This is a little early, but I can't see the total views from my last chapter on the story details. I'll probably start doing the same everytime it happens. Anyway, this chapter features one of the biggest changes I had planned, plus a pairing I've been setting up for a while. Hope you enjoy.

The Saint-Moritz resort in Switzerland, also known as the valley of the sun. The group of heroes, Stroheim still under repairs, was sequestered in a large hotel not far from the fortress where Kars was supposed to be hiding, if the address given by Suzi Q was anything to go by. It was daylight out, so Wamuu wouldn't be showing up until night fell. "That mansion is perfect for Kars to hide out in," Messina noted, "Large and deserted with plenty of room to hide from the sun, and all the windows boarded up."

"Then we should go on the offensive before Wamuu arrives," Caesar said, "I know Jojo has his promised fight against him, but we'll have time for that when Kars is dead." "Not a good idea," Joseph argued, "Kars wouldn't have lived as long as he has if destroying him was as simple as attacking him while the sun's out. This is no vampire, he'll be very active even during the day. He's just more limited in where he can go while the sun's out." Caesar rubbed his chin. "Very well, I suppose you're right. There's no telling what's inside that mansion. I've waited three years to avenge my father. A few hours more is nothing."

"You mentioned something about that when we first encountered the Pillar Men," Applejack noted, "Just what were you talking about?" Caesar sighed as he walked near the balcony. "My father was Mario Zeppeli. Unlike Grandfather William he could not use Hamon, but that was fine by him. He took the life of a family man seriously, especially after he and his own father reconnected. My mother died when I was young, but I still had Father, Grandfather, and several of my siblings."

He closed his eyes. "Then one day, without explanation, Father just vanished. I was ten years old at the time. Some vile individual from my mother's side tried to swindle me out of the savings father left me, but luckily Grandfather prevented that. He too was curious as what happened to his son, and agreed to help me look for him. During that time, he discovered my talent for Hamon, and began helping me learn it to defend myself. His intention was to introduce me to a proper teacher when we were done finding Father, since he was growing too old to give me a full schooling."

He grimaced. "I had convinced myself Father had found some other woman and was living a happy life, but Grandfather argued that if he had found someone else he would have brought her home to be my stepmother. Finally, when I was sixteen, we found my father in Rome. Curious as to what he was doing, I followed him to the Colosseum... To the chamber where the Pillar Men were still slumbering." Applejack gasped, realizing where the story was heading.

Caesar started to tear up. "I approached the wall, thinking it just another mural. As I reached for a diamond in the mural that caught my eye, Father appeared trying to warn me to get away. But it was too late! Like a human would stir from his sleep if he heard a large enough disturbance, the Pillar Men briefly awoke earlier than predicted... It turned out the diamond was a trap to feed themselves while they slept... And father pushed me out of the way... I'm not sure if my father recognized me or not, but he asked me to find Lisa Lisa and report his death."

Caesar now began to cry. "This was the real reason he had left. He wanted me to stay out of this affair until I was strong enough to face it. He never told anyone, not even his own father who had survived such things before, because he knew Grandfather William was starting to show signs of age." Applejack offered him a handkerchief. "Thank you...," he said, "It was after this that I told Grandfather everything. He was deeply saddened by the loss of his son, but nonetheless took me to see Lisa Lisa, where I began my Hamon training."

Joseph smiled. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to try a daytime attack." "Inadvisable," Donovan said as he appeared above, "I've just scouted the area around the mansion, and it seems that Wamuu has arrived." The group looked shocked. "Wamuu came?," Lisa Lisa asked, "In broad daylight?" "I didn't recognize him at first," Donovan said as he dropped down, "He seemed to make himself transparent using the surrounding air. Then I realized he was using steam from the air in his lungs to create a refraction of light to protect himself as he arrived, which had the added benefit of concealing him from casual observation."

"Even a Pillar Man can only breathe out for so long," Joseph noted, "He must have been jumping from shade to shade to get here." "How much longer before Stroheim is repaired?," Messina asked. "The technicians from the Speedwagon Foundation and our own engineering corp give it at least until tomorrow," Donovan replied, "Perhaps earlier, but definitely not before the sun sets."

The group considered their options. "Do we know if anything else is inside the mansion?," Lisa Lisa asked. "I got the impression from the sounds inside as I scouted the first floor," Donovan said, "They seem to have created some vampires while waiting for the stone. I estimate there to be several dozen from the voices alone." Caesar nodded. "Applejack, we're going. At the very least, we can cut down some of their numbers." "Be careful," Joseph said, "If either of you die on us you'll regret it in the afterlife." Caesar grinned. "I don't plan on risking my life, if that's what you're thinking."

The inside of the mansion looked dark, but there was just enough light coming through the cracks for the area to be visible. As the duo approached a nearby stairwell, the air whirled around and revealed a semi-transparent figure. "Wamuu," Caesar noted, "We weren't expecting to encounter you so soon." "I heard your footsteps and came to investigate," Wamuu explained, "You seem to have gotten stronger. Both of you. My intention was to fight Jojo, but I won't pass up the chance for a quick warm-up."

He leapt down, while Applejack called out, "To The Core!" She threw her fist into Wamuu's stomach, but something felt off. "What in the hay? It didn't connect. The air pressure is keeping my fist from reaching him." "It seems even your power has its limits," Wamuu noted. He then whirled his head around as Caesar called out, "Soap Cutter!" A series of disc-shaped bubbles cut through his wind barrier, easily damaging them from the Hamon they were charged with.

"A little variation on the Hamon Cutter my grandfather taught me!," Caesar explained, "By channeling Hamon in such a way that it creates centrifugal force, the bubbles rotate at high-speed, creating the disk shape. Thanks to the Hamon charging them, they don't explode. And your whirlwind barrier becomes the perfect vacuum to draw them in and slice you to ribbons! " Wamuu managed to leap back enough to stop the bubbles from chasing him.

'He's outperformed my expectations,' he thought, 'I could always drop my whirlwind barrier and use a more direct wind attack to blow the bubbles away, but that leaves me open to Applejack's physical power. Under the influence of her mysterious Stand, she's strong enough to send even a member of my race flying across a room. These two made a good move by attacking me simultaneously. I was expecting a mere warm-up, but this is shaping up to be more of a test of how well I can handle the fight with Jojo.'

"Are you sure we should be checking up on them, Master Lisa Lisa?," Messina asked. The two of them, as well a Joseph, were approaching the mansion. "They've been gone too long for merely clearing out a few vampires," Lisa Lisa explained, "I'm starting to get worried." "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Joseph admitted, "Applejack's shown herself to be capable of surviving a lot thanks to her Stand, but we don't know it's upper limit. And as much as Caesar has improved, there's always the risk that either Kars or Wamuu detected them within the mansion."

"Looks like my only choice is resort to overkill," Wamuu decided. He directed his barrier to his fist and launched it, barely missing Applejack. She quickly whirled around, realizing he might not have been aiming for her. Sure enough, the attack blasted a nearby wall in such a way that it crumbled on top of her. "That should overpower her durability," Wamuu noted, "And now I'm free to drop my barrier and strike you with my special attack."

Caesar smiled. "I doubt you'll get the chance. Take a look around you!" Wamuu looked around and realized he was surrounded by soap discs. "Thanks to the hole in the wall you made trying to crush Applejack," Caesar explained, "You've allowed sunlight to enter the mansion. And my soap discs are perfectly positioned to become lenses, ready to capture that light and redirect it against you!" The burning light started to incinerate Wamuu. He tried to put up his guard, but Caesar was ready.

"Now I'll attack you with a final, direct Hamon!," Caesar called out. Wamuu noticed the kick Caesar launched created enough of a shadow that he could launch his Holy Sand Storm safely. But as he readied his arms to launch it, he suddenly got the sensation of his arms being pinned down. Realizing he was about to be struck, Wamuu did the only other thing he could. Painful as it was, he flipped back into the range of Caesar lens attack, just long enough to escape the Hamon kick and put up his whirlwind barrier.

"That was clearly Applejack's Stand restraining me!," he realized, "But how could she have survived!?" The rubble from the wall started to shift, and Applejack burst up from it, covered in injuries but otherwise standing strong. "Congratulations, Wamuu," she said, "You finally pushed To The Core to its very limit. Luckily, it was only enough to finally injure me, the first injuries I've received while under my Stand's influence since I first discovered its power. Fortunately, the lack of pain meant I was able to stay conscious, keeping my Stand active."

Wamuu managed to leap away from the duo. "It's clear that if we keep fighting I will lose, and I still have my promise to keep with Jojo. Still, that power is far more impressive than I could have imagined. If it had been Kars you fought here, rather than me, he no doubt would have been killed. Caesar, Applejack, I will consider this a technical loss on my part. Rest and recover, so that you may be strong enough to fight against Kars." And with that, he left.

Caesar breathed a sigh of relief, but then found himself having to catch Applejack. "Are you alright?," he asked. "I'll be fine," Applejack replied, "Just never turned off my Stand while injured. The pain hit me all at once. Not enough to die from shock, thankfully, but enough that the exhaustion caught up with me." She then realized her situation. "Good grief, even when being subtle you wind up sweeping a girl off her feet." Caesar smiled. "Well, this is the first time I've been serious about a girl."

Applejack then surprised him by placing her hands on his cheeks. "Remember when we first met, you tried that Hamon hypnosis trick by kissing me?" "I remember," Caesar admitted, "You said if I ever wanted to do that again, I'd have to earn it." They brought their faces together as Applejack said, "Well guess what? You earned it." And with that, they locked lips in a passionate kiss. They only broke it when they heard Joseph cough to get their attention.

The two looked flustered when they saw Joseph's wry grin. "Caesar, Applejack, I thought you were here to kill vampires, not find a secret make-out spot." "We wound up running into Wamuu," Applejack explained, "And I found the upper limits of my durability." "And apparently emotions ran high in the aftermath," Joseph snarked, "But seriously, I am happy for you two." Lisa Lisa smiled. "We got worried when you were taking so long. I'm glad to see you both safe." The group shared a laugh, even in the middle of a mansion likely surrounded by enemies, and it helped ease the tension on the air.