Sweet Cherry | Kakyoin X !Fem¡Reader

Chapter 51: The Spark

"What are we gonna do with her?" You asked, moving to stand with Noriaki and Jotaro. The three of you were looking over the old woman's unmoving form on the stone. She lay on her front, her knotty blonde hair stuck to her face with sweat. You only just realized how tiny she was; she only reached to about your waist. Joseph walked over to you as you examined the woman.

"I have millions of questions about Dio that need to be asked," he answered your question, then turned to Jotaro. "When did you start suspecting this woman?"

Jojo stood from the kneel he had taken to examine her. "From the moment she showed up."

"From the very beginning?" Joseph's voice sounded disbelieving.

"Yeah." Jotaro ignored his grandfather's tone as he began to walk away. "She was just way too normal to be with those strange officers."

For a moment, Joseph stood motionless, then a small, proud smile came over his face when Jojo's back was turned to him.

"By the way," Polnareff's thoughtful voice broke the air, "how did you find out where we were, Avdol?"

A confused look came over Avdol's face as he knelt to look at one of the dead, but it washed away quickly. "Ah, Joestar-san called me yesterday morning."

It was Polnareff's turn to be confused. "Called...?" He thought back to just before the group entered this cursed village. You had stopped at a gas station to refill the car after dropping Anne off at the airport. At the time, he was too busy poking fun at you and Kakyoin while the red-head looked over the map that he hadn't noticed Joseph on the payphone. Was that when he had called?

"Oh..." Polnareff muttered in thought. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide, and his mouth dropped open. "Wait a minute! Oi! That means Joestar-san knew you were alive all this time?"

Avdol let out an amused chuckle. "In India, I was tended to by Joestar-san and Jotaro."

"Eh!?" Polnareff whipped his head toward Joseph, eyes still wide with shock, but voice accusing. "You guys already knew, in India, that Avdol was alive, but you didn't tell me about it!?"

"You have a bit of a loose tongue," Joseph said gently.

"Yeah," Jojo said simply. You elbowed him hard in the ribs as Noriaki began to speak. He stifled a grunt of discomfort and continued standing beside you as if nothing had occured. You rolled your eyes.

"If you carelessly blurted it out, I thought Avdol wouldn't be able to recover from his injuries in peace," Noriaki explained bluntly, "So I made the suggestion."

"Do either of you have any empathy?" You asked, scoffing. Though, when Polnareff's eyes traveled to you, you raised your hands in a mock defeat. "I was told, like, two hours ago."

"Damn it!" He cried, his voice strained with sadness. "I'm the only one left out! Damn it!"

You jumped when a raspy breath was suddenly drawn by Enya from her place on the stone pavement, and you clutched Noriaki's sleeve. He barely noticed the movement as he looked upon the woman beginning to writhe once again, but enough so that he stepped slightly in front of you, hoping to shield you from an attack that might come.

"D-Dio-sa-ma," Enya croaked, eyes wide with fear as she stared at the sky, painted red by the breaking dawn. "Th-this is...!"

"Woman!" Joseph's voice was commanding. However, it lost all its strength when many thin tentacles burst from her skull, throwing deep red blood in every direction, and he helplessly retreated back. The relentless arms bore holes through her fragile bones, seeped through her eyesockets, and squirmed up and out of her wide mouth. Above her, they twisted and tangled as they moved about inside her brain, tearing and ripping at the soft flesh. "A flesh bud," Joseph gasped, his eyes wide. "Dio must have planted it before she arrived here."