Let's take a step back here, to find out what happened to Josuke.
A note to all the people who asked me about the RPG I ran, it used the dice system from FATE Core, along with a set of... loose guidelines, more than rules. If anyone's interested, I can send a PM with what little directions we came up with.
Anyway, on we go!
OoOoO
Summer 2012, Morioh
"I'll admit, Mr Joestar," Rohan commented, sketching out the image of the old man in front of him and mentally comparing it to the other members of the family. "I'm wondering why you asked to meet with me. Even more so, that you didn't want anyone else here. I know how little Josuke trusts me."
"More than you'd think, actually. It's just that he also thinks you're an asshole," Joseph smirked, leaning forwards on his cane. "And he can't know that I was ever here."
"A conspiracy? Congratulations, Mr Joestar, you now have my full attention." Rohan sat down opposite the old man, whose shaking limbs seemed to cover up whatever remained of the powerful warrior he'd once been. Despite his height and the broadness of his shoulders, there was no way anyone would ever see Joseph Joestar as a real threat again.
"You'll need a little context, first. Have you ever heard of Pillar Men?" Seeing the blank expression, Joseph pressed on, waving his hand expressively. "The Red Stone of Aja? Ugh... Stone Masks? ...Vampires? You have to have heard about vampires, Josuke and Koichi fought one once!"
"Well, yes. That was a Stand's power, wasn't it?" Rohan's brows shot up when Joseph didn't reply. "It wasn't?"
"It's a long story-" Joseph began, freezing when Heaven's Door appeared in front of him, his upper arm unfurling into sheets of paper that Rohan examined with gleeful interest.
"Then this is the better solution," he murmured, flicking from one page to the next at incredible speed. "My word... the stories I could tell using your memories..." He blinked, seemingly coming back to the present with a look at Joseph's expression. "My apologies. You were saying?"
The older man shook his head, closing the 'book' with his free hand. "After all that happened in Florida this past year, I've come to a few realisations. The things I know... aren't safe. I've got names, addresses, things, that if the wrong people knew them... I don't want my family to be in danger any more than they already are."
"What are you asking me, exactly?"
Joseph locked eyes with the mangaka, all traces of humour gone from his face. "I need to know if Heaven's Door can remove my memories."
Rohan started in surprise, not having expected that. "What?"
"Remove them, edit them, replace them with scenes from a movie for all I care. My whole family nearly died because someone read Jotaro's memories. There's no telling whether or not someone could try the same with me," Joseph's shaking had stopped, replaced with an unnatural stillness. "I will not take that risk. So, do you think you can do it?"
Kishibe Rohan was not a man prone to correcting himself, but he had to admit he'd misjudged Joseph. He did lack the physical strength he'd had in his prime, but there was an adage about aging; that a warrior who grows old has survived so much, that there's nothing left to frighten him.
He leaned in, intersecting his fingers with one another as his Stand appeared beside him. "I think, Mr Joestar, that we can find out."
OoOoO
An hour before Shizuka woke up...
"Oh! Good morning, Josuke!" Suzi chirped, shuffling into the kitchen. "Have the two boys fixed the window yet?"
"Not yet," yawned the young man, typing away at his laptop. "Once they've at least made an effort, Crazy D and I'll head down and put it right."
"Oh, don't worry yourself about it, Josuke. It seems you had a long night," she waved away his offer, switching on the kettle and grabbing two mugs. "Coffee?"
He offered a grateful smile. "That'd be great, Suzi, thanks. And, yeah, it's... I had to make a lot of calls to try and sort this Jolyne situation, since Dad's back's started acting up again. Not to mention all the messages I've been sending Jotaro. He's really paranoid about the whole thing, wouldn't even consider agreeing to leave his safehouse until I mentioned the new judge we've got. Name's... Robison Brown?"
"Oh, Smokey's boy!" she realised, picking up the tin for the coffee grounds and using it to gesture towards the hall. "He's actually Joseph's godson, you know? He's a good man, he won't try and pin the Florida mess on Jolyne or her friends. I- Oh dear..."
"Hm? You okay there?"
"Oh, yes, I just... With so many people coming and going lately, I forgot how much we'd be using..." she shrugged sheepishly, scraping the last few grains free from the bottom of the container. "Here, Josuke, there's still enough for one-"
"Nah, Suzi, you take it," the Stand user yawned again. "I'll head down to the corner and grab one."
"Josu-"
"Seriously, I could use the fresh air. Won't take long, and it's the least I can do for you guys," Josuke grinned tiredly, stretching out his shoulders as he stood up. "I'll be back soon. Keep an eye on Shizuka, will you?"
OoOoO
"A cappucino as well, please," he yawned, as he approached the counter with a few snacks and some fresh grounds. "I'll give you my card, alright?"
"Twelve dollars and fifty cent, son," mumbled the cashier, looking almost as exhausted as Josuke felt. "Do you need a bag- Oh, God, not again!" she shrieked, as a group of teenagers clustered outside the window.
"Trouble?" Josuke ventured, his purchases left on the counter as he listened to the jeering of the punks outside. "Do you need any help, ma'am?"
"No, we can handle this- JAMIE! THOSE PUNKS ARE BACK AGAIN!" she yelled, a man in his late teens appearing from the bathroom with a mop held out in front of him like a spear.
"What- What d'you need me to do, Ma?" he stuttered, almost strangling the improvised polearm with one hand, using the other to pull at his baggy shirt's sleeves.
"Get rid of 'em!" his mother snapped, looking at the quartet of loiterers all talking over one another. "And don't take no for an answer!"
Jamie nodded dumbly, lumbering past Josuke and stepping outside. "H-HEY! G-get out! Y-Y-You-" he began, until something small and solid smacked against his forehead and sent him to his knees, clutching his head in pain.
A second projectile slammed against the window with a crack, a dark liquid spraying all over the outside of the glass. The woman slammed her hands on the table with a growl.
"They broke the windows? That's it, I'm calling the cops-" she began, pausing when Josuke pressed a hand against the glass.
"It's not broken, though," he commented coolly. "Hang on to my stuff for a second, please. I'll sort this out."
She hesitated, looking back at the glass. She could have sworn there was a web-shaped crack pattern only a second before, but... no. Just a soda splatter, slowly dripping down to the sidewalk. It must have been a trick of the light.
"Alright, break it up," Josuke drawled, stepping over Jason to stand between him and his attackers. "Get going before things go any further."
"And what if we don't?" sneered the nearest 'tough guy'. Josuke decided to call him 'Bandana', based on the cloth wrapped around his arm. "What're you gonna do, old man?"
"'Old'? I'm thirty, not... eighty. Look, I get that you think you're hot shit and all, but I've seen a lot better, and from a lot less cliche, so..." he trailed off, putting his hands in his pockets, looking totally bored and unconcerned by the fact he was outnumbered. Along with Bandana, he'd decided to call them Hoodie, Shades, and... Hoodie Number Two, why not?
"You've got some balls on you," Shades grumbled, a vein pulsing in his forehead. "But I know how to shut you up!" he roared, pitching another soda can at an impressive speed.
"DORA!" Crazy Diamond's arm appeared, the can bouncing off its armour and landing in Josuke's waiting hand, its momentum spent.
"You done?" Josuke deadpanned, smirking at their shocked expressions.
"Like hell!" Hoodie screeched, his voice like nails on a chalkboard as he pulled out an impressively dull knife from his pocket, striding up to point it in Josuke's face. "I'm gonna cut you up for disrespecting us! Starting with that shitty hairstyle you've got!"
Josuke blinked, digesting that. "I guess you're not done," he commented softly, his expression not changing from mild boredom. He debated with himself for a moment, before nodding as he came to a conclusion. "Might as well go for the personal touch this time."
"Wh-?" Hoodie didn't even get a chance to finish his question before Josuke's fist slammed into his face, his weapon falling uselessly to the ground. He didn't even get a chance to fall, as the half-Japanese man's other hand yanked him up by his collar, the soda can clattering next to the knife.
"Now, I like to think of myself as a pretty mellow guy," Josuke bit out, his voice cold. " But shit like this, like wasting your time with petty bullshit and treating everyone around you like trash? Congrats, you've got me well and truly PISSED THE FUCK OFF!" As he raised his voice, he lifted Hoodie bodily into the air, Crazy Diamond lending its strength to him.
"DORAAA!" Stand and user snarled, throwing Hoodie at Shades and leaving both of them groaning on the ground. Number Two, a surprisingly apt nickname, all things considered, lunged for him with brass knuckles on one hand.
"Really?" Josuke growled, sidestepping the idiot and pulling his hand to execute a near perfect arm lock. Something cracked in Two's wrist and the teen dropped with a squeak of pain.
Bandana, apparently the brains of this particular outfit, had elected to turn tail and leg it. Crazy Diamond held up the bulging can Josuke had dropped, waiting for Josuke's instructions.
He grinned, a predatory smile. "Go for it."
"DORA!" the Stand barked out, making a textbook baseball pitch, the projectile spinning through the air to land perfectly, knocking its target to the ground in a heap of limbs.
Josuke whistled appreciatively, seeing Bandana collapse. "Nice! Now, as for you guys, here's what's going to happen," he kept his slightly stilted smile as he spoke. "You're going to run very far away from me, and you're not going to bother nice people like these guys again. Otherwise, I won't be nice enough to let you off with a warning."
"You broke my arm!" Two sobbed from his position on the ground.
"Like I said," Josuke leaned down. "A warning. You don't want me to be serious, do you?"
"NO!/ No!/ No, sir!" they chorused, scrambling to their feet.
"Then get going! And don't you ever say shit about my hair again!" he snarled, turning around as they followed his instructions. "Hey, Jamie, right?"
The younger man's eyes were wide, a mix of awe and fear. "Y-Yes, s-sir?"
"Come on, up we get," Josuke grunted, pulling the boy up off the ground and helping him stand. "Oof, that's a nasty bump. Miss, do you have somewhere to sit down? I don't think he should move too much for a few minutes."
OoOoO
"Watch where you're going, shitheads!" Michael snapped, as a pair of teenagers collided with him. "Where's the fire?" he asked, as another two hobbled up, much worse off.
"Crazy fucker broke my arm!" burbled one of them, cradling the wounded limb close to him. "Psycho! That fucking shitty hairstyle..." he ground out, despite teary eyes. Something about that statement nagged at Michael's memory...
"Hang on a second, who're you talking about?" he demanded, blocking the teen from running past him. "Was it a Japanese guy, 'bout this tall?" he hissed, holding out a hand to indicate height. "Hair gelled up in a weird pomp?"
"You a friend of his?" demanded the kid in the sunglasses, grabbing Michael's collar. "Maybe you can take the message instead!"
A shadow burst out of Michael's arm to catch the incoming punch. "It was probably him... Where was he, the tower?" When Shades didn't respond, he exerted his will and the shadow clenched around the kid's hand. "You can tell me, or I can make sure you match your friend here."
"FUCK!" Shades yelped, gesturing frantically with his free arm. "Look, he was at the store, the-the place on the corner, that's all I know, I-"
Michael's Stand slammed the pair of thugs to the ground, out of his way as he strode forwards. "Black or White!" he snapped, his shadow extending out from his feet and pooling on the ground. 'I can find out what Higashikata knows... Boss better not have overplayed his hand with B.G...' he thought, falling forwards into the darkness and vanishing.
OoOoO
"So good of you to help us out, Mr Higashikata. Here're your things - no charge, I insist." The cashier shoved a plastic bag into the man's hands, pushing his card back across the counter along with it.
"I mean, there's no need, I just did what anyone should've-"
"Hah! I can tell you're a rare breed, but not everybody's as willing- or capable, for that matter. Now, my son's got potential, but he's wasting all his time with kid's games, spending his whole life in a daydream. He'll never learn to stick up for himself if he keeps going like he has been..." she mumbled, glancing
Josuke frowned at that, feeling a little awkward on the spot. "Hey, he seems like a good kid. Don't be too hard on him, he did give it a good try-"
"Ah, I guess that's true, I just worry, you know. Anyway, you need to be off..." she waved him away, bustling away to put away the mop.
Something wasn't sitting right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what, Josuke reflected as he left. At least the punks wouldn't be a problem again, if they knew what was good for them- he stopped midway through taking a sip of his drink.
"Tea?" he mumbled to himself. And a weak one at that. Was it worth it, going back to exchange it already? He'd be able to make coffee himself back at the Tower...
There was a loud bang from behind him, like sheets of metal crashing down on to the sidewalk. That settled things.
OoOoO
"No good... scared of his own shadow... weak..." Jamie winced at each memory of casual comments from his mother. He knew (thought) she loved him, but hearing her lament his utter lack of talent in any field was harsh. And his childish imagination was just another embarrassment-
[It's not embarrassing, it's fun!] He stilled, as a child's voice rang out through his head.
'Who's there?' he thought desperately, eyes glancing around. 'Why can't I see you?'
[Oh, sorry!] it piped up again. There was a sudden sense of dissociation, of being in two places at once- A- A thing appeared, uncurling in the air next to him.
At first glance, it seemed like someone had stitched plush toys together into a human shape, with its 'skin' having the appearance of a patchwork quilt. Its face looked like an ape's, with a smiling mouth stitched onto it, and pearly, brown spheres for eyes. Rather than standing on two legs, it hovered about two feet off the ground, its lower body like a fattened snake's tail, covered in bobbles that gave it a 'rougher' texture. And it was small, the top half of its body barely even the size of his head.
[I'm part of you! I'm here to protect you, and keep you happy! We need to show Mom that games aren't just a silly waste of time, that's all!] The whatever-the-hell-it-was burbled happily,
Now thoroughly weirded out, Jamie just nodded. "H-How? She never listens to me."
[I've got a special power! We can use it on Mom, to show her how important games are!] the thing bobbed its head rapidly. [It'll be like being a kid again!]
Jamie felt himself smiling at the absolute glee in the thing's voice. "That sounds... fun. What... what's your name?"
[Feel Good Inc!] It bounced off of nothing, a pulse of reddish-purple energy erupting from it and washing over him, relaxing him and diminishing the pain in his head to almost nothing. [Let's have fun! Ooh, what about hide and seek?]
Jamie closed his eyes, feeling his connection to Feel Good Inc opening wider, filling him with satisfaction and childish joy, making him feel better than he had in a long time.
OoOoO
Josuke stopped short at the bubble encasing the corner shop, slowly expanding and contracting almost like it was breathing. "Ah, great..." he muttered to himself, seeing how no-one on the street was commenting or even noticing it. "Yo! Anyone there?" he called, drawing a couple of confused looks. Something moved in his peripheral vision, a dart of blackness, and he called out Crazy Diamond. "I see you!"
"DORAA!" the armoured giant snarled, glaring at the shadow on the pavement as it moved, longer than it should have been. There was a tense moment, before a pale-skinned man with medium-length hair seemed to float up out of the black.
"Good eye, Higashikata. What gave me away?"
"You might be the right angle, but the shadows aren't that dark on a morning like this," Josuke pointed upwards, the sun mostly hidden by clouds. "Why were you following me?"
"You were at the airport. You've got weird powers. I was curious," smirked the newcomer, a dark blue, almost black figure wrapped in bandages of the same colour appearing over his shoulder. "That explain it?"
"Yeah, no, I'm not buying that. Is this one of yours?" Josuke gritted out, casually pointing at the bubble of energy behind him.
"...No, actually," the man admitted, watching it pulsing more frantically. "But I'd be lying if I said I'm not interested-"
[Hooray! Some new players already!] chirped a high-pitched, musical voice. [Come on in! I'm Feel Good Inc!] The new speaker was obviously a Stand, like a demented teddy bear, hovering overhead.
"That's... that's you?" Josuke ventured, watching the bubble rippling and expanding. "What are you doing?"
[It's a game!] the thing cheered, its 'mouth' twitching excitedly. [And you're going to play, too!]
"No, no, I'm not," smirked the paler of the two. "See you 'round-" he stopped short as a thread snaked its way out to his ankle, yanking him towards the bubble. There was a second of him yelping in surprise, his Stand reaching for him-
Pop!
"What the hell did you do?" Josuke burst out, staring at the place where the stranger had been only seconds ago. "What happened to the people in the store?"
[They're inside, too.] it-the Stand laughed, its paw covering its mouth. [All waiting for you. I can tell you'll be fun to play with!]
"You-!" he clenched his teeth. "...Why would I go along with this?" he eventually asked, trying to type out a message to someone on his phone, without taking it out of his pocket. 'Last person I texted was Shizuka, so I can tell her to get Dad...'
[Because you have to!] It seemed almost saddened at his lack of enthusiasm. [Why wouldn't you want to, anyway? I thought you'd be fun... You helped Jamie and Mom earlier...]
"What did you do to them?" He tensed. If actually innocent people were trapped in this... whatever, that changed things a lot. At the very least, he couldn't just walk away. "If I go in there, will you make sure not to hurt Jamie or his mother?"
[Oh, sure, that's easy! Come on inside!] It paused when he approached, thread unravelling from its mouth and whipping around its suddenly mobile 'teeth'. [Wait, no, no, NO! NO CHEATING!" it shrieked suddenly, threads yanking his phone out of his pocket and mashing the buttons.
"Josuke? Are you okay? Where's the enemy?" Shizuka's voice crackled out, the teddy scowling.
"Shut up! Stop distracting him, I want to play some more! He's got a cool power too, so that means we're friends now!" it snarled, tossing away the device before Josuke could do more than take a step forwards.
"Crazy Diamond!"
"DORARARARAA!" The armoured Stand roared, landing a flurry of punches on the plush creature, driving it into the bubble.
Pop!
"Oh, man..." Josuke relaxed when it showed no sign of reappearing. "Better call Shizuka back..." he mumbled half to himself, stepping over to examine his phone.
He realised his mistake when one of the paving slabs wobbled slightly, displaced by a woolly string when he stepped on it. He tried to re-plant his feet mid-step-
Pop!
He blinked, his eyes trying and failing to adjust to the kaleidoscope of random colours and objects surrounding him. The stranger was hovering nearby, his Stand forming a shadowy armour around him.
"Let's go! I vote... Hide and Seek!" Feel Good Inc grinned, the world abruptly reshaping itself into a massive manor building, Josuke barely getting a glimpse of it before he fell sideways and landed in the middle of a hallway, with no sign of the stranger.
"I'll give you to the count of a hundred, and then I'll come find you!" the Stand's voice chirped from somewhere overhead. "One, two..."
Pop!
That last burst of displaced air had been a lot closer than Feel Good Inc... Josuke skidded to a halt when something brushed against him. Something cool and flat was pressed into his hand, a familiar weight-
The phone shimmered back to visibility, a crack in the screen, showing a message across the top of the screen.
"Don't worry bro, I've got this."
OoOoO
So, New arc, new problems. What can Josuke and Shizuka do against such relentless childlike joy?
New Stand Stats!
Feel Good Inc - James Hewlett
Power; D - Durability; A - Speed; C - Precision; C - Range; C - Potential; A
Feel Good Inc is a Stand that creates a pocket dimension with additional 'rules' that everyone present is instructed to follow, mimicking games and stories at the Stand's discretion.
Questions;
Joker wx; As said at the top of the chapter, it was house-ruled from the FATE Core dice system. And Cielo's plan has been going well so far, but Joseph's not too shabby at chess-mastery either. Once he gets any information on Cielo's organisation, he'll be able to counter-plan accordingly.
G; Yeah, Horse With No Name will probably come back soon. I wanted a more nuanced approach to Jotaro's marriage breaking down, rather than just him refusing to explain anything to his family. After how bad it went with his wife, he decided against telling Jolyne anything.
So, next time we'll have Josuke and Shizuka trying to face Feel Good Inc on its home turf. Would you like to play a game, Joestars?