energy surge, he had to take every advantage he could get. The only problem was that he didn't manage to stop his retainers even with them. Mint was too fast to be touched by them and Lime took the brunt of them easily enough. It had become a battle of attrition and Herb was fairly sure that he would lose it.

He tried the Hiryuu Shoten Ha, which was the only attack that could possibly stop both of his retainers at once. But his retainers were smart enough to stop their output of ki whenever Herb started the spiral. Herb could always try to supply the hot ki by himself but he then had to perform the spiral in reverse and would then be unable to start the tornado from the centre.

Unless...

Herb used the Umisen-ken to get a reprieve. As his retainers were searching for him, he thought about it. It could work. But he would need something else. He perused his strong points and found them to be in the field of energy manipulation and hyposthenia. He smiled wickedly. Even Jotaro hadn't thought of that.

He reappeared and dashed at Mint and Lime before circling them. Seeing a spiral, the two of them stopped themselves to disrupt the flow of hot ki. When they saw Herb go further away from them, they wondered what he was doing. Mint tried to follow but recoiled when he felt the wall of ki.

"It burns!" he shouted.

He immediately started to emit cold ki and Lime did the same. They wondered why Herb was trying to burn them with his ki. It had no chance of working, although it was painful enough to immobilize them in the centre of the spiral. Herb was just wasting his energy.

Then why was he smiling?

Lime's eyes widened.

"He wants to start a Hiryuu Shoten Ha by inverting the roles of power output," he realised.

"No chance," replied Mint confidently. "He won't be able to start it. It would disrupt the spiral."

From afar, Jotaro's eyes widened and he smiled.

'Well done, Herb,' he thought.

Herb had discovered that, besides being able to create small illusions, his Stand could become visible to just everyone by modifying its radiations. Nightwish appeared between Mint and Lime who were a bit surprised by the appearance. Then the Stand soared to the sky while whirling on itself. Lime's and Mint's eyes widened. They remembered that the Stand could become tangible at will.

"SHIT!" they shouted together.

The air was moving from where the Stand had started his whirlwind movement. It soon became a monstrous wind that engulfed the two retainers. Lime barely had the time to grab Mint and to bury his hand in the ground before the tornado raged around them. Soon a hurricane was roaring around them. Lime had difficulties maintaining them on the ground. It was a good thing that they were near the eye of the tornado or the winds would have torn them from the ground. They couldn't escape it. They looked around to see what Herb was doing but didn't see him anywhere. They looked at Jotaro and notice that he was looking up the tornado. They did the same and their eyes widened.

Herb was being battered by the wind. He had been caught by the outer part of the tornado and was being brought up by it. Mint and lime were horror-struck until they realised something. Herb was letting himself be battered by the tornado. They wondered why.

Herb reached the apex of the tornado soon enough. Then he glowed. The upper part of the tornado suddenly coalesced around Herb.

"Hiryuu Korin Dan!" shouted Herb.

A monstrous mass of ki exited Herb's body and dashed towards the ground, funnelling the winds from the tornado with it to augment its size and power. Herb hadn't needed to make it particularly wide at the beginning since it fed on the tornado's ki. Mint and Lime gulped. They couldn't avoid it. This was going to hurt. A lot.

The mass of ki crushed them, digging a crater into the ground and hurling them into it. They were still conscious but would need some time to get their bearings back. Lime lifted his head and noticed that the Hiryuu Korin Dan had dried up the tornado. He lifted his head and saw Herb falling near them. He was about to send a punch, although a weak one. But why send it at the ground?

Lime's eyes widened as he understood what was about to occur.

"PROTECT YOURSELF!" he shouted at Mint.

Mint saw his friend adopt his strongest defence but he didn't have anything remotely as strong. That was his undoing.

Herb's fist touched the ground, almost gently. All the energy he had gained by using Xiao-lee while being battered by the tornado and had stored with hyposthenia was discharged in this hit. The amount of energy was staggering and was enhanced by the kinetic energy Herb had gained from falling from such heights. The ground instantly shattered and was repelled from around Herb, so much that Herb buried himself at least five metres deep into the earth. Then the shockwave occurred. A crater was created but in reverse. The ground flew from around Herb and was pulverised in shrapnel. Mint and Lime couldn't escape the shrapnel coming from under them, especially since the crater was fifty metres wide and five metres deep on its whole surface. Mint and Lime were engulfed in the shrapnel.

The ground shook and cracked beyond the crater. Jotaro turned around and his jaw would have fallen if he hadn't ever seen feats of that kind. He used a Time Stop. He had been right to do so. A second later, part of the cliff he was backing against fell. He looked up and saw that the summit of Mount Horai was collapsing. Fortunately, the resulting landslide was going on the opposite direction.

Herb looked in awe at the power he had unleashed. Mount Horai had just lost two hundred metres of height. He turned around, searching for his retainers with worry. He saw Mint lying on the ground. He had lacerations all around his body and was unconscious but seemed otherwise fine. Herb then searched for Lime and his jaw dropped.

Lime had become a ball of flesh. A literal ball. It was unnatural how a humanoid body could look so spherical, like an armadillo. Lime had lacerations too. But he was conscious.

"What are you waiting for, Herb?" he called.

"Mint is out of commission and you just barely escaped alive from an attack that destroyed a mountain," said Herb with disbelief. "And you still want to fight?"

"You haven't won yet," countered Lime.

Herb scoffed and dashed at Lime. He gained enough speed that his punch packed more kinetic energy than any of his previous physical attacks (those performed without hyposthenia at least). An almost metallic sound was heard as Herb hit Lime with all his might. He then opened wide eyes.

Lime hadn't even moved. The hit had done nothing to him. He was like a big metal ball. Actually, a metal ball would have flown back from Herb's hit. Lime hadn't even done that. Jotaro was impressed. It took a monstrous amount of control to block every cushioning articulation in one's body like Lime did. This combined with the rampant ki in his body due to his energy surge had made him unmovable and harder than any substance known to man.

Herb was so awestruck that he didn't have the time to react to Lime's attack. Lime's spherical shape opened at an incredible speed, like a nightmarish maw. He grabbed Herb's arm and dragged him back into the spherical shape. Herb started to gesticulate but it was for naught. Ineluctably, Herb was taken bit by bit into the sphere Lime's body constituted until nothing of him remained. Lime had swallowed him whole.

Jotaro frowned. Being encased in anything was extremely taxing on the body given the stress it created due to the absolute terror of not being able to move freely in a dark confined space. If Herb remained too long in this sphere, he would be too stressed to fight and would lose.

Lime's sphere opened and spit out Herb. Herb lay unmoving on the ground his breathing erratic. Lime uncurled and went near him. Jotaro looked at his downed mate and sighed with relief. He hadn't abandoned yet.

"It seems to me that I won," Lime said with something akin to regret before his voice hardened. "You won't be able to go on much longer. If you don't forfeit, I might be forced to deal real damage."

"That's why you lose," retorted Jotaro. Lime was startled and looked at him totally flummoxed.

"I have him at my mercy and you think I'm losing?" he asked dumbstruck. "What kind of reasoning is that?"

"A sound one," replied Herb calmly as his breathing slowed down. "You might be in a position of strength but you don't dare going too far on me. You want me to forfeit. You want to end this fight more than I do. For that, you're definitely closer than me to losing this fight."

Lime's jaw dropped at this rebuttal of his skill.

"How far the mighty have fallen," laughed Herb. "You don't even have the guts to finish me..."

Lime had had enough. He tried to stomp on Herb's head. Herb avoided, barely. Then Lime kicked him in the air and ate in again in his spherical defence. Jotaro frowned as he saw that the sphere tightened more than before.

Suddenly, Lime's face jerked up, an expression of intense pain carved into it. It was easy to see why. Herb had jabbed two of his fingers up Lime's nose. He could probably scrap Lime's brain that way. Herb looked slightly taxed but otherwise okay.

"You didn't think an attack would work twice on me, did you?" asked Herb. "Don't take me for a fool."

With a roar, Lime threw him away, making him crash on a nearby boulder, before holding his bloody nose. As he did that, Herb took time to regain his bearings, before he sighed. He then looked intently at Lime.

"I've had enough," he told him.

Lime stopped holding his bloody nose and looked at Herb inquisitively.

"What do you mean, Herb?" he asked harshly.

"I'm done playing 'My last secret attack' and 'My trump card'," said Herb with finality. "Against a paragon of strength like you, tricks are uncalled for, useless."

Jotaro leaned in. He had an idea about what was going to happen but this was insane. It was exactly the kind of thing he would do.

That's why it would probably work. Herb smiled like a child. A creepy chilled with a predatory smile that would make most people flee in fright.

"Let's just beat the tar out of each other," he said simply, making Lime's eyes widen. "Head on. Face to face. No dodging. Pound for pound. Like true men."

Lime couldn't help it. He laughed.

'I would probably laugh too if someone a hundred and fifty kilos lighter than me told me to fight like a man,' thought Jotaro with restrained awe. He still felt he had to warn Herb, even though he knew Herb wouldn't relent.

"Herb," he said warningly, "I'm not sure you understand the gap of weight between you two. There's a reason why boxing has seventeen weight classes. It would be as though you were trying to stop a freight train with your bare hands. Logic dictates that you will be crushed."

"I am beyond logic," retorted Herb. "And even with that, given that my freedom is on the line, this just means..."

Herb stood straighter than before and his smile became wider than ever.

"... that this fight is totally worth to die for," he finished.

Jotaro smiled proudly at him.

"Win," he simply told him.

In response, Herb hammered the boulder he was leaning on once with his back. No matter its size and weight, the boulder flew back.

'No one can stop them...' thought Jotaro.

Lime's smile soon matched Herb's.

'...Rules don't matter...' continued Jotaro.

The boulder landed near Jotaro.

'...This is probably the greatest fist fight...' added Jotaro.

The imprint of Herb's back was distinctively visible on the boulder. The muscles had been twisted in such a way that it looked like a dragon's face.

'...The world has ever seen,' finished Jotaro.

Herb and Lime dashed at each other before fists and faces collided.

The fight was felt all around the world.

Taro stopped training Hotaru and turned towards the west. He had a feeling that he was missing one hell of a fight. His pupil felt something but didn't quite know what.

In the Jusenkyohanten, Happosai, Akane and Mousse stopped on the spot before looking towards the west. Their blood boiled and they became somewhat restless.

In the Nekohanten, Cologne stopped on the spot and Shampoo couldn't help but shiver. Cologne was worried. The power she felt was insane.

In the Tendo household, both Genma and Soun shivered. They didn't want to face whoever was making them feel that way, not one bit.

Somewhere in the Alps (although he didn't know that), Ryoga turned to the direction of the fight, awfully curious. It should be noted that he did turn in the direction of the fight, however it was the longer one. He was looking straight to the west, across the Atlantic ocean, Northern America, the Pacific ocean, Japan, the East China Sea and finally Chinese mainland. But once again, he didn't know that. He just wondered how long he would last in the fight he felt.

Across Japan, several martial arts masters, including Goki Shibukawa, Doppo Orochi and Jack Hammer, turned towards the west. They recognized Herb's power and were proud of her.

As he was harassing one of his female clients, Ryo Saeba stopped, getting a mighty slap in the process. He didn't care this time. He hadn't felt fighting intent that powerful since, well, ever. The last time he had felt something even remotely approaching this intensity had been during his guerrilla years in South America and even then it hadn't been felt on more than ten kilometres. The intent he was feeling was coming from more than a thousand kilometres.

In the Bayankala Mountains, the Amazon elders panicked at the output of power. As for King Cinnamon, he paused slightly before grinning as he recognized his grandson's power.

Had anyone been here, they wouldn't have been able to see anything of the battle. It was too intense to look at and too fast to discern.

Jotaro wasn't anyone and as such he was able to see. It was incredible.

Both fist collided with opposing faces at the same time. Cheeks started to ripple. Then the bones collided and the heads began to back under the strength. Faces were distorted and eyelids were lifted from the eyes due to the insane change of speed. Blood started to appear in mouths. Both warrior were falling back before abdominal muscles contracted harshly and body tensed violently towards the front.

The next hits landed on their respective noses. At that point, both of them had closed their eyes. It wouldn't make any difference.

Herb and Lime were pounding each other's faces mercilessly. Nothing but elation and sheer will could be seen on their faces, even though they were distorted by the punches.

'I realised one thing,' though Herb as he pounded Lime's face mercilessly. 'To beat Lime, fighting techniques… or a clever mental strategy… or sneak attacks… all of them are useless.'

Lime punched Herb straight in the mouth, dislodging two teeth.

'What I need to beat Lime…' thought Herb, 'who is a hundred and fifty kilos heavier than me… is only more...'

Herb carved Lime's face with his punch.

'POWER!' he roared internally.

Herb managed to pound Lime's face several more times.

'Head on!' he thought. 'No fear! Just head on! No retreat! Face him down until he falls back!'

And Jotaro witnessed something incredible. Lime was falling back. Slowly but surely, his feet were leaving trails on the ground.

"Sublime," muttered Jotaro. "Dignified. Supreme. The kind of men you want to offer your sincere respects."

Lime was wondering what was happening.

'He's pushing me back,' thought Lime with awe. 'I'm the strongest Musk warrior and our prince is pushing me back. This young man who is lighter than half my weight is pushing me back.'

In a last surge of pride, Lime shot a last direct hit on Herb's nose, which broke some more, spraying blood on his lips. Herb's face was a mask of blood by thenand he was almost on autopilot. Lime noticed too late that he had grabbed his head and was contracting his abs. The headbutt he received caved his face in, breaking several bones, and at that moment, Lime knew he had lost. He couldn't help but smile.

Herb staggered for a fraction of second before he cocked back his fist for a devastating punch and sent it, intent on downing Lime for good. His punch met nothing but air as Lime fell back on the ground, unconscious. Herb's momentum took him forward and he tripped on Lime, crashing on the ground. He remained here for a few seconds before going back up with some difficulties. His face was marred with bruises and blood, one of his eyes was swollen shut, his nose was bent and he was missing several teeth but that was okay. He healed fast. Jotaro had seen him grow teeth back in two days. He grabbed his nose and set it back. He then looked back at Lime's body and saw Mint coming towards them, obviously straining and limping. Herb was about to go back in a fighting stance when Mint discarded that notion.

"I forfeit," he said. "I'm weaker than you and even though I'm faster than you, I won't be able to escape from you with a sprained knee. It's your victory."

Herb looked at him for a second before smiling widely. He then staggered and would have fallen on the ground had Jotaro not caught him. Jotaro laid him on the ground where he breathed raggedly.

"It took everything I had into me to beat him," he said between gulps or air.

"Not surprising," retorted Mint. "Lime hasn't been hailed the strongest Musk warrior of the millennium for nothing. Even your grandfather didn't manage to beat him with raw strength alone."

At that moment, Lime opened his eyes. He remained on the ground for a minute before sitting up. Seeing Mint, he managed to hold his bone enough to ask: "I lost, didn't I?"

"That you did," replied Mint. "That you did."

Lime smiled widely before looking at Herb.

"I guess this means that you go wherever you want," he told his prince. "Most assuredly with Jotaro."

Herb smiled in return.

"I guess this is goodbye," sighed Mint.

"Not yet," replied Jotaro.

"How come?" asked Lime inquisitively.

"I have a mission for you," answered Jotaro as he took several things from Doorspace.

Mint and Lime listened to him intently. By the end of the explanation, they were grinning grimly. Herb for his part had a terrifyingly predatory smile.

King Cinnamon was walking wearily towards the throne room. He had an audience with his son and several nobles. He sighed. His son had been trying to get him to enact a law that would squash liberties for normal people and would give more power to the nobles. He really didn't want to pass that law but they were starting to wear him down and he hadn't found a good excuse to definitively shut them up. He was wondering about his son sometimes. He loathed admitting it but there was something sinister in him. He was also worrying about his grandson. Mint and Lime had left a note saying that they would be training Herb for a while since he lacked knowledge concerning the world but it still had been some time.

Before he could get to the throne room, he was grabbed by the arm and brought into a nearby room. He took a stance so as to fight his abductor but paused when he recognized Mint and Lime.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked imperiously. "And where is my grandson?"

"Prince Herb is fine," answered Mint. "He just didn't come back with us. He fought us for the right to remain in Japan and won."

Cinnamon was relatively impressed.

"He managed to test out of his station at such a young age?" he said clearly pleased. "He is good."

"You're mistaken, my King," countered Lime. "We didn't test him, we fought against him, at the same time. He managed to take Mint out. And then, he did the impossible."

Cinnamon opened wide eyes.

"What did he do?" he asked.

"He beat me in a fist fight," replied Lime. "I was at full power and he pummelled me with his bare hands. Not even you managed to do that."

Cinnamon couldn't help it. He let his jaw drop. Dignity be damned, this was too impressive to remain stoic.

"Incredible," he managed to breathe.

"We came back straight to you since there are grave matters we need to attend to," said Mint after that.

Cinnamon instantly became dead serious.

"How grave?" he asked.

"We breached protocol to tell you, isn't it revealing?" asked Mint back.

"Fuck protocol," demanded the Musk King in the tone he used in war situations, "just tell me."

Lime took an audio player.

"There are several enlightening conversations that were recorded during our trip by a certain Jotaro Kujo," explained Lime. "Listen to them fully."

Cinnamon listened. His face became more and more rigid as he listened until it went slack. Lime and Mint straightened. They recognized this face. It was the face of a general ready to battle.

"We have some rats to flush," he said tonelessly.

Mint and Lime didn't want to be the target of the King's wrath. He was definitely pissed. Calling someone a rat was an insult of the worst kind among the Musk, liable to get someone in prison.

"We'll follow you," replied Mint. "But they won't see us."

Both warriors vanished as they used the Umisen-ken. Cinnamon was impressed. He would have to ask them how they did it.

Ginger was getting restless. He was supposed to have an audience with his father, along with several of his allies. He had had a hard time convincing his father to call an audience for the law he wanted to pass. He had reviewed a lot of arguments and had several tricks to make his father cave in and give him and the nobles more power over the Musk. He just hoped his father hadn't decided to stop when he was so close to his goal. He was pretty sure he would manage to convince his father to agree to the law he wanted to pass. The fact that Herb had gone away before he could denounce him had initially enraged him but it now worked to his advantage. His father was preoccupied by his grandson's absence and would fight less against laws that would cement his lineage.

At least, that was how Ginger and his allies would sell it. The possibility of the king actually reading fully between the lines was minimal.

The King finally entered the room. His gaze was neutral as usual. He started the audience and listened neutrally to Ginger's and the nobles' arguments.

"I'm not sure about this law," said Cinnamon while frowning. "It has uses but I could lead to abuse."

"Father!" said Ginger falsely shocked. "We have nothing but the best interests of the kingdom at heart."

"We support your son in every decision he makes," said a noble in a honey voice. "He is a wise leader."

"Including those on Herb's upbringing?" asked Cinnamon with an edge in his voice.

Ginger felt it and wondered what bothered his father. He seethed inside. Even though it now worked to his advantage, Herb had gone away too fast after being turned into a female. Ginger had hoped for him to be caught in the act and be executed. Then again, he just had to wait for him to come back to call for his execution, if the little bitch came back at all.

Ginger didn't like his plans being derailed, even if the end result was worth it.

"Totally," answered the noble. "We perused the curriculum he has demanded be taught to Herb and approved of it."

"That's what I thought," said Cinnamon with anger.

Suddenly, Mint and Lime appeared out of thin air. They looked ready to fight.

"Capture them all," he told his soldiers. "Leave my son to me."

Mint and Lime blurred. The nobles started to fall down one after the other. It was a remarkably one-sided fight. These power-hungry nobles hadn't trained for years and were no match for the most dangerous warriors of the kingdom. They fell down but remained conscious, obviously afraid. Ginger reeled back in shock as his father prowled towards him in a threatening pose.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked in a trembling voice. "Don't you trust me?"

"Your son and his retainers told me several things," replied Cinnamon in anger, and Ginger paled. "How you sabotaged his education, how you told him almost nothing of his heritage, how you tried to destitute him, how you tried to have him executed by plotting against him..."

Ginger backed up against a wall. He was discovered! His bastard son had outsmarted him. He snarled in anger. Cinnamon noticed this and became angrily.

"Since you don't seem to regret any of it, you lose your right to call yourself his father," he told his son. "And you lost every right to call yourself my son. You'll never be able to access to the throne, I'll make sure of that. You'll rot in a cell and become a waste of human flesh. You deserve that and nothing else!"

Ginger had a mixture of rage and fear in his eyes. It was soon replaced by pain as Cinnamon pummelled him. Ginger soon fell unconscious under the pain. Cinnamon then dislocated each and every one of the articulations on his limbs and tinkered with them before setting them back. He had destroyed all the cartilage that remained. Ginger would still be able to move but the pain that resulted would be so intense that he wouldn't be able to move for long.

Cinnamon looked disgusted at his son before calling his guards to throw him and the nobles in cells. The nobles tried to protest but were silenced when they learnt that they would be interrogated thoroughly. He then sighed and turned towards Lime and Mint.

"We will need a new governing body," he said. "And I will need new advisors. I will need your input on that."

Lime smiled before taking a book and holding it for the King.

"What is this?" asked Cinnamon inquisitively.

"Herb's suggestions on politics and economics," replied Mint. "Thought for the Musk kingdom and compiled by Jotaro Kujo. You should look at them, there are some very good ones."

Cinnamon read the book and was impressed. By the end of the month, half of the suggestions would be applied, triggering a revolution in the kingdom and making it more thriving than it had been during the previous five millennia. The emancipation of women was the main change, as well as allowing them among the warriors. Several valiant ones distinguished themselves soon. Some retrograde men grumbled against it but were soon silenced, especially since this change came along with more power given to the peasants and the low class. Although there wasn't exactly a high class anymore since almost all of the nobles had all been thrown in jail. The people soon thrived and Herb became a legend as the exiled genius. The people were waiting for him to come back. They knew he would be a fair and good ruler.

Deep inside the Musk royal prison, Ginger seethed. His bastard son, who should have remained his bitch of a daughter, had reduced years of careful planning in cinder. All because he didn't die when needed. He would pay. Oh, how much the little whore would pay...

The howling of a noble made Ginger shiver. He wasn't looking forward to being interrogated. Then the wariness made place to hatred. And hatred fed on hatred…

As Ginger's body and mind decayed due to his new station, his hatred festered and grew.

Michiru was walking with Haruka in Juuban's park, bringing Hotaru back home. Not that the young girl needed it given what Taro had taught her, but she liked the dark purple-haired girl. Taro was fun too, especially when he was training the girl. He used the strangest ways to unsettle her, a habit he had no doubt gotten from dealing with Jotaro. Come to think of it, it had been quite some time since she had seen Jotaro. He had even missed the exams to college. According to Taro, he had gone to help someone from China. It had been three months since he had departed.

Haruka took her out of her reverie.

"Isn't that your ex?" said Haruka as she pointed in front of them. Michiru and Hotaru looked intently towards where Haruka had pointed. Jotaro was treading there calmly in his male form. But he wasn't alone. A tall individual with red eyes, a mane of tri-coloured hair and wearing scaly armour was with him. What surprised them was how content Jotaro looked. He wasn't often that relaxed, even in pleasant company.

Michiru looked a bit dumbstruck. Then she understood and smiled widely. Hotaru was less reserved and dashed at Jotaro with an impressive smile. Jotaro was smiling at her. Then he surprised her.

As soon as she was close enough, he punched her.

However, as surprised as she was, Hotaru was ready. Months or repeating the same movements had burnt them deep into her psyche. She evaded, if barely, grabbed Jotaro's arm and threw him over her. Jotaro flew over her and landed gracefully. He looked at her with pride in his eyes.

"Taro taught you well," he told her.

"That he did," replied Hotaru with a smile. "That he did."

Michiru approached Herb and looked at him intently from every angle, much to his surprise and a little bit of unease. Haruka smiled widely. She knew Michiru liked to unsettle people. Most of the time she was the butt of the joke, something she'd have gladly avoided. The things she did for love…

"So you're Jotaro's new boyfriend?" asked Michiru with a smile. Herb was a bit dumbstruck.

"I am," replied Herb, "sometimes. Who are you?"

Michiru lifted an eyebrow at the 'sometimes'.

"His former girlfriend," she answered. "I dumped him for Haruka here and was a bit unsure he would recover from it, even though he didn't show it. I'm glad he found you. I have never seen him that happy. He was right when he said that we weren't meant to be."

"Thank you," he replied. "You are Michiru Kaioh, then. Jotaro said nothing but good things about you. You helped him a lot from what he told me."

"It was my pleasure," downplayed Michiru before getting a lecherous smile. "In the literal meaning of the term." Behind her, Haruka groaned, Jotaro smirked and Hotaru giggled. Herb was a bit flustered.

"What did you mean by 'sometimes'?" added Michiru.

"Oh… I have the same curse as his," replied Herb.

Michiru's eyes widened before she laughed happily. She then turned towards Jotaro.

"You found your perfect match!" she gushed happily. "If anything it must make things very interesting in bed."

Herb blushed somewhat as Jotaro heartily approved. Haruka palmed her face.

"I was a perverted girl who liked to make other girls blush," she told Hotaru. "I always found them cute when they blushed. Then I met Michiru. I have yet to make her blush, this girl is more perverted than I am." She turned towards Jotaro and pointed an accusing finger towards him. "And it is all your fault! Did you have to turn her that way?"

"No, but I sure had fun doing so," replied Jotaro with a smile. "Besides, you don't really have to complain."

Hotaru laughed at Haruka's disgruntled face. The group made its way to bring Hotaru back home, then Haruka and Michiru. It wouldn't do to have Suedo upset. The man took his new duty very seriously. There had been a fun moment when Herb had recalled that Suedo only knew his female form and had splashed himself. Haruka's jaw had dropped and it had taken Michiru hitting her on the head to get her back to reality. Haruka looked at Michiru dumbly before looking back at Herb.

"If I weren't with you," she told Michiru with a straight face, "I would totally go after her. She's hot!"

It had gotten her a slap from Michiru, an impassive gaze from Jotaro and a blush from Herb. Then she had had to grovel to Michiru and beg for forgiveness. Michiru knew her lover wouldn't betray her but it was fun making her beg and she suspected the blonde liked it too.

After that, the cursed duo had returned to the Jusenkyohanten. There had been a small party with Mousse, Akane, Tofu, Mikoto, Happosai and Taro. They had gone to bed early. The next day, they had to register Herb at Furinkan.

A.N : It's been a long time... I did warn you. Plus, I've had some difficulties in writing chapter 29 and it reflected on my update rate.

The fist fight is another rip-off of Baki, the tenth volume of the third season to be precise. Oliver Biscuit vs. Baki Hanma. Probably my favourite in the whole saga.

Next time, Hinako arrives. Along with a different kind of craziness.