Sukiyaki Season 1

by BlueBow

After serving under Dio in the hopes of getting a lead on her missing brother, Suki Kanao hears of a stalwart group of five heroes on their way to rid the world of his evil presence. This is the story of the journey to Cairo through the eyes of that girl, and the events she experiences alongside the Stardust Crusaders.

11. Chapter 10 - Secular Haze

Chapter Ten – Secular Haze

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 a row of slashes (like this /), unlike the time/scene change denoted by a horizontal line (-). You have been warned.

---

The group reached Pakistan without much fanfare. The sheer cliffs along which they drove seemed to forbid the stalwart heroes from entering rather than invite them in. Not to mention…

It's way too tight in here!

Unfortunately, they didn't have much in the way of choice of vehicle back at the Indo-Pakistani border, even with the Speedwagon Foundation's help. As such, Suki found herself situated quite snugly between Joseph and Jotaro. A little too snugly, she would say, but she refrained from complaining. The girl couldn't even reach down to her satchel and take out her "study materials" without causing someone discomfort, and, even then, she did not want someone looking over her shoulder at what she was reading.

It's better than riding in the trunk or on top of the car, like some crazed lunatic, at least, Suki thought.

"But Jotaro," Mr. Joestar piped up, "I'm surprised you were able to get someone to make you a Japanese school uniform here in Pakistan. The fit is perfect, too."

Jotaro closed his eyes in contentment as he informed the group, "It's 100% wool."

"One-hundred percent?" Suki looked at the man, her eyes widening, "How have you not succumbed to heat stroke?"

"This is nothing," He replied simply, turning away to watch the passing scenery.

Maybe he doesn't mind the heat, because he spent five consecutive hours in a sauna to prove his willpower to a guy, without removing any clothes, Suki pondered, or maybe he's unnaturally cold.

"Polnareff, is it safe to drive right now?" Kakyoin addressed the driver anxiously, "It appears the fog in this area is getting quite thick."

"Yeah," The Frenchman agreed, "It might be a bit dangerous. Since there's a sheer drop to one side, and no guard rail."

A bit, he says, Suki thought with a roll of her eyes, Polnareff, you're a great guy, but why are we all just letting you drive again?

"Indeed. The fog gets thicker up ahead," Mr. Joestar removed a small pocket watch from his pocket and examined the hands' positions, "It's not even 3:00 yet, but I guess we have no choice. Let's find a place to stay in that town for the night," he suggested, looking down at a small settlement at the bottom of the cliff.

"I wonder if there's a nice hotel," Polnareff mused.

"A nice hotel?" Kakyoin probed.

"One that has a decent toilet, of course! I still can't get used to…"

Suki tilted her head back to see if she could spot any clouds, completely tuning Polnareff and Kakyoin out. Not having any luck, she turned her head to the left to see if there was anything interesting in that direction, only for her eyes to be covered with something violet.

"What the-!"

"Don't look."

"Huh…?"

A few seconds later, what turned out to be Star Platinum's hand was removed from her eyes, as she blinked. The girl looked to Jotaro with a curious expression.

"It was a dead dog."

"Oh…" Suki's expression fell, as she asked out of reluctant curiosity, "Was it bad…?"

The thug cast his gaze in a different direction before responding.

"…Yeah."

After a moment, she nodded and turned her head forward again.

"Thank you, Jotaro."

The man nodded as they continued driving on.

Even as their car pulled into town, they couldn't seem to escape the thick veil of mist that hung in the air. The muggy road did much to shield the pedestrians walking about from view, only their silhouettes poking out in the mixture of gray and white. A few seconds passed before Suki inhaled again, only to swallow and try to steady her breathing, her eyes widening.

"This is a nice little town," Joseph remarked, a hand on his chin, "I'd say it has a population of a few thousand."

The girl looked at the old man in shock, before turning back in her seat.

I…I can't be the only one catching this scent, can I…?

A few more blocks passed before Polnareff stopped the car. Kakyoin exited and pointed at a modest sign that hung on a building.

"Let's ask about a hotel at that restaurant there," He suggested.

The rest of the group left the car and walked towards the building. The previous hustle and bustle of the last two cities they had visited was nowhere to be found, as the citizens continued about their daily routines in a silent manner.

Suki held her chest lightly as she continued to steady her breathing, looking at the members of her group as she stood quietly.

The scent's gotten worse since we stopped moving… She thought, closing her eyes, am I hallucinating? Is that why no one else is affected? I…I shouldn't be…

"Hey, kid."

The girl looked up at the delinquent, who was eyeing her with a quirked eyebrow.

"You're breathing through your mouth. Something wrong?"

"Uh, uhm…" Suki had not even noticed that she had tried to block out the aroma assaulting her senses in such a way. She looked away for a moment, before nodding, deciding it would be best to share her observations with him.

"It…smells like death here."

"Death?"

"Decaying, rotting, abandoned bodies…That's…what this town smells like…" Suki murmured.

Perhaps spending so much time with a monster like Dio, who thought of humans as toys for various purposes, enabled the girl to catch the scent of decay much more easily than the average person. Whatever the case, even as she tried to block her nose like usual, whenever that scent of cadavers reached it, she found she couldn't.

It's just like the time I found those sailors on Strength…Why can't I block it out…?

Looking back up at the man, Suki gave a weak smile.

"It's fine. It's probably just me."

"Hmm."

"Listen up, everyone," Joseph gathered the group's attention, as they all turned to him, "In Pakistan, and further west in the Islamic world, this is how you greet people. First, you smile and say…" He then turned and walked up to the man standing at the entrance to the restaurant and raised his hand in a greeting, or so Suki assumed, despite the fact that he looked like he was going to chop something.

"Assalamu alaikum!"

…

The man flipped the sign next to him from "Open" to "Closed" with a loud slam, as his expression remained blank.

…

"E-Er… You didn't have to close up shop so suddenly…" Joseph raised his hands in a defensive gesture as he spoke, "We just wanted to ask a question. Is there a hotel nearby?"

Silence flew through the air, as the shopkeeper kept his same expression.

"Hello?" Mr. Joestar asked, miming a telephone.

"I don't know."

After offering that curt response, the strange man swiftly turned and began to walk away.

"Huh? Hey, wait a minute," Joseph called, reaching out and running after the shopkeeper, "What do you mean, you don't know?" A moment passed before the old man rubbed his eyes with his hands, not believing whatever he was seeing, "Wh-What's with that guy…?"

"I'm sure he couldn't understand you because your pronunciation's so bad," Polnareff remarked, pointing behind him, "Let's ask the guy sitting there."

The figure Polnareff had pointed out was cloaked, and seemed to be lost in thought or sleeping, his head bowed as he sat against the wall. The Frenchman addressed the figure jovially as he walked up beside him. Meanwhile, Jotaro turned back to the girl who was steadily growing pale.

"I don't want to dismiss your observation. Something's definitely off here…"

"Is it… a hunch…?" Suki asked, her stomach turning despite her best efforts to mute her senses.

"Seriously, kid, you don't look good. Sit down, or something."

"I said…I'm fine," The girl spoke, unconvinced herself, as she swallowed thickly.

"Hey, you! What's wrong?"

The two youths turned upon hearing Polnareff cry out, shocked at the appearance of the man he had called out to. The expression of the man was nothing short of horrifying, his eyes blown wide and his mouth agape as though someone had unhinged his jaw. This man had experienced a moment of true fear, frozen in time as he refused to blink or even twitch. The Frenchman shook the cloaked figure's shoulder, as he finally fell back, his expression remaining constant, as two lizards crawled out of his mouth.

"What?!"

Suki felt something rising up in her throat at a breakneck pace. She turned and collapsed, expelling what she had eaten that day as her body shook in heavy quakes. The girl heard the dull hum of voices approaching as she coughed, her arms and legs too weak to push her up to a standing position. She vaguely felt a hand press gently against her back, rubbing back and forth as she vomited again. Tears stung at her eyes and her face broke out into a sweat, as a burning sensation accompanied another coughing fit. The only sounds that presented themselves were her heart pounding in her ears and the clipped, mingling words of her comrades.

"…Doctor…help…do?...where…calm…need…someone…"

Suddenly, the girl felt herself being lifted from the ground by a hand on her arm, as a new voice chimed in.

"Please…know…one…"

I…know that…voice…

Suki turned her head slightly, meeting sharp green eyes with soft browns, as the familiar eerie grin of the man greeted her.

"You're…Whit…" Suki smiled weakly.

"Please, let me…right over…no?"

After a moment, the girl felt herself being moved, as she limply followed Whit. He led her to a wall right across the way, still in view of her allies. The blond man sat her down against the wall, holding a bottle of water out to her.

"Drink this."

She accepted the beverage. The cool liquid hit her tongue, briefly removing her instinct to throw up, as she tipped her head back. Removing her lips from the bottle, she let her head fall forward slightly, a dizzy feeling still muddling her ability to perform any sort of coherent thought.

"Put this on."

With no wait, Whit strapped something onto Suki's face.

"Take deep breaths."

The girl did as she was told, and, slowly, clarity began to return, as the smell of death seemed to completely remove itself from the surroundings. Suki blinked a few times before realizing that the object Whit had strapped to her face had shrunk her peripheral vision somewhat.

"This is…a gas mask?"

The clean-cut man nodded.

"I understand this place smells of death. This should block the stench entirely."

Touching the mask that was now attached to her face, she looked at the man bent over in front of her.

"You mean…you smell it, too?" Suki shook her head, "Wait, more importantly, what are you doing here? I thought you-"

The man shushed her.

"Please, be patient. All will be revealed in due time, Miss Kanao. For now, I must return to my post. If you will excuse me."

"Wait, I-!"

The girl reached out to Whit, in vain, as he disappeared in the next instant. After a moment, she sat back, folding her arms. Suki certainly found it odd that Whit had found himself in the same location as herself, in addition to being on the same wavelength of thought, in thinking the town smelled of death.

There was something different about his appearance, too…She thought, something's there now that wasn't there before.

Suki was broken out of her trance by the sound of Joseph's screams. She looked up with a start to see the old man hanging from a collection of powerlines with Hermit Purple, just over a spiked fence.

"Hey. Old man," Jotaro stared at his struggling grandfather, "What the hell are you doing? Are you stupid?"

As Joseph slowly maneuvered himself down from his dangling position, Suki carefully walked over to join the rest of the group, unwilling to let her stomach grow upset again.

"Oh, no!" Mr. Joestar exclaimed, "What do you mean, what am I doing?! The car was right here a minute ago!"

"What? Car? We just parked the car over there," Polnareff explained.

"What?! B-But just now…"

As they looked over to the vehicle, a small, old woman emerged from the fog, a dull knocking sound echoing from her staff making contact with the road as she walked. The elder finally arrived in front of the rest of the group and bowed, as everyone else bowed back.

The old woman was no larger than a ten-year-old child, her long, white hair in some way compensating for her tiny stature. Her snowy locks were adorned with golden rings and were held back out of her face by a brown and green striped headband. The woman did not seem to have good judgment concerning clothes sizes, as her brown robe dragged slightly along the ground, and her baggy sleeves threatened to cover her hands. One could make the mistake of this being a child in a costume, if not for her many wrinkles, and her numerous liver spots in disarray on her face.

Finally raising her head and speaking, the old woman spoke in a kind tone.

"You seem to be travelers. With this fog, it's dangerous to leave the town now. There are many cliffs, you know. I run a little bed and breakfast. If you'd like, why not stay there for the night? I'll make it cheap."

"We finally met a normal person!" Polnareff expressed, sighing in relief.

"There's a strong possibility that a Stand user is hiding somewhere in this town," Kakyoin stated, folding his arms, "This thick fog also gives them the upper hand. We cannot let our guard down at all tonight."

"But…even without anyone attacking us, this is a really creepy town," The Frenchman observed.

"Come now, Mr. Joestar," The old woman coaxed as she hobbled along, "That is my hotel. I shall lead the way. Please come with me."

A lavish, yellow manor-like building stood before them, columns and windows decorating the perimeter of the hotel. Suki attributed what she saw to remnants of dizziness from earlier, but she swore she saw fog emitting from the hotel's windows.

Now that I think on it…Am I still so dizzy that I think she said "Joestar"…? Suki shook her head, I think the dizziness has still got me…

As the group walked along the path, Jotaro turned back and seemed to finally take notice of the change in Suki's appearance, as he stared at her mask.

"What?" The girl's voice came out somewhat muffled by the breathing apparatus, as she tilted her head curiously.

"You look like a psycho," Jotaro muttered.

"Ah… I can see into your mind…So, you like adventure games…"

"Starting to sound like one, too," The thug narrowed his eyes.

"Heh, I'm just joking around," Suki admitted, scratching the back of her head, "I mean, it's kinda hard to stay upbeat with this oppressive fog…"

Jotaro nodded, as they shifted their attention upon hearing the woman speak again, arriving at the entrance.

"This hotel is small… but about twenty years ago, one of the 007 films was filmed here, and John Lennon from the Beatles even stayed here once."

"What? Really?!" Polnareff asked excitedly.

"No, not at all," The lady said with a smile.

"Wha?"

"But it is still quite a nice hotel. There are currently no other guests. Would meat for dinner be all right? Or would you prefer fish?"

"Hold it, old lady," Jotaro cut the old woman off, as he questioned, "You just said 'Joestar' didn't you? How'd you know that name?"

So I wasn't hallucinating…Suki thought.

A small pause hung in the air before the old woman spoke again, pointing at Polnareff with her bandaged left arm.

"Come now, sir. That person there just said 'Mr. Joestar' a moment ago."

"What? Me?" The silver-haired man pointed at himself in question, "Well, I guess I might have."

The old woman seemed to pull an even bigger smile as she continued.

"You did, sir. When you've been in customer service for many years, you learn to memorize people's names quickly. So I'm sure of it."

"By the way, Ma'am, what happened to your left hand?" Polnareff asked, pointing at the old woman's bandaged arm.

"Oh, this? I just burned it a little…It might be because of my old age, but I accidentally spilled boiling water on it."

"Age? What are you talking about? You only look to be about forty. Maybe I'll ask you on a date."

"Please don't tease me so, sir."

The two laughed. Suki winced as the date scenario passed briefly through her mind.

Begone, thought.

The hotel was dark as the party walked inside, but it had an enticing feel, like a castle a villain in a storybook would own. The lanterns glowed red far above velvet-carpeted staircases and latticed glass windows. Despite its eerie allure, it was certainly much lonelier than the past hotels they had stayed at.

"Oh, this doesn't look too bad," Joseph commented as they made their way to the front desk.

"Here, Kakyoin," Polnareff said, as he handed the pen to the honor student.

"Right," he responded, writing his name down in the register. After a moment, he held the pen out to Jotaro.

"Here."

"Yeah."

Suki was vaguely aware of Polnareff and the hotel owner chattering away, examining her surroundings, until Jotaro waved her over. As the girl approached, he sidled out of the way, so as to block the book from the old woman's view. Upon closer examination of the register, with pen in hand, Suki saw that her friend had not written "Jotaro Kujo" in the musty pages. After a moment of thought, Suki decided she wanted to join the game as well, and wrote a down a name that didn't belong to her. Finishing her handiwork, she looked up at the thug with a goofy smile, not that he could see it with the gas mask in the way. He rolled his eyes and shut the booklet.

"It's done."

"Well, then…" The old lady started, as a set of approaching footsteps echoed off the hard floor. She gestured behind the group as she stated, "I will have him show you to your rooms."

The group turned, and all were surprised to see a familiar face that they had seen not even an hour ago.

It was Whit.

---

"I do appreciate you not using my name earlier. That would've made things…complicated," The man spoke, locking the door behind him as he walked the small tray he was holding over to the occupant of the hotel room. Suki tilted her head, as she sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Why'd you lock the door…?"

"I have been taught that guests appreciate privacy, among other things. Now then…" Whit set the tray down on the nightstand and pulled up a nearby chair, which was situated at the desk in the corner, and sat down, "Please, let us partake in what I have brought, and you may ask me what you wish. I will answer to the best of my ability."

Before turning her gaze completely to the tray, Suki gave Whit a once-over. She deduced that she had been correct in seeing something different on his form, as he now wore a tight, black collar, like one would see on a pet, with a small red jewel sitting in the center.

I knew something was different about him…

Suki then took a moment to examine the tray. On it sat a small package of playing cards, a tall glass filled with a thick, orange liquid, and a modest vase filled with small flowers. The drink was served with a straw, and ground pistachio nuts arranged on the top. The flowers were especially alluring, with their long, white, pristine petals. Suddenly, one of the petals of the flowers fell to the tray. Whit sighed, still retaining his smile.

"Already wilting, are we?"

With that question, he plucked one of the flowers from the vase and began pulling off the petals of the flower one by one, setting the discarded petals on the tray. Suki was about to speak out about killing the flower further, but decided against it upon seeing its roots had already been trimmed. After a moment, Whit gestured to the drink.

"Please, drink up."

"Uh…" Suki tapped her mask with a finger, as Whit chuckled.

"Ah, silly me. The smell is not nearly as bad in this building as it is out there. While we partake of this, I would suggest you set the mask aside."

With a nod, Suki undid the straps tying the mask to her face and removed it, wiping accumulated sweat off her brow. She took a cursory sniff of the area before smiling at the man in front of her.

"It's a bit dusty, but it's nothing like what's out there," Scooting closer to the nightstand, she took the glass in her hand, before she remembered, "Oh, right, thank you for that, by the way!"

"It's no problem at all, Miss Kanao."

"Whit, you don't have to be so formal with me. Just call me Suki," The girl said with a small smile.

"I would rather maintain this as a relationship that is strictly business, Miss Kanao."

"Oh, uh…okay," Suki agreed, scratching her cheek. She then turned her eyes to the drink in her hands, "So, what's this, then?"

"It's mango lassi."

"Mango lassi…"

A popular drink from the Indian Subcontinent, lassi is a blend of water, yogurt, spices, and sometimes fruits. The traditional type of lassi, called salted lassi or simply just lassi, is savory, and, more often than not, flavored with roasted or ground cumin. Made from yogurt, water, and the pulp of a mango, the national fruit of Pakistan, mango lassi is slowly gaining popularity worldwide.

"Hmm…" Suki hummed, as she gave the beverage a cursory sip. Her lips turned up as she released the straw, "This is really good!"

"I am glad you think so, Miss Kanao," The man said. For the briefest second, the girl was certain that his smile was unusually wistful.

"Okay, first question," Suki started, twirling the straw in her fingers, "How did you know where I was?"

"You are aware we serve the same man, no?" Whit spoke lowly.

"But I thought-"

"You are the false insurgent. I am the observer."

The observer…?

"Uhm…" Suki shifted uncomfortably on the bed, lowering her own voice to a whisper, "How closely have you been watching me, exactly?"

"As closely as you've been examining those," Whit cleared his throat, "'study materials,' I would like to say."

The girl's face heated like a stovetop at this last statement, her eyes widening as her mouth fell agape.

"You…That's, uh, a little too close for comfort, wouldn't you say…?"

"Lord Dio wills that I watch you. You seem to be performing well as an ally to the enemy, but you can never be too sure. Working at this establishment is merely part and parcel of my duty," The man explained without skipping a beat, rubbing one of the petals he had removed between his fingers before placing it on the tray. After a moment, he replaced the petal-less flower and began to shuffle the discarded plant fragments around on the flat surface.

There's no glint…Suki raised an eyebrow, He's still lying about his true alliance, right?

"You are curious about what I said to you before, are you not?"

"Oh! Uh…"

Whit looked up at Suki under his long lashes, his back hunched over the nightstand.

"I would not rely on cheap parlor tricks to understand your enemy, Miss Kanao. Though you may wish to disbelieve this notion, some have trained involuntary reactions out of their system."

"What…do you mean?"

Does…Does he know about…?

"Something as telling as, say, a glint in one's eye, is fatal for one who wishes to keep their true alliance under wraps. As such, some have convinced themselves that Dio returns their absolute faith, and have lost that predatory reaction to hearing his name."

He does know…

"Truly, it is not the revelation of the century, Miss Kanao," The man tilted his head, as he absentmindedly moved the petals about on the tray, "Amateurish, are the ones who do not train such a flaw out of their systems immediately."

"R-Right…" Suki sipped at her drink, noticing she only had about a quarter of the glass left to drink.

I want to ask him more questions, but…

"I would recommend you not waste my time, either, Miss Kanao. I am a busy man, after all."

Guess I've gotta make this count then…

"Why…are you still working for him, if you…?"

Whit's finger stopped, as he looked up. Suki didn't recognize the man looking at her.

"Such a question is quite personal, do you not agree?"

The voice of the man still carried a lilt, much like an employee trying to please a customer to the best of his ability, but his once constant eerie grin and pleasant demeanor had disappeared completely.

"S-Sorry."

"I…apologize," Whit sighed, his smile returning, "I may have erred in saying I would answer all questions to the best of my ability."

"No, it's fine! I... shouldn't have pried."

An uncomfortable silence followed. Casting about for a topic of conversation, the girl's eyes landed upon the flowers once again.

"Are these flowers native to Pakistan? They're really pretty."

"Not just native, these are their national flowers. They're jasmine," The man expressed, removing a flower from the vase and looking at it thoughtfully, "People seem to have the notion ingrained in their day-to-day lives that roses are the be-all end-all of flowers associated with love and romance."

"You disagree?"

Whit nodded.

"I believe jasmine is better suited to portray a love that is more innocent, purer. Roses are a bit too… sensual, for my tastes."

"Every rose has its thorns…Is the same true of jasmine?"

The man raised his eyebrows, as he brought a hand to his chin.

"I do believe they are thornless flowers. Perhaps, that is why…" Whit's eyes darted to his watch for but a moment, "Ah, I digress. I should be returning to my post," He stood and gestured to the tray, "I will return at a later point to retrieve whatever you leave on the tray. You are free to take the cards to another room, if you so wish. Now, if you will excuse me…"

Whit bowed courteously before walking to the door and unlocking it.

"Ah, before I forget," The man turned around, his usual grin turning up his lips "I must mention. Card games tend to reveal much about people. Different attributes depending on the game; however, one trait is always revealed no matter what game you play."

"What would that be?"

"Something that follows a person no matter where they may go, and determines their overall happiness in life. Luck."

With that, Whit opened the door and shut it behind him.

He seems to like jasmine, so why would he pick one apart like that? And what was with those words at the end? Suki pondered, Well, I might as well take him up on his offer.

As Suki looked over to the tray, she noticed that Whit had arranged the petals in such a way that they made a picture. She squinted at the odd arrangement.

Upon closer inspection, the petals had been used to write three letters above the picture. The three letters were "JPP", from left to right, and, underneath the letters were two objects that looked like trees.

Did he try to leave me a message? Suki placed a hand on her chin as she stared at the code Whit had left, maybe…Maybe it'll lead me to the Stand user we've been worrying about…

Okay, so first, I want to know what those letters mean…I don't think I know any acronyms that have those specific letters. Maybe…it's a name? One J and two P's… Wait, Polnareff's full name is Jean Pierre Polnareff, right? That would fit the letters perfectly! But, what about…

Suki looked at the tree-like objects that sat underneath Polnareff's initials.

I want to say they look like trees, but, looking at them again, they look more like hands that are reaching out. These hands look exactly the same. Is he saying…someone with two of the same hands will come after Polnareff…!

The girl rose from the bed and began to pace.

But that doesn't make sense. Polnareff killed J. Geil, I'm sure of it. No one else has two right…!

She suddenly recalled the words that Yellow Temperance had spoken to her and Jotaro.

"B-But there is some witch who told Dio about Stands…And her son is among the four. His name is J. Geil. He's a man with two right hands."

A witch with two right hands…A witch with…!

"By the way, Ma'am, what happened to your left hand?" "Oh, this? I just burned it a little…It might be because of my old age, but I accidentally spilled boiling water on it."

The old woman's left hand was bandaged…Could it be that…

This…This would explain why she knew Mr. Joestar. It all adds up…!

Suki turned back to the small deck of cards sitting on the tray and picked it up, examining it.

What does Whit want me to figure out by playing cards with Polnareff…? Whether he should fight this Stand user or not?

Suki looked at the door with a contemplative expression before shaking her head. After placing the discarded petals in the vase, she walked out the door with the cards in hand.

I guess the best way to find out is by starting the game.

---

"So, how do you play this game?" Polnareff asked, sitting cross-legged on his bed, directly in front of his pillow. The girl raised her eyebrows.

"You mean you've never played 'war'?" The man shook his head, as Suki continued based on his reaction, "It's really simple, I played it all the time as a kid," With that, she shuffled the cards and began to deal them between the Frenchman and herself, until all fifty-two cards were gone from her hands.

"Okay, so, keep the cards face down," She spoke, picking up her own half of the deck, "We'll do a practice round first," The man nodded as he took his half of the cards, "Now, place the card at the top of your deck face up in front of you."

Polnareff followed the instructions as Suki placed the first card in her deck face up. On the man's side was a queen of spades, on the girl's, a five of hearts.

"You have the higher card, so you can take both cards and put them beside you."

"Suits don't matter?"

"Nope," After Polnareff had placed the cards beside himself, Suki gave another instruction, "Now, we do the same thing again."

"Alright…" He took the next card and placed it down, as Suki did the same, "But what if we-"

"Get the same number?"

As she said that, the two looked down and saw that they had both drawn a seven, Polnareff wielding the seven of hearts as Suki held the seven of clubs. A smirk crossed the girl's face.

"Then we go to war. Each of us places one card face down, and then the next, face up. Whoever has the highest third card wins all six of the ones that were laid down. So…" She demonstrated her instruction, as the man followed suit. Suki ended with a jack of diamonds, versus Polnareff's ten of clubs. She smiled.

"Looks like that's my win there," As the girl picked up the cards and placed them beside her, she continued her explanation, "When you run out of cards in your hand, you use your winnings. Whoever runs completely out of cards, loses. Those are the rules."

"Huh. You were right, that is really simple," Polnareff admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

I hope Whit wasn't expecting me to play something more complex, like poker or blackjack…The girl thought, I have no clue how to play those casino games.

"By the way, aces have the same value as a one, save when you play one against a king. Kings can only be beaten by aces," The man nodded, "Now, do you want to start from scratch, or start from where we left off?"

"It'd be easier to just start from here."

"Alrighty, then," Suki spoke as she laid down her next card, as her friend did the same.

"So, what gave you the urge to play cards with me?" Polnareff asked, placing down an ace versus Suki's eight.

"It's just been a while since we've talked, is all. I thought it'd be nice to just spend time like this," Polnareff: 6, Suki: King.

"Did you want to talk about anything specific?" Polnareff: 3, Suki: 4.

"Well…You remember what we told you Yellow Temperance said about the other Stand users?" Polnareff: Jack, Suki: 8.

"What about it?" Polnareff: Queen, Suki: 9.

"He mentioned a witch, whose son is…was J. Geil. The man with two right hands," Polnareff: Queen, Suki: 5.

The man's expression shifted from placid to somewhat morose, as he continued to play his cards. He played a seven, while the girl played a ten.

"She…probably knows you killed her son. I don't doubt that she'll come after you. How soon we'll see her, though…Well, that's a different question," Polnareff: 2, Suki: 7.

Silence pervaded the room for a solid minute, as Polnareff allowed the hand that was holding his cards to drop into his lap. His grip on the deck tightened as he stared at it.

"She's not gonna catch me off guard. Not like he did. I'll be ready this time."

"Polnareff…"

"I won't go rushing in like a dumbass again. Not after…" The man shook his head and placed the rest of his cards down in front of him, joining that stack with his earned cards, "Sorry, I…don't really feel like playing anymore."

Suki's expression remained stoic, as she took the cards back and joined his deck and hers and placed them back in the small package. She then stuffed the package in her pocket and clasped her hands in her lap.

"Do you…want to talk about that?"

"What more is there to talk about?" He asked, as he shifted on the bed, leaning his back against the wall as he stretched his legs out, "I acted like an idiot and got Abdul killed. It's…cut and dry."

"But, I-"

"No, don't try and take the blame for this," Polnareff denied, shaking his head, "No matter what, if I hadn't stormed off like that, Abdul would still be alive and well, traveling along with us like nothing had changed. But I…I had to go and fuck all of that up!" He brought his hand back and slammed his fist into the wall behind him, causing it to tremble at the impact.

"I should've listened to him…I should've listened to the both of you…" The man let out a soft, sad laugh as he spoke, "Dammit…I was nothing but an asshole to him. He may have protected me, but no matter how nice of a guy he was, he probably hates me, wherever he's watching us from."

Suki took a moment to remember the words she had shared with the fortune teller before that moment. They had spoken about the Frenchman briefly, but she recalled every kind word he spoke about him. Those words may have been accompanied by quite a bit of concern, but Abdul's positive emotions towards Polnareff rang through loud and clear.

"I admire how much faith he puts in his values…"

"I do find value in the compassion he presents to you all, as well."

"I become increasingly worried that those same values will get him killed."

The girl shuffled over to the man on her knees and took his hand, weaving her fingers through his.

"What are you-"

"You're wrong."

"I'm…?"

"He…He didn't hate you…He never hated you," Suki leaned against the wall next to Polnareff, keeping her hand attached to his, as she ran her thumb over the creases in his palm. She looked up at the man with fresh tears springing forth, "We talked for a bit, back on the boat, and Abdul told me that he admired you. He sincerely cared about you. He didn't think any less of you compared to anyone else in the group."

The man seemed stunned silent for a moment, before he laughed sadly again.

"That's probably different now. I called him a coward, and I got him killed."

"If he hated you so much, why would he have come to help you?"

"He...He was just too nice of a guy, that's it."

"I was there, too, Polnareff, and I don't know how what you saw was so different from what I did," Suki took a deep breath, trying to fight back her tears as she expressed, "You may have seen yourself getting saved by a man who was too nice for his own good... but I saw a man saving his friend. Do you think he would've gone to those lengths to protect you, if he didn't care about you, in some way?"

A small silence ensued, as Polnareff looked up at the ceiling of the room, narrowing his glistening eyes.

"He admired me, huh?" He scratched the back of his neck as he asked his next question, "What…What all did he say about me, anyway?"

"He said that he found you compassionate, and that your strong faith in your values was admirable. He…also said he was worried... that that faith could end up getting you killed…" Suki was certain she felt the man's heart rate pick up slightly at her words, as her fingers lingered on his wrist.

"Well, he wasn't wrong. If he hadn't come to my rescue... You'd all be mourning for me, instead," Polnareff turned away as he lowered his voice, "Not that there'd be much worth mourning about."

Suki's mouth parted slightly. Polnareff's statement felt like a knife had been shoved into her chest, and was being twisted over and over. The impact of Abdul's words to her finally hit with the impact of a baseball bat cracking against her skull.

"I'm beginning to understand…How much you undervalue your abilities."

"Abdul…" She murmured hoarsely, as tears streamed down her face, with no way to dam her eyes. After unwittingly letting out a choked sob, Polnareff turned back quickly to see the girl holding his hand crying her eyes out.

"Hey, come on, it's alright. Why are you crying?" The man pulled her into a gentle embrace, as she sobbed against his chest, covering her face with her hands.

"I…I finally understand what he meant," She sniffled as she desperately tried to wipe her eyes, to no avail, "He kept telling me that I was undervaluing myself. That I did have strength, that I did have traits to be valued for. I didn't believe that myself, but he kept telling me anyway. Now…Now I know why…"

Did…Did it hurt this much hearing me talk about myself like that, Abdul…? Suki wondered, Did it hurt the others, too?

"You're saying you're not worth mourning, but that isn't true. It…It hurts me to hear you say that. And I know that…it would hurt him, too. He never hated you. He thought you were a good person. He cared about you. I…I think the same, so please…please don't undervalue yourself. Please…"

Polnareff's expression softened as he listened to the warbling girl in his arms. After a moment of poring over her words, he gave her a tender squeeze as he spoke his next words.

"I won't. I promise."

"No…Don't…Don't promise me, Polnareff."

"Why not?" He turned his gaze down to look the girl in the eyes.

"I…I don't trust people who tell me 'I promise,'" She looked away for a moment, aware of the expectant look the Frenchman was giving her, "My brother would always tell me he would stay by my side, or that he would protect me forever, and then he would say 'I promise.' But, then…"

"Then he left…"

Suki nodded solemnly.

"Then I won't say that."

"...Thank you..."

The two remained huddled together for a few more quiet moments, as Suki slowly calmed down.

"Polnareff, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

The girl looked up at the man holding her, locking her brown eyes with his blues.

"What were you going to tell me back on the boat?"

Polnareff scratched the back of his neck as he organized his thoughts.

"It's…a little weird. Don't freak out, all right?"

She gave him a determined nod. The Frenchman gave the girl one last look before finalizing what he was going to say.

Right. I can't see her any other way.

"Spending time with you, getting to know you better, I've…been able to feel things. Things I haven't felt for a long, long time," Polnareff took a moment to brush a stray lock of hair out of the girl's face, his hand settling on her cheek as she smiled at the touch, closing her eyes in comfort.

"You're…like a little sister."

Suki opened her eyes and gazed up at the man.

"Little…sister…"

"Ah, see, I told you it was weird," Polnareff said, turning his head and blushing.

"You're…like a big brother, too," The girl spoke with a gentle smile, "Though, that isn't any less weird, is it?"

The man's smile was uncharacteristically soft, as he rubbed Suki's shoulder.

"I guess we're both just weirdos, then."

"Heheh, yeah."

We may not have finished our card game, Suki thought, but, regardless, I have figured out something. I'm not letting Polnareff anywhere near that old woman. Whether he can fight with luck on his side or without it, I…want to protect him.

"Gonna be alright now?" Polnareff asked.

"Yeah. Thank you," Suki moved over slightly, allowing the man to shuffle off of the bed.

"You don't mind waiting here, do you? I'm going to see if I can't find the bathroom."

"Uh, wait!" Suki stood up, following the man as he walked to the door.

"What's the matter?"

I've gotta come up with something fast… She inwardly panicked.

"I actually checked the bathroom here earlier, and it's uh…" She shook her head and grimaced, "It's something no one needs to see…"

"Aw, man," Polnareff winced, "And that woman was making this out to be such a nice hotel, too."

"Yeah, it's a real shame."

"Well, if it disgusts a lady like you, then there's no way it can match up to the tastes of a sophisticated gentleman like myself," He sighed, "Guess I'll have to find a bathroom in town that I can use…"

Oh my God, it worked, Suki thought, the further he is from that suspicious old lady, the better.

As the two walked out of the room towards the staircase, a loud crashing sound was heard from the room branching off of the lobby.

"What was that noise?" Polnareff asked, as he looked over the railing, "That room at the back of the lobby is really loud…"

Uh-oh… Suki thought, casting about desperately for an explanation that would still get Polnareff out of the building. They continued down the stairs, stopping upon hearing Joseph call out to them.

"Is something wrong, you two?"

"I thought I heard a strange noise," Kakyoin added. Suki noticed that all three of the other men in her group had exited their room out of curiosity.

"I'm going to take a look downstairs," Polnareff spoke, as he turned to continue his descent.

"Ah, wait," Suki stopped him, as everyone's attention turned to her, "That attendant mentioned something about loud noises to me…What was it…?" As she spoke, she snapped twice in quick succession, followed by a third after a small pause. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jotaro pull his hat down slightly, readjusting it as he tapped on the brim once. Catching her fist in her hand, Suki realized, "Ah, right. He said that the old woman was really clumsy in the kitchen, but he would be there to help her. Those crashes must've been her banging pots and pans around, like he warned me about."

"Hmm, that does make sense," Kakyoin mused, twirling his stray strand of hair.

"Hopefully she won't burn herself again," Polnareff spoke thoughtfully. After a moment, he continued on his way down the stairs and walked out the door, as Joseph, Jotaro, and Kakyoin made their way back to their rooms. Suki lingered on the landing as she collected her thoughts.

If that old lady really is the enemy Stand user we're looking for…Then I can't let down my guard, Suki smiled in relief, Thankfully, I know I won't be alone for long.

With that, she leapt forward, landing directly in front of the last stair, as she sprinted in the direction in which she had heard the crashing sound.

"Ma'am? Are you-!"

The scene Suki had stumbled across was truly unexpected. In this modest lounge sat the old woman who ran the hotel, staring back at the girl with a shocked expression, but, even more bizarre, was the man laying in front of her, who looked to be dead. There was no conceivable way that Suki could've misrecognized the man in the cowboy getup. The same man who had brutally ripped a friend's life from her hands.

That man was Hol Horse.

"What…What the hell…?!"

Suki rushed forward, flinching as she saw what had occurred to the man.

I need to remember how to desensitize myself, this is really crippling, Suki thought, as she removed the gas mask from her satchel and strapped it to her face again, situating herself on the opposite side of the body, across from the old woman. Subtly glancing at the clock, she noted that the current time was 5:24.

"What happened?" The girl asked, keeping watch on the old woman as she pressed her fingers against Hol Horse's neck.

Still kicking, huh, Suki thought. She marveled at how much the inability to smell blood distanced her from what she was looking at, as she examined the man's injuries. There's gotta be some reason why you came here specifically. I thought you were running from us?

"This man, he…he tried to attack me," The old woman trembled as she spoke, "He tried…to shoot me."

Tried to shoot you…But his gun is his Stand, right? the girl calculated, Something isn't right here, and I think I know what…

Upon closer examination, Hol Horse's body didn't appear to have any external fatal injuries. His face was coated mainly in saliva, mixed with flecks of blood, so Suki was inclined to believe that someone had attempted to choke him to death; however, her eyes then flickered to an unusual phenomenon sitting in his right forearm.

"He tried to shoot you, huh? I wonder why he would want you dead…"

A gaping hole, the size of a golf ball, was found in Hol Horse's arm. The wound appeared to go straight through his limb, and, despite the freshness of the wound, the only traces of blood coming from the wound had dried along his elbow.

How strange…

"I-I don't know why he wanted me dead, he just kept trying to attack me. I'm lucky I got out alive…" The old woman whined, as tears streamed down her face. Suki paused in her examination before turning to the old woman.

"Ma'am, there's still quite a few questions that you haven't answered."

"O-Oh, really? What would those be?"

"Well, my main concern is how in the world you managed to fight off this man," Suki raised a finger to punctuate her point, her unempathetic expression remaining shrouded by the mask, "You said he attacked you, for what reason, I have yet to conclude; however, I know this man, and I know his abilities," She put a hand to her chin as she continued to think aloud, "Whether or not you can see Stands is not indicative of evil. I've met good Stand users on this journey who meant no harm, after all," The girl folded her arms, "But, you have so far made it clear that you are a feeble, clumsy old woman; and yet, you were somehow able to fend off, or, at the very least, outlast, a man with unparalleled marksman abilities. So unparalleled that he can control the trajectory of his bullet midflight," As Suki established her findings, a new clue reared its head based on the information she had gathered. She wasted no time in making this clear.

"It seems to me that he lowered his guard when he walked in those doors. What else could explain how someone got close enough to try and choke him to death, without him pulling out his gun once? It would also explain how someone like you managed to hold your own in a fight against him, but that begs another question…Why would this man lower his guard in your presence?"

The old woman remained silent, her expression indiscernible.

"I'm perfectly fine with being wrong; however, I won't know how wrong I am until I see incontrovertible evidence of your innocence."

The girl leaned forward as she made her request heard.

"So, I ask you, ma'am: remove your bandages from your left hand and show me that you are not the mother of J. Geil!"

Suddenly, a weak voice that Suki recognized coughed and addressed her.

"M-Miss Kanao…You…You need to run…"

Suki looked down at Hol Horse, whose eyes were now cracked open and goading her into following his instructions.

Yeah, if she was able to do a number on Hol Horse, there's no way I could stand a chance, Suki thought, it should almost have been five minutes, so…

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she noticed the time.

5:27?! She panicked, I was sure it had been five minutes! What is-!

As the thought occurred to her, a pair of sewing scissors thrusting straight toward her appeared in the corner of her vision, as she scrambled back, the sharp implement barely missing its mark. The witch leapt over Hol Horse and continued her assault, attempting to stab a hole in Suki's flesh. The girl frantically rolled onto her side, away from her attacker, and clambered to her feet. Her eyes darted to the doors leading out of the lounge.

When did those close…?

"You will pay for betraying Lord Dio like this!" The old woman snarled, as she rushed forward, a ghastly rage gracing her features. Suki continued to dash backwards, keeping her eyes glued to the small elder as she gathered the water from Hol Horse's face.

Gotta improvise…She isn't even giving me a spare moment to open my canteen!

Suki was startled as her back hit the wall. She was cornered, as the old woman sprinted forward. All at once, the water Suki had gathered rushed into her hand, as she brought the survival knife that had formed up to block the scissors, the two weapons connecting and rebounding. The woman's arm was thrown back, as Suki recovered from the recoil quicker to strafe to the side, running to the exit. Somehow the large rug in the room had become bunched, as an imperceptibly peaked part caught Suki's boot and threw her forward onto the ground. The old woman took advantage of her weakened state, dashing forward to stab her. Suki called Knight of Cups and sent her flying into one of the small puddles of water on the ground that had been created when she had blocked her attacker's stab.

Maybe I've matured a bit, if not all of the weapon turns into vapor when I'm done with it…

Knight emerged from the droplets quickly and lunged for the woman's baggy robe, grabbing it with both hands and tripping her over her clothes. Suki leapt to her feet and rushed for the doors.

"I-I've gotta get to everyone!"

"It's too late," The old lady muttered, as Suki threw open the double doors, "I've already made sure that you can't contact the other four. Because…" As she spoke, a mass of glowing red eyes emerged from the mist sitting in front of her, "I've summoned them."

Among the faces of the old woman's army, Suki saw she recognized the faces of the restaurant owner and the dead man from earlier.

"This is my Stand, Justice's ability! No one can have more than one Stand, but Justice is a fog Stand that can control corpses! It can control hundreds, even thousands!"

"Control corpses…So, that means…" Suki remembered the repulsive scent of death that immediately assaulted her upon entering the town, and the fact that no person acted normally, save for Whit and the old woman, "This…This is no town…This is a graveyard!"

"They're all trying to kill you," Hol Horse warned weakly, "A-And if you get wounded, this will happen…"

"I just need to give you a little scratch. Just a little one. Then my Stand, Justice, will kill you!" At this, the four men nearest Suki lunged at her, as their tongues wiggled and wavered like snakes, "Get her!"

Spotting a door on the other side of the room, Suki dashed to the right, the hand of the rightmost man barely grazing her ankle as she made her escape. She wove her way around the two chairs and table in the corner of the room, kicking the furniture down to create obstacles for her pursuers, as they were tripped up by the things she had knocked over.

"Wait, Miss Kanao! Don't leave me here!"

Suki did not even look in Hol Horse's direction before turning and continuing out the door, blocking it behind her with a chair. The door banged back at her, making it clear how desperately the old woman and her zombie army wanted to get in.

Okay, calm down…Suki thought, as she backed away from the door. Examining her surroundings, she became aware that she had escaped into a hallway leading down to the basement. Looking to her left, she saw iron bars covering a window.

Maybe they'll be loose… The girl wondered, as she jumped up and grasped the bars. Unfortunately, no matter how much she yanked, they would not loosen.

That's a no-go, she concluded, turning to try the locked doors in the hall behind her, And I don't know how much use I would get out of trying to whale on the bars with a larger weapon. I've only got so much water available to me, I don't want to waste it on something that might not work.

Much to her dismay, each of the doors was locked from the other side. The blocked door banged at her again, as the girl's eyes widened.

It won't be much longer before that door gives way…Maybe if I…?

Suki opened her canteen and spilled some water onto the floor, allowing it to creep under the locked door in front of her. Sending Knight of Cups into the small puddle without a word, the Stand fumbled on the other side of the door for a moment, before Suki heard a small click, as the door creaked open.

"Thank you, Knight!" Suki whispered, as she scampered into the room, closing and locking it behind her. She regathered the water she had spilled into a small knife as she heard the door slam open, a cluster of footsteps meandering past the door.

It has to have been five minutes now…Jotaro should be coming down to the lounge any minute now…

Much like the experimentation-distraction plan that the two had brainstormed, Suki had come up with the idea of having a few small signals, thinking they would be useful for gaining the upper hand on the enemy. The girl created a snapping pattern, a signal that she would investigate a place they were speaking about, and to join her if she did not return within five minutes. Jotaro had received the message loud and clear, as he had tapped the brim of his hat covertly.

She was anxious, but she knew help would come soon.

Realizing that her breathing was not silent with the gas mask on, Suki reluctantly held her breath and removed the mask, as she began to breathe quietly through her mouth.

All of these dead bodies walking around... Messing with the dead, all because she wills it… The girl grimaced, it makes me sick.

Examining her surroundings, Suki noticed that the room she had clambered into was a small, walk-in closet, barely large enough to fit two people inside. The room was dusty and aged, a musty smell hanging in the air.

"You mean you couldn't find her in the bathroom?" She heard the old lady complain, "Then where is she?! She couldn't have just disappeared! All the doors are locked!"

Just a little longer… Suki thought calmly, A little longer, and I'll-!

Her thoughts were cut short as she felt a searing pain stab into her left forearm. She shouted in surprise and hurt, quickly bringing up her right hand to muffle herself, but too late.

"Found you."

As the girl was preoccupied with her injury, an arm reached around her and unlocked the door. Seeing this out of the corner of her vision, Suki looked behind her to see the last person she expected.

"Wh-Whit?!"

Suddenly, the girl was yanked forward by her arm, her limb pinning her to the wall she had crashed into. She desperately tried to fight the force shoving her against the wall, but to no avail. The pain of her injury only seemed to worsen with each successive yank, but she refused to give in as the zombies watched her struggle in amusement.

"Very good, Whit," The old woman praised. The man walked steadily out of the closet, never losing his eerie grin as he bowed slightly.

"Of course, Ms. Enyaba. I live to serve."

"Now then, what to do with a little backstabber like you...?" The old woman, Enyaba, murmured, tapping her chin with her scissors.

Great, of course, Dio would be selective with who he told about my plan, Suki gritted her teeth, or…maybe he knows my true intentions? It's…a very real possibility…

"An eye for an eye, a backstab for a backstab? Or, perhaps I could just cut you up into little pieces and leave you in a box for all your little 'friends' to find… Or maybe... Lord Dio could have his way with you in front of all of your little friends. That would be a joyous way to get back at all of them for what they've put him through, as well as what they put my son through…" Enyaba's eyes glazed over as her smile grew manic, as she cackled to herself, "To see their faces twisted in despair, upon seeing his complete conquest over your mind and body…! Ah, what a beautiful scene!"

Suki pored over the words that had been spoken to her, and how familiar they sounded to the threat Soul Sacrifice's Devil had made. Knowing what she knew now, the girl understood what the witch was implying, but she refused to let what she had been taught be twisted into such a horrifying shape.

"What…What would that accomplish?"

"Come again?" Enyaba asked, leaning forward with a sneer.

"Why would he have sex with me? What would he gain from that? I don't love him, and he certainly doesn't love me, I'm sure of it. What's the point?"

Enyaba's face became unempathetic as she slammed her scissors into Suki's left foot, causing her to screech in pain, as Whit muffled her cry with a hand.

"How someone like you gained so much freedom of movement from Lord Dio…How someone like you managed to live this long, is beyond even me…" She muttered, as she yanked her scissors back, causing Suki to whimper.

Suddenly, the sound of the lounge doors slamming open reached the ears of everyone in the hallway. Suki's eyes widened, as she was certain it could have been no one else.

Jotaro...

Enyaba gestured to Whit to keep everyone in the hall quiet, as she shuffled to the door leading into the lounge and shut it swiftly behind her. The zombies surrounding Suki gave her hungry glares, as they slowly advanced towards her.

No…No, dammit! Suki struggled to find a way out amongst the crowd of walking corpses, her arm now free, as Enyaba's attention was directed elsewhere. She felt a hand wrap around her waist, as the dull side of a knife was pressed to her throat. I need to get out there and help him…I don't know if he's figured out that she's the enemy Stand user…Shit, I can't die here, not now!

"Do not worry, I won't let them touch you."

That familiar lilt reached her ears, as Suki turned to see Whit's eerie grin.

"Wha…?"

At that moment, the scenery of the hallway disappeared from Suki's view, as a new room appeared before her. The ominously glowing lights hanging over the stairs were all too familiar to the girl.

This is…the lobby…

"I'm looking for the girl," Suki immediately recognized Jotaro's voice from the room beside her, "And I did knock. Maybe you didn't hear me because you were too busy doing something else, old lady."

A pause ensued. Jotaro repeated himself, with a slight increase in his assertive tone.

"I'm looking for my friend. Have you seen her?"

Wait, he is talking about me…Suki felt her lips turn up as she felt a small degree of warmth, having never heard him refer to her in such a way, but, enough of that…Why is Whit still…?

"You may be wondering why I am still keeping such a firm grip on you, Miss Kanao, despite our clear safe condition, at the moment," Whit murmured, as he lowered the knife and placed it back in his pocket, "Well, I must start by saying that I completely understand your plight. You wish to help the man dear to you, but you are currently…tied up, shall we say, and not just by myself."

Understand…? Suki wondered, I'd believe him if he didn't sound so distanced…

"Yes, of course," Enyaba spoke, "I know exactly where Miss Suki is, Mr. Jotaro."

"Oh?"

Suki heard a small shuffling sound behind her, as she looked back to see Whit moving a hanging picture frame aside to reveal a small hole in the wall, allowing the man to see into the lounge. He met her curious gaze with a self-assured grin, his eyes flashing.

"I believe you fail to recognize that you are still in no condition to attack Enyaba, no matter how much you may want to. After all, you still carry open wounds."

Suki reexamined the hole in her left forearm, and the still bleeding hole in her left foot.

Shit, he's right…

Whit let out a quiet sigh.

"Miss Kanao, please. I cannot do all the thinking for you. Now then," Whit peered through the small peephole in the wall, "I, for one, am interested to see how this will play out. I wonder if Jotaro will catch on to the slip-up Enyaba made, much like you did…?"

Right… Suki recalled, He did tell us not to use his name, or mine, and even the register doesn't contain our real names…So, the only way she could know our names is…!

Still, though, she pondered further, as she attempted to look through the hole, giving up after being unable to nudge Whit out of the way of hogging it, I wish I could tell when Jotaro's feigning ignorance…I may be able to read him some of the time, but that doesn't compare to what a real mystery his thought process is…

"She was just here. She's in the bathroom now, Mr. Jotaro."

...

"Oh, she's in the bathroom? Is it inside this door here?"

Suki heard footsteps move towards the door to the hallway. Her panic rose in fragments.

Mama had me read a few Sherlock Holmes stories when I was younger, Suki bit her lip as she recalled the narratives, and even someone as forward-thinking as the great detective was outwitted by Irene Adler in 'A Scandal in Bohemia.' Dammit, I can't tell if he's genuinely been outwitted!

"An intriguing development, indeed…" Whit mused quietly.

"Yes, that's right. Just go through that door, and it's the last door at the end of the hall," The old lady instructed.

...

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to ask, old lady," The footsteps stopped, as a squelching sound hit Suki's ears. She swore she felt her heart stop in her chest, before she sighed upon hearing the man's voice again, "Oh? What's wrong, old lady? You just fell down. Did you trip on something?"

"Th- That was too close…"

"Oh, yeah, that's really dangerous. Falling while holding scissors…Thank goodness something terrible didn't happen. Thank goodness," The thug spoke again after a small pause, "Sorry to ask before you even get up, but I have more questions for you. Why did you just call me, 'Jotaro'? And why did you call the girl, 'Suki'? We never told you our names, and no one's said our names in front of you. That's what I want to know."

Okay, so now I know he's on the right track, but… Suki's eyebrows raised at the mention of her name, I…don't think I've ever heard him say my name before. It…sounds nice, coming from him.

"Well, answer me. Maybe it's because I liked Columbo as a kid, but when something bothers me, I can't even sleep at night," Jotaro continued.

Suki's eyes softened at his statement, her mouth curling up in a shy smile as her face heated up slightly.

That's... kinda cute…

"Wh-Why do you suspect me?" The old woman coughed, "The hotel register! You wrote your names on the hotel register earlier!" She coughed twice more, as she complained, "It's so dry in here. You wrote 'Jotaro Kujo,' and she, 'Suki Kanao.'"

"I must say, he is quite the clever individual," Whit praised, "I managed to peek at that register after showing you all to your rooms. Quite the sidewinder, I must say, not to mention very innovative."

Suki nodded.

I had just been joking around earlier, but after getting Whit's code... She huffed out a small, quiet laugh, right. I shouldn't have been so worried. Of course, Jotaro would've been on the right track, right from the get-go.

"Oh? You mean this thing?" The telltale shuffle of paper was heard from the lounge.

"Yes, that exact thing!" The old woman paused. She read the two bottom-most names in the booklet aloud in a shocked tone.

"'Qtaro Kujo'? 'Daisuki Kanao'?!"

Much like people who speak English have multiple ways of saying one statement, people who speak Japanese find there is more than one way to say "I love you." Combining the not-so-much-a-word "dai," meaning "big" or "very," and the word "suki," meaning "to like," one arrives at "daisuki," which can be used to say "I love you," in addition to "I am very fond of…" The alias "Qtaro," as opposed to being a reference to a word, is a reference to a children's manga, "Obake no Q-taro," or "Q-taro, the Ghost," written by Fujiko Fujio, about a ghost who enjoys flying around, scaring people and stealing food, but is deathly scared of dogs.

"'Jotaro' isn't written anywhere. Neither is 'Suki.'"

There's my name again… Suki shook her head, I'm…getting too wrapped up in that.

"I suspected you from the moment you called me 'Joestar' when we first met," Suki heard the sound of paper fluttering in the air, and a small thump on the floor, "I told the others not to use my name, or hers. And yet, you knew our names…Which means…"

The old witch stuttered, clearly unable to find words.

"It's no use playing stupid," Jotaro asserted, "I already know you're one of the Stand users that's after us, old hag. Well, what's wrong? Aren't you going to show me your Stand?"

Suki grinned.

He's got her!

"I've already shown it to you!" Enyaba screeched, as the door to the hallway slammed open.

With no pause, Star Platinum's cries echoed throughout the building, as Suki and Whit stood by, simply listening.

"Well, I must be going," Whit spoke, finally releasing Suki.

"Wait, but-"

Suki turned to see the man had disappeared without a trace. She sighed.

Goddammit…

Gazing through the hole, the girl smiled as her friend prevailed over his enemies, Star throwing punch after punch into the opposition.

I really wish we didn't have to do this to these poor souls, but I'm glad he's defending himself well.

Suddenly, Suki became aware of an infant crawling towards Jotaro, as the man continued his assault on the never-ending ambush of bodies.

He…He doesn't notice the baby!

Suki tried to see as much as she could through the small peephole, but there was not enough room to see if there was anything she could use below her.

Okay…Maybe if I use that same tactic again…

She removed her canteen from her bag and poured water through the hole, as it landed on the floor with a trickling noise. Hoping no one heard or saw what she was doing, she blindly sent Knight of Cups into the puddle on the other side of the wall. Suki then shifted her viewpoint to look through Knight's eyes, as the spirit flew silently from the puddle and picked up the baby. The dead infant then began to wail, being lifted without consent.

No, no, don't cry now! Suki thought.

Jotaro, having finished dealing with the other zombies, looked over at the sound of the baby crying, seeing a brown eye peeking through the hole in the wall. He raised an eyebrow.

"Suki?"

"Found you!"

Hearing Enyaba's shriek, Suki fell to the ground as she felt her foot scream at her in pain. As she was dragged into the lounge, she understood what the older woman wanted to do to her and grasped for any kind of stable object that would keep her from going in too far. She clung to the door for dear life, desperately trying to pull away from the force dragging her into the room. Her left arm was pried off easily, but her right arm refused to budge. Suddenly, the doors to the lounge slammed shut, smashing the fingers on her right hand. The girl howled in pain as she let go of the door, forced to her feet by Justice. She looked at Jotaro with agonized tears stinging her eyes, as she gritted her teeth to try and stand her ground. The man stood in a battle-ready stance, but something was different about the way he was looking at her.

I can't tell…Is he concerned? Suki wondered, he shouldn't be, Enyaba's gonna make me…!

As the thought reached its end, Suki's left arm lunged down, taking her body with her, picking up a pair of scissors the old woman had left on the floor.

"Jotaro," Suki forced out, "R-Run…"

She was dragged up again by the left arm, like a simple, lifeless puppet, as she lunged forward, driving the scissors in her hand towards the thug in front of her.

"My Stand, Justice, will win! I just need one spot! One little spot! You've fallen into my trap, Jotaro!" Enyaba cackled, as Suki wildly swung the bladed weapon in her hand, "And even worse for you, your little friend is going to be the one keeping you in!"

Jotaro dashed back, barely missing the girl's initial swings, as she continued dashing forward to make contact with the tool.

"Jotaro, it's me, Hol Horse! Enyaba's Stand is a fog Stand. Your wound will turn into a hole like mine, and she'll control you with the fog. She can even control corpses!" The cowboy explained from his place on the floor.

"Shut your mouth, Hol Horse!" Enyaba commanded, as she forced the man to punch his jaw shut.

The delinquent looked about calmly as he dodged a thrust aimed at his stomach.

"Jotaro, this is getting a bit too-!" Suki warbled.

"I know, hang on," He spoke blandly, as he rushed back to the knocked over table, picking it up with one hand and blocking a stab directed at his face. In that moment, as Suki struggled, against her will, with the scissors stuck in the furniture, Jotaro summoned Star Platinum to yank the girl back, pushing her into the floor and pinning her completely. Despite her left leg and left forearm's best attempts to move, they could barely budge in the iron grip of the man's Stand. Suki desperately tried to catch her breath, closing her eyes for a split second in order to collect her thoughts, but opened them wide upon hearing Jotaro grunt in pain. Enyaba had managed to throw the scissors she held into Jotaro's leg, lodging them in his thigh.

Whether it was sheer impulse or a calculated attempt to get an opening, Jotaro summoned Star Platinum back and began to punch at Justice.

Why did you-! Wait… Suki thought, as she felt herself dragged back up, maybe my Stand can do the same thing…

Suki called out to Knight of Cups, who dashed into the spilled water from before, before flying back and knocking her user to the floor, pinning her with a panicked, confused expression. The grip wasn't as strong, but if it could keep her from attacking Jotaro, she would take it with no questions asked.

Unfortunately, no matter what punch Star Platinum tried to throw, they all seemed to phase through the foggy, skull-headed wraith. The old witch cackled maniacally.

"Can you punch fog with your fist? Can you cut fog with your knife? Can you shoot fog with your gun? Futile! Absolutely futile! You guys can't do anything!"

"Th-That's the ultimate Stand!" Hol Horse marveled, "Our little Stands don't stand a chance. There's nothing that can defeat that Stand."

"Yes, yes, keep them coming." Enyaba coaxed, putting her bandaged hand to her ear, "Say more things like that," With another laugh, she boasted, "Now I'll control you, too, Jotaro!"

There's…nothing we can do…?

"You mentioned that no one can have more than one Stand, did you not, Enyaba?"

Th-That voice…!

"Well, I would beg to differ. I was given one gift by Dio, the only gift I recognize as such. Even so…" Whit materialized into view directly in front of Enyaba, his normally placid smile turned up even more in satisfaction, "One could call it a reminder of my mistakes."

"Wh-Whit…You're treading dangerous ground…" The old woman warned, as she spoke slowly, "What would Lord Dio say…?"

"'Lord' Dio?" A sound ripped from Whit's throat, a sound Suki had never heard from the man. A laugh, "That man…" Whit started, as he pulled a grenade out of his pocket.

"Is no lord of mine!"

"Whit, wait!" Suki cried out, fearful of the once stoic man going completely kamikaze.

Wait, but isn't that…?

"Suki!"

Faster than she could see, Jotaro rushed in front of her, creating a wall between her and Whit, as his back was turned to the kamikaze man. He quickly placed a hand over her eyes, blocking her vision.

"Whit, what are you-?!" The old woman started, but was cut off by the loud bang of an explosion.

As the bang faded into a dull ringing, the two youths turned to see Enyaba's eyes were blown wide, as she looked about blindly. It was clear by the frantic way she was casting her vision about that she had been blinded, as Whit had disappeared once more without a trace.

…A flashbang…

"Now!"

Turning to Jotaro at his call, somewhat startled, she regained her composure.

"Right!"

The two rushed forward towards the old woman, Jotaro reeling back his arm to loose a left hook, as Suki stopped first to deliver a right roundhouse. The punch and kick collided with Enyaba's head simultaneously, as she collapsed forward after both people had removed their limbs.

Suki slowly but surely steadied her breathing, looking at Jotaro to see that he was nowhere near as winded, but the battle had left him slightly fatigued. The two were then aware of the sound of three sets of running footsteps approaching.

"What happened?! I heard an explosion down here and-!" Kakyoin started, taking in the disheveled state of the room, as well as the injured state of Suki and Jotaro.

At some point, the delinquent must have removed the scissors from his leg, as all that remained was a bloody hole in his thigh. Suki, however, was much worse for wear, with a hole in her left foot and left forearm, and the fingers of her right hand glowing an angry red. Her bottom lip also appeared to have received a cut, most likely from when she had been slammed into the floor by Star Platinum. The expressions of the three men had been somewhat concerned when they had walked in, but that level of concern only seemed to increase as they looked at Jotaro, and then turned to Suki.

"We'll explain later. For now," Jotaro shifted his attention to the old woman lying on the floor, unconscious, "We need to tie her up."

"She was an enemy Stand user who attacked us. We got a bit scuffed up during the battle…" Suki thought at least a bare-bones explanation would ease the worries of the three men. Not so.

"You didn't think to call any of us?" Joseph asked.

Jotaro and Suki exchanged a look, before the thug tugged his hat down and sighed, as the girl laughed nervously and scratched her cheek. The old man sighed.

"You two, I swear…"

---

Suki wanted nothing more than to rush outside and see if she couldn't find Whit. She couldn't begin to count how many questions she had for him; however, whether her brain was too shaken from what had happened or she just didn't feel like counting, she couldn't decide.

Whatever the case was, her allies were not having it. Least compliant were Polnareff, understandably, and, surprisingly, Kakyoin, who refused to even let either of his injured allies move until they had been sufficiently patched up. Not until they had at least covered the gaping holes with bandages.

After receiving simple care, the girl limped outside, the heavy fog still hanging in the air. She pulled the gas mask she wore up slightly, giving the air an experimental sniff.

The smell of death…It isn't overpowering me anymore…

Giving the mask one last parting look, she shoved it into her satchel. Suki then scanned her surroundings.

"Whit? Are you still there?"

Suki suddenly felt something light hit the back of her head. She turned at the impact, spotting a paper airplane on the ground. Picking up the small object, she cast her gaze about, searching for the sender. Her eyes were then captured by a small envelope covered in a plastic cover, sitting between the wings of the plane. Removing the envelope, she examined it closer, finding words written on it in English.

"Open this envelope when no one can look over your shoulder. Share this with no one. I will answer your questions then. Signed, Whit Houston."

Suki quickly placed the small envelope in her bag, as she looked at the airplane again, looking for any secret compartments she might have missed.

"Couldn't find him?"

Suki turned upon hearing Jotaro's voice, as he strolled out of the building to join her in the clearing. She shook her head.

"He threw this at me though. At least, I think he did," The girl expressed, holding the plane out to the man in front of her. He took the paper object out of her hands, giving it a thorough examination, before handing it back to her.

"That guy was weird," He commented, as Suki unfolded the plane and placed the paper in her bag.

"You're telling me."

Jotaro then turned to the girl, looking her up and down. Noticing his intense stare, she met his gaze with a curious expression.

"Something wrong?"

"You…sure you're alright?"

"What do you mean?" Suki asked, turning towards her friend, "I just got a little banged up. We're fine now, aren't we? And I'll…see a d-doctor…once we reach a town, so it's no…no big deal."

Jotaro paused before he sighed, readjusting his hat on his head.

"If you say so."

"I just wish I hadn't screwed up again."

Jotaro raised an eyebrow, his question spoken through his actions.

"We may have gone in with more of a plan than normal, but…I still ended up putting you in danger. She used me against you, and that wouldn't have happened if I had left to go get help, or something. I just…" Suki looked at the ground, clenching her fists as she narrowed her eyes, "I need to get stronger…"

A small pause ensued. Then, Suki heard a small shuffle of footsteps, as Jotaro walked over and lifted her chin with one hand, searching her eyes with cold, blue irises.

H-Huh…? Suki felt her cheeks heat up at how close he was to her, Is…Is he gonna…?!

The girl then felt a finger poke at her head twice, as she flinched back and held her head defensively, pouting at the thug in front of her.

"You don't think enough."

"I…don't…?"

"You're too reckless. Try thinking before you go rushing in."

She thought for a moment.

"You make it sound so easy…"

"What's stopping you from thinking in battle, like you do outside of battle?"

"I…don't do well under pressure."

Jotaro thought for a moment, then spoke.

"How did you work with Dio for so long?"

"I convinced myself that he trusted me enough to keep me alive, that he wouldn't kill me."

"Then do that," The delinquent adjusted his hat as he made his suggestion clear, "Convince yourself that no one will die, because you will come up with a plan. Does that sound reasonable?"

Suki looked up at him as she pored over his words to her.

I wonder…Is this how he always keeps a cool head in fights?

After a moment, she nodded.

"Yeah. I'll do that."

The two then looked out at the slowly, but steadily thinning mist. Suddenly, another thought occurred to the girl, as she turned to the delinquent beside her.

"You…called me 'Suki' earlier."

The man cast his eyes to her quizzically for a moment before returning his gaze to the fog.

"I just thought I was always 'kid' to you, is all. I didn't expect to hear you say my name."

A pause. And then, Jotaro spoke.

"You've grown up a bit."

Suki looked at her friend with slightly parted lips. Her mouth then turned up in a smile, inwardly surprised that she'd be happy to hear something like that.

"Um…Could you…keep calling me 'Suki' from now on?"

"Why are you asking?" Jotaro queried with a quirked eyebrow.

"I just didn't know if this was a one-time thing, or something," Suki folded her arms as she shyly cast her gaze downward, "I…I like hearing you say my name."

"You…" Genuinely surprising the girl, the thug's cheeks tinted the slightest shade of red, as he turned away and tilted his hat over his eyes, "N-No promises, kid."

Suki decided against poking fun at the fact that she had made the man blush twice in her time of knowing him, as she merely gazed back at the dissipating fog with a sheepish grin.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the fog completely cleared. What both youths saw shocked them both, as Jotaro's eyes widened and Suki gasped.

"Everyone, come outside," Jotaro directed behind him.

The other three men walked outside, their expressions growing shocked as they gazed upon their surroundings.

"What on earth? We step outside of the hotel, and this place is…" Mr. Joestar started, but found he couldn't finish.

What sat in front of the group of five was a dusty expanse of disturbed gravestones and excavated skeletons.

"It's a graveyard," Kakyoin stated, "She was using her Stand's fog to make this graveyard look like a town, and a hotel?"

"So we were talking to the corpses that were buried in these graves…" Polnareff spoke anxiously.

I…didn't want to believe it…

"It's unforgivable…" Suki muttered, as she shook her head, walking out to the lonely skeleton staring at her. She stared back for a moment, before turning to the rest of the group.

"Do you guys…mind if I…?"

Mr. Joestar nodded, giving her the go ahead. With that, Suki set out to rebury each of the bodies that had been left aboveground. She started with the skeleton closest to the hotel, as her right hand disagreed with her shoveling up the dirt.

I wish I could put these people back in front of their proper tombstones…Suki yearned, as she began to carefully place the bones in the hole she had created, it's not any of my business, but I don't want these poor people being tripped over, if anyone decides to visit this place.

The girl cast her gaze back to the group standing in front of the hotel for a split second, before covering the bones she had placed in the hole with dirt.

I don't blame them. I didn't know any of these people either. But…

I just want to give these people a chance to rest in peace.

---

"T-Take her with us? The old lady?" Polnareff asked, looking at Jotaro skeptically.

"Yeah," He responded, "We need to know how many more Stand users there are, what their powers are, where in Cairo Dio is hiding, if his location has changed, and what Dio's Stand's power is."

Right…Yellow Temperance said that Enyaba had taught Dio about Stands…Suki pondered, of course, she would know what he can do with the Stand, the girl folded her arms and tilted her head, I've been a bit antsy ever since we got that information out of him. How did he know all of that, but I didn't? Thinking about it more, I think Dio gives information based on abilities. It's not a matter of who he trusts more, at that point. It's what we can do that determines what we learn. It would explain why only one of the people we've fought, as far as I know, knew about my "false-insurgent plan."

"If we're able to get the old lady to tell us what it is, it'll give us a definite advantage," Mr. Joestar remarked.

"I doubt that she'd be willing to tell us, though…" Kakyoin expressed.

Joseph raised an arm, summoning Hermit Purple to twist around his limb.

"We just need to use my Hermit Purple to project what she's thinking onto a TV."

"Oh, right!" Polnareff said, "Since there isn't a TV in this graveyard, we'll do it in the next town."

Suddenly, the group heard the sound of a car starting and driving away. They all looked up to see Hol Horse driving away with their vehicle.

"Hol Horse! That bastard!" Polnareff swore, as he rushed after the car.

"Our car!" Kakyoin cried out, as he joined Polnareff's stride.

The blond cowboy turned his head back to yell at the group.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stick with Dio after all. See ya later! Provided you guys don't die first, that is. But I'll give you a warning! You should kill that old lady as quick as you can. Otherwise, that old lady'll show you just how terrifying Dio really is. See ya!"

...

"…What the hell is he talking about?" Polnareff asked no one in particular.

Suki turned her eyes back to the unconscious old lady, as she narrowed her eyes.

I don't know…And I hope we never find out…

---

Chapter Ten – Secular Haze

-END—

-TO BE CONTINUED-

---

I can't be the only one who disagrees with the... *ahem* humor, of Polnareff getting a hole in his tongue and, well...you probably know the rest. I will confess, that is the main reason I had Suki dissuade the guy from investigating further. He'd at least be safe from gross-out humor in the town, that much is true. I love JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to death, don't get me wrong, but, as a HUGE germaphobe, scatological humor does not sit well with me.

...Okay, rant over. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you all next week!

-BlueBow