My first attempt at a JoJo fic. I've recently gotten obsessed with this anime, and wrote this to help me get over writer's block. Let me know what you think :)

Nightmares Past

A JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Fanfic

The feeling was like that of a mouse being confronted by a snake, hypnotized, unable to run, perhaps even unwilling to run, even though it knew that there was only one inevitable outcome.

"Easy, Kakyoin, there's nothing for you to be afraid of. Let's be friends, shall we?"

Kakyoin hovered over his own body, watching in horror as the past played out in front of him, and he was just as unable to stop it now as he had been then. The terror washed away for only a second as he screamed at himself in this dream, this memory, knowing what was coming next.

As he stood transfixed by Dio's words, the vampire took the opportunity to implant the flesh bud and everything went dark…

"NO!"

Kakyoin lurched upright, the scream dying in his throat as he realized he was awake. His chest heaved, his pajamas sticking to his skin from the sweat pouring off of him. He could see Hierophant Green hovering to one side—he must have subconsciously summoned him in his distress. Kakyoin quickly called his Stand back, still trying to breathe.

"Hey. You okay?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the deep voice from the darkness, and finally remembered where he was and that Jotaro was there in the hotel room with him, sleeping in the other bed. Or, he had been sleeping. Until Kakyoin had woken him up screaming.

Embarrassment and shame flooded him and he took a couple more deep breaths to steady his voice before he spoke. "I-I'm fine."

Instead of Jotaro rolling over and going back to sleep, the lamp suddenly flicked on and Kakyoin shielded his eyes, even more shame burning in him as he saw Jotaro propped up on his elbow, watching him. Kakyoin turned aside, cheeks flaming. Great impression he was making on his traveling companions.

"No offence but you don't look fine," Jotaro grunted.

Kakyoin ducked his head, allowing his red hair to hide his face. "Really. It's nothing."

Jotaro was silent for a long time and Kakyoin hoped he would turn the light off and they could forget this happened, but then the other young man said, "Tell me."

Kakyoin spun around to stare at him, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.

Jotaro pushed himself up to sit against the headboard, folding an arm over his eyes nonchalantly and crossing his ankles. "Tell me what's bothering you, Kakyoin. Otherwise neither of us are likely to get any sleep."

Kakyoin clenched his jaw, contemplating. He really didn't want to speak of his moment of deepest shame, and yet…he also knew that if anyone had the right to know, it was Jotaro. Not only because they were going after Dio to save his mother, but also because Jotaro had been the one to save Kakyoin's life and pull him from Dio's control.

He bit his lip, and didn't look at his companion when he started speaking. "It's…a dream I have a lot. About when Dio found me in Egypt, and I…I can't get it out of my head."

He shuddered, cold now from the nightmare sweat that had soaked his skin. He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them in an attempt to stop himself trembling so much. "I still don't really know how it happened. At first, I was so scared that I felt like I was going to be sick. I wanted to run but I couldn't—I was frozen to the spot. I didn't even have the willpower to summon Hierophant Green. And then Dio…he was right there and as soon as he spoke I felt all my anxiety wash away. He said…" Kakyoin felt sick now, bile rising in his throat as he swallowed hard, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he remembered his terror and his shame. "He said we should be friends. I don't know why that made me trust him, it's just that, I never really had friends."

He heard Jotaro shift and hunched over to rest his chin on his knees. "It disgusts me now to think that I stood there long enough to allow him to put that flesh bud into me, and I know now that he just has that power over people but…I don't know. I was all alone, and for some reason I felt like I could trust him. It wasn't until I woke up in your house, when your mother cared for me so kindly, even after everything I had done, that I realized what a mistake I'd made. I fear it will haunt me forever."

The silence from his companion stretched for a long moment after he finished, until Kakyoin began to fear Jotaro was silently judging him. His stomach twisted suddenly as he thought that perhaps he shouldn't have said anything after all.

"Thanks," Jotaro finally said, surprising him.

Kakyoin turned to him with a frown. "For—for what?"

"For telling me that," Jotaro said and pulled his arm from where it rested over his eyes, meeting Kakyoin's. "It takes guts to admit to your failings and in my opinion, none of it was really your fault, so you should stop beating yourself up about it."

Kakyoin's mouth opened slightly, not knowing what to say. Without another word, Jotaro reached out and turned the lamp off, sending them once more into darkness.

Kakyoin crawled back under his covers, not entirely sure he was ready to go back to sleep, when Jotaro's deep voice rumbled through the darkness again.

"Kakyoin."

"Hm?"

"You're not alone anymore."

Those simple words seemed to be the key to what Kakyoin needed to hear and he felt the last vestiges of the nightmare dissipate from him at the thought of his travel companions—the friends he had made along the way. A small smile turned his lips upward and his eyes dampened for a different reason as he closed his eyes.

No, he wasn't alone anymore, none of them were. And because of that, they would have the power to conquer anything, even Dio.