fTwo days had passed before Yuina Hirose had decided to return to school, having taken all the time that she had asked for to recover from her predicament with Airi Otoishi. She had felt rather relieved once she had found Joji Kujo and Yamato Kawajiri inside the cafeteria early in the morning, each of them eating their breakfasts as they spoke to one another.
"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you anything, Kawajiri." Joji said, bowing his head. "I was losing my mind, and I really didn't think to call you!"
"It's not like you to apologize, so stop. It's kind of creeping me out." Yamato shook his head in response, a small smile slipping onto his face. "It's really no big deal, since I'm sure that I would have just gotten in the way. I'm really glad that you did what you did, though."
"I don't think I've ever seen you smile before, Yamato!" Yuina teased, taking a seat next to Joji. "The atmosphere in this school has changed a little bit, huh? I feel like we can all take a step back and breathe now."
"Yeah, but just for a little bit. I still need to try and find the time to go back to the Wall-Eye that you found me by, Yuina." Joji said stubbornly, as eager as ever to dodge any attempt at rest. "Are there still people working around there?"
"They've mostly moved on, but, there might be a few workers near the area later tonight." Yuina told him, sighing deeply. "I wish you would try to relax a little bit, you're going to stress yourself to death if you keep worrying about this."
"I don't have time to relax, and you of all people should know that by now." Joji replied, crossing his arms. "Ever since that Airi Otoishi woman attacked us, I've been pretty damn paranoid. A Stand user could attack us for any reason, so we need to stay alert."
"He isn't wrong, by any means; it would be stupid to let our guard down, but we have to make sure we aren't too wound up if something really does happen." Yamato added. "We should probably go check out the Wall-Eye tomorrow night, but, there's one thing that we need to mention. Yuina, is your mother going to let you go anywhere after what happened?"
"Oh, that's… I didn't think of that." Yuina said, staring down at her two dangling feet. "I'll try to sneak out, but she'll probably have everything kept at maximum security."
"That's okay, you need to make sure your family doesn't freak out." Joji responded, throwing his binder over his shoulder after he stood up and stepped away from the table. "I'll go ahead and ask Minato to come along, too."
"I'll see you in class then, Kujo…" Yamato said, waving goodbye to Joji as he walked out from the cafeteria at a rather quick pace. "Has he been acting weird around you, Yuina? He seems a little off, if you ask me."
"No, he only starts acting like this whenever someone brings up the Wall-Eyes." Yuina frowned. "It makes me wonder if there's something that he isn't telling us, but it's like he's bothered by the fact that he doesn't know what he could tell us… I can't imagine living the way he does."
"I see." Yamato nodded, slipping out of his seat before marching towards the cafeteria's exit, though he stopped and turned back to Yuina before exiting completely. "That's only another reason to help him out, since we're his friends. We can't just let him suffer all alone, so we should try our best to do what we can for him."
Yuina stood as well, a warm smile spreading across her face as she approached her friend. "You're totally right, Yamato! I'm sure that Joji needs all the help he can get, so we need to be patient with him."
"Yeah. Now, let's go to class before we get punished for being late." Yamato said, his ears perking up once the school bell started to ring. "Shit, let's hurry, then."
"Got it!"
The school day had passed rather quickly for Joji Kujo, though it may have been because that he had not paid attention one bit to his teachers; he was too focused on tomorrow night, wanting so desperately to search through the path of destruction that the earthquake had left across Morioh.
There had to be an answer, or at least a clue to what happened that fateful night – and, even though he could not remember anything before then, he felt a stabbing guilt in his chest and a nagging anger in the back of his mind that would not leave him alone.
It was an alien feeling to him until now, which only allowed a deep fear to rise up in his chest. He knew what it was like to be scared, but to this degree? It was completely new to him, he had felt as if his heart was going to explode in his chest.
Once he had arrived home, he had waited until Jomei and Tomoko Kujo had went to sleep before he did much. He ate rather slowly, talking to them about his day as usual, and it appeared that neither of them were suspicious of him.
Joji was determined to escape from the house that night, totally unwilling to wait another night in silence while he pretended he was a patient man. He had escaped by opening up the window in his room, slowly forcing himself out of it until he landed on the cold ground outside of his room.
A a light breeze passed by him, causing him to shiver slightly as he looked towards the night sky. The moon had been blocked out by a rather large cloud, small rain drops falling to the earth as he sighed, though he merely pressed forward.
It had not taken him long before he managed to find the Wall-Eye that Yuina had found him by, the rain coating his outfit but he barely paid any mind to it. He looked to the left and to the right, noticing that the place was completely devoid of any people, much to his relief.
He felt his head throb as he approached the Wall-Eye, shuddering as he stared up at it – it was as if it was staring right at him, his headache growing every moment that passed. Joji sighed deeply, stepping in front of the Wall-Eye as his eyes darted to the debris next to it though it seemed as if a majority of it had been cleaned out.
"Goddamn, my head is killing me." Joji murmured, wincing in pain as he extended his palm to the Wall-Eye, rubbing along it. "This thing is so strange, but it's also extremely familiar. Fucking shit, I can't remember what this is about, no matter what I do!"
"Do you need some assistance, young man?" A gentle voice asked, causing Joji to nearly jump out from his skin as he looked behind him, only to see that there was no one there. "No, I'm above you. Look there."
Joji felt his body shake once he saw that a woman was climbing out from the solid rock wall, her body soon floating down so she could obtain a better view of the young man, who appeared to be beyond surprised.
"Who are you?" Joji asked, his voice quivering as he stepped back. "Is this a Stand ability or something? People can't just crawl through solid rock walls!"
"My name is Alandria Megumi, and this is not my Stand ability. However, you appear to need some assistance." Alandria told him, smiling softly all the while. "I may be able to help you retrieve those memories, as that appears to be a common occurrence recently. What is your name?"
"I'm Joji Kujo, but, can you tell me what the hell is happening?" Joji questioned her, still absolutely bewildered by her sudden appearance. "How would you be able to help me?"
"You may not believe me, but, I am a spirit. My resting place was disturbed when a great earthquake shattered this town, and I cannot leave this Wall-Eye's side until I can peacefully pass on." Alandria started, brushing her fingers through her silky, wavy pink hair. "It appears that I am one with this Wall-Eye, so I know what its true abilities are, and therefore I remember all that has happened to you."
"Wait, are you saying that this thing is a living creature?" Joji asked, his eyes widening as disbelief spread throughout his almost numb face. "That's totally insane!"
"Not quite. It cannot speak, or move, but it is certainly sentient; it appears that it has a Stand ability of its own, and who you used to be was put under its effect willingly." Alandria said, stepping forward so she could extend her hand to Joji. "Please, show me that you are not a threat to the well being of this Wall-Eye."
"Okay…" Joji murmured reluctantly, shaking the woman's hand lightly before he pulled his hand away slowly. "I can buy you being a spirit, after seeing what just happened… but it has a Stand? And it put me under its ability?"
"Willingly, yes." Alandria nodded. "Its ability can only be described as something like equivalent exchange. You, Josuke Kujo, offered something and lost all of your memories. Allow me to explain to you what happened that night."
Josuke Kujo felt the metaphorical walls closing in around him as the ground beneath him started to shake; his friend, Koichi Hirose, had been backed up against him as they struggled to keep their feet still on the high ground that they had been placed on.
They had decided to walk around the woods that night, wanting to camp out for the last weekend of Spring break, but it appeared to be at a rather poor time given their current circumstances. They had made their way out of the woods not too long before now, though they could only stare in horror once they noticed that an incredibly large hill littered with large stones had been placed several feet above the one they had been hiking on.
"Koichi, come on!" Josuke yanked Koichi by his collar as he darted away from the rocky hill above them, several large boulders rolling down towards them as they dashed away. "We have to get the hell out of here, if we don't, we'll be crushed!"
Josuke had ran until they had managed to reach an area where they could slide down the hill safely, so maybe they could reach somewhere safe in town that could protect them from the ensuing earthquake – however, Koichi watched as Josuke suddenly slipped, the shaking ground becoming too much for the both of them.
"JOSUKE!" Koichi screamed as he darted towards Josuke, hurrying to pick him up off the ground as he could see a large boulder rolling towards them rapidly. "We have to get out of here, come on!"
Josuke quickly picked himself up, though he gasped as he watched the boulder suddenly watched it crunch against Koichi's body – then, suddenly everything became dark.
Josuke did not know where or when he had woken up, but he noticed that he was no longer on the hill that they had been trying to desperately to escape. His eyes shot over towards a strange structure extending out from the ground, barely able to move as he saw that Koichi's lifeless body had been set near his.
"No… KOICHI!" Josuke shouted, crawling over to his friend's corpse. He grabbed him by his shoulders, shaking him again and again as tears fell from his aching head, his fingers digging into his friend's uniform. "You have to wake up! WAKE UP, YOU BASTARD!"
Josuke panted heavily as he clutched his friend's body, staring up at the night sky as he held his friend closer to him. He opened his mouth once more, his eyes soon focusing on the structure in front of him, the indentations on its surface slowly glowing.
"I don't know what the hell is going on, but, please! Let Koichi live!" Josuke practically begged, his aching body suddenly growing numb. "God, if you're real, I'll give you anything if you just let him keep living! I'll give up who I am! ANYTHING!"
And then… everything disappeared from his mind, a deep sleep soon overtaking his spirit. Nothingness had reigned over his fragile brain now.
The pact had been sealed.
For the life of him, Joji found that he could barely grasp his fingertips around these so-called truths that Alandria had been filling his head with. It all felt so familiar, but he could feel his blood run cold at these supposed facts.
"That is what happened, Koichi's soul became one with yours. It seems that you are coming to terms with this. Am I incorrect?" Alandria asked, her voice almost disturbingly soft as her calm lavender eyes stared down at the trembling teenager. "I suppose that would be a word for it, anyway."
If Joji felt like anything that could not be described as hell, it would be a failure. The past seemed all too real to him, and the nagging in the back of his mind had attempted to lock itself into place as he tried to grasp at what reality he could bear to see.
"If I had just ran a little faster…" Joji murmured, tears forcing themselves out from his eyes as he trembled incessantly. Alandria blinked, raising an eyebrow as the poor child spoke weakly, his fingernails digging into his palms. "Maybe Koichi wouldn't have died if I just jumped in front of the boulder. Goddamn it, I wish I never asked!"
"Now, do you truly wish for that?" Alandria asked, one of her pale hands flowing towards Joji's shoulder – however, the young man jerked his body away from her. "What is wrong, Joji Kujo? You appear to wish to be comforted."
"Yuina has no reason to trust me any more, it's all my fault!" Joji grunted, not bothering to wipe the tears from his eyes, his orbs burning before he stared straight at Alandria with a strange, intense loathing that became obvious the longer he looked at her. "You told me about a pact that had to be made, so Koichi and I could fuse… so, what do I have to do in exchange for this information?!"
Alandria could feel her chest tighten, a burning sensation spreading throughout her body as a calm pink aura spread out around her slender frame. "You're a smart child. I suppose you've managed to discover just how these Wall-Eyes work in such a small amount of time… hm, what will I have you do for me, indeed?"
"Jack shit!" Joji shouted as his Philosopher King suddenly shot out from nothingness, its fists extended as a figure flew out from Alandria's side as well. "I've gotten a pretty shitty feeling about you this entire time, but it was nice of you to try and win me over!"
"Art of Anesthesia!" Alandria yelled, a rainbow-skinned humanoid colliding its fist with Philosopher King's. Its body was as tall as Philosopher King's, but it was not as muscular by any means; its entire body was a rainbow color, its eyes being ruby red orbs that appeared to be similar to the headlights of a car, several tendrils hanging from each of its sides before they wrapped around the enemy Stand's stout body. "You aren't going anywhere! You're going to sit tight and cooperate!"
Joji could barely squeeze a single word out from his throat as the tendrils coming from Alandria's Stand squeezed him mercilessly, his arms trapped to his sides. Philosopher King kicked its legs up, pressing them up against Art of Anesthesia's abdomen – however, this seemed fruitless, as the feminine Stand barely budged from the contact.
Even after Philosopher King tried to kick away at the Stand's skin, it only felt like it had been trying to chip away at a diamond. Joji felt hopelessness sink into his heart, but he could not help but shout in surprise once he saw a piece of solid concrete shatter against Alandria's chin, causing her Stand to fall back and release its grip.
"Minato?!" Joji asked, happily staring back to see that Minato Nijimura had started to run towards him. "Why the hell are you even here, man?!"
"I'll ask you that later, let's just get the fuck out of here before she gets you again!" Minato yelled, prompting Joji to quickly withdraw his Stand. He managed to catch up with his friend, dashing away as fast as he could without bothering to look back. "We're home fucking free, buddy!"
Alandria simply stared as she sank back into the Wall-Eye, sitting inside of the darkness without even attempting to give chase. She sighed deeply, her Art of Anesthesia dissipating into nothingness before she simply shrugged.
"That boy is quick to catch on. I figured that he was still disoriented, but I was wrong… and his friend had decided to come along, too." Alandria murmured to herself. "I will plan ahead if we are to meet again, underestimating that boy will be the death of me. I'm so grateful that I have a willing soldier to take care of such tasks, though."
Joji and Minato had stopped running once they had found the road that had led to the latter's home, the rain pouring around them without caring a single bit about how they were begging their lungs to catch at least a little air.
"Okay, explain what the fuck you were doing there!" Minato huffed, grasping his knees before he fell flat on his rear. He attempted brushed off the suspicious look that Joji had shot him, waiting impatiently for his explanation. "Look, I was curious myself, okay?! And besides, what exactly the fuck was going on, man?!"
"I just wanted to go there because I couldn't handle it any more!" Joji shouted, grabbing ahold of Minato's shoulders as he felt the creeping dread force itself back into his brain. "Everything is locked in my head now, and… it's my fault! IT'S MY FAULT!"
Joji suddenly buried his head in Minato's chest, tears falling out from his eyes once again and rolling off his cheeks. His fingers grasped for comfort, his friend not daring to move while he let loose in the heavy rain that had coated the both of them.
Minato allowed his friend to expel this sadness out from him, while Joji only silently prayed that maybe the nothingness he had remembered so fondly would return to him.
Name: Joji Kujo
Age: 16
Stand: Philosopher King (Act 2)
Stand statistics:
Destructive Power: B
Speed: B
Durability: C
Precision: B
Range: C
Development Potential: A
