"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
"I do."
"Can you state your name for the record?"
"Kakyoin Noriaki."
"And what is your affiliation with Jotaro Kujo?"
"..."
--
The first thing he knew was darkness. Darkness, and pain… blinding pain, the type that feels like everything is on fire, the type that consumes every sense. In retrospect, he considered himself lucky that he couldn't see at that point, blissfully unaware of the blood and scraps of metal covering his body. Joseph had said it wasn't pretty. He just took his word for it.
It had been while the recovery of Kakyoin's body was taking place that they'd discovered the armour- the tentacles of Hierophant, wrapped tightly around his body in order to deflect the otherwise devastating blow of Dio's fist; but don't be mistaken, any longer and the story would've finished far differently. Joseph called it a miracle. Jotaro called it dumb luck. Kakyoin preferred 'smart', but… well, terms didn't matter much with the gravity of what had just happened. Dio was dead, and that was all that mattered.
Dead.. Kakyoin liked the sound of that.
"So, Kakyoin, what did Dio do to get to you?"
"Huh?"
A month after the final battle, Jotaro and Kakyoin found themselves sitting on a playing field in their school back in Japan. At a glance, they seemed to be normal students enjoying the cool air of winter- it was near impossible to tell what they'd been through, save for the scars on Kakyoin's eyes and Jotaro's fists. Jotaro offered his cigarette. Kakyoin politely declined.
"You know… the flesh bud. He had to get close to you, right?" He sounded disinterested already, despite having been the one who asked.
"I was on holiday with my parents in Egypt. You already know this."
"Just answer me, won't you?"
"Yeesh… so intense." Despite his light attempt at deflecting the question, Jotaro's stare persisted, Kakyoin shrinking under it. "I don't like to talk about it. He's just… not a good person, okay? Leave it at that."
"Mm.. whatever." He took a long draw from his cigarette, "So, you take art now, huh? Not gonna attack any more unsuspecting guys?" Kakyoin just rolled his eyes in response. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You have to drop the impression that that was my doing."
"Yeah, yeah… cut on my leg was pretty fuckin' real." The pair chuckled, standing with the sound of the bell to indicate lunch was over. "You comin' over tonight?"
"Naturally. Tell Mrs Kujo I'll be waiting~"
"You stay away from my mom."
If the pair had known that evening would be the last they'd spend like that in a long time, they surely would've made more effort to thank Holy for the meal, or to relish the comfortable silence in which they completed homework, Never Cry Wolf playing softly in the background. But still, as the next morning rolled around, Kakyoin found himself being escorted to the police station before he even had time to style his mullet, two burly police officers roughly dragging him by the arms. Upon his arrival in an interrogation room, he found Jotaro in cuffs; a strange sight with the knowledge that he could easily use Star Platinum to bust out, mentally noting the possibility as he sat down beside him.
"I already told you, I'm not guilty." Jotaro's voice sounded tired. Noting the dark circles under his eyes, Kakyoin mentally pondered if he'd been there all night.
"What's… going on?" Kakyoin questioned, voice still a little rough with sleep.
"There's been a murder." One officer responded.
"A murder?"
"You heard me. And the main suspect is your buddy here."
"You think Jotaro would murde-" Jotaro shot him a look, Kakyoin stopping mid-sentence. Right. Egypt. An officer picked up on this, raising a brow.
"Something you boys are hiding from us?"
Somehow, despite the situation, neither seemed to panic. They'd already looked evil in its face, and ora ora-d it straight to hell, right? This was nothing they couldn't handle.
"And why do you suspect Jotaro…?"
"Security footage shows him walking away from the crime scene at 3:30AM. A little digging, and boom- prints, everywhere. The times line up. Plus, man's as shady as they come. Why wouldn't we suspect him?"
"Shady?! Up your a-" Jotaro instantly began, another officer cutting him off.
"Anything you do or say can be used against you in court."
Jotaro reluctantly fell silent, jaw closing with a resounding snap. Kakyoin's eyes narrowed a little- his intuition told him something was off about this case. After all, why would Jotaro be out at night? If he'd learned anything from Egypt, it was that the man slept as deep as the dead, and most certainly did not enjoy the disruption of a nap. One officer narrowed their eyes, picking up on Jotaro's subtly bobbing knee, slouching posture and disinterested tapping at the table. To any other person, this would be a symbol of teenage 'not bothered' attitude- but over their travels, Kakyoin had quickly learned that this was, rather, intense anger in such a seething way that only Jotaro could properly convey it like he did. A purple shadow separated from his body, Star Platinum snapping the cuffs as simply as one might break a Pocky, Kakyoin suppressing a smile of amusement at the officers' astonished faces. Hierophant quickly relieved Kakyoin of his own binding, the pair standing in sync, stands hovering behind them as they let themselves out. The morning air chilled their skin, Kakyoin (who was still only half dressed) wrapping his arms around himself to try and stave off the cold, skin tingling and slightly red.
"You cold?" Jotaro's question startled him. Looking up quickly, the man was offering his coat to him, the same cold expression contrasting the glint of warmth in his eyes. Kakyoin didn't even hesitate to put it on, thankful for the warmth it provided in the thick fabric, even if the sleeves did drown him and it dragged around his ankles. Despite just being in a t-shirt, Jotaro didn't seem to be at all bothered by the winter air, just lighting a cigarette and beginning to walk.
"So… where are you going now?" Kakyoin followed.
"Wherever the pigs aren't."
"What about school…?"
"What about it?" Jotaro huffed, Kakyoin smirking to himself in amusement. The pair soon came up on an arcade, neon sign flickering on to signal the start of the day. "..."
Two hours later, the pair were in intense concentration, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed as they used their stands in the final game of F-Mega. Being such a quick learner, Jotaro hadn't taken much time at all to pick up the basics, the precision and speed of Star Platinum allowing him to come up to par with Kakyoin's well practised skill. Growing up isolating himself from society, Kakyoin found a haven in gaming; a place where socialisation was optional, there were skills to learn and the constant reminder that you could improve on yourself without the pressure of societal expectations. Hierophant had been his friend through all this: shaping, learning, Kakyoin's sleepless nights reflecting into the speed with which it now tapped buttons, emerald hands overlapping with his own. Despite the lighthearted nature of the game, the pair's concentration was on par with the anger they conveyed in battles- this was their way of letting off steam from the incident earlier.
"Victory!" Kakyoin's triumphant exclamation broke the silence of their game, Jotaro rolling his eyes and pulling his hat down.
"Dumb luck."
"No, strategy and experience. You're just being mad for the sake of it."
"Whatever… gimme a fuckin' break."