It had been 3 months into the year 1999. There was nothing but the Nostradamus prophecy on television but… Well Koichi didn't really care about that. Koichi was far too preoccupied with the mixture of stress and excitement in moving to a new high school. His life was relatively average, he had a dog, he had a mum and a sister he loved and cared about, and it was just; average. Everything apart from his height was average. He never pinned himself as hugely important.
He presumed it was the stress of moving high school that he'd accidentally bumped into- wait, no he… Didn't bump into anyone. He could have sworn he just-… That must be the stress of moving school that he was becoming delusional… The voice of the, well, massive man reassured him that he wasn't losing his mind. "Sorry about that, I was looking at the map and wasn't paying attention." He could have sworn he'd fallen over bumping into this man. As soon as Koichi regained his bearings, looking around himself as he did, he looked properly up at the leg he had knocked into. Being short he looked up to people a lot; but never had it been someone this huge and intimidating.
Just when Koichi was getting ready to disregard the happening and go on with his average life the man spoke again, "Kid, can I ask you something?" Before Koichi had the chance to consider replying he continued speaking, "Do you know the house name 'Shiobana'? I'm visiting someone who lives there. It's… Urgent."
Koichi panicked. Urgent? This guy was huge! The tone of that 'urgent' sounded threatening! He wanted to avoid it, he didn't know the answer anyway. "'Shiobana'? I- I'm not sure. This town is pretty huge! There's around 53,000 people living here! I don't know!" He awaited nervously for the reply.
"Oh, I see…" Doesn't he believe him? Koichi wished the man would stop pestering him now. "Then how about this address? Number 4 Zyouzenji Road…"
He did know that road… He lived a short way off from there. The look on the man seemed to change. He seemed impossible to read but his glare softened and Koichi felt his presence seem more like that of sadness now. He was looking longfully at the book. Maybe he was visiting a sickly relative? Well he thought it best to tell him he didn't know this man, he wasn't involved in the slightest. "You can get there pretty quickly by taking the number 3 bus at the stop over there." He said, pointing his finger out to the crossing.
As soon as he told him of the directions a bunch of his upper class men walked by and demanded Koichi greet them. The man stiffened up when they glared. Had he judged him wrong? He seemed oddly kind now. Koichi whispered and offered a hand out to pat him on the back – then retreated the hand when he realized the highest he would reach would be the man's behind; "Don't worry they take the number 5 bus. That's in a different direction."
As soon as Koichi had walked the man up to the bus stop – he didn't know why but he suddenly felt obliged to stay by his side – the same seniors who walked past them made a loud commotion. "Hey what the hell do you think you're doing?" Koichi couldn't help but be curious and looked over his shoulder.
There was a boy, sitting on the fountain edge, calm, composed, and… He had a turtle on his lap, he was feeding it. Odd. He looked up at the threatening older men with a blank careless expression. He seemed bugged that they were bothering him. "This turtle just woke up from hibernation." He replied so blankly as if it was obvious.
"I'm not talking about that shit!" As he continued to yell the boy simply lifted up the turtle, placed it back down then slowly, comfortably unfolded his legs and stood up in sync with the boy's yelling, "Stand up! You Mor-" The upper class man seemed more pissed off that he did it without being told. It was as if he was mocking him.
The boys eyed him funny, looking him up and down. Koichi admittedly did the same. What was he wearing surely that wasn't accepted uniform… "Is that how you look at your seniors? You probably thought you were the shit in middle school huh…?"
The boy immediately bowed. It seemed passive aggressive. "I'm really sorry, I didn't know that's how things worked in this school."
This really pissed them off. "Some kids got sent to the hospital right after saying that. 'I didn't know'. Just like you…" And he took a step towards the fountain around the boy, "And this turtle."
The boy, still in a bowing position spoke, interrupting the senior's movements. "I wouldn't hurt that turtle, if I were you." The boy snapped and turned on his heel at him. He grabbed him up by the collar and shunted him back, the boy, despite his smug attitude, just took it.
"Eh…" The man Koichi was escorting muttered under his breath peering over his shoulder. "He deserves that. If you don't wanna get unnecessary attention stop dressing like that. And stop bleaching your hair too." Koichi looked a bit shocked at him as he continued watching, less worried about concealing his watching now.
The boy just stood there, shoulders relaxed and head titled. He was waiting for something. The senior seemed even more pissed off at this. He reached out to the turtle picking it up and shaking it in his face. "You like this turtle so much? Well I'll show you!" All his composure was lost as he hurled the turtle back first at a nearby wall. He continued his threats before the turtle hit, "Take off your school uniform! Time to pay respe-" Koichi stopped listening when the boy got cut off by something as he noticed the man he was with glared at the attack on the animal, but his eyes quickly turned to shock. Koichi looked over to the turtle he was watching and- it was completely fine. It shouldn't be fine! His thoughts were cut short by a howling scream coming from the boy who threw it. He had collapsed to his knees.
Koichi gaped. He was bleeding on his back and shivering in pain. His arms were desperately trying to reach at his back but were too shaken from the shock. "What did I say? You're lucky you didn't kill that turtle…" The boy sauntered over to the kneeling man, and tapped his chin. The man near Koichi turned around fully now, taking out his note book again, he muttered something 'standing'? He grabbed out a picture from the wallet and seemed to inspect it. Koichi got the idea that he thought this boy was who he was looking for. Koichi's attention went back in worry to the senior on the floor. His uniform was bleed through, it looked really bad some of it was even squirting out through the layers of fabric and making splatters on the floor. The more he twitched and tried to coax the wound the more it seemed to hurt him. He was trying to position himself into a state where the pain would stop but flinched at every movement.
The senior was wailing in a broken voice "What- what did you d- did- do to me?!" Tears were dripping straight from his lashes and dropping to the ground. The boy went back to sit down, crossed his legs again and turned to his friends.
"Time to pay your respects. Take off your school uniforms."
They looked around in fear and shock at him, one of them took a step forward angrily but was halted by the other as they looked at their friend who was in immeasurable pain. They whispered together. Then they complied and took off their jacket and bowed down to him handing them out. "The full uniform." The boy interrupted. They stared at the floor in shock and fear. They looked like dogs. Koichi looked up at the man and back and then shook his head. He should look away… but seeing bullies get bullied was too interesting to waste, but… this was wrong… Something was terribly off. How did this even happen?
Before Koichi knew it, the boys were standing in nothing but their boxers, socks and shoes, and the blond boy had two spare, neatly folded uniforms. Looking at his uniform it looked doubtful he'd wear them since he seemed to have his own… 'style'. He took them and dropped the uniforms into the fountain behind him before standing up in a sweeping notion. He stood in a gangly pose that seemed oddly imposing. "My name is Haruno Shiobana, and you answer to me now." They bowed and remained in a bowing position. Koichi needed to repress a giggle. He looked nonchalantly at the boy who was ready to collapse over in pain. He was lucky. "Take your friend to the hospital." He glared and seemed to imply they shouldn't dress for it. They leaped into action grasping his arms and hauling him up, limping off as their friend howled from the movement. Haruno looked towards the bus that was approaching, lucky.
Koichi returned his gaze to the older man. He was visibly in shock and glaring, muttering "So he is a Stand User…" Koichi felt an immediate fear of this boy now it was over, and felt like an idiot for getting himself involved with the man looking at him. This kid was his age and he was already acting like a ruthless mafia boss! And for simply bullying no less. "So he's the one… This is just as bad as I thought."
The boy started to saunter over to the bus stop, he seemed to have noticed Koichi and the man were looking. Koichi had the terrible fear that he would be killed for being a witness. He'd shown him where the bus was, he could go now- he could pretend this never happened! The boy, Haruno, had that same serine look, that same look that seemed threatening somehow. His eyes were locked with the man. "I hate when people needlessly and intentionally hurt others." He muttered and Koichi grinned awkwardly as a defence. That seemed like a counterproductive explanation. The man glared. Did they know each other?
The man sighed outwardly and closed his eyes. He tilted his head away as if it pained him. He spoke and fiddled with the picture he'd retrieved from his booklet. "Haruno Shiobana, born April 16, 1983. You inherit the name Shiobana from your mother, who was single when she had you to an unknown father she met on holiday in Egypt. You've moved from town to town since you were young, living in Tokyo for most of your youth when your mother remarried – but it didn't last and you moved back to her home town, Morioh after it became more industrial." Haruno seemed unfazed but squinted at him. He was willing to lie even though he was more curious as to how this man knew so much. If he were to go through with his plans for the future he might be a hindrance. Haruno tilted at him as if to say 'and your point?' and the man titled his cap. "This is harder than I thought…" He muttered. "Do you know who your father is?"
Haruno shifted the weight on his feet. He shoved his hand in his pants pocket and pulled out his wallet. There was one thing his mother would talk to him about – especially after getting dumped – and in graphic, mostly disgusting detail was his father. Though he still couldn't explain why he felt more of a connection to him than his mother… well he could explain part of it, but he knew nothing of his father, only a name and this photograph, and those other things he pretended he didn't hear. He took the photograph of him out of his wallet and waved it at them. "You mean 'DIO'."
The man titled his cap again this was hard, very hard. He seemed to be dancing around the point. "And… You have a birth mark?" Haruno squinted again. He felt a bit proud that he had already gotten someone hunting him down. He turned around and tugged down at his collar enough to slip a shoulder out, he peered over his shoulder, squinting cockily. The man covered his eyes with his cap after seeing it, he shook his head away from a memory of that father. He looked up at him as soon as the boy returned to facing him. Koichi felt like he was intruding on a family reunion. He didn't really understand why Haruno would make a show of the answer but he presumed that was how he was… He wasn't wearing a shirt under that tight open top anyway.
He sighed again. "I am Jotaro Kujo. This may sound strange but… if you have that birthmark; my grandfather is your great nephew." Haruno looked like he didn't believe him. Koichi didn't understand.
"Dio-?"
The man, Jotaro as he announced, interrupted with a point. "No, Jonathan Joestar!"
Haruno squinted and put his hand on his hip. He had heard that vaguely somewhere… His mother said something that sounded like that but that was one of the days she'd gotten dumped. "I don't like to repeat myself. Saying the same thing twice is useless." He subtly threatening him to make sense, and Koichi shuffled backwards.
Jotaro titled his cap down again muttering something. He was getting angry at the entire situation. This boy, Haruno was dangerous but he seemed to have mixed motivations. He could see him in him. It felt like a huge joke how he could act so casually like a man he didn't know. "I came here for my own motivations, to find out how much of a threat you are." Haruno paused and Jotaro seemed to be stalling even more. "My old man… Good grief… your great nephew gave me these photos. You understand what a stand is?" His own manifested behind him to prove a point. Haruno just waited for the information. "I came to see you for three reasons: To see how dangerous you are, and an other is…" He turned the photo. "Something is hiding in this town, I'm warning you… Something dangerous is coming." He handed the photo of a stronger stand to Haruno, who absorbed the image. He refused to take the photo. Jotaro turned it to Koichi, "I'm sure you have no idea what's going on, kid, but if you see the man in this photo: Don't do anything, stay away and call the police." Koichi backtracked more than he already had. He handed it to Koichi since it seemed Haruno didn't care. He turned to leave when Haruno interrupted him.
"And the third thing?"
Jotaro looked over his shoulder and stayed silent for a long time before he started walking. "I will be staying at the Grand Hotel until this stand user is dealt with. I'll tell you tomorrow."
Haruno gritted his teeth behind his lips and glared. "Shiobana, I don't want to see you using your ability unless it's necessary." Who was this guy? Giving him orders? He didn't care much about the family thing, he certainly did care this 'Jotaro' trying his patience.
