A/N: Heya! Here we are with chapter three. Sorry for the wait again. Anywho, today was my Christmas since my dad works on actual Christmas, so I thought I'd spread a little cheer of my own. I gotta be honest; I'm falling in love with this story the more I write it. I keep getting excited for all that's to come, and all the stand fights I get to come up with. It's gonna be great! Writing such great characters is daunting, but I'm having fun figuring out how they all work too! I hope you guys think I'm doing them justice :)

Agh! And stupid me. I have no idea what I was thinking time-line wise when I started this. I had it set in like 1979 which would have Noriaki be like 9 or something haha. SO, I've fixed that in this and all the previous chapters.

ENJOY!

-\/-

Chapter Three:

July, 1981

"Wah~! So cool!" Kameko breathed, her eyes wide with awe as she stared at the Stand before her, mouth hanging open just the slightest as she continued her observation. Flattered by her approval, Noriaki's cheeks reddened a little from embarrassment. It felt strange to have his Stand feel so accepted by someone; anyone he had even mentioned it to offhand before had given him a look like they thought he was insane. His mother and father had assumed it was only a lonely boy's imaginary friend.

After she had demonstrated how she created things with her stand a few times, something that still amazed him, she had asked once again to see his own. It was only fair after all, and he had found himself excited to show her anyways. So he had activated his Hierophant Green for her, and judging by her reaction, she was just as amazed by his ability as he was with hers. Seeing such powers for the first time was near indescribable, but it was the knowing you weren't alone in your weirdness – for lack of a better term – that really made the moment special, knowing that he wasn't just a fluke. That carried with it that sense of gentle awe.

At present, Kameko's grin stretched so wide it had to hurt her cheeks, and the girl sat up on her knees as she studied his Stand where it hovered in front of her under Noriaki's control.

"I love him, Noriaki!" she told him. "He's just like a shounen hero!"

Her comment made him smirk, and he wanted to show off for her and really impress her. "If you think that's cool, watch this." He rose to his feet and pointed out at the empty field. "Emerald splash!" At his command, Hierophant Green raised his hands, aiming quickly at the open space before dozens of little green gems shot out across the air.

Kameko jumped to her feet at the display and was clapping with enthusiasm. "He really is a super hero," she cheered, rushing over to his Stand's side and giving an excited giggle. There, she took another moment to study it up close, her eyes tracing over its face. She raised her hand then, head tilting to the side in curiosity, and though the brunette's intentions were clear, Noriaki made no move to stop her. She allowed him to touch her Stand too, so he would feel bad about refusing her.

The moment her fingers brushed the side of Hierophant Green's jaw, Noriaki felt it too. In fact, it was almost enough to startle him into calling the Stand back, as Kameko had done earlier, but he had been somewhat prepared for it and managed to refrain. Just like she had explained, the touch sort of tickled. It was a strange sensation to explain. His brain knew Kameko was not actually running her fingers along the edge of his face. However, the feeling was there, like touches ghosting along his face. Very strange indeed.

Apparently, Kameko was completely oblivious to her actions and any discomfort they might cause him because she only gave him a happy grin, and he noticed that her tongue poked out a little on one side when she did. "You're really cool, Noriaki."

"Thank you," he mumbled, glancing out towards the open field, which was sporting several new holes and had bits of torn up turf strewn around from his earlier display, and he took his seat back on the edge of the fountain.

As she sat down beside him once more, Kameko let out a little forlorn sigh. "I don't wanna go home yet," she remarked, leaning back onto her palms and staring up at the sky. By now, it was colored in hues of orange from the sunset, night creeping in from the east, and Noriaki knew he needed to return home as well. "My dad won't be back until late anyways, so it's not like it really matters... He just doesn't want me to stay out past sunset, which is pretty stupid really."

"That's not too unreasonable," Noriaki told her, glancing over at her though she wasn't looking at him.

The brunette shrugged a shoulder, and the corners of her mouth tilted downward. "Maybe not," Kameko admitted. "It's just … Boring... There by myself." Unsure of what to say here, Noriaki remained silent. He didn't know what her life was like, and it sounded like she spent much of her time alone if her dad was working so late. After a moment, the girl shook herself, "Ah, but I'm being whiny now. Thank you for today, Noriaki! I had fun."

"Me too," he agreed.

A thought occurred to her then, and she spent a moment rummaging around her pockets as she had earlier. "Hang on a sec," she told him. Finally, she pulled something out with a closed fist and offered it to him. "I should give you this."

"What is it?" he asked, staring down at her upturned palm. Perhaps it was a stupid question because it was clearly the stem of a flower of some sort... However, the redhead was baffled as to why she would be giving it to him. What kind of person gave away flower stems that had been kept in their pocket all day? It looked old by now, the edges wilted and brown in a rather depressing state. He couldn't fathom what kind of message she was trying to get across.

For a moment, she looked shy, glancing down at her lap as a blush crossed her face, but she shook her head and smiled up at him once more. "It's a wish," she answered.

"... It is?"

"Yeah. Like, you know how you're supposed to wish on dandelions and blow all the petals away?" He nodded. "Well," she continued, "I always keep the ones I wish on... If you really expect it to come true, you're supposed to leave it at the place where your wish was granted."

That was a … strange.. way to look at it, but he guessed he could follow her logic well enough even if it was rather silly. It was somewhat charming in its own way perhaps.. But still... "Why are you giving it to me then?"

"Cause you granted my wish!" she told him with a playful push to his shoulder. Then she grew more quiet again. "I asked for a friend, or at least someone who knows what it's like to have a, er, Stand. And now I've got it.. So I have to give it to you."

"Oh." Something in his chest squeezed at the words and the wistfulness in her voice.

"Can we see each other again?"

"Of course," he told her at once.

Another smile lit up her features, and Noriaki returned it readily. He knew right then that a smile suited this girl so much more than a frown ever would. Sadness just seemed out of place for her, and he hadn't liked seeing it on her.

"Good because you don't have much of a choice anymore, No-ri-a-ki," she explained slyly, glancing over at him from under her lashes. "You're stuck with me now."

Her words surprised a laugh out of him, and privately … Noriaki thought that wouldn't be so bad.

-\/-

December, 1988

Ten minutes later found Kameko with no more answers than previous to her rather dramatic entrance, and the brunette was getting fed up with all the quiet side-glances and tongue-biting she saw around the room. Very little at all was being said as Mrs. Kujo tended to Noriaki's head wound, leaving the older man who had pulled her off him earlier to wrap Kameko's split and swelling knuckles, and Kameko repressed a wince, casting her eyes away from the sight. In hindsight, such a punch, satisfying though it certainly was, had been a bad idea after all, and part of her felt bad about it when she watched Noriaki press an ice-pack against his bruised jaw – especially after she realized that he'd already suffered quite the head injury to begin with. She had thrown all her strength into that punch, and though he had deserved it, maybe he hadn't quite deserved, well, that. The man wrapping her hand, having already sprayed disinfectant on it a moment ago – and damned if that hadn't hurt like a bitch too – seemed to take some enjoyment from her little spectacle at least, and a grin pulled across his features and gave him that same approachable, jovial look Mrs. Kujo had too.

Snickering, barely bothering to restrain the action at all, the older man shook his head. "Quite a right hook you've got there, little lady."

The comment earned him a sharp look from Kameko, but Mrs. Kujo chastised him on her behalf. "Papa," she scolded with a firm stare of her own, "don't tease her about that. I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt her friend. She was just over-excited." Kameko raised a brow at that in befuddlement, but decided not to argue against someone who was apparently on her side.

"Ha! Who's teasing?" he asked and shrugged one shoulder. "It's true! I know a few guys that would kill for a punch like that." To Noriaki, he added, "That's why you shouldn't piss off your girlfriend."

"We're only friends," he corrected at the same time that Kameko said, "He's not my boyfriend." The two shared a look after they said this – it was hardly the first time they'd needed to clarify for someone – but were interrupted by another bout of laughter from the older man once again.

"Sure, sure," he patronized, shooting her a patronizing look that had her wanting to show him just how killer her left hook was too. However, she restrained herself. Answers first. Then she could settle any scores that had cropped up. Waving Mrs. Kujo off when she seemed about to scold him again, he continued, "A man and a woman can never really be friends. Women just don't-"

"Oi. Old man," the boy her and Noriaki's age, Jotaro, broke in much to Kameko's relief. Well, that earned a few points in his favor. Kameko hadn't struggled the past few years to act normal around Noriaki, to be just his friend so that she wouldn't mess things up, to have some stranger come in and wreck all of that. "Don't you have more important things to think about?" The dark-haired man looked rather bored with the whole thing actually, adjusting his hat with a dull look to his eyes, like he wasn't actually interested by anything the old man had to say. But again, Kameko wasn't complaining. She was just glad to be moving off that horrid topic. It was the exact last thing she needed now. With how sappy she had been acting all day, there was no telling what sort of shit she would spill out.

Hoping to spur the discussion on to something she actually did want to talk about, Kameko told the old man with a snide press of her lips, "Yes, let's touch on that, can we? I have a few questions of my own, you see?.. Namely, what the hell is going on here?" Her eyes flickered around the room, a mix of frustration and confusion and anxiety in her gaze, lingering just briefly on the dark-skinned man in robes standing off to the side. He hadn't said anything since she stormed in here, and it was making her curious.

The old man frowned then as he tied off her bandage to keep it secured. Really, though whole room seemed to sober, aside from Mrs. Kujo who was happily packing away the medical supplies back into the kit. Scratching the back of his head, he explained, "Eh, listen... This isn't really something you would, understand. I'm sure you're a very smart girl and all, but-"

"Like hell it isn't," she shot back. Was he seriously trying to shut her out of this after everything she had gone through to find her friend? "Just try me."

From the corner where he was leaning against the wall, the dark-skinned man answered, "Mr. Joestar isn't trying to offend you, Miss. But this is a private matter." Briefly, she saw his eyes flicker towards Mrs. Kujo who hummed seemed to ignore the tension in the air and hummed obliviously. However, Kameko disregarded that, though she blinked hearing the name 'Joestar'. That had been amongst Noriaki's notes at his home.

Pressing onward, undeterred, Kameko gripped the wrist of her injured hand, running her fingers along the little indented pattern of the gauze, her frown morphing into a flat out scowl. "Yeah, and since it includes Noriaki, it includes me. So get to talking."

"Kameko," Noriaki began in a placating tone, his hand tugging at hers to get her attention, making her stomach drop sickeningly. "You really don't have to worry. It's not something-"

"You.. You're gonna shut me out on this too?" Kameko accused, hurt filtering into her voice. The brunette yanked her hand away with a glare, a pained expression flashing across her face before she could stop it. Why was he keeping this from her? Didn't he realize that she wanted to help him? That she had been physically ill with worry about him? Now, he didn't plan on explaining anything to her, claiming she didn't need to worry about it all? That was such bullshit. It was infuriating, and she was having none of it.

Raising his hands defensively, perhaps picking up on her increasing irateness, he tried again, "It's not like that."

"It's exactly like that." She jabbed a finger in his direction. "You haven't spoken to me in weeks. I deserve a goddamn answer for that alone, Noriaki." Her voice rose in both volume and pitch, and though Kameko knew she really needed to shut up before she lost it completely at him, the girl was powerless to stop her running mouth. "I've been through absolute hell trying to figure out what I did to make you mad, but then, this was never about me was it?"

"Kamek-"

"I'm not finished." She held up a hand, ignoring the way the others in the room were staring at her, focusing all her attention on Noriaki. "Okay, say you don't care about me. Don't plan to give me an answer. What about your parents? Your mom was pretty much bawling in my arms earlier-" an exaggeration, but close enough. "-because of you. And you think this is something I don't need to worry about? I really disa-"

"Shut up, you bitch!" Jotaro thundered then, boring into her with one of the harshest glares she had ever seen. Prickling at the insult, Kameko reared up to bat her own words back at him, but he cut her off first, "How's he supposed to tell you anything when you won't shut your damn mouth?"

The words were like a slap to the face, and Kameko flinched.

"Jotaro..." Mr. Joestar trailed off in a slightly disapproving tone, though he also seemed a little relieved her rant had been cut short.

With a frown, sounding a little lost as she swallowed her embarrassment over having been chastised like that in front of Noriaki, she answered, "He already said he wasn't gonna tell me anything... I can't just quit." She hated the tone her voice had taken on, but forced the words out anyways. The worst part about all this was that he was right... Just a little bit.

"Can we have a moment?" Noriaki implored, glancing around at the other four. Kameko didn't bother checking to see how they all were looking at her. Probably it was similar to the way Jotaro had been, what with the whole crazy bitch vibe she'd been emanating. Not that she really cared what any of these people thought about her. Noriaki was the only important one, and oh god, was she seriously about to start crying again. When the hell had she become such a cry baby? Luckily, the others voiced their agreements briefly, Mrs. Kujo mentioning something about finding a set of pajamas for Noriaki, and they filed out of the room to give them their privacy.

She kept her gaze on the floor, refusing to look at him.

"Kameko."

She sniffled.

His tone softened. "Kameko, look at me."

Acting incredibly petulant, she shook her head.

With an exasperated sigh, he said, "You really are just like a child when you're mad, what with how stupid you get."

That worked, and though she knew it was what he had been aiming for with such a comment, Kameko broke her staring match with the floor to glare up at him, despite the glassiness of her eyes she didn't want him to see. "Jerk," she tossed at him though there wasn't any real bite to the insult.

"So I've been told."

Without any more preamble, Kameko embraced him again, as she had earlier, flinging her arms around his neck and pressing her face into his jacket and just inhaled his comforting scent. God but she was feeling terrible right now. Normally, this would be the part where he unwound her arms with an exasperated sigh and flicked her in the forehead for good measure. However, he must've taken pity on her because he actually returned the hug this time, and Kameko felt her heart beat a little faster as his warmth enveloped her. "Please, don't leave me like that again. I... I won't forgive you next time."

He pulled back then so he could look her in the face. "I … can't promise that. I'm sorry."

The words were spoken simply, plainly without any malice or intent to hurt, but they sure as shit did just then. Couldn't he just tell her he wouldn't? Lie to her at the very least – not that Kameko really wanted that either, but she was inconsolable at the moment and was thinking a lot of things she didn't really mean – like any normal guy would. Why did he have to be so damn honest? And how was she supposed to take that anyways? His statement felt like another slap in the face, and dropping her hold on him, Kameko sat back on her heels, pulling out of his arms entirely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned, her face showing the hurt he had caused.

Here, he hesitated, a calculated expression flittering across his face like he was considering lying to her. However, despite what she had thought a moment ago, Kameko refused to let him get away with not giving her the truth and sent him a harsh glare. With an irritable twitch of his mouth, he glanced away from her after a moment. "It's not a promise I can make. I don't know what might happen in the future. There's … No," he shook his head, "I don't know anything for certain."

Her eyes ran over his face, searching for any actual answers after the vague explanation. Why did he have to go? She was going with him if he thought he was going on some sort of … of.. of quest or whatever the hell it was. He'd said he wasn't certain, but she could see in his eyes that he had something specific in mind when he said that. What was he planning? "Is this about that … What was the name?" she thought aloud, biting her lip in thought. "Right!" She snapped. "Dio! Is this about Dio?"

When she said the name, a switch flipped in him or something because he gasped, his eyes widening, and he leaned forward and seized her shoulders, yanking her forward so suddenly she yelped. Kameko nearly face-planted too, but at the last second, she managed to catch herself on her forearms. "You met Dio?" he demanded, his voice cold. "Where? Did he hurt you?" The questions were rapid fire, and he reached towards her and began pushing her hair away from her forehead with his thumbs.

That was quite enough of that. With a grunt, she swatted his hands away and pushed herself back up. "What the hell? I'm fine!" she told him, noticing the sigh of relief he gave after hearing that. "Are you though? That's a better question."

"Yeah, I'm fine now."

"Now meaning you weren't earlier?" she clarified, crossing her arms. This whole day had gone crazy right from the start, and the brunette was past tired about all these questions that kept cropping up that had yet to be answered. "What did he do to you?"

Ignoring her question, he countered, "How do you know about him then?"

With a roll of her eyes, she gave him a nonplussed look. "Oh, like I couldn't just take a peek at your room and figure out you're obsessed with the guy? I found all the notes. It's how I sleuthed you out in the first place," she explained. "Now, talk dammit. I'm tired of my own voice at this point, and you know how rare that is, Noriaki."

He stared at her for a long moment then, warring with his thoughts – honestly, did he seriously think she was gonna drop it at this point? He should know better by now – but in the end, the redhead answered reluctantly, "He's a … Stand-user."

Shifting to where she could sit with her legs crossed, Kameko propped up her chin with her good hand. "Yeah, I gathered that much. And apparently a bad one if your reaction a moment ago is anything to go by."

He nodded. "Yes."

"The question is then: why are you helping him find the Joestars then?" Inwardly, she smirked a little to herself as the look of dread crossed his face. He had apparently been hoping she wouldn't have known that much about what was going on. Score 1 for Kameko; Noriaki 0. However, then another thought crossed her mind, and her lip curled back in a snarl. "He didn't threaten you did he?"

"He didn't have to," Noriaki admitted, a look of regret and shame on his face, and Kameko blinked stupidly at him.

"Then why..?" She shook her head. "Start at the beginning... please." At his look of hesitance, Kameko added, "I'll figure it out eventually with or without you telling me."

Finally, he nodded settling his weight onto his other hand, and a frown weighed down his features. "I met him while I was in Egypt … Before he even spoke, it was clear to me that he was very dangerous. However, at the same time..."

-\/-

It took Noriaki a good fifteen minutes to tell Kameko the whole story of his encounter with Dio in Egypt and the fallout after, then another fifteen to calm her temper enough that he didn't have to worry she would immediately storm off and try to find him on her own. In truth, this was the exact reason he hadn't wanted to fill her in on any of this. He knew she would react exactly as she was if she found out that someone had attacked him and then tried to use him as a pawn. She would want to track them down and pay them back for it because that was the only correct response in her mind.

And Noriaki didn't want her to get herself hurt – or killed, but he refused to even acknowledge that possibility – in the process. She didn't ever think these things through, and if she went up against Dio, he didn't like her odds.

However, he hadn't been able to withhold this from her either. Not after the way she had been crying earlier - despite whatever denials she likely had stored up if he called her out on it. If he knew anything about Kameko at this point, it was that she would rather shove her head into a blender than let anyone see that she could cry. It was part of that ridiculous tough-girl persona she had built over the years... He knew why she did it, but that didn't make it any less ridiculous to him. But when she had first blustered in here, the redhead had seen it, then again after Jotaro had yelled at her. That was when he had realized he had to tell her the truth. Beyond that, she never would have quit pestering him about it if he didn't tell her.. This way, perhaps he could convince her why she couldn't go after him.

"Let's get the others back in here," she was saying, and Noriaki could see that he had his work cut out for him on this matter, the way her mind raced a mile a minute, already made up. "I wanna know what they think about Dio, and what the game plan is. The sooner we get that all sorted out, the sooner we can kick. His. Ass." As she sang the last part, Kameko flashed him a grin, looking closer to her usual self than she had since first arriving, and Noriaki felt his stomach twist up. This was bad; she was already throwing herself into the mix.

"There is no plan. They might not even plan on fighting him. We don't know how much they even know about Dio... I just woke up a few minutes before you showed up."

"Huh? Why wouldn't they want to stop him?" she questioned with a tilt of her head, pushing some hair out of her face. "There's five of us and only one of him. I'd take those odds on any day."

"Don't underestimate him, Kameko," he told her sternly. She never took things seriously enough, and he couldn't let her afford to brush over this as if it was some kid from their school she didn't like. "He's very powerful, more powerful than anyone I've ever met."

"Sheesh, do you want to stop him or ask him out to dinner?"

"Kameko," he scolded.

She lifted her hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. I know, okay? Whatever you think of me, I'm not totally stupid... But I still say we can beat him. You said Jotaro has a powerful stand too. I'm sure the other two have good ones too. With all of us backing him up, there's no way we'll lose."

Realizing she just wasn't going to listen to him, he shook his head. "It doesn't matter anyways. There's no way you're going to fight him if that's what they're planning. They aren't just going to rush into something like this for no reason."

Immediately, her scowl returned. "Of course I'm going. And they will be too. This guy wants them dead right?" Noriaki's frown deepened, and he remained silent. He wasn't proud of what Dio made him do... almost do. "I doubt you're the only one he'll send to off them, and that means that they'll definitely want him gone. This guy screwed with your brain, Noriaki!" She knocked a fist against her head. "Don't tell me you're planning on just letting someone who would do that kind of thing go?"

"Of course not..." he admitted with a sigh of reluctance. "Regardless of what I do, I don't want you there."

"And I don't want McRonald's to take the McRib off the menu, but that's still happening."

Why was she always so difficult? She knew what he meant, and why he didn't want her to try and take on Dio, so why couldn't she just listen to him for once? It was times like this that Noriaki wondered how they had become friends at all. Sometimes it seemed like they argued more than they agreed. "This is serious. As of now, I don't even know where he is, but even if I found out, I won't let you go after him." He frowned at her. This wasn't something she could just bully her way into. It didn't matter that she just wanted to help; he didn't want her to get involved.

"I'm serious," she shot back, persistent, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "And you're not gonna stop me. No matter what you're thinking in that thick skull of yours." At that moment, he saw her eyes light up with an idea, and she shot him a smug grin, hopping to her feet. Cupping her hands around her mouth to be a little more obnoxious, Kameko stepped out of the room and shouted, "Mr. Joestar? Mr. Joestar! I'm joining the cause now! We should compare strategy and details and stuff!"

Ignoring the minor-dizziness his head-injury caused, Noriaki pushed himself to his feet, stepping up behind her and clapping a hand over her mouth as he dragged her back with him, her legs bent at an awkward angle and her hands flailing as she struggled to keep her footing. "You're acting like a brat," he told her plainly. "So I'm going to treat you like one." Then he dropped into a sitting position, cradling her head so she wouldn't get hurt in the fall.

Her butt hit the ground with a thud, but she was actually laughing by the time he moved his hand off her mouth, staring up at him with her head in his lap, eyes sparkling. "Next time you do that, I'll lick your hand." Noriaki allowed a half-smile in response to her teasing. After a moment, though, she sobered up, her giggles fading and a frown slowly taking her smile's place. "Look.." She sighed. "Today, I am being a brat, okay? You're trying to keep me out of whatever you're planning... It doesn't matter what you say, you know that someone has to stop Dio, and you're planning to help out with that if they'll let you. And if they let you, they better let me too because I won't take no for an answer. We've always done things together. Can you blame me for fighting to stay by your side?"

"It's too dangerous. He doesn't know about you, and I'd prefer to keep it that way," he reaffirmed.

With a roll of her eyes and a huff, Kameko switched tactics. "Fine... Flip the situation, will you? Pretend that I was the one that started acting really weird, and you found out that it was because someone brainwashed me – and seriously, that's goddamn weird enough on its own. But anyways, then told you that I wasn't gonna let you help me stop him... What would you do then?" Noriaki was silent after she spoke, glancing away from her again. They both knew the answer to that question, and he didn't want to give her argument any more credibility than she already had. However, his silence spoke just as many volumes as a lie or an answer would've, and she gave a little giggle. He nearly started when she grabbed his chin to make him look at her again.

"Exactly. I know you're just trying to protect me, but there's no way you can convince me to sit this one out. I can help you. You know I can. You've seen what I can do with Teen Spirit, and if Dio really is as powerful as you make him out to be, you are gonna need all the help you can get. And if you aren't planning on going after him – which we both know is bullshit – then I will. I could take him." She smiled then in a way that made his heart do something weird – something he fastidiously ignored. "Let me protect you too, Noriaki."

"Kameko..." He trailed off.

"You're that serious, eh?" Mr. Joestar's deep voice sounded from the entryway, and the two realized that they'd apparently had an audience.

With a light blush dusting her cheeks, but overall undaunted in her determination, Kameko rolled to her feet, turning to face Mr. Joestar directly. "Yeah, I am," she agreed with a nod. "I know about Dio and Stands, and if you're gonna take down the guy who tried to make my best friend a murderer... Then I wanna help. I can help... You are going to stop him right?"

"Yes," the older man confirmed, his face serious. "Right now, I'm still trying to find out where he's hiding, but I can't let someone like that keep threatening my family."

"Of course not." Kameko nodded again. "That's exactly how I feel. Noriaki is my family."

"It'll be dangerous. When we locate him, he won't go quietly," he warned her, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "Don't be so quick to volunteer.. You're young and have a whole life ahead of you. Are you sure you want to put yourself at risk by tracking down a dangerous Stand-user? What about your family? I wouldn't feel right putting someone else's daughter in danger. I'd kick the ass of anyone who dragged my Holly into a situation like this."

Kameko waved him off with a huff. "That's not up to anyone but me. I'm gonna find Dio with or without your help, so you're not putting me in any more danger than I'm willing to risk. Besides, it's just Dad and me.. Mainly just me. Noriaki's my best and only friend... No way am I letting this go."

"Don't be so casual about this," Noriaki told her. He wasn't happy with this at all – even if part of him wanted her to stay by his side no matter what was decided.

With another roll of her eyes, she snapped, "I'm not! Lay off already. My mind is set on this, Noriaki."

For a time, Mr. Joestar remained silent, sizing her up and considering what she had said. Meanwhile, Noriaki kept his teeth grit, hoping that the old man would refuse her, tell her she would only get in the way. For all her talk, he doubted she would be able to make any real progress without Mr. Joestar and whatever resources he had devoted to finding Dio. However, he had the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be the case, a suspicion that proved correct just a moment later.

Huffing a sigh, Mr. Joestar shook his head. "Well, I can't stop you. Hell, I can't even blame you really... But I would recommend you take the night to think about it at the very least.. Whenever we go fight Dio, no one's going to look out for you."

"I know that," Kameko protested, offended by the implication that she couldn't handle herself. "I can take care of myself!"

"Just listen," he barked at her with a frown, and she quieted down. "This isn't something you have to do.. Either of you," he added with a glance at Noriaki. "This is all something that you happened to get caught up in, so no one would fault you for letting this go. Don't give me an answer tonight. Think about it," he commanded her. His voice was firm, and Noriaki saw Kameko's shoulders slump a little bit with resignation.

"Yeah, yeah... I'll do that. Just know I won't change my mind," she warned him. Surprise swept through Noriaki... She had agreed rather easily to that, and he wondered what it was about Mr. Joestar that made her do that... Perhaps it was because the old man seemed to take her determination serious. Noriaki didn't know, but he was relieved that he had more time to deal with this."

Hearing the declaration, Mr. Joestar gave a devil-may-care grin and clapped her on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. "I would expect nothing less, Girly."

"Now," he continued, crossing his arms once more. "Who the hell are you?"

-\/-

A/N:SO! What'dya think? Is it still any good? I hope y'all are enjoying it still. Chapter 4 is already half finished so that means it should be coming out sometime next June at my rate, huh? ;) Nah, I'mma try and be quicker for real, and I think that's feasible with the sudden bout of inspiration I have for this.

Thanks a bunch for all the support guys! I love hearing from you all.

Merry Christmas!

ONWARD!

- Alyssa