Another N'Doul centric commission fic for Schadenfredde! A lot of the headcanons I used in this story came from Fredde and I had a lot of fun playing around with them (Please go check out his fics on Ao3)

This is set in an AU where N'Doul joins up with the Crusaders, and this story is a different version of the Alessi episode so we get Kid Jotaro and Kid N'Doul ^_^

Alone Together

A JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Fanfic

After joining up with the Crusaders, N'Doul finds himself on the wrong side of Alessi. Now turned into a child, N'Doul has to figure out where he is and how to get somewhere he recognizes. Luckily, he seems to have found a new friend in a quiet boy who seems just as lost and out of place as he is.

"I'm gonna look down this way."

N'Doul turned his head in Jotaro's direction and nodded. "I'll stay here in case anyone comes this way."

He listened to the sound of Jotaro's footsteps departing and then settled with his back against the nearby wall, listening to the surroundings. They were still on their way to Dio's hiding place, and suspected that another one of his Stand users might be after them. N'Doul wasn't sure who it would be this time, but thinking of the few that they hadn't gone up against yet did fill him with anxiety. He knew the Joestar party was full of strong Stand users, but he was also well aware of what Dio's hand-picked soldiers were capable of, and therefore it was not a bad thing to be cautious.

N'Doul noted the steady flow of the people moving past on the street—footsteps and general chatter, the whirring sound of bicycle tires, food carts calling out their goods.

But then, N'Doul caught the sound of something else, filtering through all the other normal sounds of a bustling city day.

Bells.

Light, tinkling bells like the kind someone would put on a cat's collar. But these, N'Doul was sure were moving with the gait of a human.

He crouched, walking stick in hand as he lowered his ear to it, listening to the vibrations through the ground, aided by Geb. He could distinctly hear footfalls of a man walking in his direction, the bells tinkling in time with his steps.

A vague memory tickled the back of N'Doul's mind, but he couldn't quite place it. Still, the sound made him wary, and he was suddenly very aware that he was alone here.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to find Jotaro.

Before he could make his way in the direction his companion had gone, however, a voice stopped him, the tinkle of bells only a few feet behind him now.

"Fancy seeing a familiar face here."

N'Doul whipped around, reaching for the canteen at his belt as he tried to place the man.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

He could almost feel the man grinning. "Me? Oh, no one you have to worry about. You're N'Doul right? The traitor who ran off and joined Lord Dio's enemies?"

N'Doul felt his heartbeat pick up as he worked his thumb against the canteen. He recalled the bells then, the sound of them belonged to a Stand user named Alessi. Aside from that, he didn't know much about him. The man had only joined shortly before N'Doul had left and they had only met each other in passing on a couple occasions.

"I wouldn't bother, you'll have no hope of evading my attack."

N'Doul could feel Alessi's Stand power activate, but he couldn't tell where it was. It was strange, he could usually sense the shape of a Stand even though it wasn't physical. This one, however…

"Geb!" N'Doul cried as his Stand shot out of the canteen and toward the spot he had last heard Alessi.

But all he heard now was a chuckle and retreating feet. "Catch me if you can."

The taunting man ran off, and N'Doul dashed recklessly after him, running into several people on the street in his mad dash, resulting in curses and angry shouting thrown his way, but he was determined to catch Alessi before the man got away.

He felt like he was running slower and slower until it felt like he was almost sinking into the ground. Something tangled around his legs, tripping him. He gripped his cane for support but was shocked to find that it had gotten…taller?

Confused and disoriented, N'Doul cast around, trying to find anything to anchor himself to, figure out where he was and what might be happening.

"Hey, watch out, kid!"

Kid?

N'Doul was hit from behind and he fell. His head struck something hard and then everything faded to black.

N'Doul woke slowly, disoriented. His head ached, and he pressed a hand to his forehead cautiously, feeling a swollen lump there. What had happened? Had someone hit him, or had he fallen?

He groped around, reaching for the stick he usually carried with him and felt something, but it was not familiar. He picked it up anyway and used it to pull himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as his head ached so much he felt woozy.

As N'Doul took stock of himself, he realized that everything somehow seemed off. Not only was the stick he had found taller and definitely not his normal one, but his clothes were so baggy they were almost falling off of him. He quickly tied them up, wondering if someone had robbed him and switched clothes with him while he was unconscious. He didn't know why anyone would want those old rags, but stranger things had happened on the streets.

Regardless, N'Doul just wanted to get back to his shelter and hide away until he felt better. He just had to figure out where he was first.

He felt around, using the unfamiliar stick and his free hand, but after some searching he found nothing recognizable at all. He tried to stumble around as well as he could, disoriented, and head aching, but the more he searched the more he was sure he wasn't anywhere he recognized. In fact, even the sounds around him were different. Streets moving from different directions, no recognizable voices from shopkeepers, it was all foreign to him.

A sudden feeling of panic arose as N'Doul pressed himself back against a wall and slowly made his way back down an empty alley. What had happened to him and why couldn't he remember? Had he been taken somewhere else? And if so, by who, and for what reason? They obviously hadn't thought he was worth keeping around, so what was the point of dragging him somewhere else? Unless it was just to mess with him, but N'Doul didn't think he was worth even that much trouble to anyone.

His hand suddenly went to his belt as it always did when he was nervous, and he was relieved to feel the familiar shape of his canteen there. He cracked it open slightly and could feel Geb taking form inside, a comforting presence.

"Where are we, Geb?" N'Doul murmured quietly.

Sometimes he was able to use the being to track moment on the street from puddles and other collected water if Geb went into them. But he didn't know what good that would do here. N'Doul was alone, he was always alone, and he was undeniably lost, and he had no idea what he was going to do.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?"

N'Doul jumped at the voice, turning in that direction, wary.

There was a gasp. "Woah, his eyes are real freaky!" a different voice hissed.

"Yeah, they are," then louder to address N'Doul. "You blind or something?"

N'Doul stiffened, annoyed, but refused to let them make him feel self-conscious. The voices had a youthful tone to them. N'Doul felt they were probably around his age or a little older, but that didn't mean he trusted them. He knew better than that.

Footsteps approached him and before he could duck away, a hand grabbed the front of his shirt and shook him firmly. "Hey—you lost your tongue too? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I don't know," N'Doul said quietly.

"What do you mean you don't know? Anyone who shows up around here on my streets pays me a toll—so what do you have for me, huh? Got anything good on you?"

The hands started searching his clothes, and N'Doul tried to pull away. "Let go of me!" he snapped, yanking away from the grasp. He tripped over the baggy clothes and unfamiliar stick, however, and it fell from his hands, hitting the ground with a clatter.

He was yanked away from the wall and thrown to the ground. N'Doul's knees and elbows hit the street hard and approaching footsteps told him he was being surrounded. Four…five…six figures standing around him.

N'Doul knew he was in trouble. He had gotten good at evading people who would cause him trouble, made sure he stayed out of their way so they would have no reason to bother him but now, lost as he was, he had no idea where he was or who was around, and it seems he'd accidently found himself in the territory of a street gang.

"I'll give you one last chance to hand over a toll before we take it out of your hide!" one of the boys said and N'Doul could practically hear the cruel, eager smirk that undoubtedly stretched across his face.

"I don't have anything," N'Doul protested. "I'd be happy to leave if one of you will tell me where I am."

A foot connected with his ribs and N'Doul collapsed on his side with a sharp cry.

"Playing dumb, huh? That ain't gonna get you nowhere, blind boy!"

N'Doul could feel them pressing in closer, fists clenching and feet ready to strike. His hand shook as he reached for his canteen, trying to unscrew the top. He might be able to scare them away with Geb, or at least use his power as a distraction to get out of there. He didn't know where he would go, but he wasn't going to give up without a fight.

But someone slammed their foot down on his hand and he cried out, hearing the shoe kick his canteen away, the dented metal skidding across the pavement.

"Teach him a lesson!" the boy who was presumably the leader of the gang said darkly.

Hands grabbed N'Doul and pressed in close as he fought against the rising panic.

"Get off him!"

"The hell—agh!"

N'Doul heard a dull thud and a cry of pain from one of his assailants. One set of hands released him as more sounds of struggling could be heard, followed by more grunts of pain.

"Who is this kid?! Come on, get him!"

N'Doul took the moment to reach for his canteen, finally getting the cap off and sent Geb out toward his assailants in a sharp spray of water.

More cries sounded out as they were pelted with the painfully hard drops, and finally the sounds of retreat were heard.

"Forget them, those kids aren't worth it!"

"Let's get out of here!"

Footsteps sounded further away and N'Doul was panting, slumped against the wall of the alley, trying to stop his heart from beating so fast.

He'd nearly forgotten there was another person there, but he heard the sudden shift of feet, the hesitant movement toward him.

"Hey, um…are you all right?"

N'Doul turned his head upward toward his apparent savior, wary. "What do you want?" he demanded. "Why did you step in and save me like that?"

"Would you rather I'd let them beat you up?" the figure said. He also sounded young, probably no older than N'Doul. "Good grief. I just hate bullies. They're good for nothing."

N'Doul couldn't disagree with that. He still wasn't sure he could trust this stranger, but maybe he could at least get some directions. He started to get up, when he heard the feet shuffle closer to him.

"Here, I'll help you up. You just have to reach out."

N'Doul froze, then hesitantly reached out a hand. Another hand, around his size, wrapped around his and tugged him up onto his feet with surprising strength. He was even more surprised to find his stick pressed into his hand as the other boy released him.

"Here. I found this over there—er—at the end of the street."

"Thank you," N'Doul muttered, clutching the stick tightly in his hands. "But you know I don't have anything to repay you with, right?"

"I told you, I don't need anything for saving you—I just hate bullies," the boy said, then paused for a moment before he added. "Well…I guess you could do one thing for me. Can you tell me where I am?"

N'Doul turned toward the other boy in surprise. Was he also lost? What a strange coincidence that they would run into each other.

"I'm sorry," he said, and was genuinely sorry this time. "I'd help you, but…I don't know where we are either."

"Oh," the other boy said, sounding disappointed but also like he was trying to hold back emotions. "I'm sorry you're lost too, then. Are you parents looking for you?"

"I don't have any parents," N'Doul replied quickly, uncomfortable with the topic as he clutched his stick with one hand and set his other over top of the canteen, Geb's presence making him feel better."

"I'm sorry." The other boy sounded genuinely sincere and thankfully, he didn't ask any more questions.

Then N'Doul realized, "Are your parents looking for you?" Even though there was no way N'Doul could allow himself to be seen by any adults, maybe there was a chance he could find out where he was at least.

"Well…my dad is on a trip right now," the other boy said. "But, I'm sure my mom is looking for me. And maybe… my grandpa too. I'm sure he was with us but…I don't really remember much about what happened or how I got here. I just knew that a man was chasing me and I ran and ran until I lost him. That was when I saw you being attacked and thought you looked like you needed some help."

N'Doul furrowed his brow in sudden thought. This other boy couldn't remember what he had been doing before he got lost either? Was there some kind of connection between what had happened to them?

"If we're both lost, it's probably better we stay together," the other boy said decisively before N'Doul could say anything. "That's what they always say at school. Is that okay?"

N'Doul hesitated. He wasn't in the habit of trusting anyone else. He'd been on his own for so long, and had figured out how to fend for himself. Even when he thought he'd made friends, they didn't stick around long. So he'd decided it was better on his own…

But he also knew how dangerous it would be for him to make his way around an unfamiliar city. One wrong move and he could get hit by a car, or walk into another bad part of town again—with more dangerous thugs than a few street kids. And there was also part of him that would feel bad for leaving this other boy alone. After all, he had saved N'Doul.

He finally nodded. "Okay. We can stay together for now."

The other boy shifted, seeming slightly relieved. "Okay. I don't know where to go, but maybe if we start walking, we'll see something familiar, or someone we know? I mean…" He hesitated, seeming to be slightly embarrassed.

N'Doul raised his hand and his stick. "I can 'see' like this. It just takes me a little longer."

"Well, um, since you're not familiar with the area, would it help if I guided you?" the other boy asked.

N'Doul clutched his stick tightly. He didn't really need help, but at the same time, his pace in the unfamiliar surrounds would be very slow and it might annoy the other boy, so he was willing to take a small blow to his pride for the sake of hopefully figuring out what was going on.

He nodded and was surprised to feel a hand tentatively grab his own. "My name's Jotaro, by the way," the other boy said.

N'Doul turned in his direction. "I'm…N'Doul," he replied hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you," Jotaro said and tugged on his hand. "This is the way I came—I think. Maybe retracing my steps will help us find my mom?"

N'Doul shrugged, but followed along.

After a while, Jotaro spoke up again. "Um…I hope it's not rude of me to ask this but…how do you get around when you, you know…can't see?"

"I map out the areas in my head," N'Doul told him, not mentioning that Geb also helped out a little. "That's why I don't usually go far from my regular area. So, I don't really know how I got here."

Jotaro was silent for a second and N'Doul thought he might be nodding. "I bet it would be scary—being in a strange place and being unable to see."

He wasn't wrong. N'Doul had been scared. Now though…well, he wasn't as scared as he had been.

"Where did you learn to fight?" he asked Jotaro.

"My grandpa!" Jotaro said excitedly. "He went on all kinds of crazy adventures, fighting bad guys and Aztec gods, so he taught me how important it was to be able to defend myself."

Aztec gods? N'Doul had a feeling Jotaro's grandfather was just very good at making up stories. But his skills at least must be real since Jotaro managed to scare off the other boys far easier than N'Doul would have been able to. "He sounds very interesting," he said politely.

"His stories are the best," Jotaro said wistfully. "You really don't know your family?"

N'Doul shrugged. "Not really, no." Not that he wanted to talk to a stranger about anyway.

"And you don't even have any friends?"

N'Doul's heart sunk a little. He'd thought he'd had a friend for a while, a girl who had come to visit him almost every day. They'd run around the streets and she had even read to him sometimes. He'd loved listening to her read stories of adventures and far off places N'Doul would never see. But one day she had stopped coming and he figured she had just gotten tired of him like everyone else had.

"I don't really have any friends," he admitted.

Jotaro was silent for a couple seconds before he said. "It's okay. I don't really have any friends either."

That genuinely surprised N'Doul. Jotaro seemed so likable and outgoing and kind. He was exactly the kind of friend any normal kid would want to have, right?

Jotaro stopped then and N'Doul turned to him questioningly. "What?"

"I thought I was going back to where I had come from, but I don't recognize any of this," Jotaro said, worry creeping into his voice.

N'Doul was about to reply a suggestion that they keep looking, when a strange sound caught his ear. It was the slightly out of place sound of bells jingling and he instantly felt dread creep over him.

"Jotaro, do you hear that?" he asked.

Jotaro froze, then inhaled slightly. "Bells? Wait…I remember now. The man who was chasing me—I think he was wearing bells because I remember them jingling while I was running away!"

"We need to go," N'Doul said quickly and yanked on Jotaro's hand pulling him in the opposite direction of the sound of the bells.

Jotaro didn't protest and they hurried down a side street together, Jotaro guiding N'Doul in their swift retreat so he didn't accidently trip over anything.

"Here, we can hide here," Jotaro whispered after pulling them both to a halt. N'Doul crawled behind what felt like a stack of crates and hunkered down with Jotaro, both of them pressing themselves back against the wall.

The bells sounded again, tinkling closer and closer until N'Doul could also hear the footsteps. He pressed his ear to his stick to listen to the vibrations through the ground and knew the man was coming closer.

He shook, terrified as the footsteps approached, the bells still tinkling in mocking merriment.

"Where are you boys?" the crooning voice sounded out. "Don't be shy—come on out. I promise I won't hurt you."

N'Doul didn't believe that promise for a second. He tried to hold his breath, keep as still as possible so there was no risk of making any noise.

The footsteps stopped just past their hiding place and both N'Doul and Jotaro froze stock still.

"I know you're hiding around here. Why don't you come out?"

Jotaro suddenly gasped and grabbed N'Doul's hand so tight it hurt. "N'Doul, run!"

N'Doul dashed recklessly behind Jotaro as the other boy hauled on his hand so hard N'Doul thought his shoulder would be pulled from its socket. He nearly dropped his stick in the process, but though he could hear the surprised shout and pounding footsteps and tinkling bells behind them, they soon outpaced the man. They finally stopped, panting for breath, to collapse against the wall of a building.

"Wh—what was that?" N'Doul gasped between breaths, gulping in air.

"I—I don't know," Jotaro replied just as shakily. "I thought—I saw something in the shadow. It was—it was really creepy. I don't know."

N'Doul felt a shiver go down his spine at the thought. "What does he want with us?" he wondered out loud.

"Nothing good," Jotaro said decisively. "And he's probably going to be after us again. We need to be ready."

N'Doul thought quickly, then an idea popped into his head. "I think I have an idea, but you're going to have to help me find the things we need."

"Yeah, of course!" Jotaro said eagerly. "Just tell me what we need to find."

N'Doul had learned a lot of things while living on the streets, particularly how to defend himself. He could fight if cornered, but he much preferred using distraction and other methods in order to throw off anyone who tried to get at him.

He was pretty good at making traps, which is what he and Jotaro were doing now.

"But what do we do once he falls into the trap?" Jotaro asked.

"We run and hide," N'Doul said simply. "Or…you can go find a police officer or someone who can help you find your mom."

He had to admit that he was a bit sad at the prospect of Jotaro leaving him, but it couldn't be helped. Jotaro didn't belong to this world. He had a home and family who cared about him. He was lucky.

But N'Doul didn't have time to feel sorry for himself—nor would it do any good. They had to lose this man who was after them.

N'Doul was just finishing up some knots when he heard the sound of bells again. He hissed at Jotaro to get into position and hunkered down behind the crate he was hiding behind.

"Boys, I know you're hiding somewhere!" the creepy voice filtered down the alleyway.

The footsteps stopped and there was a brief pause before there was a sudden whistling sound followed by a splintering crash. N'Doul jumped. Was the man destroying all the crates in the alley to look for them?

N'Doul clutched the rope in his hands tighter, palms sweaty. He couldn't see Jotaro of course, but now he was wondering if this had been a good idea at all.

"I just want to have a little chat!"

Another crash, far too close this time. N'Doul hunched over, shaking. But the man still wasn't close enough for him to leave his position.

The footsteps and tinkling bells resumed and N'Doul could barely breathe.

"Hey!"

There was the sound of Jotaro's feet pounding across the ground before they skidded to a stop just as the man's did the same.

"Well, there you are, little Jotaro," the man said and N'Doul could hear him smirking.

"How do you know my name?" Jotaro demanded.

The man chuckled. "Because I've been looking for you. Your grandpa must be worried about you by now—why don't we go find him?"

"Good grief, like I would trust a pervert like you!" Jotaro snarled.

The man growled. "Well, then, I have plenty of other methods to get you to come with me."

He moved and that was when Jotaro skipped back. "Now!"

N'Doul hauled on the rope at the same time he sent Geb up to the other rope and pulley they had rigged, cutting through it.

The man cried out as he tripped over the rope that suddenly went taught across his shins and as he lost his balance, the heavy, weighted tangle of net and random garbage they had found, fell on the man's head, bringing him to the ground.

Something else thudded a few feet away.

"Get his axe!" Jotaro cried.

N'Doul hurried toward the place where he'd heard the thud, feeling for the handle of the axe and heaving it out of the ground before stepping back to brandish it over the man.

"Stop following us," N'Doul commanded and nodded to Jotaro, handing him his stick. "Knock him out. Then he won't be able to."

The man growled and N'Doul could hear the ropes straining around him, creaking, before the axe was yanked in his hands and he was hauled forward. Before he knew it, he was held tight with one of the man's arms around his throat, squeezing until he could barely breathe. He gasped, kicking.

"Got you now!" came the gleeful smirk. "Time to make you too young to cause trouble for me anymore…"

N'Doul didn't bother trying to figure out what that meant. He called on Geb and water shot up from his canteen and into the man's eyes. He cried out in pain, grip loosening.

"N'Doul!"

Jotaro hauled him away before he trudged into the direction of the man. "You're a bad guy, and you're gonna get what you deserve. Ora!"

He started punching and N'Doul could hear the blows land as the man cried out, fighting against the remains of the net. N'Doul grabbed for his stick and started beating the man as well.

"There he is!" another voice cried.

"Mr. Joestar!"

More footsteps pounded down the alleyway and skidded to a halt.

"Oh my god!" a voice shouted. "Jotaro?! Is that you?"

"Mr. Joestar—the stand user!" another voice shouted.

Another blow left the man limp on the ground and it was then that N'Doul started to feel something strange. His body stretched and he felt suddenly dizzy, collapsing to his knees.

He swayed, blacking out briefly before he came to and…

"J-Jotaro," he murmured, searching around until a firm, familiar hand grabbed his.

"Here," Jotaro's voice grunted. "What the hell happened?"

"It's the Stand user Alessi," Avdol's voice filtered in. "He turned you two into children."

"Adorable children," Mr. Joestar added then groaned. "Agh! I wish I had been able to take a picture!"

"If you had, I would be beating your ass next, old man," Jotaro grunted as he climbed to his feet, helping N'Doul up. "Come on then, what do you say we finish the job?"

"Gladly," N'Doul replied as he and Jotaro both manifested their stands.

"No, please!" Alessi cried, and screamed as Star Platinum and Geb attacked him at the same time. After that, he definitely wouldn't be getting up again for quite a while.

"We were looking all over for you," Mr. Joestar said as they started to head away. "We were worried."

"As you can see, we're fine," Jotaro muttered. N'Doul nodded. Neither of them liked to be fussed over very much, but N'Doul had to admit there was something nice about knowing someone cared.

How strange it was to be back in the present reality after only experiencing his lonely childhood again only minutes before. He really had come a long way. It was also nice that his clothes fit him again and his staff was the right height for his hand.

"These Stand users just keep getting more and more ridiculous," Jotaro scoffed and N'Doul could hear him retrieving a cigarette and flicking the lighter to life.

He hummed in agreement, but his mind was still slightly muddled with the brief return to childhood memories. "It would have been nice," he said finally, "To have had a friend like you back when I was a child." He tilted his head toward Jotaro. "I think you and I would have gotten along well."

Jotaro gave a long smoke-scented exhale. "Yeah, well, we get along now, don't we?" he asked gruffly, then said, a little softer, "Though I kinda wish we had known each other then too. Maybe neither of us would have been as alone."

N'Doul's heart warmed at his friend's words, despite the bittersweet connotation attached to their childhoods. "At least we're not alone now, right?"

"Yeah," Jotaro agreed quietly.

"By the way," Joseph called back to them. "Has anyone seen Polnareff?"