Stardust Crusaders: Around The World

Dio's World, Part 2

After explaining her plan to the elder Joestar, Noriko and Joseph swung from building to building with the use of their Stands, fleeing from Dio. While doing so, Noriko took a moment to look at her Stand that brought back a certain memory from when she was a child.

*&*&*

Noriko's mother, Nami, was having a private meeting with a teacher after school. Noriko was told to wait outside the room while the adults discussed.

"Your little Noriko doesn't try to make friends at all." The teacher stated. "It's not that the other kids don't like her, she just doesn't want to open up to anyone. As her teacher, I'm quite concerned." He set the paper down on the table.

Nami lowered her head, "I'm her mother, yet I still don't know why she's like that. We recently moved from Morioh due to my husband's job. We thought she would be able to open up..."

Noriko heard her mother's words and lowered her head.

*&*&*

Ever since Noriko was a child, she thought that living in a city meant meeting a lot of people. A lot of people who she thought she could relate to. But no matter how many people she met, none of them ever understood her.

Her classmates' address books were always filled with their friends' names while hers remained blanked. Her parents have each other, her classmates have each other, but she has no one because she's different.

After many attempts to befriend her classmates and trying to show them her Hierophant Green, they all gave her weird glances. They believed it was some imaginary friend, just like what her parents thought of as well. That was when Noriko decided to no longer befriend anybody and strictly only focus on her studies.

With zero distractions and no friends, Noriko became an honor student with straight A's and perfect attendance. Her parents were proud of their little bundle of joy but they were still worried about Noriko's loneliness. At this point, Noriko believed she would never meet someone who sees her for who she is because nobody was able to see Hierophant Green. It was impossible for those who couldn't see her Stand to understand her.

That is, until she met Joseph, Jotaro, Polnareff, Avdol and Iggy. It made her realize what true friends are like. Whenever she remembers Avdol and Iggy about their near death experience it brings shivers down her spine. She asked herself if it was because they all shared a common goal.

This journey to defeat Dio. For the past couple months, they all became very close friends.

When she first met Dio, she easily fell into his charms due to him being the first person who could see her Stand. She didn't feel lonely anymore and desired a friend. Her family barely noticed any change after her encounter with the vampire. She sometimes asks herself if she never had a Stand, she wouldn't have met Dio but then she would've never met the rest of her friends. This is the happiest she's ever been for the past couple of months and being true to herself.

"I'll make her invisible to everyone just like it was before..." Noriko thought when gazing at her Stand. "I'll use the invisibility as my advantage to reveal Dio's true identity and defeat him! I'll make his presence completely disappear!"

Before Hierophant Green's tendril could reach the clock tower, both Noriko and Joseph heard a familiar bark behind them. Turning their heads to the side to see who it could be, they were astonished to find the Boston Terrier trying to catch up to them.

"I-Iggy?!" Joseph said. Both Crusaders stopped on one of the rooftops of the building.

"What are you doing here, Iggy? Shouldn't you be recovering?" Noriko asked, kneeling down to pick him.