Ch. 15
Run For Your Life

DECEMBER 4TH, 1988
08:00
ROCHOR, SINGAPORE

From the moment they had met, Noriaki had left nothing but a great impression on him. He was not a vulgar, violent, hot-blooded youth. If anything, he was more of the quiet type, and he showed no cruelness. Not even against Tower of Grey. But now, they had just witnessed him almost break a man in two while swearing worse than a sailor. Did he really have some vendetta against thieves? This wasn't like him at all. It was as if a mask had dissolved to reveal something hideously unnatural beneath.

"Why're you two glaring at me like that," he asked, still talking in his silky voice and staring with dead eyes. Both were unnatural as well, not to mention how... fluid... he looked. Even when he cocked his head to the side, it just looked wrong. "Joutarou-kun, are you really mad because I beat up some petty thief?" And there was another thing. He never used the honorific kun after their names. Hearing it now felt so wrong.

"We're pissed because it took both me and Joutarou to stop you," exclaimed Joauqín, eyes flaring dangerously. "You could have killed him!" To make his point clear, he motioned towards the twitching and bleeding thief beside them. Sure, Joaquín and Joutarou were guilty of putting punks in the hospital, but they would never attempt to kill them the way he tried to.

Noriaki didn't even look at the near-broken man as he steadily said, "I punished him accordingly. Nothing you both wouldn't have done."

Joaquín growled and approached the youth, ready to swing. Joutarou gave him an aside glance, which he managed to catch. He didn't need a shake of his brother's head to know that now wasn't the time to fight. As much as he wanted to break his wide mouth for making that remark, Joaquín had to agree with his brother. Save the punching for later, he thought begrudgingly. What matters now is getting to the cable car station. We can interrogate him there.

The stagnant air that had hung from when the attack stopped dissipated when several young children came running. They were all pointing to a nearby tree, where four brown, fat rhinoceros beetles gathered to drink some pooling sap. Noriaki turned to see them, then back at the others, chuckling. He almost looked natural again. Almost.

"Jojo," he said, his voice now sounding calmer than before, "it's not a big deal, really. I'm just a bit high strung today, that's all. It's this whole trip. It's got me exhausted. You're both right. Maybe I did overdo it a bit."

Joutarou looked as if he could smell the bullshit in his excuse. "High strung? Last I checked, you were fine back at the hotel." Noriaki's smile faded, but he said nothing else. And neither did Joutarou, who continued on towards their destination. Joaquín silently sipped from his own coconut and went to catch up with him. Joutarou had his suspicions, but he didn't know about yesterday's events. When he caught up with him, he turned and said, "That's not Kakyouin."

"Obviously," said Joaquín in a hushed voice. "Listen, do you speak Spanish? Has Mom taught you?"

"No. Her Spanish is horrible." At least he's honest, but Joaquín wished they could hold this conversation in a language Noriaki wouldn't understand. "What do you need to tell me?"

"Yesterday, Abuelito used Hermit Purple on his TV and came up with a psychic message. It said that Noriaki was a traitor in our group. That he was still working for Dio."

"And do you believe it?"

"Yes, but not in the way it sounds. I don't think he's Noriaki. He has to be someone else, like that captain I fought. Someone probably did something to him and took his place."

"Don't say that, please." Joutarou almost sounded upset. Maybe he was right in thinking that Noriaki was one of his only friends. They were both students of the same age with powers nobody else understood. Every time he saw them together, they held engaging conversations that only friends could have. His feelings right now were quite understandable. "We would have felt it if he were gone. Look, let's just get to the cable cars. We can deal with the situation there."

Joaquín nodded, and before he could mention keeping their guards up, he felt a pair of thin arms wrap around him and a sudden push forward. It was Della who practically tackled him with a hug. But something was wrong. She was shaking.

"D-Della," exclaimed Joaquín, turning around to face her. Looking into her eyes, he noticed the absolute fear they held. "What happened? Are you okay?" Then a horrid thought crossed his mind. "Did he touch you?"

"N-N-No… Noriaki just ate them," Della stammered quietly, trying to look only at her boyfriend. "He ate those beetles! Those kids left and... and I noticed the l-legs in his mouth! He ate them!"

"It's okay. We're gonna handle it." He gave a backwards glance at the "student", who smiled eerily back at him. I was right, he thought with disgust. This guy is a complete impostor. We have to deal with him. And soon. Joaquín turned away from him and wrapped a comforting arm around Della, who clung to him like a frightened dog. Her shaking soon stopped and her nerves were calmed. He made sure she felt safe, even in the midst of having an impostor among them.

The cable car station did not take long too long to reach. When they arrived, Joaquín paid for their tickets for one car while Della treated everyone, including their fake friend, to ice cream. They had long since finished off their coconuts, and she felt that they ought to have something colder.

"Thank you, Della-chan," said Noriaki, his tone still sending chills throughout everyone. The scared woman kept close to her boyfriend as they climbed up to where they would leave. They would have to wait for their appropriate car. In the meantime, they all went to the railing overlooking the mass of green foliage around the cities of Singapore and enjoyed their ice cream. It was a sight any New Yorker would give anything to see, a pure jungle not entirely made out of concrete.

Joaquín leaned against the rails, turning to his brother and saying, "Say Joutarou. You ever wanna visit New York?"

"I've been there as a little kid," he said. "I never liked it. It felt too... crowded. It feels the same in Tokyo."

"But not where you live, though," added Della, who looked calmer around the brothers.

"No. It's just the city that I can't stand. Very noisy, very big. Too many people and cars all around. I'd rather be in a suburban area where I know where I am and where everything is. I figured a good place like that would be Florida."

"Florida," said Joaquín incredulously, "All the way down there? But it's so hot all the time! You'll burn up before you have time to take off your hat! Plus there are alligators there!"

"They live in your sewers too."

"That's a myth. Parents tell that all the time to their kids so they don't mess around near any open manholes. Hell, my own abuelita told me how el cuco lives down there, and I believed her for quite some time." He looked back out to the wilderness beyond the station, watching the cable cars travel lazily in the air. "You said you went to New York. Was it to see Abuelito?"

Joutarou nodded. "I think I was four. I went to visit jijii and grandma Suzy, who were still living there. I can't exactly remember how the trip went. Probably pretty good, but I was really young. The two things that stood out were when he tried scaring me with his prosthetic hand. He told me he lost it in a car accident with his mom, and some Nazi officer helped make the hand for him."

"That sounds like Stroheim." He recalled the story of the loud Nazi who had turned half cyborg after an encounter with a Pillar Man. The supposed car accident sounded like a run in with the so-called Kahz that was somewhere floating out in space. "And the second?"

"My… well, our… great grandmother Elizabeth was there. She was in her 90s and didn't look a day over 55. I think it might have had something to do with that hamon you have. Anyway, she passed away when I was seven. That time I met her, she secretly taught me how to hold five cigarettes in my mouth." Joaquín gave him a scandalized look, to which Joutarou reassuringly added, "No, I didn't start smoking at four. I started two years ago."

"Well, you still ought to stop. It's an awful- Can I help you?" Noriaki had tapped Joaquín's shoulder, and his mood changed completely. There was nothing he wanted to say to this impostor. All he wanted to do was beat him up, but he couldn't do that in a public setting like this. He needed to wait.

"Sorry to bug you," said Noriaki, pointing to his ice cream cone. "But are you going to have your cherry? I'm still hungry."

He looked at the untouched fruit on his cone and then back at him. "Fine, sure, whatever." He turned back to his brother and continued talking as his cherry was plucked away. "Anyway, what part of New York did you go-"

"Watch out, Joaquín-kun," Noriaki playfully said as he shoved him over the railing. He heard Della shriek in panic. They were several stories over the parking lot below. He would be painting the pavement within seconds. But luckily, he summoned Preciosa to cling his hand to the wall of the building. Joaquín was very thankful for his ability to cling to surfaces like a real frog. Both Della and Joutarou helped him back up as Noriaki laughed at his misfortune.

"Maldita sea madre," cursed Joaquín loudly. "You could have killed me! Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

"Relax, Joaquín-kun, I was only playing! I'd never kill one of my friends!" Noriaki didn't immediately eat the cherry he nicked. Instead, he rolled and licked all over it on his tongue. It would have been funny, and Joaquín would have made a dirty joke, had the whole scene not been disturbing. What made it worse was the noise he was making. A sickeningly seductive "Rerorerorero" vocalized by his tongue that grew faster and more frantic as he mercilessly abused the cherry.

He only stopped when the cherry slipped onto the ground. Noriaki picked it up and looked back at them with a disturbing smile. "You're glaring again! I told you, it was just a joke! Geez, you guys are acting more serious than you normally do! Can't you take a joke, Joaquín-kun? Joutarou-kun?" And the youth picked up the contaminated cherry and popped it into his mouth to eat. Absolutely disgusting. Joaquín's hands were twitching. That cable car better get here soon.

And it did. Within a minute, their cable car arrived at the station. Joaquín turned to the cherry-licking youth and said, "Get in, Noriaki." The boy just stood there, still looking at him with dead eyes. With a growl escaping his throat, he had had enough. "I said get the fuck in. I have your ticket. So take it and get lost, you fake bastard!" And before his brother could stop him, he socked him straight across the jaw, sending him flying into the car. But as he did this, he saw something disturbing happen to him.

His jaw ripped itself off from the impact.

"W-What the-" said Joutarou in surprise. Della gasped at the horrid sight.

"Aw man," Noriaki was somehow still able to speak, albeit poorly and in English. He turned to them and revealed his bleeding jaw, hanging by some rather stretchy strips of skin. It had formed into a horrific, Glasgow grin as he licked at a piece of regurgitated cherry "And here I had hoped you thought your friend had cracked. Rerorerorero!"

"I knew it," yelled Joaquín as "Noriaki" rose to his feet. "You are an impostor!"

"You're pretty clever to have caught onto that. But did you catch on to the fact that I've grown?" He tapped the top of the box's ceiling effortlessly, and it was then that he noticed how right he was. He was much taller now. "You're what, six feet tall? I've surpassed your height. And all I had to do was eat. The more I eat, the more I grow."

That explains the beetles. But that type of growth is inhuman. It's gotta be a Stand doing that. Which brought up an interesting question. Did I hit a Stand? With just my bare hands? They can only be hurt by another, not the user themselves. Unless his is a bit more unique than others…

"Just who are you," said Joutarou calmly. "And what have you done to Kakyouin?"

"Unfortunately, Kakyoin is still alive. The idiot decided it would be a good idea to sunbathe before you all left. I took my chance and simply blended in seamlessly. Well, almost. See, my Stand is unique in that I can take the shape of anyone I want to. It absorbs all matter, which lets it grow in size. Normal people could see it just fine. It's called Yellow Temperance, after the "Temperance' card. And I...," Noriaki's face melted before their eyes, splitting apart into a gelatinous, yellow goop.

"...am Rubber Soul!" The head that rested in its place was handsome, with beautiful blue eyes, vicious arching eyebrows, and sleek black hair that rested upon his neck in curls. "Feast your eyes on my beauty as my Stand feasts on your hand!"

"My hand," repeated Joaquín slowly, looking down at the hand he used to punch Rubber Soul. There was a patch of the yellow ooze on his pinkie, and it felt as if it were taking bites out of him. "S-Shit! You're actually-"

"Since you touched my Stand, it left a part of itself on you. It'll feast on your pinkie and make its way to your hand and then the rest of your body. Try picking your nose with it! I've never seen anyone get eaten from the inside out." The doors behind him closed and the car began to move, leaving Joutarou and Della behind. Now he was in trouble, and unless he defeated him quickly, he will get eaten alive. He summoned his Stand once again and prepared to punch him with a determined cry.

"¡TOMA!"

"What do you mean by 'toma'", shouted Rubber Soul excitedly, as his ooze spread and prepared to engulf him. "I'll just eat you right down to your shit!" Preciosa's arm was engulfed in the blob, and Joaquín could feel a powerful burning sensation. He yanked his arm out, only to smash into one of the windows. Rubber Soul laughed and approached him, ready to take more of him. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to escape him and strategize. He wasn't going to win this with punches alone.

They were passing one of the towers that helped support this mode of transportation. Seeing an opportunity to flee, Joaquín tore himself through the window and jumped towards it. Preciosa grabbed ahold of its ledge and helped them both up. There was enough footing for him not to worry about falling. Looking out at the suspended car where he escaped, he saw Rubber Soul laughing, the ooze on his body jiggling with a life of its own.

"What's so funny," he yelled out at him.

"Escaping from me is useless, Joaquín," he called back, looking comfortable in his seat as he looked back at him. "Pay attention, because I'm only gonna say this once! My Stand, Yellow Temperance, has no weakness! I don't even need to be near you for it to eat you alive! You're already dead, shit-head! I've won!" And he laughed maniacally into the distance, leaving Joaquín with his thoughts.

Puñeta. How am I gonna get this off? I can try to cut it off, but what's to say it won't spread to whatever's cutting and then to my other arm. The last thing I want is for it to spread quicker. At this time, it was still on his pinkie, which was intact but stinging something awful. Reminds me of Juanito's Stand. But this isn't an insane itch, nor is it a cloud of mites. It's not like I can burn it off with hamon and call it a day.

Can I?

"It's worth a shot." Joaquín closed his eyes and centered himself. He steadied his breathing and focused his hamon energy on one point: his pinkie. He had hoped that the slime eating away at it would burn off from the heat, but all it did was spread up to his fourth finger. "Shit," he muttered. "Heat's definitely out of the question. I gotta regroup with the others. By now they would have called Abuelito. Maybe they found the real Noriaki."

He waited a few seconds before the next cable car came in his direction towards the station. Inside was a little boy, curiously looking at him as he ate a popsicle. He motioned him to step aside before taking a running start, jumping and clinging on to the yellow box. It swung slightly from the impact, but it didn't deter him. Joaquín opened the window and crawled through.

"Excuse me," he said politely to everyone inside: the boy, his sleeping father, their schnauzer, and a fat lady who was beautiful in her own right.

"How'd you get on here," asked the lady, her plump legs crossed and not at all looking disturbed that he broke into their car. "Are you a stuntman?"

"No, I'm a tourist." He then looked at the boy, who kept licking his fat popsicle, and was given another idea. If heat doesn't work, what about cold? He then knelt before him and spoke in a friendly manner. "Hey, buddy. Listen, I need to break off a bit of your popsicle. I need it to save my hand. I know it's hard to understand, but it's an emergency." If Joutarou were here, he would have taken the poor kid's entire treat. He complied and broke off a decent-sized piece of the cold bar for him to take.

"Thanks kid," said Joaquín, pressing it against the yellow goop. It reacted immediately by consuming it, growing and hardening into spikes on his hand. "Well, that didn't work either. Now what am I supposed to do?"

"Hey, buddy," said the fat lady as she took out a handkerchief. "You can't get rid of it with heat or cold."

She blew her nose as Joaquín asked her, "How would you know about that unless..." There's no way… This quickly?!

"I told you, no weaknesses." It was Rubber Soul. He had taken the guise of the lady, whose plump breasts he took a moment to knead in his hands. He laughed as his leg melted and shot out at the dog. It yelped and tried to desperately break free from the laughing madman who was eating him. The boy watched on in horror and ran to his father.

"Papa, wake up," he shouted while he shook him awake. "There's a bad lady in here! Pocky's in her leg!"

This would have been odd to understand for someone who was just waking up. But when it became apparent that there were a strange man and a wicked lady swallowing up their dog with her slimy legs in their car, it became clear. Something terrible was happening, and he needed to do something. The father tried to pull his dog free by yanking his collar, but by this point, the dog only had his head free. Blood was forming his neck. "No, don't do that," shouted Joaquín.

But it was too late. The poor dog's head was torn off.

Yellow Temperance opened up to reveal its user smiling beneath. "You're all mine, Joaquín, mi amigo." His Spanish sounded grating to his ears. But before Preciosa could punch him, the car shook again. The two Stand users turned to the window and saw Joutarou climbing in through the window. "Joutarou-kun! Just in time!"

"Joutarou," exclaimed Joaquín, not at all expecting his brother. "You need to leave! This guy's gonna eat us up!"

"And miss out on kicking his ass," asked Joutarou calmly. "I don't think so." He climbed in as Star Platinum appeared and grabbed the railing above the window, ripping it off and swinging with the intent to knock Rubber Soul's head off. Yellow Temperance formed a shield around its user, trapping the bar. "Well, that didn't work."

"Joutarou, por dios, don't touch it! It's a Stand that eats organic matter! Think of that movie The Blob! This is exactly what it is!"

"Nice comparison," laughed Rubber Soul. "I gotta hand it to you, both your Stands are very fast! But speed or strength won't help you out. Yellow Temperance is both offensive and defensive. It can turn into a wall of armor that absorbs all impact and fights back. It's impossible to defeat my Stand! You can't even run away unless you cut off whatever's eating you! You're all dead!" The blob then shot out everywhere in the car, sticking to the walls and onto the two brothers. They were trapped.

"DO YOU UNDERSTANNND?!" Rubber Soul sounded like a greedy spider that caught two big fat flies in its web. "There's nothing you can do but submit to your fate. As my next big meal!"

The brothers looked all around them as their enemy laughed. His Stand was everywhere, mostly on them. It wasn't holding them down, but if they tried to escape, they'd only be hastening their demise. Staying still would only prolong it, and who knew how long their attacker was patient enough before he decided to kill them now. Yes, they were in quite a nasty bind. But despite their danger, Joaquín was still able to hatch a plan. He would have to resort to something his grandfather once suggested.

Boy, this is gonna be risky…

In a show of false defeat, he calmly turned to his brother and said. "Well, Joutarou, looks like we're fucked."

"I gotta agree," Joutarou said, looking just as calm despite being trapped. "This Stand's practically unbeatable. No weakness whatsoever. Good grief…"

"Well, I guess we're forced to use our last resort," he added hopefully

"Our last resort?"

"Our last resort."

"Are you sure it's that one? The Joestar family's secret technique jijii taught us?"

"Do we have a choice?"

"I guess not."

"What the fuck are you two yabbering about," Rubber Soul asked crudely. "Secret technique? Last resort? You don't mean the hamon, do you? Not so much of a secret, and it won't help you out at all!"

"Oh, don't get this confused, Rubber," Joaquín chided, smirking at him. "This is the Joestar's ultimate secret technique. It's helped my grandfather against the likes of vampires and gods. I think it would work against a mortal like you."

"So confident." He sounded sarcastic, but somewhat interested in what they would do. "Entertain me, then. What exactly is your secret technique?"

Preciosa and Star Platinum phased into view The brothers glared at Rubber soul and spoke in unison."Our secret technique... is to run!" The two Stands punched a massive hole beneath them, allowing them to drop out of the cable car and into the water below. Yellow Temperance was still attached to them, dragging itself and its user greedily after. Joaquín figured in that instant that, while he was unbeatable, he was still human. He can protect his entire body, but he still needs to breathe.

As soon as they plunged in, the two grabbed ahold of the armored Stand user, keeping a firm grip on him as he struggled. They wanted him to struggle, so that when he needed to take a breath, he would be left wide open. Once they felt him starting to get weaker in their grip, they let go of Rubber Soul and allowed him to surface. They followed and rose out of the water, right before their enemy did, no longer shielding himself. Preciosa held him from behind and dragged him to more shallow waters.

"What do you know," said Joaquín with surprise. "Abuelito wasn't joking when he said this would work."

"I agree," said Joutarou, adjusting his hat as he followed. "It gave us time for some quick thinking."

"Now, Rubber. All that talk about you being undefeatable sounds really silly when you come to realize you need to deactivate your Stand to breathe. A guy needs his air. No matter how strong your Stand is, you're only human. Do you understand?" He chuckled after throwing his words back at him, right before elbowing him hard in the mouth and nose. Yellow Temperance let go of the brothers as Rubber Soul gingerly touched his broken and swelling face.

When he saw them wading towards him, he held his hands out to stop them. "W-Wait! Stop! I give, I give! I-I can't fight anymore! My nose is broken, and so is my jaw. I p-probably need to have it wired shut. Please, let me go to the hospital. I'll stay there for a f-few months and never bother you guys again. It's not worth it, not even for the money Dio gave me. Just let me go!"

"Hmm..." Joaquín rubbed his chin and considered whether he ought to let him go or not. There was no guarantee that he won't pester them again. He would just have to make sure his hospital stay is an extensive one. He kept his Stand behind their attacker so he wouldn't escape. Rubber Soul probably felt his presence, because he didn't back away. "Why don't you tell us about the other Stand users sent our way? I know there's more."

"Like I'd t-tell you," he sputtered through blood and puffed lips. "I have my p-pride! You can b-beat me all you want, but y-you can never make me sell out my allies!"

"How admirable." Both Joutarou and Joaquín raised their fists, ready to cave his skull in. Rubber Soul almost shrieked when he saw this and began spilling what he knew.

"W-Wait! I'll tell you! I only know their tarot cards! 'Wheel of Fortune', 'The Hanged Man', 'The Empress', and 'The Emperor'. There's a few more, but even I don't know who they are! They're not a part of the M-Major Arcana!"

"And their abilities," asked Joaquín.

"I don't know." As if he expected them to let loose, he hastily said, "I mean it, I-I really don't know! Stand users are secretive about their powers! They don't show it to their allies on the g-grounds that they may betray them for knowing their weakness! That's why all of them are mostly working alone." He then lowered his voice. "B-But... I do know one. It's the son of this old hag that D-Dio found. She told him everything about Stands. His Stand is the card 'The Hanged Man'. It uses m-mirrors, from what I heard.

"His name is J. Geil. He's the man who k-killed Polnareff's sister."

A frightening image of a twisted man showing off his two right hands flashed in Joaquín's mind. Looks like the real Noriaki was right. That rapist is working for Dio. And he's coming after us. Knowing Jean Pierre, he would leave them and go after him alone. It would have to be for the best. It was his business, not Joaquín's. Rubber Soul spoke again, bringing his attention back to reality. "O-Okay. I told you. Now can I go?"

"Go," asked Joaquín silkily. "Oh, I'll let you go. Straight to the hospital. You have our word."

"Oh, you mean it?" A sincere smile broke out on his face. "T-Thank you! Oh god, thank you!"

"But you still owe us something," said Joutarou. "You killed some poor kid's dog and a lady earlier. Plus you made a mockery of my friend Kakyouin."

"W-What? I-It was a joke." Rubber Soul laughed nervously. "I was joking, Joutarou-kun! Can't you take a joke? I-I mean, look at me! My face is broken! Ha ha... I would have to eat food through a straw! Isn't that enough?"

This man was pathetic. Too pathetic to waste any more words on. The Joestar brothers had nothing left to say to this killer. Both Preciosa and Star Platinum began pummeling him from his front and his back, their cries a mingled maelstrom of "¡TOMATOMATOMA!" and "ORAORAORA!" and their fists a hurricane of pain. Their user's eyes found each other, and their lips curved into smiles.

"This was quite the bonding experience, don't you think, little bro," asked Joaquín.

"Yare yare daze," Joutarou muttered his usual catchphrase. "It honestly has. Can't say I wouldn't wanna do something like this again. But next time, let's go somewhere where we won't get attacked."

"How does an aquarium sound?"

"I don't know. Probably fishy."

And they shared in a laugh that only two brothers could have after a bad joke.

Rubber Soul would end up in the hospital for six months as opposed to one.

~+JO*JO+~

The group had finally left Singapore the next day. It was a shame they couldn't stay longer and enjoy the view, but they had a mission. Joaquin took a mental note to go back there on a vacation. As long as it's nowhere near that hotel, he thought with a disappointed sigh. I'm sure we're never allowed there again after the fiasco with Jean Pierre and Abuelito. It's too bad. I liked that place. It didn't matter, for more incredible sights awaited along their way to India.

They were all sitting at tables aboard the train, having enjoyed a wonderful lunch. Jean Pierre was sharing a story about his childhood with Joseph and Mohamed as the others sat at a different table. Joaquín was complementing the piece of jewelry Della had put on before they ate. "Have you always had that necklace," he asked, referring to a beautiful golden necklace with a turquoise charm hanging from it.

"Yes, I have," she answered, running her thumb over the gem. "I've had this since I was a child. My mother gave it to me, saying it belonged to her mother. It was a gift from the Italian man she fell in love with. It's kind of sad, but every night, she would pray with this necklace for him to come back to her. He never did. The last anyone's seen him was in Venice. Nobody knows where he is now."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he's alive somewhere. Maybe he's still in Italy. Who knows. Do you know his name?"

"No. Not even my grandmother did. She never bothered to ask."

"Maybe you should take a blood test. I'm pretty sure you can trace it back to him that way." He hoped that this man, whoever he was, was still alive. If he was, then she would have one more member of her original family back in her life. Leaving the subject at that, he turned to the real Kakyouin Noriaki beside him and said, "Anyway, Noriaki, I still can't believe you decided to go suntan that early in the morning. Wouldn't you have known we were leaving about an hour later?"

"I'm sorry," apologized Noriaki politely. His skin was less pale than before. "I honestly forgot the time we were leaving. When you're sunbathing, you tend to forget everything else."

"At least you're safe and sound," said Della. Her Japanese had improved since they began their journey. "We almost thought you were dead."

"It'll take more than a blob to take me down. Still, I'm shocked to find out there was a Stand user who could take the form of whoever he wants. I hope we don't run into anyone else with similar powers... Say, Jojo," he looked at Joutarou, who was gazing out the window. He pointed to the cherries from his already eaten dessert. "Can I have your cherries? I know they're not much, but they're my favorite."

"Sure," he grunted. Noriaki voiced his thanks and took them. He put one in his mouth and proceeded to play with it, licking at it with unconscious seductiveness and casually saying "Rerorerorero" with his tongue. Joaquín 's jaw slowly dropped and his eyes widened comically. It looks like Rubber Soul wasn't just screwing with them with that cherry the day before.

Joaquín coughed and asked tentatively, "Hey, Noriaki, do you have a girlfriend?"

He stopped his licking and ate the cherry. "No. Why do you ask?"

"Cause if you did, she'll definitely love that tongue of yours on her cherry."

Noriaki was left confused by that statement as Joaquín laughed hysterically. While Della did not share the same humor as he, his brother certainly got a chuckle from that. It looks like he finally got to make that dirty joke after all.

~RUBBER SOUL: RETIRED~