Jotaro, Ruby decided, was weird.

Not knowing about Aura was one thing–Jaune hadn't heard of it either when he'd first shown up to Beacon–but not knowing about huntresses, or Beacon, or Vale? It wasn't like they were in some distant Vacuian village, and even if he'd never been interested, surely someone else would've suggested that he become a huntsman, especially with his powerful not-semblance. If he'd decided to go good, he could protect a lot of people.

But, he'd chosen his side, and she'd chosen hers. He was still bad, and it was her duty to stop him–she would have tried, too, if she wasn't currently running from the police with him.

"Hey. Got any cash?" Jotaro asked, arms folded across his chest as the taxi driver behind him watched her expectantly through a window riddled with holes.

Or, as much as this could be called running from the police, anyway.

After seeing the other man get hit by that bus, Jotaro had dragged her a few blocks away and called over a taxi. He didn't live here, as it turned out, so they needed to catch a ride to get away. Personally, Ruby didn't think she'd have much of a problem running away on her own, but Jotaro probably wouldn't like that very much. Whether she liked it or not, she was gonna have to ride in the back of a cramped taxi with him.

Ruby ducked away from both their gazes, reaching into her pockets for her wallet. When she pulled out some lien, however, Jotaro scowled.

"I said cash," he said, and he pushed the lien back into her wallet.

Ruby wilted. "Oh, you meant paper? Sorry, I don't have any with me."

Jotaro's shoulders heaved as he let out a long sigh. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a wallet. As he flipped through the notes, Ruby didn't fail to notice the face of the guy who just got hit by the bus on the id.

"Here," Jotaro said, and he tossed the driver the wallet. "Karachi Port."

The driver nodded, and before Ruby could protest, Jotaro grabbed her by the arm and tossed her into the back, closing the door shut as he followed.

As soon as the car started, Ruby turned to Jotaro with a glare. "You took his wallet?!"

"He gave me his wallet," Jotaro replied. Then, after a moment, he added, "He gave me his wallet before we met. I didn't steal it off his corpse or anything."

Ruby huffed, "Yeah, likely story. You did something to him, didn't you?"

"It wasn't me."

"People don't start crying for no reason!"

"Well, it's none of your damn business."

And that was that. Jotaro looked away and drew his hat over his eyes, making it clear that she would be getting no answers from him. Ruby pouted, annoyed, but if there was one thing she had learned with her short time with Jotaro, it was that if he didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to talk. Not that Ruby could blame him, because she didn't want to talk either, but that really made getting anything out of him so darn frustrating! Like, where were they going? Why didn't he know about huntsmen? How long was he going to keep her with him?

Of course, that would have made her much less nervous about this whole deal, and they couldn't have that, could they? Scowling, Ruby fixed her eyes at her feet. The car hit a bump, jostling them about the cabin. As Ruby pushed herself back up, she noticed that it wasn't just the windows that had holes, but the car door as well.

"Couldn't we have picked a taxi a little less... I don't know, filled with holes?" she asked, looking at the holes.

Jotaro leaned back against the seat and stretched his arms over the back of his head. "A better taxi would rat us out the first chance they got. This one's been through the rougher parts of town, so our driver knows when to keep his mouth shut." He nodded to the man in the driver's seat. "Why'd you think I paid him so much upfront?"

Ruby blinked. She hadn't thought of it like that. She thought it was just him being weird.

Then again, of course she wouldn't know. He was a criminal–he had to know these kinds of things by heart. It was good that Ruby didn't need to rely on dirty tricks like him.

Then again, here she was, sitting next to him. She had broken out of prison, too. Did that make her a criminal?

No no no, she thought, shaking her head. They put me in jail by mistake! That has to be it. As soon as I get back to Vale, Headmaster Ozpin will clear everything up.

Surely there had to be Bullheads around here, right? In a place this big, it would be stupid if they didn't have any way to get to any form of long-distance transportation. Ruby still had her scroll with her–back in prison, she had assumed the guards had just forgotten to take it from her, but when she had tried to call Yang, she was surprised to see that there was no service. But there had to be wi-fi in the Bullhead docks! If she could just slip away, even if she didn't have enough lien for a flight, she could call Yang and have Ozpin come pick her up, and then she would be back in Beacon in no time. It was the perfect plan!

Except, Jotaro was here. If this were anyone else, her semblance would be enough for her to make a clean getaway. Jotaro, though, was fast enough to catch her if she ran. That meant she had to wait for him to be distracted.

Ruby hated waiting. She wanted stuff to happen now! But when she glanced over and saw his watchful blue eyes fixed on her, she knew that she didn't really have much of a choice, so with a huff, she collapsed into her seat.

This was gonna be a long day, wasn't it?

Jotaro glanced over at Ruby, and again, he found her eyes glued to the floor, her hands fiddling with her cloak. She was scheming something. Escape, probably. With that power of hers, he was sure he wouldn't be able to catch her, even with Star Platinum's help.

He was just glad she was playing ball for now, and he settled back into his seat with a huff.

I don't know if the taxi thing is true. I read it in a comic once. Scowling, Jotaro drew his hat over his eyes. Anyway, it doesn't matter. As long as I have her stupid weapon with me, she's not going anywhere.

From beside him, he heard Ruby make a noise. "Wow, this sure is a big city," she mumbled, staring out the window.

Jotaro huffed again. "I've seen bigger."

His mom had taken him to the busier parts of Tokyo many times before–maybe it was unfair, since Japan was more advanced than Pakistan, but Karachi really didn't compare. Ruby just pouted into the glass.

"Well, excuse me! The only city I've ever been to is Vale!"

"You don't live there?"

Ruby blinked. "I do! I moved there just the other week."

Jotaro snorted, and he cast his own gaze out the window, watching people mill about as they cruised lazily along the road. Overhead, he could see the sun beginning to draw later into the morning. There were more people out than before, but it wasn't crowded enough that he wouldn't be able to see Steely Dan coming.

Of course, that's gonna be much harder once we get to the port, he thought with a scowl. It's a good thing Lovers is nowhere near as fast as this girl. I ain't got nothing to worry about as long as I keep my eyes peeled.

Then, he frowned. If he wants to attack us, he's taking an awfully long time to try anything. Maybe he wisened up and decided to let things be, pathetic coward that he is.

"I'm guessing you moved there for this Beacon place, right?" When he saw Ruby nod from the corner of his eye, he sighed. "I'm sure you'll fit right in."

From the noise Ruby made, she didn't quite agree. Jotaro saw no reason she would. City folk were weird, after all–American city folk, even more so. She certainly didn't dress like the locals, and from her accent, he had to assume she was from the United States, like gramps and mom. If this was what they were like, then he sure as hell hoped he'd never have to move there.

The car hit another bump. Jotaro didn't move an inch, but the sudden jostle slammed Ruby up against the seat in front of her with a squawk.

As she peeled herself off the seat, Ruby asked, "So... where are we going?"

"The port," Jotaro replied.

Ruby frowned. "The port? Like a port with boats?"

"Yep."

Something about that seemed to annoy her. "Do we have to take a boat? Why can't we take a Bullhead instead?"

"What the hell is a Bullhead?"

"It's a vehicle that flies?" Ruby replied, frowning into the window.

"That's a plane."

"Yeah, that. You sure like to call things weird names, huh?"

"I don't see what's so weird about it. Anyway, a plane is too expensive. We need to get out of here before Steely Dan finds us."

Ruby tilted her head. "Steely Dan? Who is that? One of your criminal friends?"

Jotaro glared down at her. For someone so short, she sure had a lot of nerve. "I'm not a criminal," he said, "and he's not my friend. He's one of DIO's men."

"Right, DIO. That's the guy that's trying to take over the world, right?" When Jotaro nodded, she continued, "And you're trying to stop him, right?"

"Pretty much," Jotaro replied. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can beat him."

And the sooner I can get back to gramps and the others, he added silently, but she didn't need to know that.

Ruby turned around and peered up at him suspiciously. "You don't sound bothered."

She wasn't wrong there–he couldn't care about what DIO wanted with the world–but he didn't like being called out on it, so Jotaro turned away and crossed his arms with a huff. "Well, it's none of your business. Besides, I didn't break you out to ask questions. How am I supposed to use this Aura stuff?"

Ruby let out a long breath and returned to the window. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No! I do know! I don't know how to say it... I mean, it's Aura! You... uh... you gotta use it to protect yourself!"

Which was an explanation as unhelpful as before, but Jotaro let it go with a sigh. "Why don't you start with what Aura is?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Ruby said, folding her arms across her chest. "Aura is a manifestation of the soul!"

And that brought Jotaro's brain to a full stop. A manifestation of the soul? Where had he heard that before?

"So you can see my Stand, can't you?" he growled, leaning over Ruby. Star Platinum formed next to him, a scowl on his face, but Ruby's eyes remained fixed on him.

"No?" Ruby said, and she fidgeted in her seat. "You keep talking about some kind of Stand? What's that?"

Was that a lie? Ruby certainly acted like she had no idea what a Stand was–she had no reason to after telling him this, either. But she was a weird girl, and she was acting awfully suspicious. Who knew what went on inside her head?

"It's a physical manifestation of the soul," Jotaro said, and he nodded beside him. "Mine is standing next to me."

Ruby's brow drew down. She pointed next to him and asked, "Is there something there?"

To her credit, her gaze went straight past Star Platinum and a foot to his right. If she was an actor, she was a damn good one.

"Cut the bullshit," he said. "I know you can see him."

Ruby shook her head. "I can't see anything, I swear!"

Jotaro narrowed his eyes. Anyone else would have buckled from such an intense glare. Ruby just refused to look in his eyes entirely.

It didn't take an idiot to realize this was going nowhere, so with a sigh, Jotaro leaned back in his seat. "Fine," he said. "Maybe Aura and Stands are two different parts of the soul, then. I know how to use one. Tell me how I'm supposed to use the other part."

Ruby, of course, ignored that and said, "Two different parts of the soul? That... sounds kinda cool. What–what does it feel like? What does it do? Was that how you were attacking me with your mind? That explains why you didn't have Aura. That's so weird."

"Hey–"

"Why doesn't anyone else know about this? If more huntsmen and huntresses knew about this other part of the soul, who knows what we could do with it! Ooh, now I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Jotaro, you have to show–"

With a wave of his hand, Jotaro sent Star Platinum to flick the back of her head. Ruby squeaked in pain and wrapped both hands to protect herself from any further attacks. Curiously, Jotaro noted that not once did she try to follow Star Platinum as it moved behind her. Actress or not, anyone would be wary if they saw his Stand move behind them. That meant, either she trusted him not to bash her head in, or...

"What was that for?" Ruby said, indignant.

"Just making sure," Jotaro replied.

Ruby huffed, not too pleased about it. Jotaro wasn't sure what else she expected. She was annoying, and it shut her up.

"Don't do that!" she said, crossing her arms.

Jotaro waved her aside. "Whatever. Are you gonna tell me what this Aura stuff is about or what?"

At first, Ruby didn't reply, probably still pissed that he'd flicked her. She'd get over it.

"How long are you going to keep me here," she asked, staring at the back of the seat in front of her.

Or, she might not. Jotaro rolled his eyes. "It'll only take nineteen days at most."

"Only nineteen days? That's a long time!"

"It'll feel a lot longer if you keep whining. Cut it out, it's annoying."

"I would, if you would stop being so mean to me!"

"I wouldn't if you'd just shut up and get to the point."

"You're not gonna keep me here forever," Ruby grumbled. "I'll find a way to escape, I know it!"

Jotaro ignored it. She could complain as much as she wanted. Jotaro liked this arrangement as much as she did. They didn't have to be friends or anything–clearly, they were too different for that–but she was stuck with him, and he was stuck with her, so she was gonna have to deal with it.

Then the car stopped. This time, both Jotaro and Ruby slammed against the front seats. Star Platinum braced against the impact, so it didn't hurt, but if the driver was trying to piss him off, it was working.

"Hey," he growled, slamming a fist against the driver's seat. "What the hell was that for?"

Ruby tugged on his arm. Jotaro turned to her to tell her off, but she pointed out the window. "Look!" she said. "There's something up ahead!"

A crowd had formed in the street in front of them. Normally, Jotaro wouldn't have bothered, but they were in the way, so he opened the door to the taxi and stepped outside. Ruby didn't try to follow him–no doubt so she could escape–so Jotaro grabbed her by the arm and dragged her after him. He heard Ruby making a string of hasty apologies as they shoved through the crowd. She could do what she wanted, as far as Jotaro was concerned. He just wanted to see what the fuss was about.

When they finally broke through, Jotaro shouldn't have been surprised to see a dead body on the ground. He shouldn't have, but he still tensed, even more so when he saw the Speedwagon Foundation badge next to the body.

"Oh my gosh, he's dead!" Ruby cried next to him.

Yeah, no shit. Cursing under his breath, Jotaro tugged on Ruby's arm, but she didn't budge. He scowled and tried again with Star Platinum's help. This time, her feet slipped, and she stumbled after him as he hauled her away from the scene and down a nearby alleyway.

So that's what Steely Dan is after: the Speedwagon Foundation agents. He wants to cut me off from any help before he moves in to take me out, Jotaro thought. Fine by me, if he wants a rematch. I'm not stupid enough to let Lovers inside my head, and I'll beat the shit out of him for trying.

"–hey, hey!" Ruby snapped him out of his thoughts, and he glared down at her. Ruby glared right back. Why was it always times like these that she had no problem looking him in the eye?

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The port," he replied.

Ruby glanced back with a frown. "But the taxi is that way!"

"Road's blocked. We're going the rest of the way by foot."

They'd reach the port faster if they didn't have to stop every other minute. Just because Jotaro could beat Steely Dan didn't mean he'd go out of the way to find him. The less time wasted on stupid fights, the better.

Besides, Steely Dan would have to find them first. Harder to do that in a crowd than if they were walking alone.

Just you try to show your face, you piece of shit. You're gonna pay for what you've done.

Ruby hated crowds. All the people, bumping into her and talking over her, everything so loud she could hardly hear herself think–Ruby just wanted to be back in Beacon, or better yet, back home with all her comics and weapon magazines, holed up under a blanket with all the cookies she could eat.

But here she was, being dragged through a crowded marketplace against her will, forced to endure all the heat and all the dust in the air as people shouted about the stuff they were selling. Not even Vale was like this during the holidays! If Vacuo was like this all the time, then she didn't think she ever wanted to come here ever again.

Ruby's foot slammed into the corner of someone's stall. Pain lanced through her leg, her toes crushed by the force, but before she could cry out in pain, Jotaro had already dragged her on.

And the worst part is, I'm stuck with this guy! she grumbled. In her head, of course. She didn't think he'd care, even if he heard, but Jotaro had a nasty glare that made her feel like the bad guy.

But I'm not! Ruby thought, scowling as Jotaro dragged her past another stand. Sure, I did nearly kill him, but I saved his life, too! That makes up for it, right? He makes Weiss seem nice. I didn't even know that was possible!

At least all the stalls were cool. Some were selling tapestries, some were selling yummy food, and there was one that was selling a few funny-looking animals. Just one whiff of the spices in the air, and Ruby could feel her stomach growl. If her sister was here, she would have said something about getting the guy to buy her food. It was just too bad her guy was such a grouch and would probably have told her to shut it.

As they passed by another stall, Ruby caught sight of a guy examining the jewelry as the stall owner slept on a nearby chair. For a reason she couldn't quite place, an uneasy feeling rumbled at the pit of her stomach. But that made no sense–the way he was smiling was a little weird, yeah, but this guy didn't seem out of place at all. He looked just like everyone else here, but something at the back of her head said that this guy meant trouble. Had she seen him somewhere before?

Ruby didn't get to finish that thought, not as Jotaro dragged her on through the busy street. They shoved their way through a few more people, and as they passed by another stall selling tapestries, Ruby thought she heard sobbing. Curious, she peered past a bright blue tapestry–that's when she saw a woman leaning against one of the stalls, pleading with the indifferent merchant, "Please, you must find my daughter! She's been kidnapped!"

"Hands off the merchandise, woman!" the merchant just replied, and he shoved the woman to the ground.

The woman wept, and Ruby couldn't help but feel sorry for her. If she ever lost Yang or Qrow or dad because they got kidnapped, she'd feel terrible! If she weren't stuck with such a jerk, she'd help that woman find her kid right away!

"What a piece of shit," she heard Jotaro mumble.

Ruby glanced up, and when she followed his gaze, she was surprised to see him looking at the woman too. "I know, right!" she said. "How could someone be so heartless? Kidnapping kids is such a horrible thing to do! We gotta help her!"

Jotaro's glare fell to her, and he frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The... kidnapping? That was what you were talking about too, right? Right?"

"No," he said, turning away. Ruby followed his glare again, and this time, she saw that he was actually looking at the cages strung up around the merchant's stall, filled with bright and colorful birds. "Poachers like him are the scum of the earth."

"Poach what?"

"Merchants of rare and endangered animals. People like him are the lowest of scum."

That was what he cared about? Not the kidnapped girl, but the stupid birds? Clenching her teeth, Ruby tried hard not to get mad, but it was so hard not to. How could he just ignore someone crying for help like that!

Of course, Jotaro didn't notice, and he dragged her on before she could complain. Jotaro would probably just tell her to shut up if she talked, she knew that, but still, Ruby refused to let it go. Frowning, Ruby tugged his arm pointed back from where they'd come, and she asked, "You didn't see the lady asking for help back there?"

Jotaro grunted, pausing for a bit before he adjusted his grip and continued to drag her onward, shouldering past another merchant and causing him to spill spices over the floor. "What woman?"

Ruby's mouth fell open. There's no way he didn't see that! He's ignoring it! On purpose!

"I refuse to believe you didn't see that!" she said, stomping her foot. "We have to go help her!"

"No time. Besides," he said, "Karachi's got a high enough crime rate as it is. Stuff like this happens all the time; it's none of your business, and it ain't mine."

Ruby took it back–he didn't make Weiss look nice, he practically painted Weiss as the patron saint of niceness! Never in her life had she ever been so frustrated by someone. She couldn't believe a guy could be this heartless.

Ruby decided then and there that she was gonna find a way out of this, no matter what. She wasn't gonna be stuck with an awful guy like him for the next nineteen days!

As Ruby mulled over possible escape plans, scratching an itch in her ear as she did, they passed by a stand selling a few brightly colored ones. They looked like dust from a glance, but as they walked by, Ruby could tell that they were just shiny rocks. Ruby knew there were people who liked that sort of stuff, but she didn't see what the fuss was all about.

Though, now that she thought about it, it had been a while since she had seen a dust store. There hadn't been one while they were traveling through the city, and no one here seemed to be selling it either. Then again, it wasn't like she'd been through the whole city, so who was she to judge.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of darkly dressed men exchange something behind one of the stalls. Curious. Ruby had to check it out.

"Hey, where are you–"

Ruby ignored Jotaro, dragging him over until the two men noticed her. Smiling, she waved back. "Hey!" she said. "Was that an antique assault rifle from the Great War? Can I see? Can I?"

The two men exchanged looks, then one of them turned back to her and said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Hands on her hips, Ruby frowned. "I'm not dumb!" she said. "I know what an Atlesian assault rifle looks like!"

The coloring was a little different, sure, but the design was unmistakable. As much as she loved mecha-shift, any true weapons enthusiast loved all kinds of guns, new and old. Sure, it was probably harmless now, but a gun was a gun! And though she'd read about them plenty of times, she'd never seen one like this up close. Ruby would be lying if she said she wasn't just a tiny bit excited.

Beside her, someone tugged on her arm. Ruby shrugged it off, but when it happened again, she turned around, an annoyed pout on her face.

Jotaro glared back, his hand still tightly clenched to her arm. Somehow, she'd completely forgotten about him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

Ruby ducked her head and looked away with a huff. "Oh. Right." Turning back to the two guys, she said nervously, "Sorry for bothering you. I'll just be... on my way!"

"I don't know what you think you saw," the man said, "but you're not gonna tell anyone what you saw."

"I know, I–huh?" Ruby paused.

Well, that didn't sound suspicious at all, did it?

She looked around, and for the first time, she noticed four more men closing in around them, all of them pointing guns at them. Ruby didn't worry at first. There was no way they could match Crescent Rose with outdated weaponry like that! She was miles better than any of them!

Then she reached for Crescent Rose, and remembered that it was still with Jotaro.

"Oh, we know you're not going to tell anyone," the man said. "We'll make sure of that."

Nervously, she looked his way, but he didn't seem like he was gonna give Crescent Rose back anytime soon.

One of the men aimed his gun at her, a submachine gun, from what she could tell, the muzzle glowing orange in the half-baked afternoon sun. His finger squeezed the trigger.

Then his legs snapped in half, his body twirling like a top before he crumpled to the ground, wailing in pain.

"Fire!" the first man shouted.

Two more men aimed down at them a second too late. The barrels of their guns shattered like glass. The first one doubled over, gasping for air. The second one dropped his useless weapon and reached for a pistol strapped to his hip. He swung up to fire at them. Then his head snapped down and smashed into the floor so hard, Ruby could feel his teeth break. She winced.

The fourth guy barely had the time to adjust his grip before Ruby watched his chest crumple in on itself, spit flying out of the man's mouth as his body crashed into the fifth guy, the two of them flying through the roof of a nearby stall and spilling debris everywhere.

Then Ruby blinked, and realized it was all done. If she wasn't used to moving so quickly, she might have missed it.

The last guy, the same guy who had talked to her, suddenly went very pale as he realized that the fight had gone from two on six to two on one faster than he could understand. His hands fumbled, and he reached into his jacket, pulling out an assault rifle–just like Ruby had suspected.

"S–stay back!" he sputtered out. "I'll shoot you! I swear!"

Jotaro stepped forward. That was all the guy needed to let loose. A stream of bullets peppered the air, tearing through everything in their path. As Ruby watched, she noticed that none of them seemed to make it very far before they crumpled in mid-air. They weren't bouncing off Jotaro's skin, like how Aura would have protected him–it was like there was an invisible force preventing them from even getting close.

This must've been the Stand that Jotaro was talking about.

The guy pulled the trigger one last time, only for a hollow click to seal his fate. He glanced up at Jotaro and whimpered. His rifle bent backwards on its own. His collar lifted itself into the air. Jotaro drew his fist back, and with a shout, drove it into the man's face, knocking him out in one clean blow.

As Ruby made her way to Jotaro's side, she said, "You didn't have to hit them so hard. They're just civilians! What if you killed them?"

Jotaro stared at the downed man for a moment, then thrust his hands in his pockets and turned back to her. "At least I did something. You didn't do shit."

That... was certainly true. But it wasn't like she could do anything! Not without Crescent Rose, anyway!

Fidgeting in place, Ruby picked at her skirt and replied, "Well... I'm not really a punching kinda girl. I'm more of a guns and scythes kinda girl, you know?"

Jotaro nodded to the groaning and unconscious men. "You would've sliced them open too?"

"No! I'd have... you know, used the blunt end."

"Would've broken their bones with that strength."

Ruby frowned. "What strength?"

"Don't act stupid. You're strong enough to drag me around, aren't you?" He nodded behind Ruby, and when she looked, she was surprised to see tracks off from the main walkway all the way over here–from when she dragged Jotaro here, no doubt.

"How'd you get so strong?" he asked with a scowl. Was he jealous of being shown up by her? Well, of course he would be. She was a huntress in training, after all.

"Oh, Aura increases your strength, too!" Ruby chirped.

Jotaro rolled his eyes. "Of course it does. Why am I surprised?" Turning back to the man he'd punched, Jotaro nudged his jacket open with his foot. Whatever he saw inside must've been bad, because his scowl grew deeper. Slowly, Ruby made her way over to him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Guy's an arms dealer. Must've been handing out stock from the Soviet-Afghan war to the local gangs." He knelt down and picked up the guy's wallet, opening it and flipping through it. Ruby would have complained, but... civilians or not, it wasn't like these guys were innocent people, was it? Did that make it better, or worse?

Jotaro pulled out a wad of notes and held it up for Ruby to see. She couldn't tell much just from the look of it, but there was a pretty big number on it, and a guy wearing a strange hat that she assumed had to be important.

"Pakistani rupees," Jotaro said. "It's the currency used here. He would've gotten these from the local scum." Then, he put it back, and pulled out a note with a statue on it. "But Egyptian pounds? There's only one person I know who'd carry these around."

Behind her, Ruby heard the click of a magazine being slid into place. "I see you're still as quick as ever, aren't you?"

She turned around and jumped, surprised. The minute she'd looked away, someone else had stepped out from behind the stall between them and the walkway–the same guy from the jewelry stall. This new man was nearly as tall and imposing as Jotaro, only an inch shorter and an inch smaller, but the way he slouched meant he didn't fill up as much space as Jotaro did. His slick, greasy hair and weasley smile gave him a look that was more slimy than creepy, and the arm cast certainly didn't help, but since Ruby was staring down the barrel of a small submachine gun, it wasn't hard to guess he had come looking for trouble.

Again, Ruby couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen him before–but there was no way that could be true, because she'd only been in this city for a few hours, and she'd spent the past five days in a cell. She hadn't had the chance to meet anyone yet!

Then he smirked, and it hit her–he was the guy she'd saved back when she had first attacked Jotaro, and because of her, he'd come back to cause them trouble.

Oops. My bad, she thought.

Jotaro's eyes narrowed. "Steely Dan."

The guy, Steely Dan, smiled back. "Hello, Jotaro. It's been far too long!"

So this was the Steely Dan guy Jotaro had been talking about. She had guessed they might have been friends before, but seeing them like this, it was clear they hated each other. Forget staring knives–she could practically see Jotaro punching him in the face with just his eyes.

So, when this Steely Dan guy didn't burst into a bloody pulp, she turned back to him, confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he replied.

Which Ruby thought was weird. For someone so quick to beat up a bunch of thugs, he sure was careful. If she was him, and this Steely Dan guy really was working for this DIO, she would've just kicked his butt, no questions asked! What was it Yang always said? Kick butt, ask questions later?

Then, Steely Dan smirked. "Why don't you ask your friend here? I'm sure she'll know."

"Wait, what?" Ruby blinked. "How would I–"

Whatever she was gonna say next, she couldn't quite remember as suddenly, her head was wracked with immense pain. She cut off with a cry, her legs collapsing beneath her as she clutched her head. All the fights she'd fought before, win or lose, none of them hurt quite like this–it was like there was a Grimm inside her head, tearing her from the inside out, clawing and ripping her organs into red, bloody ribbons. She tried to open her mouth, tried to speak, but that only doubled the pain, the air in her throat turning to liquid metal the moment she sucked in a breath.

Catching herself on the ground, Ruby looked to Jotaro–for what, she didn't really know. Help? Support? To know that everything was gonna be okay? All she got was silence, Jotaro's eyes wide with shock, helpless to watch as her head burned.

Huh. I guess he can get surprised too, she thought.

Then her arms buckled, and the last thing she saw was the ground coming up to meet her as she blacked out.

I know I said this chapter would have Lovers round 2 in it.

Turns out, I forgot how much I like to ratchet up the tension before fights. If you want to blame anyone, blame ascxndent's from porcelain to ivory to steel, in which one of the best chapters spends 75% of the chapters hyping up the Dark Blue Moon fight–it's a really cool fic on Ao3, go check it out.

Anyway, Lovers round 2 actually begins next chapter, I promise. Spring break has been over and done now, so I'll be getting back into the swing of school. Combine that with the fact that I like to write really long fight scenes, and it might take longer than usual for me to get the next chapter out. I'll do my best to wrap things up within two weeks, but I can't promise anything. Until then, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review–it always helps to keep the story at the top of my mind so I don't forget. Take care of yourselves out there, and stay safe!