Hey, my first JJBA fic! And my first AU fic! I think. . . .

I should mention that the time period is different. Instead of it taking place in the year 1987, despite using part 3 characters, I'm placing it in 1995. The reasons will become clear as the story progresses, though I did want to give a heads up so no one gets confused (or angry, for that matter). Most if not all of the characters will be same age as in part 3, it's just set in a different time period. Certain Stands may or may not appear and certain characters from part 4 may or may not appear, as that does take place in the 90s. This has been a PSA for my fanfic's logic and setting.

Also, I may or may not have taken bits and pieces from My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. Those belong to Hayao Miyazaki and JJBA belongs to Araki. Enjoy! :P

Part 1

Good luck. May we meet again. I will never forget you.

-Hanako

Jotaro stared blankly at the card before sliding it back in the envelope and tossing it back to the stack. There were too many goodbye cards to count, and all from the girls at his old school. Some of them came with heart patterned stickers, some with red envelopes or specially embellished letter paper. If he'd read one, he'd probably read them all. The contents were sickeningly sweet, the young man could already tell.

"Oh, Jotaro! That looks like your new school!"

He caught a glimpse before it was gone. A white building, three floors, a grey roof. Just as the car had gone completely past, he could see a gate opening with a concrete grey sign. The words blurred by, but he could make out the word "asahi". Morning sun. Not a single person could be seen in the lot in front. Were they in the middle of class? Registration had already been taken care of but Jotaro wouldn't have had to go for today, as agreed upon by his family and the staff.

New school. New house. New town. It should have been frightening or somber.

"You're awfully quiet back there, son."

Jotaro looked to the driver's seat where his father sat. Sadao Kujo was a Japanese man of average height and weight. It was a rare sight, having him within the safe, one meter radius of his wife and son. Some said that he and Jotaro were definitely related, that the green eyes and black hair were uncannily similar. Others couldn't see it. Sadao was such a warm and inviting man, as shown in the crinkle in his eyes when he smiled and softer details of his countenance. They even pitied him for having such a cold and callous son. To the older man's left sat his wife and Jotaro's mother. Holly Kujo, with her blonde curls, blue eyes and red lipped smile, was a resilient woman in her own way. No matter the situation, she simply refused to let it pass without finding something to be happy about. The death of her great grandmother Erina? She talked volumes about meeting her extended family. Moving to Japan and away from her father? The new world was beautiful and amazing- the travel guides she had read just didn't do it justice. Sadao being on tour? She would ramble on and on about what postcard he might send next. Even as they were driving down the narrow, winding streets, farther and farther away from where Jotaro had spent most of his life, she leaned out the car window and gushed over the new shops and parks. The list of what she would tell her girlfriends grew longer by the second.

The man threw a brief look back to Jotaro before returning his focus to the road. "Did you get any cards from your friends?"

Jotaro shrugged in response. No, there weren't many, but it didn't bother him. If you're too popular, you never get a quiet moment. He already had hardly any to spare and if they girls were similar, The situation wouldn't change.

The man tried again. "Are you excited? It's ok if you miss your old school. I remember missing the old bar I used to play in when I first started out. Don't worry: You'll make new friends in no time."

New friends, huh? Jotaro went back to looking out the window. It wasn't quite the same. Trees scattered sparse, though they still had leaves and needles like the ones back home. He could see the occasional torii in need of a paint job and a shrine to complement it. The people drove, biked and walked like it was just another ordinary day. There was life, ebbing and flowing through the streets. No one spared this foreign, old car a second glance.

"And if not, you can use the phone and call them whenever you want. Your mother will come scold you if you've been hogging it for too long, I'm sure."

It was too noisy. Yes, he loved his family. Yes, he was fine with the move. The only issue was that he had to hear what felt like the same things on repeat over and over again. He knew all this already. The car stopped smoothly before a red light. Jotaro watched the flow of traffic, placed a hand on the luggage next to him in anticipation of the next turn. Pedestrians scuttled across the way. A car or two turned onto the road next to the movers. From left to right, Jotaro could see that the moving truck had caught up at the intersection and would most likely beat them to the new house. He grimaced. It even had that God awful Speedwagon logo on the side of the body.

"C'mon, Jotaro." The woman finally tore her eyes away from the outside view. "Get a little excited. It's a whole new place to explore. It's an adventure!" A flash of green blazed outside. Everything in the car shifted with the turn.

An adventure huh? "That's one way to think about it," Jotaro finally replied. They probably wouldn't stop pestering him to speak until he actually did.

In all honesty, it didn't feel like an adventure to him. None of this felt new or fresh or like he was being given a second chance of any kind. This chapter was going to be just like the last one. It would be just like the one before that and the one before even that. Dad would still go on tour. He would still have school. Mom would still be Mom. Moving was only a big deal because they were making it a big deal. New is only new for so long and they would all carry on as normal.

"Ah, here we are!"

Gravel ground beneath the car as it pulled to a stop. His father threw the vehicle into park and his Mother scrambled out with an elated squeal. Jotaro ripped himself from his thoughts. The weren't in motion anymore. Just up ahead, the moving sat with the back open. Two men in uniform were working together to bring out various pieces of furniture. The young man stepped out of the car, stretched his legs and walked to the front.

It had been a while since he had seen it, really. Some details he remembered, like the brown tiled roof, white walls, dark wooden embellishments. The porch and front gate carried the air of antiquity that the old house had, though the whole thing was smaller in comparison. Yes, is stood two floors high instead of one, but the surface area seemed dwarfed overall. Meanwhile, other details caught his eye. They weren't quite the same way as before. The shrubbery just in front sprouted lavish and glossy leaves. Other trees looked much the same, some with flowers and others with needles. Beyond that, the small, open field just in front of the house sprouted wild flowers here and there. Fortunately, the wooden picnic table was still there. It would be good for Jotaro to sit out here if he ever needed to clear his head. Down the street still stood another house, grey and nestled in a puddle of shade. He could see little specks of white and red from a distance. Did their new neighbor keep flowers? Must be- he could almost smell them with the soft breeze flowing through the streets.

This was it. Furugyocho, Okayama prefecture. Their new home. Jotaro looked the building up and down. "What was wrong with our old house?"

"That's just it, Sweetie." Holly trotted around the car and to Jotaro's side, luggage in tow. "It was old. There were a lot of problems we couldn't fix. The wood was rotten, there was mold and bugs; One of us could have gotten sick or hurt if we stayed any longer. Now." She shoved a few bags in Jotaro's arms abruptly. "Help your Father unpack. You remember where your room is supposed to be?"

"Do you really need to ask, wom-"

"Great! I'll head inside and make sure everything is in order. Go see if your room's still ok."

The woman scampered off, long skirt swishing side to side, and raced inside with an almost mad cackle. Jotaro looked to his Father, who hefted and dragged the bags he could. He smiled and shrugged as though to say, "Sorry- You know she gets like that sometimes".

The inside was as bare as Jotaro remembered. He inhaled. The aroma of dust was starting to thin out and mingle with that of fresh air. Mother was already opening the windows. Half of them already had the blinds pulled up and Holly was fiddling with the locks. Warmly browned floorboards of the dining room lay neatly together, side by side, crowned by off white walls. With the electric lighting, they might have looked more cream colored. The young man heard footsteps behind him and turned to the side. A kotatsu was already being hauled in by the moving men Jotaro had seen before. Across the way, a paper door was visible. Even in a modern house like this, they had a tatami room? Jotaro heard more footsteps. Sadao was already going back for another load.

"Jotaro, go check out your room," he breathed as he passed by. "And come back for the rest when you're done."

Wow, two for two. If he hung around any longer, the movers would probably be giving him the same order. He muttered under his breath and walked across. He opened a door into a small hallway, strolled past the bathroom and proceeded up the narrow staircase. If he remembered correctly, There was his parent's room and the guest room ahead, while his was- Ah, there it is. Jotaro turned to the left and opened the first door he found.

Finally, he found his room, small and shaded. He dropped his luggage in the middle of the floor and went to open up the window facing the east. Funny- he already has his own alarm if the sun would rise through here. The closet sat not too far off. Upon inspection, he decided that it would be enough room for storage. Tiny clicks and scratches fluttered within the walls, it seemed. The movers must have still been at it. So would his Mother and Father. Jotaro gave a soft hum. At least this place wouldn't feel so alone and empty. He still didn't think moving to a new town was a big deal, but he quietly appreciated the little things.

He headed towards the stairs once more. The sooner they got all this done, the better.

~JJBA~

Unpacking everything was nowhere near as arduous as the clean up. Not only did the sweeping, washing and scrubbing last at least 5 times longer, it had been made 10 times more annoying, if all for the fact that his mother scolded him for not removing his shoes. They stayed up late into the night. Holly said that she knew Jotaro lied to stay up late anyways and that they should finished what they could before school the next day. Sadao wanted to get in all the time he could before leaving for his next tour. The smart ass even played Soran Bushi with his own jazzy spin on it, saying he "needed to practice" (though stomping his foot as a replacement for the drum was a nice touch). Jotaro turned in at around. . . midnight, most likely. Holly had to lead her husband up the stairs to bed, mumbling with his saxophone case swinging in his loose grip.

The young man tossed and turned. He couldn't quite sleep. Maybe it was the looming threat of having to introduce himself at school tomorrow. Maybe it was all the little creaks and scrapes that still thrummed through the house or all the strange barks and buzzles from outside. Maybe he just knew something was off about tonight. It couldn't have been a big deal. He just settled on getting a glass of water and trying to get back to sleep. Whether it was one or two in the morning, he wasn't sure.

Jotaro didn't mean to pass by his parents' bedroom. He certainly didn't mean to eavesdrop.

"I don. . . out Jotar. . ."

"Oh, come n. . . just how he. . ."

Jotaro held his breath. He pressed himself against the wall and leaned in. Were they talking about him? The tone of voice certainly didn't sound like a good sign. The door hadn't been shut all the way. Shadows passed through the light of an overhead light. The young man strained to listen. What were they doing up so late?

"Holly," sighed his father. "Did you see him on the car ride here? He hardly said a word, all he wanted to do was stare out the window. . . It was like he didn't even care that we moved."

"Dear, it's alright." There was the soft "pat" of a futon being rolled out as his mother defended him. "You know how these things go. He's a senior now, and he's a tough young man. Of course he's not going to be the same as when you last saw him."

"I know, he's not. That's the disturbing part. I hardly recognize him anymore." There was a pause. "I remember playing catch with him. How he would show off his tests and the awards from his track meets on Sundays. And every time. . . even if I was gone for weeks at a time, there was always this light in his eyes. He was always so happy. But now it's just gone."

Jotaro leaned in.

"Is. . . is it my fault?"

It was at about that time that Jotaro decided to rip himself away from the conversation. The fact of the matter was that his Father was making a big deal out of things again. Maybe it didn't happen as often as it did with his Mother, but when it did it was usually something like this. Sadao was a suspicious man. He doubted small details like something as simple as "It's ok" could be taken somewhere so dark and so sinister. What Jotaro heard that night was not the usual guilt as skipping a Sunday, but it was not his place to meddle. He had decided he had heard enough and padded to his room, cold water glass in hand.

A moment later, he had already downed the contents and curled back up in his futon. The room was warm. The early spring night outside cooled down. Out the window the sky hung black and fogged. Back at the old house, it was easier to see the stars. Cool nights back there were perfect for an illicit cigarette. Dogs barked. Vehicles roared past. A train gave a long, lonely whine in the distance. The glow of faraway city lights pulsed faintly past the bottom of the window pane.

. . . This really wouldn't be the same thing as home.

Sleep didn't come to him easily. Jotaro stared up at the ceiling with the feeling of watchful eyes crawling up his spine and neck. But he did sleep eventually, with the resolve that yes, he would try to make something of this move.

~JJBA~

Yup, that's the first part. I'm going to try for a slower pace to this one, see how it goes.