Ok, before we get started, HUGE shout-out to my best friend, HardyGal! She wrote a one-shot for me about Noriaki meeting Dio in the context of my fanfiction! It shows the deal I mentioned in the last chapter that Noriaki made with Dio to leave Naoko out of the whole situation in return for his loyalty.

It's really good! It's titled Twisted Exchange! :) And while you're there, she's got a lot of other AWESOME works, so please go check her out!

Ok, now onto the chapter!

Hope you all like it!

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

I wake slowly, realizing it's morning.

Dang. I'd only meant to sleep a few hours. Guess I used more life energy than I thought…

Oh well. I sit up and look over to Noriaki. He's still sound asleep. Good.

His wounds weren't too bad, but I'm sure it was draining, having that flesh bud in him so long. He needs rest.

I call Ace (feels better than I thought to finally have named my Stand) out silently and she knows exactly what to do.

She sends a vine under Nori's comforter and into his arm so she can heal him. "Let me know if you need a bit of my energy." I whisper. "I want to completely heal him."

"Kojo." Ace of Wands replies, nodding. As always, it was just the one word. Never more, never less. The translation comes not a half second later. 'Of course'.

I smile as she gets to work, feeling relieved that not only is Noriaki back to normal, more or less, he'd be completely healed soon and we can start moving on from this misadventure-

"Holly!" The noise startles me so bad, Ace nearly disconnects her vine but I manage to steady myself in time. That's Mr. Joestar! What's he doing yelling so loud this early in the morning!? "Holly, I want you to take a look at this!" Mr. Joestar calls and I watch Noriaki for signs of Mr. Joestar's yells waking him but he continues sleeping peacefully.

I get comfortable sitting next to Nori and smile down at him. Thankfully, while Nori's injuries from fighting Jotaro looked bad yesterday, it didn't seem like I'd be pushing myself too much to completely heal him. A horrid thought then occurs to me. When's the last time he slept peacefully? Did he sleep much at all under Dio's fleshbud? Or was he continuously battling for control of his own brain?

I shake myself then. I'll make sure you catch up on sleep and take care of yourself from now on. I promise myself, determined to keep that promise.

"You brought me Jotaro's pants! They're the right size and all, but where the heck are mine?"

He's still yelling? He sounds almost juvenile, I muse to myself with a chuckle.

"You almost done?" I whisper to Ace, who just nods. "Good." While I was feeling the effects of the drain, I know I'm not pushing myself too far. Sure enough, just as I'm about to yawn, Ace withdraws the vine and I carefully stand up, calling Ace back.

I step out onto the walkway, trying to find the kitchen and get breakfast, but then I bump into Mr. Avdol, Mr. Joestar's friend.

"Oh, sorry! Excuse me…" I murmur.

Mr. Avdol just chuckles. "No need. How did you sleep, Ms. Kakyoin?"

I smile, surprisingly at ease around these people, now the craziness of yesterday is over. "I slept fine. Noriaki's still out cold. I was gonna see about breakfast, but I'm not sure where the kitchen is." I explain.

He nods with a small smile. "I see. Well, I believe it's this direction." With that, I walk along with him, and find the quiet between us not uneasy at all. He just didn't feel the need to talk, which suited me just fine.

But just as we round a corner...

"Hey…is that a spoon?" I ask, frowning as I spot a spoon outside the main area of the house, just laying there on the walkway.

"Indeed. Curious…" Together, we walk into a dark room I assume is the kitchen- -

"Mr. Avdol, look!" I'm already racing forward, seeing Mrs. Kujo's hand on the floor like she's laying down. "It's Mrs. Kujo!" I let Mr. Avdol look her over, both of us unsure what caused Mrs. Kujo's unconsciousness. Automatically, I look for and flick the light switch on before coming back to the situation. "What could've-is that a vine? There, on her neck!" I point out and Mr. Avdol pales.

"Oh no!" Mr. Avdol lays her down before turning to me. "Check her back!" Figuring he'd be uncomfortable exposing Mrs. Kujo's back, I nod as he turns his head.

"She's got vines all over her back!" I report, trying to feel them but they don't have a solid shape. "I think she has a Stand! The vines aren't solid!"

"This is very bad!"

"What do we do?" I ask, pulling Mrs. Kujo's shirt back down.

"I don't know. She's burning up. Something isn't right…this Stand is doing damage to her!" Mr Avdol worries, sounding the most uncertain I've heard him as he feels her forehead.

"I can try to heal her." I suggest, about to call Ace out.

"No. I fear that not even your healing ability can help. Not to mention, even if it could make a difference, Mrs. Kujo would need constant treatment, which is impossible for you…" He grimaces, cradling Mrs. Kujo gently. "We were so relieved that Dio's body had only affected Jojo and Mr. Joestar…we were so certain Mrs. Kujo was fine! But that's just what we wanted to believe! It's impossible for her to escape that! As long as she has Joestar blood in her veins, there will inevitably be an effect from Dio!"

How does Dio's body affect anything about the Joestars? I'm confused…however, this isn't the time for questions. I don't know what to do! "But still. A Stand is controlled by an individual's own mental strength and they move according to that person's fighting instinct." Mr. Avdol continues, then sighs. "Mrs. Kujo is a kind and peaceful woman. She doesn't have the power to resist Dio's curse!" Curse?! I have got to get them to explain what's going on… "She doesn't have the strength she needs to control her Stand! That has to be why her Stand is making her so ill. It's working against her, not with her!"

"I wish I could help her." I bite my lip, finding a rag and running the cold tap water.

"I do, as well. This is very bad…at this rate, she'll die! She'll be overcome!"

I bite my lip. There has to be something we can do, right?!

I put the cool rag on her forehead. She was so kind yesterday…she can't just die!

I happen to look away and find Mr. Joestar (still in his pajamas) and Jotaro with his usual outfit and his school case in his hand standing in the doorway.

Oh shit! I totally forgot it's a school day!

I pale a bit. They look so intense… "I swear we found her like this! We were going to make breakfast, that's it!" I leave the rag on Mrs. Kujo's forehead, moving away from her with my hands up.

It's been made perfectly clear to me that these men are more than capable of protecting their family, and that I would not want to become an enemy of the family or get on their bad for anything.

However, it's like I hadn't said a word, the men's focus solely on the unfortunate Mrs. Kujo.

"She…has a Stand?!" Mr. Joestar is the first to speak, shock and fear in his eyes. I decide to let Mr. Avdol do any talking since he knows them better and he has a much better grasp on the situation. "Holly…" Poor Mr. Joestar…he's shaking, and I swear I see tears in his eyes.

Jotaro looks pissed, ready to fight someone and I'd rather not go through what Noriaki went through…

Before anyone can react, Mr. Joestar has grabbed Jotaro's shirt in both hands, venting his emotions in a wild scream as he slams Jotaro against a wall.

I flinch. Glad that isn't me pinned to the wall…guess Mr. Joestar knows Jotaro can take it.

"This is the one thing I feared the most!" Mr. Joestar all but sobs, his shoulders shaking. "This is the very last thing I wanted to happen!"

"Doesn't sound like you could've stopped it, Mr. Joestar." I murmur softly, not daring to get any closer to the men.

However, it's like I'm not even here.

"My daughter has developed a Stand, as well!" Mr. Joestar still grips Jotaro's shirt, shaking with emotion. "I've always known she's too weak! She can't withstand it! I knew if this day came, it would destroy her! She doesn't have the strength needed to repel Dio's curse!"

"Mr. Joestar, there has to be something we can do!" I say, trying to help him focus on moving forward, but before Mr. Joestar can respond, Jotaro grabs Mr. Joestar's hand and peels it off his shirt, glaring down at him.

"She's right; tell me, what can we do?"

Mr. Joestar takes a step back, eyes still stormy with emotion. He thinks for a long moment. "...Ok." He begins, gathering himself, narrowing his eyes. "To start, we must find Dio!" He grits his teeth in determination. "The only way to break this curse is to find Dio, and kill him!"

I swallow. "Ok, so where do we start looking?" I ask.

Mr. Joestar takes another few moments to gather himself and then kneels beside Holly to take her into his arms.

She looks so small and frail as he gently carries her into a large room I assume is the main bedroom where she and Mr. Kujo sleep, then he settles her on a futon.

"Naoko, if you don't mind, why don't you get a bowl of cold water and that rag? It fell off when I picked her up." He sounds much calmer and in control now.

I nod. "Yes sir!"

Soon, Mrs. Kujo is as settled and comfortable as we can make her, and Mr. Joestar has several photos spread out beside Mrs. Kujo's futon.

We all look them over, but no one can find anything of note in any of the photos.

I do notice something strange. Dio's shirtless body has a purple-ish star-shaped birthmark on his left shoulder.

I've seen that birthmark before…

"If it's not a weird question, why does Dio's body have Mrs. Kujo's birthmark?" I ask. "I noticed the birthmark when I was trying to see what was wrong with her."

Mr. Joestar sighs and pulls down his shirt past his shoulder to reveal that he, too, has a birthmark. Jotaro wordlessly shows me his. "It's a sure sign that someone has Joestar blood in their veins." Mr. Joestar explains. "My grandfather Jonathan had the same birthmark before he died tragically at sea, murdered by Dio. Dio went so far as to steal Jonathan's body to survive." His face is so grim I shudder. I would not want to be Dio when Mr. Joestar finds him… "And somehow, Dio gaining a Stand had a ripple effect to everyone with Joestar DNA, and one by one we have all acquired a Stand."

"But it requires a lot of control?" I ask, trying to understand what Mr. Avdol said before about a curse. "More than ordinary Stands?"

Mr. Avdol nods. "It seems so. That's perhaps why Jojo was so insistent on remaining in the cell, as he had not yet mastered control of his Stand."

Jotaro, surprisingly, nods. "It felt like it was out of my control at first. It was terrifying, but eventually I called it back." He then narrows his eyes. "Now where can we find this son of a bitch?"

"Finding him is the problem." Mr. Joestar sighs in frustration, crossing his arms. "No matter how many times I try, he's always hiding in the darkness. In every spirit photo I take, the background is black!"

"You said he was a vampire, right? So I guess that makes sense." I shrug a bit. "And, judging from the fact that he's shirtless, we can safely guess he's holed up somewhere warm, at least for now."

Mr. Joestar nods, picking up a photo. "Agreed, but there's too many areas that fit that description. We need to narrow it down."

Mr. Avdol nods in agreement. "We've tried various methods to try and analyze them, but with this darkness, we always come up with nothing."

Jotaro, who'd been leaning against the wall behind us, pushes off and steps toward us, gesturing for Mr. Avdol to hand him the photo he's holding. "Hey, you should've mentioned this to me sooner." He takes the photo and stares at it as if to intimidate it into giving up its secrets. "Let me look; I might be able to find out what's hiding in that darkness." He calls out his Stand and it takes the photo, his eyes seeming to glow as it stares at the picture for several seconds. His pupils dilate and contract like they're camera lenses, and finally Jotaro glances at the figure beside him. "It's found something within the shadows." He goes over to a desk nearby and grabs a small sketchpad and pencil. "My Stand can move accurately enough to pull a flesh bud from someone's brain and catch a bullet. Let's have it sketch what it sees."

There's several quiet moments as Jotaro holds the sketchpad, his Stand's hand moving almost too quick to see, sketching what looks like a…

A fly. A damn fly! While it is impressive Jotaro's Stand saw a fly in the darkness, how's that supposed to help us find Dio?!

"No way! It saw a fly through all that!" Mr. Avdol exclaims, amazed, and while I do agree, it still doesn't give us any location.

"Yeah, but how in the hell is a fly gonna help us?!" Mr. Joestar grumbles.

Mr. Avdol thrusts out a hand. "Wait a second! I've seen this fly before!"

"What?" Mr. Joestar asks.

"Do you have an encyclopedia?" Mr. Avdol asks.

"We do have a library…" Jotaro replies.

Mr. Avdol nods. "Let me have the sketch. I'll do some research!" He jogs out of the room and I impulsively go with him.

"Can I help? Ace can look quicker than I can!"

Mr. Avdol nods, smiling a bit at me. "Of course."

I turn to Jotaro and ask where the library is.

Jotaro wordlessly points it out and I wave gratefully as Mr. Avdol and I head to the room he pointed out.

Mr. Avdol's Stand lights the room with a small flame and I have Ace look around for any encyclopedia or books on flies. I find a collection of encyclopedias and call Mr. Avdol over.

I don't hear Noriaki come into the doorway, but I startle a few steps backward when I spot his shadow.

"Geez, Nori!" I snap. "Little warning next time!"

Without looking up from the book he's reading, Mr. Avdol adds a greeting before Noriaki can reply to me.

"You seem to be doing well."

Noriaki nods. "I assume you healed me, Nao?" He asks.

I nod. "I did, but your wounds were pretty superficial, so I'm fine."

"You shouldn't have-"

"I'm sorry, but your sister and I are in the middle of something. Naoko, I need a second opinion on something." Mr. Avdol interrupts.

I give Nori an apologetic smile and walk over to Mr. Avdol. "Yeah?"

He shows me an entry on flies and holds up the sketch. "Do any of these match the sketch?"

I stare at the page carefully for a few seconds, then shake my head. "No, afraid not. They come close, but they're not the same fly."

"Is it true? Can your own Stand really do that to you?" Noriaki asks, unable to help it. "Kill you?"

"You heard about Mrs. Kujo?" I ask, looking up at him.

He nods. "I've been awake for a little while. Mr. Joestar yelling woke me, and I followed you."

I tilt my head. "You could've come in and joined the conversation." I point out.

"That's your specialty." Noriaki replies, sighing. "Besides, I don't know these people." He looks at Mr. Avdol. "No offense."

"None taken, and yes." Mr. Avdol frowns. "I have seen far too many people suffer that same fate."

"Really?" Noriaki and I ask at nearly the same time.

He nods. "It's limited to her back right now, but that Stand will grow like a fiendish vine, and it won't stop til her whole body is overtaken and bound. Her fever will rise and her illness will worsen. She'll fall into a coma and never wake up. And then, she'll die."

Nori and I flinch. I then have a thought. "But what if I have a steady supply of plants? I could help her, give us some time to figure this out!"

"Naoko, you can't! You don't know what that would do to you!" Noriaki protests, but I shake my head.

"I'd be fine, since I'm not using my own life energy."

Mr. Avdol shakes his head, selecting another book. "Unfortunately, Ms. Kakyoin, your Stand draws energy regardless if you are using it to heal or not. Having your Stand out for that long would drain you til you were in a condition not much better than Mrs. Kujo's. Don't talk foolishness." He then continues detailing Mrs. Kujo's condition. "Your average person would see Mrs. Kujo's condition as some rare and unknown disease that no doctor in the world would be able to treat." He closes the book and puts it back. "And normally, neither you, nor I, nor even Naoko, could do anything about it." He grabs yet another tome. "But there is still hope. It will take fifty days for her body to reach that state. We just have to find and defeat Dio before that."

"Oh, is that all?" I sigh, shaking my head. "Easier said than done."

"Indeed, but if we can find and sever the link her Stand has with Dio, we can save her!"

I nod. "It's good we've got plenty of time. Tell you what; why don't I go make some breakfast while you're researching?" I'm starting to get the feeling Mr. Avdol can handle research on his own.

Mr. Avdol nods. "Good idea. Your brother can help you."

I nod. I was right. "Ok. C'mon, Nori. The kitchen's close."

Soon, I have five bowls of some instant oatmeal I found in a cabinet steaming on a serving tray.

Noriaki insists on carrying the tray to Mrs. Kujo's bedroom, where he hands it to me and stays out of sight after I knock on the doorway, surprised to see Mrs. Kujo awake, but just as I'm about to greet her (she's rising from the bed, even), Jotaro steps toward her.

"Don't move! You just stay in bed!" He snaps, nearly making me spill the tray. We all look at Jotaro, who realizes he'd overreacted and pulls his hat down to hide his face. "I…just meant that you should stay put, at least until your fever breaks. Now be quiet, and get better."

He sounds so worried…and surprisingly gentle…after he was done yelling, anyway.

Jotaro starts to walk away when he sees me, stopping short in surprise.

"I…made breakfast." I explain awkwardly, holding the tray higher as if he hadn't seen it. "I didn't want to snoop too much, so I just made some oatmeal…" Why am I so flustered? I clear my throat as Jotaro grabs a bowl and leaves. Trying to get myself together, I turn to Mrs. Kujo. "Did you want some, Mrs. Kujo?"

"Oh, I think I can manage some. Thank you! Naoko, right?"

I nod. "Yes. Here." I hand her the bowl I'd intended to eat.

I'll just make myself some when I take the bowls back. I don't want to bother anyone.

She eats a few bites and smiles at Mr. Joestar. "I kinda like this." She chuckles, but she sounds weak, like she's struggling to stay awake. "Everyone's so nice when I get sick." She sighs. "Having a little cold…isn't so bad from time to time…" She lays down (barely catching herself from falling down, really) with a faint yawn. Mr. Joestar moves the hardly touched bowl of oatmeal and covers her and by the time he's done even that much, she's passed out again.

"What? Holly!" Me. Joestar calls, only to realize she's unconscious and his face creases with worry. "Say something!" He feels her brow. "She…she's lost consciousness again!" I am less than a second from calling out Ace when Mr. Joestar sags. "C'mon…she was acting fine, but this fever is so bad! It's spiked!"

"Do you want me to try healing her?" I ask.

"There's no point." Mr. Joestar says sadly. "She'd only grow worse when you stop..." I nod in understanding. "She was just putting on a good front. I know she didn't say anything, but my daughter is definitely aware of her Stand." He finally removes his hand from her forehead. "She was doing her best to try and hide it from us. My guess is that she didn't want us to worry about her. My daughter's always been like that…"

As if he knows we need a distraction, Mr. Avdol walks into the doorway. "Mr. Joestar, I've found it! I know where that fly is from." He reports.

"That's good!" I try for some optimism as Mr. Joestar stands and Jotaro turns to look at Mr. Avdol in surprise.

Mr. Avdol shows us the entry, and sure enough, it's exactly like the sketch! "It's this one." We gather to read the data on it and find, to my surprise, that the fly is local to Egypt!

"Egypt?" Mr. Joestar asks.

"And we've narrowed it down to the Aswan region. Dio is there!"

"So he is in Egypt, after all." Noriaki's voice startles me and I whirl to frown at him.

"What did I say about warning?" I grumble without thinking, but when I see the look on Noriaki's face, anything else I might have said dies.

I can't identify all the emotions in his face, but he's got a lot of thoughts in his head.

I turn to the group as Mr. Joestar asks what Nori means. "We went to Egypt three months ago with our parents. Part of our trip was a tour of the Nile." I explain.

Noriaki shudders a little, still not coming in as he continues. "That's also where I met Dio and he put the flesh bud in my head." He's choosing not to talk about his deal with Dio, so I keep it to myself, too. If I can, I'll let Mr. Joestar know his theory is correct later.

"So you two were in Egypt, too." Mr. Joestar frowns and glances at the map of the fly's native area. "It seems for some reason, Dio wants to remain in that area."

I nod. "You'd think he'd have kept moving to avoid any possible detection, but he is staying put. The better for us, I guess."

Noriaki walks into the room, his face set in determination. "Agreed. So, when are we leaving? Because I'm coming with you!"

I look up at him in shock. "Wait what?!"

"Seriously?" Jotaro adds.

Noriaki nods. "I'm not speaking for Naoko, but I'm going."

I stare at Nori, wondering what the hell made him volunteer like that.

"Why would you want to do that?" Jotaro presses.

Noriaki smiles. "To be completely honest, I have no idea why I want to, either. It's just something I feel compelled to do." He shrugs a bit. Jotaro scoffs and looks away, unable to think of a response, it seems. "Let's just say you opened my eyes." Noriaki taps his bandage. "It's that simple."

"Well if you're going, I'm going!" I blurt before I can really think about it.

"Wait, Nao, I didn't think you'd come with us! It's dangerous!" Nori replies, taken aback.

"I know that, but don't you think we need all hands on deck for this? Seems like we could use another long-range reconnaissance Stand like Ace to help out." I cross my arms. "Besides, Noriaki, if it's dangerous, then there's no way in Hell I'm letting you go alone! I can heal, too, so any injuries we sustain, I can heal!"

"But Naoko, you-I-" Noriaki sighs heavily, hangs his head for a long moment, then looks at me. "You won't back down, will you?"

I shake my head. "Nope."

Noriaki shakes his head in resignation. "Alright, but stay with me if anything happens, alright?"

I chuckle. "I can handle myself, Nori."

"I know, but as your older brother, I'll protect you as best I can." He retorts firmly.

I shake my head in amusement, then playfully nudge his shoulder. "Alright, fine. We'll watch each other's backs. How 'bout that?"

"You're impossible."

"You know you love me."

Mr. Joestar, seeing the matter is settled and seeming to have no issues with Nori and I joining the group, walks over to Mrs. Kujo and kneels to get closer to her face. "Holly, we're gonna save you, no matter what. You have my word." He promises, that sad, worried face coming back again.

I don't like seeing that look on anyone, much less a father to his daughter, helpless to stop her suffering.

Maybe that's why I want to go to Egypt. I want to ensure we defeat Dio so Mrs. Kujo can get better and go on with her life. I can't imagine her dying to her own Stand…it would be too cruel a fate for her.

"There's nothing for you to worry about." Mr. Joestar continues, determination taking over his face now. "We are going to make you better, I promise." His hand caresses her cheek. "Just take it easy, and rest."

Noriaki watches the scene with a tender look in his eye. "Jojo's mother…Holly has the ability to calm a person's soul and put their minds at ease." He muses, stepping closer to Mr. Avdol. "People feel relaxed just being near her."

I smile. "She does. When Jotaro brought us here, I nearly cried when she asked if I wanted water. She was so nice and after our encounter with Jotaro, it was a relief to feel her kindness."

Mr. Avdol nods in agreement.

Noriaki then continues. "This may sound strange, but if I ever fall in love, I'd want it to be with someone like her. I'd feel the need to protect her. I'd do anything to see her feeling better and smiling."

"Indeed." Avdol agrees.

I nod. "I can't just let her die, especially not like this." A thought then occurs to me, on the subject of potential spouses.

I'd want to fall in love with someone who makes me feel protected, even if they're not beside me. Someone strong enough to protect me and our hypothetical family no matter what.

I find my eyes drawn to Jotaro, and I flush, my cheeks feeling warm all of a sudden. Whoa whoa whoa! Stop that! You just met the guy and he basically kidnapped you and Nori! You don't even know him! I scold myself.

Mr. Joestar then straightens and looks over at us with a hard look on his face, distracting me from my thoughts. "There's no time! We leave immediately!" He stands. "I need to make some calls and pack, not to mention secure a flight to Egypt." He looks at Nori and I. "There isn't much time for you two to return home to pack. Sorry."

I shrug. "It shouldn't be a long trip, so it won't take long to pack. The only hitch will be trying to explain to Mom what's going on."

Noriaki looks at me. "I can talk to her if you want."

I nod. "Sounds good."

Mr. Joestar smiles. "Good. I'll call you two a cab. Meet back here in an hour. Oh, and if you need to give your parents a timeline, this shouldn't take more than a few days, at most a week."

I smile. "Thank you."

Mr. Joestar leaves to make the calls and Avdol goes to presumably his room to pack.

That leaves Noriaki and I with Jotaro.

He's staring at Mrs. Kujo and none of us seem eager to talk, so the silence stays, each of us wrapped up in our own thoughts.

I for one am trying not to overthink what might happen on our trip, remembering that we have Mr. Joestar, Avdol, and Jotaro with us. Plus, we're all competent Stand Users, so we'll be fine…won't we?

Noriaki went to talk to Mr. Joestar and Avdol, and I am suddenly alone with Jotaro.

I start to feel uncomfortable in the silence and a random thought makes me break the quiet. "Hey, Jotaro, did Mr. Avdol ever name your Stand?" I ask.

"After you left." Jotaro replies and I wait a moment, but he doesn't say anything else.

"And?"

"I drew the Star card, so his name is Star Platinum."

I smile. "That suits him."

He huffs. "Why'd you want to know, anyway?"

I shrug. "Just curious. If we're going to Egypt and fighting Dio, we need to work together and it's easier to do that if we all know our Stands and abilities."

He sighs. "The cab is here. You better not be late or we'll leave without you." Jotaro grumbles.

I laugh as Noriaki comes back. "Sure. We'll be back in less than an hour, so don't get all huffy."

To sum up the trip home, Noriaki told me he said this is a last-minute get-away with a few classmates, and that Mr. Joestar had arranged the whole thing and cleared it with the school.

Before Mom could ask too many questions, he'd excused himself and grabbed a few things.

I changed quickly into a pair of good sneakers, jean shorts, a tank top, and a green button-up short-sleeve shirt I like, packing up a few spare outfits and other things before Noriaki knocks on my bedroom door and asks if I'm ready.

"Are you seriously wearing your uniform still?" I ask. "Go change!"

"No time. Besides, we're only going to be gone a few days."

"So you're not bringing extra clothes?"

He shrugs. "Why bother? I'll just wash it."

I sigh, rolling my eyes. "Don't come crying to me when you pass out from heatstroke."

"I couldn't. I'd be unconscious."

I snort. "You know what I mean." I poke his ribs as I head out of my room. "C'mon. I think Jotaro was serious when he said he'd leave us."

It was hard to say goodbye to Mom when she came out to the main area, looking confused, but we assure her everything is fine and that we'll be back before she knows it, giving her a kiss on the cheek and a hug before saying goodbye.

Soon, we arrive back at the Kujo house, ready to head out.

A van and a few other cars pull up, the people inside filing out and into the house quickly.

Mr. Joestar, having changed himself, walks over. "We can trust them; they're doctors from the Speedwagon Foundation. They're going to stay with her and take care of Holly around the clock."

I frown. "Isn't the Speedwagon Foundation mostly a research and development foundation?" I can't help asking. Everyone knows of the Speedwagon Foundation, but hardly anyone has connections to it. So how does Mr. Joestar of all people have connections?

"Yes, but my sister runs it, and they have a secret paranormal research division that has been trying to unlock the mystery of Stands for years now." Mr. Joestar explains.

"I didn't know you had a sister." I muse.

"She's not biologically my sister, but we were raised together." Mr. Joestar clarifies, then looks toward another car that now idles empty in the driveway. "Alright! We're off! Let's hit the road!"

I end up in the middle of the backseat, trying not to show how cramped I feel between Noriaki and Jotaro.

What the Hell was I thinking, agreeing to go on this crazy trip?! But there's no going back now, so I guess I'll just have to do my best.