Wanderlust [Stardust Crusader]

Chapter 9

The old Joestar shot up in his futon, his brain fog dissipating. He looked at the slouching children in the backseat cheekily, immediately thinking of something to joke about. His eyes darted to your shark-themed pillow and blanket.

"Pst! What do you call a Zeppeli fish wearing a tuxedo?" he quipped. Some of them stared at him in confusion, while the rest didn't even bother acknowledging his existence, aside from your butler, who listened attentively.

"What is it, Mr. Joestar?" your butler inquired.

"It's sofishticated!" he cackled loudly, his artificial hand squirming in enjoyment. You grunted at the disturbance and covered the side of your ear with a stuffed toy. Kakyoin glanced at the eldest, asking him to minimize the noise, but sighed in exhaustion when Joseph continued spewing humdrum quips. His grandson got fed up and whacked him with Polnareff's pad, seeing it was the only thing near him. The silvery top was still hung around in his enchanting dreams, seemingly unaware of the chaotic surroundings.

"Shut it, old man," Jotaro grumbled, dragging the two quilts up over your arms before tugging his hat to cover his eyes, signaling his desire to rest as well. The old Joestar sulked on Berlusconi's side, the latter rubbing his back in comfort. Eventually, they agreed to resume sleeping, needing to regain their energy after a whole week of fighting.

You wriggled from your current position, causing your right leg to slide under the warm sheet. Fumbling around for something cold to drape your tired body, you ended up with your face lying closely on the red teen's abdomen.

Suddenly, the wheels creaked, cutting into all of your sleep. The automobile then halted harshly, resulting in you almost being thrown off the front seat, but the two fledglings instantly pulled your body back in place. You rasped in dizziness, your stand shortly hovering over your form, eyeing you with guilt.

"Apologies, my sensor just detected a familiar human in front of our vehicle," Phanes spoke through your mind, implying the person reflecting on the car's glass. You blinked multiple times to wipe the drowsiness from your system, noticing afterward the brunette who was waving both of her arms in the air, grinning when both of your eyes met. You chuckled in amusement.

She excitedly opened up the vehicle's door and slammed it shut, gesturing for all of you to scoot over for some space. You then decided to sit beside the sleepy baguette who was mumbling about a woman's body type. You wrinkled your nose in disgust.

"That's nasty, no wonder you don't have a girlfriend," you commented, eyebrows furrowed in disappointment, as the said male continued talking in his sleep.

"Are you okay?" the female beside you asked, gazing at you with worry in her eyes. Coughing in awkwardness, you shook your head.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about some stuff..." you trailed off absentmindedly, clutching the pillow in your hold. You both watched as the others argued over who would drive this time.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to reuniting with your father in Singapore?"

"Oh, that. It was a lie," she confessed. "I just wanted to explore the world without a care, you know? Before I became a boring woman in her mid-20s."

"I presume you are planning to join us?" she hummed in thought and nodded to confirm your assumption. You sighed.

"Where we are heading is dangerous, especially for people who can't defend themselves against the unexpected," you clicked your tongue and poked her forehead twice.

"After we reach our destination, you will be sent by our private jetplane along with my butler. It's for your safety and ours," you explained, but she complained and swatted your hand away from her.

"You can't boss me around! I'll do what I want! And why are you acting like you're older than me, huh?" She huffed, clearly annoyed by your behavior.

"Because I am older, and I didn't ask for your opinion on this matter. You're going home whether you like it or not," you replied, rubbing the bridge of your nose as she stuck her tongue out at you.

The relaxed ride was once again interrupted as a truck zoomed past, prompting Polnareff to slam on the brakes instantly. Your face collided with the headrest, eliciting a grunt of pain. Just as you were about to criticize his driving skills, your stand transmitted a message to your brain, indicating a nearby Stand user.

"Everyone, be on your guard. There's an enemy approximately 2 meters ahead of us," you alerted, and they quickly summoned their Stands. Tossing an outdated camera onto the old Joestar's lap, one of your recent purchases, you continued, "Tio, can your Stand capture the person inside? Mine can't. I'm still weak at the moment. I've used my energy on controlling the vehicle for an hour."

"Don't tell me that the driver was a—" he began, his expression filled with concern.

"Most likely," you interjected, your focus now on defending the two and the rest. Phanes then punctured a hole in the car's rooftop, and you clambered up to it. They yelled in unison to stop you from going out.

"Relax, my stand just requires life energy to work, and it's probably for the best if I stay here to be a lookout," you reassured them. Phanes quickly fixed up the roof and created a strap to secure you comfortably above and prevent you from flying off the roof.

"Eyes on the road now, fellas!" you reminded them before settling into your position.