Visakhapatnam, India, 38 Days to Save Holly

Joseph's hand creaks as he watches his fingers roll in sequence. The view from his hotel room is spectacular, overlooking the coast of the Indian Ocean. However, his attention is elsewhere. The phone rings and rings in his ear.

C'mon Jotaro. I was told you were still waiting on us in Delhi. Pick up…please…

The line clicks and a familiar voice answers.

"Hellllllooooooooo?"

"Anne, hand the phone over to Jotaro."

"Okaaaay." A shuffle and a clack plays through the phone, apparently she set the receiver down.

Why does she always answer? Doesn't she know we have important things to discuss?

A voice speaks up from the other end of the room.

"Mr. Joestar, what do you make of what Anne said before? About there being someone else?"

"Hm…"

The thought had been racing through his mind for the past couple of days. Another Stand user like Kakyoin or Polnareff? No…it seems the rest of the assassins lately haven't been brainwashed. Probably mercenaries. Not that Jotaro could destroy the parasite fully without Hamon. But perhaps they were like that Stand user back in Singapore…

"Jiji." A curt voice comes from the receiver.

"Jotaro! I'm glad you're alive and well." Joseph made no attempt to hide the relief in his voice. His grandson always has meant a lot to him, so the possibility of losing him after all of these years spent apart…

"Where are you?"

"East India. We just took a speedboat over and spent the beginning of the day recuperating. We're making our preparations to leave tomorrow to rendezvous with you-" Joseph catches himself before continuing. "-Jotaro. Are you okay? Any assassins come your way?"

"Between two and four. We dealt with two for sure. But they have been attacking in pairs, it seems."

"We? You and Anne?"

"Jiji. When we get back together, I'll introduce you to my…new ally. It'll be easier than explaining it to you."

"I trust you, Jotaro. I'm just glad you're okay. We've been attacked as well, three assassins so far." From behind him, Joseph hears Avdol laugh, seemingly out of the blue. "Either way, we've gotten out unscathed so far. Have all the attacks been in Delhi?"

"Yes, one in our room, the other in the park."

"Hm. And you haven't moved rooms or hotels?"

"Haven't needed to. They haven't been too much of an issue." Joseph can hear something faintly shouting from the other end of the speaker, only able to pick out a few words.

"-member the part whe-fell out of a building?"

"You tossed yourself out, baka. Sorry, Jiji. I'm traveling with an idiot."

Joseph chuckles a bit, fond memories welling up. "It's okay, Jotaro. I'm sure your friend is competent and capable. You may not see it now, but your gramps was an idiot back in the day as well!"

"Don't worry, I'm thoroughly convinced." A muffled sound like Jotaro has covered the phone speaker assaults Joseph's ears. This lasts for about ten seconds before Jotaro's voice pipes up again. "Where were we?"

"You had been attacked."

"Yes, they seem to know our location pretty well."

"And here I thought they were tracking us through my Hermit Purple. It seems like keeping you hidden wasn't in the cards after all…" Joseph strokes his chin in thought as he tries to piece together a plan.

"Mr. Joestar, if I may make a suggestion." Avdol stands up and approaches Joseph by the window. Joseph's eyes are hazily focused on the glittering sunlight off of the Indian Ocean in front of them.

"I'll take it, Avdol."

"If they're tracking us too easily, it may be because we're going too slowly. They have time to prepare for us. So, we simply have to take the risks of moving quickly. The longer we wait, the more they can exhaust us with more and more assassins."

On the other end of the phone, Jotaro speaks up, having heard Avdol. "Jiji. We should meet a bit closer to Egypt. We can get moving any time."

"Understood…" Having spent all day today pouring over an atlas, Joseph calls up the image in his mind's eye. Airports he had traveled to for work and for the Speedwagon Foundation dot the map in his mind as he tries to work out the most efficient way for them to meet.

"Additionally, Mr. Joestar. We should take separate forms of travel, and take them quickly. If we plan less, they can interfere less. They're anticipating our movements with us being so deliberate with how we proceed."

A few shouts are heard from Jotaro's end, followed by a clack as the receiver is set down once more.

"Oi, Jotaro, did you catch that? Jotaro?" Worry sprouts up in Joseph's mind, but it is quelled as he hears Anne seemingly walk by the phone talking.

"-iiineeee. C'mon, Jojo, let's go to the oth-"

"Okay, Jiji. I'm back. I agree with Avdol."

"What was that, Jotaro? Did your partner disagree?"

"No…he was excited about the possibility of a road trip."

"Ah. Good plan, then. We'll travel by private plane, you travel by car. Utilize the Speedwagon Foundation and take some papers with you. Those will help you-" Joseph stops in the middle of talking as he hears a subtle crackling noise over the line. "Jotaro. Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. Sounds like bad reception on one of those cellular phones."

"We're both on a landline. Someone might be interfer-"

"Hold on, Jiji. I know what it is." The phone is a bit distant, but Joseph can hear Jotaro speaking far from the receiver. "Stop eavesdrop-Jo-"

"Everything okay, Jotaro?"

"Yeah. My ally seems to think it's okay to eavesdrop. Let's just hurry this up." The crackling is still there, but if Jotaro's not worried…

"Okay then. Speedwagon Foundation should have some questions-free papers that will let you cross the border with no issue. We're going to meet at Jinnah International in Karachi. Grab a map, we will rendezvous at the terminal."

"Understood. And gramps?"

"Yes, Jotaro?"

"Fly safe." Joseph chuckles a bit to himself.

Is that worry or a warning?

In a hotel meeting room, looking at an atlas with everyone

"-And that's the plan." Joseph stands up, looking a little exhausted. As far as Kakyoin could tell, the old man hasn't slept a moment since Singapore. Sure, Hamon is supposed to give you energy, but…

"Wait a minute." Polnareff squints his eyes as he stands up. "So what you're saying is…that the plan…"

"Yes, Polnareff." Avdol speaks up. "The plan is that there is no plan."

"That seems…" Kakyoin puzzles over the thought. He trusts both Avdol and Joseph's judgment, yet something feels a bit odd.

"Every time we plan to take a route, there's an assassin waiting for us. Or two. And we still do not know how they are tracking our movements. I had a theory that it was my Hermit Purple, but they have a handle on where Jotaro is as well. So, to test my theory, we're changing plans. Instead of meeting up with Jotaro in Delhi, we leave tomorrow to fly to Karachi. If there are assassins there, then the plan is set."

"So…the plan of no plan." Polnareff is still squinting, incredulous.

"I see, Mr. Joestar." Kakyoin's eyes flash in recognition.

I think he's onto something. He's right about the assassins. If they have foresight, they're going to have them intercept us.

"Well, Kakyoin? Anything to add?"

"If we get the chance, we should try and get some information about our next assassins with Hermit Purple. If they know where we are, there's no sense in holding off using it."

"Hm." Avdol speaks up at this. "You seem confident that we will run into some assassins."

"Mr. Joestar. You've used Hermit Purple with Avdol's Tarot before we've been attacked, correct?"

"Yes?"

"And the assassins attacked us very soon after?"

"Correct, Kakyoin." Avdol responds. "You're thinking it's too soon."

"Yes, but also not a coincidence." At hearing this, Joseph's eyes light up a bit, evidently coming to the same conclusion.

"You're thinking that's how DIO is viewing the fights."

"Yes, Mr. Joestar. He seems to have a connection with both you and Jotaro's Stands. If I had to hazard a guess, when you utilize the precognition element of your Stand, its like a looking glass for both you and DIO. Even if the assassins don't make it back, aren't brainwashed, or don't survive…"

"He's gathering information. Viewing our weaknesses."

"Well, then what do we do? Not use Hermit Purple?" Polnareff's face has shifted from disbelief to worry.

That puts us at a disadvantage. We no longer can see the obstacles approaching us, and if Joseph and Avdol agree on us flying unprepared towards Egypt…That's a big risk. It's a tossup. Either DIO has perfect information on our capabilities, or we risk losing someone before we even get there.

"Kakyoin." Joseph walks up to the still seated Kakyoin, still lost in thought. The old man puts his metal hand on Kakyoin's shoulder, stirring him from thought.

"Yes?"

"There's no need to puzzle it out by yourself. Let's talk it out." Kakyoin's eyes betray a bit of anxiety, but he stands up anyway and addresses the group.

"Okay. So we have three options. Continue to try and anticipate our enemies, but be prepared to face an enemy at our journey's end with complete knowledge of our skills. Or, we fly blind, with assassins still having the possibility of tracking us down just as easily. With this option, the danger is losing one of us before we can make it." Polnareff raises his hand, attentive.

"You said there was a third option?"

"Yes, Polnareff, but it's the most dangerous of all of them."

"Kakyoin…" Joseph somberly speaks, seemingly already come to the same conclusion.

"Tell us, Kakyoin." Avdol also speaks, uncrossing his arms.

"That option is…when we meet up with Jotaro…" Kakyoin looks down at the floor, hoping to avoid the hard truth of the matter. Joseph notices this, and speaks instead.

"When we meet Jotaro, we have to split up again." Both Polnareff and Avdol recoil at this, but Joseph puts up a calming gesture. "I understand, but in order to not give away-"

"That's nonsense, Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff starts to raise his voice as he continues to talk. "We will just have come back together! You said it yourself, we're in this together!"

"Yes, Polnareff. Which is why I can't let DIO gain the upper hand on all of you. He knows what I'm capable of. I have Hamon just like my grandfather, but my Stand is nowhere as powerful as the rest of yours. He's seen many of our techniques if he's truly watching us through me. Once we meet up with Jotaro, we'll decide on the best way to split up so we can all make it to Egypt. Jotaro has an ally with him already, but he may need more help…" Joseph looks to Avdol, who looks back in recognition.

"You can't mean him, can you, Mr. Joestar?"

"Yes, Avdol. I'll have him flown in as soon as we can. He may be unreliable, but he's another body."

"Do you have a friend to join us?" Kakyoin is deeply intrigued at this development. A Stand user that both him and Avdol have been hiding. Either they are truly that unreliable, or just plain dangerous.

"In a matter of speaking. God bless anyone who gets stuck with him, though…" Joseph sighs, the exhaustion even more apparent. "Now, everyone, pack your things. We are flying out as soon as the runways are clear. We get to see Jotaro again, even if its only for a brief while."

As Kakyoin leaves to gather his things with the others, he notices Joseph linger behind. The old man's lip is curled, his eyes troubled.

Mr. Joestar…

Kakyoin goes back and stands next to the old man. With a gentle touch, he pats the man on the back, hoping to comfort him.

"You're doing the right thing, Joseph Joestar. I bet you're worried about Jotaro, more than the rest of us. You told us you barely saw him for years before this and-"

"Yes, Kakyoin. This might be the last time we meet. I-" He pauses, pain in the tone of his voice. "I hope that he'll think of me as a good grandfather. Even if we never saw each other towards the end."

"I'm sure he will. You're already like a good father to me and Polnareff. Thank you for everything, Joseph. You all are the closest to family I feel I have in this world."

"Thank you, Kakyoin. I had a friend, a long time ago, who only wanted a family. I carry that dream with me every day. I'm glad-" Joseph seems to choke back a few tears. "-glad that we all found family, even if in the end…"

"We live for each other, Mr. Joestar. And sometimes that means that we have to die for each other. Let's hope we all meet in Egypt."

END of INTERLUDE 9