Living Things Chapter 1: Awaken SAGA, a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure + Zombie Land Saga/ゾンビランドサガ Crossover fanfic

January 16, 1989

"M-My final... Emerald... S-Splash..."

Noriaki Kakyoin mutter those words weakly as Hierophant Green dissipates after firing a stream of emeralds at a clock tower. His seeming last-ditch attack destroys the clock face and stops it working, causing time to stop.

Being sure he got DIO cornered by creating a 20-meter radius web using his Stand's unraveled tentacles, Kakyoin is sure he could get the secret of his Stand's power and possibly kill DIO for good measure because the web is sensitive enough that any slightest touch will cause it to shoot out emeralds against DIO. Therefore, the web can detect his movements while he figures out The World's ability. From that point, he has the century-old vampire surrounded with no means of escape.

It didn't go as planned however. As soon as the emeralds are about to hit DIO, he summoned his Stand, The World, and before he expects it, all the emeralds shattered and he was suddenly blown away across the air with a hole on his abdomen before crashing into a water tank. The injury and impact are fatal enough that Kakyoin can't talk and move his hand or even his whole body. Right there and then, he is helpless as blood gushes out from his large wound, unable to do anything but feel the agonizing pain coursing through his body, only awaiting his impeding death. Remembering his parents who were unaware of him joining the Crusaders months ago, he apologizes for making them worry over where their son could be after going to school and disappearing suddenly.

His thoughts then focused on how did DIO break through the 20-meter radius web and emeralds easily, noting that it happened simultaneously and ｢having no slight delay in time｣. After thinking hard on that phrase, specifically the word ｢time｣ and replaying the moment DIO summoned The World and the emeralds getting shattered in his head, Kakyoin realizes what The World's ability is. Despite puking up blood in straining himself, he musters the last of his strength to fire his final Emerald Splash to a clock face as a clue for Joseph Joestar, who is currently facing DIO with seething teeth.

It's a... m-message. It's... t-the best... I can... d-do... Joestar-san... Pl-Please u-understand... Please... figure... it... o-o-out...

With his last thought placing hope that Joseph would figure out his final message and impart it to Jotaro and Polnareff, Noriaki Kakyoin closes his eyes for the last time, letting the cold grip of death take him...

...until twenty-nine years later.

April 7, 2008

I'm gonna be the girl I want to be!

Starting today, Sakura Minamoto is starting her second year in senior high school. Usually a klutz, she refuses to let that get to her as she turns off her laptop playing a song from her favorite idol group, Iron Frill. In fact, today is a special day for her because she is holding application papers for idol singers. Having admired Iron Frill, especially its leader which inspired her to pursue the career of idol singing in the first place, Sakura, with a big smile on her face, grabs her bag and rushes out of her room. Coming down the stairs, she slips her feet on her brown loafers and after making sure they're snug fit, heads outside. Instinctively shielding her eyes from the rays of sunlight afterwards, having it almost disorient her doesn't impede her smile and enthusiasm for the day.

That way, I know there are gonna be days full of thrills and excitement waiting for me!

With the bright sun beaming down on her as if she's an angel, Sakura greeted the wonderful weather with a nod. Breaking into a sprint, she makes her way to the front gate as she exclaims, "I'm going noooooooooow-!"

ドグシカァァーァァァ

Then unexpectedly, a truck rammed into her.

If anyone is present, they would witness this accident in different camera angles, including the driver. Oh, and in slow motion too, one that clearly shows her head getting the brunt of the impact from the van's windshield before launching away.

Everything slows down as Sakura is flung up high in the air without warning, letting go of her bag and papers. Her face isn't shown but her mouth is seen agape, as if she's reacting to the sudden appearance of a truck crashing into her.

A lone crow caws in the sky as Sakura's body fall on the ground headfirst. A sickening crunch is heard when her head landed, effectively ending her short life if the truck haven't done it first. Her expressionless and dull eyes staring blankly in the air is shown for the world to see.

And just like that, Sakura Minamoto's days full of thrills and excitements will not come to fruition because of her abrupt death...

...until ten years later.

Splashing rain and rumbling thunder are the first things Sakura hear after waking up.

With her eyes already open, Sakura groggily rises up. Seeing she's in a dark room with a dimly lit window, she can make out slightly the light stand and chandelier in the dark, both of which are turned off. Common sense would dictate she try to turn any of the two to illuminate the room but right now, she is confused and afraid. Where is she? What just happened to her? And most of all, what is she doing here?

Before she can think about her next move, a creaking noise is heard behind her. Shrieking slightly, she turns her scared eyes around to see a door ajar. The creaking sound is coming from it, caused by a light breeze making it move.

However, when she whipped her head around, her eyes happen to fell on a man slumped against the wall next to the door. He is slightly visible in the darkness. Even before her eyes settled on him, she is sure she heard a soft whimper coming from behind when she woke up.

Relieved to see she's not alone but concerned for the man, she stands up wobbly and move to the slumped man. Kneeling before him once she's close to him, she can make out the appearance of the man just a little and sees it's a rather tall and handsome teenager wearing a slim-fitting green gakuran school uniform that shows his physique quite well and brown shoes. His hair is colored red with a tinge of pink distinguished by a single, large and twisting bang hanging before his face. Cherry-shaped earrings are also seen on his ears, which is a rare but not too uncommon sight to see for a man.

After she's done examining him (and swooning over his handsome face), Sakura shakes his shoulder to wake him up. When he didn't, she shook harder, hoping she does not wake him up suddenly...

...Which is exactly what happened next when the man's eyes open wide and screams his lungs out.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"

Their scream last for a while until the man stops and gasps for air when he realizes he's not sleeping anymore. His face change from terror to confusion when he notices the dark room he's in, prompting him to look around. "Huh? Where... Where am I? W-Why is it so dark here...?"

Breathing heavily as she calms herself after her screaming fit, Sakura watches him be confused as to where he is. Seeing he's in a similar situation like her, she speaks up to get his attention. "H-Hey. Are you alright?"

"Huh?" The man realizes someone is kneeling before him. Squinting his eyes, he sees it's a pretty and shapely girl with long red hair reaching to the back of her shoulder with strands of her hair tied by a blue and pink dotted ribbon on her left. Her attire is a typical school uniform for girls, consisting of dark blue coat or blazer reaching to the hem of her pleated white skirt, white dress shirt, dark blue ribbon with white stripes lining the edges tied on her collar, white socks and brown loafers. A wide strap is buttoned below her breasts, securing her coat snugly. With crystal blue eyes accentuating her beautiful face, his calm lavender eyes seem to bore into her as he's enamored by her beauty.

The silence is broken as another gasp is let out after remembering what he was supposed to be doing...

"T-That's right! DIO! I must tell the others his secret before it's too late!"

Standing up straight immediately, the red-haired man moves to the nearby door in a hurry. He would have gone through if Sakura hasn't spoken. "H-Hey, where are you going...?"

"Uh?" Turning his eyes to her again, he realized he almost left the girl in a hurry, having acted without thought regarding her presence. "Oh. Sorry. I almost forgot you're here with me." He addressed her in a polite tone, removing his hand off the handle to fully face her. "I apologize for almost leaving you alone."

Seeing she got his full attention, Sakura breathe a sigh of relief. She would have to chase after him if he did go out the room. Standing up and dusting her skirt and coat, she responds, "It's alright. You were too rattled to notice me after you wake up. I'm guessing it's because you were having a nightmare, right? You did scream after I woke you up."

Flinching when she guessed the reason, the man didn't dare deny her as he vividly remembers his nightmare. About how he's chasing DIO, Hierophant Green getting hit by DIO's Stand after appearing suddenly, trapping DIO to kill him, witnessing DIO stopping time before finishing him off with a fist through his gut...

Shaking the thought off as he breathes deeply to ease his tension, he says, "W-Well, I...did have a nightmare but it's...nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine. I'm just...processing that I, or we, are in quite a predicament."

Though unconvinced, Sakura decides to let it slide as figuring out their situation is their first priority. "Okay. Just seeing you fine is good enough for me. Oh, we haven't actually introduced each other." Showing her smile, she asks, "Can you tell me who you are?"

Letting a friendly smile appear, he reveals his name to her. "It's Kakyoin. Noriaki Kakyoin. You may refer me as my last name."

Sakura can feel her face heat up over his smile. As if she has any doubt he's everything a woman had imagined an ideal man would look like…

Shaking her head out of that thought, she introduces next. "Nice to meet you Kakyoin-san. I'm... Sa...Saku- Sakura... Mina...moto..." She seems to have trouble saying her name, as if she can't remember it well but she ignores it as she finishes introducing herself to her new acquaintance. "Call me Sakura if you like."

"The pleasure's mine Sakura-san." Kakyoin returns the greeting, finding himself comforted by her voice. He doesn't know why but for some reason, that sweet voice of hers could possibly be complemented through singing. It'll sound like heaven to his ears.

Now knowing their names, Kakyoin moves to the next and important question related to the matter at hand. "Now that we know each other, can you now tell me where we are?"

Her beaming smile turn to a frown upon reminded of their situation. She shakes her head, stating, "Sorry. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor so I haven't got time to investigate before I see you. At most, I don't know what we are doing here and what this place is."

"That so? Figures..." He sighed. Taking note of the architecture of the room despite the darkness and Sakura's native name, he asks, "Apologies for me being curious but, can you tell me what country we are in?"

"Country? We're in Japan. Why do you ask?" She replied, curious he asked such a question. She didn't or failed to notice Kakyoin's eyes briefly widening in surprise after hearing he's in his home country.

"Just...wanted to clarify." He claimed. Wanting to figure out their situation more and where they are, he asks, "So... Shall we head out of this room and explore this place? We've been in this room long enough."

"Alright, but please stay close. The atmosphere here is creeping me out."

Abiding to her request, Sakura and Kakyoin exit the room. With their eyes in full attention, they see they're at end of the hallway near the window and it's dark here too like in the room they woke up in. Checking the window first, they see a long terrace hanging outside and rain splashing the night with its gray color. Judging from the height, they must be in the second floor.

"Hmm... I believe this isn't a normal house," guesses Kakyoin. "It's hard to make out due to the dark but I think we're in a mansion."

"A mansion?" Sakura parroted.

"It's only a guess but I can tell it judging from the height and the balcony outside."

Accepting his hunch, the two proceed away from the window and move forward, keeping their eyes peeled. The creepy atmosphere gets on their nerves rather well, with Sakura staying close to Kakyoin, even walking behind him as if she wants him to protect her. Kakyoing doesn't mind seeing she's the most fearful of the two. As for the question of why they are here without explanation, she rather just leave and never return, but not before they explore and see what kind of place they are in to sate her curiosity.

At the same time, a lot of questions are racing in Kakyoin's mind. From what he can remember, he was fighting against DIO alongside Joseph, with Jotaro and Polnareff chasing him somewhere in Cairo, Egypt. Then when he has him surrounded, he was killed. Even if he would like to dismiss it as a vivid nightmare, he cannot doubt that it might have happened. If it did, then why is he alive when he's supposed to be dead? And what is he doing here in Japan when he's supposed to be in Egypt?

As the two continue walking, they spot what looks like a window from their right and promptly turn to it...

ガシャンッ

...Just as something, no, someone pierced through the glass and between the two unexpectedly. A thudding sound follows.

It takes the two less than three seconds before they turn around and see what passed them just now.

"Eh?"

"What the?"

What they saw leaves them speechless as shivers ran down their spines.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Limbs contorting as she straightens herself, the creepy woman raises her head, revealing sunken red eyes and bluish or greenish skin to the two frozen in shock. Her long dark plum hair with two noticeable large strands spreading out slightly from her bangs, bandages on her head, neck, collar area and left leg and ragged black dress held up by a white thin rope on her waist with gray knee-length socks and black shoes accentuates her creepy appearance, not helped when she stands up unnaturally.

"Uuugggggnnnnhhhh…" Groaning creepily as her eyes bore on the two with her unnatural gaze, the woman raises her arms forward before instantly charging at the two.

Sakura panics as she dives out of the way but Kakyoin didn't, who instinctively grabs her arms upon snapping out of shock as they fall on the floor.

"Kakyoin!" Sakura shouted.

"D-Damn it...! Get off me, you crazy woman!" He commanded, face scrunched up in disgust as the crazy woman screams hysterically and splatters saliva on his face. Seeing how she seemingly attempts to bite him coupled by her ghastly and rotting appearance, Kakyoin realizes what she is.

Having enough of the zombie woman, Kakyoin grunts as he exerted enough strength to throw her aside.

"AGHHNNN!" The woman cried out.

Breathing heavily, Kakyoin quickly stands up before noticing Sakura motioning him to the room she found. Acting instantly, he dives through the room and once inside, Sakura closes the door. The zombie woman left outside bangs it with her hands as she intends to continue pursuing the two. They, in response, back away from the door...

"Ah!"

"Huh? Sakura!"

Reacting quickly when Sakura trips on something, Kakyoin grabs her arm and pulls her back. She was then cushioned on him, with her head resting on his chest and his hands wrapping her back. Such an intimate contact surely color her cheeks red, making her flustered.

"Are you alright?" He asked out of concern.

"Y-Yes... Thanks for that..." She sighs, finding herself liking how she's so close to him. Whether Kakyoin realized how close he is to her or not, he let go of her after seeing she's fine.

Their relief is cut short when they heard glasses shattering. They turn to see a hand has drilled through the door window for the woman to peek through with one eye.

As if the sight of a zombie woman persistent on her pursuit isn't scary enough, multiple figures rising up with harrowing groans alert the two. Turning around when they heard it, flashes of lightning reveal that the figures are, like the black-haired woman, ｢zombies｣.

"W-What!? More zombies!?" Kakyoin exclaims in disbelief.

"T-This... This must be a... a nightmare... R-Right?" Sakura fearfully hoped, forgetting she just woke up a couple of minutes ago.

ドドドドドドドドドドドドドドドド

There are eleven zombies in total, numbering in five for girls and six for boys. Of the girls, there is a blonde woman with green and orange streaks of hair tied in ponytail wearing a red varsity jacket, orange tie, white buttoned shirt, and skirt reaching to her ankle having stitches on her arms and bandages in some parts, a short woman with short slate blue hair decorated with small yellow flowers covered entirely in bandages under her blazers, yellow long-sleeved vest and slate skirt, a white haired woman with puffy hair and thin twintails in black and white sailor fuku having stitches and patches of skin on her body, an auburn-haired woman with a scar around her neck wearing red and white checkered kimono with purple collar and green skirt and a fluffy bright blue twin-tailed kid with starry decorations on her hair in green blazers and gray skirt showing her exposed heart.

As for the boys, there's a man with bob cut black hair adorned by two hair clips wearing a white suit covered in black spoon-like symbols and zippers in shoulders, chest and waist with an open cleavage revealing a lace top, a teenager with messy dark hair, tank top and pants joined by orange bandana, wrist straps and skirt, two blonde-haired adults, one wearing a knit cap adorned with pink stars and a horseshoe over an image of a rearing horse where part of his shoulder-length, curled hair sticks out from two holes and blue clothes consisting of a hooded, short-sleeved top over a longer-sleeved purple undershirt that has thick lines appearing like a harness and two patches of purple hearts in his shoulders, yellow feather with black-spotted tip rising from under his collar, striped wristband and pants, both studded with pink stars and the other having square patches of facial hair lining his jaw wearing a wide-brimmed hat and pair of goggles around the brim over his back-length hair, dark purple leather shirt lined up by small green balls, arm bands, tan pants, a belt with buckles showing a pair of hands pointing to his crotch, holsters housing two green balls, cowboy boots and a cape and lastly, a man with dark blue hair appearing black sporting one braid on his right wearing a green jumpsuit with darker green vine and peapod embroideries over a light-colored shirt with a tie and green and yellow bomber hat with seven small balls resembling grapes in the front. Curiously, these three have blue, green and orange painted lips respectively and the shoulder-haired man opts to crawl towards them instead of walking.

As for the last one, Kakyoin is shocked beyond belief when he recognizes the broad-shouldered man in the back...

A-Avdol!?

Indeed, Muhammad Avdol, the Egyptian fortune teller and member of the Crusaders recognized by his Bantu knot-styled hair, white headscarf, long red robe with elbow-length sleeves, orange scarf, gray top and pants, necklace comprised of engraved medallions with the biggest one having an ankh symbol resting on his chest and tassel and metallic bracelets, is found among the eleven zombies. Like the zombies, he has green skin and red eyes who appears menacing due to his heavy build and tall height aided by the flashing lightning. Seeing his friend in the flesh, moaning creepily with arms stretched out, Kakyoin is stupefied to see Avdol not only somehow alive, but is a zombie like them.

As he stands in shock over his friend walking slowly together with the other zombies, Kakyoin is pulled away by Sakura by his sleeve, who is more than eager to get out of the room as she does not want to be eaten by zombies tonight. Once they're near the door separate from the one they came in and occupied by the dark-haired zombie, Sakura tries to open it but she's having difficulty. Meanwhile, Kakyoin stares at the eleven zombies groaning and walking slowly with their arms stretched, including the zombie that entered.

As much as he dislikes attacking a friend like Avdol or even a kid, he has no choice in the matter.

Sorry everyone, but I can't let you all get us. He thought, knowing he will regret what he will do next.

Panicking, Sakura hugs the door with her back and asks, "What should we do? What should we do!?"

Staying mostly unfazed as he stares the appeoaching zombies, he takes a deep breath before he does something extraordinary...

｢HIEROPHANT GREEN!｣

Yelling his Stand's name, multiple white tentacles with complex green spots and patterns materialized in front of Kakyoin. The tentacles all combine to form a humanoid being with a mask covering its mouth and yellow mechanical eyes. White-colored pieces of armor covers various parts of its body but much of its green skin, reminiscent of a shiny melon, are exposed. The Stand strikes a pose by kneeling and pointing one finger with its head raised up after twirling in the air.

ドゴーンッ

As if her day couldn't get any weirder (or freakier), a humanoid being appeared in front of Kakyoin, who is covered in green aura facing the zombies with a steel gaze. He also strikes a pose with his hands forming gestures near his face and waist. "E-Eh? Wha... W-What...?" Sakura stammers, whether she is wondering if she is seeing the masked humanoid or perplexed by his flashy pose.

Not skipping a beat, Hierophant Green gathers liquid energy in its hands. Once the charged energy is enough, Kakyoin then yells, "Now, take this you zombies! Emerald... SPLASH!"

ドッバアーッ

Emeralds are shot from its hands rapidly, hitting the zombies hard enough to make them fall backwards. Once they're on the floor, Kakyoin disperses Hierophant Green and turn to Sakura, who is left gawking and amazed at his technique. "Hey! What are you standing there for? Open the door!"

"H-Huh? Ah! R-Right!" Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura hurriedly opens the door, which thankfully did and the two didn't hesitate to run out of the room. Moving as fast as they can, the two run down the stairs to the first floor while the zombies pick themselves up and futilely chase after the two at snail's pace.

Eventually, Sakura and Kakyoin find the genkan of the mansion and immediately head outside through the rain, panting from the force exerted on their legs as one objective is in their minds: ｢get away from the mansion｣.

After many minutes have passed spent dashing through the rain, not caring that they and their clothes are wet, the two stop running to catch their breaths. They are really tired due to what they've witnessed and the fact they've been running without stop. Considering a potential zombie apocalypse is imminent, you couldn't blame them.

"We... We made it... We made it out..." Sakura panted, her hands nestled on her knees.

"We gladly did..." Kakyoin concurs, combing his now wet hair. Oh how he likes to properly comb his hair after this is over.

Once they got their breaths, the two are made aware of the rushing river next to them. Turning their heads to it lead them to spot a stone erected beside it. Written on the stone are kanjis denoting the name of the river as well as the prefecture.

Machida River
Saga Prefecture

"Sa...ga...?" Sakura said, curiosity lacing her voice.

"We're in Saga Prefecture?" Kakyoin added, curious of the name.

Before they can think about it, a voice pipes in the splattering rain. "Heeeey you two, you can't be out this late!" It's a policeman, acting carefree as he lazily trudges along along with his bicycle. "What's the matter? Are you two lookin' to be arrested? 'Cuz I'll arrest you two!" He jested.

Seeing someone that is not zombie or normal have appeared, the two walk to him as he speaks up about how he wants to go home because his underwear are soaked. "Officer! Thank goodness! We need help!" Sakura pleaded. As they move closer, the policeman stops for a moment and squints his eyes on the two...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...Which is quickly replaced by terrified eyes as he drops his bicycle and scurries away from the two with a fearful look, not caring he get even more wet. "W-Wha...! Y-You two...!"

Puzzled by his act, Kakyoin asks what is the matter only to be alerted when the scared policeman point his gun at the two, freaking them out. "Y-You two...! STAY BACK! W-Wha... WHAT ARE YOU TWO...!?"

"Huh? What are we...?"

Confused over his words, Sakura and Kakyoin spot a mirror above a pole near them. They look up to see why the policeman is pointing his gun at them.

On the mirror, their faces have sunken red eyes and greenish or bluish skin, with Sakura having a noticeable scar on her forehead while Kakyoin has two smaller scars lining his eyes vertically.

Such scars, eyes and skin color are found on the zombies back in the mansion...

With this in mind, the two realize that ｢they are actually zombies｣…

Meaning, counting them, there are ｢fourteen zombies｣ in total…

The flash of lightning illuminates their face harrowingly to show they are not imagining this, which also accentuates briefly their decaying appearances...

ドがッ!

Two gunshots cut through the pouring rain and their thought processes. The two look down and respectively see a hole on Sakura's neck and Kakyoin's chest.

Tense seconds have passed before Sakura and Kakyoin look behind and see the scared-out-of-his-wits policeman shakily holding his gun, smoke coming out from the barrel as evidence of them being shot. The former stare for a second before she lies on the ground with her hair and limbs spread out around her, aghast in learning she's a zombie. To her, this is the apex of this horrible night.

"S-Sakura?" Kakyoin looks down in surprise, seeing her face showing that she is spent. He looks at the policeman and without thinking, takes a step forward dazedly. This prompts the policeman to stand up quickly and step backwards as he shouts, "S-STAY BACK! You... You... ZOMBIE...!"

"H-Hold on! This... This has to be a mistake...!" He pleads, refusing to believe he's a zombie.

"I-I'M WARNING YOU! I-IF YOU DARE STEP CLOSER, I'LL...!"

バグォッ

A shovel slamming his head stops his manic words while also knocking him out.

"Huh?" Blinking in surprise, Kakyoin stares the brown-haired man who knocked the policeman out cold with a shovel. Decked in a red vest, white shirt, black bowtie, pants and a jacket hanging from his shoulders like a cape and most peculiar of all in this time of night, black shades, the man walks to Sakura holding an umbrella and shovel neatly with his left arm, who looks up and see he's staring down on her with a passive look. Soon, fatigue caught up to her and she closes her eyes.

Seeing he isn't fazed that they're zombies and he likely knows what's going on based on it, Kakyoin speaks up to get his attention. "Hey."

"Hm? What is it? If you thought I'm ignoring you, then no. I haven't forgotten you're with Sakura-chan." The man turns to him while replying in a dismissive tone.

Hearing him utter Sakura's name despite not having met him yet, Kakyoin now wants to really know what is really going on. From this, he asks, "What's going on here? Why am I and Sakura zombies? And speaking of zombies, what are the other zombies, including Avdol, doing in the mansion?" He stares him down, telling him silently that he'll not be satisfied until he gets an answer. A proper answer actually.

"...As for the first and third question, I'll explain tomorrow," The man replied. "As for the second... You're ｢dead｣."

"I'm...what?" He sputtered, blinking in apparent denial.

"You died." He repeated. "If you want proof, check your abdomen."

"My abdomen?"

Feeling nervous all of a sudden, Kakyoin lifts his shirt up and looks down. He lets out a breath hitched gasp when he sees it.

ドドドドドドドドドドドドドドドド

The former student could only widen his eyes in shock over the bandages wrapped around his abdomen. While he can feel his wound apparently healed and filled with flesh, it didn't comfort him as, along with his sickly skin, this is the proof that The World punching through his gut ｢isn't a nightmare｣.

Shakily putting his hand on where he thought his wound would be, Kakyoin can feel his breath rattling as memories of his death play in his head. "It... It can't be..." Try as he might, he didn't have it in him to deny the reality that he did truly ｢died｣ fighting against DIO, getting a hole on his abdomen for his trouble. "This... I-I..."

"Look." The man puts his right hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts as he says, "It sucks knowing you died with that bandage covering your wound as a zombie but do not fret. You get to have a second chance in life along with Sakura-chan here. Also, you two are not the only one who died so horrifically and abruptly."

"Only one?" Confused at first, Kakyoin realizes what he's talking about, referring to the twelve zombies still in the mansion. Glancing at the sleeping Sakura, he sees the scar on her head, leading him to believe a head trauma killed her.

Avdol is included as well, considering he sacrificed himself for Polnareff and Iggy's sake before the fight against DIO. Sadly, the latter is next to die shortly after Avdol's death.

While he doesn't recognize anyone else back in the mansion, he obviously can tell they have died but came back to life. Again, counting him and Sakura, fourteen zombies are accounted for.

However, this begs the question of why he, Sakura, Avdol and the others are revived as zombies. "Hold on, I don't think I really understand the bigger picture here. Why did Sakura, Avdol, the others and I came back as zombies? I know you said you will answer tomorrow but I really need to know now."

Rubbing his chin in thought, the man says, "Perhaps I should lay the bare facts for you if you and Sakura go back to the mansion which, by the way, is now your residence. I'll disclose the rest next morning 'cause right now," A yawn escapes from his mouth as he says, "I need sleep so better move fast if you really want to know now. Preferrably to the van just a few blocks from here. Yeah, I managed to track you two down when I realize you two ran outside." He walks pass Kakyoin, telling him to carry Sakura back since his hands are full before leaving him to process his thoughts.

Once the man left, Kakyoin turns to Sakura sleeping on the ground. After few seconds, he lets out a sigh, scooping up Sakura in his arms and starts walking back to the mansion. He could only hope he gets some answers later and tomorrow, so confused and tired to comprehend the fact that, in an act against fate, he came back to life.

As the rain continues pouring, night pass Saga by without incident.

In the mansion's living room, Kakyoin sits on a couch together with Sakura, who is currently sleeping beside him. His arms folded, he patiently waits for the man in suit to appear while watching over Sakura. The whole time he sat there, his mind has to comprehend the fact that, against all odds, he's resurrected as a zombie. With the sealed wound on his abdomen serving as a reminder of how he died, he could only wonder just why he, Avdol, Sakura and the others are resurrected. If the man is not planning to cause a zombie apocalypse (thankfully enough), then what is his reason?

Kakyoin sighs, wanting to believe this is still all a nightmare in spite of reality splashing down on his face like rain.

The red-haired man feels movements beside him. Guessing she is waking up, he turns to her so she sees him and does not panic when she finds herself alone.

Waking up to see she's back in the mansion, which is considerably brighter now, Sakura moves her head and sees Kakyoin sitting with her. "Kakyoin...?"

"Sakura. Glad to see you woke up. I was wondering if you are going to continue sleeping since you fall unconscious an hour ago." He said with a small smile.

Seeing he has green skin, red eyes, and two scars lining his eyes, Sakura remembers what she looked like and, believing she's actually dreaming it, stands up and scampers to a nearby mirror. Looking at her reflection, she sees that, to her dismay, she has green skin and red eyes too like Kakyoin, in addition of a large scar on her forehead. "What the hell... This... This isn't real... This must be a nightmare!" She exclaimed in continued denial.

"As much as I want to deny it, we came back to life after we died," Kakyoin stated simply, walking to her. Sakura turns to him as he adds, "Whether I want to call our resurrection a blessing or a curse, I suppose we should accept that we are back in the living world."

While he seems collected, Sakura can detect he's not on-board and conflicted on being resurrected. Understable, considering they got revived without their consent.

Curious on how Kakyoin died, Sakura asks, "Um... I don't want to pry on you but... How did you die Kakyoin?"

Freezing for a moment when he hears her, Kakyoin sighs before lifting his shirt up. The red-haired girl would have freaked out and blush over him possibly undressing if she hasn't saw bandages wrapped around his abdomen. Her eyes widen in surprise, wondering just how did he get an injury on his abdomen that necessiated volumes of bandages on him.

"Sakura, you may not see it since it's covered in bandages but," He pointed his finger to where his large wound are. "I met my end when a fist rammed through my abdomen. If that's not enough, I was thrown to a water tank, where I would die of blood loss stemming from my gushing wound and my whole body paralyzed to the point of being almost unable to talk." He explained solemnly, feeling uncomfortable remembering the details of his death.

A gasp escaped from her mouth as Sakura covered her mouth in shock from what she heard. "W-What...? That's... That's horrible!"

Kakyoin grimly nodded, stating, "It is. And even if it's apparently healed, I can imagine a hole on full display, even if I'm revived as a zombie."

While shuddering just from imagining his death, questions are raised over how such a death is possible. He wouldn't have died that way, unless someone is deranged and strong enough to kill him in that method. Accordingly, she asks, "Who... Who killed you, Kakyoin...?"

"..." The man ponders his next response. As much as he likes to answer it, he's concerned if she can accept an explanation that a century-old vampire killed him using a Stand that can stop time. This is likely her first exposure to the supernatural so he needs to respond correctly...

...or simply stay it unanswered for a while.

"I'll answer once I'm sure you're ready to accept the circumstances surrounding it." That's his vague response.

Confused of why he's hesitant to tell her, Sakura sees he's not gonna answer more so she drops it. "Okay, if you insist."

"Now that I told you how I died, how about you Sakura?" Kakyoin asks next, lowering his shirt. "How did you get a scar on your head? I assume it's a head trauma, right?"

With her being next to answer, Sakura tries to answer.

Keyword tries as no matter how hard she try to think, she can't remember.

Hell, she can't remember anything at all.

"Oh no... Oh no oh no oh no ohnoohnoohnoohnoohno...!" Sakura's having a nervous breakdown, clutching her head as she tries in vain to remember anything.

"S-Sakura? What's wrong? Is everything alright?" Kakyoin asks worriedly.

"N-No. I'm... I'm not alright..." Sakura truthfully replies, breathing heavily with eyes darting around out of nervousness.

"Why is that?"

"Because... Because..."

"Because what...?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!"

Closing her mouth with her hand after shouting suddenly, Sakura stares at Kakyoin, who looks surprised at her sudden outburst. "Ah! I-I'm sorry Kakyoin! I didn't mean to scare you!" She bows many times to apologize.

"I-It's fine Sakura. It's fine." Kakyoin assures her. Hearing what she shouted now, he asks, "So what was the reason why you can't tell me how you died? Is it because you can't remember?"

Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura gloomily nods, stating, "Yeah... I can't remember who am I. Whether my life, hobbies, parents, where I was born or even my own death, I can't remember anything."

"I see..." So she got amnesia huh? Could something that gave her a big scar on her head caused her to lose her memory? He wondered, staring at the scar on Sakura's head. Wanting to lighten the mood, he states, "Well, at least you can remember your name."

"Ah, right. My name..." She stays ponderingly silent before she asks, "What is my name again?"

"Your name is Sakura Minamoto."

Hearing someone else speak up, the two turn their heads to see the same man in a suit and shades standing before them. While he looks the same earlier, he's curiously carrying a zombie mutt covered in different stitches and one eye shut on his right hand, wagging its tail with its tongue out and, as spotted by Sakura, a dried squid on his left breast pocket.

Recognizing him, Sakura states, "Ah! You're the man from earlier!"

"Yes. The same man who bonked the policeman with a shovel." Kakyoin reminded rather bluntly. "It's about time you show up."

"Apologies if I made you wait," The man said. Pushing the bridge of his shades, he reveals, "My name is Kotaro Tatsumi. Starting this night, you two are under my management as long as you two follow every word I say. If you do, then there will be no problems."

Comprehending his words, the two wonder what he meant about them being under his management. In response, Sakura replies, "I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're saying..."

"Same here." Kakyoin concurs. "But before you tell us more, what year is it?" Because they died many years ago, it's predictable many years have passed since they died so learning what year it is needed before they start learning more of their situation.

"2018." Kotaro answers.

"2018!?" The two exclaims in unison, not expecting the gap between the year they died and the current year will be that big. This is especially true for Kakyoin, who remembers it was 1989 of January, so to hear almost thirty years passed between his death and resurrection is shocking, to say the least.

"You heard me. ｢2018｣. Sakura Minamoto died ｢ten years ago｣ while Noriaki Kakyoin died at least ｢twenty-nine years ago｣. Both of you came back as zombies alongside the others." He continued, not skipping a beat. "As to why I revived you two as zombies, you two will work together as ｢Number One｣ and ｢Cherry Boy｣ with your respective groups to ｢save｣ Saga Prefecture!"

"Number One? Cherry Boy?" Sakura repeats the titles given to them with incredulity.

"And what's this about saving Saga Prefecture?" Kakyoin inquired, wondering if Kotaro is telling them the reason why they're revived as zombies.

As if what Kotaro is saying isn't absurd enough, he goes on to grab Sakura's chin, which causes her to blush. Kakyoin blinks over his act (and somewhat incensed) as Kotaro says, "That is the codename you will undergo as an idol. Like I said, there'll be no problems if you follow my words so you don't have to worry about anything."

"Idol?" Sakura repeated.

"Yes. I'll turn you and the other zombie girls into ｢idols｣!" He makes this bold claim.

Before Sakura can reply back, Kotaro turns to Kakyoin and, questioningly, he grabs his chin. Such gesture almost flusters Kakyoin, who would have a feeling so complicated if weren't for what Kotaro said to him.

"As for you Cherry Boy, you and the other zombie guys will use your ｢Stands｣ to protect the idols as bodyguards and fight against an enemy ｢Stand User｣ and their horde of enemy ｢Stands｣ lurking in Saga Prefecture!"

"W-What!? Stands!?"

Surprised, he removes Kotaro's hands off his chin. Looking at him with a shocked and prudent look, he never would have expect he brings up Stands, making him wary. He knows I have a Stand the whole time? If that is the case, then does that mean he must have resurrected me and Sakura as zombies through-!

"No. I don't have a Stand and didn't use them to revive you two as zombies. My method of resurrection is completely unrelated and different to Stands." Kotaro guesses his line of thought quickly and made this declaration.

"Huh?"

Wondering if he heard it right as his wariness vanish immediately, Kakyoin asks if he used a Stand to revive them.

"I did not." affirms Kotaro.

"...If you didn't use a Stand, then how did you revive us?" Kakyoin asks this important question.

"Have you watched a zombie movie before?"

"...Yes?"

"And there's your answer!"

There's a moment of silence before Kakyoin, unconvinced, states, "That doesn't explain it."

"And that's you'll ever get from me!" Kotaro maintains his stance on the matter, more or less telling Kakyoin that, 'I will not reveal the secret of my zombie revival process so deal with it.'

Still wanting to know exactly how, Kakyoin was about to ask again when Sakura chimes in. "Um, excuse me..." The two turn to her as she asks, "What is this about Stands? You were startled when you heard Tatsumi-san mention about it Kakyoin, so may I ask what is it?"

Having almost forgot again Sakura is present, Kakyoin found himself fumbling on his words, wondering if, and how, he could explain it to her. "Stands? W-Well... You see... Stands are-"

"You can tell about what Stands are next morning, which is also when I'll explain more about what I revealed to you two." Kotaro interrupts, seeing they have dragged this conversation long enough.

Still unable to understand what he's saying, Sakura asks, "How do we exactly 'save' Saga?"

Clearing his throat, Kotaro repeats his answer to Sakura and Kakyoin again in a glamorous display. "It's through making you girls ｢idol singers｣ and the boys using their ｢Stands｣ to ｢protect｣ the soon-to-be popular idols as ｢bodyguards｣, all to ｢save｣ Saga!

Hearing his nonsensical reason to 'save' Saga Prefecture, Sakura and Kakyoin could only say one word to describe their reactions and feelings over his bizarre reasoning.

"What...?"

Eyecatch features Kakyoin and Sakura holding packets of dried squid with smiles on their face. Kotaro is in the background, shades and all.

Eyecatch shows the map of Japan and a separate square showing the map of Saga Prefecture, with Sakura and Kakyoin looking at it with curiosity.

Kakyoin couldn't have imagined his morning would turn out like this.

When he was with the Crusaders, he would have taken a bath, adjust his hair and himself, eat breakfast, have a chat with his friends and set off to another place, occasionally encountering an enemy Stand User. The stakes back then are high but if he's being honest, it's normal as far as being a Stand User can be.

Him sitting next to Sakura in a basement resembling a dungeon with a jail cell for some reason, illuminated slightly by lights that gives a creepy vibe and twelve mindless zombies roam around aided by unearthly groans coming from their mouth however, is the serving of the cake over the bizarre sights he witnessed.

Did I forgot to mention they're all zombies, including Sakura and Kakyoin?

If he's being honest, it's better if he stayed dead, as much as he does not want to.

Staring the back of the chalkboard with nervous eyes, Sakura is trying her best to comprehend that starting from her revival, this is her first day as a living undead. Ignoring the woman in kimono, the aqua-haired kid, a knit-capped man crawling on the ground, a boy who looks like a lady striding around with outstretched limbs and a long-haired black woman kneeling near the chalkboard, it's safe to say Sakura might have seen everything.

At the same time, Kakyoin glances behind to see Avdol, the jumpsuit man and the white-haired girl grabbing the bars while moaning eerily. If he remembers correctly, Avdol forced Jotaro to get out of the jail after turning himself in when his Stand or "evil spirit" started manifesting using Magician's Red. Perhaps Avdol is doing the same thing despite no one being behind bars?

After taking note of a blonde woman with arms stretched in front of her, the lone cowboy with one arm raised and a man with zipper motifs prancing next to a girl covered in bandages while clutching his left shoulder, Kakyoin resisted the urge to shake his head. Their moaning and mindless trudging is getting to him now, getting him close to use Hierophant Green to tie them all up. Trying to get his mind off of them, he turns to Sakura and starts a conversation. "So... Did you get a good sleep last night?"

Looking to his eyes, Sakura shakes her head, replying, "No. I was wide awake because I tried in vain to remember anything. Barring that, the fact that I came back to life as a zombie is what kept me up the whole night."

"Well, good thing we're zombies because we might not need any sleep," Kakyoin yawns in spite of him saying it. "Otherwise, you would be deprived of any energy."

"I don't think that's anything good." She stated.

A door swings open, snapping their attention to one Kotaro Tatsumi as he walks in with a greeting to start the day once he stands in attention with arms on his waist. "Goooood morning, ladies and gentlemeeeeeeeen!" Standing with the chalkboard behind him, he ignores the mindless zombies and focus his eyes to the two zombies currently sitting. When he sees the two aren't returning the greeting, he walks to them and moves his face closer as he repeats, "I said GOOOOOOOD MORNING!"

"G-G-Good m-morning...!" Sakura stutters on her greeting, getting nervous from Kotaro being close and shouting to her ears.

"Good morning..." Kakyoin greeted calmly.

"A correct response!" Kotaro exclaimed. "You two will be working with your respective teams so a little respect is needed for cooperation. If you don't have any respect, then no one will acknowledge you just like the others."

"They're still acting as zombies they are. When do they start acting normal?" Kakyoin pointed out the mindless zombies who are obviously not awakened yet.

"Oh they will be sooner or later." He then feels something rubbing against his legs and looks down to see it's the zombie poodle. "Ah. Hey there Romero. Good job wrangling the girls and guys in today." He complimented the dog before dropping a piece of dried squid from his breast pocket on the floor. The dog smiles at the treat before digging in.

カブッ!

Whether their imaginations are kicking in or he can transform somehow, Romero suddenly looks like a big scary dog as he eats the squid with ferocious intensity. Tellingly, Sakura shrieks and tries to scoop away on her seat while Kakyoin is unnerved over his apperance.

Note to self: Let's not feed dried squid to dogs, especially zombie ones. He thought as a precaution.

"And so here we are..." Kotaro returns to his previous position. "Let's work hard to make you all cooperate together to turn you zombie girls into idols and for the zombie guys to protect you rotting girls, starting today!"

With the exception of Sakura and Kakyoin, none of the zombies are obviously listening, simply continuing their prancing ways.

Wondering if this is the part where he's gonna reveal more details from last night's answers, Kakyoin asks, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Bring it on," Kotaro nodded with his hand pointed like a gun.

"Will you elaborate as to how you'll make Sakura and the girls idols, as well as me, Avdol and the guys protect them from enemies, in an effort to save Saga?" He feels weird phrasing his question, especially the part about saving Saga.

"And why am I chosen as an idol?" added Sakura.

"As for your question Kakyoin-kun, yes, I'll explain more. And as for you Sakura-chan, it's to save Saga."

"...By being an idol?"

"That's right." He nods with utmost seriousness. "In this day and age, regional idols are becoming a thing of the past, but because of that, the competition has died out as well. You'll capitalize on that to save Saga which is itself on the verge of becoming a thing of the past. And boom," Flipping over the chalkboard that has something written on it, Kotaro reveals the name of the project with confidence, declaring, "We call it the ｢Zombie Land Saga Project｣, baby!"

Noticing something about the board, Kakyoin points it out. "The chalkboard is upside-down."

"Huh?" Looking at the board, he realizes his mistake and quickly flips the board again before turning it around, now showing the name of the project properly. "There. Happy now?" Kotaro asked.

"I am." Despite the absurd situation he's in, Kakyoin never hesitates to crack a smile.

"W-Wait a second please!" The two looks at Sakura, concern written on her face. "I... I don't remember anything from when I was alive. So asking me to be an idol or to save Saga is..."

"No need to worry," Kotaro interrupts her. "The others have even more baggage than you."

Kakyoin raised an eyebrow. "Does that include the zombie guys and Avdol?"

"That's right. Heck, these three have even more baggage than the rest of the rotting zombies and you two. Trust me when I said that. Their pasts are too haunting enough I feel an ounce of pity on the three." He points to the man with zipper decorations, a guy who looks like a lady and the crawling man. His statement makes the two curious as to how did they have more baggage than them. As for Kakyoin, he could wonder how him having no friends due to his belief that everyone would never understand him because he has Hierophant Green be considered less baggage compared to these three.

Speaking of which, it's about time the two learn who these twelve zombies are. Spurred by this thought, Sakura asks, "Uh, and they are...?"

"Curious?" teases Kotaro.

"Of course we are," Kakyoin replied, folding his arms as he waits for their introduction. "In fact, this girl has bitten Sakura thirteen times since this morning." Sakura lifts up her arm to show the long-haired creepy woman, the same woman and first zombie they encountered last night, biting her arm.

"They're...｢legends｣."

"Legends?" The two parroted in unison.

"That's right. ｢Legends｣." Kotaro repeated, holding a dried squid in his hand for the woman, who let go of Sakura's arm when she sees it and hungrily bite it. "They're the legendary girls and boys I have chosen and revived to save Saga. And together with you two, they will form an ｢ultimate｣ team!"

Kotaro points dramatically to the blonde-haired girl as he starts introducing the so-called ｢legends｣. "At the turn of the century, she conquered all of Kyushu with her biker gang, ｢Dorami｣! The Legendary Biker Boss, SAKI NIKAIDO!"

Biker boss, huh? Kakyoin looks at the girl, curious and wary that a biker boss is in the team.

…I-I hope I don't get on her bad side! As for Sakura, she feels nervous when she hears she's the leader of a gang.

Pointing to the fluffy haired girl still gripping the bars, Kotaro shouts, "This girl gave rise to the 1980s ｢idol boom｣ and was in a class of her own! The Legendary Showa Idol, JUNKO KONNO!"

Kakyoin's eyes widen when he hears Junko's name. Junko Konno? The idol who perished when the plane she's in crashed? Looking over the white-haired girl still holding the bars, Kakyoin did not expect she's the one and the same. While he may not known her well, he did heard about her and her tragic death.

Gesturing to the woman in kimono, Kotaro states, "From the turbulent time spanning the death of the shogunate to the Meiji era, this woman was there at the moment of ｢revolution｣! The Legendary Courtesan, YUGIRI!"

Shogunate? Meiji era? Sakura cannot help but be surprised that Kotaro managed to revived someone from the Meiji Period. By that point, her corpse would have withered to bones.

Heck, she and Kakyoin would have withered to bones too given many years have passed.

Turning to the twin-tailed kid with an exposed heart, Kotaro continues, "After a major break out on a long-running period drama, she managed to leave her mark on the ｢prime-time lineup｣ of every network! The Legendary Child Actress Prodigy, LILY HOSHIKAWA!"

So even a kid has died. Kakyoin solemnly thought, reminding again of his untimely death.

Child actress prodigy? Wow. She must be really good for a kid like her. Such a shame she died too young. Sakura complimented in her head, sharing Kakyoin's feelings about her dying so young.

Pointing two fingers at the short-haired girl, the man in suit reveals, "During the warring period following the year 2000, she was the implacable center for the ruling unit, ｢Iron Frill｣! The Legendary Heisei Idol, AI MIZUNO!"

Looking at the Heisei idol, Sakura has a feeling she knows who she is. Wait... Isn't she...?

Pointing to the zombie chewing the dried squid, he introduces her lastly. "｢The Legendary TAE YAMADA｣! And they will be joining you on your-"

"Wait a second! Just a second!" Sakura stops him from continuing, seeing that the last one has an anti-climactic introduction compared to the others. "That last one..."

"｢The Legendary TAE YAMADA｣!" Kotaro repeated.

Unconvinced, Sakura says, "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you. The legendary..."

"...｢TAE YAMADA｣!" He finished without elaboration.

"Uh, isn't there... Anything else?"

"DOES THERE HAVE TO BE?!" Kotaro shouted as he shoves his face close to her again, looking irritated.

Shrieking when he unexpectedly gets close to her again, Sakura says, "B-B-But what's her legend about-"

"WHO SAYS A LEGEND HAS TO BE ABOUT ANYTHING?!

"Then isn't she just a normal zom-"

"WHAT MAKES YOU LEGENDARY THEN?! GO ON, TELL THEM! OR IS IT THAT YOU'RE NOT A LEGENDARY ONE, HUH?! YOU DUMBASS ZOMBIIIIIEEEEEE!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Kakyoin's voice cut through Kotaro's words loud enough to stop him from pestering Sakura. The two turn to see him glaring at Kotaro due to him invading her private space his obnoxious shouting. With arms folded, he says, "Don't try to discomfort her any longer. She has a lot to take in so please take it slow."

After staring Kakyoin back, Kotaro concedes, stating, "Alright, if you insist." He shrugs his shoulders, seemingly not finding any problems of screaming at her face.

Seeing Kakyoin intervene for her, she turns to him and say, "Hey, you didn't need to do that."

"I have to. You don't exactly look confident the whole time," He replies. "I was concerned. Also, it feels like I'm going deaf from all the shouting."

Giggling at his words, Sakura smiles as she says, "Well, thanks for standing up to him."

"Anyway! Back on the topic in hand..." Kotaro yells to get their attention back. "Now that I introduced you two to the girls, it's about time for the zombie guys to be introduced!"

Like earlier, he dramatically points to Kakyoin's friend hugging the wall next to the cage, even doing a pose. "An Egyptian fortune teller and friend of Kakyoin, he is one of the Crusaders who ventured towards Egypt to ｢kill an evil vampire｣! The Legendary Fortune Teller, MUHAMMAD AVDOL!"

Avdol... Never thought that I would say this as a zombie but, it's good to see you again. Kakyoin smiles at Avdol, glad that someone he knows is present.

Evil...vampire? Sakura can feel her spine tingling just from thinking it. What kind of journey did Kakyoin and Avdol embarked to reach this vampire? And did they really encounter this vampire? Or do vampires actually existed?

Posing with two fingers pointed, the man in a white suit is in the spotlight as Kotaro shouts, "A member and capo of the infamous Italian mafia called ｢Passione｣, he and his team have betrayed the boss in order to usurp him and reform the organization from within! The Legendary Caporegime, BRUNO BUCCIARATI!"

W-What?! Passione!? Sakura is surprised Kotaro have revived a member from Passione. From what she heard and remember despite her amnesia, they're the most powerful organization in Italy, having large influence over the country that made the drugs forbidden. While Kakyoin isn't as surprised as she is, he is wary a member of the mafia is recruited like the the girl from biker gang Dorami.

Pointing dramatically again to the messy-haired boy standing with his arms spread wide and head tilted up, Kotaro reveals, "Under the leadership of Bucciarati, this kid will not hesitate to follow his leader's command to accomplish his team's goals, even if it means ｢betraying the boss｣! The Legendary Soldato, NARANCIA GHIRGA!"

Oh, he's with Bucciarati? Kakyoin thought. Although he seems young like him, he can guess Narancia is not someone to be trifled with if Bucciarati is willing to betray his boss. Not to mention being part of a mafia.

Wait, Narancia's a boy? I thought he's a girl! Sakura is certainly not expecting to learn his real gender. His outfit, thin body shape and androgynous voice based on his groans made him look like he's a girl.

Pointing towards the man lying on the ground with his head turned one side and limbs spread out a little, the man in shades exclaims, "Former ex-jockey, paraplegic, and a peculiar individual alongside his friend and the one in jumpsuit, having such a disability will not deter this man from participating a transcontinental horse race in order to ｢walk｣ again! The Legendary Jockey, JOHNNY JOESTAR!"

"Huh? Did you call him ｢Joestar｣?" Kakyoin repeated the last name in curiosity.

"Yup. You heard me. Johnny Joestar." Kotaro reaffirms.

"...So, if he's a Joestar, is he a lost relative?" He asks, wondering what Johnny's connection to the two Joestars he knows.

"No, he's not."

"Then who is-"

"If you want to know why he's a Joestar, let's say he's a... pretty ｢peculiar｣ alongside his friend and the jumpsuit man. I will tell you why they're called that next time. Is that clear?"

"...Okay?" He drops the subject, curiosity and confusion still etched on his face. He's wondering who exactly is Johnny Joestar and what makes him and the two as-of-yet-introduced zombies peculiar.

As for Sakura, she is surprised to learn he's a paraplegic, now seeing it makes sense he is crawling instead of walking. So that's why he spends the entire time crawling. If what Kotaro said about him is true, then he must be impressive despite his condition.

"Moving on!" Kotaro points to the long-haired blonde man with a raised hand. "A dear friend of Johnny and a participant to the race, he is an executioner for the Kingdom of Naples who participated in the race to win amnesty for a child in death row and also an expert of the mysterious ｢Spin｣ technique! The Legendary Executioner, GYRO ZEPPELI!"

E-Executioner...? Warily looking over Gyro, Sakura hopes she didn't get on his wrong side unless she'll be executed. She's not ready to die the second time.

As for Kakyoin, he wonders if his last name rings any bells. He must have heard of the last name, probably from Joseph when he and the others talk during their downtime... And what's this about the Spin?

"And last but not the least," He lastly points to the man in jumpsuit lying on his back near a seat. "Hired by a family patriarch as a secret plant appraiser and fruit grower, he helped two acquaintances of the patriarch's family to recover a ｢mysterious fruit｣ capable of healing one body part but in exchange of turning the other part to stone! The Legendary Plant Appraiser, RAI MAMEZUKU!"

Plant appraiser? Hmm... Guess the vines on his jumpsuit and the grape decoration on his hat isn't there for show. Kakyoin muses looking over his outfit.

"Aaaannnndddd there you have it! These are the zombie guys you will work with Kakyoin-kun!" Kotaro finishes with bombastic voice. "You're part of a team filled with Stand Users who will guard the up-and-coming zombie idols and fight against enemies that will threaten the girls and Saga!"

"Stand Users huh? I must admit. This is an interesting and bizarre group I ended up in." Kakyoin states, sounding rather impressed. Aside from Magician's Red, he's curious of what Stands Bucciarati, Narancia, Johnny, Gyro and Rai have. If Kotaro knows or is aware about Stands, then he must work together with them to utilize the whole team's potential.

Now if only they could snap out from their mindless states.

"It is indeed bizarre but I assure you, it's gonna be a blast!" The man in shades declares.

"Kotaro-san. Kakyoin-kun. Can you two explain to me about Stands already? I think this is the perfect time to tell it, right?" Sakura's curiosity led her to ask it, getting Kakyoin and Kotaro's attention over her. Remembering that he was about to explain what Stands are about yesterday until Kotaro forces him to save it for tomorrow, he guess it's about time he tell her about it.

After getting Kotaro's permission, he begins explaining to Sakura what's the deal about Stands. "Stands are physical manifestations of a person's life energy and psyche given form. They represent one's fighting spirit and gifts the user with extraordinary abilities. They're called Stands because they appear standing next to their user, ready to act under their command. Those who have Stands are called Stand Users and each of them has different types and various abilities they can use for good or evil."

Upon hearing his explanation, Sakura is amazed. To think such a phenomenon exist that forms from one's psyche and gain unique powers. Thinking on his explanation, she focuses on the fact that Stands appear near their user. If that is the case...

"Kakyoin, when we first encountered the zombies last night, a humanoid figure appeared in front of you and fired emeralds against them," She reminds him of the events last night. "Could that be your Stand?"

"Yes. Hierophant Green is my St-"

He didn't finish his reply when he realize the implication behind Sakura's words. He's not alone here as Kotaro, despite wearing shades, has a hint of surprise present on his face.

"Wait. What did you just said, Sakura?" He asks with eyes wide as he double-checks her statement.

"About the humanoid figure I saw last night, was it your Stand?" She repeated, not noticing their surprised faces.

Believing he's misheard her, Kakyoin summons Hierophant Green before asking, "Can you see my Stand hovering near me?"

"Ah! Yes! ｢I can see it｣! The Stand from last night!"

There is silence between the three aside from the groans of mindless zombies prowling about and the sound of a Stand dispersing. It would be three seconds before Kakyoin and Kotaro broke the silence with a surprised "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

"Whawawawawawawa-!? W-W-What's wrong?"

"SAKURA-CHAN! DID YOU... DID YOU JUST...!?" Kotaro zooms close to her face for the third time as he's having a breakdown of a sort.

"Did you really see my Stand!?" Kakyoin inquires with a shocked expression, standing up and joining Kotaro in facing her, albeit not too close.

Confused and almost freaking out as to why they're so shocked but seeing they're waiting for her answer, she nods affirmatively. "Y-Yes. I did see your Stand, Kakyoin..."

Seeing she is sure she can see Hierophant Green, Kakyoin stands straight and rubs his chin in thought, still processing the fact Sakura saw Hierophant Green. "I can't believe this. How can you see my Stand, Sakura? You obviously don't have one."

"Um... Am I supposed not to be seeing it normally?"

"You supposed to be not." Kotaro replied, calming himself and pushing his shades. "Only Stand Users can see other Stands. If you don't have one, you can't see them at all."

"Really? But if that's the case then, why can I see them?" asks Sakura, now finding her seeing Stands odd.

"Who knows? It is puzzling to be sure." Kakyoin shrugs. "But if I were to guess, perhaps you have the ｢potential｣..."

"The potential?"

"The potential to ｢have a Stand｣." He said. "There's much I don't know about Stands in general but whether you will gain one or not, we'll just have to see." Remembering that Kotaro knows about Stands, he turns to him and asks, "If I'm curious Tatsumi-san, can you see my Stand?"

"No, I can't," He stated simply. "I don't have a Stand like I told you last night so obviously I can't see them. As for how Sakura can see your Stand, even I'm curious if she can potentially summon her own... BUT! I must remind you, Number One, that you're an idol first and foremost, so whether you think you can summon a Stand or not, that's irrelevant when you and the zombie idols are about to have a stimulating performance ｢tonight｣!"

"Well, I admit I- Wait, performance?" Sakura repeated confusedly.

"And tonight?" Kakyoin added.

"That's right! Your first appearance as idols iiiiiiisssss…! TONIGHT!" Kotaro announces grandiosely, confidence lacing his tone which isn't shared by Kakyoin and especially Sakura.

"…"

"WHATTTT!?"

A crowd consisting of heavy metal fans are waiting outside the Geils Live House, all eagerly waiting to hear the music and scream their lungs out as the metal music swells. Among the crowd, one tall guy with a lanky frame and a short chubby guy are present, both wanting nothing more than to hear the sound of metal scream in the dead of night.

Their attention change from waiting to get inside the venue to the black van braking at the red carpet. They watch Kotaro and Kakyoin, with a skeptical look on his face, exit the van from the front and opens the sliding door where six zombie girls and Sakura steps out. To make sure the girls and Kakyoin aren't outed as zombies, Kotaro put them all in a makeup, and expertly so as the seven look pretty and, in case of Kakyoin, handsome and indistinguishable before they died. This is something the two conscious zombies are impressed of and would have complimented Kotaro if weren't for the even more absurd situation he put them in.

While the zombie girls in disguise follow Kotaro, including the reluctant and anxious-as-hell Sakura, Kakyoin takes his time to look at the crowd, noticing the stares perpetuating from them as they wonder why are seven girls here in a venue dedicated for the heavy metal music. Some of them, mostly female, look at him with indifference though some seems to admire him for his looks.

...This is not gonna end well. Kakyoin shakes his head before following Kotaro and Sakura inside.

In the stage, the metal band rouses the hardcore fans of their music, earning them cheers and shouts over the song crashing to their ears. As the show goes on, in the backstage, Sakura looks at a poster she's holding in her trembling hands. Remarking the rock-inspired art isn't idol-like at all, she's questioning what Kotaro is thinking choosing this venue for the first ever performance of ｢Death Musume (Name Pending)｣.

Speaking of Kotaro, he is currently facing the brunt of a one-sided argument from Kakyoin over his decisions this night.

"Look, I'm telling you! This is crazy!" Kakyoin insisted. "Their 'first performance' is guaranteed to be a disaster!"

"I assure you, Cherry Boy," Kotaro remains unmoved, calling his nickname as a way of concealing his identity. "I have everything under control here. I know what I'm doing to be absolutely absurd...in your view."

"If you have everything under control here, then look at the other girls!" He pointed to the prowling zombies in disguise, all of whom are wearing their "stage performance" outfit including Sakura which are actually casual clothes. "Related to my first point, them being unawakened spells disaster for their upcoming performance, don't you think!?"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! No, no, no!"

The three turns to Tae, chewing an earpiece. A staff member attempts to stop her from chewing it more as he says, "You can't go gnawing on that! It costs lots of money!"

Once he gets it off of her, the staff leaves the room to clean the saliva off, leaving Tae to stare at him before she continue her mindless prowling. "See my point there?" Kakyoin stated with folded arms.

"I agree! Tae-chan's gonna bite someone at that state!" Sakura concurs, standing up to stare Kotaro with pleading eyes.

"..."

"...So. What do you think of the special makeup skills I learned in Hollywood? Nobody's noticed that there are zombies here." Kotaro purposely switch the subject to the makeup put on Sakura, Kakyoin and the zombie girls. The two doesn't like he dodge the subject matter, with Sakura stating, "That's not the real issue here!" Turning to look at the mirror, her pouting face softens as she, admittedly, liked Kotaro's work on putting their disguise. "Although, it's impressive."

"I agree. You must have put some practice before you perfected applying makeup to disguise us as humans." Kakyoin admits, looking at his reflection.

"I hope you're not bothered that a guy like you has to use a makeup. Can't obviously let everyone know you're a zombie, right?" Kotaro replied.

"I don't mind at all." He shrugs, looking at his hands and face. Hm. I wonder what could I add to my face? Maybe a lipstick?

At this moment, the lead singer let out a scream through a megaphone, riling up the cheering audience. The scream is loud enough it can be heard through the walls.

Tae continues prowling until she hears the scream and accompanying rock music. She stops for a moment to groan in response and comprehend it...

...And started head banging aggressively.

Surprised over her weird act, Sakura stammers, "W-W-What!? What, what, what is this!? What's going on?!"

As she and Kakyoin stare at Tae head banging in shock, Yugiri and Ai proceed to imitate Tae, surprising the two more. "W-What the hell?" Kakyoin mutters as he turn to look in more surprise.

Junko, Lily and Saki follow suit, creating a group of zombies head banging from the heavy metal music that found its way to the backstage. Naturally, the two couldn't be more surprised than this.

"No, no, no!" Acting quickly, Sakura borrows six dried squids from Kotaro's breast pocket (who remains impassive to their odd gesture) and stuffs it in their mouths to make them stop.

While Sakura struggles to calm Tae down, Kakyoin asks what just became to them.

"Let's just say a little ｢stimulation｣ is needed to make them conscious. That is exactly what I did when you two weren't woke up then." Kotaro responds.

I better not ask what I did while I was still a mindless zombie. He kept in mind, feeling a little bit undignified by imagining his actions before he "woke" up. "If you want the girls to wake up, then what about Avdol and the other Stand Users back in the mansion? How do you plan to wake them up?"

Smiling, he answers, "Trust me, Cherry Boy. I'm already doing that even before we left for the venue."

Back in the mansion, Romero is keeping watch to the undead Stand Users head banging their way as a result of a rock music coming from a laptop. The dog barks approvingly before leaving the basement as the guys continue their "stimulating" experience.

"If you don't have any more questions, then I would like to announce that Sakura and the girls got this on the bag!" Kotaro declares with a confident look in spite of the ridiculous situation the two found themselves in.

"No I don't!" Sakura remarked after Tae stops and chews on dried squid, facing Kotaro with a nervous face. "That should be obvious!"

"You must not have a common sense if you think the six mindless zombies 'got this in the bag' like you said," Kakyoin shakes his head, more or less staying on Sakura's side. "Though as much as I like to make you stop this madness from delving further, I guess it's too late for that, huh?"

"...I don't get it. What are you two so worried about?" Kotaro sincerely asks. Kakyoin has to calm himself down before he puts his fist to Kotaro's face over his indifference as he feels his patience almost at its limit.

"What am I- How can I do anything but worry!?" Sakura exclaims in exasperation, sharing Kakyoin's thought. "Me and Kakyoin here are the only ones that are awake and it's really obvious the others are zombies!" Going over Kotaro to complain, she adds, "And isn't a performance the kind of thing you gotta do a bunch of practice for?! What exactly are you ｢expecting｣ us to do?!"

Seeing she's riled up, Kotaro puts his hands on her shoulders to stop her outburst. "Just trust your instincts." He said simply.

"...Tae-chan might bite somebody." She recalls her earlier statement.

"A little biting never hurt anybody." He responds with a reassuring smile.

"...Are you stupid?" Kakyoin chimes in to mock his denseness.

"LISTEN UP!"

Feeling themselves gearing up to listen what he has to say, Kotaro says, "Nobody in that crowd is expecting a damn thing from you all. That goes for me and Kakyoin, too. Not even a little bit."

"Then-"

"...And that's why!" Sakura swallows what she's about to say when Kotaro still has something to say for her. "That's why you have to blow their expectations away! You will turn Saga...no. You will turn the entire world on its head!"

"...We will?" Sakura softly mutters in thought.

A staff member enters briefly to tell them that they're on before leaving to prepare. "Death Musume (Name Pending), you're up!"

"Have some faith. You can do this." He finishes with a reassuring smile.

His speech just now... Even at the face of absurdity and insurmountable odds, Kotaro is confident in his plan to save Saga. Even though Sakura and the girls are unexpectedly thrust in their first ever performance as an idol group without practice, Kotaro holds absolute faith in them to succeed as part of his project. Kakyoin thought, feeling somewhat roused up by the man in shades' resolve. While having to team up with other undead Stand Users to fight against a common enemy is manageable, him reviving zombie girls to form an idol group may sound insane but, combined with his actions, desires and his speech, I can't help but feel...

"Kotaro-san..." Sakura seems to share Kakyoin's thought, seemingly roused up by Kotaro's daring speech...

"I can't do it." She stated affirmatively with stern eyes staring to his eyes covered by sunglasses.

...not convinced. At all. Even Kakyoin is doubtful.

Silence reigns for few seconds, letting Sakura's words sink into Kotaro's head...

...

"OKAY! IT'S A GO! GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!" He claps his hands with utmost conviction, willing to see Death Musume's first performance to start.

On the stage, Death Musume (Name Pending), consisting of Sakura as Number One, Saki as Number Two, Ai as Number Three, Junko as Number Four, Yugiri as Number Five, Lily as Number Six and lastly, Tae as Number Zero, stands, or prowls around in the case of six, in front of the indifferent audience, who are all wondering why seven girls are doing here when heavy metal music is the theme here. They're so indifferent that they paid no heed to the six's odd movements and groans as they care more about the heavy metal music, not seven cute girls in casual attire and likely performing with pop music typical for the idol genre.

Feeling her nerves getting whacked to its limit, Sakura tries to maintain her composure as she says, "U-Um, well, good evening… W-W-W-We are D-Death Musume!"

"Just spit it out girlie! You better not make fun of death metal!" The chubby man shouted annoyingly.

"And what are idols doing here anyway?" His lanky friend asks, questioning their presence.

"R-Right! Y-You can all call me N-Number One!" She introduces using her codename as per Kotaro's request.

"I don't care! Just start already!"

"It's just gonna be crap, anyway!"

The crowd starts murmuring and booing "I-I'm sorry!" They're so mad! What do I do? What do I do?! She thought in panic. Kakyoin, please...! Help me!

Behind the stage, Kakyoin and Kotaro are watching the anxious Sakura and the girls minding their business. The former has a sympathetic look directed over her. He can't see much of the audience but he can tell from the indignant murmurs that they're not interested of the soon-to-be idol girls at all.

"I can tell this is gonna be a disaster." Kakyoin tells Kotaro, sounding exasperated. "Are you sure they're up to this?"

"They will be soon." Kotaro remains rooted of his decision. "Just have to wait for the ｢cue｣..."

"The cue?" He raises an eyebrow over the specific word. This is the first time he's watching an idol group performance, or what can be constituted as a performance, but he can tell it's gonna involve singing and dancing. He guesses it from the few times he heard or watched Junko sing when he's young so he has to admit, he's curious and wondering where this will lead.

Meanwhile, as Sakura dreads the worse, she notices Tae staring at the audience, specifically the lanky and chubby duo.

She roared before jumping towards the duo with open mouth.

I knew it! A surprised expression is present on her face as Sakura watches Tae land on the chubby guy, who is surprised she dared to perform a stage dive when their performance hasn't even started yet. As Tae shouts ferociously, seemingly with intent of biting him, Sakura gets off stage and pulls Tae to prevent the situation from escalating further. "Tae-chan! C-Cut it off!" Once she's pulling Tae back to the stage while the audience look at the long-haired woman in shock, Sakura feels utterly defeated, feeling pessimistic that things are going to be bad. I just knew it! She thought in despair.

While the two remarks on Tae's ｢brutal｣ move, Kakyoin puts his hand on his face, having guessed what Tae is gonna do when she's staring to the audience. I knew it... He thought in discontentment.

Just when the two thought it will end in absolute failure, Saki kicks a megaphone lying on the floor. The sound it makes seems to have the audience's attention, including Saki. All the while, Sakura is dismayed at such a huge mess she's in.

Then, when Sakura notices the audience's eyes are on the group, Kotaro sees the ｢cue｣...

"MUSIC, COME ON!"

Heavy metal music plays, surprising the audience, the metal duo, Sakura and Kakyoin, the latter two almost getting deafened by the music.

W-W-What...? What is this...? What's going on!? Sakura thought in panic, her ears ravaged by strumming guitars and pounding drums.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

Amidst her panic, Saki yells through the microphone as the audience excitedly cheer, obscuring Sakura's startled scream.

Meanwhile, Kakyoin recovers from getting deaf before asking, "W-What...? What's going on here? This music..." Eyeing Saki as she continues screaming, Kakyoin wonders how did Kotaro have this kind of music to be used in their performance. He must have known the venue is gonna be filled with metal fans so he must prepared it in advance. As for how he got it if he hasn't borrowed it from other bands… "Tatsumi-san, did you...compose this music?" He asks the manager.

"Being a manager of an idol group, it's appropriate to have one composer for the girls to sing," Kotaro explains, smug smile evident on his face. "If there's no composer, obviously you have no music."

"I see... I'm surprised you made this music for the performance." Kakyoin seems impressed of Kotaro's work for the song. He turns back to the girls only to be more surprised when the girls sans Sakura and Saki started head banging aggressively. "W-What in blazes?!" He exclaims over the sight.

Amidst the cheering audience, head banging zombies and Saki continuing screaming on a megaphone, Sakura can feel her sanity reaching its peak. It doesn't matter how hard she tries, the overall sheer insanity is getting to her. Her first performance, taking place in Geils Live House filled with heavy metal fans and backed up by the same genre for the performance and the unawakened zombies having no care for the world as they head bang vigorously, is surely having an impression on her. So much so that she's facing down as she's at her limit, more than ready to let it all out to the world...

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Eventually, Sakura screams her heart out, surprising Kakyoin due to her ferocity unexpectedness. "S-Sakura!?"

Among the audience, the duo notice something about the girls, including Sakura, as they head bang alongside screaming Saki. "What... What is this? What are they doing...?" Looking closely, they see that their headbanging is unnatural and over-the-top, which isn't possible unless you really want to strain your neck and spine just to achieve it. Not that they cared, as they enjoyed the sheer, menacing ｢metal｣ feeling with vigor.

Meanwhile, Sakura realizes something as she instinctively let her body respond to the music. This feeling... Where have I...? As she looks up at the colorful stage lights shining down on the girls, Sakura experiences a flash of memory in her head depicting her among the audience cheering for an idol group on the stage shined on by colorful stage lights.

Just like how it appeared quickly, it disappeared before she can think about it, not that it matters as she's still performing, or in this case, screaming her lungs out, rousing the audience including the lanky and chubby duo as Death Musume head bangs aggressively.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Number One then dives to the audience on her back, feeling the thrill of performance.

"Sakura..." Kakyoin mutters her name, thinking this is one night he would not forget...

The tweets of the birds ring in the cool air as Kakyoin and Sakura sit on a bench in the mansion's terrace. It is morning and the two reminisces the events last night, specifically the girl's first "performance".

With Romero sitting on the floor near some singing birds, Sakura looks down with a downcast expression, feeling under the weather despite the performance last night not ending in a disaster surprisingly while Kakyoin, with arms folded, looks up on the sky absent-mindedly, admiring the nice weather this morning. Compared to Sakura, he isn't in low spirits as her.

"I knew this wouldn't work..." He hears Sakura say. Whether she wants to say it quietly or not, she doesn't seem to care. "There's no way... There's no way I can be an idol singer. Last night's events prove that."

"Hey look," Kakyoin speaks up, turning to look at her. "I know there's a 'slight' chance your performance could have ended in disaster but surprisingly, it went okay, if a bit crazy. And as I'm embarrassed to say it to you, you got quite a killer scream." He didn't notice her shaking form as he continues speaking. "Sure it doesn't fit you as a supposed idol but considering you got so eager and go with the flow when the performance kicked into high gear, perhaps you can sing well given enough practice. Oh, and the music must fit to the genre I think are expected for idols."

When it seems like Sakura is about to explode with flurry of emotions, she sighs deeply. It seems Kakyoin wants to cheer her up, especially when the "performance" didn't really become a disaster. When the feral girls are about to go down the stage and ravage the audience after the head-dropping performance, Kakyoin swoops in and has Hierophant Green tie them up quickly before they have the chance. He, Sakura and Kotaro (under Kakyoin's insistence) would then pull them to the backstage to Sakura's relief as she didn't want to deal with the girls all by herself.

"I suppose you have a point," Sakura earnestly agreed, looking up to the sky. "In fact, when I let all of my lungs out, I...have a flash of memory."

"You did?" He asked with curious eyes.

She nods. "Yes. It's very brief but I see myself cheering for a five-member idol group on the stage alongside the audience, shined by lights and all."

"Anything else?"

"No. That's it." Thinking on her memory, Sakura wonders how important that brief flash of her life could be.

"...Idols, huh? Perhaps you must have admired them if you're cheering them on." Kakyoin suggested.

"Hmm... Now that you said it, when I remembered it, I feel...happy and...elated." Sakura taps her chin in thought.

"Then that means you must have admired them. Call it a guess but perhaps the reason Tatsumi-san wants you to be an idol is because of that. You have a desire to sing for the audience." He proposed a conjecture from that assumption.

"...Maybe. But who knows? I can't still remember anything." She reminded, letting out a sigh.

"But it's a start. It might take a long time for you to recover your memories but I'm sure you will remember who you are," Kakyoin assures Sakura, putting her hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "And remember this Sakura. You have me by your side." He smiles reassuringly. He may have known her for a short time but after hearing what Kotaro wants for both of them, having to settle with his new lease on life as a Stand-using zombie guardian or bodyguard for a fledgling zombie idol group and Sakura's amnesia, Kakyoin has no obligation to come back home or meet with either Jotaro or Polnareff as he chooses to accept this new undead life.

Sakura feels the same way as him but feels more troubled than him in regards to being thrust in the spotlight not long after she is woken up, having to accept she is now a zombie and has amnesia. As such, she appreciates any form of encouragement even if the one who empathizes with her problems is someone she barely knew. Returning his smile, Sakura nods happily and says, "I'm glad to hear you say that. Thank you for sticking by my side, Kakyoin."

"It's my pleasure." Kakyoin nods, glad he managed to lift her spirits up.

Before they can enjoy the peaceful morning and nice weather more (unaware of the feathers on the floor where the birds that were with Romero were standing), screams and objects crashing are heard coming from the room near them. Kakyoin and Sakura go back inside to see what is going on. Stepping inside the room, they see Tae standing in the center and staring blankly in the air. "Tae-chan?" Sakura calls her in confusion.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

Turning to their left, they see the fearful expressions of Ai huddled near the fireplace, Junko hugging the wall with her back and Lily doing the same next to a door. Aside from them, Avdol stands near Ai, ready to summon his Stand evidenced by his hand gesture and stance, Johnny kneeled in front of Junko curiously pointing one finger with a ferocious look and Narancia has a knife pointed to Tae as he glares hard on her.

"What is this...?" Ai questioned.

"Somebody, please, do something!" Junko pleaded, gulping out of fear.

"I-I'm s-s-scared!" Lily stated, her heart beating rapidly out of fear.

"That woman... Is she a zombie?" Avdol inquired calmly.

"You better stay back unless you want to get shot!" Johnny warned.

"Zombie huh? Never thought the day would come I see one." Narancia claimed.

The fact that they're speaking and acting like humans clue Sakura and Kakyoin to one conclusion: they've been ｢awakened｣.

Hearing groans from their right, they see Saki, Yugiri, Bucciarati, Gyro and Rai all grouped together and waking up due to the ruckus.

"What is going on...? What is all this commotion?" asks Yugiri.

"Maaaaaan, that was a good nap." Saki lets a big yawn while stretching her arms.

"Agreed. I feel refreshed, like I have worn a brand new clothes after a bath." Gyro nonchalantly concurred

"Something seems...off." Bucciarati noted while rubbing his eyes.

"Looks like it. I don't think I'm in a villa during winter." Rai pointed out his observation of the room unfamiliar to him.

At this moment, Rai noticed Sakura and Kakyoin standing in the doorway, followed by Bucciarati, Gyro, Saki, Yugiri, Ai, Avdol, Junko, Johnny, Lily and Narancia. All of them have questioning looks as they stare the two with wary and inquisitive eyes.

Noticing their sickly appearances, Avdol asks, "Kakyoin, what's wrong with your and that girl's eyes and skin?"

Perking up and seeing they want answers, Sakura stutters for a response. "H-Huh? Uh, w-well…"

Before she can answer, Kakyoin puts his hand on her shoulder, letting her know he will lay the bare facts for them. Walking a few steps forward so he is in the center, he says, "Avdol, everyone, do not panic about what I'm about to say. Currently, we're in a mansion in Saga Prefecture which is now our residence starting this day, operated by a man named Kotaro Tatsumi. If you're wondering why Sakura and I have green skin and red eyes, we're not the only ones here because, well..." He takes a deep breath before revealing, "Let's just say everyone in this very room have, basically, died at some point but came back to life as ｢zombies｣."

Their reactions are expected when they hear his answer despite his plea that they do not panic.

While Saki, Yugiri, Gyro, Bucciarati and Rai are surprised but didn't express it in an overreacting manner, the same couldn't be said for Ai, Junko, Lily, Avdol, Johnny and Narancia.

"W-WHAT!? Zombies?!" Ai shouted in disbelief.

"I...d-died...?" Junko stuttered.

"ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME RIGHT NOW?!" Narancia cursed, now pointing his knife at Kakyoin.

"I'm with this kid here," Johnny concurred, pointing his finger to Kakyoin too. "That's a far-fetched claim if I ever heard one."

"But looking at myself now, my heart is outside and my skin looks weird. Maybe he's not lying." Lily replied, believing Kakyoin's assertion.

"This is...surprising." Avdol stated simply, looking at his arms. Turning to Kakyoin, a friend he never thought he would see again, he asks, "Can you elaborate more about what you said, Kakyoin?"

Before he can respond, Sakura beats him as she decides to greet everybody in the room with a simple greeting...

Through a shout after taking a deep breath.

"GOOOOOD MOOOOORNIIIIIIIIIIING EVERYYYYBOOOOOOODYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Sakura's shout is so loud it can be heard outside the mansion, almost obscuring the sound of crow's cry flying in the air.

And thus, that one loud greeting starts the ｢bizarre adventures｣ of Sakura, Kakyoin and their fellow zombie idol singers and Stand Users to ｢save｣ Saga Prefecture.

To be continued

HELLLOOOOOOOOOOO EVEEEEEERYYYYYBOOOOOODDYYYYYYYY!

...

*clears throat* Excuse my enthusiastic shout. I was just excited to start a fanfic starring the ｢LEGENDARY｣ zombie girls of Zombie Land Saga and the ｢FABULOUS｣ zombie guys or JoBros and a Joestar of JoJo's Bizzarre Adventure. Ever since I watched Zombie Land Saga to sate my curiosity, it became one of my favorite anime of all time thanks to its characters, awesome music, interesting plot and mysteries, funny moments and the idol premise. Before I watched the anime though, I was growing uninterested in watching anime and reading a manga until I decided to give JoJo a try just to, like Zombie Land Saga, sate my curiosity and because of the memes I'm seeing...

...And that's where it propelled JoJo to become my most favorite manga and anime series of all time thanks to its characters, unique artsyle, intricate plots, immense fabulousness, creative and insane fights and, most of all, the bizarre adventures that occur across the eight parts. And there's no sign that the series is stopping anytime soon as a ninth part, tentatively titled JOJOLANDS, is announced by Hirohiko Araki, the mangaka of JoJo and the Stone Ocean anime is on its way to be released in December. This is a good year to be a JoJo fan.

I would like to add anything related to JoJo due to my admiration to it but it's gonna take long so let's cut to the chase, shall we?

Living Things is a JoJo and ZLS crossover where Kakyoin and Sakura are resurrected as zombies along with others by the man in shades named Kotaro Tatsumi through the girls becoming idols to bring joy to the populace and attention to the prefecture and the guys using their Stands to protect it against enemy Stands. My desire to write a brand new fanfic that isn't Sonic and Touhou lead me to think up on my favorite anime where I then had the idea of having dead JoJo characters such as Kakyoin be revived as zombies.

AlsoIjustwantmyJoBrosandoneJoJotoliveagainaftertheirtragicdeaths.

In the initial process of choosing which JoJo character I'm gonna put in the fanfic, I originally intended for Kakyoin, Bucciarati, Narancia, Johnny and Gyro to be the ones who got revived. But after thinking clearly on the content of the fanfic and which characters deserve a second chance in life, I eventually included Avdol and Rai because I find them cool and likable.

As for how Avdol got revived despite being disintegrated completely and Johnny, Gyro and Rai getting to the original universe? You'll have to find out. I'm estimating that I'm gonna reveal how the three transported to the original universe near the middle or end of the story, with hints as early as the next chapter.

Andalsobecausethey'remyfavoritesandIhavethepowerofimaginationatmyfingertips.

One more thing related for the JoJo side of the fanfic is that this takes place after Made in Heaven but located in the original universe. I believed that because Pucci didn't complete the reset when he's killed, his vision of "Heaven" didn't come to fruition and as such, the universe reverts back to the original or resets again to a new universe resembling the original. I admit, it's interesting writing the fanfic when this takes place after Pucci failed to remake the entire universe in DIO's image. While the implications aren't important and only plays a minor role in the story, I want to put it here so that you may understand...if you've read or watched Parts 1-6 beforehand.

And if it's not obvious in the summary or the first paragraph of the chapter, there are and will be SPOILERS concerning the events of JoJo and revived characters, including the Part 7 and 8 characters. Not sure how much but just reading the summary and first chapter should clue you that you're in the spoiler territory.

Going over to the ZLS side, I'm planning this fanfic to be based on the first season's episodes. Some of the episodes will be different as I inject JoJo fanfair to the mix and I'm planning to completely come up with some new chapters unrelated to the anime, mostly focusing on some JoJo characters. And as for you all wondering if I'm including the second season, it's obvious I'm gonna include it since some pieces of info in chapters I am planning in my head has references to what was revealed in the second season. With that in mind, don't worry about me excluding the second season of ZLS.

One last thing. This fanfic is gonna be cross-posted between and Archive of Our Own but because I'm not invited and signed up to the latter site until at least next week, I'm not writing its second chapter yet. I want readers from both sites to experience my take on Zombie Land Saga and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure crossover.

I believe I said everything about what this fanfic is all about. There are some things I like to put in the author's notes but I'm gonna save it until the next chapter and the next one after. And with that, I bid you all adieu.

Stay safe and healthy everyone!