WARNING: This story contains instances of graphic violence, gore, coarse language, and sexual content. A warning will exist at the beginning of a chapter containing anything explicit, and will be sectioned off by another warning right beforehand, and another line right where the explicit scene ends. You have been warned.

Ugh, late once more. :/

Hopefully, this will not be a running trend, and I made sure that today I would post two chapters. Hope you enjoy!


"Okay, done!" Suki exclaimed, smacking the table with her open palms.

"Good! Let me see, then…" Kakyoin said, putting his book down on a side table and coming over from where he was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. The student sat down on the couch beside the girl and picked up the picture-to-words practice test he had administered and scanned it, flipping a page every minute or so. The only sound that was heard in those few minutes was the sway of their boat on the sea and the occasional shuffle of paper.

"Suki, how much English did you say you had studied? Reading and writing-wise, I mean."

"Hmm, really only bits and pieces. I know what the English alphabet looks like, and what sound each of the letters makes…" Slumping her shoulders, she scratched the back of her neck embarrassedly, "Not that great, huh?"

"On the contrary, for a person who doesn't call an English-speaking country home, this is quite good."

"R-Really?" Suki asked, sitting up straight and looking at her work with her tutor.

"Really. For example, here," He pointed to the picture of an apple, then to the word she wrote directly under it, "For the word 'apple,' you wrote A, P, P, E, L. Or here," The student pointed to the picture of the sky, "For this one, you wrote S, K, I," Kakyoin looked to his student with a glint in his eye, "You seem to have an understanding of how the English language sounds, now we just need to apply that knowledge to how it looks."

"Okay, but where do we go from there?"

"How much do you know about paired letter sounds?"

"Paired letters? Oh, kind of like with the word 'sky' there, right?"

"Exactly. Much as I don't want to state the obvious, letters make different sounds when you put them together to form a word than when you leave them on your own. For example," Kakyoin brought out a piece of paper and laid it in front of the girl. She picked her pencil up from the table and scooted forward on the couch to lean over to write. Suki then looked at her tutor expectantly, "Try writing out a word that wasn't on the exam: 'cherry.'"

"Cherry…" Suki murmured to herself. Being so close, Kakyoin could see the cogs in her brain turning, as she spoke the word silently a few times, noting down a letter as she slowly sounded out the word. She had written down "C, H, E, R," before she stopped and scratched her head.

"Teacher, question?" She asked, raising her hand. Chuckling, Kakyoin gestured for her to lower her hand and continue,

"You were talking about letter pairs before, and how they make different sounds… The 'r' sound in 'cherry' sounds different from the one in 'tree' or 'bird.' It sounds like…there's more than one 'r.'"

"That's because there is."

Suki's eyes lit up, as she finished the word by writing "R, Y" and placed her pencil down gently to the side.

"Very good," The student praised, a smile turning up his lips, "Consonants aren't the only letters that can be paired, though. Vowels can be paired up to make different sounds as well."

"Really? That sounds…kind of complicated."

"It really isn't! You see, if we start like this…"


The two took a break for the night after spending most of the day on the boat studying. By the time Suki walked out to the deck, the sky was painted orange with the glow of the evening sun. She stretched as she took in the sights of the open sea, before turning her attention to the silver-haired man standing alone at the bow.

"Hey there, stranger," Suki said with a cheeky grin as she walked up beside him. Her grin faded as she took a closer look at Polnareff's face. His expression seemed completely out of character, from what she had seen of the man so far. He seemed to have all of his energy and senses pointed on one single point: the trajectory of the boat. His eyes were narrow and determined. Suki glanced to the side, following his gaze, but was confused upon seeing nothing there. The man turned to her after a moment, unaware that she had seen his previous expression.

"Day been treating you well, Suki?" He asked, turning from the railing to the girl.

"Pretty well, thanks," In all honesty, the girl had desperately been trying to hide just how dead-tired she was from the night before. She had only managed to get two hours of sleep, before she was woken up for breakfast before they disembarked from the train and got onto the boat for the rest of the trip to India. But no way was she going to let a little bit of sleep deprivation interfere with her life at this moment. Suki silently vowed to go to sleep earlier that night, as her expression grew concerned, "How about you? You looked a little…angry."

"Oh, I did?" Polnareff turned back to the sea in front of him, grasping the railing, "I was just thinking…" His grip grew white-knuckled as he spat his next words, "How soon it's gonna be before I can send that J. Geil to hell."

Suki rubbed her elbow and tilted her head, unsure if she wanted to divulge the rest of the message Yellow Temperance had had about The Hanged Man.

"Something bothering you?" Polnareff asked without even looking at her. She bit her lip, and then responded.

"Yellow Temperance said… He said, that even though he hadn't seen J. Geil's Stand, you wouldn't stand a chance…He said that you would die…"

Polnareff was struck by these words. After a moment, he spoke up.

"Just how valid is this guy's word, if he hasn't even seen the Stand?"

"I…uh…well…"

"Listen up," the Frenchman ordered, turning back to Suki and putting his hands on her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes, "I've been training like mad for the past three years. If I'm gonna die, I'm at least gonna take that bastard down with me."

"But, I don't want you to die!"

The man's eyes widened.

"None of us do…" Suki placed her hands over his, looking up at him with a determined gaze, "I never knew your sister, but I do know this. If I were to die, I would want my brother to live."

"But she…I…" Polnareff looked away.

"I remember, you said she was shamed first, then killed," The man nodded stiffly, "Again, I can't speak for her, but I know if it were me, no matter how much I went through, I would never want it to reach my brother and take his life away. I wouldn't want that for my brother, and I don't want that for you, either, Polnareff."

Polnareff blushed and darted his eyes away to another point, further to the right. About to say something on impulse, he finally took notice of the tight bundles of muscles under his hands. Experimentally, he squeezed one of the girl's shoulders.

"Eeep!" She squeaked, jolting up at his action. Realizing the inane noise she had made, she covered her mouth as a red tinge splashed across her cheeks.

"Mon Dieu, you're so tense!" Polnareff leaned forward and raised an eyebrow, a playful grin on his face, "Was someone lying to me about their day?"

"Uh, heheh, I just…didn't sleep too well…" Suki spoke shyly, lying through her teeth.

The less people who know about what happened last night, the better. Not that they'd believe us in the first place, she thought.

"Well, that massage is still on the table, if you're interested?"

The girl nodded with a giggle.

"Sure!"

The two decided to sit on a bench on the deck, as Polnareff went to work on loosening the body of the girl in front of him.

"This might feel a little weird at first, but just relax."

Suki nodded at the instruction. After a moment, she felt a strange pressure on her back, pressing into her in an unfamiliar way. Taking the words of her masseur to heart, she relaxed. As soon as she did, she began to feel knots she hadn't even been aware existed slowly loosening and unraveling underneath her skin.

"Ahhhh, that feels good…" She sighed, smiling dopily.

"Ah, I haven't even started yet, ma Cherie!" Polnareff boasted, kneading small circles into her back with his thumbs.

"I've been wondering…" Suki spoke quietly, wondering if she would ruin his concentration if she spoke louder, "I don't know any French. What does 'ma Cherie' mean?"

"My dear."

"My dear… what?"

"No, 'my dear' like 'Thank you, my dear.'"

"Oh, I see! That's pretty!" Grinning impishly, she continued, "I bet you use that term on all the girls, don't you?"

"Well, only the really pretty ones…" He mumbled, nearly smacking himself for saying that out loud, but it didn't appear as though the girl had heard him, too lost in the magic he was working with his hands.

"Your brother…He means a lot to you, huh?"

The girl didn't respond.

"Is that a no?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, of course he does!"

"What's the matter?"

"Well…" Suki leaned back slightly, her back landing against his chest, as he continued to work despite the now obvious distraction, "I still love him, of course, and he still means the world to me."

"But…?"

"But…" The girl took out the little star music box and held it out, turning it over in her hands, "I'm not sure anymore…If I should've accepted his proposal."

At this, Polnareff stopped.

"Wait, he proposed to you?"

"Y-Yeah…" Suki scratched her cheek, "I said 'yes' when he did, but, looking back it seems so…impulsive. The last thing I want is to make him sad, but, I've been learning so much lately, about what it means to have a relationship with another person. Being allies, being friends…maybe even being more than that," The last words of her sentence came out faster than her previous speech, as she became flustered, "The point is that I'm not so sure…That he's the one anymore…" She tilted her head back to look at the man behind her, "You know what I mean?"

As the girl looked back, she saw something knocking around in the man's head, begging to be released, as he stared back into her eyes with a conflicted expression. Suki scooted forward and turned so she could look at him head-on.

"Polnareff?"

The Frenchman appeared to think for a moment before sighing and meeting the girl's gaze.

"Suki, do you… like anyone, romantically?"

The girl blushed, before letting her eyes meander about, thinking the question through.

"Romantically, huh?" Suki continued to ponder for a few moments more before she shook her head, "Not at the moment. Why?"

Just as Polnareff was about to answer, the door to the deck opened. Turning to the door, both saw Abdul walk out.

"Ah, my apologies. Did I interrupt something?"

"Uhm, no, I don't think so," Suki tilted her head and folded her arms. She then turned to Polnareff, "Did he?"

"Nope. I was just curious," The Frenchman huffed, his tone having completely shifted. Standing up and stretching, he walked towards the door, "Anyway, I think I've gotten enough fresh air for one evening. See you later, Suki."

"Yeah, see ya…" Suki replied, somewhat sadly. With that, Polnareff disappeared into the ship, leaving Abdul and Suki alone. The fortune teller stared at the door concernedly, having watched the Frenchman's clearly irritated exit.

"Are you certain I didn't interrupt anything?" He asked as he approached the bench.

"I don't think so…" Abdul sat in front of the bench with his legs crossed, as the girl on the bench next to him placed a finger on her chin, "He just got finished asking if I liked anyone romantically. I mean, I used to watch a lot of romantic comedies with my mom, and asking a girl if they like anyone is a typical lead-in for the guy to confess his own feelings. But what could he see in me…? I'm not-"

"Suki," The girl was caught off-guard by Abdul's suddenly stern tone. After a moment, he looked up at her with a gentle smile, "What did we talk about not doing?"

Suki sighed as she scooted off the bench onto the ground to sit by Abdul.

"Undervaluing myself? But we were only talking about strength!"

"I only mentioned strength because I believed it to be the only trait you undervalued. Now I see that I was wrong, so I will tell you the following," Folding his arms and looking straight at Suki, he asserted, "You are an attractive young lady, in multiple respects."

A blush lit up the girl's face like a stovetop, causing her to turn away and put her hands on her cheeks.

"I'm guessing subtlety isn't your strong suit…?"

"I find I cannot get my point across as effectively if I beat around the bush."

"Heh, that's fair," The girl admitted, putting her arms behind her head as she gazed at the slowly darkening sky.

The two sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, before Suki spoke up.

"Did you and Polnareff have a fight?"

"No, why?" Abdul looked at the girl with a quirked eyebrow.

"You just don't seem to get along that well. Well, more like…Polnareff doesn't seem to want anything to do with you," Twisting a strand of hair in her fingers as she thought, she mused, "He's not as jovial with you as he is with the rest of the group, and, just now, his mood seemed to do a complete one-eighty when you walked out. Do you have any clue why?"

Abdul sighed before responding, looking into the distance past the railing.

"That man…He has very strong values. His strongest by far is his honor as a warrior. Always ensuring that he and his opponent fight on equal ground. Never attacking from behind. And, above all else, never running from a fight. I am unsure if he has caught wind of this, but I encountered Dio, and fled," Putting a hand to his chin, he thought aloud, "No. I am almost certain he knows of this. I admire how much faith he puts in his values, but, at the same time, I become increasingly worried that those same values will get him killed."

"Hmm…" Adopting Abdul's pose, Suki crossed her legs and folded her arms, thinking with closed eyes. After a moment, she looked at the man beside her with a curious expression.

"Hey, Abdul, do you like Polnareff?"

The fortune teller quirked an eyebrow at this.

"An odd question," The man thought for a moment, folding his arms, "Well, he is certainly an entertaining man," An almost imperceptible smile turned up his lips as he continued, "I do find value in the compassion he presents to you all, as well."

"Anything…romantic…?"

"Suki, that's a very personal question," Abdul replied firmly.

"Ah, sorry…"

A moment passed.

"So, do you…?"

"Suki, I told you not even one minute ago that that question is beyond what I feel comfortable answering."

"I'm sorry!" Suki scratched the back of her neck and grinned sheepishly, "I just wanna help you two make up!"

"Is it not possible for us to make up and just be friends?"

"Well, yeah, that's possible," Suki turned her head to the side and pouted, "But, if the opportunity for something special is there, why not take it?"

Abdul looked up at the clouds, wondering how she became so invested in relationships such as the type she was implicating.

Public homosexual acts are illegal in Egypt. Given her previous oblivious nature to sexual relations of any kind, the only conceivable way she could have known about these kinds of relationships is if she had family members who performed such acts at home, which seems unlikely, the fortune teller thought, Unless…

"Suki, those…study materials you borrowed," Abdul shot the girl an accusing look as he claimed, "They wouldn't happen to include homoerotic literature, would they?"

Suki's eyes widened as she stared at Abdul, pursing her lips. The girl was sure that she had never experienced a more humiliating moment in her life.

Oh God, how does he know? How does he know? How does he know? How does-

Abdul laughed, letting his head tip back, before putting his hand on the thoroughly embarrassed girl's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance.

"You don't have to be ashamed, Suki. We're both adults. It's perfectly fine to have an interest in that kind of subject."

Honestly, I should have seen this kind of behavior coming, Abdul thought, remembering the one part of the palm reading that she never learned, the sheer amount of horizontal lines between and below her middle and ring fingers denotes a love of physical and sensual pleasures, as well as a very high sex drive. It could very well just be her previously inactive hormones kicking in, or it might be a part of her that never awakened until now. The beauty of fortune-telling is that it reveals just how truly complex people's souls are. There are still mysteries to be solved in any individual, regardless of how much digging is done, but, at least a good portion of the pieces can be placed into a puzzle.

"I mean, I guess, but it's still embarrassing!" Blushing, the girl continued, "Do adults typically talk about their sexual relations with other people?"

"It certainly is not a common occurrence."

The girl chuckled.

"I guess we can just mark that down as another weird conversation?"

"It still is not the oddest."

"You still…" Suki yawned and stretched, falling sideways and landing gently with her head on Abdul's shoulder, "Have to tell me about that sometime…"

The man was startled at this behavior, before relaxing. Abdul chose not to initiate any contact, as Suki groggily tried to keep her eyes open.

"It looks like last night is finally catching up with you."

The girl nodded sleepily, slowly letting her eyes flutter shut. Abdul turned his attention back to the horizon, feeling as though he were about to fall asleep as well, before he heard a small voice calling his name. He looked to his side, noticing that Suki had cuddled up closer and was holding onto his arm.

"Abdul…You're… a really cool guy…Thank you…for being…so nice…" The girl fell silent after that, the only sound coming from her being her light breathing through her nose. Abdul's mouth turned up in a sincere smile, as he brushed the hair out of her sleeping face before turning back to look at the sky. Unbeknownst to the two tired individuals, a third person had been standing by the door as their conversation concluded, his blue irises shaking in the darkness.

A distant memory began to play in Suki's mind, as the clutches of sleep firmly grasped her.


"Come on, one more time!" Kyuu taunted.

"Okay!"

Training had gone well that day. Suki's ability to wield a variety of weapons was steadily improving, but she wanted to make sure her skills in hand-to-hand were not neglected. Once more, she rushed at her training partner, aiming to send a right hook into his jaw; however, her brother surprised her by pulling out a knife. Her eyes widened as she skidded to a stop.

"Big Bro, what-"

"Sometimes your opponent will have a weapon when you don't. Don't lose focus!" He commanded, as he swung at her left side. His sister appeared to lose her previous aggressive nature, as she focused solely on dodging. Seeing this, he shouted, "Fight like your life depended on it!"

After a moment, Suki nodded with renewed determination, as she created a water sword from her canteen and dodged under an overhead swipe that, in retrospect, was already too high to hit her. As she dodged, Kyuu kicked up a cloud of dirt, causing Suki to shut her eyes as they stung. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she wildly swung the weapon in her hand, making contact with her brother's head. The blow forced him to fall onto his side, his eyes wide. He blinked as Suki caught her breath and opened her eyes carefully, shaking his head and holding it in one hand.

"Jeez, Sis. You really need to keep those impulses in check. You can't just swing wildly and expect to win, though, you would've been extremely lucky with what just happened, if I were an enemy."

Seeing her brother hold her head, she dared ask.

"Did…Did I hit your head?"

"Yeah."

"Kyuu, if that were a real sword, I could've…!"

"But it wasn't, was it? Your Stand can't take lives. We both know that."

After a moment, Suki spoke up again.

"You sure you're okay?"

"My head's a little rattled, and it hurts, but I'm fine. The force of the attack just pushed me," Kyuu made eye contact with the child as he spoke his next words, "I meant what I said, though. No matter how serious or calm the situation is, you need to keep a level head. You aren't doing anyone any favors otherwise, alright?"

Suki took a moment to process his words before nodding.

"Okay."

"Now, let's get you patched up."

With that, a swarm of bees phased into existence behind Kyuu, as they flew in closer to Suki. She flinched as they approached.

"Hey, relax. A Taste of Honey won't heal you if you freak out like that."

"Mrgh…I hate bugs, you know that, Kyuu!"

"Bugs are everywhere, Suki. You might as well get used to them while you're young."

The girl exhaled a sigh as the insects crawled over her cuts and bruises, spreading honey wherever they skittered. As the golden gel seeped into her skin, the pain of her injuries gradually quieted into dull pangs. After Suki's wounds had faded, Kyuu set to work healing himself.

"Man, I sure wish Knight could heal people, too. That'd be really useful," At this comment, Knight of Cups appeared next to her user, a stern expression on her face as she put her hands on her hips.

"Tch. At least you have a Stand that can attack. I wish I could do more with Honey," The bees seemed to buzz even louder as Kyuu called them back, pushing himself to his feet as he extended a hand to his sister, "Either way, neither of our Stands is particularly geared towards battle. They have their uses, but we have to be prepared for anything, if we want to fight for the greater good."

With a smile, Suki took her brother's hand.

"Right. I'll be counting on you!"

"Same to you, Sis."


"Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore…And now we're about to cross India…" Joseph mused, as he scratched his chin, "But, well, I'm a little worried. My image of India is a place where people only eat curry and you could fall ill at any time."

At that moment, the boat was just emerging from a fog, pulling up to the port of Calcutta, the next stop on the Stardust Crusaders' journey to Egypt. The group stood by the door leading to the ramp, all carrying somewhat anxious expressions, save for Jotaro, who barely showed emotion anyway, and Abdul, who seemed to be in a pleasant mood.

"I'm worried that my body may not be able to handle the culture gap," Polnareff spoke up, holding on to his bag as though it were a lifeline.

Suki clenched her fists and brought them up to her waist.

"Well, my body is ready! It's so ready, it can make other people ready! So, don't you worry!" Suki looked to Polnareff expectantly, hoping for a reaction.

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

Suki's expression drooped slightly as she turned back to the door.

He's sure been acting different this morning... Suki wondered, Did I say something last night to tick him off?

With a chuckle, Abdul reassured the group.

"Such assessments are rather distorted. You needn't worry. It's a nice country, where simple people live. I can guarantee it."

At that moment, the boat docked. Abdul opened the door onto the ramp.

"Well, we're in Calcutta. Let's go."

The group nodded and began to disembark, with Suki pulling up the rear behind Abdul. As a crowd of people began to gather at the end of the ramp, the girl suddenly remembered a very important tip from her mother

One that would cripple her visit beyond all compare.


"Mama, can we go on vacation?" Suki asked, walking up to the counter of the kitchen. Her mother looked up with a quirked eyebrow.

"This is sudden. What brought this on?" Ms. Kanao asked, as she turned to keep an eye on the beef simmering in the pot on the stove, and the udon noodles cooking in the next pot over.

"Minaj gets to go to Singapore all the time. I thought maybe we could take a trip somewhere, is all."

"Somewhere other than Morioh, dear?"

"Yeah! Don't get me wrong, Morioh is great, but I wanna see other places, too!"

"Oh, honey, you know the only place that beats Morioh is right here," Ms. Kanao boasted, taking the udon off the stove. She then took a spoon and began to fill the three bowls she had placed on the counter. Suki looked over and instinctively licked her lips, excited for what was to come. Seeing this, the mother chuckled.

"Be patient. Good things come to those who wait."

The girl sighed.

"I know, Mama. And I know the only place that beats Morioh is here, but isn't it normal to want for a little variety?"

"Of course, dear," After a moment of thought, Ms. Kanao nodded, "I'd have to check, but perhaps we could go during the summer."

"Really?!"

"Like I said, dear, I have to check. Where were you thinking of going?"

"Well…Singapore, we could try. Minaj says that its beautiful there."

"Alright, we can consider going there."

"I've heard a lot about France."

"France is a no-go," Ms. Kanao stopped chopping vegetables to raise her knife, punctuating her point, "The air is muggy, not to mention everyone is an asshole."

"Okay, then…" Suki dismissed, leaning on the counter, "Maybe India?"

"India? Oh, no, no, no, we're not going there."

"Huh? I've heard you diss France before, but what's wrong with India?"

"Nothing's wrong with India, I'm just not sure you'd survive there," The mother returned to cutting the veggies.

"Survive…?"

Sighing, the older woman put her knife down on the cutting board before leaning toward her daughter, supporting herself by placing both hands on either side of the block of wood.

"Calcutta alone has a population of eleven million people. A country with that many people running about like chickens with their heads cut off, because that's how people are, would eat a young girl like you alive."

"E-Eat me?!"

"That place would swallow you up and leave no trace. You're better off anywhere else, believe me."

A tense silence pursued the exchange. Finally, Suki spoke up.

"H-How about the United States?"

"Oh, now that's a vacation I could get behind! Let me tell you a little something about USA, because it is something else. From what I've heard…"

The bubbly conversation continued well into the night, as the savory smell of sukiyaki lingered past dinnertime.


"E-Eaten…?" Suki warbled.

As the throng of locals quickly grew closer, the girl's adrenaline kicked into overdrive, as she desperately tried to find something, anything to use as shelter. She scanned the ramp, but saw nothing substantial to use as a hiding place. She knew she couldn't hide on the boat either. She had to keep moving forward, but how? Something snapped in the girl's head, as her vision blurred and her hearing dulled to mere thumps and bumps. She was vaguely aware of the feeling of wind rushing past her cheeks, of the lactic acid burning in her legs, and the soft feeling of fabric between her fingers as she threw a piece of cloth up and took the opportunity to shove herself into the provided space. Thankfully, she hadn't heard the cloth rip, so she was sure that she was still hidden.

As she slowly came back to reality, she heard a familiar voice calling to her. At first, the voice seemed far away, and seemed to make the wall she was pressed against quiver slightly. Bit by bit, she made out the voice more and more, beginning to feel a slowly intensifying heat radiating from this wall, like a bed of warming coals. Finally, she discerned that the voice was coming from the area directly above her, causing vibrations in the "wall" she was flush against, as the scent of spice and desert air flooded her nostrils.

"Suki! What do you think you're doing?" Abdul questioned, wondering why the girl had suddenly crawled into his robes.

"P-Please, Abdul, don't let me get eaten!"

"Pardon?"

"India's gonna eat me, Abdul! It's gonna eat me alive and leave nothing behind!"

"What happened to what you said earlier? What was it? 'My body is ready?'" Abdul asked in a teasing tone.

"That was before I remembered what my mom told me!"

"Your mother told you that India would eat you?"

"Y-Yeah…" Suki nodded fearfully, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She felt more than heard Abdul laugh in front of her.

"Well, whether or not she meant it literally, if you are that concerned, you can hide until we enter a building. Does that sound reasonable?"

Suki's eyes glittered, as she looked up at Abdul through the red cloth as though he were a guardian angel.

"Mmhmm! Thank you!"

"Just stick close, understand?"

"Yep!"


The clamor of the mob at the dock seemed to fade as the group of six entered the restaurant. Scanning the room, Kakyoin noticed one person was missing from the group.

"Mr. Joestar, do you have any idea where Suki disappeared to?"

"Huh…" Joseph scratched his beard in thought, "That's odd, I could have sworn I saw her get off the boat with us," He turned to his grandson, "Jotaro, did you see her run off anywhere?"

The delinquent did not respond with words. He merely pointed at the floor near Abdul, and second set of feet directly behind the man, clothed in combat boots. Kakyoin chuckled as Joseph put a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter.

"Is…Is it safe, now, Abdul?"

"Yes, it's safe now," Abdul reaffirmed, directing his voice to the back of his robe.

"Can I come out, then?"

The fortune teller seemed to think for a moment before obtaining a devilish smirk.

"What if I said 'no'?"

"What?! Abdul, you wouldn't!"

The man tightened his robes around his figure, effectively trapping the girl against him and preventing her from struggling. After a few moments of fruitless thrashing, Suki piped up again.

"Abdul, if you don't let me out this instant, I'm gonna call my friend, and he won't go easy on you!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Abdul looked back with a playful grin.

"And who might that be?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you, Abdul?" In that small moment, the other four men in the group could see the girl's small hands poke out, as she wiggled her fingers menacingly.

"I'm friends with the tickle monster!"

The girl then set her fingers to work, tickling every place she could reach in a desperate attempt to free herself. Abdul began to laugh, louder than was appropriate for a public setting, as the other four group members looked on with varying degrees of entertainment and confusion. Finally, Abdul loosed his grip on his robes just enough for Suki to drop to the floor in a crouch and fall down on her side, her mind a warm haze, as Polnareff, Kakyoin, and Joseph laughed.

"Ooogh…" Suki groaned. After a moment, she seemed to completely rebound from her dizziness, as she bolted up from the floor with a sour expression, "Do you have any idea how hot it is under there for a normal person?! You're like a walking sauna!"

"But you are the one who snuck into my robes in the first place. How sure could I have been, that they wouldn't eat you alive as soon as I let you out?" Abdul teased with a small smirk.

"My mom told me that India would eat a person like me alive! No offense, but I kinda trust the words of the woman who raised me over the words of a friend I met just a few days ago!"

"Wait, she said 'India will eat you alive,' and you thought she meant it?" Jotaro asked, a quirked eyebrow the only sign of any reaction to the chaos.

"W-Well, I mean…"

"So, were you thinking that the entire country of India would just grow a mouth and swallow you?" Joseph followed up with a cheeky grin.

"No! Nothing that stupid!"

"Then how literally did you take the phrase?" Kakyoin questioned, desperately trying not to laugh, twirling his stray strand of hair.

"I-I dunno, I just thought the crowd would engulf me, and no one would hear from me again!"

With a chuckle, Abdul patted the girl on the shoulder.

"Well, that won't happen, I can assure you. It's just a matter of getting used to the place."

"Okay…"

After a short wait, the group finally managed to sit down at a table. The waiter then set down a brown drink in a teacup in front of each person.

"Here, have this," Abdul gestured to the drink, "This is chai. It's delicious."

Tilting her head, Suki picked up the delicate cup and brought it to her lips. She raised an eyebrow at the flavor.

It tastes kind of like that one dessert we tried when we went to America during the holidays…The girl thought, What is it called…? Oh, right! Pumpkin pie…I think.

"At last, a little peace," Joseph sighed.

"It's just a matter of getting used to it. Once you get used to it, you'll see how wonderful this country is," Abdul spoke with reverence.

Man, he wasn't kidding, when he'd said he thought he'd curbed his claustrophobia…Suki reminisced over the events she had experienced with the man, all the large crowds and cramped spaces they had been in.

"I like this place. It's pretty great," Jotaro spoke up, leaning back in his chair.

"Seriously, Jotaro? You really mean that?" Joseph exclaimed. Suki was equally as shocked.

"Man, you Joestars sure are full of surprises, huh?" Suki said with a laugh.

"We're just getting started," The grandfather and grandson spoke at the same time, one determined, the other deadpan. The two exchanged a glance before Joseph chuckled embarrassedly and Jotaro tilted the brim of his hat over his eyes as he sighed. Suki looked at the two men before hiding a grin with her hand.

"Talk about culture shock," Polnareff sighed, "I'll like it once I get used to it, huh?" The Frenchman got up, taking his bag with him, "Well, they say that people adapt to their surroundings," Looking at the employee next to the table, he asked, "Where's the john?"

The employee, wearing a headdress and a pretty primrose outfit, pointed towards a hallway with a drape hanging over it, "It's over there."

"Polnareff."

Polnareff stopped and looked back at Joseph.

"Yeah?"

"What about your order?"

"I'll leave it to you. It had better be something amazing. Gorgeous, splendid food that suits a Frenchman like me," With that, Polnareff walked away, leaving Joseph's mouth to fall open.

"Which means we can pick anything," Kakyoin spoke up, examining the menu with a keen eye, "Let's see, something he'll like…" Looking up, he addressed the waiter, "Excuse me."

As Kakyoin and the waiter began a quiet exchange, Suki took her chance to peruse the menu. After a moment, the girl felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over to see Abdul trying to get her attention.

"I may be able to change your tune about this country."

Suki raised an eyebrow.

"Right here?"

"Right now."

"…I'm listening."

"People seem to think that India is only famous for its spicy foods, but this country has more than just that taste to offer," Abdul then turned the pages of the menu to the dessert menu. Suki's eyes widened.

"W-Wow… Those are all sweet things…?"

"Indeed, they are," The fortune teller reaffirmed.

As the first country to develop methods of extraction and purification for sugar, many travelers from across the globe learned these refining and cultivating techniques. Due to this, the use of sugar has become a global concept. This is all thanks to India, the first country to consume sugar.

"India made sugar," Abdul stated.

As her mouth watered near uncontrollably, Suki hugged the menu to her body as she looked up embarrassedly.

"Maybe it isn't so bad here…" Suki murmured.

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering reached Suki's ears. On instinct, she rose from her seat and looked to the place the sound had originated from. The hallway Polnareff had just disappeared into. Walking towards the hallway, she met Polnareff at the entrance, who was out of breath and wild-eyed. Before she could utter a single word asking what was wrong, he shouted to no one in particular.

"Stand!" The man scanned the room, seemingly oblivious to the girl standing in front of him, "Where's the user? Who is it?!"

"Polnareff, what's-" Suki started.

"The man with two right hands…" He muttered, ignoring her.

"Wait, you-"

Without another word, Polnareff turned and sprinted out of the restaurant. Suki turned to the rest of her group at the table with a concerned expression. They all exchanged looks before nodding collectively at her and getting up to leave.

As they walked outside, Joseph spoke up.

"What's wrong, Polnareff?"

"What's happening?" Abdul followed, walking to the front of the group.

"Polnareff…?" Suki called out gently. On closer examination, the man's stance was completely different from any she had seen him take before. If she had been shown the Polnareff from before, and the Polnareff that stood before her at this moment, she would say they're twins, not clones. He exuded a vibe that could only be attributed to pure, raw anger that set him on edge, a far cry from the kind, carefree aura he usually wore. The contrast was enough to cause Suki to shrink in apprehension.

"If that…If that was the Stand, that means…" Polnareff clenched his fist, "That means he's finally here! Jotaro, Suki, the Stand user you heard about that uses mirrors is here!" The girl's eyes widened as he brought his fist up in a gesture of determination, "The bastard that killed my little sister! The bastard that stepped all over my sister's life, soul, and pride. I can finally…I can finally see him!"

"The one you seek vengeance upon is here?" Joseph asked.

"Mr. Joestar," Polnareff addressed, turning to him, "I'll be traveling on my own here."

"Wh-!"

Everyone's expressions morphed to collective shock as the man made his claim clear.

"Now that I know the guy who killed my sister is nearby, I'm not going to wait for him to come after me." The Frenchman turned back to look at the crowd, "I'd be at a disadvantage if I let him attack me, and it's not my style." He swung his bag over his shoulder as he continued, "I'll find him first, and kill him!"

"Even though you don't know what he looks like, or what his Stand is?" Kakyoin chimed in, a concerned tone in his voice.

Polnareff turned back again.

"Knowing that he has two right hands is plenty! And he knows that I'm after him, as well," He pointed to his neck and flicked his wrist, simulating the action of lopping off his head, "He should be worried that I'll come for his head in his sleep."

"See ya," Joseph dismissed.

Polnareff began to walk away. Suki's eyes widened at Joseph's leniency. She turned her attention to the rest of the group, but saw that no one had the intent to step forward and stop this man on a mission. The girl turned her eyes to the ground in thought.

He's gonna die.

The words of Yellow Temperance echoed in Suki's ears as she clenched her fists. She stepped forward, ready to speak up.

"You'll go out for wool, only to come home shorn."

Looking in the direction of the voice, Suki was not surprised to discover the identity of the speaker, after their conversation yesterday. Abdul. Polnareff stopped and turned, his confusion clear.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just as it sounds," The fortune teller stated.

The man turned his whole body back to Abdul and took a step toward him.

"Are you implying that I'm going to lose?"

"Indeed," Abdul raised a fist to punctuate his point, "Can't you see that the enemy purposely attacked to get you alone?" Pointing at him, Abdul claimed, "I will not allow you to travel alone, Polnareff."

Polnareff walked up to Abdul and smacked his hand away, getting in his face and returning the man's point.

"Listen up. I'm going to make this clear. I never cared about Dio."

"Hm?"

"I told you in Hong Kong that I was only traveling with you so I could get my revenge. Mr. Joestar and Jotaro should already know this." For a split second, Suki was certain that Polnareff's eyes darted over and connected with hers, before he stepped back, raised a finger, and asserted, "I've been alone from the start! I've always been fighting alone!"

"No, that's…not…" Suki started, trying to find words to calm the man down, but coming up short.

"What a selfish man!" Abdul spat back, walking forward and getting in the Frenchman's face, "Did you forget that you were brainwashed by Dio? Have you forgotten that this all leads back to Dio?"

Suki could do little more than dart her eyes from one man to the other, desperately casting about for something, anything to bring the situation back down to earth.

Naught but an empty, answerless void reached her.

Polnareff pushed back, "Like you'd ever understand how I feel after having my sister killed! I heard that the last time you met Dio, you got scared and ran away," At this statement, Abdul's eyes widened, "A coward like you would never understand how I feel!"

"What did you say?"

The Frenchman smacked Abdul away for the second time, turning away as he spoke venomously.

"Don't touch me. You were just lucky that you beat me in Hong Kong. Don't lecture me."

As Abdul clenched his fists, his fingernails biting into the skin of his palms, Polnareff began to storm off into the crowd. A pair of much smaller hands wrapping around his wrist stopped him. He spoke sternly, without even turning to look.

"Let go of me."

Suki shook her head.

"Polnareff, I…" Gritting her teeth and looking up at the man, she bit back tears as she desperately tried to convince him to stay, "I don't trust you. Not like this."

This got the man's attention, as he turned around the face the girl.

"Now, what are you babbling about?"

Tightening her grip, Suki looked straight into his eyes as she spoke her next biting words.

"You said you were strong. That you'd been training for this moment for years. If that's the case, then why are you losing all rationality and acting like a stubborn brat?!"

Polnareff's eyes widened, as he leaned towards the girl, getting in her face. This close, she could see infernos broiling behind normally cool blue irises.

"What was that," It was not a question to hear her again. It was an order. Meeting his intimidating glare head-on, Suki felt the water in her eyes recede, as she spoke with confidence.

"You have no right to treat Abdul that way," Out of the corner of her vision, she saw the eyes of the man in question widen in surprise, "Especially when I ran from Dio, too. Did you forget that? Hell, I worked for the guy, because I knew I couldn't fight him!" Suki's grip on the man's wrist tightened even more, the pads of her fingers digging into his wristbands, "There are some fights that you just can't win on your own. That's why I ran. That's why Abdul ran. And, for now, that's why you should run. To fight as a group, and live another day, instead of gallivanting off like some crazed vigilante of justice, and dying for the sake of some unhealthy revenge!"

For a moment, the din of the Calcutta streets seemed to silence, as the other four men watched the girl's outburst with shock. Polnareff's eyes were wide. Having a small fragment of hope that her words had finally reached him, her tiny hope was dashed when his eyes narrowed and he smacked her hands, causing her to retract them with a hurt expression.

"I've gotten enough lecturing for today. I don't need a twerp like you telling me what to do," He turned and began to make his way into the crowd. The girl clenched her fists in front of her chest as she gritted her teeth.

Fine, the girl thought angrily, We'll do this your way, then.

Suki lunged at Polnareff, latching around his torso and digging her heels into the ground.

"Wha-Hey! Get off of me!" Polnareff shouted, as he began to struggle, trying to shake the girl off.

"No! You're not going out there alone!" Suki yelled back, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried everything she could, "You're gonna die if you go out there! Please, you have to stay! I don't want you to go!"

Polnareff stopped struggling for a moment. Suki looked up, thinking she had succeeded in convincing him this time, only to be greeted with an incredibly conflicted expression, as the Frenchman narrowed his eyes. Shaking his head, he gritted his teeth and spoke a loud command.

"I said get off!" The man shoved the girl off of him as hard as he could, causing her to fall onto the ground. She wiped her eyes, looking up at him meekly, but Polnareff was not about to let her sad state sway him, as he shouted, "I'm sick and tired of you toying with me like this!"

At this, Abdul seemed to instinctively wind up a punch, as he lunged at Polnareff.

"Why, you-!"

Suddenly, Joseph held Abdul's arm back, seemingly appearing from nowhere, stopping him from attacking. Abdul looked back at Joseph.

"Mr. Joestar!"

"That's enough. Let him go. Now that he's like this, no one can stop him," Joseph's eyes darted to Suki with a hint of sadness, before he turned his full attention back to his friend.

Abdul, having seemed to finally calm down, sighed and retracted his arm.

"No, I'm just disappointed in him. I didn't think he was that sort of man."

Polnareff spat on the ground to the side. Abdul winced as he continued.

"I did indeed run in fear. That's also why I believe we will win, and can say with certainty that you'll lose."

"What?" Polnareff walked forward to stand in front of Abdul once again, as he spat, "Then I'll say this with certainty, too," Pointing at the man, he claimed, "Your divination will be wrong."

With that, Polnareff flicked Abdul's necklace disdainfully and disappeared into the crowd. The fortune teller sighed and walked over to Suki, reaching a hand out to her.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to drag you into that."

The girl looked up confusedly, tilting her head.

"What are you talking about? I stepped in myself," The girl sneezed, then sniffled. Taking notice of the dust now covering her outfit, Abdul began to brush the stray dirt off of her, "Oh, thank-ah!" The girl cried out, as she had absentmindedly tried to rub her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Abdul asked, taking a look at the girl's hands. They were covered in dirt.

"S-Sorry…" Suki murmured. Abdul shook his head and merely led her inside to help her wash up. The other three men cast concerned glances out at the still-thick throng of people before turning and walking back into the restaurant.


That rainy evening, the five sat at a table eating dinner. Joseph looked to the empty seat at the round table.

"So he didn't come back after all."

Everyone turned their attention to the lonely chair before trying to strike up a conversation to divert their attention on the issue. Suki sighed and poked absentmindedly at her milk pudding. No one even saw her take a bite before they got up to leave.


The next morning, Abdul walked out of the hotel alone, scanning his surroundings to make sure no one had seen him leave. Certain that he had not attracted attention, he walked on, only to be stopped by a hand wrapping around his wrist.

"You're going out to look for him, aren't you?"

Abdul turned, expecting to see a worried set of brown eyes, but was instead met with a determined pair of irises.

"I'm going with you."

After a moment, the man sighed before gently removing the girl's hand from his wrist.

"I do not wish to separate this group more than is necessary. I will find Polnareff, and return later. You and the rest of the group should stay together."

Suki looked down at the ground, kicking up a bit of dirt with her boots. Realizing the girl would need a valid reason to let him go alone, Abdul put his hands on her shoulders, catching her attention as she looked up at his face.

"I understand. You don't trust anyone to fight alone under these circumstances; however, it should not be long before I meet up with Polnareff. You can trust the strength we have, when we fight together."

Suki swallowed and nodded.

"Okay. I trust you."

With a sincere smile, he patted the girl on the shoulder before speaking again.

"I will be back before you know it. I promise."

Suki's eyes widened, as Abdul turned and disappeared into the crowd. The girl was stunned by his words.

No…Not again… She worried, why did he have to say those words? I trusted you…I trusted you to come back…But now…

Breaking out of her daze, Suki rushed back into the hotel to warn the others.

I'm not gonna let this happen again.


Sprinting through the streets of Calcutta, weaving her way through countless strange faces as she whipped her head this way and that, Suki desperately searched for any sign of her two missing comrades.

Mr. Joestar, Kakyoin, and Jotaro seemed to get on the case pretty quick. I don't like splitting up in this situation, but if it means finding Abdul and Polnareff faster, I don't care.

Suddenly, the girl skidded to a stop, kicking up a large cloud of dirt, as she was sure she had heard a familiar voice. Turning all of her attention to the voice, she was certain she heard two voices laughing loudly. One of the voices was one she recognized.

Polnareff!

Dashing through the alley, she came to an open street, where Polnareff and a strange blond man wearing a cowboy outfit were standing across from each other, guffawing. Willing to standby for a moment to gather information on what was going on, Suki crawled under a nearby yellow bench, waiting for her moment to join in the fight.

Much as I'd like to think that that's just a new friend Polnareff is having a laugh with, I don't trust that notion. This guy is sketchy beyond all belief, Suki huffed, First, we had orangutans on boats. Now we have cowboys in India. What's next, card games on hippos?

"Prepare to die!" Both men shouted in unison. The blond man spat out his cigarette as a threatening smile twisted up his lips.

"You underestimated me, Polnareff!" As he spoke, a handgun phased into existence in his open hand, as he took a battle-ready stance, "And now, you've lost!"

Polnareff summoned Silver Chariot to defend himself. Faster than anyone could see, the Stand shed its armor, picking up speed and moving through the air like a dragonfly. Silver Chariot moved in front of the bullet and brought its sword down, prepared to slice it in two. As Suki gained a bit of faith that the Frenchman could hold his own, despite the circumstances, the bullet didn't even turn as it curved about the weapon, regaining its original trajectory.

Straight towards Polnareff's forehead.

Desperate to help, Suki scrambled out from her hiding place as quickly as she could, only to see a flash of red rushing straight toward the Frenchman.

"Polnareff!"

Abdul tackled Polnareff to the ground, just as the bullet curved past where his head once was, up into the clouds. Suki breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Wha- Abdul!"

"I went looking for you because I was worried, and look what I find!" The fortune teller spoke sternly, "You're too full of yourself, Polnareff."

"W-Worried?" Polnareff stood up, shaking his fist in anger, "Damn you! Are you going to lecture me again?"

"The enemy knows everything about you! You said you've lived life alone, but from now on, you won't be able to win alone!" Abdul exclaimed, standing up as well.

Polnareff gritted his teeth as he looked at Abdul. Glancing behind Polnareff, Abdul saw Suki standing up in front of a merchant's shop. He chuckled.

"I had a feeling…"

Wondering what the fortune teller was looking at, Polnareff followed his gaze to see the girl standing there. His eyes widened.

"Y-You too, huh?"

Suki stared at the ground for a moment before looking up, locking eyes with the man as she nodded. Meanwhile, the blond man across the way tossed a new cigarette into the air and caught it in his mouth, as he looked on at the three disdainfully.

"What bad timing for outsiders to interfere."

The bullet that had previously streaked up into the sky curved back, heading straight toward the two men. Abdul shoved Polnareff to the side as he made his orders clear.

"Move, Polnareff! The bullet's coming back!" The robed man crossed his arms as he fearlessly stared the oncoming bullet down, "Magician's Red!" The avian spirit phased into view behind the man as he claimed, "I'll burn it to cinders!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Suki saw a smirk grow on the blond man's face. Her eyes widened.

This…This is just what he wants!

Time seemed to slow as Suki looked at Abdul, unaware of what his enemy was planning as he kept his eyes locked on his target.

Abdul…Abdul is going to…!

The girl launched from her stationary position, the dusty streets seeming to give under her feet as she skidded to a stop directly in front of the fortune teller, a few meters separating the two. She drew in a shaky breath as the man darted his eyes to the girl curiously, wondering what she was planning.

That bullet…It's going for a headshot this time too, I know it. No matter what I do, no matter how fast I move, that bullet will just move around any guard I put up. I think…I think I'll have to push Abdul out of the way.

Suki summoned Knight of Cups and formed a watery pistol in her hand.

That memory of my brother…Right, it's clear. All my Stand does is simulate pain to the physical body. All this will do is push him out of the way. I just have to make this shot count…!

She raised the gun up, feeling her heart pounding like a war drum in her ear. As she focused solely on the fortune teller, the girl saw his body seize up, as though he had received an injury from behind.

There was no time.

Gritting her teeth, she felt the words on her lips as she screamed them in her mind.

I'm…I'm going to save you!

She pulled the trigger, just as the enemy's phantom bullet whizzed by her ear. The girl fell backwards, her stance having been unbalanced in the heat of the moment.

Straining her eyes forward, her eyes grew wide as she saw the man she had tried to save fall back, blood spurting from his forehead. In the hopes that what she had seen wasn't real, Suki began to crawl forward, stopping upon feeling something wet on her right hand. Turning it over, the red liquid caused the girl to gasp. She stared at her hand, unable to tear her eyes away as her mind grew foggy.

No…No, this wasn't…

Looking up at the fallen man, she stared as hard as she could, trying to will him up and awake.

Abdul…Abdul, please…No…This wasn't supposed to happen…!

"Man, today must be my day. My gun and J. Geil's mirror don't do very well with Abdul's flames, so we thought he'd be our most formidable enemy. Talk about luck!" Suki looked at the blond man who was now sneering at her, "And to top it all off, looks like we got some unexpected help, too," He tipped his hat to the girl, "Much appreciated, Miss."

Suki's eyes widened. Polnareff and Kakyoin, who had appeared kneeling next to Abdul's side without the girl's knowledge, turned to Suki with shocked expressions.

I…Did I remember wrong? No, I couldn't have…Could I?

Why…Why is Abdul dead?!

"You…But, why…?" Kakyoin spoke shakily.

Her eyes fell to the ground as she felt her chest burn and her throat swell. She remembered Abdul's words from what seemed like ages ago.

You are strong… I can see this is difficult for you to understand, and that's alright. We will help you learn to understand. Alright?

The girl clenched her fists, dirt digging under her fingernails, as she gritted her teeth so hard she felt them crack.

I just wanted to save you…I didn't kill you. I know I didn't…

A laugh was heard further in front of her. Suki looked up at the gunman.

"He's got such a strong face, and yet he died in an instant," The enemy Stand user dropped his cigarette and stamped the ember out with his boot, "Well, the end of someone's life is usually a pretty sudden curtain call. It's probably normal to die without being able to say goodbye," He made a taunting gesture at Polnareff, "It may seem like I'm talking as though I know everything, but…"

At this statement, Polnareff began to trudge forward, wiping his eyes of tears as he stared the murderer down.

"Polnareff! Please, don't let him get to you! Do you still not understand?" Kakyoin shouted, "Mr. Abdul told you not to fight by yourself!" Polnareff stopped in front of a window, as the honor student continued, "And you ignored that…You wanted to get revenge, even if it meant dying with your enemy. Mr. Abdul followed you because that worried him, and this is what happened!"

"So what am I supposed to do?" The Frenchman asked.

"We need to fall back for now."

Polnareff paused, his rage seeming to emanate from him in waves as he spat out his next words.

"Abdul was cruelly stabbed in the back. My sister was killed without resistance. You want me to hold these regrets inside and run away?!"

"Don't fight them when we don't even know how their Stands work yet! Don't fight a battle that will kill you! That's what Mr. Abdul was trying to tell you!" Kakyoin responded.

Suki stood slowly, making her way over to Kakyoin, over to where Abdul lay. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, he turned, anger lighting up his eyes.

"Stay back…"

"Kakyoin…" Suki stopped, his venomous words hitting her hard as she flinched. After a moment, she shook her head and regained her composure, "I know what you saw, but you and I both know how my Stand works," She looked at the two men in front of her with a determined gaze, "Besides, didn't you both agree before, that if I wanted you dead, I would've acted?"

They both looked at her with contemplative expressions, as the blond man raised an eyebrow.

"I'm on your side…" Suki turned to Polnareff, "And I won't let any of you fight alone."

"Hey! Come on, lil' Pol Pol," The gunman goaded Polnareff on, grabbing his attention as the silver-haired man clenched a fist and spoke viscerally.

"Why, you…"

"Polnareff! Slowly come back towards me," Kakyoin pointed with his thumb at a nearby truck, "We're going to use that truck to get out of here."

"Y-You're telling me to hold it in?" Polnareff asked.

"It's dangerous to stay. I know…I know you're angry, but Kakyoin's right. Please, listen to him, and let's go," Suki coaxed, as Kakyoin's eyes darted to her, slightly unconvinced.

Please, just trust me…

"A-All ri-"

"Hey, Polnareff," Polnareff looked at the window to his left upon hearing his name, staring into it with a startled expression. The disembodied voice spoke on, "Abdul died for you," Polnareff looked behind himself frantically, clearly not seeing what he was looking for, "I think that means you owe him. He might not have died, if not for you."

It was then that Suki could finally see the source of the voice, what looked to be a shambling corpse, half-bandaged like a mummy, only appearing before Polnareff in the reflection of the window, slowly edging toward the man.

"Y-You bastard. Where's your real body?!" Polnareff asked, turning to the gunman.

"Polnareff, calm down!" Kakyoin reached out to the Frenchman as he spoke.

"But there's no need to be sad. Actually, you should be happy…" Polnareff turned back to the window, back to the enemy Stand, "Since you'll be together again soon," A blade extended from the palm of the Stand, as he looked on at Polnareff unsympathetically, "You'll die, and then you can be with those two fools in the next world," The shambling spirit laughed as he brought the blade down, wrapping his arm around the other.

"Your little sister was really cute, Polnareff…Once you're reunited with your sister, you should ask her about exactly how I killed her!"

Polnareff screamed in rage as he summoned Silver Chariot.

"Polnareff, don't let him provoke you! He wants you to attack!" Kakyoin warned, but too late.

"Bastard!" Polnareff shouted, as his Stand stabbed frantically into the window. As the shards of glass fell through the air, a malefic laugh was heard.

"Your Chariot cannot cut my Hanged Man. I am within a mirror. Your Stand can't enter a mirror. That's why!" What looked like a hand's grip appeared on Polnareff's shoulder, as The Hanged Man laughed again.

"You mad? I bet you're mad."

Silver Chariot phased out of view as the enemy Stand continued.

"Hey, Hol Horse. Fire away. Let's put an end to this idiot."

"Aye aye, sir," The blond man responded, summoning his handgun again.

What can I do…? Suki thought, I can't…even save one person…

"Die!"

Someone…help him…please…!

Hol Horse's gun fired. A fierce cry rang out from behind Suki.

"Emerald Splash!"

"What?!" Both enemy voices shouted, as Polnareff was knocked out of the way by the jewels rushing through the air. The bullet ricocheted off of the incoming projectiles, landing in the wall of a nearby building.

"What? He shot…"

"…Polnareff!"

He…He did it…!

The rev of a car motor was heard, as the truck Kakyoin pointed out sped closer and closer to Polnareff, the honor student sitting behind the wheel with a fiery gaze. Kakyoin reached out to the Frenchman as he drove by. Polnareff grabbed his outstretched hand and desperately tried to climb into the moving vehicle, as it sped past Hol Horse.

"Kakyoin, was it? Not bad…" The ranger grumbled, fanning the dirt that had been kicked up by the truck, summoning his handgun once more and aiming at the vehicle moving further and further away. He clicked his tongue.

"That's out of my Stand's range. Even if I hit him from here, the bullet wouldn't hit with much force," The clinking of metal spurs was heard as he walked over to the shards of glass laying on the ground, "Mr. J. Geil went after them, eh? He must really want to finish off Polnareff," With a sigh, the man turned and looked at Suki, scanning her up and down with narrowed eyes as he approached. Suki panicked inwardly, unsure as to what the lone ranger could want after seeing that display.

"So, that leaves Polnareff, Kakyoin, Joseph, Jotaro, and the false insurgent. I must say though," He grinned, "I wasn't expecting a young lady like yourself to be such a backstabber."

Oh, f- now? Really? Suki felt frustrated tears well up in her eyes, Dammit…I can't do anything on my own. This guy will get to walk free and get in contact with Dio. It's hard, but…Okay, deep breath. Play it cool. You're the "bad guy," remember?

The girl rubbed at her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, making it seem as though they had merely been itchy, as she planted the façade she thought she wouldn't have to deal with so soon again.

"What can I say? Looks can be quite… deceiving…" She sneered, her eyes narrowing.

"Quite deceiving, indeed…" Hol Horse put a hand to his chin as he smirked, "You are quite the actress. You even had me fooled as to whose side you were really on. Those fools are just dancing in the palm of your hand!" He laughed.

"Hmhmhm, I do try my best. Watching them struggle so is… entertaining, to say the least," She folded her arms, smiling contentedly.

I'm drawling a bit…This is more difficult than before…Just pretend like you aren't connected to them, push their connections out of your mind…You're Dio's servant right now.

"There's one thing that confuses me, though…" The blond ranger started, lighting a cigarette he had placed in his mouth, "I originally thought you were trying to kill Abdul, as well, but then you mentioned to Kakyoin that he knew how your Stand worked. It sounded as though you were trying to persuade him that you were an ally…"

"I-I was…"

Shit, don't stutter now!

Hol Horse looked up with a curious expression, putting his lighter back in his pocket.

Slow down. Think. You're not in a fight. He isn't gonna try and kill you, or anyone else right this second.

"If I am to be believed in wanting to take Lord Dio down, the trust my allies have in me cannot waver. The stronger their trust in me, the more they will believe in my decisions and actions," She smirked, feeling bile moving in her throat as she spoke her next words, "And the more they'll suffer once Lord Dio lays his hands on them."

The enemy Stand user walked closer, looking straight into Suki's eyes as he examined her closely.

"Do you find it hard to believe me?" Suki smiled placidly as she continued, "Well, believe what you so desire. I am but a humble servant of Lord Dio. If my pathetic actions can bring him pleasure, then that is all I require to continue on this mortal coil."

There was a long, heavy pause that seemed to weigh down on Suki's neck, before Hol Horse spoke again.

"What is your name, Miss?"

"Suki. Suki Kanao. And you are Hol Horse, if I'm not mistaken?"

"You are correct, Miss Kanao. It's a pleasure to meet you," Hol Horse took her right hand and brought it to his lips. Suki flinched at what she usually considered a gentlemanly gesture, as he seemed to be nonplussed about the blood that brushed off her hand onto his. Seeing her reaction, the man let go of her hand.

"I apologize, you and Lord Dio must be close."

Suki only nodded, desperately trying to cover for her involuntary action.

"Well, the next time I see him, I will make sure Lord Dio knows of what a good show you're putting on," With that, Hol Horse turned and waved to the girl still standing by, "Farewell, Miss Kanao!"

"Wait. One more thing I must mention."

The man turned, a confused expression gracing his features.

"All members of the group will want you dead, after what you did to Abdul. If I see you again, alongside them…" Suki's expression became grim as she voiced her opinion through different words than she wanted to use, "I cannot guarantee that I will act for your safety."

His eyebrows raised for a moment, before he turned again, chuckling.

"Thank you for the warning. I'll keep that in mind," He tipped his hat and continued on, turning the corner and walking down the next street.

As soon as she was sure that he was out of earshot, Suki breathed a long, heavy sigh, falling to her knees on the ground.

It hasn't been that long, but I already feel out of practice…Suki mused, holding her head in one hand, that only served as a reminder…I can't think nearly that well all the time. I get so caught up in the commotion during fights that I can't think straight. Was all of that training with Big Bro…Was it all for naught? She shook her head, it was worth something, I know that. I wouldn't be nearly this fit if I hadn't trained like that for so long. But my grey matter is lacking when I'm in a pinch…

Suki turned to Abdul, still lying completely still on the ground. She moved over and knelt down next to his body. She winced at the wound on his head, Hol Horse's bullet clearly having made contact, creating a bloody trench in his forehead.

Will I…Will I never hear your voice again, Abdul?

Thinking maybe, just maybe, by some miracle, he might still be alive, Suki closed her eyes and gently touched her fingers to his neck, looking for a pulse.

It was barely there, but a dull beat thrummed underneath his skin.

Opening her eyes wide, Suki removed her fingers and pressed her ear to his chest. Sure enough, while quiet, there was no mistaking the sound of his heart.

He's…He's alive…?! I...

"Suki! Abdul!"

The girl looked up upon hearing her name, seeing Joseph and Jotaro rushing over to where she knelt.

"What happened?" Mr. Joestar asked, looking between Suki and Abdul in concern.

"Mr. Joestar…Jotaro…" She couldn't stop the tears she had been holding back from falling as she whimpered, "Please…Please, he's alive…He needs help…!"

Joseph and Jotaro looked at each other, then back to Suki, and nodded.


The wait for the Speedwagon medics felt agonizingly long, until the ambulance they had called finally pulled in. The three rode to the hospital alongside their ally, Suki casting furtive glances at Abdul, willing him silently to pull through. Arriving at the building, the fallen man was taken back to have surgery. As they sat in the waiting room, Suki quietly explained what she had seen to the two men.

"I just…I just wish I could've done more…" Suki thought aloud, holding her head in one hand.

Joseph patted her shoulder as he spoke to her.

"You did the best you could, I'm sure."

"Hm," Suki responded, not giving an affirmative or a negative to this statement.

A doctor called out to Mr. Joestar soon after. The old man rose from his seat and walked over to him and began to speak quietly with him about the results of the surgery. Suki sighed.

"He said you did your best," Jotaro spoke without even looking at her.

"I-I know…I'm just…unsure."

"Of what?"

"…It's really dumb."

"Well, what else is new?"

"Gee, thanks…"

"…I know how my Stand works. I know how she works. But…" Suki pulled her knees up to her chest as she buried her face in her legs, "With everyone accusing me there…Everyone thinking I killed him, or that I had some hand in it, I…I lose that faith. That faith that I know what I'm doing, that I know myself…"

"So, you would trust someone else's word over your own, about your own Stand?"

Suki pulled her legs closer to her, as though retreating from something she had done wrong. Jotaro didn't respond at first, as he closed his eyes in thought. Then, opening them, he turned to the girl huddled in the chair.

"Okay, what if I told you, right now, 'you're strong'?"

"Huh?" Suki looked up, blinking. She then cast her eyes away as she responded, "I-I'm not, though…"

"…This is really fucking stupid."

"I told you-"

"Stop taking what people tell you so seriously. At the very least, give some thought to what they're saying before you brush it off or take it to heart."

Suki looked into the man's eyes and saw that he was dead serious.

It's like he's speaking from experience…

"I'll…do my best."

He nodded and turned back in his seat, just as Mr. Joestar came back over. The old man motioned for Jotaro to come over and speak with him, excluding the girl. The delinquent cast a glance at Suki before sighing and getting up, following his grandfather out of earshot. She looked up at the ceiling contemplatively.

I hope Polnareff and Kakyoin are all right…

Unbeknownst to her, both men kept casting small glances at her as they spoke. Finally finished with their conversation, they walked over to Suki, who stood upon seeing them approach.

"Is…Is Abdul going to…?"

Joseph sighed.

"He…didn't make it."

Suki's eyes widened, as her face fell. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

Dammit…She cursed inwardly, if only…if only I could've…! Goddamnit!

"I understand this is difficult to accept," Joseph folded his arms as he spoke, bowing his head.

Mr. Joestar…He's taking this better than I am, and he and Abdul have known each other for so much longer…Suki clenched her fists as she thought, I…I have to take a page out of his book.

"Abdul…would want us to keep moving forward, right?" She murmured, as Joseph looked up at her. She met his eyes and continued, "Let's keep moving, then."

With a nod, the three left the hospital.


"You guys are sure you saw Polnareff and Kakyoin go this way?"

The two men nodded as they continued down the alley, Suki keeping up with light footsteps behind them. Suddenly, as they neared the exit of the alleyway, Hol Horse rushed around the corner, clearly not paying attention to his surroundings. Jotaro immediately wound up a jab and thrust his fist into the face of the approaching enemy Stand user. The cowboy fell back, landing on the ground and holding his face, as Kakyoin and Polnareff rushed up and joined the three. Suki breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the two men alive, but grew worried upon seeing that Polnareff was covered in bloody streams.

"Mr. Joestar! Jotaro! Suki!" Kakyoin called out as he approached. Joseph took that moment to speak up.

"We already know about Abdul. Though it was a simple funeral, his body's been buried."

The five turned to the cowering, grounded blond gunman, as Kakyoin made an assertion heard.

"The one who stabbed Mr. Abdul in the back was the man with two right hands, but the cause of death was Hol Horse's bullet."

Suki's eyes widened, as she turned to Kakyoin and Polnareff.

"W-W-W-Wait!" Hol Horse warbled, pointing at her, "I'm not the only one who contributed to his death! She shot him, too!"

He must still think that I was attempting to kill Abdul…Is he trying to get everyone to focus on me, so he can escape?

The girl clenched her fists at her sides, gritting her teeth.

"I must admit," Kakyoin mused, twisting his stray strand of hair in his fingers, "In the heat of the moment, I did see this to be a joint effort; however, after being given time to think, I remembered who I was pointing the finger at," The red-haired man shook his head and glanced at Suki, before turning his pointed gaze back to Hol Horse, "Murderous intent was absent."

Kakyoin…You do trust me…

"She was standing right in front of me. I saw her shoot that gun… But, I know her. She's never stained her hands with anyone's blood besides her own," Polnareff brought up a fist and looked at it, tightening it as he looked back to the blond cowboy, "To think that she would change, when the life of the man she loves is in her hands is pure nonsense!"

Polnareff…You, too?

"You all…" Hol Horse began to shout, raising a hand in defense, "You all are a bunch of crazies! She killed your friend, and you're just gonna let that slide?!"

"What shall we do with him?" Kakyoin asked, clearly ignoring the man on the ground.

"I'll give him his sentence," Polnareff claimed, walking up to the blond cowboy and summoning Silver Chariot, "Death!"

Suddenly, a woman wearing a dark pink sari and headdress appeared and rushed into Polnareff with all of her strength, shoving him to the ground.

"Wha?!"

The fancily dressed maiden cried out to Hol Horse as she held Polnareff down, as the Frenchman shouted in confusion at her.

"Please run, Sir Hol Horse! Sir Hol Horse! I don't know what's going on, but I'm always thinking of you! That is my reason to live! Please run! Hurry!"

"You bitch! Let go of me! What are you thinking?!" Polnareff turned his attention to the people behind him, "Jotaro! Kakyoin! Don't let Hol Horse get away!"

"Too late," Jotaro deadpanned.

"Huh?" The restrained man looked back towards where the blond cowboy once was, "Oh…"

Hol Horse had somehow summoned a steed, as he reined the animal in from its back, calling out to the sari-wearing woman.

"Well said, baby! I'll gladly accept your feelings and keep on living!"

Suki whipped her head from the enemy back to her group and back again.

You…You aren't going to do anything?!

"I'm running away because I love you, baby!" Hol Horse reassured.

No…No!

Without warning, Suki launched over the still struggling Polnareff and lovestruck woman, as she sprinted forward to catch up with the horse that was slowly turning in the opposite direction.

"Suki, wait! Come back!" She heard Joseph yell behind her. The girl ignored his pleas to return as she focused on her target, rushing forward and leaping out, grasping for the saddle. Feeling the leather in her hands, she stopped running and began attempting to climb the horse.

"What the- Hey, get off!" Hol Horse yelled, shoving into her with his foot. To no avail, as Suki retained her iron grip with a determined flame flaring in her eyes.

I'm sorry, horse, the girl apologized in her mind, as she wiped her brow and formed a watery knife, stabbing it into the animal. Reacting as she expected, the horse began to lose control, rearing and bucking about in a fruitless attempt to lose its attacker. Jostled by the out-of-control mount, Hol Horse fell off the side, lashing an arm out to hold onto the saddle and facing his attacker. The girl slashed at his arm, causing him to shout in pain, but the man was too set in getting away. He wasn't going to let go, not for anything. That didn't stop Suki, though, as she continued to screech in anger and stab his arm over and over.

"Let go alreadyyyyyyyyy!"

"Suki!" She heard Polnareff cry out from what seemed like miles away, as she turned to see Hol Horse cocking his gun at her. The girl froze upon seeing the weapon, her eyes growing wide.

Come on, move, dammit!

"Suki, let go of the horse!" Kakyoin yelled, what sounded like a faint murmur as the horse continued to breeze forwards.

"Suki!"

"You 're a damn good actress, I'll give you that," Hol Horse started, an unsympathetic expression gracing his features, "Dio might be paying me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to die for the sake of your little play."

His lips turned up in a smirk.

"So long, Miss Kanao."

An ear-shattering bang resonated in the girl's ears as she was thrown back to tumble through the dirt, the concerned shouts of her teammates dulling as she blacked out.


Chapter Six – Hit Him with Your Best Shot

-END-

|To Be Continued|\|/


Suki is a fujoshi. I have no shame.

Also, I felt I should let you all know that I use the subbed anime as my source for the script of the scenes that still occur in canon. From time to time, I do have to add in words that weren't there originally, to address my OC mainly, but, just this one time, I decided to use the line from the leaked dub clip of Polnareff vs. Hol Horse. "Prepare to die" sounds cooler to me than "I'll kill you," so I ended up making the switch. Otherwise, save for new scenes, I try to keep the actions and dialogue as close to canon as possible. The next chapter will be up shortly! -BlueBow