Lithium: A Stardust Crusaders Story

4

"What the hell is that?" Jotaro asked, visibly disgusted. "You said that's the reason he swore loyalty to DIO?"

"That is a flesh bud, formed from DIO's own cells. It connects to his brain. This tiny little flesh bud was implanted in his brain to influence his mind. In other words, that flesh bud is a controller that draws forth certain feelings." The old man explained.

"Charisma! The feelings that make soldiers want to obey dictators! The feelings that make true believers follow cult leaders! This young man admired DIO and swore loyalty to him!" The room fell silent. "DIO is a charismatic figure, which means he can sway others with his overwhelming powers of attraction. He used that to order this young man, called Kakyoin, to kill us."

"So operate on him and remove it," Lynn interjected from beside me.

The old man shook his head. "The brain is very delicate. If he were to move while we were extracting it, we could inflict brain damage."

"Jojo." Avdol began. "The following happened four months ago, in Cairo, Egypt. I met DIO!" Everyone stared in shock. "I am a fortune teller by trade. I have a shop in a souk called Khan el-Kahili. It was the night of the full moon. He... stood quietly on the stairs that led up to my shop's second floor. His cold gaze felt as if it was trying to stealthily pierce my heart. His golden hair, his near transparent alabaster skin, and his strange sensuality made it hard to believe he was a man. I had heard about him from Mr. Joestar, so I knew immediately that he was DIO, back from the Atlantic's Depths! 'I hear that you have powers that ordinary people don't. I'd be grateful if you could show them to me.' It was then that I found him truly terrifying. His words brought such peace to my soul. They had a dangerous sweetness. That's exactly why he was terrifying! 'Come, Avdol...' I ran for my life. I didn't dare think of fighting him. I was very lucky. Because I had heard about DIO and realized it was him, I was able to immediately jump out the window. I knew the labyrinthine souk below like the back of my hand, so I was able to escape. Otherwise, I would have ended up like this young man, made into one of his followers through a flesh bud."

"You would have died a few years later, your brain completely devoured." Mr. Joestar supplied.

"Died?" Jotaro asked. "Hold on a minute. Kakyoin here... isn't dead yet!" His stand appeared next to him. "I'll pull it out using my stand!"

"Wait, Jotaro!" I stood up. He looked at me questioningly. "I'm no doctor, but you can't really think it's safe to pull that thing out with your stand, let alone here! Even if you could remove it, he'd still have a gaping hole in his head!"

Lynn got up and stood beside me, tugging a little on my sleeve. "I'm not sure if it would be sterile exactly, but stands don't carry bacteria like we do. It's probably safer to remove it with a stand, but this room is definitely not a clean place."

"I'm not taking him to a doctor. I can remove it here," He snapped.

"Okay. Sorry," I almost whispered.

"Jotaro, Wait!" Mr. Joestar said.

"Don't touch me, old man! I'll pull it out without harming his brain. My Stand moves with such precision that it can grasp even a bullet." Jotaro grasped Kakyoin by the shoulders.

"What were you doing with a gun?!" I cried. Jotaro ignored me.

"Stop! That flesh bud is alive!" Mr. Joestar shouted. "Don't you realize why part of the flesh bud is outside of his body? That's why not even the best surgeon could extract it!"

Jotaro ignored his grandfather as well, using his Stand to grasp the bud, which promptly stabbed his hand with a tentacle.

"Shit!"

"The flesh bud stabbed him with a tentacle! This isn't good! Let go, Jojo! It will try to enter the brain of anyone who tries to extract it!" Avdol exclaimed.

"That's actually pretty fascinating! I wonder how exactly it does that..." I trailed off, feeling all eyes on me. "Sorry, I mean... Oh no! I hope it doesn't stab your brain!" That earned a nose exhale from Jotaro.

The tentacle climbed higher as Kakyoin suddenly woke. "You..." He managed.

"Don't move, Kakyoin. If I fail, your brain is done for." Jotaro told him.

"You can't just say stuff like that to the patient!" I reprimanded.

Again, I was ignored as Jotaro further removed the bud. The tentacle crawled further up his arm.

"Let go, Jojo! It's gone up to your face!" Avdol stepped forward, reaching for Jotaro's arm.

"Wait, Avdol!" Mr. Joestar flung out a hand. "My grandson is quite the man. It's entered his body, and yet he's completely calm. He isn't even trembling. Nor is his Stand! He moves with more precision and stentgh than I anticipated."

The tentacle crept even higher, and I began to worry. But Jotaro was able to fully pull out the flesh bud.

"He did it!"

His stand ripped the bud right out of Jotaro's body through the hole in his hand and tore its tentacles off. The remaining flesh was thrown at Mr. Joestar, who slapped it with a hand enveloped in orange crackling energy. "Overdrive!" The bud disintegrated into dust.

Kakyoin sat up and put his hand to his head.