On the Run from the Mirror Stand
Polnareff, Tomo, Nate, and Kakyoin are in horror of seeing that the fortune-teller with the strong fire Stand who's been on this journey to stop Dio, now has been shot down by two enemy Stand Users.
"Avdol! Avdol, can you hear me?" Nate tried to shake Avdol to wake up.
"First a stab on the back by that mirror Stand, and now a bullet to the head… And the shot was very fatal." Tomo clutched her hands on the ground.
"No, it can't be!" Kakyoin looked down at Avdol seeing with his own eyes and can already tell that Tomo is right.
Avdol is dead, and he died protecting Polnareff from being kill by these villains.
"Man, today must be my day! My gun and Centerfold's mirror don't do very well against Avdol's flame, you see. We were sure that he would be our most formidable enemy, talk about luck." Hol smirked.
"With him gone, the game is in the bag." Hol believed.
"You dare talk of games when you took a life. I bet you enjoy doing that whole you too other lives as well." Nate glared with vicious in her eyes.
"(That's awful easy, it was too quick.)" Kakyoin thought felt terrible for not being able to help.
Polnareff looks at the dead Avdol thinking about the short times they had together though most were arguing, but he did respect his warrior spirit when they first fought each other back when he was under Dio's mind control.
He spit and kick the ground as he turns around.
"That's what he gets for lecturing people, look at him now." Polnareff said. This shocked the three companions of hearing such hurtful words from the French man.
"What did you say, Polnareff? Mister Avdol was worried about you!" Kakyoin said feeling a bit angry.
"Ask him for help because I never did. He likes t meddle in other people's business, but he's slow as Hell, so they got him. Guys like him just get in the way and screw up, that's why I tried telling you damn girls that I was going in alone." Polnareff stated.
"How dare you say such things when we willingly came with you because we wanted to take down that double-right hand freak for our own reason." Nate yelled.
"Is this really how you respect a man who saved your life?" Nate asked as she wants to pounce on the guy.
But then she stops when she notices something coming down from Polnareff and soft sniffling noise as he shakes a bit, Kakyoin and Tomo notice this too as they look at Polnareff if that whole mockery was just to hide his true feelings.
"I am sick of it." Polnareff grunted.
Polnareff turn his face around showing that he is crying very hard which is his true feelings about Avdol's death, the friend he never got to know more on this adventure.
"Having people often die on me." Polnareff sobbed.
"(It would seem you've suffered more from this than we realize, Polnareff.)" Tomo thought realized.
"I'm so sick of it… YOU HEAR ME!" Polnareff shouted of his sorrow and rage.
Meanwhile, Hol Horse was just seeing this as an entertainment that he and his partner were able to take down Avdol who once feared his fire could be big trouble for them, but now Avdol is just dead.
"For such a tough guy, he sure was easy to take down." Hol chuckled, making the good Stand Users flinch from his words.
"But I guess when you think about it, the end is usually set curtain call, you know." Hol said as he drops his cigarette and step on it to put it out.
"Most folks don't get to say goodbye, especially when a bullet to the brain is involve. Think of it as a little parting wisdom before I make you croak." Hol smirked.
Hol has been saying all that just to make Polnareff angry to come at him again which totally worked as the silver hair man starts marching towards the wannabe cowboy with rage in his eyes.
"Polnareff, stop!" Tomo stepped in front of him.
"I know you're hell bent on getting revenge against this guy, don't think you're the only one who feels that way. But you can't, this is exactly what Avdol was worried about and hope to save you from being killed by that blinded revenge." Tomo believed of what Avdol has come for.
"Then tell me, what am I supposed to do?" Polnareff asked.
"The only thing we can do right now is to retreat." Tomo answered knowing the enemies may still have something they can use to kill them.
But hearing this just made Polnareff feel a bit more angry of the suggestion to run away with their backs turned against them.
"Avdol was stabbed in the back and didn't have a chance. My sister couldn't defend herself and was killed. You expect me to run away and just forget all this happen?" Polnareff asked with his Stand aura showing.
"How can we fight them when we don't know the full extent of their Stands?" Kakyoin asked, stepping in to reason with Polnareff too.
"Don't fight a battle that'll only end in your death! That's what Mister Avdol was trying to tell you!" Kakyoin pointed out.
"Hey, come on. Do it, little Pol-Pol." Hol taunted in a mocking tone.
"Why you…!" Polnareff glared at the cowboy, wanting to beat him up so badly.
"Polnareff, don't let him get to you. Right now, we just have to do what Kakyoin says and retreat." Nate stated.
"Yes, just calm down and slowly retreat towards us with Tomo. That truck is our way out of here." Kakyoin pointed that the truck behind them.
"Calm down? Calm down, you say? How…?" Polnareff asked feeling his anger is about to explode.
"Please, do it for Advol." Tomo pleaded.
Polnareff looks back at Avdol's corpse thinking about how Avdol would say to calm him down and see reason, remembering the words the others said making his anger starts to simmer down as he sees clearly now with his heavy angry breathing soften too.
"Alright." Polnareff decided to listen this time.
Until an uneasy voice was heard.
"Hey, Polnareff?"
This got Polnareff to gasp turning to where the evil laughing is coming from and saw the Hanged Man inside the reflection of the window coming out of the little puddle, the French man starts to feel uneasy from the sight.
"Oh no, it's the Stand that stabbed Avdol's back!" Tomo shocked.
"It's your fault Avdol died, you know?" Centerfold pointed out painfully.
Polnareff and Tomo turns to the real puddle only to find nothing is there, no Stand with the two right hands, then turn back to the window.
"I think it only seems fair. Your bite the dust because of you." Centerfold laughed mocking.
"Polnareff, calm down! Don't let him get to you." Tomo advised seeing how angry her friend is getting.
"Ah, Tomo Asami. The daughter of that wretched man I failed to kill all those years ago, it would be nice to kill to make up for that mistake." Centerfold chuckled.
"My father hasn't forgotten about your face, he told me, and I'll find you." Tomo promised.
"Well, you do seem to have a nice body. But I'm afraid I have no interest in you right now, I'm here for Polnareff to give him the sweet relief of reuniting with his friend." Centerfold gazed back to Polnareff.
"You'll soon be dead; you can enjoy the afterlife with those two fools. You're welcome." Centerfold smirked from wherever the killer is right now.
"I have to say, your sister was so very sweet." Centerfold mentioned Polnareff's sister. That one got Polnareff's anger to raise up again.
"(Oh no, the bastard mentioned his sister!)" Tomo thought feared.
"Once you're reunited with your sister, be sure to ask her exactly how I killed her. We had such a ball!" Centerfold laughed.
"Damn it, just when we finally calmed him down!" Nate said.
"Polnareff, don't fall for his tricks!" Kakyoin called out.
But the words of reason fail to reach Polnareff this time as he brought out his Silver Chariot and have it attack the window in rage, but that didn't nothing as the Hanged Man is still here behind Polnareff on one reflection.
"Oh, didn't you know? Your Silver Chariot cannot cut my Hanged Man." Centerfold grinned.
Tomo shattered that reflection piece with her arrow Stand, but that did nothing as well.
"I'm in the mirror, where you're Stands can't go. That's why." Centerfold said grabbing Polnareff's shoulder.
"So close, and yet so far away." Centerfold mocked laughing.
"(This is the assassin my father battle against? This power truly is something to fear, and now we got caught in his web.)" Tomo thought feared.
"Hol Horse, fire away. Let's put an end to this idiot." Centerfold ordered.
"Aye, aye, sir." Hol nodded as he brought out his Emperor.
"Not today, you won't!" Tomo shouted as she brought out her bow Stand.
"Help me protect my friend, Umetsubaki!" Tomo fired a light arrow straight up for several feet then it burst into several more arrows.
"What the…?" Hol shocked of seeing this.
Tomo quickly tackle Polnareff out of the Hanged Man's grip and reach out her hand as it has been wrapped by the chain of the Argenteés Chaînes launched by Nate who is already in the truck with Kakyoin. She pulls on her Stand bring the two friends onto the truck with Tomo in the back and Polnareff in the seat with Kakyoin.
"We're out of here!" Kakyoin pressed the petal hard getting the truck to move past Hol Horse.
"That was Kakyoin, was it? Damn, him!" Hol quickly aimed his Emperor at the truck to aim but couldn't take the shot.
"Damn, that's out of my Stand's range." Hol cursed for not reacting sooner.
"Even if I got them from here, the bullet wouldn't put much force." Hol realized that too.
Hol turns to the glass fragments to see what Centerfold want to do next though surprise to see that the Hanged Man isn't in any of those fragments anymore.
"He went after them, huh?" Hol noticed.
"Well, I'll be. He must really have it in for Polnareff." Hol chuckled.
Meanwhile, Kakyoin drives the truck away and getting one last look at Avdol's corpse knowing he made the right choice of running away, but now there is the matter of how to fight the enemy's Stand.
"I'm so sorry, Kakyoin." Polnareff apologized getting the high schooler's attention though wouldn't take his eyes off the road.
"It just that… I thought so long as I can avenge my sister, I wouldn't care if I live or die. But I understand now, I know Avdol was fighting for me. His sacrifice will be for not." Polnareff said calmly and clear.
"I'll fight to keep on living!" Polnareff determined.
"You really mean, Polnareff?" Kakyoin asked.
"We." Polnareff answered nodding, then suddenly got a hard elbow strike on the nose my Kakyoin with tears forming from his eyes.
"That's all I'm giving you as proof that we made up, Polnareff." Kakyoin said.
"Right. Merci, Kakyoin." Polnareff groaned.
"When those bastards come after us again, I swear we'll beat them together!" Kakyoin determined.
"Well, it looks like things have settle with the boys." Tomo sighed in relief as she and Nate heard the entire conversation.
"Yes, yet I feel unsatisfied for some reason." Nate said looking at the sky.
"Maybe it's because you want to punch Polnareff too for worrying you almost to death." Makiko stated.
"You might be right; I do want to give Polnareff a scolding punch or two for almost dishonoring the knights like that." Nate nodded.
But Nate and Tomo widen their eyes in shock upon hearing such a familiar voice as they look a pair of strong legs in front of them, and they look up to see those legs belong to none other than Makiko Oriotorai with her arms cross and smirking.
"Makiko!" Nate and Tomo gasped which got the boys' attention as they see in the rearview mirror that it really is Makiko.
"Miss Makiko, why are you in the truck with us and how did you get on here to begin with?" Tomo asked shock.
"Oh, well, it was when I came to the fight scene when you guys were about to hop onto the truck." Makiko answered.
(Flashback)
Makiko arrives at the fight scene gasping of the sight of a dead Avdol laying on the ground and seeing a cowboy smirking making her realize that's probably the Stand User, and she turns her head to the right seeing the kids are about to get in the truck for a getaway.
"I saw how you guys were about to make your escape, so I decided to join you guys as I had Real Amazon get me on that truck." Makiko mentioned.
Makiko summoned her Stand to grab onto her high and threw her like a fastball at a baseball game as the woman looks excited and grabs onto the back of the truck.
(Flashback End)
"And here I am." Makiko finished telling her story.
"Wow, I never met a woman who could do something so crazy just to hitch a ride." Polnareff amazed.
"I guess that just how it is since we were in a hurry to get away from the enemies." Kakyoin stated.
"Alright, stop the truck for a moment." Makiko ordered.
"Huh, but why?" Kakyoin asked.
"Because Nate wants to hit Polnareff for being an idiot back there, Tomo should also have a go and I'll give him one hell of a kick last." Makiko explained smiling.
"H-Hold on, I learned my lesson! I promise!" Polnareff scared, not wanting to let this woman give him a beating harder Kakyoin's elbow.
"Pretty sure the others found the body by now." Makiko said.
(With Jotaro and Others)
Upon going to the source of the commotion, the Stardust Crusaders came to the scene only to find Avdol dead on the ground as everyone's eyes are shadowed and Anne shock to see the man in such a state.
"Is he…?" Anne felt fear stopping her from asking the question as Kimi pulls her in so that she wouldn't see this any longer.
"Avdol, my old friend." Joseph said, feeling bad for not being there for him.
"His flame maybe out, but we'll always remember how bright it was." Horizon believed.
"You got that right." Tori said with a soft sad face and his fist tighten.
Jotaro looks down at the headband with blood stain he picked up when coming here seeing this is Avdol's blood, he can already tell the enemies must've gotten him when trying to protect Polnareff and hope he and the others who are with him right now will be okay against this threat.
"Come on." Jotaro walked away.
"We're going after them." Jotaro said with a powerful look in his eyes.
(Back with Polnareff's Group)
"How far do you think we have to go?" Nate asked.
"As far as we can until we figure out the secret of the Hanged Man." Kakyoin answered.
"You know, I was so sure that I stab him with my sword, but my strikes never hit him. It was like he wasn't there." Polnareff said, he looks at the rearview mirror and rips it off.
"Even breaking the mirrors into pieces didn't stop him. The Hanged Man just attacked from the shards, how am I supposed to fight against that?" Polnareff wondered is there a way to beat the Hanged Man.
"That's a good question, he only appears at our reflections, yet his knife somehow can touch our real flesh and our Stands can't go in the mirrors." Nate stated of what she saw so far.
"Wow, this Stand User sounds pretty tough even when he himself isn't nearby." Makiko commented.
"Damn it, how are we supposed to attack him if he's in some kind of mirror world?" Polnareff asked as he threw the rearview mirror away.
"You two keep talking about in the mirror and mirror world, but there is no such thing as a world in a mirror. Remember, this is reality not fantasy." Kakyoin said causing Polnareff and Nate to gasp.
"What are you talking about? You saw it too, didn't you? We all saw it." Polnareff reminded him.
"Yes, we can only see him in the mirror and when you turn around, he's not there at all." Nate stated.
"Yes, but anything you see in a mirror is just a reflection created by light." Kakyoin explained.
"How dare you! I know my science too, but this is completely different with Stands which is something that should be impossible too." Nate snapped, but Makiko place her hand on her shoulder.
"Easy girl, I think Kakyoin is just pointing out that fact could help us discover the secret of the Hanged Man, meaning we might have a chance." Makiko smirked.
Before Kakyoin notice something shine on the crawl of the steering wheel looking at the shining reflection and saw the Hanged Man getting on the back of the truck.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
Now it looks like Polnareff and the others are on the run from the Hanged Man trying to figure out the secret of his power, and Makiko has just tagged along hoping to make the scale tip in their favor to win against this reflecting battle.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!