They were so close, so close to the lair of the being they had been longing to encounter. Crossing through rivers, deserts, and towns galore to invade the man that had caused so much pain and dumped problems to everyone. Everyone he knew. They were all suffering with problems that had been induced and lead by the devil in the shadows, who controlled people like puppets at the fingertips. And he knew how, too.

Two fingers slowly ran over the red-heads hairline, soon resting on the center of his forehead. A fleshbud, from a time that felt so long ago, had been planted there. Made to control him at the very whim of the beast with a handsome smile that he knew all too well. The beast with a cold breath, and a gentle beckon. Kakyoin shuddered and walked through the sandy land, feeling the particles shift beneath the soles of his shoes.

Kakyoin was risking his life by making his way through the area. He knew exactly where to go, and how to get there, but was it worth it? Licking his lips slowly against the cold wind, the male dragged the cover of the hijab further over his hair before slipping into the shadows. Buildings loomed like an omen, but the student ignored them and quickly waltzed his way through the area, Hierophant beside him and surfing through some of the layout.

There had been great metal doors blocking this home, but the only thing he had noted was the great falcon simply perching up on the top of them. Certain it was asleep, Kakyoin literally wiggled himself under the great doors, knowing he was stretching out old scars and ruining his newly cleaned outfit from this. Oh well. It was going to get dirty sooner or later. Thinking no more on the matter of hygiene, he walked in.

Hazy marble flooring passed beneath his feet as Kakyoin took in his surroundings. It was dark, but he could faintly see the outline of fine decor due to the wash of moonlight that came from the windows. Stairs lead upward to a second floor, but the male ignored that as he simply eyed the doors, looking at the silver and gold handles that shimmered enticingly right near him.

No, no.

Kakyoin shook his head and moved forward, looking for the nearest spot that would signify a drop into a basement, or even an attic. Surely Dio didn't have enough guts to live on the ground floor of a building, and directly in front of open windows. The red-headed male did everything he could. He searched through all the doors, made Hierophant slither under locked places, and even check under rugs. Everything simple was ruled out quickly, and the male even resorted to pulling on any book, plant, or even looking at the tops of the railings. Walls were the last resort.

Kakyoin ran a hand through his fringe and then moved to rub his hands along the walls, partially enjoying the beige color and the tasteful flooring of the home. He supposed that even if he was almost in great danger, being away from the hotel and the others all at once like this, then he should at least enjoy some minor moments of life.

Hierophant's point of view suddenly filled his vision for a second, causing the red head to blink and then look over to where the floating Stand was. A dark aura was suddenly spreading around along the stairs, giving a smokey hue to the polished wood. The student moved to poke his head upward, towards the near top of the building. The stairs were a close spiral, but still had angles to signify how many floors there were.

Taking in a breath, the student moved up. There was only one place to go, and if he was able to get lucky, he could get the upperhand against Dio.

"You must understand one thing. Dio is no ordinary man. In fact, he may not even be a man now." Joseph Joestar sat at the other side of a campfire, arms folded and his soup bowl empty.

Polnareff looked up, gulping down a spoonful of the not-so-savory meal. "We've heard that before, but what makes this guy so special? Just because his name means "God" doesn't mean he's as strong as one, right?"

"Not unless he has a Stand that actually justifies his name," Jotaro muttered.

Joseph cleared his throat to draw attention back to him. "Be careful. He's a man full of surprises and is after the Joestar family entirely. He'll annihilate anyone in his way. Don't underestimate him."

Licking his lips and tasting the bitter cold on the tip of his tongue, Kakyoin made his way up little by little. Hierophant Green was to the side, keeping an eye out like a watch dog. The stairs felt like a long way up, and the cold was slowly beginning to bite through Kakyoin's clothing. With a small shudder, the male looked up once more, quickly becoming greeted with ominous darkness.

That's where he is. Another shudder crawled up the back of the Stand user. He knew that this had to be the place, considering it was so chilly, dark, and how much the atmosphere was pressing against his sternum.

Kakyoin took one step forward and knew immediately that something was off as soon as he left the stairwell. Before he knew it, a cord wrapped itself around his torso, pinning his arms against his sides as he was lifted towards the ceiling. It was as thick as his wrist and as sturdy as Star Platinum's arm, meaning that squirming his way out was impossible.

"Did you believe that coming up here all by yourself was going to bring peace to the world?"

As though he had inhaled frost, the red head immediately felt goosebumps rise as his heart sputtered. Fear coursed through him faster than he could remember, watching the darkness shift and slowly pry itself away from him. Caramel eyes, tinted red in that most precarious of places, pierced right through Kakyoin. It was such a vicious touch, but it also made him weak at the knees. It took everything for Kakyoin to swallow and speak.

"D...Dio."

The very name itself made his tongue go numb, but the chuckle caused him to shudder the most. "Glad to see you remember me, Kakyoin. Then again, for you, I suppose it's hard to forget me." As the man stood there, Kakyoin realized that Hierophant was nowhere, causing him to look back and forth, cheeks losing all color. As though the blond had read his mind, he responded smoothly. "Your Stand is with me. Just over here."

Kakyoin's gaze followed the elegant hand motion, and as soon as it landed on his Stand, he felt his head being pulled back by an invisible force, causing him to gasp and hiss. Dio clearly had a Stand, and was using it to his advantage. Kakyoin wasn't going to be able to see his Stand or Dio's.

"Did you really believe I was going to let you see my Stand so soon? You probably did, considering you didn't take very many precautions as I had anticipated you would." Kakyoin watched a strangely familiar bird slip into the darkened room from the corner of his eye. It didn't take him long to understand that the bird outside was just now inside, and clearly sided with Dio.

"No way. The bird...is a Stand user!?" Kakyoin felt his scalp aching as he felt the vampire's Stand slowly increase its grip on Hierophant's head. As soon as he realized how much it hurt, the cord around him suddenly fell slack and he found himself falling. In seconds, he felt his body hit the wooden floor particularly hard, feeling his nose crack under the pressure. Pain shot up through his face, causing him to gasp and feel tears come into the corners of his eyes. The scent of copper filled his nose, as well as a too familiar liquid.

Despite his weight now being on the ground, and the cord no longer holding him up, Kakyoin still felt his arms were being restrained. Was it by the Stand, or the relentless cord? No longer did he feel like his neck was being twisted backwards, but in replace, his arms were immobile. He didn't have time to ponder as the sound of boots on the wooden floor sent vibrations up into the left side of his face. The red head immediately moved to sit upright and use his heels to back away, knowing that the male was heading right over to his location.

Dio tsk'ed under his breath as he approached, a hand settling on one of his swaying, agile hips. "Do you regret this now? You can't do anything, can you? I can see you're attempting to fight me, but you've come to realize how much you've dug yourself into a hole. You made a mistake trying to face me on your own, even with your Stand."

Kakyoin looked around, attempting to ignore the words that caressed his skin in a way that was both so soothing but...

"My Stand. Where is my Stand...?" As he spoke, he cringed, feeling blood drip into his mouth from his lower lip. For a solid few seconds, he had forgotten that this male before him could kill him without a problem, and his broken nose had been forgotten in a heartbeat. But his Stand. Where was his Stand!?

The hijab was suddenly ripped from his head entirely, no longer hiding the student's red hair. As soon as it was ripped away, a clawed hand took a hold of a fistful of hair, once again forcing Kakyoin to look eye-to-eye with this beast.

It was a bad idea to think he could look Dio in the eye. Caramel eyes dug down deep into the core of his soul, causing his breath to hitch tightly in his chest. Even just from a glance, Dio could look right through any lie or any thought Kakyoin was deciding to spit into his own head. There was a scent. It was so strong that Kakyoin's bloodied nose could take it in. Was this...just how Dio smelled? His scent?

"What to do with you..." the blond mused, watching the student's face morph from confusion, to pain, to fear. "Ahh. I know."

Kakyoin gritted his teeth and was shocked to find his jaw trembling to the point it made his teeth chatter. He therefore avoided grinding his teeth. Where was his Stand? Where? Ripping his eyes away from Dio's, he looked around the room as quickly as possible. If he could find his Stand, if he could even see his Stand, he would be able to do something.

"Where are you looking?" Dio's hand twisted further in his hair, forcing Kakyoin to look back at the damned yet beautiful man.

"Not at you!" he hissed.

The glint of amusement in the vampire's eyes made Kakyoin's heart skip a solid beat as he realized that this only spurred the vampire to torment him further. "Then, perhaps I should make you."

Kakyoin attempted to recoil as the other leaned down, his free hand landing on his throat. He couldn't move and was now being cornered by this man. Those damned eyes were burning into his own, forcing him to hold still. "You are in my hands, Noriaki Kakyoin. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to remove me from your life." A cruel grin spread across his lips, revealing sharpened fangs that made Kakyoin's heart shrivel in his throat.

I'm going to die. Right in his hands, I will die!

Kakyoin thrashed, wanting to find his Stand, wanting to gain leverage against this man. No, this beast. This beast seemed to be made of something other than flesh, as no matter what he tried, Dio was pinning him down, furthermore crushing his throat and forcing him to give in. Kakyoin could scarcely breathe and was wondering if he would pass out at this rate.

He came back to life in a heartbeat as the pressure oh-so-faintly lightened up on his throat, and he found Dio's tongue slowly running along his upper lip and then his mouth, taking up the blood that had washed down from his nose. Kakyoin wondered for a second if heat came back to his face before he found his mouth becoming dominated by Dio's.

The student hoped to recoil, hoped to pull away and free himself, his face slowly heating up. Was this man attempting to seduce him? Attempting to get him on his side just by this? Slowly, those firm lips left his own for a single second, giving him time to open his mouth to question. He didn't even have time to respond as Dio took this chance to gain control over Kakyoin's mouth, easily sliding his tongue past the male's lips effortlessly.

Kakyoin wasn't sure what he was needing to think. His thoughts went from his companions, to his Stand, then back to his companions before moving onto the fact that Dio was watching him. No matter what, Dio's eyes hadn't left Kakyoin's.

What broke the eye contact was the sudden pain that infiltrated Kakyoin's neck, causing his eyes to widen and then shut tightly. His cry of pain became muffled against the mastermind's mouth, lost on the tongue of an experienced womanizer. Warmth rose swiftly to his neck, causing him to question what was happening. Dio's fingers were under his skin, so did this mean he was dying? What was going on?

Dio finally broke away, causing the student to gasp for air and then cringe as the air that traveled through his throat caused his neck to sting viciously. "You will be staying here. You are my bait for the Joestar family. Don't you agree that it's such a fitting thing for you as the first one in your little party to be in this position? Just like you were with my fleshbud?"

Kakyoin opened his eyes slowly, immediately regretting it as Dio's eyes took him captive again. "You...You damned man."

The slow smile that crossed Dio's lips caused his heart to sputter. "I may be damned, but I get what I want more than those who are undamned. After all, you are the one in my hands. It's certainly not the other way around. Now...where were we?"

"Noriaki Kakyoin is no longer with your passé. If you value the life of your friend, then I suggest you give yourselves to me before he dies."