"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!" Sobbed a blond man as he rode on his horse who galloped across a street covered with yellow maple leaves. The time was November, and the air was already chilly enough for the streams of the horse's breath to become visible. The horse was old, but greatly experienced as it had the experience of galloping across the United States of America, and riding on it was its companion.
The companion was obviously not in a good mood, as tears poured out of his eyes. In his arms, he holds a child. A child who had apparently lost his consciousness, but there was more to the state of the child than his lack of consciousness.
There were wrinkles on the child's face, but not natural wrinkles that humans get as their skin loses its elasticity as they grow old. These wrinkles were vertically formed across the boy's face like a paper origami neatly folded into a zig-zag shape. Was this a new form of curse, or a disease, or something alien that goes beyond human understanding? But what mattered was that the child was dying, and if he truly died… then the man on the horse would feel something much worse than death… something worse than watching his best friend getting killed by the fissure of light.
Before the boy, it was his wife who was suffering such symptoms. And to save his wife, he had become a criminal of the United States of America who managed to track him all the way down to Japan. He had stolen a Corpse. A Corpse that was able to perform miracles, but even miracles followed a rule. A single rule that the man forgot out of love and desperation. Even if the miracle cured his wife, it simply meant that the curse, the illness that had been tormenting the woman cannot be destroyed, but transferred to someplace else.
…
Or more specifically, somebody else. Somebody close. Somebody, who happened to be the child of the man and his wife.
"Equivalent exchange…" Whispered the man, urging his horse to run, but in a more different fashion. "How could I have forgotten…? I can't… I can't use the Corpse again. It's just going to deliver misfortune to someone else."
Suddenly, the man's dark, black pupils burst into black flame, a black flame showing the Dark Determination of the man who was now willing to do anything, even give up his humanity, to save his beloved child.
"George Joestar…" Whispered the man into the boy's ear. "Rina Higashikata… I'm so glad… I'm so blessed to get to meet you two. Because of you two I have found happiness that can't be replaced… and I can't exchange that for anything."
But with his son dying, there was one thing that he could exchange. Just one thing he could exchange that ensured his son and his wife's safety.
His very own life.
So he did. Shooting himself in the head with the help of his own powers that had been developed during his journey with an Italian man, he managed to transfer the curse into himself. With that, he and his son toppled down the horse who only snorted by the sudden loss of weight. Now the wrinkles were disappearing from the boy's face. Color rushed back into his cheeks and he could now move his fingers, his hand, his arm, and eventually his whole body with ease.
Meanwhile, the boy's father was slowly dying as his face started to fold like a paper origami. The pain was unbearable, but when imagining a world where he can't save his child or his wife, it became bearable. In fact, rather than pain all the man could feel now was relief and sadness as his sight started to get blurry. But at the corner of his eye, he could just make the appearance of his wife, wearing that same pretty kimono and running on her bare feet.
"Where are your shoes…?" Murmured the man as his frail body tried to reach her to comfort her. "Your feet… are hurting…"
Now, with his vision nearly gone, the performance of his ears started to drop, but he could still hear his wife screaming, wailing, and calling out his name over and over again. But all the man could do was cry, cry, cry with regret and guilt as he said his farewells with the softest voice.
"Farewell… Ri… na…"
Jonathan(Johnny) Joestar
Died November 11, 1901
…
…
…
…
…
Died?
"My dearest… I love you…"
"I love you too…" He mumbled back absentmindedly.
"I love you with all my heart… I love you…"
"...? Wait… wait a minute."
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you"
"You're not Rina… who are you…?"
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you"
"Who are you?! Wh-where am I?!"
He finally realized that he wasn't able to see. He wasn't able to move. The only capabilities he had was to hear, speak, and—
"Hrrk!"
—and apparently the ability to feel something… something lukewarm suddenly wrapped its fingers around his… his insides… something important inside him… something beating… something…!
"Gah… aHHH!"
As he screamed he finally realized what was grasping him. It was his heart that was being squeezed. But as soon as the pain came like an ice bucket thrown over his head, the pain was gone and the lukewarm sensation returned as the fingers stroked his heart once again.
"Who… no, what are you…?"
"I love you."
Johnny Joestar opened his eyes, and winced as the strong sunlight reached his eyes.
"What… what happened?" Furiously, Johnny began to rub his eyes, blinking out the spots that were formed by the strong sun. Then, his mind started to whirl and think.
The first theory that came to mind was the afterlife. Surely, he should be dead, or be in a deathlike state after accepting Rina's unknown illness. But to feel… so alive… was this heaven? Will he be finally able to talk with Gyro again? Should he go to him and announce proudly that he kept his word of keeping Gyro's real name a secret?
Then… he started to see.
…
…
…
He started to see unbelievable things… and this was coming from a man who went through the Steel Ball Run, where he had faced enemies with impossible powers and abilities.
He saw… anthropomorphic beings, walking in broad daylight. There were people covered in fur while having faces of an animal. There was a huge lizard dragging a carriage with its two feet like a dinosaur(Diego…?). There were structures all around him as if they were from the medieval ages, and the clothes they were seemed to be from the medieval ages itself.
Just… just where was he…?!
Then, the second theory came to his mind.
"Is this… Funny… Funny Valentine…?!" Gasped Johnny as he quickly looked to his left and right to find the blond jackass who also happened to be the 23rd president of the United States.
The president apparently had the ability to traverse through other dimensions as well as allowing several dimensions to coexist at the same time, and this strange world, just may be a parallel version of his original universe.
Instinctively, he raised his fingers, ready to shoot out his weapon at the moment's notice. He will not miss. He didn't miss when he shot him down, and he won't miss again if he showed up.
…
…
…
No… wait… Funny Valentine's Stand 『Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap』 was destroyed… permanently. Besides, only one 『Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap』 was allowed to exist in all of the parallel universes, and he was the one to destroy that Stand… Besides… this world was way off the tangent to be even considered to be a parallel world.
…
…
…
Yeah… this was an entirely different universe that had no attachment to the original world.
…
…
…
But… knowing that his son and his wife were safe… Johnny was happy. He was happy although he knew the chances of ever seeing them again were close to zero.
And speaking of zero…
"Eh… huh…? Wait… no… no…! No, no, no, no, no…!"
Johnny Joestar had reached 'positive' with his loving beloved and his child. Before that he had reached 'zero' by accomplishing the Steel Ball Run. And before that he was 'negative'. When he was 'negative' nothing ever worked out. Even on his best days, he cursed God and felt like shit, and had to swallow down his temper that was aimed at his damned humiliated self.
…
Johnny Joestar has lost his 'positive' when he was separated from his beloved family and his horse. He should be at zero… in theory he should be at 'zero', but he never expected… he never expected…!
"My legs…! My legs! No…! No, not again! Not again!"
Johnny Joestar was a cripple, all over again.
He crawled. There was no other way to move. He crawled and he crawled. Without a wheelchair, without Slow Dancer, he had to resort to crawling the ground like a maggot. His rough hands were now marred with dirt and grime, and he had already collected a few coins out of pity from strangers. He was fortunate enough to find a public restroom to relieve himself, but to crawl on the piss-stained floor was just…!
'It's okay… I've gone through worse… this humiliation… this state of being 'negative' will come to pass… I believe in the Spin, I believe in my experiences… my legs will work again in the future… they will work in the future, they have to work in the future!'
"Well, well, well, look over here guys! We have a cripple!"
'Huh?' Thought Johnny before a large force slammed into the back of his head as it made harsh contact with the rocky floor. It didn't hurt as much as being shot, but the sudden attack left Johnny dazed as he failed to see a kick aimed at his stomach.
"Ahh!" Yelled Johnny as pain shot throughout his body as another kick landed somewhere on his body.
"Shut up, cripple! As if there's anybody around to help you!"
After a while, the beatings stopped and Johnny was finally given the time to analyze his opponents, his situation, and his options. There were three opponents in front of him. One was large and muscular, one was tall and lean, and the remaining one was stout and short. Currently, the tall and lean one posed the biggest threat as he was holding a knife close to Johnny's face, threatening him while the other two stood back with menacing poses.
Unfortunately for them, they picked the wrong cripple to mess around with.
"I don't know what I did to attract you people… I don't know what I have done for the three of you to ambush me… I don't know… But… please do keep in mind that if you continue… I'm going to fight back."
After a short silence, the three thugs laughed out loud, unaware of the sudden shift of mood that took place on the crippled man as his eyes burst into a flame of Dark Determination. If any one of them noticed such change… maybe they might've thought better than to continue. Alas, the three idiots did nothing of sorts as they sneered down at Johnny Joestar.
"Don't make me laugh, cripple! You wanna die, huh? You wanna die?!"
With the lean man's blade pressed against Johnny's left cheek, a thin sanguine line dribbled down from his cheek. However, Johnny's eyes never wavered as he stared straight into the lean man's eyes, who simply scowled at Johnny's attitude.
"Heh… what a confident expression for somebody who just had his ass beaten up." Snorted the large man. "Hurry up and give us all your possessions!"
"Sure." Spoke Johnny as he moved his body a bit. "But did you realize something?"
"Hah?" Spoke the lean man sneering at Johnny's face. "Realize what, cripple?"
"All five toes on my right foot are directly aimed at your chest."
"Chyumimi ~ in!"
With the strange chirping noise from a certain pink Stand, the toenails on the crippled feet of Johnny Joestar shot outward in a straight line as they spun at a tremendous rate. Its force ripped open Johnny's shoes and his socks and like bullets, they slammed and pierced into the lean man's body. Three nails were a direct hit while the other two missed, but it was enough for the man to drop the knife and scream in pain.
"AHHHH!" Howled the man as he clutched his gaping wounds that gushed out blood. "What in the… WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU JUST DO?!"
"『Tusk』" Answered Johnny Joestar, moving his left leg to cover up the state of his right shoe. After all, giving away the slightest information could mean losing and even worse: death. "That's all I'm going to say."
"Don't get cocky now you little sh—"
Before the muscular man could throw his punch, Johnny instantly raised his right forefinger and shot a nail bullet right into the man's shoulder. His shooting skills had improved to near perfection overtime, and in such a close range, there was no way he was going to miss it.
Blood splattered over the alleyway and now there were two grown men on the floor, clutching their wounds and screaming in pain. Meanwhile, the short one simply gaped and raised a trembling finger at Johnny.
"Y-you…!" He gasped. "You're a magic user! Shit! We picked on the wrong guy! Guys, get up! Get up now!"
Normally, Johnny would finish them off, just to be sure, but the sight of something caught his eye. There was a… a child. A child, standing just a few meters away from him and the thugs, staring, wide-eyes, at the scene.
…
She was blonde, with a slight dose of orange to add an extra zing to it all, and all the messy hair was tied to a single short ponytail at the back of her head. One other noticeable thing about the child was that she had strong muscles in her legs. Even from here, Johnny could observe the tense muscles coiled up in her legs, ready to bolt at moments notice.
Now with the child's sudden appearance, Johnny's hesitation lasted longer as the three thugs fled away. Somehow… somehow he couldn't find the strength or the determination to just kill those three thugs in front of a child. Was this an instinct as a father? Strange… but fortunately, his gut told that those three won't be appearing anytime soon.
"Uhh… umm…" Murmured the girl, clearly not knowing how to act in front of Johnny. "I-I'll take my leave, mister! I didn't see anything!"
After the child was gone from sight, Johnny simply sighed as the tension ceased. Was this punishment for stealing the Corpse? Was this hell designed just to torment him? He had no idea… he had no clue and that was why everything was so stressful.
Then, he heard the rushing footsteps of… somebody.
Judging by the rapid footsteps it was just one person running towards this area. Judging by the sound of it, it was likely that it was a female. But when judging the voices…
"I heard it coming from this alleyway, Puck! The person is in terrible danger!"
"The screaming seemed to have stopped… we might be too late, Lia"
Two…? That can't be right… Johnny can only hear the footsteps of one person, not two. But soon, he saw why he only heard the footsteps of one.
Suddenly, a girl with silver hair made her appearance in the alleyway and… and what was that? A cat?
…
A floating cat wearing a knapsack?
"Are you alright? Oh my…! You're bleeding!" Cried the girl as she rushed over to him.
Blinking, Johnny suddenly felt another trickle of wetness rolling down his face, but this wasn't from the wound from the knife.
'Oh…' Thought Johnny dumbly as he touched the wetness only to find more blood. 'It was the first attack… blunt trauma… it ripped my flesh I suppose…'
"H-here let me help!" Stuttered the girl as she tried to move Johnny to a more comfortable position. Alas, she lacked the strength to move him around, causing her to huff.
"I-I'm sorry sir, but can you move please? You've… you've lost a lot of blood, oh dear, oh dear!"
"Don't worry." He spoke as some blood squirted out of his head wound. "Most of those on the floor don't belong to me."
"Hoh… is that so?" Spoke the cat—
Wait… what? Let's… let's run that down again…
Spoke the cat.
"What the… did that… did that cat just talk…?" Whispered Johnny, making sure that he wasn't seeing any hallucinations.
"A cat?" Huffed the small floating creature annoyed, as Johnny attempted to crawl back to get some space between them. "How rude! I'm a spirit! A great spirit in fact!"
"What… spirit?" Questioned Johnny, raising up his fingers pointing at the cat, just to be on the safe side.
"Hey now." Now, all the joyous and playful mood was gone from its tone as Johnny could physically and mentally feel his skin freezing, as his fingers felt like falling off. "I don't care if you try to hurt me because you won't succeed. But considering that my daughter is around and that she might get caught in the crossfire…"
"Drop your fingers, human."
Johnny immediately dropped them, sensing that there was no way to defeat this cat or spirit as it proclaimed itself to be. His face had become as pale as the moon, and his body was now drenched in cold sweat. No matter what, there was no way Johnny could imagine anything toppling down this being. Perhaps Funny Valentine's powers may destroy the spirit while it had its guard down, but besides being ambushed, Johnny really couldn't see a way to defeat this bizarre cat.
Maybe… maybe if he was back on Slow Dancer, he might have had the chance of winning, but not when he was in the state of 'negative'. Moreover, there was no need to antagonize with any more strangers in this bizarre world.
"Forgive me." Gasped Johnny as he felt a tingling sensation on top of his head. "I… I'm just very lost, and very confused… I lost… I think I lost everything precious to me, my emotions are spiraling out of control and I… and I can't…"
Suddenly, tears began dribbling down Johnny's face as the tingling sensation turned into a soothing phenomenon. Now, after facing death from the strange cat, Johnny finally let his tears free as he sobbed once again.
His life in his original universe had ended when he was just 29, and coming to think of it he left so much behind. He lost Rina, he lost George, he lost his father, and… and to think that he would never be able to even know how his family is doing, it was just too much for Johnny to take. Even when he had lost everything twice in his life, nothing could compare to this loss. The loss of all of his loved ones, the severed connection with all of the people that mattered to him.
In this lonely world, he was truly in the state of 'negative', and he began to doubt if he could find the strength and courage to try to go back to zero.
(Puck POV)
"Pu~ck!"
"I didn't do anything to him, Emilia! I swear! He just fainted out of his fatigue condition!" Spoke Puck, trying his best to calm down Emilia's pout. Although this side of her looked so adorable, Puck hadn't done anything wrong! With his empathy, he caught the human's turmoil of negative emotions, and felt pity for him. And besides, there was no malice in his actions, but with Emilia around, he had to give him a warning!
"You can't just go around and scare people like that! Besides, he was already heavily injured! And why would you go and make him cry like that?!"
Now that was totally not his fault! Whatever happened to the human had apparently caught up with him right at that moment, and he simply cried because of that! There was nothing more to it!
"Chyumii~"
At the sudden noise, Puck whirled his head towards the human who was resting on his lap. And… just in the corner of his eyes… he could make out the shape of… of something. Something pink, and strange. Like a mutated lesser spirit or something similar to that. But before he could get a closer look, the… thing disappeared instantly. And… the human had woken up.
"... ah… so it wasn't a dream…"
Puck winced as his empathy kicked in again. Whatever this person had gone through… it was extremely bad to a point where Puck felt extreme pity for him. His emotions… it told him that he indeed has lost somebody that meant everything to him, just like how Emilia meant everything to Puck. Thankfully, this man seemed to be less emotional than Puck himself, seeing how he wasn't going on a full rampage but… considering the blood spilled on the floor that might not be the case. Plus, for a crippled human, he had some skills. Spilling that much blood with no traces of weapons…
Grunting, the human sat up into a sitting position, only using his arms, and got into a quite strange position. Then, he touched his head, surprised to find no wounds etched upon it.
"Don't worry about it." Spoke Emilia, now her mask returning as she resumed her cool demeanor. "I healed your wounds."
"Heal… my wounds?" Spoke the human, obviously confused. Then, he stared at Puck once again. "Are… are you perhaps a Stand…?"
What a weird question.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Sighed Puck in fake exasperation as he placed his cute paws onto his face, as he began to rub it around. "I am a cute spirit! And a great one too!"
"... yeah… thought so…" Muttered the human to himself, but with Puck's sensitive ears, he caught those words.
What was a Stand? Was it his terminology for spirits? Eh, it could be anything. Puck didn't really mind as long as he didn't pose a threat to his daughter.
"Well… I believe that I must thank you." Spoke the man as he bowed his head. "It seems that I am in your debt."
"Don't worry about your debt." Spoke Emilia as she stepped forward. "Instead, can you tell me if you happened to see a thief?"
"I'm sorry, but can you be a bit more elaborate?"
"My… my insignia was stolen by a thief, and I was chasing them down… Please, have you seen a thief carrying my insignia? It's this big," Emilia made a shape with her fingers. "And has a small jewel stuck in the middle of it."
"Are you sure the thief went through this alleyway?" Asked the man sincerely.
"Yes. Puck confirmed that he saw the thief heading towards this alleyway, but… this is the last place we've seen them go."
"Then, I believe I know who the thief might actually be." Spoke the man, sincere again. "But I only know her appearance, not her identity."
"He hasn't lied so far." Spoke Puck confidently as he nodded at his daughter who looked at him for confirmation. "And he doesn't seem to have any malicious intent or such… Plus, I think he's a good person overall!"
"..."
Emilia, who was still unskilled with human emotions didn't catch it, but Puck did. Apparently, the human didn't think himself to be a 'good' person. Was this self-hatred related to whatever happened to him that lost everything he loved?
"I see… can you perhaps tell me her description?"
"Judging by her size, I would say that the child was around fourteen or something like that. She has blonde hair, with a bit of orange…"
As he gave Emilia a good description, Puck simply stood back and kept on observing the human.
Somehow… This human intrigued him. There was just something about him that attracted Puck, and based on his emotions, Puck was sure that he would make a good friend for Emilia, although it was up to Emilia to take the chance of friendship. But what was it that intrigued him? What was it?!
…
…
…
Oh… maybe it was because of that… the strange pink thing that said something cute, but not as cute as himself. Somehow, Emilia didn't hear it, but Puck was sure that he heard and saw the pink thing. Wherever it was, it was hiding behind the human and was doing a good job of hiding since Puck couldn't sense it anywhere. Yes… along with his intriguing character, pitiful history and body conditions, the strange pink creature that Puck nearly encountered simply made this human more interesting!
"Well then… Thank you for helping me. That insignia is a very important item for me so… thank you!"
"A-ah, no problem." The human replied, quite startled by the sudden radiance that was emitted by his daughter's gratitude. Hahh… truly, his daughter was an amazing being.
"Well then, let's leave this alleyway. It's dangerous to be in places like these."
Then, with those words, she tugged on the human's arm, attempting to lead him out of the alleyway, only to be stop when she noticed the man hadn't stood up as she had dragged the poor man across the rough floor.
"H-huh? Aren't you going to stand?"
Puck, face-pawed himself as he forgot to tell her daughter the significant aspect of the human's physical body. Oh, stupid Puck… now he just made things more awkward, haven't he?
"Oh… sorry, it seemed to have slipped out of my mind…" Spoke the man, obviously displeased by the fact of his crippled state. "You see ma'am… I'm a cripple."
Yup… Judging by his daughter's expression, he made things way more awkward than before…
(Johnny Joestar POV)
It hurt to be reminded that he was a cripple once again, but this kind lady with strange ears apparently sacrificed her precious time to help him once again while the thief may have gotten out of town already. Truly, she was a kind individual although she tried to hide it with half-baked excuses. Those attempts simply made her look like a cute child, which Johnny apparently found amusing and a bit funny.
When she got a firm understanding of Johnny's state of lack of cash, a place to sleep, and a method to move around, she immediately jumped to help him once again. Once again, he was greatly indebted to the silver-haired woman, and it seems like he had to pay back another debt once again. Asking the… spirit, they levitated his crippled body into the streets to find a merchant who sold wheelchairs. However, as they were passing the stables, Johnny took the chance to ask for a horse instead, explaining that his main job is a jockey.
It hurt Johnny's own conscience to ask for something that much, but it would be so much easier to ride a horse than to drag himself along in a wheelchair.
Surprisingly, she accepted his wishes and had the spirit drag his body towards the stables.
Now, the problem starts here. The majority of living creatures in the stables that were for sale were overgrown lizards that Johnny had never ridden before. Apparently, these creatures were better than horses in every aspect, from their muscle power, to their speed, to their persistence, and pretty much anything that one should expect from a horse. However, Johnny wasn't confident that he would be able to ride a… well, a dinosaur looking creature without triggering his PTSD.
Just by looking at these… Earth Dragons gave him flashbacks to the Steel Ball Run and Dio, and such memories of that particular jockey weren't that pleasant to think about. Truly… these dinosaurs looked so much like Dio's 『Scary Monsters』 that it was borderline disturbing… At any moment, Johnny was prepared for the blond jockey to pop up from the haystack and attack him viciously with his superior dino-reflexes and shit, but thankfully, such calamity never happened.
So, he bought a horse and he was thankful that he chose this one. Unlike Slow Dancer, whose fur had the color of ivory, this horse was pure black. But just like Slow Dancer, this horse had experience. It had instincts unlike other horses and it knew how to control its stamina. But, she was just as stubborn as Slow Dancer as the stablemaster commented that she was untameable. She had dragged Johnny's crippled form across the ground earning him scratch marks, she had trampled him giving him bruises, and she even slammed him into the fence causing him to spill blood. However… Johnny was more stubborn than anything in the world. If he set his mind to it, it was going to be done unless he died in the process.
With his head bleeding once again along with several other places, Johnny finally earned the horse's approval and an earful of nagging from the silver-haired girl who lectured him about his recklessness, while the cat-spirit thingy seemed to approve of him. He didn't mind her lecturing as she had done it out of the goodness of her heart and care for his well being. In fact, he was grateful to meet such an individual in this bizarre world. Without her… well, he would still be crawling on the ground, until the next group of thugs targeted him. Then, he would've likely have slept on the ground until the officials of this town find and arrest him for loitering.
"Seriously…! You had a piece of wood stuck in your legs before I treated it! Even the stablemaster never saw anybody so reckless before! Why would you choose such an aggressive horse?!"
"This is the correct horse to choose…" Gasped Johnny as his feeble form was dragged by the horse, who leaned down to lick his face. "This horse is a substitute for my legs… and I would have an old experienced horse who knows when to stop rather than young ones who easily get agitated and recklessly charge."
"Great choice!" Clapped Puck. "Well, let me hoist you up."
"No… I've got this. Please let me do this…" Whispered Johnny as he raised his hand, signaling the horse to lick him once again. How long has it been since he got upon a horse like this?
"Spin."
The world spun before Johnny's eyes, and before he knew it, he had sat right on the horse's back with a satisfying plop. Oh what a feeling! What a joyful feeling to finally be back on a horse! It's tense muscles pulsating, it's heavy breath, the hooves kicking the ground… Johnny Joestar was back in his element, and within his element he became something… beyond human.
Suddenly, all the remaining horses began to bow their heads.
"H-huh? What's happening? Do-do all horses act like this?"
"No… this has never happened before… are they… are they all bowing to him?" Gasped the stablemaster as he stared wide-eyed at the cripple who he laughed at when he chose to ride the black horse.
But… this wasn't the poor cripple that anybody would take pity on. He was no longer just a cripple, or just a normal human! On top of that horse, he had become something else entirely! Something… so beautiful, like a sculpture straight out of a famous artist or something!
"... take her." Whispered the stablemaster. "I-I have no idea what is happening and who you people are… but… if there is one thing that's certain, it's that that cripple over there is a true Rider. He was born and forged for riding horses, and never in my life have I seen such a perfect match between a horse and a human!"
Then, he walked over to the gate of the fence and opened it.
"Take the horse for free. I don't care for it or the equipment along with it… It's just… it's been a while since I've seen such a rider, especially those who ride a horse. Take that horse with you and roam the world, young man. I bid you good luck."
With understandment between the two, Johnny simply gave a nod and urged his new companion to trot out into the streets with the silver-haired girl following behind, still in amazement of the events that happened before her.
Suddenly, she blinked, realizing that she had strayed off her main goal. Clearing her throat to get Johnny's attention, she began to speak.
"W-well, since you've got your horse and all, I'll be on my way then! And like I said before, don't wander off into dangerous areas again, sir!"
"That might be, but please, let me help." Spoke Johnny. "Once again, I'm indebted to your kindness."
"Don't mistake my actions for kindness." Retorted the girl as she put her hands on her hips. "You gave me vital information, so I'm already thanked."
"Then allow me to help you this time, just like you helped me." Spoke Johnny. Although he didn't fully understand why this strange girl acted this way, he knew for certain that this girl was kind and even with her strange attitude she turned out to be quite likeable.
"What?" Exclaimed the girl perplexed by Johnny's actions. "Listen, I helped you to help myself. It's just as simple as that. Besides, you won't be rewarded even if you help me."
"Then consider that I'm helping you to help myself." Spoke Johnny, sitting straight. "My reason would be quite obvious. If I don't help you right now, it would definitely leave a bad taste in my mouth, you know? And with a bad taste lingering, it's going to nag me all night long, and I don't want that. Well, does that sound selfish enough?"
The girl was hesitating, but suddenly, the cat jumped up to the girl's shoulder.
"I think you should take his offer. Like I said, no hostile feelings whatsoever. Besides, he and his horse can become a good meat shield when we need one!"
"Or, I can have Black Parade carry you so we can evade danger." Spoke Johnny, giving a different method that suited him better.
"Black Parade?" Parroted the girl, tilting her head before she understood who Johnny was talking about. "Oh, the horse?"
"Yes… like any other good horse, she needs a name don't you think?" Spoke Johnny as he softly patted the horse's mane earning a snort from her.
"Speaking of names, we don't even know each other's names." Spoke the silver-haired girl as she eyed Johnny. "Do you mind if we share them?"
"I suppose there is no harm in telling you my name." Spoke Johnny as he smiled slightly. "My real name is Jonathan Joestar, but I prefer by going with the name 'Johnny'. I'm 29 years old, and I'm a professional Jockey."
"Jockey? Huh, all of Lugnica's Jockeys ride on Ground Dragons. Haven't seen or heard of a jockey who rides a horse." Mused Puck as he turned around in a circle in the air.
"Well, I'm from a very different place I suppose." Spoke Johnny as he looked sadly down at the floor, with a small sad smile on his face.
Sensing that talking more about it would be invading Johnny's privacy, the two took note not to mention it unless it was needed.
"Well then, like I have introduced myself earlier, I'm the great spirit, Puck!" Spoke the cat, cutely as he bounced up into the air and landed on Johnny's arm. Then, he began to rub his head into his hand.
"Huh… those are extremely good muscles you have there!" Commented Puck, touching his arms. "Hmm… you'll be a great meat shield indeed!"
Johnny could only sweatdrop at that comment as he snorted.
"Well then, what's your name?" Asked Johnny as he waited for an answer.
"... Emilia." Spoke the silver-haired girl. "My name is Emilia."
With that, they continued to walk and trot the streets of this strange world, until…
"Wait a minute… isn't this the alleyway where we found you?" Asked Emilia bewildered.
"Yes… although it hasn't been an hour since we've left this place, hopefully there will still be some evidence of a trail left by the little thief."
Maneuvering Black Parade, Johnny easily made through the alley and started to look more closely at the ground and the places where he saw the little girl run off to.
…
…
…
"There." Spoke Johnny, pointing to a bit of dirt on the ground. "I found our trail."
"Huh?" Spoke Emilia squinting her eyes. "How… how is that the thief's trail?"
"I know it because I saw the soles of her shoes when she rushed past me while I was still bleeding on the ground. And that shape right there fits the soles of her shoe perfectly" Answered Johnny as he urged Black Parade to move a bit forward. Then… he pulled out a green, round, steel ball from his pocket. It once belonged to a man who was supposed to inherit the position of a royal executor in Italy, but now it was in Johnny's possession. Johnny kept it as a token to remember his dearest friend, and to use it as a weapon just in case there were enemies and calamities before him. Throughout the years, his ability in the Spin had improved steadily. Alas, he was nowhere on the level of Gyro Zeppeli, but even so… he was pretty close.
Resting the steel ball onto the horse's backside, Johnny used the horse's muscles to jump. And they did jump right onto the windowsill on the right side, then another kick! Now they were two stories up. And one more kick! Now… Johnny and Black Parade were on the roof of one of the houses in the alleyways.
In here, Johnny spotted another trail left by the thief.
"Come on!" Yelled Johnny as he called out to Emilia who was spellbound by the sudden display of Johnny's skills. "Let's go find that thief of yours!"
In the end, Johnny had to let Emilia sit on the back of his saddle as he urged Black Parade to gallop upon rooftops and skid down some, knocking off a few dozen tiles in the process. After what had happened to Gyro and Lucy, Johnny was pretty skeptical about having a woman sitting in his saddle… but he wasn't Gyro. He was Johnny Joestar and he believed in what Johnny Joestar believed in, not what Gyro had believed in.
"Sl-slow down! We might topple over the roof at this rate!" Squealed Emilia as she clutched hard onto Johnny's torso, causing him to lose his oxygen in his lungs.
"Whoo-hoo~!" Yelled Puck as he sat in front of Johnny, his small form allowing him to. "Go, go, Johnny! Faster, faster, faster!"
And Johnny obliged with a grin on his face. Who knew teasing a little girl like this would be so much fun? Although he felt bad for bullying…
"W-wait… slow down! There's a huge gap between us! Johnny! Johnny! Johnny! Black Parade can't jump that far!" Wailed Emilia. She was correct indeed. There was a huge gap between as the block ended, and even if Black Parade jumped high and long, she would only reach two thirds of it before plummeting down to the ground and injuring herself.
Johnny simply replied by bringing out his steel ball and started to spin in.
"Hoh, it's that green ball again!" Exclaimed Puck. "You somehow used that to have the horse jump! But even with that I don't think we could make it!"
"I'm not planning on that." Spoke Johnny as he threw the ball towards a tree that was conveniently sticking out in the middle of the gap. As the steel ball hit the trunk of the tree, the tree twisted and bent into a spiral and Johnny immediately maneuvered Black Parade to jump onto the tree. Then, as the steel ball flew back into his hand, the tree snapped back into its original position and that momentum gave Black Parade the extra push to get across the gap.
"Kyaa!" Yelled Emilia clutching even tighter. "Wh-what was that?! The tree… the tree bent and sprung back up!"
"I've never seen such strange magic before!" Yelped Puck as his eyes shined with wonder and joy as he looked up at Johnny. "What in the world is your element?!"
Tugging on the lead of the halter, Johnny stopped Black Parade to survey the area.
"Magic? That wasn't magic." Spoke Johnny. Due to the things he had seen such as being healed by mysterious light that glowed from Emilia's hands and a cat levitating him in the air, and the things he had heard from the people around him, Johnny had a sense that this world had bizarre powers that went beyond human other than Stands. Apparently, the people of Lugnica called this power magic. Although he didn't fully know what magic was capable of, he knew that using magic only applied to a minority considering what the stout thug said before he ran away with his friends.
Even so, with all the trouble that came to him in the past, Johnny wasn't going to let his guard down.
"Huh…? Th-that wasn't magic?" Stuttered Emilia as she stared at the steel ball, which was still spinning. "B-but… how do you spin that ball without magic?"
"... I learned it from a place that's not here or from where I was from." Replied Johnny, answering the curious girl and the spirit. "It's a technique that still remains a mystery to humans. I learned it from my best friend."
"A technique? Does that mean… I can learn—"
"We're here." Answered Johnny, interrupting Emilia's question as Black Parade skipped off the roof. This… was the slums, a very different place from where Johnny had been. Already he could smell the stench of the place, but compared to what he had seen further beyond from the rooftops, this was the least bad place of the slums. Although he spotted a few people staring at him and Emilia with a predatory look, it didn't seem that they would hastily approach them.
Then, he spotted the last footprint of the girl in front of the door. A door to a quite large house.
"The thief went in there…" Spoke Johnny slowly as Black Parade trotted over to the porch. Huh… this house in the slums had the decency to have a porch.
…
…
…
"Emilia… get back." Spoke Johnny as he pulled out his steel ball once again.
"Huh…? Johnny, is there something wrong?"
"Beyond this door, there is calamity… I don't hear or smell anything at the moment, but I sense great calamity beyond this door. I usually don't have such good instincts, but Black Parade is already agitated the moment I get closer to that door."
Emilia gulped as Puck glanced at the horse then at the door.
"The next step is up to you Emilia." Spoke Johnny. "I've brought you this far and I'm willing to go on further until you get your insignia, but my main objective is to help you. If you wish to retreat and forget about what was stolen from you, I'll comply with your wishes. But… if you wish to meet the thief and take back your insignia, you'll have to brace yourself for the calamity."
"I… I can't back out now…" Whispered Emilia, realizing how sincere Johnny was when he described the danger. "That insignia… it… it may as well be the most important thing to me at this point."
"... yare yare daze…" Murmured Johnny, his favorite Japanese catchphrase emitting out of his mouth as he stretched his arms, clutching the steel ball that began to spin. Then, within his black pupils, dark flames of determination began to muster once again.
"ORA!" With a cry from the American Jockey, the spinning steel ball was thrown hard onto the door.
I know I shouldn't make more fanfictions... problem is, I can't even stop myself. Help!