Hello and welcome back to another chapter ～('▽^人)!
I apologize for the long delay, I have been updating the story on AO3 every week and I kinda forgot about updating it here on FanFic, Sorry! (ﾉД`)
The Sun
With Steely Dan finally defeated and saving Joseph on time, the Crusaders got their wounds treated and checked in at a hotel to rest for the remainder of the day. The next day, to avoid the politically unstable route from Iran to Iraq, they crossed the Arabian Sea from Karachi to the United Arab Emirates.
They made a stop at a dealership and Joseph signed a contract to purchase a high end vehicle.
While Jotaro and Noriko waited for Polnareff and Joseph, Noriko kept looking around, sensing something was strange. Her attention immediately turned to Polnareff and Joseph.
"I have one question, Mr. Joestar." Polnareff said. "Why are we taking such an expensive car through the desert? Wouldn't it be better to use an off-road vehicle instead?
Joseph stopped and glanced at everyone with a smirk, "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough." He then tosses the keys to Polnareff.
"Let's go."
The Crusaders hit the road in their new fancy vehicle. Joseph and Polnareff sat in the front while the high school students sat in the back.
"Honestly this country is so amazing!" Polnareff exclaimed while driving the vehicle. "Every house is practically a mansion."
"Indeed," Joseph agreed while looking at the map. "Houses like these would cost around anywhere between three to four billion yen in Tokyo." He looked up at the passing mansions. "It's not that unusual here, though. Twenty years ago this place was deserted but thanks to massive profits from the oil crisis, this place grew into a dream-like city."
"It may be hot outside, but with air conditioning, it's really comfortable here." Polnareff stated. "So I really can't complain."
The Frenchman glanced at the rear-view mirror and noticed Noriko looked troubled and was glancing behind the car.
"What's wrong, Noriko?" Jotaro asked the red-haired girl, who also noticed her sudden change of demeanor.
"I-It's nothing." Noriko replied with an assuring smile. "I'm just enjoying the view of this beautiful place. This place is so wide open that it'll be easy to spot anyone who's following us. But… I just can't seem to shake the feeling that someone's watching us, so I can't help looking back."
"Yeah, I can't blame you." Polnareff said. "I feel the same way. With all these different Stand users attacking one after another, you kinda have to keep your guard up constantly."
"Anyway," Joseph said while looking at the map. "As for the route we'll take…" He then pointed at a location on the map. "Yarpline is about one-hundred kilometers northwest from here but because of the mountains and desert, the road curves a lot. Since it's a two-day trip by car, the villagers usually take a Cessna to travel through. I think we should go to the village first, buy a Cessna, then use it to fly across the Saudi Arabian desert. Our travel will be shortened by a lot and we won't have to worry about putting innocent lives at risk since we'll be the only people on the plane."
"I apologize for interrupting, Mr. Joestar, but who's going to pilot the Cessna?" Noriko nervously asked, hoping it wasn't going to be him.
"I am!" Joseph cheerfully answered.
Noriko wasn't happy about this and neither was Jotaro. The delinquent's expression darkened and leaned back against his seat.
"I really don't wanna board on a Cessna with someone who's been through three plane crashes." Jotaro said.
Noriko chuckled under her breath while Joseph frowned at his grandson.
Clearing his throat, Joseph looked back at the map. "Well, anyway, our first order of business is crossing the desert to reach Yarpline. It should take a day by camel."
Both Noriko and Polnareff gasped in shock.
"Camels?!" Polnareff shouted, not happy with the suggestions. "H-Hey, a Cessna is one thing but I've never even ridden a camel before, Mr. Joestar!"
"Mr. Joestar, are you sure about this?" Noriko asked.
"Actually it would be better than being in a plane…" She thought.
Joseph chuckled and crossed his arms on his chest, "Just leave it all to me. I know what I'm doing and I'll teach all of you how to ride a camel. Just sit back and relax."
They parked in front of a place that was selling camels. Stepping out the vehicle, the Crusaders followed Joseph and began speaking with a short-middle aged man.
"You want camels?" The seller asked Joseph. "Sure but they're pretty expensive and they're a pain to be taken care of."
"We're in a life-or-death situation, we'll take them at any cost." Joseph explained with a smile on his face. "As for payment, will you take this car?" He pointed at the high-end vehicle behind them with his thumb.
The rest of the group, even the seller, all gasped in shock by the proposal.
"WHAT?!"
"B-But sir! That's too far!" The seller said.
"He's right Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff protested. "You just bought that damn thing!"
"Are you sure about this, Mr. Joestar?" Noriko asked.
Joseph only smirked with his arms crossed, "Hmph! Why else would we buy such a fancy car? It's true that an off-road vehicle would be better for desert travel. However, nobody here would accept a check if we tried to buy something here, and they wouldn't take cash either. In a place like this, trading is far for effective." He explained.
Polnareff stood there dumbfounded by the explanation as if Joseph was crazy from the choice he's making. Noriko placed a hand under her chin but felt the strange feeling of being watched and looked behind. Nothing was there again.
"If you try to buy cheap safety during an emergency, you only put yourself at risk." Joseph continued. "Plus, I think we've all suffered enough already." He then turned to the seller and grabbed his hand with a smile on his face.
"Mister, it's a deal! Right?" He shook his hand.
"Umm...yes." The seller said.
"Oh, I know. To make this more of a fair trade, I want those tanks filled up with water." Joseph pointed at the two water tanks next to the large tent. "In the desert, there's nothing more important than water."
"A little water is nothing compared to that car, sir." The middle-aged man said. "But seriously, you are one strange fella.
Joseph chuckled, "All right, everyone! Let's get ready! Crossing the desert is no small feat! Let's keep our wits about us!"
Polnareff approached one of the camels a bit too close to it only for it to huff its breath directly to the Frenchman's face. The smell was so strong and awful that Polnareff let out a small cry before covering his nose.
He pulled out a small can of air freshener and sprayed it towards the camel. "I-It stinks! Hey, Mr. Joestar!" He calls out the elder Joestar. "How the hell do we get on?! This damn thing is three meters tall!"
"Well, you see, to get on a camel…" Joseph approaches one of the camels and grabs the reins, the camel immediately growls.
"All you have to do is make it sit down then hop on." He tugged the reins down, to make the camel sit but it refused and only growled at him.
He pulled a little harder and it wasn't working. He then used his free hand to use both hands to pull the reins much harder than before. He gave the three Crusaders a nervous smile.
"All you have to do is make it sit then hop on…" He repeated with a grunt as he kept pulling but the camel still didn't budge. "You make it sit and hop on!"
Joseph then began trying to climb up on the camel. "J-Just give me a second! It'll sit down any second now! S-Sit down! Sit down you stubborn animal!"
The elder Joestar grew more desperate while receiving judging stares from the rest of the group.
"H-Hey, Mr. Joestar, you have ridden a camel before, right?" Polnareff queried.
"I've watched that movie, Lawrence of Arabia, three times before!" Joseph answered while struggling with the camel. "I'm sure that qualifies me to ride a camel! Although I did sleep through half the movie two times already."
Polnareff widened his eyes, "A-A movie?!" He cried out. "Are you serious?! You've never ridden a camel before!"
The camel then spat on Joseph's face, saliva trailing down his face.
"It's great as a sunscreen, didn't you know?" Joseph said, shrugging it off with a laugh.
The rest of the group only sighed.
Joseph got off the camel and walked over to a bag. "Listen up!" He looked through the bag. "When dealing with animals, the most important thing is how they feel." He pulled out an apple from the bag. "Exactly how they feel!" He approached the camel once again, waving the fruit at it.
"Here, doesn't this look delicious? It's so good! Come on, come on…" Joseph was successful in making the camel sit down. "Good boy!" He praised the camel.
Feeling proud of himself, he immediately stood up from the ground. "You see! It sat down! Once you take your time to understand your camel, it'll sit down for you!" He laughed with a huge grin on his face.
Getting on the camel, the camel stood up once it finished eating.
"Ooh yeeaaah! I did it!" He cheered, sounding like a small child. "Woah! Look! It's so high up!"
"Now listen up! Camels can close their nostrils to keep the sand out. Just don't make any stupid jokes like, 'Once you get over the hump, it's easy' , or they'll buck you off!" Joseph said then cleared his throat. "Alright, now I'll tell you something to keep in mind while riding a camel. Camels don't walk like horses. The front and the back leg from the same side move forward together, which makes them sway. It's pretty easy, just ride with the rhythm. Like this!"
The camel let out another growl and moved faster than Joseph thought. After attempting to control the camel and being thrown off from it, he managed to tame the animal. Following the instructions Joseph had said earlier, the rest of the group were successful on the first try to get the camel to sit and hop on. They also tied palm trees on the tails of the camels.
Clearing his throat once again and covered with bandages after Noriko treated his wounds from being thrown off the camel, Joseph looked at everyone.
"Great! Everyone hopped on smoothly as planned." Joseph said then a smile appeared on his face. "Now let's cross this damn desert! Onward towards the northwest!" He pointed in to the side.
However the camels seemed to have a different idea as all four of them went in different directions.
"H-Hey, hey, hey!" Joseph shouted in a panic.
The Crusaders were quietly crossing the desert. Small talks were made every now and then but they mostly remained silent. Noriko gazed up at the sky, noticing it was dark but the sun was still up. She felt the same feeling of being watched again but it was much stronger than before.
Noriko glanced back, "Something's definitely wrong…" She broke the silence. Everyone averted their eyes at the red-haired teen.
"I just can't shake the feeling that we're being watched…"
Polnareff and Jotaro also looked behind but found nothing. Nobody is following them and they were way too far from the village they were in earlier.
"Noriko, don't you think you're worrying a bit too much?" Polnareff asked the teen. "We are swiping our tracks with palm trees and we can see clearly for kilometers around us. We would've been able to spot them if they were following us." He assured her.
"Maybe, but I've also been sensing that we're being watched." Jotaro spoke up.
"Jotaro, look around a bit." Joseph said and handed his grandson the binoculars.
Using Star Platinum's enhanced vision, he surveyed the area. There was nothing out of the ordinary but something was still off.
"Did you see anything suspicious?" Joseph asked.
Putting the binoculars down, Jotaro narrowed his eyes. "No." He simply answered. "I don't see anything, but...something's weird."
Polnareff began taking a few gulps from his water canteen, feeling warm from the sun. "H-Hey, let's move on." He insisted.
Joseph nodded, "We'll go as far as we can, once the sun sets, we'll stop and set up a camp for the night. It's too dangerous to travel at night in the desert."
"Jesus, it's so damn hot!" Polnareff whined, waving his hand in front of him, a poor attempt to cool off. "Look!" He pulls out his thermometer. "It's fifty-degrees Celsius!"
"It is hot but I assume it is always hot around this time of the day…" Joseph takes out his pocket watch and checks the time. Seeing the time, his eyes widened in shock.
"What?! Eight o' clock?!" He turns his attention to his grandson. "Jotaro, what's the time on your watch?"
"Ten after ei-?!" Jotaro gasped and looked back at his grandfather. "Hey gramps!"
"So it's true…" Joseph put away his pocket watch. "We lost track of time but how is this possible?! It's past eight… So why is the sun still up?!"
"I-Impossible!" Polnareff said while looking at his thermometer. "It just jumped to sixty-degrees Celsius just now!"
They all turned their heads at the sun and widened their eyes in horror as they saw it slowly ascend higher instead of descending. It was much brighter than before and also too close.
"N-No way! Not only is it not going down…" Noriko trailed off, she was so in shock that she couldn't finish her sentence.
"It's rising higher and higher in the west!" Polnareff finished her sentence.
"Could it be…"
"That the Sun is a Stand?!" Jotaro pointed out as they stared at the fiery-burning ball.
"I-I can't believe it!" Joseph said. "We're in the middle of a damn desert!" He turned his head at the rest of the group.
"Everyone, hide behind some rocks!" He ordered.
They all jumped off from their camels and ran behind a giant rock.
"So that sun is a Stand?!" Polnareff asked, his back pressed against the rocks. "We were careless, I didn't even realize…"
"I had a feeling we were being watched but I wasn't able to see it…" Noriko stated. She was practically mad at herself not realizing this sooner and they wouldn't be in this predicament.
"At this rate, all day….No, all night! That Stand is planning on boiling us overnight like octopuses and kill us!" Polnareff said.
"No, it'll be shorter than that." Joseph said. "Even in a sauna it's dangerous if you're in there for more than thirty minutes."
"Damn it! How the hell do we fight it?!" Polnareff takes out his thermometer once again. "Fuck! It's now seventy degrees Celsius! Not to mention, we can't even tell if the Stand is close or far away! The distance is impossible to judge!"
"The quickest way to settle this is by taking out the user." Jotaro suggested.
"I agree with JoJo. Whoever is the user must be nearby." Noriko said and peeked over the rocks. "The user must've hidden their presence from us even since we arrived to Saudi Arabia." She looked away and was now panting and sweating all over.
"We have to find them." Joseph insisted.
"W-Wait a minute, Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff protested. "What if it's like The Lovers?! A Stand that can be remotely controlled?"
"It can't be." Joseph told the Frenchman. "Weak Stands can be controlled from a distance but...the energy the sun is giving off is anything but that. The user is definitely close by!"
The sun 's heat became more intense, plants dried within seconds, small living things such as scorpions disintegrated immediately and the camels began to pass out from overheating.
"This is bad, the camels are already collapsing from the heat." Jotaro pointed out.
Her small delicate hands formed into a fist, Noriko rose up from her spot. "If we just stay here it won't do us any good. I'll use my Hierophant Green to look around." She stated.
"But Noriko!" Joseph protested, filled with concern.
Noriko looked at Joseph, her face filled with determination and her brows furrowed. "I'll be able to find out the enemy's location once I know how far away his Stand is."
Hierophant Green manifested in front of Noriko. Her Stand began moving towards the sun while she counted the distance.
"Twenty meters… Forty meters… Sixty meters… Eighty meters… One hundred-…" Noriko widened her eyes as she let out a gasp when the sun flashed. She sensed something was wrong but she wasn't going to bring her Stand back just yet.
"Noriko something's wrong!" Jotaro warned. "You need to recall your Stand now!"
"Look! There's something coming right at us!" Polnareff pointed at the sun.
"Tch!" Noriko frowned. "Before that happens…. Emerald-GYAH!"
Her words were immediately cut short while in the middle of her Emerald Splash attack. The sun shot out rays of energy all over the place but since Hierophant Green was in front of it, the Stand took a direct hit. It pierced not only the Stand but also Noriko all over her body.
Hierophant Green vanished while Noriko fell onto her knees.
"Noriko!" Jotaro cried out as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him.
Blood was transferring onto the delinquent's clothes but he didn't care, all he wanted to do right now was beat the shit out of the enemy for harming Noriko and protecting her from any further harm.
The attack didn't stop, the lasers pierced through the rocks and even melted them. It even struck one of the camels, killing it.
"The camels!" Joseph shouted.
"Damn you, asshole!" Polnareff yelled with his Stand already summoned, deflecting the lasers with its sword.
Star Platinum also appeared above its user. "I'll make a hole in the ground! Everyone get in!" Jotaro stated.
"ORA!"
The warrior-like Stand punches a hole on the ground, creating a small shelter for the Crusaders.
Once inside, they were all panting and sweating. Although they were safe from any incoming attacks, they were now trapped and it was slowly getting more hot from the cramped up space.
Jotaro had Noriko in his arms, her face pressed against his chest. He looked down seeing the pretty face of the red-haired teen. Blood trailed on the sides of her face and had some blood on her arms. He moved some of her long wavy hair out of the way for some air.
"Thanks, JoJo…" Noriko told the delinquent, giving him a weak smile.
Jotaro simply gave her a nod.
"Are you alright, Noriko?" Joseph asked with his head turned to the side to look at Noriko.
Noriko lifted her head up and turned to Joseph. "Yes, Mr. Joestar. I was in the middle of using my Emerald Splash when it attacked. Thankfully that protected me a bit, so I'm not too injured." As much as she wanted to feel comfortable in Jotaro's arms, it was too hot and sweaty.
"This heat is unbearable…" She muttered and placed a hand on the side of her head. "I feel like I'm going to lose it…"
"That attack back there was aimed perfectly…" Polnareff pointed out. "That probably means he's watching us from somewhere! But from where?! Where is that bastard?!"
"You're being too loud, Polnareff." Joseph hushed him in a low tone. "The enemy could find us. Once everyone calms down, we'll see if they try something."
Feeling thirsty, Joseph reached for his canteen only to notice a hole right through it.
"Oh shit!" He then tosses the canteen out in the sand.
A long moment of silence passed as the heat grew worse. Everyone was panting and sweating more than before while they stared outside. Jotaro tried his best to wipe off the sweat off his face so none could fall on Noriko. Noriko began to squirm in Jotaro's arms from the discomfort of the sweat in her clothes and felt her head spinning. She placed a hand on her forehead.
"We can't go on like this…" Joseph thought while looking around. "Come on Joseph, think! This old man still has some fight left in him! But this is really bad, not even my best technique will work! I'll try to get information somehow…" He turned to Jotaro and held out his hand.
"Jotaro, hand me the binoculars."
Once the binoculars were in his hand, he moved a bit forward. Peeking out with the binoculars, surveying the area only for it to be useless when another laser from the sun pierced them in half and melting them.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Joseph yelled in frustration, slamming his fists on the ground. "Where the fuck are you?! How are you watching us?! Are you fucking invisible or something?!"
"Heh…" Noriko suddenly chuckled, making Joseph perk his head up and look back at the red-haired teen who was still in his grandson's arms. She had a grin on her face with her eyes wide open and crazed.
"Heh, heh, hee hee, hee hee hahahaha!" Her chuckle turned into a maniac laugh.
"N-Noriko, what's gotten into you?" Joseph asked, concerned.
She doesn't answer him and kept on laughing, much louder than before.
"Hey, Noriko! Get a hold of yourself!" Joseph said.
To his horror, Jotaro also began laughing along with Noriko then Polnareff joined in on it too. Joseph stared at them with confusion and horror as the three Crusaders laughed together.
"Weehehehahaha!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
"Hehehehahaha!"
"Gyahahahahahah!"
"Oh my god…" Joseph muttered. "They're all losing their minds from the heat! I'm the only sane person left…" He turned to his grandson and grasped his coat's collar.
"Jotaro! Get a grip! Calm the hell down! The only way to get through this is by being calm!" He felt Noriko's delicate hand touch his shoulder.
She was looking up at him with a grin while wiping a tear from her eye from laughing so much. "Don't get the wrong idea, Mr. Joestar." She then moves her hand away from Joseph and points at a rock not too far from them.
"You see that rock over there, Mr. Joestar? Doesn't it look big enough for someone to hide?"
Raising a brow, he looks at the direction Noriko pointed at and sees the rock.
"Huh? What do you mean, Noriko?" Joseph asked.
"Now look at the rock on the other side." Noriko then points her finger at the other rock from the opposite direction.
Still confused, Joseph didn't understand what Noriko was talking about.
"You still don't see it, Mr. Joestar?" Noriko asked the elder Joestar. She then points at the previous rock. "Both of those rocks are shaped exactly the same, but the only difference is that one of them has the shadow reversed, which means…"
Polnareff let out another laugh, "What a fucking dumbass!" He remarked.
Jotaro gently placed Noriko back on the ground and moved towards the front of the cave. "Move." He told his grandfather. "Outta the way, gramps."
"J-Jotaro, it's too dangerous! If you leave now you're just gonna get attacked!" Joseph warned.
Jotaro only sighed as his Stand manifested. Star Platinum picked up a small rock and tossed it at the rock that had a reversed shadow. The rock soon struck something that a hole appeared right above the rock. Pieces of glass fell on the ground and a yelp was also heard.
"A hole appeared in the air!" Joseph pointed out.
"Gimme a break, you're worthless, gramps." Jotaro told his grandfather. "I'm just going to assume the heat fried your brain. Otherwise I would be ashamed of being your grandson."
The sky shifted back into its normal time. It was now dark with the stars and moon shining right above the Crusaders as they stepped out of their cave and felt the cool breeze.
"Since we defeated the user, night has finally begun." Noriko points out with a smile on her face. "Or rather, back to normal."
"Either way, we're now in the clear!" Polnareff cheered.
Jotaro turned to grandfather, who had a dumbfounded look on his face and was still hiding in the cave.
"You wanna live in that fucking hole or what?" He abruptly asked him.
"Oh, r-right…" Joseph stepped out of the cave and rose back up on his feet.
"Good grief… it's finally dark." Jotaro muttered in relief.
They all walked towards the "hole" that Joseph thought appeared in mid-air.
"I-It's a mirror!" Joseph realized.
"Look over here!" Noriko called out everyone as she stood behind the mirror. "Behind the mirror is a machine and our enemy. He was very comfortable here, he even had air conditioning."
The unconscious short man had a giant swollen bump on his head from the rock that struck him.
"Oh I see! He was reflecting an image of the desert landscape while tailing us. No wonder we didn't see him." Polnareff said.
"He also has a water tank." Jotaro noticed. "We'll gladly take that from his hands since he won't need it."
"Oh look, a drink!" Polnareff picked up the drink and brought it towards his lips.
Meanwhile Joseph stood there, still processing everything that's been happening for the past few minutes.
"Wait, so… does that mean it's finally over?" Joseph asked and pointed at the unconscious man on the ground. "We never even knew his name yet we somehow defeated his Stand?!"
"That sounds about right, Mr. Joestar." Noriko simply answered.
They all approached the remaining camels that survived.
"So the Stand of The Sun card, huh? He's a strong enemy but once you figure out his Stand, he's just another fucking dumbass." Jotaro remarked.
"We should move on to our next location." Noriko insisted. "The desert can get pretty chilly at night, doesn't it?" She slightly shivered from the cold breeze.
"W-Wait a minute! It's dangerous to travel at night!" Joseph protested. "Let's just camp out here for the night!"
"We've defeated the enemy, so now it's sweet dreams for us-ACHOO!"
The rest of the group laughed before Noriko turned to Joseph.
"Mr. Joestar, as much as we want to rest, we've already lost a lot of time. Why not proceed as much as we can before we sleep for the night?" Noriko suggested.
Joseph hesitated for a moment before giving her a simple nod of agreement. Since there were only two camels left instead of four, Noriko decided to ride with Jotaro instead with Polnareff.
While Joseph and Polnareff were getting on their camel, Noriko was shivering like crazy and her teeth were chattering. She wanted to scold herself for not bringing her scarf or switching to a long-sleeve prior. She then felt something warm placed on her shoulders.
It was Jotaro's jacket. Just like last time in Varanasi, Jotaro had done the same thing when they were about to leave the city.
She turned her head to look at him only to find Jotaro already sitting on the camel, "Come on." He held out his hand.
Noriko stared at him for a moment as the moon and stars illuminated behind the delinquent. She could see the outline of his chiseled physique without his jacket. His well-toned muscles of his arms and chest, the lines of abs that could be seen through his shirt. She almost wanted to touch him and trace his muscles while her heart paced.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks from that thought and lightly shook her head. She almost forgot that he was waiting for her to grab his hand while she had just stood staring at him. She grabbed his hand and got on the camel, sitting behind Jotaro. Noriko wrapped her arms around the delinquent's torso with a small smile on her face. Her face pressed against his broad back but before she could relax and have a small nap, she remembered that earlier Jotaro was trying to help her when she got wounded from the enemy and held her in his arms protecting her.
She remembered she thanked him but she wanted to give him a small reward. Leaning forward, she gave Jotaro a peck on his cheek.
Catching the delinquent off guard, his cheeks turned pink. He turned his head to the side, almost wanting to look at her but also trying to hide the blush with his hat.
"It's for helping me earlier, thank you, JoJo." And with that she closed her eyes, falling into a slumber snuggling him.
Jotaro looked forward with a smirk on his face.
Up ahead, Joseph had been peeking with his head barely turned to the side from the corner of his eye. He and Polnareff were already ahead but he wanted to know what the teens were up to. He had caught Noriko giving Jotaro a peck and Jotaro being sweet and gentle with her.
He smirked at the two teens, almost wanting to tease the two. He then turned his head forward and they continued their journey through the desert.
To Be Continued….
Our Noriko gives JoJo a kiss on the cheek, whaaaaaat?! ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ
Super cute, isn't it (｡- ω -)?
I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter! Cya in the next one ～('▽^人)