Bizarre Adventures - Stories for the Strange

Pull Me Under - Stardust Crusaders

All that I feel is honor and spite

All I can do is to set it right

My alarm sounded, sending a shot of adrenaline through my body. Not a lot, just enough to wake me up. I reached over and shut the thing off. Pulling myself out of my futon, I crawled over to the sliding paper door. Pulling it open, the cool morning air rushed in and birds greeted me with song. Much longer, and the frost would start setting in. I would need my winter bedding before too long.

I stuck my head out of the room, trying to hear any movement or conversation in the compound. It was a large series of buildings grouped around a large garden, so knowing where people were was a bit hard. Still, it couldn't hurt to check. Especially with Joseph and Muhammed Avdol staying with us. Though, I think it would be pretty easy to find Joseph if I needed to. His normal speaking voice was louder than most, and he had a habit of yelling all the time.

I slowly stood up, trying to let my body figure out what it was doing. My joints don't like to work first thing in the morning. Once I worked the kinks out and my body was responsive, I went to the bathroom and got ready for school. I put on my required uniform. I missed the public school I went to in New York, where I could wear whatever I wanted. But then again, the teachers there didn't really care about their students. Where education was very lax in the States, schools were cutthroat in Japan. Everything depended on your grades and how you ranked. To be honest, I didn't know which one I preferred.

When I was done, I straightened up my room and headed outside. The buildings on the property were connected by a series of porches and bridges, all circling around the main garden. It was based on traditional Japanese architecture, and was intended to evoke the feeling of a sprawling castle.  I wandered over a few buildings where the kitchen was set. I leaned against the doorway and looked inside.

Inside, Holly was busy with breakfast as she usually was. Today she was making a more American breakfast, as opposed to the traditional Japanese meals she enjoyed cooking. This was probably because her father was staying. She hummed to herself as she turned the food in the pan. I didn't see anyone else in the kitchen, either because they weren't awake or hadn't found their way in.

Holly noticed me, waving her spatula at me. "Good morning, (Y/N)!" She smiled wide at me. "Breakfast will be done in a minute."

I knelt at the low table. "Good morning. Anything going on today?"

"Just the usual," oil sizzled as she cooked. "I hope to catch up with my dad today. We talk on the phone all the time, but it's just not the same."

"I bet." My parents used to go on business trips all the time, so I could understand the sentiment. My father was a member of the Speedwagon Foundation, so he traveled a lot as a translator helping on different assignments. He was also a bit if an intermediary between Joseph and the Speedwagon Foundation. My mother also worked under him, though not in the Foundation. She helped the Joestar name become synonymous with real estate. To be honest, it was probably because of Joseph that they got together in the first place. Travel was important to their work, and the phone was my only link to them sometimes. But it was never as good as when they were home again.

"It feels like forever since I last saw him," she thought out loud. "How long has it been? It must have been a few years now..." She started counting on her fingers.

I looked down at my hands. I tried to keep the emotions under control. "Six. It's been six years."

"Yes! I remember now!" She scooped up the food and placed it on a platter. "Let's see, six years ago..." She placed the food on the table in front of me. "That was when he brought you in after the..." She stopped just before she finished the sentence.