Stardust Crusaders: Around The World

The Emperor and The Hanged Man, Part 2

Noriko briefly glanced at the rear-view mirror, seeing Avdol's body on the ground. She felt guilty for just leaving him behind but right now she and Polnareff had to get away from the enemy. She averted her attention back on the road while she and Polnareff were silent.

Polnareff placed a hand on his forehead, "I...I'm sorry Noriko. I wasn't thinking clearly..." He said sincerely. "I thought as long as I avenged my sister's death, I didn't care if I died along with my enemy. But now I fully understand what Avdol was trying to tell me. I won't let his sacrifice go to waste!" He looked at Noriko.

"I'll fight to keep on living!"

Noriko shifted her eyes at Polnareff. "Do you fully understand?" She asked.

Polnareff sighed, "Yes."

In an instant, Noriko punched the Frenchman hard in the face. Blood immediately gushed out of his nose.

" OW! What was that for?!" Polnareff yelled as he placed a hand over his nose.

"Take it as a handshake that we made up, Polnareff." Noriko said with tears in her eyes.

"R-Right...Thanks, N-Noriko..." Polnareff groaned.

"When they come after us again, I swear you and I will defeat them together." Noriko declared.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "I can't bear losing another friend." She muttered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

*&*&*&*&*

Meanwhile back at the city, Joseph and Jotaro found Avdol's body from hearing the civilians screaming about a fight that broke out and that someone was shot.

"Avdol...my old friend..." Joseph said in a low tone.

The elder Joestar crouched down to check the fortune-teller's pulse while Jotaro picked up a bloody headband that was next to Avdol.

It was hard to believe that their friend was now gone. It was too soon.

"Tch!" Jotaro tightly clutched the headband.

*&*&*&*&*

"Back over there, I actually thought I had stabbed him with my sword." Polnareff said, scratching his nose. "But nothing happened to him. It's like I didn't do anything to him when I attacked him. There was no resistance." He grabbed the rear-view mirror and ripped it off. "Even when I break the mirror his Stand can still attack me from the shards. It attacks my reflection from inside the mirror! But my Stand can't go inside a mirror. How the hell are we supposed to attack him when he's in some kind of mirror world?! Damn it!" He tossed the rear-view mirror out of the truck.

"Polnareff..." Noriko said. "You keep saying inside the mirror and the mirror world but there's no such thing. Remember Polnareff this isn't some kind of fantasy world, this is reality."

Polnareff turned to Noriko with confusion.

"What are you talking about?! You saw it too, didn't you?! His Stand can only be seen in the mirror but when you turn around, he's not there!"

"I am aware of that. But anything you see in a mirror is just a reflection created by light, nothing more." Noriko stated.

"I'm not an idiot! You don't have to tell me that!" Polnareff retorted. "But listen, in this case isn't it different? If Stands exist, so could a mirror world too!"

"Wrong." Noriko replied.

"Oh, come on!"

"I believe the secret behind the Hanged Man must have something to do with how mirrors work. Stands are able to defeat other Stands. His Stand must have a weakness that we don't know about--"