False Confidence ; Jotakak

Don't Ever Tame Your Demons, But Always Keep 'em on a Leash

CW ¬ Smoking and Swearing (the usual) plus some brief Misogyny, Hospital Setting, Body Horror (referenced only) and Mention of Weight.

It had been perhaps the most intense day of the journey so far. Any confusing feelings I had the night before had disappeared after our fight with J.Geil. We, being Polnareff and I, were victorious in our battle, and Polnareff had been able to get his revenge on both his sister and our friend Mister Avdol, whose death had occurred earlier that day...or so I thought. After the fight, Polnareff needed time to re-group, rest and grieve in his hotel room, so we left him alone. As I returned with Jotaro to meet back up with Mister Joestar, Jotaro dropped the bomb.

"Listen, there is something you need to be made aware of, but for multiple reasons, including our own safety, Polnareff cannot know, not right now." The tone Jotaro used worried me, but I knew it was important that I listened to what he had to say, even if it was going to be hard to hear. "We're going to the hospital to visit Avdol. After you and Polnareff disappeared, paramedics were able to resuscitate him."

"Are you for real? He got shot in the head, I saw it." This was bizarre. There's no way Mister Avdol could have survived his attack. I was there; I watched him bleed out helplessly.

"It missed the skull. Just took out some of the scalp. Mister Avdol may be balder than before, but he's very much alive." I thought Jotaro wasn't pulling my leg. As unlikely as it was that Mister Avdol survived the attack, it wasn't impossible. "Nobody thinking to take the knife out of Avdol's back saved his life; he would have bled out otherwise."

I still couldn't quite believe it until I saw it for myself. I met Mister Joestar in Avdol's hospital room, and sure enough, he was alive. "I honestly can't believe this," I said in shock.

"Neither can I." Avdol chuckled. His head was heavily bandaged. We were without a shirt, bandages wrapped around his rib cage. My subconscious pointed out what it looked like, but the reality of Avdol's injuries made it so I couldn't process that thought any further.

"You were first on the scene, Kakyoin. Didn't I tell you you were lucky?" Avdol managed a smile.

I bowed. "Thank you, Mister Avdol. I'm sorry it ended this way, but at least you're alive." I returned to my standing position. "May I ask, why are we not letting Polnareff know that you survived the attack?"

Mister Avdol chuckled. "Good question." He did his best to sit up in bed, but he was obviously in great pain. "I will be unable to continue on this journey with you, gentlemen. I will need over a week in hospital to fully recover, and I won't be much use for a while after that either. You simply don't have the time to waste waiting for me to recover. I will remain in India; I have friends here, but I will help in any way I can as your journey pushes forward." I looked over at Jotaro, concerned. "I figure, however, that as long as the group is grieving my death, DIO will not be lead to believe I am alive and will not pursue me, thus giving me the time to safely recover, but also help you organise your journey from here in India. In fact, I've already been in touch with the Speedwagon Foundation."

"It could just work," I said softly. "But Polnareff's guilt and grief will eat at him. He'll likely be depressed for months." I sighed. "I can't imagine he'll be a whole lot of help."

"He's sensitive but strong," Avdol said. "He'll be okay. Once I'm strong enough, we can reunite. He won't grieve my death forever." I nodded. I believed I got the whole picture.

"It's a damn shame we need to leave Avdol behind, but he's right; we need to push forward. We cannot remain in Calcutta, or it will create suspicion, attract more of DIO's goons, and put Avdol at risk. We need to leave tonight."

I nodded. As difficult as it was to leave a crusader behind, I agreed that it had to be done. "Before you go," Avdol said. "Let me give the young ones some advice." Jotaro and I looked at each other; we stepped up, closer to Avdol's bed. "Gents, let me tell you something about Leo and Aquarius." I could see Jotaro was resisting the urge to rolls his eyes. "They are polar opposites, but they are incredibly compatible. They are both hero signs. Aquarius strives for heroism; while Leo was born with it, they just don't know it yet. They will struggle with trust and how to communicate, but they are an unstoppable pair. They won't agree on many things, for Leo is sensitive, while Aquarius hides emotion. But they admire each other endlessly and will see eye to eye on the most important things." I could feel myself taking in every word; I got the feeling Jotaro did too. "If you work together, you'll be a force to be reckoned with."