Dio's Curse!
"That thing on her forehead is the reason why she swore loyalty to Dio?" Jotaro asked, confused by what his grandfather is saying.
The Old Man nodded with a hmph.
"That's a flesh bud made out of Dio's own cells. It connects to her brain." The fortune-teller specified. "This tiny little flesh bud was implanted in her brain to influence her mind."
"In other words, the flesh bud is a controller that draws forth certain feelings." The Old Man added.
Jotaro narrowed his eyes.
"Charisma!" The Old Man cried out. "The feelings that make soldiers want to obey dictators! The feelings that make true believers follow cult leaders!" He clutched his fist and pointed at Noriko.
"This young lady admired Dio and swore her loyalty to him!"
"What are you trying to get at, Old Man?" Jotaro queried.
The Old Man cleared his throat, "What I'm trying to get at is that Dio is a charismatic figure. Meaning he can sway others with his overwhelming powers of attraction. He used that as an advantage to order this young lady, called Noriko, to kill us."
"So operate on her and remove it." Jotaro implied.
"The brain is very delicate, Jotaro. If she were to move while extracting it, we could conflict brain damage." The Old Man clarified with a sigh.
"Jojo." Avdol called out. "The following happened four months ago in Cairo, Egypt." He closed his eyes and reopened them again. "I met DIO!"
Four Months ago, Cairo, Egypt...
Avdol walked down the street in the middle of a full moon night. He was heading back to his shop, Khan el-Khalili, after making a trade with a customer.
Once entering the shop, he closed the door behind him and decided to go upstairs.
Before Avdol could take a step on the stairs to his shop's second floor, a man stood quietly at the top of the stairs by the door.
The cold gaze of the man felt as it could stealthily pierce the fortune teller's heart.
The man's golden hair, his near-transparent alabaster skin, and his strange sensuality made it hard for anyone to believe this was a man.
"T-This man...the description Mr. Joestar told me about is identical to him! This has to be him! This is DIO!" Avdol thought to himself.
Dio lifted up his hand, "I heard that you have powers that ordinary people don't. I'd be grateful if you could show them to me." He said with a silvery tone as he licked his lips.
Avdol, frightened, knew the man is truly terrifying. His words brought peace to the fortune teller's soul but with a hint of dangerous sweetness.
Dio's hair was flowing above him but Avdol could see something very dangerous on the end of Dio's hair.
"Come Avdol..." Dio said.
"AAUUUGHHHH!" Avdol jumped out of the window next to him.
"I must keep running! I wouldn't even think about fighting this man! Good thing I know the labyrinthine souk below like the back of my hand!"
Avdol continued running, not daring to even look back to see if he was being chased by Dio.
Present...
"If I didn't escape nor knew who Dio was, I would've end up like this young lady right here. Made into one of his followers through a flesh bud." Avdol then opened his eyes.
"You would be dead within a few years later, your brain completely devoured by the flesh bud." Joseph said.
"Die?" Jotaro said as he stood over Noriko. "Hold on, Noriko here isn't dead yet!" He summoned his purple warrior Stand.
"What are going to do, Jotaro?" Joseph asked in confusion.
Jotaro got on his knees and grabbed Noriko's head, holding her in place.
"I'm going to pull out the flesh bud with my Stand." Jotaro declared.
Avdol gasped as he and Joseph stood up.
"Jotaro, stop!" Joseph cried out.
"Don't touch me, Old Man!" Jotaro snapped at his grandfather. "I'll pull it out without harming her brain. My Stand moves with such precision that it can grasp even a bullet."
"Jotaro, that flesh bud is still alive! Stop what you're doing right now!" Joseph demanded. "Haven't you realized why part of the flesh bud is outside her body? Not even the best surgeons can extract it!"
The purple Stand gentle grabbed onto the flesh bud, only for one of the tentacles to come out and penetrate in Jotaro's hand.
"Shit!"
"C-Crap! One of the flesh bud's tentacle already stabbed him!" Avdol said as he panicked. "Jojo! This isn't good, you have to let go!"
Jotaro furrowed his brows as he concentrated.
Noriko opened her eyes and felt a pair of hands holding her head. Her eyes briefly looked left and right and starred at the Jotaro in a bit of shock.
"Y-You..." She said in a raspy tone.
"Don't move a single muscle, Noriko. If I fail, you're done for." Jotaro warned as his Stand began pulling the flesh bud. The tentacle in Jotaro's hand began moving upwards along his arm and then up to his face.
"Jojo! Stop already! It's already on your face! You have to let go now-!"
Joseph stopped Avdol from intervening, "Hold on, Avdol. My grandson is quite the man." He complimented. "Even though it entered his body, he has remained completely calm. He nor his Stand are trembling!"
"He moves with more precision and strength than I anticipated."
The flesh bud's tentacle was almost in Jotaro's brain but was soon removed out of him once it got out of Noriko.
"He did it!" Joseph cheered.
"AGH!" The purple Stand cried out when it yanked it out of Jotaro.
Joseph then karate chopped the flesh bud, "Overdrive!" He cried out as the flesh bud disintegrated into dust.
Jotaro pulled the brim of hat down before placing his hands back in his pockets and walking out of the room.
Noriko was in shock but relieved. She sat up as she touched her forehead where the flesh bud was placed.
"He...He saved me..." Noriko thought to herself. She glanced at Jotaro.
"Wh-"
Jotaro heard the girl and turned to the side, waiting to hear what she had to say or ask.
Noriko closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them. "Why?"
"Why did you risk your life to save me after what happened?" She queried as she was about to tear up.
Jotaro doesn't respond for a moment. He turned his back on her and stepped out of the room.
"Who knows? I'm not even sure myself..." He responded as he gazed outside.
Noriko looked down at her legs as tears dropped on to her skirt.
"Thank you, Jojo..."
Unbeknownst to them, Jotaro's mother hid her in the corner outside the room after hearing Noriko.
The blonde woman smiled to herself, "Mama sees right through you, Jotaro."
A few moments later, Jotaro's mother walks into the room with a first aid kit. She treated and patched up Noriko with care as the others stood there.
"And there." The woman said when she finished wrapping a bandage around Noriko's head.
"Thank you so much ma'am."
"You're welcome, dear." The woman said with a pure smile.
"Noriko, wasn't it?" She asked. "You should rest for a while, perhaps even stay in for the night. I can give your parents a call and let them know if you give me their number."
Noriko widened her eyes as she shook her head, "N-No! I mean uh..." She then looked down at the floor. "I don't want them worry. I'll tell them everything tomorrow. I'm sure they'll understand." She gave the woman a genuine smile at the end.
"Well, okay then," The blonde woman returned the smile and turned at her father.
"Papa, why don't you get her futon ready?"
Joseph frowned as he uncrossed his arms, "Eh? Why do I have to do that?! I don't even like the idea of sleeping on the floor!" He vented out as he smacked the floor.
"Holly, replace the futon in my room with a real bed!" Joseph requested.
"Sorry, Papa, this is Japan, you're going to get used to the Japanese way of doing things." Holly told the elder Joestar.
"Oh, and please call me Seiko." She added.
"What?!"
"Holly comes from the word Holy, which is Seinaru in Japanese." Holly than clapped her hands together joyfully. "So all my friends call me Seiko." She chuckled.
"What the hell is that?! Holly is a beautiful name I gave you-"
Holly looked away from her enraged father, "If you don't call me Seiko from now on, I won't answer..."
Joseph smacked his hands against the floor. "Holly!"
Holly then turned to Noriko with a smile, "Does it hurt, Noriko?"
"Holly!"
Noriko nodded. "No, it doesn't. I'm fine."
"Holly!"
Jotaro pulled the brim of his hat, shadowing his eyes as he stepped out of the room, not wanting to hear his mother and grandfather argue.
Noriko felt awkward by being in the room with both the father and daughter as they continued to dispute.
"All right, Noriko, take off your uniform." Holly told the girl.
"Holly!"
Noriko became flustered, her cheeks blushing madly. "E-Eh?!"
"Holly!"
"But first the men in here will have to leave. Papa, Avdol, please excuse me and Noriko as I help her take off her uniform." Holly demanded as she shooed both men away.
"Holly!"
Holly then closes the shoji from the room as her father continued calling out her name.
The Next Morning...
Jotaro opened the shoji from the front of the house and stepped out as he held his school bag.
He took a deep breath and exhaled, "I'm definitely going to go to school today." Jotaro noticed something wasn't right and looked behind him. "That's odd..."
"Here's your goodbye kiss," Holly kissed her son's cheek.
"That's how it's usually plays out... " Jotaro thought to himself as he went back inside the house.
Noriko searched around the house trying to find Holly. She wanted to thank her for letting her stay for the night in one of the guest rooms and borrow some pajamas. She also hasn't seen Joseph nor Avdol, but she had heard Joseph calling out for his daughter which caused her to wake up. And Noriko assumed Jotaro was already on his way to school.
Going down the hall, Noriko heard a conversation in one of the rooms nearby. She heard, Joseph, Avdol, and … Jotaro?
"What's Jotaro still doing here?"
Noriko wondered as she walked closer to the room but instead of walking into the room, she remained outside hidden in the corner of the hall.
"No matter how many times I try, he's always hiding in the darkness." Joseph said as he looked at the spirit photos and randomly picks one.
"Every spirit photo I have taken, the background is darkness!"
Avdol grabs a random photo as he observes the image.
"Sadly, I cannot find him in any of my spirit photos…" Joseph said he placed down the photo.
"We used various means to analyze them, but with this darkness, it's always failed." Avdol stated.
"Then you should've told me that in the first place." Jotaro said as he approached between Joseph and Avdol.
He grabs the photo, "I might be able to find out where that darkness or whatever is!"
Noriko doesn't hear them for a moment until the fortune-teller shouted.
"A fly! A fly was in that space!"
"But a fly won't help us at all-"
"Wait a moment! I've seen this fly before!" Avdol cut Joseph off.
"What?!"
"Jojo, do you have an encyclopedia?" Avdol asked urgently.
"We've got a library."
"I'll take the memo," Avdol ran up to the shoji and opened it, "And I'll go investigate!" He said as he rushed to the library.
Before Noriko could move from her spot, she heard a woman groaned.
"Holly..." Joseph said as he crouched to his daughter.
"Papa, I..."
"Just rest Holly," Joseph suggested. "Jotaro, get her some water."
The delinquent doesn't respond as he leaves the room. Noriko watched Jotaro leave and she turned around.
"What the hell is going on? It sounded like if they were searching for Dio's whereabouts. But it also seemed like Miss Holly isn't feeling well..."
Avdol frantically searched in the books of the library. He heard the soft footsteps of Noriko.
"I see you're doing remarkably well."
Noriko shook her head quietly.
"I don't want to sound rude but I'm quite busy at the moment." Avdol said he closed the book he had in hand, placing it on the stacks of book he placed on the floor.
Noriko cleared her throat, "I wanted to ask what's going on, I'm confused on what's happening."
Avdol's eyelids lowered and sighed, "Jotaro and Mr. Joestar were relieved that Miss Holly wasn't affected from Dio's curse but were wrong. She developed a Stand but is going against her, is slowly going to kill her."
Noriko's eyes widened in shock, "Kill her? Are you telling me her Stand is killing her? Is it even possible for your own Stand to kill you?"
Avdol nodded, "In the past, I've encountered many people that suffer that fate."
Noriko looked down at the floor, saddened.
"Right now, her Stand is on her back," Avdol informed as he grabbed another book. "but soon that Stand will start growing like a fern, it will slowly bind her entire body. She will suffer high fevers and other various illnesses, fall into a coma which she'll never awaken from and die."
"Poor Miss Holly..." Noriko thought to herself.
"A normal human would die of something unseen and unknown and no skilled doctor would be able to treat them." He added as he closes the book, placing it on the floor.
"Nobody, not you nor I can do anything about it."
Noriko closed her eyes. "So, there's no-"
"But there is still hope."
Noriko instinctively looked up at Avdol.
Avdol reached out for another book, "It would take fifty-days for her to reach that state." He said as he opened the book, flipping through the pages.
"What will you need to do to save her?" Noriko queried.
"We need to find and kill Dio before fifty-days." Avdol responded. "If we can destroy the connections to Dio's Stand, we will be able to save her!"
Noriko entered the room where Jotaro, Joseph and Holly were in, but when she walked in, Holly had lost consciousness again.
"Miss Holly!"
"H-Holly!"
Noriko ran up to the middle-aged woman and kneeled down next to her. Joseph placed his hand on his daughter's forehead.
"Sh-She lost consciousness again..." Joseph's voice slightly cracked.
"The way she acted just now confirms it." Joseph said.
Noriko glanced at Joseph, "What do you mean, Mr. Joestar?"
"She's acting all cheerful even though she's burning up." Joseph brushed his fingers on Holly's hair. "Though she hasn't said anything, my daughter is aware of her Stand."
"She was actually trying to hide her Stand from us. She didn't want any of us to worry about her. That's what kind of person my daughter is..."
Jotaro had his fists clutched tightly, even though he didn't show it, it was clear he was worried sick about his mother.
"Mr. Joestar, I've found it...about the fly." Avdol said, walking into the room with a book.
Everyone immediately turned their heads at Avdol.
Avdol placed the book on the table and opened it, showing everyone the page of the fly he was looking for.
"This, right here." He pointed at the fly called, Nile Ue Ue Fly.
The Nile Ue Ue Fly dwells only within the Nile River Basin. The ones with stripes on their legs are known as Aswan Ue Ue Flies.
"So it's in Egypt!" Joseph exclaimed.
"And it's narrowed down to the Aswan area." Avdol stated. "Dio is there!"
Noriko crossed her arms, "So my assumptions were correct."
"Hm? What do you mean, Noriko?" Joseph queried.
"The flesh bud was planted on my brain three months ago." She stated. "My family and I had went on vacation in Egypt to visit the Nile River. While I was there, I met Dio."
"You were in Egypt as well?" Avdol questioned.
Noriko's long twisted bang on the side bounced with her nod.
"If so, then for some reason Dio doesn't want to leave Egypt."
"When do you plan on going?" Noriko queried as she uncrossed her arms and placed a hand on her chest, "I'll go along with you guys."
Jotaro looked at Noriko confused, "Why do you want to come with us?"
Noriko glanced at Jotaro and smiled, "Actually, about that..." She closed her eyes as she lowered her head. "I'm not sure myself why I want to join you either, Jojo." She reopened her eyes.
"Tch." Jotaro turned his head to the side.
"I've regained my senses because of you." Noriko said genuinely as she tapped her forehead where the flesh bud was once there. "That's all..."
Joseph and Avdol smiled as Joseph walked over to his daughter.
The elder Joestar kneeled down close to his daughter's face.
"Holly...We're going to save you, no matter what." He touched the side of Holly's face.
"Don't worry." He assured her.
"Miss Holly is a woman who can calm the hearts of others." Noriko remarked. "When she's around people, they feel at ease."
"Indeed." Avdol affirmed.
Joseph got up from the floor and glanced at everyone.
"Since there's no time, we're leaving immediately! I'll call the Speedwagon Foundation doctors." Joseph said as he rushed out the room.
Joseph explained to everyone that the Speedwagon Foundation Doctors can be trusted. They will take care of Holly around the clock while they're on their way to Egypt. Avdol named Jotaro's Stand, Star Platinum, after randomly picking a card from The Tarot.
Name: Kujo, Jotaro
Stand: Star Platinum
Powers: Precise Movement and Splendid Strength
Name: Kakyoin, Noriko
Stand: Hierophant Green
Powers: Long distance manipulation and Emerald Splash
Name: Joseph Joestar
Stand: Hermit Purple
Powers: Spirit Photos
Name: Muhammad, Avdol
Stand: Magician's Red
Powers: Fire and Heat
"All right, we're off to Egypt!"
Egypt
Purple vines appeared on a muscular arm and crushed a camera that was set on the table. A photo ejects out of the broken object as the man grabs it and waits for the image to appear.
"Just as I anticipated..." He said.
"They figured out where I am."
The image showed the sleeping quadruple Crusaders in the plane.
"Jotaro and Joseph..." He hissed.
"Don't you worry my lord," An elderly woman assured as she approached the man with a cane in hand. "I've already sent out someone to kill them if Noriko failed."
"He specializes in making everything look like an accident..." The woman hysterically laughed.
To be continued...