Chapter 1

Home. It was all he could think about at the moment. It was the first thing that entered his cleared mind once he realized Jotaro removed the flesh bud. He just wanted to return to what was once a normal time for him. All he wanted was to see the village he lived in where everyone knew everybody. The place he watched his younger sister grow and fuss over like any big brother should. The one place that he knew like it was the back of his hand.

But it also didn't have the feeling of home anymore. Ever since his sister was brutally murdered in cold blood, he knew it would never be home again. She was the last piece that made him want to stay in that place. If she wasn't around, he probably would have moved on to another town or city depending on where he found himself.

Never will he see that beautiful smile of hers in the morning before she headed off to school. The vast amounts of protests of her not wanting to get out of bed because she spent too much time reading when she should have been asleep. He would never get another chance to tease her like siblings do. The very thought of watching her grow into a woman and chase off any possible suitors made the gaping hole in his heart ache more.

Polnareff never realized how much he yearned for his sister to be here to help hold him together.

"Sherry." The Frenchman whispered as he got off the small train that ran in the next town over from his. Oh, how he wished to hear her say 'I'm home' or 'Welcome home big brother' one last time.

He might have got his revenge, but it cost him more than he thought he had. In the end of it all he lost three people that became close friends if not family to him. They never healed the hole that the lost of Sherry caused but they were still there for him. For all he knew losing them made the invisible wound large than before. He felt like he didn't know himself anymore especially if he looked at his reflection in a mirror. The visible wounds aged him ― at least in his eyes.

Lingering in his thoughts weren't going to do him any good especially in public. People probably were already thinking he had something wrong with him or thought of him as an inexperienced foreigner. Either way he had to get going before it got too late in the day.

A deep breath and sigh later Polnareff started on his way home. The faster he got behind familiar closed doors was the faster he could let his crumbling defense fall. He just wanted to keep the look of someone who would weather any storm up on that odd chance he ran into someone he knew.

As he walked the Frenchman took in the scenery and made mental notes of what had changed since his absence. New houses had sprung up sporadically from what he could tell but the countryside still looked the same. A couple of the farms had greenhouses to possibly grow food during the cold months though that was all he could guess from what he could see.

Taking in a deep breath he took in the various aromas that drifted in the air. The smell of fresh turned soil mingled with something sweet. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it reminded him of how much this place was his old stomping grounds. Even the sight of the wildflowers growing on the side of the dirt road made him almost smile because there was no way those were going to change. The gentle way they swayed in the light breeze reminded him so much of how graceful Sherry was. All the times he secretly caught her swaying in the kitchen as the radio played in the background. It almost reminded him of how their mother was when she was around.

As his mind wandered to their mother, he didn't notice his stride slowing to a stop. With a quick glance he looked to the wildflowers as if they were going to be his lifeline to his family. He knew he should stop at a proper flower shop, but he didn't exactly have the money for it at the moment. His sister and mother seemed to almost enjoy the surprise flowers that turned out to be weeds when he was younger so this wouldn't hurt.

But he knew as soon as he was settled back into a routine, he was going to get a job. It might help him forget the pain, but it was going to have to wait.

On pure instinct he grabbed a handful and snapped the stems. If there was one thing, he learned from his trip it was not to take anything for granted. Nor should he judge people on their looks. People all had their own things going on and a lot of those things were unspoken.

As he walked, he tried to pick up the pace as long as it wouldn't bother his still healing injuries. The one on his thigh gave him the most issues since he couldn't help but move it. For all he knew these injuries will bother him for the rest of his life. That was what Joseph said when he mentioned periodically the phantom feeling of his missing hand. Knowing his luck and how pathetic it was he would have the same issues as the older man.

Cresting over a hill his gaze took in the small town he called home. From a distance it didn't look like anything had changed but he had yet to step foot in it. Deep down he hoped that nothing had changed because that small bit of normalcy was all he wanted. It was selfish he knew but it was what he wanted at the moment.

It would have to wait, however. He had to pay his family a visit; something that was long overdue. It wasn't like he was postponing it on purpose, but he had things to do. Neither did the fact that he was under Dio's control helped the matter.

"Now I'm just making up excuses. Mère would be so ashamed of me at the moment." Polnareff muttered to himself. Or smack the side of my head with a towel or whatever she could get her hands on.

From a far-off memory he recalled the way to take to the cemetery that didn't take him into town. It meant he had to be in his own thoughts for some more but that didn't bother him. Ever since he left the airport and his two friends, he was alone with his thoughts. They were probably the closest thing of a conversation he had at the moment.

Shaking his head, he tried to get rid of those thoughts. It was the sign that something was wrong. Sure, he had a lot of bruises and other wounds, but a mental wound was something that could never heal. Though he was sure there was something wrong with everything he had to go through. He had to watch two of his friends die when they shouldn't have saved him. That was the one rule that they agreed on but instead they broke it. The reason behind their actions would be unknown to him because there was no way he could reach them to ask.

Stupid. Idiots. Polnareff thought to himself as he crossed onto a path that he didn't consider a road. The only time it was used was the few times a funeral had to be held. Even then his village was stuck in the times so they used a horse drawn carriage to take the deceased to their plot of land.

A quick glance up from the worn path he noticed the black iron that made up the fence. The arch at the entrance announced the cemetery which surprised him. Any other time it felt like it took forever for him to get there. He must have been secretly impatient to see his family and talk about his journey. He might skip over parts so he wouldn't lose any hold of his emotions. But like he told himself those moments would have to wait until he was behind closed doors.

His blue eyes scanned the stones that were sitting in the ground for the right ones. If his memory was serving him right his family's plot was near the back of the area near a tree. He couldn't trust his memory because there were times when he needed it to get him out of near-death experiences. Instead of getting a plan made he couldn't help but think about women that he ran into in the past. It was such a bad habit of his that he had to break before it was the death of him.

"Ah ha there you guys are." The Frenchman chimed to himself as he struggled to sit down in front of the two stones. If he hadn't taken that hit from Vanilla Ice, then he wouldn't make it look like he was on the verge of falling face first into the markers.

Mentally he sent a curse to the subordinate of the man that made his life hell. He probably wouldn't have to be waiting for prosthetics to be coming from the Speed wagon Foundation to make him feel slightly normal again. Instead he was missing a few digits here and there along with other pieces of his body.

"Hey there guys. I'm sorry for not visiting sooner but you know how life is. It gets a little crazy but that's just an excuse. At least that's what you would say Mère. I apologize for that." He started off as he set the flowers down on the headstones. If they dried out like they should then they might last longer but again his luck probably wouldn't allow that to happen.

Looking at the carved numbers and names on the stone he took in a sight that he didn't notice before. Flowers that looked to be freshly picked were sitting at the base of the stones. A mixture of white roses along with forget-me-nots. It was odd because no one else came to visit them that he could think of.

Lightly he touched a petal on one of the roses and felt the faint touch of moisture which told him one thing. They were fresh to the point that they hadn't been under the sun for more than a few minutes if he had to guess. But who could have put them there because most of his relatives wanted nothing to do with his small family?

Tearing his gaze from the floral he looked around the cemetery to see if he could catch the culprit. It wasn't like he wanted to belittle them for the kind act but thank them for the simple gesture. His family wasn't alone, and someone cared enough to show that people still thought about them. This person had to be a stranger but nonetheless it was nice.

A gasp escaped the man's lips as he perked up at the sight before him. A bouquet was sitting in this woman's arms with a mixture of flowers. If they had meaning to them then he was in the dark about it. He just knew that some were brightly colored while others were pure white.

But what stood out was the woman that was in front of another stranger's grave. Her hair had to be shoulder length if not slightly longer than that, but it hung down. He couldn't see her face but the way her hair shone in the light reminded him of the sun itself. She had to be blond, but it looked like it was white with a light purple tint to it. He couldn't put his finger on the shade, but it was lighter than lavender if he had to guess. Her outfit was simple just like her hair. A black knee length dress was loose on her figure, but he could tell she was a full-grown woman. If he could get a glimpse of her face, then his curiosity would be satisfied.

Instead of giving in to his desire he watched her squat down while pushing the dress down from behind to keep it from riding up. Her hands were small while told him she was small all around, but he wasn't that close to her. He could be wrong about it. His blue eyes watched as her free hand plucked a flower from the bundle and set it down in front of the grave marker.

This was the person that was showing his mother and sister that people still cared. He just wanted to run up to her and hug her for the gesture but knew that it was too forward. They were complete strangers. It wouldn't be right for him to do that along with his body would disagree with the move. He didn't think he was going to be sore until a few days after the battle with Dio. If he hadn't pushed himself like he had then he probably wouldn't have noticed the pain.

Looking back down to his mother and sister he let a small smile grace his face. Mentally he thanked this strange woman for the flowers as he watched the green leaves sway lightly in the wind. There were still good people in the world when he was started to get convinced that people were out for themselves.

"Thank you mon Chérie."