-
Once they both entered the car, you took off.
You began a journey through the desert to the next village.
Once again, you were stuck in the middle seat in between Noriaki and Jotaro.
That didn't matter too much to you though, because you fell asleep soon after the ride began.
You rarely woke up for more than a couple minutes at a time, only to get water or get trip updates.
Each time you awoke, you lifted yourself from someone's head.
Neither seemed to mind much.
You slept through the final stretch of the ride, and woke up to Kakyoin tapping your shoulder.
He smiled at you after you woke up.
"We're here," he said.
You sit up. "Where's here?"
"Couldn't tell you," he looked around.
You stood up in your seat and looked around.
Wasn't somewhere you'd ever been.
Where you were didn't matter much, as long as you could eat a meal and sleep somewhere you'd be happy.
Fortunately, that did seem to be the plan.
You were parked outside of a restaurant, and Muhammad seemed to be missing from the car.
You jumped out of the back of the off-roader.
You reached to find your carton of cigarettes in your pocket, but they weren't there.
That created a new mission for you.
You were aiming to find a convenience store of some kind. The area you were in seemed to be established enough.
You walked down the road, and it wasn't long before you found one.
You went in and bought two packs, one for you and one for Jotaro.
Cash was no longer an issue for you. You always kept Egyptian Pounds on you.
You walked back to the restaurant to only find Jotaro outside.
He saw you and waved you over.
You tossed him a pack when you were close enough.
"Thanks," he inspected them.
"No problem."
The two of you walked inside, not really exchanging any words.
You sat down at the table, Avdol informing you that food had already been ordered.
Conversation filled the air, and Mr. Joestar ordered drinks in order to celebrate your arrival to Egypt.
You were glad to be here, and you were glad that everyone made it thus far.
But the closer you got to Cairo, the more nervous you grew.
Not everyone was going to live.
And that reality was approaching ever sooner.
You were going to protect everyone, you couldn't stand to lose anyone.
It was only going to get harder from here.
You looked between everyone.
You found yourself deeply caring for everyone here. Up until now, you'd only cared about Muhammad.
But you didn't want to see anything bad happening to anyone here.
You were going to protect them, no matter what.
-
Not long after, you ended up at a hotel for the night.
Your rooms, unfortunately, were not next to each other.
The rooms were the same as last time, except now Mr. Joestar roomed with Avdol.
You were once again rooming with Jotaro, nothing you were going to complain about.
You were in room 201.
You entered and took your jacket off, sitting down on the bed.
Before you could even finish taking your shoes off, you were receiving a phone call.
Muhammad was on the other line.
"Akira," he sounded extremely serious. "Room 104, it's urgent."
He said nothing else before hanging up. You knew you had to go.
You grabbed a cigarette out of your pocket, lighting it as you quickly pulled your shoes back on.
"What's that about?" Jotaro asked.
He too had taken his jacket off was laying down.
"Muhammad called," you inform. "He said it's urgent, and I believe him."
He nods.
"I'll be waiting for you."
"I'll try not to keep you waiting," you smile at him as you leave.
You run downstairs to their room.
Knocking on the door, it doesn't take long for them to open it.
"Sorry about the short notice," Muhammad apologized.
"Don't worry about it, did something happen?"
"Yes," Mr. Joestar nods. "Something awful."
You lean against their dresser, waiting for them to continue.
Avdol does.
"The Speedwagon Foundation's base across from DIO's mansion was invaded. Everyone inside was brutally killed, no survivors were left. The log of information was found undamaged."
You look down and sigh.
"We can't station anyone else there, tell them that it's not an option. We can't bring any more innocent lives into this."
"I agree," Mr. Joestar looks outside his window. "We'll have to figure out a different way to get information."
"Or we just don't get any at all," you suggest.
"What are you saying?" Muhammad crosses his arms.
"Two of the most powerful stand users the Speedwagon Foundation has are right here. Combined with everyone else on this team, and some of our deductive abilities, we can just take the punches and roll with it. It surely can't make this any more dangerous than it already is. The Foundation has two stand users covering my job, and the rest have their own jobs. There's no one to station there, especially since stationing unprotected and stand-less employees isn't an option."
No one says anything after you speak.
"They were thinking of advancing one of us from this group to go up to Cairo," Muhammad confesses.
"Yare yare daze, let me guess, It's me isn't it?"
"Yeah," Mr. Joestar agrees. "Avdol told them no chance."
"Glad you did, I'm not leaving no matter what. We can't afford to lose anyone."
"Precisely," Muhammad sits down. "Which makes this the perfect time to announce that we're getting a new addition to the team."
"Is it him?"
"Yes, your mutt friend from back in prison Egypt," Mr. Joestar sighs. "I don't know how he'll be of any help, but Avdol made me aware of your multiple requests to the Foundation seeing that he joins us."
"He'll be useful, trust me. Make sure you tell the Foundation that none of us are leaving, and to not station anyone else in that building. Get them to move their records out during the day, and tell them not to return. If they have any issues, call me back down. I'm assuming we're done here?"
"Yeah," Mr. Joestar walks over to you. He picks up your arm , inspecting it. Avdol joins him. "It's all healed"
You hum in response
You begin to pull your arm away.
"Sorry, neither of us got a good look at it, the only one you let see was Jotaro."
"Speaking of him," you stare down at Mr. Joestar menacingly, "your wife made me aware of some plan to set us up. Is that true?"
He doesn't say anything for a moment, until he covers his face from Avdol and whispers, "is it working?"
You sigh, not saying anything as you walk out, leaving a cigarette butt on their dresser.
It was definitely working.
-
You knock on the door, waiting to be let back into your room.
Jotaro comes to the door and lets you in.
"Hope that wasn't too long," you smile walk into the room.
He shuts it and walks in behind you.
"No, it wasn't."
You lay on his bed, he sits on the foot of it.
"How's your back?" You ask him, sitting up.
"It's fine," he looks back at you. "How're you holding up?"
"Been better, been worse," you say.
The two of you sit in silence for a moment, just staring at each other.
"Remember when you said that I owe you?'"
"I do, but I think saving my life and almost drowning in the process balances that out."
"Nah, not at all. If anything I did that for me," you both just smile. "So, what do I owe you?"
"I don't know," he sighs, you move to sit next to him. He stammers for a moment, "A beer, you owe me a beer."
"Okay," you stand up. "Get your jacket on, let's go."
"Right now?"
"Yeah," you put your boots on. The only article of clothing he took off was his jacket.
You grab the gun, pack of cigarettes, and stack of cash from your jacket.
Everything you'd need to have a good time.
You walked out of the hotel room, him following behind you.
You walked down the stairs and out into the street, hand in hand.
You walked looking for a bar. All the signs were in Arabic, meaning that you were looking for the bar alone.
Only two blocks from the hotel, you were able to find one. It was only 10 PM, so every bar and lounge were packed to the brim, and the one you found was no exception.
You pulled him in, walking to the bar and grabbing two stools.
You both sat down, and you signaled for the bartender, asking for two of the best he had.
Faint American rock played in the background.
The bartender brought your drinks over, and you handed him a 20 EP note across the bar, telling him to keep the change.
You raised your glass out to him.
"For owing you one, and making it this far."
He clinks glasses with you.
"Cheers."
You both put back your drinks quicker than you'd expected.
The way he looked at you clearly told you he didn't want the night to end.
You called the bartender back down, ordering two more under the twenty you gave him earlier.
This time, you drank slowly. You lit a cigarette, just enjoying the time you spent together.
"Do you think we could do this again?" He asks, "you know, when this is all over?"
"I hope," you look away. "I think the thing no one's anticipating is everything going back to normal when this is over. Like me staying here in Egypt, you going back to Japan. We just have to make the most of the time now, even though it's hard given the circumstances."
He pulls out a cigarette, grabbing your hand and lighting his cigarette from yours.
"Yeah," he sighs. "You're right. That is assuming everyone makes it back."
"So you've thought about it too?"
You finish the last sip of your drink. He had already finished his.
"Of course."
"It's not something we should think about," you stand up. "It's something we just have to work through."
"Yeah," he gets up and leads the way outside.
Once more you find yourself holding hands in the middle of the street, walking another two blocks back to the hotel.
"Did you enjoy your night?"
"I did," he smiles. "I'm glad you owed me one."
"I'm glad I did too."
"I don't recall ever caring for someone how I care about you," he stopped walking, so did you.
"When I think about it, I really can't either."
"I'm not good with these types of things," he confesses.
"You don't have to be."
You stare at each other for a moment, his eyes searching your face. He probably wants to make a move.
You didn't have the patience to wait.
You grab him by the tank top and pull him into a kiss. Your hand settles on his waist, his on your back.
You let go after a few seconds.
"You know, it's considered indecent to kiss on the street," you both smile.
"Since when have you cared?"
"I don't," you smile again, taking his hand and walking back to the hotel.
You walk back through the lobby and up to your room without incident.
You walk into your room, once more taking a seat on his bed. He joins you.
You both kick your shoes off. You stand up to empty your pockets out onto you bed. Your gun and cigarettes land on top of your coat. You being left only in your tank top and trousers.
You yawn and stretch.
You sit back down, Jotaro's eyes had never left you.
He looked at you expectantly.
"What?"
"Just something you said earlier, it has me thinking."
"What'd I say?"
"Something about death."
"Oh."
He looked down. You got closer to him.
"It's not something you should worry about. Muhammad and I recently had a conversation about doing whatever is in our power to make sure the rest of you make it back home. You will make it back home, and your mother is going to be there, and she'll be as healthy as ever."
"But what about you?"
"This isn't about me, this is about you."
"I'm not going back to Japan without knowing that you're safe."
"You know that I always make it somehow, and I always will. But like I said, this is about you and your family. So don't worry about me and mine."
"I-"
"Shh. All you have to do is worry about your family. They need you more than I do."
He looks up at you.
You don't know who initiated it, but once more his lips were on yours.
Hands roamed across your back, and yours across his.
One after another. You didn't want it to stop, he didn't either.
You didn't want it to go further, and he didn't either.
You both were content in a moment of passion, in a moment of connection between each other.
Pop p
Barely any words were exchanged.
It was well past midnight when you finally separated from each other.
You got up, grabbing a cigarette and lighting it. You lit one for him off of yours and handed it to him.
He took it, and got up and walked to the window.
He opened it and smoked outside. You joined him.
"I can't wait for this trip to be over," he looks at the sky.
"Me too," you look at him. "Just not looking forward to getting back to work."
"Just don't go."
"I have to, I'll be arrested if I don't-"
"After everything you've done thus far in the trip, I'm sure the old man could get you out of it."
"And what would I do then?"
"Be free. Go and do what you want."
"Jojo. I don't even know what I want."
"Nothing interests you?"
"No," you confess. "I'm content enough in my job. I just need it to pay me, and also recognize that I'm a person and not a machine."
"You don't get paid?"
"No, I thought I explained it to you, but maybe it was Noriaki. The deal was that I don't go to jail for my crimes in Egypt, and that was my payment. At the time I foolishly agreed, it was only a year ago but..Now I know that I could just as easily escape, but I didn't then. They took advantage of my innocence, and that's something I've only realized recently."
He nods. He doesn't seem to judge you for it.
"Killing...It's part of being a stand user," he says. "I didn't know it then, and it didn't set in until that old fart who controlled Tower of Gray died. Only one party can be the victors in a fight, and this is no different."
"I just wish I knew that then."
You put your cigarette out on the side of the concrete building and flicked it away. Jotaro did the same.
You walked in and layed on his bed, he sat on the opposite side.
You sat up, making your way over behind him, setting your head on his and your hands on his shoulders.
"Let's get some sleep, huh?"
He nods, you pull him back until he's laying down. You lay down next to him. It felt sort of...comforting.
He shifts so he's facing you.
He moves his arms to hold you, and you do the same for him.
You both were just traumatized teenagers. Kids who had to grow up too quick. And because of that, you knew that you'd always have each other.
-
For the first time since you'd left in Japan, you had a nightmare that night.
You didn't remember much, but what you remembered scared you to your core.
It was enough to wake you up. It was only about four AM, but Jotaro wasn't next to you.
You sat up, and looked around the room.
You didn't see him, but heard water running in the bathroom.
You sighed, getting up and walking to your bed to get a cigarette. You lit it and layed back down.
You stared into the ceiling.
DIO was in your nightmare thats for sure
Was this him sending a message? Was he just trying to fuck with you?
Was he even behind the dream? Or was it just your psyche?
You were so deep in thought that you didn't even see Jotaro come back.
You didn't know he was there until he was laying back down next to you, grabbing the cigarette from in between your fingers. He took a drag and handed it back.
"Why're you up?"
You couldn't bring yourself to tell the truth. If anyone was going to know, it was going to be Muhammad and Muhammad only.
"Couldn't sleep, maybe it was because you left."
He took a moment. He probably figured out already that you were lying.
"Well, I'm back now."
"That you are."
He smiled, taking the cigarette once more. He took the last drag before putting it out.
"I'm going back to sleep, you gonna join me?"
"Yeah, I will. I just need a minute first."
Thankfully, he didn't question it. He just nodded and went back to bed.
You lay still for a while.
In his sleep, Jotaro holds onto you.
You needed it more than you thought you did.
Reluctantly, you closed your eyes and went to sleep.
-
You woke up to a knock on your door, bright and early at seven AM.
Neither you nor Jotaro wanted to get it, you just wanted to stay there.
The knocking became more persistent, so you eventually got up to get it
You opened the door, seeing Polnareff on the other side.
Before you could even greet him, you were pulled into the hallway, door shut behind you.
"What is-"
"We are rooming together next time, no ifs, ands, or buts, got it?" He didn't let you respond, he just continued talking. "I mean, I thought we were close! Apparently not! You don't tell me anything!"
"Jean-Pierre! Keep your voice down, it is seven in the morning," you whisper yelled. "Now, what are you talking about?"
"You ki-"
The door opened behind you, Jotaro was standing there.
"You and I are talking later," Polnareff crosses his arms. "We have MUCH to discuss.
"Ok..?"
He stomps down the hallway.
"What was that about?" Jotaro watches from the doorway.
You walked back in the room.
"I have no idea."
-
After a quick breakfast, the six of you jumped back in the car.
Other than Muhammad, Mr. Joestar, and yourself, nobody knew where you were going and why.
For the first time since you were forced to separate, you were finally going to be reunited with your old partner.
-
To be continued...>