petri

[ I’m so so so sorry for the wait that this took;; I really hope you enjoy. ] You knew something was off the instant you felt a sudden wind blow past you.  At first, you had no idea where it had come from.  Jotaro and Anne were still in front of you, and Kakyoin hadn’t moved - yet.  Stand still far ahead of him, he tripped a strange man, moving so quickly it was like the cherry-haired boy had teleported rather than ran.  If you’d blinked, you were sure you would’ve missed it.  You had no idea what was going on, and your confusion was only heightened by the menacing threats Kakyoin suddenly started hurling at the man.  Eyes shifting from Kakyoin, then to Jotaro, then Anne, didn’t show much of anything.  It looked like the young girl and stoic boy were both shocked out of their minds.  Granted, so were you.  Within seconds he’d lifted the man above his head, arching the stranger’s back and beginning to...what the hell was he doing?  “Kakyoin!  Let him go!” 

Voice ringing in tandem with the stranger’s screaming, you raced over to your seemingly possessed friend only for Jotaro to overtake you and slug him across his shoulderblades.  “Hey - what the hell was that?” you demanded, letting the black-haired teen take care of the strange man and leaving yourself to care for the one who’d seemed to go through some sort of psychotic episode.  Instead, he completely ignored you, attempting to explain his actions to Jotaro and Anne, back facing you as his voice, oddly cold and nearly robotic, was interrupted by the laughter of excited children.  Still, you were focused on Kakyoin despite the distraction, especially as he let out a humorless chuckle.   

The talk of being exhausted worried you, though.  It wasn’t like this was easy.  You’d already seen (and participated in) countless battles with the others, and with the sun pulsing down on you all like a giant flame, it would’ve made sense if he’d had some form of heat stroke.  But...if that was the case, it made no sense that he could’ve taken that man down so effortlessly.  As Jotaro started to head off, you approached Kakyoin, putting a slightly-shaking hand to his forehead.  “You feel hot.  Maybe we should head back to the hotel for now.”  You attempted a smile.  “After all, we’ll still be here for a bit tomorrow.  We can come enjoy the scenery then.”

It was like he hadn’t heard a word you said.  Mechanically, he turned on his heels and headed towards the tree that the children had been playing around just moments earlier.  Feeling out of place, you began to follow after Jotaro, only for Anne to point out that Kakyoin wasn’t following.   

The instant you saw the beetle clenched in his jaw, you practically shoved Anne in Jotaro’s direction, blocking his view of her and steeling yourself.  Had - had that really been a beetle?  Why would he…? 

“This coconut juice is delicious.  Why don’t you try it, [y/n]?”  His eyes, so devoid of the usual life within them, shining only with what seemed to be some invisible haze as he stared at you, smile more like a sneer, he handed you his drink, following after Jotaro. 

Something in your gut screamed suspicion and the instant Kakyoin left you dumped the coconut in the nearest bin. 

When you arrived to the party, Anne was screaming, and Jotaro was nowhere to be seen.  Before the question could even rise in your throat you saw a hand clinging onto the balcony, body dangling down dangerously above a staggering drop that surely no one could survive, even if there was a lake below.  Your stand was out in a flash, helping Jotaro back up, and in the instant you did you shared a nonverbal agreement.  While Jotaro spoke with Kakyoin, you and Anne fell back, crouching to her side with your hands on her shoulders.  “Get to a phone.  Call Mr. Joestar and Avdol.  Tell them it’s urgent.”  The small girl nodded, a whole new form of fear flashing across her features. 

You didn’t stop to look back as you rushed over to the remaining two.  It was painful to watch Jotaro pack such a punch into the man you’d begun to develop feelings for, but that didn’t matter.  Both you and Jotaro knew better.  This wasn’t Kakyoin.  Not mentally, at least.   

No.  This was someone entirely different.  Something entirely different. 

Surely enough, the instant he’d recovered himself from being thrown into the cable car, he refuted, in a voice as though two people spoke through him at once, “‘Possessed’ isn’t quite right.”  Before he even mentioned it you stepped back involuntarily as you saw his head rise to the top of the car, body suddenly somehow larger than Jotaro’s.  This had to be the work of the stand. 

“Listen to me.”  You cut off whatever Jotaro was about to say, shouldering in front of him.  “Kakyoin, I don’t know what the hell is happening here.  But I do know that this - ” you gestured back to the drink vendor, then to Kakyoin’s gigantic body, “ - is not you.  I don’t know what’s going on, but you have to listen to me.  Doesn’t my voice sound familiar?  Doesn’t Jotaro’s, and Anne’s?” 

For a moment the man looked puzzled. 

“If you won’t believe in them, you can believe in me.”  You slowly approached him, hands out in front of you, stand cautiously at your side, continuing, “It’s me.  It’s [y/n].”  To your relief something like recognition snapped both his eyes and mouth open, staring wordlessly at you.  The two of you were at a standstill, both now in the small cable car.  “Nori, I know you’re somewhere in there,” you whispered, “you can fight this.  Just like you fought against Di--” and then a sharp sound, an agonizing pain ripping through your arm, and your world went black. 

When you came to, Kakyoin was gone.  Completely.  You could’ve spotted his red hair from a mile away, and it was nowhere to be found.  What you saw instead, as you slowly tried to raise yourself up, fire shooting through your arm and forcing you to let out a gasp of pain, was a shirtless man, now staring down at you, with a mass of rippling, yellow sludge draping across his neck like a cape.  Within an instant the man had you by the neck, running his fingernail absentmindedly across your throat. 

“What did you do with Kakyoin, you bastard?” you shouted, using your good shoulder to shove him against the wall of the car and giving you enough time to pull out your stand.  “What did you - ” 

Something filled your throat.  It was burning like acid, pulsating against the roof of your mouth and tongue and teeth as you doubled over, coughing, hacking into your hands only for them each to become coated in the yellow surface.  You tried to speak but the stand user had no such intentions of allowing you.  “That’s right,” he began slowly, a satisfied look growing on his face as the yellow mass began to consume you, slowly but surely, “I almost forgot about you.  I thought you were dead.”  In a bone-chilling murmur, he added, “The good ones know when to stay silent.  But no matter,” he threw his hands up.  “You’ll be dead soon either way.  And as for that?”  Suddenly you felt a sharp pull jerk you forwards, nearly slamming you into the man’s chest, taking you a moment to realize his hands weren’t on you but rather your stand, breathing irregular and body tense.  “You may as well put it away.  My stand has no weaknesses, after all.” 

“Ka...Kakyoin,” you sputtered, “what the hell did you d-do to…?”  But the yellow mess had stuck your mouth together before you could finish. 

The man paid you no attention.  Rather, he glanced at something behind you, something you couldn’t see.  “Ah, it appears your friend still doesn’t quite grasp the situation.”  Jotaro?  “My stand’s got a hold of you that you can’t escape, and you say you’ll - ” 

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence because you knew you were at an almost, if not definitive, fatal disadvantage.  You didn’t have the energy to spare to look for Jotaro, but if he was in any condition like you, there wasn’t much he could do, either.  But every stand had one weakness.  Something in common.  Something very, very simple.

Death.

Even if it meant taking yourself down with him.

You didn’t care when your hands became completely immersed in the lightning that was the yellow monster.  All you did was push. 

In what appeared to be a moment of panic he somehow increased the agony that his stand spread across you, but when the shards of glass punctured straight through his temple from the fall into the water, after your body being encased in an unbearable layer of pain from hitting the lake with such velocity, as soon as you could, you were once again able to move.  Even with an injured arm, you’d managed to break the glass of the car with his head, sending him - and consequently you - both flying to the lake down below.  There wasn’t much time left.  Only the upper portions of your head in addition to your lower body remained untouched by his sludge, and the density of it sent you sinking far lower and faster and deeper into the water than him.  But your stand managed to snag his foot, and as you sunk, he sunk with you.  Something else hit the water behind you, forcing your grip on the man to let go no matter how hard you fought back with what minimal remaining strength you had.  It was all but useless to think that the other splash was made by Kakyoin.  But you were shoved away by a hand you couldn’t quite see, pushing you up with enough force to combat the weight swallowing your body, and by some miracle when you thrashed your legs, you found your head bobbing above the water, gasping for air and nearly choking on the amount of water you’d swallowed.  Salt and blood and agony ran across your tongue - and then something vanished. 

You were able to keep yourself afloat. 

Senses slowly returning to you, you pushed off in the opposite direction, relieved at how easily and quickly you’d spotted the other side of the water.  Whatever had shoved you had done so with incredible strength.  Desperate, you just barely managed to worm your way out, onto the concrete, heaving.  It took a solid few moments for you to regain your senses.  By the time you had, you just managed to lift your head and face down whatever awaited you on the other side. 

Jotaro…? It must’ve been Star Platinum that had hit you, because, in an instant, a flurry of unrestrained purple punches flew from Jotaro onto the bloody stand user, water staining dangerously red around him as Jotaro sent him flying back, with a final hit, landing with a sickening crack on the pavement just behind you.  You wasted no time checking if the man was still alive.  For now, you had to escape.  You had to find Kakyoin. 

You struggled with only being capable of using one arm to swim.  Your chest burnt and you were all but doubled over into yourself from the land, one leg hardly capable of thrashing at all.  It was undeniable that the other was broken, just beneath the shoulder, and as the water shaded scarlet, you began to feel the weight of your injuries.  The only thing that kept you going was the beating of your heart and pressure in your soul to find Kakyoin. 

Thankfully, about halfway in, Jotaro met up with you, hauling you back out of the water with him.  He inspected you - a few glass shards dotted your hands, arms, and face, and of course the way one of your arms hung disjointedly at your side was unmistakable.  “You have to get to a doctor.” 

But before you could so much as think about Jotaro’s words, you heard your name being called, louder and louder with each passing second, and as you propped yourself up into a sloppy stance, still struggling with your balance and barely able to hold yourself upright, the sight that you’d so perilously fought for came into vision, slowing down and face straining with shock as Kakyoin took in the sight of you in. Bloodied and broken, but still beautiful, clearly unsteady and swaying dangerously from side to side, he reached out for you, careful to avoid what looked like a fractured arm and punctures of glass, pulling you softly into his arms, heart racing out of his chest.  “[Y/n]?  What happened?  Are you alright?” 

“I’ll...I’m gonna be okay,” you sputtered, falling limp against him, grateful for the support.  “Just glad you’re okay.”  After a moment of silence, still fighting for air, you asked almost hopelessly, voice cracking, “You’re okay, right?  Please just...be okay.” 

He had absolutely no idea what you were talking about, but as his eyebrows furrowed in even more concern as he vaguely spotted Jotaro approaching the two of you, he nodded, completely uncertain, placing his best attempt at a reassuring kiss on your forehead.  “Yes.  Yes, I’m alright, of course I am.”  His fear-stricken face said otherwise, but physically, he was fine, much to your relief.

“We have to get her bandaged up,” Jotaro interjected.  “She’s gotta get to a hospital; the old man - probably everyone - won’t know what to do with her.”   Kakyoin sent him a silent glance, but it was one he’d seen before, only cast when Kakyoin was with you.  The black-haired teen took his leave to the phone where Anne stood, petrified, to call for an ambulance.  

Kakyoin held you close for a few more moments, silent, one arm around your waist and the other cupping your predominantly non-injured cheek, trying to calm himself and quell his fears - both for Jotaro and himself, but mostly for you - as he felt you against him.  When he pulled away, you thankfully seemed to be back on your feet, at least as much as could be expected.  He didn’t mind for a second that you still leaned against him, good arm clutching his tightly.

You coughed, still feeling the pain down your throat even though its origin had long since gone.  Kakyoin put something in your hand.  One of the coconut drinks you’d been planning on trying earlier. 

“It’s not much, but you should have it,” he urged, offering as reassuring of a smile as he could.  “I was surprised at how good they are.  Oh, and those cherries are delicious.” 

As you downed the drink slowly, still out of breath, Kakyoin taking you in his arms once more for support, you nodded, the first genuine smile of the day spreading across your lips as you managed to fall back into some sort of normalcy, or at least the ability to properly hold your own.  There was nothing but the cherry left, and you presented the coconut back to him.  “Here.  You can have it.”