"JOSUKE!"

"F-Found it..." the little bee like stand, Harvest said as it slowly bursts into pieces and disappeared.

"Shi-Shigechi!" Okuyasu and Josuke yelled out their friend's name as they saw his stand blew up.

"There's no mistaking it..." The ghost girl, Reimi announced it to them as she looked at Shigechi's picture, "This person is dead."


Josuke rolled around in bed for what seemed to be like forever to him. He turned his head to look at his clock and realized its already past midnight.

He then grumbled, "I haven't slept at all..." He could still hear that voice...

He then turned, facing the opposite side and tried to shut his eyes once again, "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do my hair right...

... He couldn't...

He tried again, forcing his eyelids to close, "If I kept my eyes shut, I'll fall asleep eventually, right...?"

...

...

"J-J- JOOOOSSSUUUKKEEE!"

"God dammit!" The teen jolted up from his bed clutched his unraveled hair from frustration. Not because he couldn't sleep. It's because.. "Shigechi..."

"I... I really can't believe he's... dead..." he stuttered on the last word. Dead. That word made him also think of his grandfather. It made him think of his carelessness. It made him think on what he could have done to prevent all of this. "He's... he's... dead..."

Even though he was alone, he tried to prevent the tears from coming out of his eyes. "What should I do? I can't just cry this out right? Maybe I should... probably talk to someone... yeah someone... Someone could help me...

He thought of Okuyasu, "He's probably taking this hard... I can't bother him with this...

"Maybe Koichi?" He thought of his shorter friend, "Nah... I don't want to bother him either..."

He nearly thought of Rohan but that alone made him cringe...

"Maybe Mr. Jotaro could help?" He then thought of his older nephew, after all the marine biologist was more experienced in dealing with Stand Users, in which he respects greatly, "But then the guy barely shows a wink of emotion. Even when Reimi told us the news."

Then a final thought crossed his mind... his old man Joseph Joestar, "My old man..." He seriously considered it, then at the next second he tried to laugh it off, "Who am I kidding, it's not like an old fart like him... could..." He was still considering it, "Well he did say he wanted to make himself useful right?" He concluded as he quietly went downstairs to get the phone, "I mean... even if it's almost 1 am..." Then he dialed Joseph's number, "He wants to be there for his son right? I mean... he can still listen to his son vent right?" He rambled on until he heard someone pick up the phone...


Joseph yawned as he walked towards the phone to pick it up, he had just put the invisible baby, whom he named Shizuka, back to sleep after waking up again, causing herself and her crib to disappear. He wanted to go back to sleep, but then after the events recently, he thought it was the foundation or Jotaro calling back on the results of that button the kid found.

"Hello?" He replied in english, he was just too tired to speak in Japanese yet, but to his surprise.

"Hey uhh... old man..." Josuke gulped quietly, "It's me... Josuke..."

Hearing his son's voice instantly woke him up. 'Maybe this would be a good chance for him and I to bond or something...' "Ah! J-Josuke! Um..." He tried to think of something to talk about, and his eyes looked at the clock to see it was just 1 am, "It's... quite late... don't you have school tomorrow?" He facepalmed inside cursing to himself, 'I'm supposed to bond with him, not cut this conversation quickly!'

"Y-yeah... I do..." Joseph then noticed how his son talked. 'He's sounding odd now...' He thought, "Say uhh... listen... Could you hear me out on something?" Josuke gulped again he knows his dad will listen but he oddly feels nervous around him.

"S-sure son!" Joseph got excited. As Josuke expected. He was ready to help whenever he can, "Your old man is ready to help you!"

"Y-yeah..." Josuke began, he paused for a second, "That was pretty shocking huh? About my friend, Shi-Shigechi..." He could barely say his name...

Hearing the kid's name surprised Joseph. He then realized that it must be something serious... Maybe he found something? "Yes it was..." He answered, "I didn't think-"

"I didn't either!" Josuke quickly said, interrupting Joseph, "Okuyasu and I we were just... You know having lunch and all. We didn't know that the killer was nearby! Or that he was a Stand User either..." He spoke it so fast he almost ran of breath, "I mean... I even heard him yell my name... But I didn't recognize him at all, or saw the killer. I mean I didn't even know what the bastard looked like... And... And..." Josuke stopped to breathe. He was thinking of what else to say to his 'dear old dad'.

But Joseph spoke first finishing Josuke's sentence, "And none of us knew what he looked like either..."

"Exactly!" Josuke agreed trying to cover his emotions, "Morioh is a small town and I grew up there all my life and all but even I don't know who everyone is!"

It was obvious to Joseph that his son is getting flustered. And he knows exactly why. "Josuke... Are you all right? You seem really bot-"

"I'm fine Mr. Joestar!" Josuke interrupted again. Calling him that would normally sting pretty hard with Joseph but now it wasn't. For he knew what his son was really feeling now.

It was quiet now, save for Josuke's hard breathing, So he tried to let his son talk again, "Is there anything else you want to say... Josuke?"

Josuke fell silent at first; he wanted to end the conversation right then and there... But... "Y-yeah... There is something else..."

Joseph nodded even though he wouldn't have been seen...

Josuke took a deep breath, "O-old man... I... Well I still don't know where to start than that measly button he left for us. This killer could be anyone! Our classmates, teachers, hell he could have even lived in the same street or something... But... But..." He didn't notice it at first but his cheeks become damp and to Joseph he could hear him tremble in every syllable he spoke, "But I... I should have been there!" Josuke banged his fist at the drawer where the phone was, "We were just arguing about his sandwich getting stolen... and the gym teacher nearly catching us... I just... I was... I was so careless! I should have been there! I should have fought him instead of letting Shigechi die! I just thought he went on his own! And yet...yet..." Josuke stopped himself again, his tears kept flowing out of his eyes. He rubbed his eyes out of his tears as he moved the receiver away, hoping Joseph didn't hear any of his pained sobs. He then kept steeling himself as he continued... "It... It's just like with my grandpa..."

Joseph's eyes widened, he knew what he was talking about... He had heard of it from Jotaro. Josuke's grandpa got killed when he opened the bottle that Josuke used to trap an enemy's Stand, while he wasn't looking...

"Jo... Josuke..."

"I... I don't know... what to do... Dad I mean... Mr. Joestar..." The teen let it slide out of his mouth. He was obviously sobbing but he kept on steadying his breathing, so he wouldn't break down like this especially to his dad, "I had another one close to me get killed, because of my own stupidity! Who... Who knows who would be next! Who knows... My mom? Okuyasu? Koichi? My other friends... I... I hate being so helpless like this! I hate being so lost... I hate that... That... Even with my Stand... I couldn't do a thing... To get them back... I... I can't fix back the dead... I just... I don't know what to do... I don't know what the hell am I supposed to do?!"

'JoJo! This is my final Hamon! Take it!'

'That... That red bubble'

Both lines went silent. They were both still on as Joseph could still hear his son's attempt in hiding his sobs. The frantic breathing, the sniffling... He remembered in all of this that how he was in this position... How helpless he felt when his close friend had died in his stead... Caesar...

"S..." Joseph stopped, he thought of it for a moment, calling him son at this moment might just make it worse... "Josuke..." He began, "You have to live."

"Wh-what?"

"You have to keep on living... If you want to honour Shigechi's life, you have to live your life to the fullest. He brought that button to you in hopes in some way you and your friends wouldn't be that man's victims..."

'Ce... Ce... CCAAAAAEEEEESSSAAARRRRRR!'

"He risked his own life and safety for your sake. So keep on living Josuke, that's the only thing that you could do for him. Oh and give that killer the punishment he solely deserves."

And with that, the silence continued. To both it felt more deafening than the sobs and the spoken words made during the conversation... Between the pained sobs, the uneven breathing...

"...Thank you..." It was quiet but it was enough for Joseph to hear.

Then with a click, Josuke hung up.

"Good night Josuke..." Joseph said to himself as he heard him hang up. He then did the same and proceeded to walk to his bedroom for his good night rest...


The next day at school...

"Umm, Josuke, Okuyasu... I have something I want to ask you." Koichi approached his two best friends during lunch seemingly so shy in about what he has to tell, "Don't freak out, okay?... I kissed Yukako... and umm..."

The pompadoured teen then remained the same expression as he sat on the window, and sipped on his juice pack as he slowly leaned back, more and more, just when the reality hit him as he tried to gain his balance from nearly falling down the window.

"What'd she do to you?! Is it blackmail!" Josuke quickly shot back as he was prepared to fight Yukako, "And after I warned her too! Now she's back to her old tricks!"

"C-calm down Josuke!" Koichi reassured him, "It's not like that... umm.. I..." He blushed, "I kinda... I think I kinda like her..."

As the shorter teen explained his feelings and how he felt a warm aura when he's around her... Josuke and Okuyasu were caught speechless by this sudden revelation...

"Hey... Okuyasu..." Josuke nudged his best buddy still very shaken, "You hearin' this? I think my stand was blown into orbit from the shock..."

Then the next thing Josuke knew he was comforting his buddy from his despair of not getting a girlfriend, while Koichi did.

...

To anyone it just seemed like nothing significant had happened to Josuke at all.