Word Count: 3467

Right outside the window, the train station rolled in. According to Mr. Joestar, you were now somewhere within Malaysia although he didn't know exactly where. But then again, what did it matter, you'd be gone from here in an hour again anyways. Though it was always fun to do some sightseeing and have the bragging rights that you had been there.

"Alright! Let's go stretch those legs!" Mr. Joestar excitedly called out, standing up while the rest of you followed his example. "We have an hour so just be back here around the forty to forty-five minute mark, just to be on the safe side."

"Alright, alright, we get it." Polnareff stretched his arms high above his head as he spoke, seemingly trying to pop his spleen. "No need to worry so much, old timer." Joseph snapped his head towards Polnareff, ticked off by the comment, but the Frenchman continued before he could say anything. "It's about time we get to stretch our legs. These tables are way too cramped."

"If it really was that jarring, you could have walked up and down the train, Polnareff." Avdol commented but Polnareff just looked to the side in disinterest.

"Eegh, that's different." Was his excuse.

Avdol just stood with his arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at the man before him. With a small sigh he then shook his head and turned to the rest of you while beginning to speak. "Let's just- MR. JOESTAR LOOK OUT!!"

Whipping forward as fast as a snake can strike, Avdol grabbed Joseph's arm and yanked him back towards himself. Said man yelped in shock as he fell backwards into Avdol, luckily being caught by the man.

A sizzling noise sounded and Mr. Joestar looked down at his left shoe. Smoke rose from the tip and as he looked closer he noticed there was a hole in it, his sock being visible inside.

The leather of the shoe tip had seemingly been completely eaten away.

"OH MY GOD!!"

"Everyone back away!"

It didn't need to be said twice as you followed Kakyoin and rushed to stand behind Avdol and Joseph, Jotaro hot on your tail. You then turned around again, looking back to where the old man's foot had just been and your eyes widened in surprise.

The velvet floor of the train was curling in on itself, slowly withering and shriveling up, some sections of the wooden floor underneath already visible.

"What the hell?" You sincerely spoke in shock as you looked at the floor closely. This caused Jotaro to look at you in mild surprise from behind – out of your line of sight. "It's expanding!" Your sudden exclamation made him look past you to indeed see the walls of the train being subjected to the same effect, withering and practically decaying at an alarmingly rapid pace. And as cherry on top, it was crawling towards the group, the effect spreading.

"A Stand?!" Polnareff exclaimed. "How'd they get here so fast?!"

"It must have gotten on immediately when the train stopped!" Kakyoin said and pulled you back a bit with him, feeling that you were too close to the danger for comfort as you were examining the affected area.

"We have to get out of the train! It's too cramped and we can't risk the other passengers!" Mr. Joestar called out.

There was no questioning that and as one unit, all of you started making your way down the train, getting to the other side of the train car as fast as one could and entering the next. The nearest exit was another two cars away, having to go through a sleeping car and an entertainment car before you'd reach the doors.

You all got through the sleeping car okay but once you reached the entertainment car it was clear that the Stand user had been counting on you all making this move.

You were in the middle of the group, Jotaro now spearheading the march. Though, as you got to the section connecting two carts to each other, you were all halted as several people were suddenly coming from the entertainment car, frantically trying to push past your little group, attempting to squeeze past in the narrow hallway of the train.

"MOVE!" Jotaro yelled after a few seconds, roughly shoving the man who was trying to barge through back before stepping into the car ahead.

Other people kept pushing past as you all tried to follow Jotaro. At one point a man violently shoved you into the wall as he scrambled away but Avdol was right behind you luckily, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder and helping you move forward again.

"Sacre bleu, what is going on?" Polnareff questioned from the back as you all finally got into the new train car. The moment you left the doorway, people flocked to it and clogged the entire thing, trying to scramble over each other while making panicked noises.

"They got here faster than we did." Jotaro spoke and you looked past him to see half of the train car already under the same rotten effect. The wood of the walls and furniture darkening until it started to crumble away.

To your right, a man and a woman were sitting in the corner, the man yelling out in pain while the woman tried to comfort him as you took notice of his entire lower leg being gone, the same smoke like fumes rising up into the air from it; as if it had been eaten away by acid.

"R-Run! Something strange is happening!" A man lying in the middle of the floor looked up at your group, seeing as you weren't fleeing. The skin on his back was broken up and bleeding and Kakyoin quickly shot forward, pulling the man away from the Stand effect that was slowly crawling closer.

"We need to find a less crowded space and fast!"

You looked around for any means of escape or hope to defeat this Stand, when something caught your eye. All the way at the opposite end of the train car, hiding behind the corner of the doorway, stood a shadowed figure. It stood still in the middle of the carnage, unaffected. There was only one person that could be: the user.

"Open the window, I'll go through!" Your shout got the attention of Avdol and Polnareff and they followed their eyes to where you were pointing, seeing one of the train windows.

"Y/N, no!"

"The guy is right there! If I come up from behind it may distract the user enough to allow you all to leave the train!"

"It's dangerous!" Polnareff tried to protest, needing to project his voice a little to be heard over the panicked screeches of the other passengers.

"So is staying here! If I fail you can probably just have Jotaro punch through the train and you can come save me."

As much as the Frenchman didn't want it, Avdol placed his hand on Polnareff's shoulder and nodded at him, indicating he agreed with your plan which gave the Polnareff little option but to agree as well. Strategically, Avdol placed himself in front of you so that your escape through the window would go unnoticed by the Stand user.

"Magician's Red!" He summoned his Stand. "Let's see if heat can counter this strange Stand attack." He had a confident smile on his face and moved Magician's Red over to the windows on the other side, drawing everyone's attention toward it as he conjured up a flame and held it close to an affected wall.

All the while, Polnareff was helping you open the window and gave you a boost, pushing you out onto the busy platform where people were swarming, some panicked as they came running from the train, calling to others to flee which caused mass confusion and panic as people started clearing away from the train and the station.

You dropped from the window and landed with one hand on the ground, quickly getting up as you rushed towards the end of the car, where the doors were.

More people rushed past but as you reached to stand in front of the doors, most people had left the vicinity of the train. The doors themselves were open and you had a clear and straight vision of the man standing inside. He was still looking into the train car where the other Crusaders were and hadn't noticed you.

You went to step inside but then decided against it, who knows how far that effect spreads and if it was around the guy instead of just in front, you'd be in trouble. So, with no other way, you reached into your inside pocket and took out your trusty rock companion.

"So long, buddy." You tenderly spoke to the smooth rock. "Have a nice-- FLIGHT!" You shouted out the last word as you simultaneously threw the stone at the man with every ounce of the strength in you.

Upon hearing the shout, the Stand user turned around in surprise only to be hit straight in the nose by the rock.

Yelling out in pain, the dude stumbled back a bit before frantically looking up at you, his eyes then darting to his left, where your companions presumably still stood. Unexpectedly, he ran out of the shadows right towards you, your eyes widened in alarm but before you could do anything, he roughly barged into you and used his shoulder to shove you away from the doors and let him through.

The force of the collision threw you back and you harshly landed on your back, hitting the back of your head on the pavement which made you squeeze your eyes shut and groan in pain as you lay there, sprawled out.

About two seconds later, the others came rushing out of the train. "Y/N, you alright?!" You heard Kakyoin frantically ask and you sent a thumbs up their way, using your other hand to rub the back of your head. Your eyes snapped open as your wrist was grabbed and you saw that Jotaro had taken a hold of you, pulling you up. You wobbled a bit but he steadied you and you said a small thanks, earning a hum in return.

"Where did that guy go?" You asked as you looked around, not seeing a sign of him anywhere.

"He ran away through the crowd but he is sure to come back. Before he does, we need to get away from here and to a less populated area. We can't have a repeat of what happened in the train." Mr. Joestar explained and with that, you were off.

- - - -

The street was relatively empty as you all walked down it. About fifteen minutes had passed since you were attacked at the train and there had been no sign of the Stand user since.

Until-

"Avdol, to your left!" Kakyoin was the first to see the danger incoming and you all looked left to see the road and parked cars break up under the effect from before. The road was cracking and crumbling while the cars rusted and dented within seconds. The Stand effect spread out in a half circle towards your group. "It's gaining quickly, look out!"

You quickly hopped to the side, away from it before you felt a small push on your upper arm. "Go!" Looking behind you, you saw Jotaro and you nodded at him, doing as he said as the two of you broke off from the group, Joseph following quickly as you spread out a bit.

"You have a sharp eye, Ka-kyo-in." A man with orange hair styled into a small side-heavy afro stepped out from behind the cars parked on the roadside, taking a step with each syllable of the teen's name that he teasingly mused out. There was dried blood on his face from where it had once dripped from his nose that was very clearly still broken. "I'm surprised you noticed it in time."

"Well your Stand power is not exactly subtle now, is it?" Polnareff mocked, making the man's upper lip twitch in annoyance.

"I didn't ask for your opinion now did I, meatsack?" He bit back and Polnareff took a step back in confused offence. Was he supposed to feel offended?

"What kind of insult is that?" The Frenchman muttered to himself but shook his head.

Just then, the three Stand users noticed that as the enemy stepped closer, the area of effect spread with him. They backed up into the middle of the road, the enemy slowly walking closer until stopping about twelve meters away.

"He has some sort of perimeter around him. Don't step too close or you'll be affected!" Avdol warned, observing the perfect circle of withering around the man.

"Precisely, Mohammed Avdol!" The man snapped his fingers with a grin. "My Stand Rust's defenses are impenetrable! Before, I was on the offence, knowing you couldn't get to me with the narrow halls of the train, allowing for more direct control of what areas my Rust affects, yet leaving me open to attacks from behind. But now that I'm on the defense, neither you nor your attacks will ever reach me!" He boasted.

"We'll see about that. Hierophant Green!" Kakyoin summoned his Stand. "Emerald Splash!" With those words, the liquid formed between Hierophant's hands and a moment later, emeralds flew through the air towards Rust's user.

"Didn't I just say your attacks could never reach me?!" He shouted back and moved his hand in front of himself. Within a second, right before the emeralds could reach the man, they disintegrated, falling to dust and crumbling away completely into nothingness.

"What? His ability affects Stand objects too? Not just material things?!" Polnareff exclaimed in shock.

Kakyoin ignored the Frenchman and instead shot a retort back to the Stand user. "Untrue! All I have to do is keep going until you slip up!"

"Allow me to assist." Avdol spoke up from besides Kakyoin and summoned a large flame in front of him, turning back to the Stand user. "Let's see how well you do..."

"-Against flaming emeralds! Emerald Splash!"

Once again the attack was sent flying, this time being accompanied by Magician's Red's flames. Yet once again it was nullified; the emeralds turning to dust and the flames going out in the air before it could reach the man.

"Shit, we can't hit this guy! We have to reach him somehow!" Polnareff exclaimed, frustrated. That had been the plan they had discussed in the fifteen minutes since the initial attack hadn't it?

"We have no way to. All we can do is keep going like this and hope one of these hit." Avdol stated to Polnareff, who seemed very much in doubt that would ever work.

"We don't even know if he is actively doing that or if it is just his Stand's ability to disintegrate everything once it gets close to him!"

"We have no choice. Again, Kakyoin." Avdol ordered the teen beside him and the redhead nodded, sending out another Emerald Splash. And another. And another.

Every single one got disintegrated or shot over Rust's head.

"What did I say?! You can never reach me with your attacks!"

"ORA!!"

The sudden Stand cry made the man turn around in alarm but-

KLANG

White Knight's shield connected with the man's temple and he instantly fell to his knees before crumpling to the ground, knocked out cold.

- - - -

You, Joseph and Jotaro silently jogged away from the other half of your group. Behind you, you heard the enemy reveal itself and you looked back to see him standing there. Your eyes briefly crossed with Jotaro and he nodded at you, seeing you had the same idea as him.

As if it was rehearsed, you both ducked into a narrow alleyway to the side, Joseph following, albeit a little more confused as to why you were running away from the fight. Coming out of the alleyway, you immediately took a left, running back into the direction of the fight but on a street running parallel to it.

"Why are we abandoning them?"

"We're not, we're coming up from behind!" You answered his question and sure enough, to your left came another alleyway in between shops, allowing you three to go through and come back to the street you were all just on.

Reaching the end of the alleyway, Jotaro stopped you from running by putting his arm out and looked around the corner. The enemy was standing in the middle of the road, Avdol, Polnareff and Kakyoin standing opposite of him, several meters away.

Kakyoin was sending out an emerald splash with the help of Avdol but the attacks never reached the enemy.

"Not all the emeralds are disintegrating." You observed, seeing the ones shooting a little high were just flying over the enemy's head, unaffected.

Jotaro narrowed his eyes, taking in the view of the battlefield in front of him. There was a perfect ten meter circle around the user, Avdol, Kakyoin and Polnareff standing a little ways off from it. Every attack Kakyoin threw directly at the man was negated but those flying too high were fine. "We need to approach from above." Jotaro deduced.

"What?"

"He only protects in front and around himself, he's vulnerable from the top."

"How can we reach that though? He's in the middle of the street and it's not like we can jump from a building towards him." You whispered.

"I have an idea." Mr. Joestar suddenly spoke up, holding a sly grin on his face as he formed a plan, averting his eyes to look at the teens before him. You and Jotaro shared a confused look.

-

"Mr. Joestar, I'm not sure this is gonna work." You whispered loud enough that he could hear you.

"Nonsense, of course it will. Trust in my grandson." He grinned and your eyes nervously moved to your left for a second, looking at the male holding onto you.

You were being lifted by Jotaro, sitting in a fetal position as he held you up next to himself; one hand placed against your lower back while the other was positioned under your legs, basically being placed on the underside of your thighs. His eyes were shadowed over by his hat and your cheeks held a small blush given the placement of said hands.

"On my mark, Jotaro." Mr. Joestar whispered as he walked out of the alleyway, quietly walking over until he was behind the cars, partially hidden as he looked over the vehicle before motioning you two over. Well- motioning Jotaro over. You couldn't move, obviously.

"Make sure to throw me high enough please." You whispered to the boy.

"You just make sure to tuck in and make yourself as small as possible." Was his response as he squatted next to his grandfather.

"Kakyoin is distracting him. After his next attack, get up, get as close as possible and then throw."

Jotaro didn't say anything but you felt his muscles tense in anticipation, accidentally making him sort of squeeze your thigh. You didn't even make a sound but could feel your face heating up a little more.

"You've got this, Y/N?" Jotaro then asked.

"Yeah, I'll knock him out." Your voice was a little strained as you spoke. If you didn't have to be quiet, you would've cleared your throat awkwardly.

"Good." Jotaro spoke and without warning, immediately got up and walked over to the edge of the circle within two steps, pulling his arms back as far as the position allowed him to before flinging you forward and shot-putting you into the air, Star Platinum coming out to assist with the throw and send you properly flying. "ORA!!"

You soared through the air, calling out your Stand in the process. Jotaro had thrown you at precisely the right angle and speed for you to descend right as you reached the enemy, allowing him to get within your range as you made White Knight bash his skull in with her shield, swinging it at full force.

The dude immediately crumpled to the floor and the Stand effect retracted back into him.

Unfortunately for you, you still had to fall down and your descent was faster than the Stand could retract back into its user's unconscious body.

With a quick yet precise motion you stuck out your left foot, landing on it yet immediately using it to vault your body forwards, falling into a dive roll right outside the area of effect.

Upon hearing a sizzle, you instantaneously kicked your leg out, flinging your shoe off of your foot faster than you could even blink.

"Ow!!"

"Polnareff! Oh no, I'm so sorry!" 

- - - -

I just