Hello, everyone! I hope you're all having a nice Memorial Day weekend, and that you're ready for a new chapter here! We're certainly moving along now, so I hope you enjoy what's to come!

Despite the chaos left behind in the crashed submarine, the crusaders finally found solace in the calm, tranquil sea. They observed the breathtaking oceanic life throughout, schools of fish swimming among the colorful reefs.

"It's quite beautiful here... I hope I can come back and scuba dive here for a vacation someday." Polnareff commented through Silver Chariot, looking over at Anne for a moment. She glanced back at him, her expression soft as she nodded.

As relaxing as the scenery was, there was not much time to enjoy it; the Crusaders had to move quickly to reach to the surface, only having a limited supply of oxygen to get them there. "Is it still after us?" Jotaro asked through Star Platinum, to which Avdol shook his head.

"High Priestess can only transform into metals or glass; now that we have left the submarine, we're in the clear." He replied through Magician's Red.

"Just be careful... it can still try and transform into a screw or gear floating about in the water. Watch for any moving rocks or pebbles." Joseph warned through Hermit Purple as they swam.

Soon enough, they reached a rock formation with a pair of sea tunnels, indicating that they were close to land. "We have to be at least seven meters below the surface! We're finally at the Egyptian shore!" Avdol exclaimed, more than relieved that they had made it this far.

They were so close to finally reaching their destination... as they began to swim toward the tunnels, however, the ground beneath them opened up. The water currents changed as the group was suddenly drawn downwards. As they all looked down, they saw, to their horror, that they were being funneled into a large, open mouth. Failing to notice that High Priestess had disguised herself as the sea bed, they were subsequently trapped as the gargantuan mouth clamped shut.

Inside, after taking a moment to recover from the jarring ordeal, they found themselves in an oddly fleshy cavern as Priestess laughed. "Hahahahaha! You guys really are dense! The entire sea bed is full of minerals!" She cackled at their misfortune.

"The stand's power grew so much... the user must be nearby!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"And when I get my hands on this persistent cur, I'm going to bleed them dry!" Anne hissed.

"Exactly! I'm at the shore seven meters from here… but High Priestess will chew you to bits before you can even get there and see my face!" She said, laughing once more as Anne screamed in frustration.

"I refuse to be outwitted and outdone by any assassin of Dio's! Asp of spite!" Anne shouted. Sekhmet released her left arm bracelet, the snake extension floating and trying to sink its fangs into some part of the fleshy interior. However, everything was too large for the snake to grasp or sink its fangs into, unable to complete the attack. As Anne seethed, Jotaro sighed.

"Was a nice thought." He said as he glanced about. "Anyone else have any ideas?"

"Jotaro!" The stand's voice suddenly bellowed, echoing through its cavernous mouth. "It's such a shame that I have to digest you with my High Priestess... you're just my type of guy. Strong, handsome, aloof of the danger he's in... if only Lord Dio didn't want you dead." The user said.

Upon hearing this, Polnareff suddenly came up with an idea and floated over to Jotaro, pulling him in and whispering into his ear. After hearing his suggestion, Jotaro audibly groaned as he closed his eyes, disgusted. "Good grief... do I seriously have to say that?" He whispered.

"Yes! It may be our only chance, just hurry up and say it!" Polnareff whispered back. Despite having absolutely no desire to go through with the suggestion, he floated forth to speak loud enough for the gigantic stand to hear.

"Midler... I would like to see your face. You could be my type of girl." He said. If he wasn't wearing his regulator, his teeth would be gritting hard enough to draw blood. "I think... I'm falling... for you."

As the others present stared at him in shock, Midler fell silent for a moment. If one were to observe the stand, it would somehow be blushing- such a thing was not anywhere close to the most bizarre occurrence they would experience on this journey. "W- Why yes! I think she's a very attractive girl, I can tell by her beautiful voice." Polnareff said, turning to the others and looking at them intently, as if signaling to them to play along. Finally understanding what was going on, others chimed in.

"Indeed. I get the impression you are an elegant woman." Avdol added.

"Doesn't she sound like Audrey Hepburn?" Kakyoin asked.

"Man, if only I were thirty years younger..." Joseph said. Anne was dumbfounded by this, certain that this plan would only backfire; if only she were wrong. The mouth suddenly began to shake violently as Midler inhaled and screamed.

"SHUT UP, YOU LYING BASTARDS! You don't mean any of that! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" She shouted, her voice deafening as the crusaders were tossed around as her giant tongue moved beneath them.

"Jean, clearly you, nor the rest of you, haven't any idea how to properly calm a woman!" Anne shouted.

"Holy shiiiiit!" Joseph cried. The large tongue that was beneath them lurched upwards, ready to slam into the crusaders. As it whipped toward them, all but Jotaro and Anne were able to successfully dodge it, the pair subsequently knocked into the stand's teeth.

"Shit! They're on the molars! Hurry you two, get out of there before you're crushed!" Polnareff shouted as the jaw started to close. Star Platinum appeared then, attempting to hold the upper row of teeth up. However, the amount of force pushing down was too great.

"These teeth are as hard as diamonds, Jotaro! You'll never break them! I'll crush you and your friend into paste!" Midler jeered.

"Quickly, save them!" Joseph shouted, summoning his Hermit Purple as the others followed suit. Before any of their stands could reach them, however, the teeth slammed closed, crushing their friends and exploding their oxygen tanks.

"A- Anne?! No, ANNE!" Polnareff screamed, distraught over their possible demise. Kakyoin could only stare in shock, his glance lowering.

As shock washed over him like the water he was submerged in, he realized that the last thing Anne would remember was how he had lied to her. Betrayed her trust. She had perished before his very eyes, and he did nothing. He did nothing to even attempt to save her.

"Wait! I hear something..." Joseph said, stopping Polnareff as he tried to listen in.

"Yes, I can hear it too... it sounds far away." Avdol added.

Just then, Kakyoin's head snapped up as he realized they were right. "There's two of them... two sounds... and they're getting closer!"

As the sound became clearer, the sound of hard impacts and sharp cuts could be made out. "Everyone! Get back!" Joseph yelled out as they swam away from the teeth before the diamond-like molars exploded behind them. Jotaro and Anne were alive and well, the pair destroying High Priestess' teeth. Despite the fortress-like durability of the teeth, both Star Platinum and Sekhmet were able to pound and slash them into dust. "Oh my god! They're destroying the rest!" Joseph yelled as they both worked through the jawline, Jotaro smashing the upper row while Anne cut through the lower row. With a combined attack, Star Platinum and Sekhmet busted through the stand's mouth, pulverizing its teeth and eviscerating its gums and lips before swimming to the surface.

"I guess your diamonds were low on calcium." Jotaro spat at the stand. He then glanced over at Anne, who smirked at him. To both their surprise, he smirked back, giving her a nod. The group surfaced, trudging onto shore, wringing excess water from their clothes. As they continued ahead, they noticed a woman in a long dress laying on the ground in front of them, motionless.

"It's Midler!" Avdol said, bracing himself in case this is a trap.

"She looks hurt. Is she done for?" Kakyoin asked as Polnareff perked up beside him.

"I'll go and check!" He was about to move toward the woman when he received a glare from Anne. "She uh... may need help." Polnareff chuckled nervously before being pulled back by Anne.

"No... WE will go and check." She insisted before going with him. When they came upon her to look her over, Polnareff recoiled in shock and disgust over her state, making Anne smirk a bit.

"Well? How is she?" Joseph asked the pair.

"N- No comment! Her mouth is busted up pretty badly, no point in looking!" Polnareff cried.

"Hm… it's as if she swallowed a serrated firework." Anne commented on the broken woman. "Well, waste not, want not." She said, Polnareff clearing his throat as she bent down to feed on the disfigured assassin. When she finished, the group continued on.

"We've been through a lot..." Kakyoin said aloud.

"Indeed, we have." Anne replied.

Kakyoin sighed then. "Anne… I really am sorry for not telling you about Avdol." At this, Anne slowed a bit. He sighed, shaking his head. "When… I thought I had lost you and Jotaro back there… I thought I would have to spend the rest of my life living with-…"

Anne turned to him then. "I suppose I deserved it for not believing you about the child we found." She looked up at him. "So… would you say we're even, then?" She couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Kakyoin shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. At this, Jotaro approached them, glancing at Anne and sighing. "Look. Sorry for what I said back on the island. You're… not terrible."

Anne smirked. "My sentiments reflect yours, Jotaro." She nodded.

"We've gone pretty far together… the inside of a brain, inside our dreams..." Kakyoin said, sighing lightly.

"Dreams? What are you talking about?" Joseph asked, overhearing the last bit.

"Oh right... you can't remember that." Kakyoin said, chuckling a little.

"Finally, after thirty days, we made it to Egypt... Dio is within our grasp." Joseph said, more determined than ever to find him and save his daughter.

Their journey has been long and arduous, but they had only reached the halfway mark. They had finally reached Egypt, but now they had to reach their nemesis.

As they headed away from the shoreline, they made it into a nearby town, finding a decent hotel to stay in and recuperate.

"Mr. Avdol, I know we are dealing with a tight time constraint here, but we've had barely any time to recover since Abu Dhabi. Going forward exhausted and with unattended injuries is only going to drain us more and prevent us from dealing with Dio effectively." Kakyoin said.

Avdol sighed. "Unfortunately, you're right. We'll stay here through tomorrow and then move on." As he said this, Anne approached them.

"I'm going to look for a hospital. To add to what Noriaki suggested, if I feed enough, I'll have enough strength to speed along the healing process for the rest of you." She said.

"Alright. Just be careful, Anne. We're closer to Dio than ever now, we have no idea what tricks he has up his sleeve." Avdol said.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Avdol. I'll remain vigilant. I shouldn't be long." She said, nodding to them before turning to head off.

Jotaro rolled his eyes as he threw his shirt to the side. He could hear his grandfather snoring loudly from his room, shaking his head as he reclined on his bed. With one hand behind his head, he eventually closed his eyes, succumbing to his own fatigue.

As Anne made her way towards a local hospital, Polnareff gazed upon her from his room's window, sighing lightly as he rested his head on his hand. After all they had been through, he wondered if things would finally begin to look up for them. After all… hadn't they all suffered enough?

Meanwhile, Anne remained watchful- evening was setting, but she knew there could still be some lurking within the shadows, observing. She finally found a hospital, remaining discreet as she found an unguarded entrance. She made her way down what seemed to be a maintenance wing's corridor, eventually reaching a sign in Arabic. She was able to read phrases here and there from her past travels, enough to grasp a gist of what the sign said. She made her way to a different wing, ducking in closets and bathrooms when necessary to wait out any unwanted presences. She finally reached a comatose unit, deeming this was the best option for now. Usually, she would simply ransack the blood supply, but she needed fresh blood right now, warm blood. She glanced around the unit, pursing her lip for a moment as she lightly toed toward the beds. She took a better look at her options, stopping when she saw a teddy bear on the floor near a curtained bed. She furrowed a brow, reaching down to take up the toy and draw back the curtain. She stopped then, shutting her eyes for a moment. She shook her head, reopening them. She approached, gently lifting the child's arm to tuck the bear under it. She turned, about to go back to feed on one of the more elderly comatose patients.

She did not even hear the man having risen from his bed.

Before she could react, the next thing she saw was the ceiling as he struck her with an oxygen tank. As her vision became fuzzy, she saw the man pin her down- long, stringy hair obscuring his face.

Kakyoin sighed lightly to himself, having been sketching in his art binder. He sighed to himself, brushing some of the eraser shavings away as he stared at his work. "Doesn't do her justice." He said quietly to himself, exhaling sharply as he shut the book, placing it aside. He turned to place away his pencil and eraser when he suddenly stopped. He straightened up, glancing back to look at the clock.

Polnareff was sound asleep, his head resting on his arms as his upper body draped over against the window sill. The door opened then, Kakyoin striding over to him. After shaking him lightly, Polnareff groggily opened his eyes. "Ugh… Kakyoin, get out of my bed."

"Jean, I'm not in your bed. You're not in your bed. And unfortunately, in this case, neither is Anne. I didn't realize how much time has passed. She hasn't returned." Kakyoin said with concern.

"Oh… she went to the hospital, it's only been five minutes…" Polnareff waved him off sleepily.

"Polnareff, it's been five hours!" Kakyoin exclaimed then, making the Frenchman jolt.

"Wait, what? Five hours?!" He whirled around to grab the analog clock off the dresser. "Sacre bleu! Where the hell is she?!"

"That's what I came in here to ask you!" Kakyoin threw his hands up.

"Shit… come on, we've got to go find her!" Polnareff jumped to his feet, going over to the door. When he flew it open, however, he was surprised to see that none other than Anne was standing there. The pair of men froze, Anne taking off her hood as she rose a brow.

"Gentlemen… am I interrupting something?" She glanced between them. "I could take Noriaki's room for the night if such is the case."

"Anne-! Where were you?! We were worried sick!" Polnareff asked, Kakyoin rolling his eyes.

"Correction. I was worried sick, he was sound asleep." He interjected.

"That sounds accurate." Anne said, moving forth into the room to remove her cloak. "I apologize for the concern. I seem to have been fatigued myself. I took one of the empty beds, it seems. I suppose we have been through quite an ordeal, so I suppose rest is the best course of action for now."

"Alright… just… don't make me nervous like that. The last time you wandered off and didn't return right away…" Kakyoin replied, thinking back to the island where they met up with Avdol.

Polnareff yawned widely. "Rest sounds almost as nice as your voice does… allez, bébé... I need to get comfy again."

"Well, it seems Jean is planning to retire as soon as possible." Anne said flatly.

"It's alright. Goodnight, Anne." Kakyoin said, turning to close the door behind him.

For the first time in days, the group finally had the opportunity to sleep peacefully. It was well needed, as they all expected the next leg of their journey to be a dangerous and unpredictable one. After several hours passed, Polnareff blinked his eyes open, sleepily rolling over to the side, his hands lightly feeling about the darkness to hold Anne to him.

However, he soon realized there was only empty space where she was supposed to be.

"Anne…?" Polnareff mumbled tiredly. "Anne, come back…" He groaned, his eyes threatening to shut once more. When an indistinguishable sound reached his ears, however, he gained a small amount of alertness, turning over to look toward the door of the attached bathroom. "Anne?" When he received no reply, he finally willed himself to sit up. "Hey, Anne, are you sleepwalking or something?" He asked, sighing as he threw off his covers. "Sacre bleu…" He took a moment to stretch before rising to his feet, shuffling towards the bathroom to lightly knock on the door with his knuckles. "Hey, Earth to Anne."

"Jean…" Anne was heard from inside.

In that moment, Polnareff's spine tensed up. Her voice sounded strained, and he sensed immediately that something was wrong. "Anne, what's going on?" He tightened his lips when he only received an incoherent mumble as an answer. "Alright, I'm coming in."

Upon opening the door, he froze. In the bathroom was a small window, allowing light from the moon to illuminate the small space. It was within that light that he witnessed the sight of blood pooled haphazardly on the floor and in the sink. It dripped from Anne's mouth, the crimson liquid staining her light pink nightgown. "Jean…" She groaned once again, holding her stomach. "I… don't understand…"

After several moments of remaining frozen, Polnareff shook his head, striding quickly to kneel beside her. "Anne, what- what the hell is going on?!"

"I-… I awoke to… something feeling off. Then it just… started. I've only now found enough relief to breathe… never in my many years on the Earth's surface has this happened…" She replied, Polnareff supporting her so she could remain sitting up. As he listened to her speak, his brows furrowed lightly, his eyes widened then as he slowly looked over at her.

"Anne… do you have any idea what this means?" He asked.

"I haven't a clue… what does it mean, Jean?" She asked with exasperation.

"It was a long time ago… but I still remember it. My mother was very sick one day. What I didn't know is that it was both the best and the worst thing that could have happened. She… was pregnant with my sister, Anne." He said.

"Jean…" She sighed, shifting her weight a bit. "It's… a wonderful thought… a beautiful thought, truly… but you're forgetting one small detail. I'm a vampire… I cannot be with child."

"That's bullshit! I bet my hair that this Dio guy can have children and he's a vampire, so you can too!" He said, gently holding her shoulders as surprisingly, he grinned from ear to ear. "Anne, don't you see? We've both lost so much, but look… maybe we're finally getting what we each wanted. You always wanted a family, and I always wanted a beautiful woman by my side… inside and out, believe it or not." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Anne stared at him for a few moments before glancing down, looking back up at him. "Jean… I'm afraid to believe that… this could be some sort of blessing. So many times I've hoped, only for the result to be utterly horrifying. That tends to be the pattern of this world, it seems."

Jean took her hands, kissing them as he gently took her into his arms, lifting her. "You're such a downer, Anne. Come on. Let me make you comfortable." He carried her back to their bed, gently hugging her to him as her cool skin soothed his own. Despite her state, she eventually calmed, closing her eyes as she fell into slumber.

As Jean fell into his own, his thoughts wandered. What if this was some sort of miracle? Was this a gift from God? His mother? His sister? Was she smiling upon him from the heavens for avenging her death? Was Anne's family doing the same? Only time could tell… but to his own surprise, even after the experiences they'd had along the way, the thought of sharing some kind of life with Anne, in more than one aspect of the word, was as comforting as their embrace.

If only that comfort could have lasted forever… or at the very least, through the night.

Kakyoin groaned when he felt someone trying to stir him, blinking his eyes open. When his vision cleared, he saw Jotaro standing over him, able to make him out despite the low light.

"Jotaro? What is it?" He asked groggily.

"Something's up." Was all he said before turning, heading out of his room. To Kakyoin's confusion, he sat up, throwing a shirt on before wandering into the hall. Just then, he saw Joseph go into Anne and Polnareff's room.

"Anne, it's going to be alright, he's right here." Joseph was heard speaking.

Kakyoin furrowed his brows. Did something happen to Jean? With an air of dread, he approached the room, stopping in the doorway to peer inside. He noticed, to his relief, that Polnareff seemed to be just fine. Anne, however, was hunched over a bit, Polnareff rubbing her back.

"Jean." Kakyoin spoke his name. "What's going on?"

To his surprise, Polnareff glanced up, smiling through tears. "It's a miracle, Noriaki!" He exclaimed.

"Polnareff." Avdol interjected. "Vampires have been known to have children. However, Anne is a woman. We have no idea if she is even capable. The only vampires Mr. Joestar and I have encountered were male."

"Just as I said, a miracle!" Polnareff beamed, gently holding Anne up. "Don't worry, you're going to be just fine, alright?"

"Look. I'm happy for you. But we're on a time limit here." Jotaro said. "If she's pregnant, we have to leave her behind. That includes you."

Polnareff looked up then. "Wait, what? Jotaro, I can't leave her now!"

"We don't have a choice, Polnareff." Jotaro replied.

"Yes, I do. I'm not going to leave Anne to do this all by herself."

"And I didn't tell you to knock her up." Jotaro spat.

"Jotaro." Joseph held a hand up. "This is a delicate situation. You have a point, but we have to think about everyone's well being also. We've seen the consequences of neglecting to do this." He had doubts of the possibility of Anne being with child, but hoped that deep down, that was the case.

"Listen here, Jotaro." Polnareff stood then, pointing a finger at him. "My father left my mother halfway through her pregnancy. If he hadn't been a selfish bastard, she may have lived, my sister may be alive now if he had been there for us, damn it!" He shouted. "I'm not going to make the same mistake!"

"J- Jean…" Anne groaned then, causing him to return to her side without another word. As Jotaro reflected on his own father in silence, Joseph glancing at him as he did so, Kakyoin suddenly inhaled when Anne's back arched sharply.

"Anne?!" Kakyoin shouted, shoving past Jotaro to get to her.

"Shit!" Polnareff exclaimed. "Baby, you have to calm down!" As she began to convulse, seizing violently, blood began to pour from every orifice; her eyes, nose, and mouth. Joseph and Avdol rushed over, helping to hold her down. "Mr. Joestar, why is this happening?! You've seen vampires before, you have to tell me!" Despite his plea, all Joseph could do was stare as the poor thing continued to wordlessly convulse, her sapphire blue eyes replaced with whiteness. "Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff's voice cracked as he screamed.

Kakyoin snapped out of his stupor, his heart pounding. "Jean, get something soft, like a sock and place it in her mouth. Now!" Polnareff nodded, complying. "Mr. Joestar, gently roll her onto her side." Joseph and Avdol did so, Jotaro looking over at his red headed friend as he attempted to speak as calmly as possible.

After a few moments, Polnareff shook his head. "It's not getting any better!"

"I took a class on emergency medical situations, this is what you're supposed to do if someone is seizing." Kakyoin said.

"She's a vampire, you imbecile! She can't have a medical condition like humans have!" Polnareff shouted.

"Then... she can't be pregnant, Jean." Kakyoin replied quietly. "That… is a human medical condition."

Polnareff stared at Kakyoin for several seconds before glancing down, noticing Anne's convulsions were ceasing. "Thank God… Anne, are you alright?" He took the sock out of her mouth, moving hair out of her face. "Anne."

"Give her a moment, Polnareff." Joseph said, feeling uneasy about all of this. Blood had pooled beneath the sheets, staining them red.

Avdol narrowed his eyes then. "Something is wrong." He stood, going around to kneel beside Polnareff, observing her face. When he saw small crackles beginning to form, he drew back a bit. "She's decaying."

"What?!" Polnareff shouted, shoving Avdol out of the way. "No no no no no, Anne, Anne!"

As Joseph looked on in confusion, Avdol having to struggle to drag Polnareff away from her, every sound became blurred to Kakyoin. All he could hear was his own heart pounding in his chest, shakily turning to stumble out of the room. His hand was clamped over his mouth, his knees threatening to cave.

"Avdol." Joseph said, his own voice shaking as he felt a great sense of confusion and shock. "Let him stay the night with her. In the morning… we will move on." The moment Avdol released him, Polnareff stumbled over in a sobbing mess, holding Anne close to him as small, barely noticeable cracks appeared in her skin. "Jotaro." Joseph then spoke, his grandson glancing over at him.

Despite his demeanor, this had disturbed him.

"What in the hell just happened?" He asked.

"I don't know. Let them be." Joseph said, ushering Jotaro out of the room without another word. He had endured much tragedy in his years- but despite this, he had to fight to keep his own tears from spilling down his face.

He felt as if he had just lost a daughter.

Well, as Jotaro asked- what just happened here? Is Anne truly dead? What caused this to happen, and how will the group be able to cope and continue on their journey to encounter Dio? I assure you, the next chapter will keep you all on your seats, so stay tuned! Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think in a review! See you next time!