Jotaro held his breath as he continued his search for Koichi. His conversation with him had gone horribly, Jotaro was never good at expressing himself. He should have just told Koichi about his theory on who the killer is. Not only had Jotaro been poor at talking, but the poor boy was also blinded by his grief, not quite unlike himself after Egy-
Green flashed before his eyes and he felt his stomach clench-
No. He wouldn't think of that right now. It was in the past. Cairo was in the past. The mansion was in the past. He had to find Koichi immediately before something happened. If there were a vampire on the loose, even if it were somehow Joseph, it'd be much too dangerous for Koichi to be alone considering he had no idea how to fight vampires.
His heart sank to the floor. Of course, it was his fault Koichi was alone right now. Jotaro hadn't followed him immediately, it had been about half an hour before he realized that Koichi wasn't going to return any time soon. Anything could happen in half an hour.
He continued walking down the street, the clouds above him poured rain. His jacket and hat were soaked and he could feel a chill in his bones. What would he say to Koichi if- when he found him? "Sorry I wasn't coherent"? That would probably make no sense to the high schooler. "It really sucks that your girlfriend died but I need you to help me fight a vampire"? No, that's even worse, he'd get pissed at that. If someone had said something like that to Jotaro back when Kakyoin died, he would have started throwing punches-
Jotaro, stop. You're thinking about it again. Get a grip.
He sighed, pulling out a cigarette and fumbling with a lighter to light it. It was a bit difficult with the rain, but he managed. Why does wording things have to be so difficult? He never had to worry about how he phrased things around Kakyoin.
Thinking of Kakyoin had brought up something. He always considered Koichi a good friend, maybe more so than any of the others he'd befriended in Morioh. Of course, the reason why had always made him feel a bit guilty. Koichi always wore that same green uniform. Their stands were somewhat similar, both long-range and green-toned, and of course Koichi was just as reliable as his deceased friend. However, one thing always kept him from telling Koichi.
Jotaro continued thinking as he walked past a discarded newspaper with a single water stain on it from the dripping gutter beside it. The boy had never met Kakyoin, so why was it fair to compare the two? That's why Jotaro had never said anything. Jotaro hadn't even brought up Kakyoin in years, not even to Joseph or Polnareff. Jotaro noticed his lighter had finally lit his cigarette. He was standing beside a building he had seen a few steps ahead, the newspaper which was now a few steps behind him had a splotch of water ten times as big as it used to be. It was as if time itself had skipped ahead...
...He should pay better attention, he must've zoned out or something. He looked over at a trash can and saw a magazine advertising some perfume from France. This reminded him that he ought to check in on Polnareff sometime soon and see how Italy is treating him.
Jotaro turned into an alleyway, hoping that Koichi had run into it.
The freshly lit cigarette fell from his hands.
There, in the alleyway, a puddle of blood pooled behind the dumpster. Jotaro stepped around the dumpster and froze.
A corpse.
It had probably occurred about an hour or two prior- back when he thought time had stopped for a few seconds. He thought he was being paranoid, shortly after Egypt he'd have moments where Star would think he said to stop time after mishearing something he said and Jotaro would panic and think DIO had returned… but… this turned out to not be paranoia...
...There, laying up against the green dumpster was a little boy, about twice or thrice his own daughter's age, with… a hole punched through his stomach.
A hole punched through his stomach.
Green.
Jotaro took a step backward, gagging slightly, trying not to vomit on the spot. It looked too much like him, the boy's white hair had been stained red in places by his blood during the impact. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. This wasn't Kakyoin. This was not his friend. This was some random child. He needed to get ahold of himself. He stepped forward again, and Star Platinum appeared beside him. His stand set a hand on his shoulder. He breathed in and out, in and out. Finally, Jotaro regained his composure.
He was fine.
He had to investigate this.
...Maybe he would consider taking the Speedwagon Foundation's therapy offer he'd denied so many years ago.
…Eh. No, waste of time.
Jotaro stood back out of the way as Star Platinum lifted the dead boy from the highly dented dumpster. No, it wasn't just dented, the impact had caused a hole in the green metal wall of the dumpster, and every vertebra in the kid's back was shattered seemingly on impact. This just confirmed his theory. That sort of strength wasn't something he had seen since-
"Hey, Jotaro, I found something-" Josuke froze at the end of the alleyway, holding something in his hand.
Jotaro took the deceased boy in his arms, holding him gently as if he were holding his Jolyne.
Jotaro turned to look at Josuke. "What did you find?" He said in a quiet voice as if he were trying not to wake the boy.
"Is that… a kid?" Josuke managed to spit out, "I think I saw that kid hanging around Rohan once… He's got a hole through his-"
"What did you find, Josuke?" Jotaro asked more firmly, cutting Josuke off before he could finish.
Josuke swallowed and held out what was in his hands. "Koichi's wallet. The money inside is only damp, so it was dropped recently." Josuke answered, trying to not look at the dead child.
Jotaro stared at the photo in the wallet, he remembered the day everyone had taken photos together. He swore under his breath.
He took one last look at the boy's corpse before handing it back to Star Platinum.
"DIO has Koichi." He said, walking past Josuke before he could respond. Egypt simply wouldn't stay in his past after all.
...Guess calling Polnareff will have to wait a bit longer.