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Akemi's Bizarre Adventure
Chapter 16: Death 13, Part I
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Jotaro and company spent the rest of the day crossing the desert on three camels. Akemi and Jotaro rode on one, Polnareff rode alone, and Kakyoin rode with Joseph.
"Phew... we're finally here. Thank god, I was getting sore." Polnareff said loudly, rubbing his rear. Akemi snorted, covering her mouth.
"Let's tie up our camels here." Suggested Joseph, looking at a secluded, fenced-in area. "Kemi, grow them some food, will you?" Akemi nodded as the group directed their camels to the area.
"Sure." She agreed. They slid off their camels and Jotaro took the reins of theirs. Akemi stretched her back.
"Wait, shouldn't we sell them?" Asked Polnareff, turning to Joseph.
"We don't know if we're going to get the Cessna yet." Joseph explained, taking the reins of his camel, "The camels are still our only mode of transportation."
Polnareff made an 'o' with his mouth. "Oh, right."
As Polnareff, Joseph and Jotaro led their camels into the fenced-in area, Akemi raised her arms, illuminated with Empress Gaea's gauntlets, and oats began to grow at the mens' feet. Jotaro locked the gate behind them and they walked out, rejoining Kakyoin and Akemi.
"Alright, let's go looking for a hotel." Said Joseph. Polnareff jerked his thumb behind him.
"We passed one when we entered the village. It's right there." He said. The others, slightly surprised, looked behind him to see that, indeed, there was a hotel behind him. And a pretty nice one at that. It was right next to an airfield, too- the place they'd likely be getting the Cessna from. Joseph scratched his head.
"Hm... convenient. Let's get us some rooms."
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"Oh, that was amazing! Jotaro, your face is bright red!" Polnareff exclaimed, wiping a tear away. Akemi laughed uncomfortably, and Jotaro clenched his jaw and grumbled under his breath, staring at him from under his hat. Kakyoin allowed himself a small giggle.
Joseph had pointed out to the receptionist that they were "married" and booked a room for them to share, which caused everyone to start teasing them like crazy.
Akemi could feel Jotaro's anger flare up, and knew he was probably going to snap soon. After all, that camel ride certainly didn't do him too good. Akemi herself was feeling a little snippy.
The blanchette tossed her bag at Polnareff, who was caught off guard and almost fell over.
"Good grief, woman! This bag is like, twenty kilograms! What the hell are you carrying in there?!" Polnareff cried, holding the bag in his hands. Akemi narrowed her eyes at him, catching it easily when he threw it back.
"That's none of your business." She replied snarkily, sticking her tongue out, but glad she was able to change the subject. "Plus, it's not that heavy for a proper travel bag. It's certainly heavier than your little sack." she teased.
"Well, I don't need much to take care of myself." Polnareff gloated, nose in the air, very French-like.
"Certainly looks like it." Akemi shot back with a smirk, which caused Polnareff's eyes to shoot open and glare at his white-haired comrade.
Just then, Jotaro stopped in his tracks. Confused, the three of them turned to look at him.
"Jotaro, is everything alright?" Akemi asked, a finger on her lip. Jotaro jerked a thumb to the door next to him.
"O- oi, Akemi. Our room's here." He said lowly. Akemi blushed. She hadn't even noticed.
"Oh. Right." She muttered. She turned to the other two boys, sending them a friendly smile and wave. "Well, see you two in the morning!" Polnareff giggled.
"Don't you have too much fun in there!" He called as they walked away. Akemi's expression melted into a glare, and she heard Jotaro growl from in front of her.
As they disappeared down the hall, Akemi turned with a sigh.
"Idiots." Jotaro muttered, unlocking their hotel room with their key. The door clicked and they walked in, Akemi behind Jotaro. But he stopped in his tracks once more, pink dusting his cheeks. Akemi was about to ask him what was wrong until she saw too.
In the middle of the room was a huge bed with a canopy over the top. Against the wall was a large dresser and the room had only one window.
It was clear this room was meant for a couple.
"I- I'll sleep on the floor." Akemi muttered. Jotaro tugged his hat down.
"Hell no. That bed is big enough for the two of us to sleep comfortably." He stated stubbornly. Akemi blushed madly and rushed to push her thoughts away.
"Do you dream often?" She asked. Jotaro raised an eyebrow. His aura swirled with confusion.
"No. Not really. That or I can't really remember them. Why do you ask?" He asked, giving her a side glance with his hands in his pockets. Akemi blinked.
"Don't you remember? I'm more sensitive to sleeping auras. People are more vulnerable in a state like that, so their emotions are usually more detectable. I can't sleep next to people who have intense dreams." She explained, a hand on her hip. His eyes lightened with recognition at the fact.
"Oh, right. Yeah, that won't be a problem." Jotaro muttered, hiding his expression under his hat shyly, his aura growing embarrassed. Akemi giggled, pushing away her own embarrassment.
"Alright, then don't worry. I'm tired too, so let's get changed and go to sleep." She suggested. Jotaro let out a hum of agreement. "I'll go get changed in the bathroom." she said, pointing to the slightly ajar door ahead.
She lifted her bag over her shoulder and entered the small bathroom. Placing her bag on the sink, she closed the door behind her. She changed into a comfortable pink, short and silken jumpsuit. She was going to be a little uncomfortable when sleeping, but she left her bra on. There was no way she was going to sleep in the same room- no, the same bed as Jotaro Kujo and not wear a bra.
She undid her braid and let the rest of her hair fall down. She ran her fingers through it, untangling her hair and causing it to look smooth and soft. It was straight as a stick no matter how long it had been braided until about mid-way through, and they'd turn into almost coils. That was where the worst knots were.
When she was done, she cracked the door and kept her back to the door, not wanting to accidentally walk in on Jotaro if he was still getting dressed.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah."
Akemi let out a small sigh and opened the door the rest of the way, revealing each other. Jotaro was wearing a muscle tee and boxers, revealing a lot more skin than she was used to seeing.
H- he's... so sculpted... Akemi looked away, pushing away a blush. It probably would've been awkward had they both not been tired and sore.
Wordlessly, they both climbed into bed. While Akemi took some pillows and started to construct a barrier between them, Jotaro took off his hat and placed it on the bed-side table. He turned and gave the pillows a hard, unreadable stare, but in his aura Akemi could sense that he was disgruntled. Akemi blinked and stopped what she was doing, leaving it at only one pillow.
It was a large bed anyways, it wasn't like they'd be anywhere near each other. Akemi stretched, pulling the blanket over her.
"Ninite." Akemi muttered, her eyes shutting. There was a moment of hesitation before Jotaro shuffled and she felt the blanket being tugged slightly as he pulled it over him.
"Night." He replied lowly, his voice croaky with exhaustion.
Akemi felt butterflies rise in her chest from the heavenly sound of his voice. She would be hearing that in the morning…
She snuggled herself against the mattress and let the sound of Jotaro's breathing lull her into sleep.
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She was woken from her slumber very suddenly.
In the next room over, someone was feeling a powerful fear. It was really worse than she'd ever felt, and it was intensified by the fact that this person was dreaming.
God, it was so intense, she felt it herself. Reverberating up and down her body like a cluster of spiders with long, spindly legs crawling wherever they want. Goosebumps rose on her legs and arms, and her hairs stood on end.
She snapped her eyes open, feeling fear trail down her spine and pooling in her stomach.
She looked beside her, seeing Jotaro fast asleep. Only his face was much, much closer to her than she remembered it being last night.
She examined her situation.
It was still before sunrise, as it was still dark, so Akemi had more time to sleep. However, a more pressing issue… Pillow barrier be damned, he was now sleeping with his arm slung over her body and the other beneath the pillow under her head. One of Akemi's arms was slung over his side, the other folded between their chests.
Sometime during the night, Jotaro and Akemi had converged, snuggling against each other. Akemi grimaced, hoping desperately that Jotaro wouldn't know what happened.
The overbearing warmth that took over her almost defeated the fear. Hopefully, whoever was having an intense nightmare would fall back asleep. And sleep was desperately tugging Akemi, her eyelids fluttering close.
Jotaro seemed to be a wall of protection. The longer she stayed in his surprisingly toasty embrace, the more at ease she felt. Maybe she would indulge in her little crush, just this once. To satisfy her feelings of wanting to be protected, and to protect. Maybe if she indulged, just this once, she would be satisfied and her feelings would fade.
Oh, well. If Jotaro wakes up like this, best case scenario, he won't mind. Worst case scenario, he does nothing and doesn't acknowledge it.
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Fear woke her once more.
It was brighter outside than it was when she'd last woken up, and Jotaro still hadn't moved.
Akemi turned her head. Jotaro still wasn't the person feeling fear. He had maintained a peaceful aura. But that meant this person was in another room, which made this worse, since it was normally extremely hard for her to see auras through walls.
This... this has to be a Stand attack of some sort! No normal nightmare is this bad! Akemi thought, sweat trailing down her forehead. Jotaro's wall didn't seem to help her as much anymore, with the threat of him waking up being present.
She sat up, and realized that not only were they tangled, their legs were as well. With a violent blush, she pulled herself away.
The protesting grunt that came from Jotaro's mouth shocked her so much that she almost completely forgot about the fear next door. He's not waking up, is he!? She didn't move a muscle for a few moments, watching his breathing closely.
The fear in the air was making the girl restless, however. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like hours. Biting her lip, Akemi turned and got out of bed. His aura was rousing from sleep, and Akemi decided to leave the room and investigate the aura before he woke up.
Exiting the room, she warily followed the source of fear.
She found herself in front of Kakyoin and Polnareff's door, and she heard shuffling and muffled talking. She knocked gently on the door, not wanting to enter without permission. Almost immediately after, Polnareff answered, a tired expression on his face.
"A- Akemi?" Polnareff asked, rubbing his eyes. "I was just about to wake up Kakyoin. Did he wake you up? It seems like he's having a bit of a…" Polnareff trailed off when he saw her state. Much paler than usual, and sweat shining on her skin. "H- hey, are you okay?"
"I- I felt Kakyoin's fear from my room. I came to check on him. I- I've never felt a f- fear this powerful. And I usually can't see auras through walls. W- we have to wake him up, now. This could be a Stand attack." Akemi tried to keep her voice down, but she was really freaked out, and Polnareff could tell.
He gulped, seeing the seriousness of the situation, and moved out of the way. Akemi immediately stepped in, turning to look at Kakyoin. He was tossing and turning, sweat coating his face. He was talking in his sleep, and his breathing was quick.
"He's been like that all night. He woke me up several times." Polnareff explained, his past annoyance turned to concern at the state his aura had apparently turned her to.
"Yeah, he woke me up once last night, too." Akemi gulped, approaching him. She put a hand on his shoulder, hoping a feathery touch would give him solace. She flinched away when he turned again, muttering something she couldn't catch under his breath.
"Kakyoin... Kakyoin, wake up." Akemi said softly, trying to be gentle, hoping he wouldn't attack her when he woke up. She shook him lightly. His muttering got louder, more panicked. The fear in his aura grew until she felt as if her nerves were being fried. She felt like she was a kid again, back when her sensitivity to auras were higher. She couldn't even try to stop the jitter in her hands. Polnareff joined her side, looking nervously over her shoulder.
With one final shake, Kakyoin's eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly, almost smacking the hell out of Akemi's head, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Kakyoin! Kakyoin!" Polnareff and Akemi said, putting reassuring hands on him. Kakyoin stopped his screaming and breathed hard, sweat dripping down his face. Akemi let out a breath when she felt his fear die down drastically.
"Kakyoin, are you okay?" Akemi asked, a hand on his shoulder. He stared ahead, his eyes wide, trying to take control of his breathing. Akemi started rubbing his shoulder with her thumb, hoping that would calm him down and bring him back to reality. He turned to her, his chest heaving. "You're safe now, Kakyoin. There's nothing to worry about." She assured him with big green eyes. He averted his gaze, looking down at his knees. She removed her hand and placed it on her lap.
"Dude, you looked like you were possessed. You totally scared us to death." Polnareff joked him, putting his hands on his hips. Akemi sent a glare up to him and nudged him. Polnareff gave her a protesting look and questioningly raised his hands. Kakyoin ignored them and looked around dumbly, his eyes dull.
"Where are we?" Kakyoin asked. Akemi furrowed her brows worriedly.
"Don't ask dumb questions. Come on, get up already." Polnareff scoffed, beating her to saying something. Akemi rolled her eyes as he walked away. He opened the blinds to them, letting the bright morning sun in. Both Akemi and Kakyoin shielded their eyes.
"Hey, Kakyoin. Are you okay? What happened? You don't remember getting the hotel room?" She asked, giving him a concerned look. Kakyoin blinked at her, then rubbed his head as if he had a headache.
"I had a terrifying dream..." He muttered. "It was truly terrifying." Akemi let out a small huff.
"Yeah, it sure seemed like it. It's alright if you don't want to talk about it. It seemed pretty traumatizing." Akemi said. Kakyoin looked back up at her, a bit intensely.
"No! I would, but I can't… remember any of it." Kakyoin protested. Akemi widened her eyes.
"All that, and you can't remember a thing? Wow, it really must've been bad. Don't feel bad, but it woke me up twice." Akemi said, mildly concerned. Kakyoin rubbed his head.
"I'm sorry… I... I guess it was." He murmured, wiping the sweat from his face.
"Hey, I said don't feel bad!" Akemi bonked him on the head with a knife hand. Polnareff let out a satisfied sigh from across the room.
"Once we eat, we're flying outta here." He stated, looking outside. "Looks like another hot one." Akemi stretched and sat up.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go get dressed. I think Jotaro should be awake by now, so I'll have the room to myself." Akemi commented. Polnareff gave her a teasing look.
"Oh, you two didn't have too much fun last night sharing a room, did you?" Polnareff asked coyly. Akemi blushed madly.
"S- stop that. Of course we didn't. Deficiente." Akemi grumbled, turning and leaving the room. "I'll see you two later." And she shut the door behind her. She heard Polnareff's giggles from behind her.
Akemi buried her face in her hands as she walked back to her room, letting out a loud groan.
God, why did they have to tease her? It was getting more embarrassing as time went on. No doubt Jotaro was suffering from it too.
She put her hand on the doorknob but was surprised when it opened on its own. She was still holding onto the doorknob, so the door pulled her forward until she remembered to let go. Regardless, she bumped into what she originally thought was another door, so she looked up, confused, only to meet aquamarine eyes. A blush crawled up her cheeks as she looked up at Jotaro, who gave her a slightly concerned look.
"S- sorry." Akemi muttered, pushing past him and shutting the door behind her. She looked through the crack in the closed door, and saw his confused aura. But after a moment, it faded to annoyance, and Akemi felt a bit guilty.
"Damn it, Polnareff." She heard Jotaro grumble as he walked away. Akemi let out a huff of relief. He wasn't mad at her. She quickly shook off her embarrassment.
Why do I care so much? I'm thinking like I just got into scuola superiore. She talked to herself angrily. She slapped her cheeks. Quickly getting dressed and putting her braids in, she picked up her bag and exited the room.
"Oi, Kemi!" Said a voice from right beside Akemi as she locked the room. Akemi paused and looked to her side, seeing Polnareff and Kakyoin with their things.
"Jotaro and Joestar-san have already headed to the plane." Said Polnareff, the three of them walking out of the hotel. "We're gonna travel five-hundred kilometers today." He informed with a raised finger.
Akemi was about to respond when an anguished cry resounded from beside them. They looked to see a boy with an agonized aura, tears flowing down his face.
"My dog!" He cried. "My dog... is dead! Who would do such a thing?!" Akemi widened her eyes, following his gaze to a dead dog laying by some trash cans, its face mutilated. Akemi let out a sharp gasp, backing away a step.
"H- how brutal..." Akemi muttered, disturbed.
"A dog..? A dog..." Kakyoin muttered. He put a hand on his head, as if he were trying to remember something. "I could've sworn I saw a dead dog not long ago..." Polnareff turned.
"It's awful, but it has nothing to do with us." Polnareff said. "Let's go." He turned and continued walking.
As Akemi followed, she glanced behind her and had her Stand heal the dog- it wouldn't bring it back to life, but no kid should have to see such a savage scene, and the dog deserved some dignity.
"Maybe there was a dead dog in your dream?" Akemi suggested, shooting him a concerned look. Kakyoin sighed.
"If only I could remember... this dream felt significant." Kakyoin said absentmindedly.
"You'll remember it eventually. I find myself doing that sometimes." Akemi said, both of them looking at the boy sobbing over his dog. "Anyways, let's head out before they leave without us."
Akemi, Polnareff and Kakyoin walked inside the gate, seeing Joseph arguing with the pilot and Jotaro standing to the side. Further in front of Jotaro was a nun holding a basket with a baby inside and two men standing to her side.
"...Th- then how about the plane over there?" Joseph asked, pointing to a different Cessna.
"That one's broken." The pilot answered. It was then that Kakyoin and Akemi made it across the field to them, a concerned look on their faces. Akemi looked up at Jotaro.
"What's going on?" Akemi asked, taking in her surroundings.
"Some kind of argument?" Polnareff added.
"Yeah." Jotaro answered, looking down at Akemi.
"A baby..." Kakyoin muttered. Akemi followed his gaze to the child in the basket. He was sweating and feverish, but his aura was hard to read. Normally, baby auras were pretty simple, only showing one emotion out of, like, five. This one... she couldn't quite tell what he was feeling. Maybe it was because he was sick and feeling confused.
"Odd... I can't really read his aura." Akemi muttered, fiddling with her lower lip.
"The plane will be back tomorrow night." Said the pilot's voice, snapping Akemi out of her thoughts. "I can sell it to you after that." Joseph angrily approached the man.
"Tomorrow night?" He asked. Akemi blinked and watched as Joseph grabbed the man's coat, lifting the short man to his level. "Someone's life is on the line for us, too. We can't afford to spend two days lollygagging."
"Then are you going to let that baby die?" The pilot shot back. Akemi could feel it getting intense, so she dropped her bag and stepped in, putting a hand on both their shoulders.
"Hey, Joseph. This town is on the way, right?" Akemi asked. They both looked at her. "Why don't we just take the baby with us and drop him off at the doctor? It shouldn't be that much of a hassle." Everyone around her looked uncertain.
"Uh, but that's..." Joseph said, putting the man down. The nun stepped up beside her.
"The Cessna only carries four. But if it can fit the girl, then the baby could sit on her lap." The nun suggested happily. "And the baby would be safe with a woman. She needs her practice, anyway." She teased, nudging a blushing Akemi.
"Y- yeah, I suppose so..." Akemi answered shyly, a hand on her cheek.
"You sure, lady? You wanna leave the baby with these guys? That woman doesn't look like she knows the first thing about a baby." The pilot said with uncertainty. Akemi sent a glare to the pilot.
"Hey! For your information, I have plenty of experience with children and babies! I used to babysit my little cousins all the time! For years, since they were born. Plus, this guy-" She pointed to Joseph, "-is a father, uncle and grandfather. The baby will be perfectly safe with us." She said, unable to keep the intensity out of her voice. The pilot sweatdropped and backed off.
"H- hey, Akemi, hold it! It's dangerous for a baby to travel with us." Joseph interjected. Akemi raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you saying we, five powerful Stand users, can't even defend a baby?" Akemi scoffed. "That sounds like an insult to me." Joseph opened his mouth to reason with her, but found that he started to agree with her.
"Alright..." Joseph said reluctantly.
The nun handed her the basket, and her eyes looked softly down at the small, resting baby. Poor thing must be suffering, what with that fever. Akemi took the basket with care. She caressed his face, and the baby seemed to calm down.
"Don't worry, little one. You'll get better." She said with a smile.
"Thank you so much, miss." The nun said gratefully. Akemi smiled brightly at the nun.
"Of course. We'll make sure he gets to a doctor." She assured the nun.
Akemi heard some giggling from behind her and turned, seeing Polnareff and Kakyoin giving Jotaro teasing smiles. His teeth were bared and his hat was being roughly tugged downward. Before she could ask what was going on, Polnareff noticed her stare and stepped forward.
"Alright, let's board the Cessna, then!" Polnareff said enthusiastically.
The engine roared to life and the propellers on the nose of the plane began spinning. Akemi was squeezed between Polnareff and Kakyoin, and Jotaro sat in the passenger seat beside Joseph, who was piloting the plane.
"I said this would be dangerous..." Joseph muttered, adjusting his headphones.
"Don't worry, Monsieur Joestar. No one would send their Stand after us in the air- hey!" Polnareff cried out when Akemi nudged his shoulder roughly.
"Don't jinx it!" Akemi hissed.
"I'm more worried about the old man's flying than enemy Stands." Jotaro stated, looking out the window. Akemi sighed.
"Yeah, me too. But I have Empress Gaea ready in case we happen to crash." Akemi said, the Stand peeking out beside her.
"I feel like this is an insult to my flying." Joseph said as he drove down the runway. Akemi giggled in response.
"It is." Jotaro said flatly, resulting in the passengers behind him to laugh.
They made for the air, and soon the scenery around them was nothing but sand for kilometers. She heard Polnareff yawn from beside her.
"I always get so tired when I get on a plane..." Sighed Polnareff, leaning on his fist. "Sorry, Monsieur Joestar, but I'm gonna nap for about thirty minutes." Joseph turned slightly.
"Sure."
And then both the boys next to her were asleep. Akemi decided to stay awake in case the baby needed anything, but she was getting a bit drowsy, too.
However, the feeling of Polnareff and Kakyoin's auras startled her. It was almost as if they were in battle.
"Akemi, you alright?" Asked Jotaro, noticing her expression.
"Yeah, it looks like they're both having nightmares, though." Akemi said, looking warily at their stressed auras. Suddenly, she was hit with a wave of what felt like Stand energy, and gasped lightly.
"Did you feel that?" Asked Joseph intensely.
"Y- yeah." Akemi muttered, matching his intensity.
"Yeah, I felt that." Jotaro answered. Akemi looked warily at the two beside her. But suddenly she was aware of the baby having wet himself. Akemi got ready to change him when she elbowed Polnareff accidentally. He jumped awake, letting out a yelp.
"Polnareff! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Akemi apologized, continuing to change the baby. Polnareff rubbed his eyes with a groan.
"I feel like I had a terrifying dream..." Polnareff said, his voice gravelly with sleep. Shock slapped his aura. "But I don't remember what happened in it. I've forgotten..." Akemi frowned at him.
"That's exactly what Kakyoin said this morning..." Akemi said, giving him a worried side-glance. But Kakyoin's fear suddenly increased. He was feeling the same amount of fear he'd been feeling when she woke up, leaving her visibly shaken. She considered waking him up.
"Kemi, hurry up and change the diaper, already! It stinks..." Polnareff said, waving his hand in front of his nose, making a face. Akemi snapped out of her fear and sent him a glare.
"Fine, fine..." Akemi replied, continuing her task and rolling her eyes. With practiced hands, she changed the baby's diaper.
"Wow, Kemi... you really meant it when you said you were experienced." Polnareff said, watching her do her work.
"Yeah, I had two little cousins to look after when I wasn't training. They're twins, and they're ten years younger than me. My nona made me change their diapers a lot of the time." Akemi explained, taking the safety pin out of her mouth. However, her shaky hands caused her to prick her finger. "Ow!" she hissed, sucking on her finger, plugging the safety pin in with one hand.
"Huh? What are they doing now?" Polnareff asked. Akemi let out a small chuckle.
"Probably driving our nona insane. They're eight years old now. Their birthday was last week. And they're a couple of assholes." Akemi answered with a smirk and a fond light about her.
Before she could say anything else, she was hit with a wave of fear that nearly had her reeling, and she let out another gasp.
"Kemi, are you okay?" Polnareff asked worriedly as she flinched, her eyes wide. She didn't answer, only turned her gaze to Kakyoin, whose eyes were moving erratically under his eyelids. He let out a few whimpers of fear and a sweat had built up on his forehead.
"You can feel his fear, can't you?" Jotaro asked.
"Y- yeah..." Akemi uttered nervously.
"What? You can sense emotions?!" Polnareff cried, surprised. Akemi turned to him, about to reply, when Kakyoin suddenly started screaming.
"Stop! Stop it!" He cried out, raw panic clawing out his throat. Akemi felt as if she'd been hit by a truck, fear slapping her.
"What's the matter, Kakyoin?!" Asked Jotaro, dodging his attacks. Akemi was snapped out of her trance when she was whacked in the face. She cried out and quickly handed the baby to Polnareff, who hugged him to his chest, angling it away from Kakyoin. In turn, she pressed her back against Polnareff, doing her best to defend herself against Kakyoin's attacks.
"Hey, what's going on?!" Joseph asked, unable to take his attention away from the windshield.
"Stop! Stop! Stop it!" Kakyoin shouted raucously.
"Akemi! Your branches! Wrap your branches around him!" Jotaro cried, turning to face her. Akemi widened her eyes.
"R- right!" Akemi replied, summoning Empress Gaea. The Stand had an absolutely petrified expression on her face, sweat trailing down her forehead. Nevertheless, she shot wooden wisteria vines out from her forearms and wrapped themselves around Kakyoin.
But she was having a hard time holding him. His arms may have been confined, but the vines hadn't quite reached his legs yet. One shot out and slammed Joseph in the face, resulting in a cry of surprise and pain. He yanked the control to the side, flinging the whole plane downward.
"Shit!" Joseph cursed. "I can't control it!"
Quickly, the vines reached Kakyoin's feet, and he thrashed against his confines, headbutting Akemi in the face. She cried out and held her nose, blood dripping out of it.
"Akemi!" Shouted Jotaro. He turned to his grandfather. "Oi, are we going to crash?" Jotaro asked, a hand on the roof and another helping Akemi control Kakyoin's movements.
"Stop!" Cried Polnareff, trying his best to defend the baby.
This whole situation was causing her vision to swim. She was already stressed since the plane was currently spiraling and Kakyoin was attacking her, but the double-enhanced fear from a terrible nightmare was hitting her like a train- plus, her head and nose were pounding with pain from Kakyoin's surprisingly hard headbutt. She was losing control of her breathing, and she felt as if she would lose consciousness.
"Akemi! Are you okay?! You- you're bleeding!" Jotaro shouted intensely. Akemi could barely hear his voice. "What are you doing? The vines, they're losing strength!" Akemi felt herself panicking.
"Kemi, you have to calm down!" Polnareff cried.
"I- I can't... It's too much... everything is too much..." Akemi could hear Jotaro and Polnareff crying out to her as she fell limp against Polnareff.
Akemi gasped as she woke up.
"Oh, it seems Zeppeli's joined us." Said a teasing, high-pitched voice.
Akemi looked around wildly, seeing that she was inside some kind of theme park. All the colors looked far too saturated, but her focus was on the image ahead of her. An absolutely terrified Kakyoin and a dark figure looming over him. Half his body was infused in a pillar, and he was tied to it with a wire, and there was blood everywhere. Akemi was on her feet immediately.
"Kakyoin!" Akemi shouted.
"Akemi! Stay back!" He shouted, his voice strained. Akemi stepped back, wary. She certainly wasn't going to do nothing, seeing Kakyoin cornered like that.
"I knew it... I knew it was a Stand attack!" Akemi exclaimed. "Empress Gaea!"
"Akemi, that won't work here!" Kakyoin shouted. The figure turned to her, sending unease down her spine.
"Lali-ho! You know you can't summon your Stand when you're dreaming! Y- huh?" The figure cut himself off. Both him and Kakyoin looked shocked- because Empress Gaea hovered by Akemi, ready for a fight. "Wh... how?!" He cried. Akemi didn't know, but she quickly sent vines to the figure, tying him up.
However, he let out a laugh from the back of his throat and disappeared.
"This is still my land, you two. We go by my rules here." Said the Stand's disembodied voice. Akemi dashed to Kakyoin and tried to pull him out of the pillar. He cried out in pain.
"It won't work- look, Akemi, we have to tell the others somehow! We aren't going to remember this when we wake up! It's the baby, the baby is a Stand user!" Kakyoin said intensely. Akemi widened her eyes, her expression fearful.
"B- but how?" Akemi asked. "He's just going to pick us off like this! No one will suspect him, much less believe anyone who does!" Kakyoin took out a knife.
"Whatever wounds we take here will appear in the material world." He explained. Akemi gulped.
"But what if I heal it?" Akemi asked, taking the wrist of the hand that held his knife.
"We'll still retain the memory of it being there. Plus, the pain could wake us up." He explained. Akemi reluctantly let go of his arm. "Since you're sleeping, Akemi, your wound will heal too fast. I'll cut my arm, and hopefully it'll spark both of our memories."
"Lali-ho! You really think that will work?" Teased a voice from behind them. Akemi yelped and turned, Empress Gaea at her side. "No matter how badly you cut yourself, the pain won't wake you up. As long as you're asleep, I control your mental energy. Death 13 is a Stand that enters the unguarded mental state of sleep." Akemi growled and threw her arms forward.
"Ivy tether!" She cried.
"Akemi, don't make any rash decisions!" Kakyoin cried, reaching a hand out. Death 13 disappeared with a giggle and reappeared behind her, in between Kakyoin and Akemi.
"Looks like we managed to avoid crashing. Those guys are dangerous." Death 13 said. Akemi blinked, relieved, but turned to face him either way. Death 13 tilted his head to the side. "Now then... I hate to do this, since you took care of me without complaining, but..."
"...how about I kill you by crushing that little heart of yours? Then Joestar and the others will just think you had a heart attack. They probably already think you're dead, though, with the way you fainted."
Akemi stepped back, falling on the seat behind her. She looked fearfully up at the tall Stand, and its creepy smile.
"Lali-ho..." He mused. He swung his massive scythe, and Akemi braced herself…
Suddenly, however, everything went black, and her eyes snapped open.
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Joseph sat by the fire, throwing broken-up sticks into the flames.
Kakyoin salvaged their things from the wreck.
Polnareff was carrying sticks he'd gathered for firewood to the camp, and walked past Akemi and Jotaro.
Akemi was absentmindedly growing some fruits they could snack on until they could make some real food, and Jotaro was sitting next to her, picking the fruits and placing them in a wooden bowl, but not without popping a few in his mouth.
"Is this enough?" Polnareff asked, placing his stack next to Joseph.
"Yeah, thanks." Joseph said. Polnareff sighed, looking at Kakyoin, who sat on a nearby rock, his gaze distant. Their sleeping bags laid on the ground beside him, and everyone's luggage did as well.
"We survived, but..." Polnareff trailed off. "Kakyoin, what's going on? This is all your fault." Akemi snapped out of her trance and stopped growing her fruits. She turned to the tall silver-haired man and glared.
"Hey, Polnareff. Don't say that. He can't control what he does in his sleep. It's not his fault he's having night terrors." Akemi snapped. Polnareff raised his hands in surrender.
"Hey, hey..." He said, faltering under the white-haired teen's withering stare.
"I don't know..." Said Kakyoin's quiet voice. He rubbed his face with his hand. "I feel like I might have had a terrifying dream. When I woke up, I was dead tired. Is there something wrong with me?" Akemi could see the pain he was feeling in his aura.
"Of course not. This is a stressful situation, I can understand why you're acting the way you are... no normal person would be able to make it through this journey." She assured him, resuming her fruit-growing.
"I'm allergic to pears." Jotaro remarked. Akemi paused and looked down at her plant, which was about to turn into a pear tree, which would've also taken a good bit of her energy to grow.
"Oh, I didn't realize... I don't like pears, anyways… Jeez, I've been so spacey since I tapped out… I feel like I had a terrifying dream… Truly terrifying." Akemi replied, going back to growing strawberries instead.
"Cheer up. I'm sure you're just too tired." Joseph reassured, taking on a fatherly tone. "It's been about a month since we've left Japan, and the enemy's been attacking nonstop ever since."
"Hey, it looks like the baby's fever's gone down." Said Polnareff cheerfully, playing with the child in the basket that sat behind Jotaro and Akemi.
Akemi narrowed her eyes at the child. Since she woke up, something irked her about the baby, and it left her uneasy. It was as if the baby wanted to hurt her. She thought maybe it was just her paranoia, or the fact that she was tired, or the baby was tired and irritable, but she was seeing emotions that were different from what he showed... which was impossible. That was far too complicated for a baby. Her cousins didn't show this level of emotion until they were maybe three years old. There was no way this baby had been alive for longer than a year.
"Thank goodness he's safe!" Joseph cooed. "If we lost him, I don't know what we'd do." He got up and joined Polnareff in observing the baby. Akemi let her worries fade away as she looked at Joseph playing with the baby. It brought her back to how he treated her little cousins- and even how he'd supposedly treated her as a baby. Maybe even her mother. Back when everyone was alive and happy.
"Peek-a-boo!" Joseph said in a high-pitched voice, sticking out his tongue. The baby giggled at his antics as he repeated himself. "Such a cute smile!" He said with a joyful expression. Polnareff gave him a blank stare.
"What's so funny about that? It's not even a joke or anything." Polnareff said in a dismissive tone.
"Babies' minds don't wrap around things the same way ours does." Akemi explained. "Their minds are still developing. They don't know how things work. For all the baby knows, Joseph really did disappear behind his hands. Of course he's going to laugh at that. He'd laugh if I threw a ball in the air and caught it." Akemi raised a hand, and Jotaro ate another strawberry beside her. It caught her eye that he ate the strawberry with the leaves still attached.
"You know, people are going to find you weird for eating the leaves with the strawberries." Akemi pointed out. Jotaro humphed.
"What do I care?" He grunted, defiantly popping another in his mouth. Akemi chuckled.
"You shouldn't. The leaves are actually healthier than the berries themselves. They're chock full of vitamin C, calcium, antioxidants, and iron, so have at it." Akemi informed him with a smile, looking relaxed with her eyes lidded as she grew more strawberries. Jotaro looked at her, wide-eyed.
"Never heard that before…" Jotaro murmured, looking at the strawberry he was holding.
"Hey, Monsieur Joestar! The radio still works!" Polnareff shouted from the wreckage. Everyone turned to look at him. "What should we do? Should we send out an SOS?"
"That'll mean Dio can find us, but..." Jotaro said from his place across from Akemi.
"It can't be helped." Joseph said with a sigh, standing up. "Let's call for rescue. We'll do it for the baby." He walked over and joined Polnareff by the plane. Soon after he left, Kakyoin held up his arm.
"I thought something hurt... there's blood again. Did I cut it when we crashed?" Kakyoin muttered. Images flashed through Akemi's head again. The shine of a blade. It seemed to be getting clearer. She looked down at her pocket knife, where it was holstered in her pocket.
"Kakyoin, are you okay? I can heal you." Akemi said, her Stand hovering by her side. Kakyoin didn't seem to hear her, and rolled up his sleeve and started to wash his wound, but gasped at the wound itself. Was it worse than he'd thought? He... got up and started walking toward the baby. His aura was a bit concerning- he was suspicious and maybe even a little hostile. Akemi stood up and approached him.
"Kakyoin, are you okay? Hey, it's alright. I can heal your wound, we're going to sleep soon anyways." Akemi said. Kakyoin took a step back, his eyes hidden behind his hair.
"I- it's fine. It's just a small cut." Kakyoin said, rolling his sleeve back down. Akemi frowned.
"You're lying. You know you can't lie to me. Come here, Kakyoin." Akemi said, holding out a hand. Kakyoin bit his lip and looked back down at his arm, then to the baby. Utterly confused, Akemi followed his gaze and frowned when she noticed the baby consciously looking away when they made eye contact. Her jaw dropped. His aura was deceiving. Was her head really not messing with her?
"T- tell me you saw that…" Kakyoin murmured, shocked.
"I definitely did." Akemi affirmed, her gaze hardening.
While Kakyoin was caught off guard, she approached him and took his arm, her Stand's jasmine vines already hovering around her. Kakyoin yelped in surprise, yanking his arm back at the sudden touch. Panic edged his aura, and Akemi realized why.
On his arm, the words 'BABY STAND' were carved. More images flashed in her mind.
Baby... Stand... While Akemi couldn't take her eyes off Kakyoin's wound, her mind went in the direction of the baby.
"Kakyoin... come with me." Akemi muttered, putting a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn around as she moved forward. He wordlessly complied, following her further into the forest behind them. Once she was sure they were out of earshot, she sat on a nearby stump, putting her hands on her head.
"Akemi..?"
"I've been seeing flashes. My brain's been racking itself, trying to remember something that seemingly doesn't exist. The pocket knife, your wounds, the baby..." Akemi said intensely, all in one breath, the loose ends all coming to bother her in that moment. "That baby's aura isn't matching what it's showing. He's got to be more intelligent than he seems."
"Right... I think you're right. Maybe... that dream I can't remember..." Kakyoin trailed off, his tone taking on that same intense atmosphere. Akemi stood up, a hand rubbing her face.
"Just know that you can count on me, okay? I'm on your side." Akemi told him sincerely. "If that baby does end up being a Stand user... then we can say that we called it. After all, we've seen quite some variation between Stand users, and I wouldn't put it past Dio to use a baby against us. But don't show the others your wound. They won't take it seriously- actually, they'll take it too seriously. They already think we're mentally weak right now, so we may be on our own." Kakyoin gulped at her last few sentences, but his aura flooded with relief.
"O- okay." He said, rubbing his arm.
"Do you want me to heal that?" Akemi asked. "It looks painful, and we don't want it getting infected." Kakyoin shook his head.
"Not... not yet. Not until we solve this." Kakyoin said. Akemi let Empress Gaea fade behind her.
"Alright..." Akemi muttered. "Let's head back out." She said. And with that, the two of them made their way back out the forest.
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poor little children (like i'm not also 17 years of age)
(i'm actually 19 now, so nostalgic seeing that note)
facts
-a prime example of akemi's sleep sensitivity. jotaro doesn't dream often, so it was easy for her to sleep in the same room. however, kakyoin's stand-induced dream woke her up from several doors down.
-when kakyoin doubted himself, he got a taste of the loneliness he suffocated in before, so he was terrified. when akemi believed him, he was immeasurably relieved. it made him realize how glad he was to have a friend like her.
-the twins are more important than you think, remember them.
okay see y'all next episode!
- caelesti
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