“You saved me!” Shizuka says, then looks at her unusual seating, “what is this thing?”



“It’s a cloud. My kind of cloud. Solid enough to hold weight, but light enough to float on air. It’s one of SATURN BARZ’’ better moves.” He doesn’t meet her eyes as he says this, but stares off into the distance.



A sudden sharp wind picks them up and they are blown into the air, high above the interstate, high above the airport. Like a magic carpet, they are carried through the air. Shizuka marvels at the view as they drift away from the airport complex completely, passing over neighborhoods. Stores and homes, where people mill about, never thinking to look up. In the distance, the blunt silhouettes of LA Downtown stand obscene gestures directed at the San Gabriel Mountains.

Suddenly, Kilo hears the young girl laughing under her breath, he turns to her, angry. “What the hell’s so funny!?”

“Oh no, it’s nothing. I was just thinking: you’re like that famous boxer!”

“Boxer? Who?”

“You know,” she says, giddily grinning to herself, “you float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee!”

Kilo stares at her in silent shock, dumbfounded. “You gotta be kidding me…” he finally manages to sputter out. Shizuka giggles dizzily at her own joke as they slowly drift down.

Before long, the wind dies and the cloud drifts down, slow and pleasant as ever. They descend upon a small field in the neighborhood of Inglewood, the grass turning yellow under the midday sun.



The instant the cloud touches the ground, it dissipates into vapour and the pair drop to the ground. They land on their feet. Shizuka wobbles slightly on her high heels, then checks the seat of her skirt to find that has gotten damp from sitting on the cloud. “That was kinda cool,” she says, looking up and marvelling at the distance they descended, “you’ve got a neat Stand there, you kno–?” She trails when she sees Kilo standing a few metres away from her, glaring at her.

“Wait wait, why are you looking at me all mad? We’re not still fighting, are we? I thought we were done with that!”

“Hell we are.” Kilo says, his voice low, “We haven’t settled shit yet. You still haven’t told me what I want to hear. Where is Tarantula?” He says the last sentence in a deep, rumbling growl, accompanied by SATURN BARZ materializing into space. A pale mist forms around its clawed hands. They stand in shadow, away from sight of the main road.

Shizuka faces Kilo’s glare, and raises her hand, palms forward, on either side of her face. “My name is Shizuka Joestar” She says this clearly, as if reciting a poem. “My foster father’s name is Joseph Joestar. I was born in 1998, and raised in New York City. My blood-type is B+, and I’m an Aquarius. My favorite food is cheesecake. I have no idea who Tarantula is, nor am I a part of any organisation.”

“Then why are you here?”

“… I have a mission. I’m searching for my mother.”

“Your mom?”

“We were separated when I was very young. My foster father took care of me, kept me out of trouble and made it so I wanted for nothing. But he died 5 years ago, and since then, I’ve been determined to find my mother. I have good reason to believe that she’s in this city. This is my only reason for being here. Everything I said is the truth, I promise.”

The tall man stays still, glaring, searching her face. Her expression is set, unwavering. The moments stretches for what feels like forever. All sounds seems to fade away, leaving nothing but the glare between two people.

At last, the tall man caves, dropping his gaze. His Stand disappears in the same instant. He turns away from her, and mutters “Alright.” No ‘sorry’, or even ‘my bad’. Shizuka finally breathes and lower sher hands.

As he’s walking away, she calls to him, “Is that it?” He doesn’t answer. After a moment, she jogs after him, calling “Hold on!”. He turns around sharply as she approaches him, still hostile.

“What?” he growls.

To his surprise, she offers her hand for shaking. A friendly gesture, accompanied by a pleasant smile. “Thank you for saving my life,” she says.

He stares at the hand, silent, eyes wide with surprise. His eyes move to her smiling face, genuinely sunny and kind.

His face twitches and contorts, a vein rising in his forehead. He slaps her hand away violently. Shizuka gasps in surprise, and instinctively rubs her hand. As she does this, he advances on her so he stands right in, looming over her. “Don’t make a fool of me,” he snarls at her.

“I-I don’t understand–” she stammers, before he cuts her off again.

“Don’t act like we’re friends just because the fight’s over for now!” He is baring his teeth, like a ravenous predator, his eyes scorched with anger. “We just spent the last 10 minutes trying to kill each other! We only met because those thug idiots that hung round me tried mugging you! Are you looking down on me? What are you trying to pull acting like we’re pals?”

“I’m not– I’m not pulling anything! I just– I thought I should thank you… You didn’t have to save me, so–”

“What, did you think we’d just be buddies all of a sudden? Like some fucking cartoon? Listen to me: we’re living in the real world. In the real world, people die. You can’t just throw a smile on and pretend like everything’s dandy. People like you are the type I hate most; the kind too stupid to understand how the world really works!”

“… Then why did you save me?” she says finally, and this time Kilo has no response. His fury doused, he instead turns away, spitting on the ground bitterly.

Breathing, Shizuka hesitates before speaking further. “My dad told me that human beings are bound together by threads of fate. Stand users are drawn to other Stand users, and people are drawn to other people. That’s why I know I’ll find my mom.

“No matter how big this city is, no matter how many people there are in it, our fates are bound together. We are meant to find each other. And I think maybe we were meant to meet, too. If for no other reason than to have this talk.”

Kilo doesn’t respond. He seems to be looking off at some point in the distance. Shizuka shuffles her feet awkwardly. “That… was pretty lame, huh?” she chuckles, abashed, “I didn’t mean to start a speech or anything. All that depends on if you believe in that stuff, anywa-”

“I don’t.” He cuts her off, and she bites her tongue as he faces her again.

“I don’t believe in fate. Or destiny, or karma, or God. All that’s just distractions. Bullshit, to distract everybody from how random and shitty the world is. Somebody who can’t see reality can’t survive. Especially not in this town. Damn, I can’t believe I thought you was in a gang…”

He squints at her, curling his lip slightly. “Still, this is the most entertaining thing to happen to me in a while. I might owe you for that… I can take you to somebody who can help you out. How’s that sound?”

Her eyes widen. “You… you’re gonna help me? You’re coming with me?”

“I’m repaying a favor,” he is quick to reply, “I don’t feel like being in debt to you forever. But don’t no mistakes. We ain’t friends. After I do my part, that’s it. I’m done. That clear?”

She adjusts the sunglasses on her head, and says, “Sure.” Her smile returned. He begins to walk away, and she follows him.

Then she freezes in place, eyes going wide. “I forgot my luggage! And my passports!” she yells loudly, surprising Kilo. Frantically, she sprints ahead of him, forcing him to chase after her.

In the distance, as Shizuka and Kilo walk away, someone is pointing an iPhone at them, recording. As they run, the person slinks away, back into the shade.

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN