Guilty Conscience ~ Abbacchio/Fem Reader

Chapter 35: Heart Breaker

One moment, Y/N was standing before the limp body of Trish Una and the dust-covered Requiem Arrow.

And then she wasn't.

Terror shot through Y/N's body like thousands of pin prickles dancing over her skin, tearing apart her composure as she was sent flying into stone. The shock of her back suddenly connecting with the Colosseum's solid wall made her scream. And the pain that stabbed at her spine as she slumped down beside Giorno made her want to throw up.

She didn't even notice — she didn't even hear — him get sent flying backwards. There was no sound of impact, no cry for help, no gasp for air. Nothing at all. Y/N rolled slowly to her side, trying to get a better view of the blonde boy whose back faced her. He must've hit the wall at an angle, she thought. He must have several broken ribs.

"Stupid children," a voice as dark as night said. "Stupid children who try to play games with adults are left with broken bones."

Y/N didn't have to roll back over to know that it was the demon, Diavolo who spoke. His voice came out in a deep rasp as if barbed wires clung to his neck and throat. Hearing the devil speak for the first time made Y/N's hands tremble. How did he hit us? She wondered in a panicky daze. How did he hit us without even a second having gone by?

The crunch of his shoes against the gravel crackled loudly in Y/N's ears. Every step he took sounded like a nightmare that prowled closer and closer to her limp body, shadow growing and claws sharp. All that Y/N wanted was to bury her head under the imaginary covers that dressed her frame, hiding from the agony that was soon to come. But even as she tucked her chin to her chest and attempted to bring her body into a firm ball as she whispered, "Anticipate his blow, redirect it," over and over again to herself, Diavolo's daunting steps did not falter.

A pause. A sigh. And then a knowing laugh — short and menacing — from the beast behind her as he bent down and picked up the Requiem Arrow. Y/N heard the metal of the arrow's tip ring in her ears as he scrapped it against the Colossiem's rocky floor. Heard him tap its slender shaft against the palm of his hand with two, tender taps. And heard Trish, awoken from her forceful slumber in recent moments, cry out in pain as a heavy thump and a gruesome crack rippled through the air.

At this, Y/N turned, ignoring the pain that shot up her back only to see the small, pink-haired girl clenching her chest as Diavolo stomped his foot down on her once again. The scream that Trish let out was haunting. And the wail of bullets to follow sent goosebumps over Y/N's entire body.

From the sky, Aerosmith reigned down a hailstorm of bullets at Diavolo, sending him staggering back a few steps before disappearing entirely. But he wasn't gone for long, as it was Polnareff who pointed from the second level of the Colosseum, dragging everyone's attention to the demon's new position. "He's behind the pillar!" J.P.P. shouted.

Narancia's Aerosmith flipped in the air, spinning to point at the only enemy left in the arena. Diavolo hid poorly behind a broken collumn leaving his upper half exposed to the barrage of bullets that Narancia sent in his direction. From somewhere in the Colosseum, Y/N heard the victorious scream of Narancia who landed several hits on the enemy, yelling, "That's what you get, ASSHOLE!"

The sound of metal hitting the ground bounced off of the stone walls, echoing throughout the arena. At this, even Giorno — who Y/N was sure didn't have enough strength to even lift his head — perked up, turning to crawl on all fours in an attempt to get closer to her. "You heard that?" He asked frantically. "Or am I hallucinating?"

"I heard," Y/N said in a raspy voice that didn't sound like her own. The blood from her forehead — and now her back — covered her face and clothes. Giorno tried to hide his concern, but she could see that from the look he wore, she was an utter mess. "Don't worry," she said with as much calm as she could muster, "As soon as we're out of here, everything and everyone will be alright. I promise."