[center][h3][b]Chapter Nine[/b][/h3][/center]

	Within the Kujo residence, Kakyoin and Abdul stood in the courtyard, eyeing the entrance as doctors sent by the Speedwagon Foundation, a longtime ally of the Joestar family, arrived. As Abdul spoke, grave concern for Holly and her condition laced every word. The nature of her illness burrowing at the forefront of their minds.

	"For now, Mrs. Kujo's stand is only on her back. But in time, her whole body may very well be overtaken by that vile mass of vampiric tendrils. Many forms of sickness will then come over her. First a high fever, then eventually a coma. But the end of the journey will be death, for sure. These doctors sent by the Speedwagon Foundation at Mr. Joestar's request will care for Mrs. Kujo nonstop, but no doctor can even understand what we're dealing with, much less cure her of her ailments. In the past, I've seen people far stronger than her fall to the corruption of vampire infections just like this. But there is still hope for Mrs. Kujo. It'll take nearly a month, almost fifty days or so, for her to reach the final stages of her illness. We just need to defeat Dio in Egypt before then, to sever the link between her infection and Dio's vampiric body!"

[hr]
	Meanwhile, within the Kujo home proper, Jotaro and Joseph were keeping watch over Holly as she suddenly roused to an awakened state. Her sudden energy was a sharp contrast to the illness she'd been showing just moments before. This caught both Jotaro and Joseph by surprise, eyes looking at her with grave concern as she tried to conduct herself with the same cheerful tone and attitude as usual.

	"I don't know what happened, I never pass out like that! But I feel much better after taking some medicine."

	Jotaro watched his mother carefully as she smiled cheerfully at her father and son. [i]She doesn't know yet. It's on her back, so she can't see it...[/i]

	"Holly! You had us all worried. You shouldn't scare your old man like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Brush your teeth when you get up, its good manners!" As Joseph continued to spout personal care orders at Holly, he rushed about, cleaning her hair, cutting up some food, and coddling over his daughter in every way imaginable.

	Eventually, Holly had enough of this coddling and cooing from her father, shifting the blankets covering her aside to try and stand up. "Okay, its time I got up and started to cook dinner! What would you like, Jotaro?"

	Jotaro and Joseph both grew wide-eyed as Holly tried to get up from the bed, and Jotaro even began to shout. "You don't need to do that! Stay in bed!"

	"I mean...don't spread your germs around, the rest of us don't wanna get sick. Besides, I'm not that hungry anyway, so just rest up."

	"Heh heh...Yes, son. Everyone is so nice when I'm sick. I guess a little cold isn't bad from time to time..."

	As Holly laid back into the bed, she almost immediately dropped back into a deep sleep, catching Joseph and Jotaro off-guard. Joseph rushed to check on her, feeling for a fever.

	"Holly! She's passed out cold again! She was acting fine, but now she's got a huge fever. She didn't say a word, but I'm sure she noticed the tendrils on her back. Its just like her, to try and hide it from everyone, to keep us from worrying. We have to save her. We can't let Dio get away with this! Listen to me, Holly, we'll make it better. I swear. There's nothing for you to worry about, just lie back and take it easy."

	As Joseph watched over Holly like a wolf guarding his cub, Kakyoin and Abdul entered the room as well. Upon seeing Holly laying in the bed as she was, a look of solemn sadness and concern stretched itself across Kakyoin's face.

	"Jojo's mother...She's the kind of woman who can make you feel relaxed just by being near her. If I was going to fall in love, I'd want it to be with a woman like her. I feel like I want to protect her with my life, to see her feeling better and smiling."

	"I think its time, everyone. Kakyoin, Mr. Joestar, Jotaro, let's go."

[hr]
Elsewhere, within his mysterious hideout, the infamous Dio eyed a camera very carefully. Raising a hand, a similar purple energy to that of Joseph's Ripple technique swirled around it, however it also carried within it a baleful and sinister energy, like the very Ripple essence itself had been corrupted. As the hand came colliding with the camera, the dark energy of Dio's Ripple coursed through the device, not damaging it like Joseph's own version of the technique, but still depositing out a photograph of Joseph Joestar and Jotaro Kujo aboard a plane.

	"Just as I thought. They've found out where I am, so they've come for me. Joseph. Jotaro."

[hr]
	Aboard the plane, a sleeping Joseph Joestar was startled awake by a bizarre sensation. He could sense it in the very fiber of his being. Dio was watching him. Jotaro opened his eyes and cocked his head to look at his grandfather subtly. He had felt it too.

	"He saw us, Jotaro. Dio was watching us just now."

	"Yeah, I felt it too..."

	"A new henchman of his could already be on the plane. We better watch out."

	Just as they finished speaking, a faint buzzing sound caught their attention. A large insect was darting about the cabin, eventually headed right for the Joestar party. As it flew closer, Joseph was able to get a quick look at it, noticing that it appeared necrotic and rotting in nature, as though ruled by the same undead forces as vampiric zombies and other biological terrors of that nature.

	As the party of four all came to and spotted the creature, it quickly darted back out of sight, into the seats of the plane. The group conferred among themselves, noting its necrotic nature and that it was some form of beetle, likely spawned from the lands of Egypt, where Dio lay in waiting for them.

	Suddenly, it shot up back into view, directly beside Jotaro's head. As he turned to look, it frothed and snarled, a malformed and vampiric pincer tongue began to slither out from its jaw-like appendages. Slowly channeling his piercing white Ripple energy around his hands, Jotaro suddenly darted out to grapple the tainted beetle. However, it quickly managed to dodge his grappling attack, darting to the side and suddenly lunging its pincer tongue out at Jotaro. Using his Ripple-infused hands, he tried to catch the tendril, but it pierced through his palm instead, lunging for his tongue directly. Thinking quickly, Jotaro channeled some of his Ripple energy into his teeth, carefully catching the beetle's tongue and holding it in place.