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"Man, that was one hell of a day, huh?" Polnaref thought aloud as he stretched his arms above his head. Avdol nodded from his seat. "Indeed, I'm glad we were able to make it out with only a few injuries." He agreed. Akarui nodded as well and gently placed her finger tips to the the bandage on her cheek. The wound underneath still stung, but it was nothing to complain about. Polnaref noticed her action. He leaned over towards her. "Ah, mademoiselle, it truly is a shame that bastard damaged your beautiful skin with that wound. Allow me to kiss your injuries and make them better." He cooed, trying to slip his arm around her shoulders. Akarui quickly stood, making him fall forward onto the floor where she had been sitting. She sat down by Kakyoin on the couch instead, deeming that a safer place. Dashingu snickered and pulled a biscuit out of her backpack, splitting it with Iggy. Josquin crinkled up his nose. "Polnaref, don't try to kiss her. You don't know where she's been." Akarui lovingly flipped her brother off, earning a boyish fit of laughter from him. Polnaref sat up and crossed his arms. "Why do you always push me away, Akarui? I thought girls were supposed to like being pampered." He complained. Joseph chuckled from his spot. "Give it up Polnaref. Akarui will probably never fall in love." He joked. Akarui smiled slightly.
"I have 8 hot chocolates here for you guys. Please enjoy your stay with us." A server spoke cheerfully as she handed out the beverages from the trolley she was pushing. She flashed the group a big smile. "Have a great night." She bid them before pushing the trolley away. Polnaref watched after her a moment. "See, Akarui, women should be warm and friendly like that." He told her, pointing to the server with his thumb. Akarui smirked and rolled her eyes. She raised her mug to her lips and blew on the surface of her drink. She took a sip, but quickly pulled the drink away from her mouth, eyes squeezed shut. Polnaref came over to her and placed his hands on her thighs as he crouched in front of her. "Akarui, are you alright?" He asked. "I'm fine. Now get your-" She opened her eyes and was met with Polnaref's staring back into hers. Her expression softened as a pink tint rose in her cheeks. "Ah..thank you for checking on me, senpai." She spoke softly. The rest of the group froze and stared at her. Senpai?? Polnaref blinked a few times before letting out a mock laugh. "Oh, haha, yes very funny, Akarui. You almost had me there." Akarui shook her head. "No, I'm not playing with you. I think...I love you." She told him, sliding her hands over his chest. His heart was jackhammering inside his chest. He'd always wanted attention like this from her, but it was pretty sudden. He stood and looked over a Joseph. "Did you hear that, Mr. Joestar? She loves me! And right after you said she'd never love." He proclaimed, triumphantly. Akarui stood as well and tugged him down by his shirt strap. He was promptly met with a pair of lips against his own. It took him a moment to register what exactly was happening. As soon as he pieced it together, he decided to take this moment to savor how soft and plump her lips were. She was so warm too.
Akarui pulled back, her blush a darker shade now and a smile upon her lips. "Sorry if I was too bold, but I wanted to kiss you, because I love you so much." She told him. Polnaref could only nod and give her a dopey smile. "I see," all heads snapped to Jotaro, "it must be an enemy stand." He stated. Josquin held back a gag and looked over at him. "Either that or my sister is just fucking nasty." He snarked. Dashingu was...horrified. She thought her sister hated Polnaref. "What, you really think it's an enemy stand user?" Joseph asked, leaning forward a bit. Jotaro nodded. "I agree." Kakyoin added in. All eyes turned to him. "If you'll notice, her behavior is enitrely different from what it usually is. Have you ever known Akakrui to be bashful? She would never do anything like this, not even for a joke." He explained. The group nodded. Kakyoin lifted his mug and took a drink. Immediately, he burst into a fit of coughing. "Hey, Kakyoin," the red-head coughed a few more times as he looked up at Jotaro with watering eyes, "are you alright?" Kakyoin's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the delinquent with almost a sense of awe. He averted his gaze, pink dusting over his cheeks. He coughed once more. "Y-Yes..I'm alright." He confirmed. Josquin eyed the interaction before looking down at his own mug. Kakyoin was blushing now. He was usually a very calm and composed kind of guy. Both Kakyoin and Akarui had begun to act strange after drinking their hot chocolate. He set his mug down on the coffee table in front of them. "Nobody drink the hot chocolate." He warned. The others looked at him with confusion written across their faces. He raised a brow at them. "Did you not notice Kakyoin blushing when he spoke to Jotaro?" He asked the group. "Eh???" Joseph and Polnaref cried in confusion. Avdol's brows furrowed in thought as he looked back over at the now embarrassed red-head. Dashingu giggled from her spot on the floor. "Kaky's got a boyfriend~!" She teased in a sing-song manner. Josquin face palmed. "No, you bug, the hot chocolate obviously has been tampered with making these two dumb, little love-puppies!" He explained.
Jotaro glanced back over at Kakyoin. Their eyes met for a moment before the red-head blushed harder and averted his eyes. Oh God. "Kaky's got a boyfriend~!" Dashingu repeated, sending herself into peels of laughter. Kakyoin buried his face in his hands. "I-I do not!" He argued. Dashingu's eyes gleamed with mischief. How she loved pushing people's buttons. "You're in loooove!" She teased. Kakyoin looked up at her. The color of his face was beginning to rival his hair. "Stop, please." He begged. He knew it was silly to get flustered over the words of a 10 year old, but with this fluttery feeling in his chest because of the person sitting next to him, it was hard to keep his mind and heart straight. "Is it true then, Kakyoin?" Kakyoin looked back at Jotaro. His ocean blue eyes held a comforting gaze despite the ever present scowl on his face. "I-Is what true, Jotaro?" He asked. Damn. Why couldn't he quit stuttering? "That you love me." Jotaro clarified bluntly. The honor student nearly choked on his own saliva. He flinched back in surprise, holding an arm in front of his face. The skin of his cheeks was burning, like he had pressed his face against a light bulb. Josquin scoffed from his spot. Akarui reached over and slapped his arm. "Love you? Hahahaha, what would give you that idea, Jotaro?" Kakyoin asked, averting his gaze once more. "You're actions. Usually, you're a lot calmer around me. Josquin also has a point. Seems like the enemy stand user tampered with all our drinks." Jotaro pointed out. Kakyoin could only stare back at him with a 'deer-in-the-headlights' look. His eyes darted around the room. What was he looking for? Help? An exit? A hiding place? Something to hit Jotaro with? He finally, begrudgingly, brought his gaze back to Jotaro's eyes. If he had these bubbling feelings, and was being confronted about them, he might as well say something. "..Yes. I am in love with you." He quietly admitted.
Josquin made another gagging noise, earning another slap to the arm from Akarui. The rest of the group went silent, only watching and waiting for Jotaro's response. The delinquent tugged down the brim of his hat and stood. "Good grief. Let's hurry up and figure out who the stand user is so we can fix these two." He suggested. Fix? Kakyoin's heart sank a bit at those words. Did he view his feelings as a problem? Maybe he didn't feel the same way. "Agreed." Josquin said, shooting a disgusted look over at Akarui, who was cuddling into Polnaref's side.
The crusaders decided it would be best to separate into groups of two to search for the stand user. That way, they would all have someone to watch their back and they could cover more ground. Joseph and Avdol decided to investigate the hotel rooms. Kakyoin insisted upon pairing up with Jotaro as they looked around the hotel proper. Akarui went with Polnaref to poke around outside near the building, leaning on his arm the whole way. That left the one odd number group, Dashingu, Josquin, and Iggy. The three of them headed into town to do some investigating on the down-low.
"I haven't found any sign of them in any of our rooms, Mr. Joestar." Avdol reported, walking back towards Joseph. The older man ran a hand through his hair under his hat. "I haven't sensed any stand users near or in any of the other rooms either." He told the other, replacing Hermit Purple with a frustrated grunt. Avdol sighed and glanced back down the hallway. It would have been far too easy if they were here anyways. If only they would just dart across the hall or something. "I think it may be safe to assume the stand user is not staying in the hotel." He pointed out. Joseph nodded. "Damn. I wish we had some idea of who they are." He lamented. Avdol nodded in agreement. A thoughtful silence passed over them for a moment. "Welp, why don't we join Jotaro and Kakyoin downstairs and see if they've found anything yet?" Joseph suggested. "Good idea, Mr. Joestar." Avdol agreed. With that, the two of them headed down to the hotel proper in search of the two Japanese schoolboys.
***
Kakyoin moved Hierophant Green back to him with a soft sigh. He had sent out his stand to search for the stand user, but had no such luck. It seemed like they'd covered every inch of the first floor with nothing to show for it. "Find anything?" Jotaro asked, approaching him. Kakyoin's heart beat a little faster. "No. You?" Jotaro shook his head. "Good grief. Maybe the others have had better luck." He muttered, taking out a cigarette and placing it between his lips. The red-head watched the action. He mentally took note of how plump Jotaro's lips looked. Heat spread across his cheeks. He averted his eyes as the other began to light his cigarette. No. Nope. He shouldn't be thinking along those lines. Jotaro likely didn't feel the same way. Besides, it was the 80s. Sure, maybe there a bit more representation of homosexuals now, but for the most part it was still unaccepted. Especially back in Japan. He let out another soft sigh. This one of a heavy heart rather than frustration. He couldn't help feeling this way. He wanted to say something, do something, make Jotaro understand just how much he loved him, but that was a dangerous path. Each passing moment made it seem as though he was falling more and more in love with the delinquent. How much longer before he couldn't hold himself back?
"Oi, Kakyoin." The honor student looked back up at his companion. "You alright? You look upset about something." Jotaro pointed out. Kakyoin studied his face. Those plump, soft lips. The chiseled jawline. The beautiful, blue eyes. Screw it. Kakyoin stepped closer. Jotaro watched him in silent curiosity. The red-head placed his hands on Jotaro's chest. He looked deep into his eyes, blush smattered across his face. Jotaro raised a brow ever so slightly. "What the hell are you-" Jotaro was cut off by Kakyoin shushing him as his eyelids fluttered shut. "Kiss me.." He breathed. The red-head began to lean forward, lips slightly parted. Jotaro shoved Kakyoin off of him and stepped back. He could feel his heart uncomfortably beating against his rib cage. Was it out of fear or...something else? Kakyoin stared back up at him with a look of pain and shame. "Ah, Jotaro, forgive me. I was too forward.", he dropped his eyes to the ground, "You obviously don't feel the same.." Tears stung his eyes. Damn. What a stupid thing to get emotional over. Of course Jotaro wouldn't reciprocate his feelings. They were boys. There were plenty of girls back in Japan who would kill multiple times over just to earn one date with Jotaro, so why would he like him of all people? Especially considering their first encounters had been violent.
Kakyoin felt someone step up to him. He looked up to see Jotaro in front of him, eyes averted. "And who said I don't?" He muttered. Kakyoin's face flushed as hope hopscotched across his heart. "Jotaro...you don't mean..?" His voice trailed off as he tried to ease the grin spreading on his face. "So what if I do? Only problem is, you probably don't feel the same. You're under the influence of a stand right now." Jotaro pointed out, finally making eye contact. Kakyoin's eyes widened as his words sunk in. "Jotaro! No , you don't understand! I-...," Kakyoin's face turned a brilliant shade of red as he darted his eyes away for a moment, "..I loved you before we encountered this stand. This is just giving me a bit more confidence to admit that." He explained. Jotaro studied him for a moment as if scanning him for any traces of deceit. Deciding he found none, Jotaro moved closer and placed a hand on the side of Kakyoin's face. Knowing what was coming, the honor student shut his eyes and leaned in. Jotaro's lips were surprisingly soft for someone so tough. He pressed them gently at first, as if he were worried about being too rough with Kakyoin. The red-head pushed further into the kiss. Jotaro took that as a signal to put more passion into it. He cupped both sides of Kakyoin's face and turned his head more to deepen the kiss. Kakyoin clutched onto Jotaro's gakuran in some small attempt to ground himself. He was really kissing Jotaro! He let out a soft moan when the delinquent pulled his bottom lip between his teeth.
The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled them back into reality. Jotaro turned around to see who was there, taking care not to move too quick or slow so he wouldn't let on the panic coursing inside him. Joseph and Avdol stood across from him, each wearing confused expressions. "What, uh, what were you two doing just now?" Joseph asked, beginning to eye them with a sense of amusement. Jotaro tugged down the brim of his hat. "I was trying to see if I could use Star Platinum to pull the stand out of Kakyoin's body." He lied. Joseph thought it over. That certainly sounded like something Jotaro would do, but if that was the case, where was Star Platinum in all of this? He nodded slowly. "Right. How'd it go?" He asked, playing along. "Not well." Jotaro answered simply. Avdol held back a laugh. Joseph smirked. "Well, why don't we try to find Polnaref and Akarui to see if they've had any luck?" He suggested. The two students agreed, eager for something to focus on other than being caught.
***
Akarui leaned into Polnaref's side, her fingers intwined in his. The Frenchman was positively beaming. What more could he ask for? He had been making advances on Akarui ever since his flesh bud had been removed and always hoped she would begin to develop feelings for him. Now here she was, pressed against him with a dreamy smile upon her face. She had even kissed him! On the lips even! "Jean?" She spoke up. Polnaref looked back down at her. Her gray eyes stared lovingly up at him, sparkling in the bright sunlight. "Yes?" He answered. Akarui looped her finger onto the strap of his shirt and pulled him down to her level. She placed a kiss to his cheek. "We haven't found the stand user and we've circled the building three times. Let's go find somewhere to just be together." She told him. Polnaref blinked back at her as he processed her words. "You mean like a date?" He asked, grin spreading across his face. Akarui smiled sweetly. "Exactly." She confirmed, running the tip of her finger along his collar bone. That being said, the two of them headed off into the town. They eventually came across a small cafe. It seemed to be family owned and decently priced, so they took their chances and entered.
The rest of the world seemed to melt away once they had sat down and had their orders. They chatted playfully as they stared, lovingly, into each other's eyes and fed each other cake. Some of the other customers found their actions sweet and romantic. Others found it incredibly annoying and silently willed them to leave the cafe. Unbeknownst to either crusader, a russian woman entered the cafe and took a table in the corner. Her attention was completely focused on them. A smirk tugged at her red lips as she watched them. Everything according to plan.
***
"I can't believe her!" Dashingu cried out from her spot on the ground. Josquin nodded. "I know. Akarui was always an idiot, but this is disgusting. I know it's a stand, but seeing her be all lovey-dovey is really making me sick." He frowned at the memory of his sister kissing Polnaref and shuddered. Dashingu flopped over onto her side and groaned. Akarui had worked so hard to push the Frenchman away and made it very clear she wasn't interested. The sight of her fawning over him was too much for the 10 year old. "She kissed himmmmm.." She moaned. Iggy lay not too far from the both of them. His ear twitched in annoyance as he listened to the two of them bitch and complain about Akarui. He couldn't care less who Akarui fell in love with. It was more annoying to deal with their bellyaching than it was to see Polnaref happy about all of it.
A scent passed by on the breeze. Iggy's nose caught it. Perfume? Iggy raised his head. And one that smelled different from anything around here. It was foreign. Josquin noticed the dog's alert posture. "What's up Iggy? Did you find something?" He asked. Iggy stood up and glanced back at the two Satoshis as if to say 'follow me'. Josquin and Dashingu complied. They trailed behind the canine as he sniffered feverishly in the air. To passsersby, they were an odd sight. Two japanese youth, one with a bunny ear headband, and the other dressed in American clothing, following after a French bulldog in Egypt. They were thought to be tourists, but it was still strange. Bizarre even.
Eventually, the scent trail led them to the outside of a small cafe somewhere in town. "You sure this is where it leads, Iggy?" Josquin questioned, eyeing the dog. Iggy yapped in confirmation and scratched at the door. Josquin nodded and pushed it open. The three of them entered. The perfume scent was the strongest it had been. The owner was definitely in this cafe! Iggy suddenly took off. "Iggy!" Dashingu called after him, beginning to run in the direction he ran. "Both of you!" Josquin groaned as he followed. Iggy dashed to a corner table and leapt at a blonde woman dressed in Russian cloth sitting there. She cried out as she tried to keep the dog from biting her. "Iggy!" Josquin scolded. The woman threw Iggy to the ground. He growled and made another jump at her. "Tainted Love!" She cried out. Several hearts with cartoonish arms and legs appeared around her. Josquin stopped. "'Its you! You're the stand user!" He pointed to her. The hearts grabbed Iggy and piled onto him to hold him down. The woman smiled back at Josquin. "You guessed right, leettle boy! I am Katenka Vloskensky. My stand is Tainted Love." She told him in a thick accent. Her face contorted from a cocky smile to a wide, insane grin. "We'll kick your ass!" Dashingu threatened, Wild Card appearing behind her. "I don't think you should worry about me just yet leettle gorl." Katenka told her. She pointed over at another table. There, sat Akarui and Polnaref, happily unaware of what was happening. That's when the trio noticed a heart climbing onto the table. It quickly scurried into Akarui's tea, undetected. Josquin and Dashingu gasped in horror. What would another dose of Tainted Love do to her??
Akarui picked up her cup, bringing it to her lips. "Akarui, don't-!" But Dashingu was a day late and a dollar short. Her older sister began to drink the tea infused with Katenka's stand. The navy-haired girl cried out in pain and placed a hand over her mouth. "Akarui! Are you alright?" Polnaref asked her. Akarui nodded and lowered her hand. "Yes, I only bit my-" She opened her eyes and seemed transfixed on his face. Her gaze was intense. Josquin and Dashingu looked to each other, exchanging expressions of worry. "Are you sure you're alright?" Polnaref raised a nonexisting brow. Her expression was so strange. Akarui took his hands in hers, keeping her intense gaze upon him. "Jean, my love, I have to admit something." She told him. "Alright." Polnaref said. Akarui squeezed his hands a little tighter. "I love you so much it physically hurts me. The thought of anyone looking at you the way I do drives me mad. In fact, anyone being around you is more than I can bare. I want it to just be us, and us alone. Forever. I want to have our own place so I can keep you with me and away from everyone else. Unfortunately, we both willingly agreed to come along on this journey, so I have a solution. Why don't just kill both of us, so we can be together forever in the afterlife!" Her eyes were wild and an uncharacteristically unsettling smile graced her lips. Polnaref looked back at her with concern written into every line of his expression. "Akarui, that sounds a bit extreme." He told her, taking his hands back. Akarui's face fell. She looked down at her hands which began to shake. "You...don't want to be with me together forever...?" She asked him, voice small. "Well, no, not like-" Akarui cut him off with an odd chuckle. She looked back up at him and laughed. She looked and sounded unhinged. "FINE! IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, NO ONE CAN!" She screeched, summoning The Chain. Polnaref stood quickly, knocking over his chair and summoning Silver Chariot. "Akarui, calm down!" He told her. The navy-haired girl glared at him. "Calm down? CALM DOWN?? THE LOVE OF MY LIFE REJECTS ME AND THEN TELLS ME TO CALM DOWN??!!" Polnaref gulped. The Chain unraveled and whipped around him, squeezing tight. This wasn't the first time he'd been wrapped up in Akarui's stand, but this time it's constrictions were starting off at an almost bone crushing pressure. Polnaref would be lying if he said he didn't fear for his life in that moment.
The pile of hearts on Iggy were blown off as The Fool materialized over him. The dog rushed over and clamped his jaws onto Katenka's ankle. She screamed in pain. The Tainted Love hearts ran around the room in a frenzy. Polnaref had Silver Chariot attempt to slice threw The Chain, but to no avail. Perhaps it was do to how tightly he was being constricted? The door to the cafe swung open. In walked Jotaro, Joseph, Avdol and Kakyoin. Katenka looked over at them and giggled in delight. Another one of her targets had shown up. Two hearts ran and leapt at Kakyoin. The red-head quickly summoned Hierophant Green and unravled it's arms to grab the hearts in it's tentacles. He squeezed them until they became pink puffs of smoke. Dashingu had Wild Card spin the slots on it's chest. It landed on string and Squirmles. WIld Card summoned these items and manuevered them to tie around Akarui and restrained her. The girl struggled against her restraints. Kakyoin moved Hierophant Green over to her. One of it's tentacles poked at her mouth. She clenched her jaw and glared at him. Hierophant green jabbed her in the side. She gasped and the tentacle slid into her mouth and down her throat. Akarui let out muffled cries of protest. The tentacle withdrew, holding two Tainted Love hearts. It crushed them, the hearts bursting into puffs of smoke like before.
Realization hit Akarui like a tital wave. She quickly had The Chain release Polnaref before she accidentally hurt or killed him. WIld Card's strings and Squirmles slithered off of her. Akarui relaxed her body and looked to the ground. She cleared her throat. "Ah, sorry, Polnaref." She mumbled. "It's alright'. He reasured. Akarui nodded slightly and lifted her head. She threw a scowl over at Katenka. "You.." She growled. The Russian blinked her eyes innocently and pointed to herself. "Who, me?" She questioned. "Yes. You. What kind of a sick fuck makes people fall in love only to have them kill the person they've fallen for? You really seem to lack any sort of knowledge. I can't help but notice you're also on your own. With a simple, weak ass stand like yours I'd think you'd want a muscle man to hide behind like the coward you are. You're dumber than a box of rocks and now you've pissed me off!" Katenka growled at her. "How dare you speak to me like that! Tainted Love!" She cried out. Several hearts jumped towards Akarui. The Chain smacked each heart away and wrapped around Katenka. The upper half of the stand reformed so it could grasp her neck between it's hands. Katenka would have tried clawing at the stand's hands if it weren't for the fact that her arms were trapped against her body. Fear began to course threw her body. The chains pulled tighter. Her bones felt as thought they might break. Tears stung her eyes. She was consricted tighter still. She coughed and could taste the metallic flavour of blood.
Akarui casually strolled over to Katenka, hands in her pockets and a heavy scowl upon her face. "I could very well finish you off myself, right here right now, but then that wouldn't be fair to some of my friends here, now would it?" She hissed. Akarui stepped back. "Josc, Joot, take it away." She informed the two boys. Josquin smiled and cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure. Bitcoin, Act 3!" He summoned his stand. Jotaro pulled down the brim of his hat. "Normally, I wouldn't hit a woman, but I'll make an exception for you." He told Katenka. The Russian's eyes widened in fear as Star Platinum appeared behind him. Both stands moved directly in front of her. Bitcoin's head turned around to display the Thalia face and Star Platinum busted into a wide grin. Katenka was met with an unmerciful widfall of fists pounding into her. The cry of "ORA ORA ORA ORA" rang in her ears as it came in sterio from both stands. Eventually, Katenka fell to the ground, unconcious. All three crusaders put away their stands as Tainted Love disappeared.
***
The group returned to the hotel and, once again, gathered in the common area. They were all too tired to go up to their rooms just yet. Polnaref plopped down beside Akarui. He glanced over at her and tapped his leg. "Hey, Akarui?" The navy-haired girl tiredly glanced up at him. "Now that, y'know, that stand is out of your body..do you still fell anything?" He asked her, scratching the back of his head. Akarui scowled and exhaled deeply. "No." She answered bluntly. "Oh." Polnaref looked down at his hands in his lap. Disappointment crashed over him in waves. He felt a dull pain in his chest. Akarui looked over at him and sighed. She tugged on his shoulder to bring him closer to her and planted a kiss on his cheek, taking him by surprise. She shifted in her spot so she slouched further onto the couch and folded her arms. "Maybe." She clarified. Polnaref beamed. That was good enough for him.
"Jotaro, can I speak to you? In private?" Kakyoin asked, nervously tugging at his sleeve. Jotaro glanced over at him and stood. "Sure." He agreed. The two of them went off into an empty hallway. Jotaro leaned against the wall and took out a cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he fumbled around in his pocket for his lighter. "What did you want?" He asked the red-head. Kakyoin's face flushed. "Well, ah, I wanted to ask you.. what you said earlier..was it true?" He asked. Jotaro looked at him and took a drag from his cigarette. He slowly blew out the smoke. "Good grief, why would I lie about something like that? Why, were you lying?" He asked. Kakyoin's face became just as red as his hair. "N-No! Not at all." He answered. "Good." Jotaro said, putiing out his cigarette in a near-by ash tray. He stepped over to Kakyoin and held the side of his face. He leaned down and placed a sincere kiss to his lips. Not as gently as their first, or as passionate as it had gotten, but a happy, in-between. After a few moments he pulled back. Kakyoin's eyes fluttered open. "I love you, Jotaro." He admitted. Jotaro smiled ever so slightly. "Same to you."