By some miracle, you had made it to Singapore.
Anne had left already to presumably go find her father.
It was a beautiful place, full of fountains and statues accompanied by tall buildings. The six of you were standing next to a fountain, talking about hotels and your next plan when you heard a whistle from behind you.
A police officer was chasing you down.
"Damn it," you turned around.
"Hey, you there!" He shouted while pointing at Polnareff. "I'm talking to you!"
"Me?" Polnareff questioned.
"Yes, you! You threw this trash didn't you?"
He got closer to your group.
"That's a fine of 500 Singapore dollars!"
"What? 500?" Polnareff questioned.
"Here in Singapore, the law states that you pay $500 for littering!"
"That's about 40,000 yen," Mr. Joestar translated.
"Trash?" Avdol asked.
There wasn't any trash around you. The only thing you noticed was Polnareff's bag. You let out a small "oh", followed by an evil smile. You looked back at the men behind you, and subtly pointed to Polnareff's bag. Mr. Joestar stifled a laugh in response.
"I'm confused, what trash?" Polnareff asked.
When Polnareff noticed it was his bag, Avdol covered his mouth with his hand.
"I don't see anything other than my luggage," Polnareff told off the cop, who in turn apologized and left.
Your group started laughing but there was a higher-pitched tone.
Your group turned around to face Anne standing behind you.
She laughed nervously as you all had noticed her.
She sat down on the curb and acted like we hadn't seen her.
"What's with the kid? She's still following us," Polnareff said.
"Hey," Mr. Joestar started talking to her. "Aren't you supposed to be going to see your father?"
"Why don't you stop following us and get going-" You slapped Polnareff's arm. He let out a quiet 'ow' as he rubbed his arm.
"Don't be an ass, baguette boy."
Anne put her chin on her hands and looked away.
"I'm meeting up with him in five days," she started. "Plus, I can go where I want! I'm not taking orders from you guys."
She looked back at you with puppy dog eyes. You and Jotaro furrowed your brows then grunted. "Yare yare daze"
"She'll be in danger if she stays with us," Avdol spoke.
"What if she doesn't have money?" Kakyoin asked.
"I guess we can pay for her hotel room," Mr. Joestar said. "Polnareff, go bring her over but don't hurt her pride."
"I'm on-" You push Polnareff to the side.
"I may not have known you long, Polnareff, but I can tell you don't have a subtle bone in your body," you say. "I'll handle this."
"By being that blunt you're the same as me!" He pouted while crossing his arms.
"Uh-huh," You responded while you walked to Anne.
You crouched down to get to her height.
"I'm going to guess that you don't have a place to stay," You say to her. She responds by subtly shaking her head no so the others wouldn't notice. "We'll pay for your room, and by we, I mean the senior citizen in the tanktop."
She lets out a small laugh.
"Alright," she says.
You and Anne walk back to the others.
"Now that that's settled," Avdol begins. "Let's check in."
-
You stood in the lobby in between Kakyoin and Jotaro while Mr. Joestar and Avdol were checking in. The three of you talked about nothing in particular. Kakyoin then started talking about movies and video games.
"Akira, have you ever played a video game before?" Kakyoin asks.
"Yes, I-"
Our conversation was interrupted by the old man.
"Now for the rooms," Mr. Joestar had caught all of your attention.
"Avdol and I will share again."
There was a short lived silence amongst the rest of you, accompanied by awkward eye contact.
"Well," Kakyoin spoke up. "It would make sense for Jotaro and I to share since we're both students."
"Alright."
"I'll share with flat-top so Anne can have some privacy," You said.
"That's fine," Joseph says.
We receive our keys. Polnareff grabs yours and starts walking off without you.
You turn to the boys next to you.
"I made a bad choice, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did," Jotaro says.
"Our door is open if he's being rude," Kakyoin chuckled.
"Thank you."
You waved a goodbye as you ran to catch up to Polnareff.
"Damn, it took you long enough!" He complained.
"Remember that time a couple days ago when I kicked your ass? You know, back in Hong Kong?"
He cleared his throat and looked away.
"I was holding back."
"Sure you were," you kept your usual stoic expression.
You walked up to your room. 912.
He opened the door and ran to one of the beds, flopping down onto it. You checked around the room for any sign of a stand user. The only thing you noticed was a strange puppet sitting on the nightstand.
"What a weird puppet..." you whispered.
You opened the sliding door and stepped onto the balcony. You pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
There was an aura present in the room. Polnareff sat up, like he noticed it too.
"These bastards are persistent," he stood up. "Just come out already."
The door to the fridge opens, and a man comes out of the fridge.
The aura radiating from him was suffocating.
"Your bloodlust is nothing short of asphyxiating," you said. "You must really want us dead, huh?"
You took a drag from your cigarette.
The man sat silently on the floor in a squatting position.
"You should at least tell us your name before we kill you, just so you can get acquainted with the ones sending you to hell," Polnareff said. "I'm Polnareff, and that's Akira."
The man stood up.
"Well, since you asked so nicely, my name is Soul Sacrifice," he said. "My stand suggests The Devil card."
He began explaining the meaning behind his card.
"Spare the explanation, I have more important things to do than this," you interrupted him.
"Well, then," he spoke. "Die! Ebony Devil!"
"Silver Chariot!"
"The Universe!"
Silver Chariot took the lead and punctured Soul Sacrifice's face. He fell backwards towards you. You made a small cut on your finger, and shot a small rod through his body. He fell forwards.
The blood he lost ended up on the walls and on the puppet you mentioned previously.
"Well he was easy to take on," Polnareff said. "That ape we took on the other day posed more of a challenge."
"I wouldn't be so sure he's done, I can still sense his aura"
You took a drag of the cigarette still hanging out of your mouth.
Just as you said that, the man started to pick himself up. He was laughing.
"You two have done it now!"
He started rambling, and while doing so acting like a feral animal.
"What the fuck is he doing?" You turn to Polnareff.
He continued rambling, while backing himself against the railing on the balcony.
"You two are the pathetic ones! I let you find me on purpose," he started. "You two are dead now!"
He fell backwards over the railing.
The both of you ran to the balcony.
"He's... He's gone!" Polnareff yells with confusion in his tone.
"There's a nine story drop from here, there's no where he could've gone," You looked over the railing. Then, the aura around you intensified.
"The Universe!"
You called out your stand but it was too late.
Polnareff's ankle was cut, which resulted in a scream from him. He dropped to the ground.
"I never felt him cut me..." Polnareff said.
You looked around vigorously for Soul Sacrifice but he wasn't in sight.
"Can you walk?" You asked. He nodded. "Good, call Mr. Joestar. I'll focus on the stand and guard you in the meantime."
He walked to the phone and called. He explained the situation, but you tuned out what he was saying. You were more focused on Soul Sacrifice. Thoughts were racing through your mind.
'Focus on the issue at hand. Start by assessing the situation.'
'First off, his stand must be a long-ranged one if he was able to land a hit from that far'
'Next, we never got to actually experience Ebony Devil's power. All we know is that it was able to make that cut on Polnareff. That makes the possibilities virtually endless.'
'Last, his ramblings made no sense. I can't even comprehend what he was trying to say. They have to mean something though, right?'
Upon looking around, you realize that something was missing. That damn puppet.
You look around for it before noticing it by Polnareff's foot.
You picked it up off the ground and held it in the air.
You put it back down. The aura was still present in the room.
"Damn it!" Polnareff yelled.
"What?"
"My pants got cut before I could even show them off!"
"The only place you'd be showing those off would be on the way to buy me my cigarettes. We don't have time to meet any chicks."
He grunted. "Oh, shut up! I was going to have you be my wingman!"
"By the way," he said. "We're meeting Mr. Joestar in five minutes."
"Alright."
You blew out smoke.
"We should probably head down now," you said while you walked out onto the balcony.
You put out your cigarette on the railing and left it there. You looked over the railing for Soul Sacrifice, but he still was nowhere to be found.
You heard a bang come from the room.
"Akira!"
You walked back in.
You saw the puppet from earlier standing up near Polnareff's bed holding a saw. It began sawing at the legs of the bed.
"The Universe!"
You cut your hand, and pulled a knife out. Your stand sped to the other side of the room, and kicked the puppet in your direction. There was a knock on the door. The puppet lost interest in you and it ran to the door.
A man opened the door.
"Mr. Polnareff, I'm from room service. I have your-"
"Get out, you'll get yourself killed!" You yelled at the man.
"W-what's going on?"
"I told you, get out! Do you have a deathwish?"
The puppet appeared behind the man.
Instead of holding a saw, it now had a switchblade.
You sent The Universe over to grab it, but it already had killed the man. He fell face first onto the ground.
The puppet shut the door.
"Give me a damn break!" you yelled.
You cut four of your fingers. Your blood cells multiplied rapidly to send rods flying at the puppet. All you needed to do was keep it held in place. The puppet however was able to dodge. It was headed straight for you, blade in hand. It landed on your chest and grabbed your shoulder.
It held the blade to your throat.
"You two were idiots to think you could defeat me!"
"Are you just going to hold it there?" you asked. "If you're going to slice me up, do it."
And it did. It cut your throat.
You hardened the blood that gushed from your neck, and it stabbed through the puppet. It let out a scream. You sent your to free Polnareff. Your attack wasn't enough to stop the puppet. It was heading for your stand.
Without anytime to create a plan, you used your stand to kick the doll to the other side of the room.
"Polnareff, get Silver Chariot out here to help me lift this bed up."
"Right!"
The Universe and Silver Chariot flip the bed over while the puppet is still across the room.
Silver Chariot cuts Polnareff free.
"Damn it, Do people only eat ground beef in France?"
"Now's not the time for this, Akira!"
The puppet was back up, and it was coming back across the room.
On its way to you and Polnareff, it had smashed two wine bottles together.
"Mr. Joestar's going to have a hefty bill to pay after this fight's over."
The puppet bounced around the room and used the bottles to land multiple cuts on you and Polnareff. They were mainly focused on Polnareff.
"Polnareff, keep him busy."
"How!?"
"Keep doing what you're doing."
Your stand touched the blood remaining on your neck from the previous attacks, and turned that blood into a pipe shaped object. You waited for the right moment, which occurred as the puppet bit onto chariot's neck. You hit the puppet off of the stand's neck.
"Go get him, Polnareff."
-
The stand did more damage to the both of you than expected. Polnareff was in worse condition by far. He was leaning on you as you walked to Mr. Joestar's room.
Anyone who would have saw the two of you would have definitely been concerned. Your shirt was soaked with blood, as well as the middle of your neck from when the puppet sliced it. Polnareff's clothes were in shreds, and his hair was awry.
Once you arrived, you kicked in the door.
"You're finally here," Avdol says.
"You two look like hell," Mr. Joestar observed. "Let's get right down to it. We have to think of a strategy against Soul Sacrifice."
You set Polnareff down and turned to the others.
"Are the four of you fucking dense? We just fought the bitch two minutes ago!"
They all avoided the look you were giving them.
"Not to mention the fact we have a body in our room right now," Polnareff added.
"The cops are going to be up our asses if someone finds it."
"If it comes down to it, the Speedwagon Foundation will get you out," Mr. Joestar said. "You know that already, Akira."
"Yare yare, Don't remind me."
-
Hours later you found yourself in an interrogation room. Two police officers stood across from you.
"Answer me you little shit! Why was there a dead man's body in your hotel room?"
You decided from the start that you weren't going to talk, and if you had to, it would be in french or english. If you were stuck here, you should at least make it fun.
If all you had to do was hold out for the Speedwagon Foundation to send lawyers, there was no harm or foul in speaking a different language.
"What about the body in the bathroom, too? They must be connected, aren't they," They yelled at you.
You stayed silent, however you started humming whatever songs you could remember.
The cop was growing increasingly frustrated. You had to hide a smirk behind your hand as you rested your arm on the table. You hoped that Polnareff was doing all right through this.
"Answer me now, you punk!" He spat at your face.
You put on an evil smile. You really couldn't help it at this point.
"I can stay quiet if I want to," you said. You kicked your feet back on the table. Just as the cop stood up and grabbed your collar from across the table, just as you where about to punch him, the door opened.
A Speedwagon Foundation lawyer walked in the room.
"Hey! You're here!" The cop sat back down.
-
Once everything was sorted out, you and Polnareff were released from prison.
You both walked back to the hotel, making mindless jokes on the way.
Once you arrived back at the hotel, Polnareff decided to head to your new room while you decided to go to Mr. Joestar's room.
You let yourself in, to find them talking with a busted television in front of them.
"Akira, good to have you back," Mr. Joestar greeted.
"I hope you didn't give the officers too much trouble," Avdol said.
"Where's the fun in that?" You asked while you looked at the tv. "What's with the busted TV?"
"I used Hermit Purple to get a reading, and what we found isn't good."
You motioned for him to continue, to which he did,
"It said we have to beware of Kakyoin. He may be a traitor."
"He's with Jotaro now," Avdol said. "We don't know where they went, so none of us can go after them. I believe Anne is with them as well."
You took a moment to process what was said. You felt a confusing emotion, not anger, but not sadness either. Your body felt conflicted.
"Shit," you started. "I refuse to believe Kakyoin is a traitor just yet. Think about it, he had multiple opportunities to kill or sabotage us. He could've killed me back in Japan, or he could've left me in the water with Dark Blue Moon back in Hong Kong. I'm going up to his and Jotaro's room. If he was still with DIO, something in his personal belongings would reflect that."
"I agree," Avdol said. "But how do you plan on getting in?"
"I can either pick the lock or kick in the door. What do you think?"
"You and Polnareff caused a lot of damage I have to cover in your first room," Mr Joestar grunted. "Whatever will cause less damage."
"On it."
Once you arrived, you made a small cut on your finger. You used your stand to make the blood transform into a thin, long cylinder. You stuck it into the door, and moved it around until you heard a click. You opened the door and walked in to find Kakyoin sitting on his bed watching the television.
"Akira? What're you doing here? How did you get in?"
"What I'm doing and how I got in aren't important. Why are you here? Everyone said Jotaro, you, and Anne went off somewhere?"
"I was feeling tired, so I stayed back. I haven't left the room."
"Shit, this is bad."
He got up and walked over to you.
"Can you tell me what's happening?"
You nod as you start pacing.
You explain everything to him, from Hermit Purple to the reason you're in his room.
"You were going to look through my things?"
"Yeah, sorry. But now isn't the time for that. If you're here, then someone else is with Jotaro and Anne. I'm placing my bets on a stand user. Jotaro is alone with Anne, and not to offend her in any way by saying this, she's a liability. She's an innocent civilian who can't protect herself."
Kakyoin stops you from pacing and puts a hand on your shoulder.
"Jotaro's fine, he's strong and smart. And if you're worried about Anne, you and I both know he'll protect her."
"You're right," you say. "We have to call Mr. Joestar."
You picked up the phone and relayed the situation to him and Avdol.
Once you hung up the phone you sat down on the foot of his bed, with him sitting next to you.
"Akira," Kakyoin says.
You turn to face him and hum.
"If you came up here thinking I was still a servant of DIO, and you came up to find me here, why didn't you take any sort of action?"
Damn, his questions always catch you off guard.
"Well," you start. "I may act irrational eighty-five percent of the time, but I still have that rational fifteen percent. I couldn't just cause a scene without any proof that you were a spy. Plus, I didn't and still don't want to believe you were. You had several opportunities to hurt me or fuck up my plans but you never did, so I knew that you being a spy didn't add up completely. Adding to that, I've grown to respect and like you, and I-"
You cut yourself off after noticing how close the two of you had moved towards each other.
His face was practically touching yours.
Your face flushed, and after he noticed he did too.
"I, uh... I have to go see how Polnareff is! Yeah," you say. "I'll see you later!"
"Yeah, you go do that.." he said while covering the lower half of his face.
You leave the room and head to your own, wallowing in your confusion.
You'd kissed so many people before without having any problem, so why was it so difficult and nerve wracking to be that close then?
-
To be continued...>