Ch. 7
Money

NOVEMBER 25TH, 1988
20:21
NARITA, JAPAN

"Jojo, are you even listening? And please, change that 'I do not care' attitude of yours."

"Mohamed, I have been paying attention! And what attitude?!"

"Jojo, he means Joutarou, not you."

"Oh, oops. Sorry, Mohamed."

The six were sitting inside a late-night cafe. Before they came here, they had made a brief stop at the Kuujou residence to drop off their belongings. Such a beautiful home, Joaquín remembered thinking. And rather spacious. I can see myself living in a place like that, but I'm gonna have to get used to the lack of suburban noise and time zone change. Both Japan and New York are 14 hours apart, after all.

His grandfather and Mohamed were further explaining Stands to everyone as they drank coffee. While he, Della and his mother were showing a keen interest, Joutarou was looking outside the window, barely attentive. It was a bit annoying, true, but Joaquín knew he meant nothing by it. If anything, it looked like it was taking a bit for Joutarou to fully process this.

The poor kid just awakened his Stand a few days ago, and now he's being introduced not only to his brother and more spirits, but also some grudge against a century-old vampire. If I were him, I'd feel overloaded, too.

"I don't know who you are, nor do I care," said Joutarou. Joaquín took note of how surprisingly fluent his English was, though it was obvious that it wasn't his first language. "But I think you're the one with the attitude, Avdol. And as for you, jijii, do you really expect me to believe this 'vampire' guy Dio rose from the ocean to hunt us after dying a hundred years ago? That's a ridiculous story."

"Well, at the same time," began Mohamed with a smile, "the common fact that we each have 'evil spirits' would be an astounding thing to believe, would it not?" Joutarou stood silent. He did have a point. Being exposed to both hamon and Stands before now, Joaquín was far more inclined to believe in the supernatural. But his brother? It must be mind-blowing. He can only hope he doesn't short circuit from all this information.

"You can choose to believe what you want," said Joseph as he pulled out an expensive Polaroid camera from his coat, "but by the end of tonight, you just might change your viewpoint of things. You're all about to see just how I learned about Dio's resurgence and why we're both hunting him." He then set the camera down and raised his hand, Hermit Purple wrapped around it. Without hesitation, he brought it down in a chop, breaking the camera.

And in the same instant he broke it, an undeveloped picture came out, which he caught. Everyone was shocked as he spoke again. "You see that, Joutarou? That was my own Stand. It can create thoughtographic images on film. Visions of distant places, distant people…" He looked begrudgingly at the remains of his camera. "All at the expense of 30,000 yen cameras..." Not knowing about yen to USD exchange rates, it sounded rather expensive.

One of the waiters, having heard something break, approached them and asked concernedly, "I-Is everything okay over here?"

"It's nothing to worry about," answered Joaquín politely. "Go about your business, please."

"Have you just tried to lightly tap it," asked Della, who received a confused look as an answer. She then pulled out her own, less expensive camera and set it down. "Try it again, but just don't break it." And so, his grandfather did it again with less force than before. He got the desired result of a photograph coming out without smashing it. If his red face wasn't a clear sign of his complete embarrassment, Joaquín didn't know what was.

Joseph cleared his throat and continued. "A-Anyway, once this picture develops, you will see the very thing that will seal your fate. And yours, Joaquín. But before I show you, let me ask you both something. And you, Holly. Have you all looked at your backs recently?"

"No."

"No."

"Yes." These were the answers given by Joutarou, Holly, and Joaquín respectively. He had a feeling he knew where he was getting at. His birthmark. That smudge near the left side of his neck that looked like a star. Joseph turned to them and confirmed his suspicions when he lowered his coat and turtleneck. There was the same mark on him. His mother and brother both looked surprised. Taking a brief moment to pull down a bit of his brother's uniform, he saw the star on him as well.

"You've got one too," said Joaquín in surprise before turning back to his grandfather. "So this is a hereditary thing, right?"

"Yes," said his grandfather. "I asked my mother a long time ago about it, and she told me how my own father had it on his back. From what I can understand, all members of the Joestar family have that very birthmark..." Now he looked worried, almost afraid of what he might have to say next. His hand was trembling with the photograph.

"Abuelito... show us who's on there."

With some brief reluctance, he gave it to him. Everyone gathered around to look at it and saw a man almost enveloped in darkness. He was muscular, his bare back to the camera. He could make out the same star near his nape, and a nasty scar all around his neck. When he saw his face he went pale and dropped the photo.

"Jojo?" Della put a hand on his shoulder. "Jojo, what is it? Have you seen him?"

"Yes." How could he forget? The wild blonde hair, the glaring amber eye... "It's him. The man I've been seeing in my dreams... Is this... Dio?"

Joseph looked disturbed to hear he had been dreaming about him. "Yes, but... Have you really been seeing him in your sleep? You should have told me, Joaquín. What were these dreams about?"

"I've been having them for four years," he said shakily before waving him off. "But we can talk about that later… How does that monster have that birthmark on him? You told us he was adopted."

"I did… But I have a theory as to why he has it… According to my grandmother, my grandfather died at sea thanks to Dio in 1889. I don't know the specifics, and neither did she, but that man was nothing but a head then. The ship they were on exploded, leaving both her and my parents as the survivors. He should have died in the explosion. But this picture disproves that. Every picture of Dio showed him alive and well, with a new body turned to the camera… bearing a scar on his neck and that star!

"That's how I knew how this son of a bitch survived! He had stolen it! From the neck down of that bastard is the body that belonged to Jonathan Joestar!"

A chill seemed to run through everyone, but none colder than Joaquín. He looked at the picture again, or rather, at his neck. He finally realized what those dreams meant. He was dreaming about his ancestor, through his eyes. And the third one, the one where this Dio was nothing but a head...That was Jonathan's last moment alive before his body was taken. Now Joaquín was filled with anger. His ancestor died to stop him, but now his body was being used as his own. He would never forgive such disrespect.

"One thing is for certain: somewhere in this world, he's hiding. And he's plotting. As to what, I can't be certain. But if he knows the Joestars are alive, then he will undoubtedly target us. Whatever his plans are, we have to find and put an end to him." Joseph sighed and finished his coffee. "It's been four years since his awakening. And we three have gotten our Stands within the last year and today. It's thanks to him that we do. At least, I assume so."

"Our powers are what others call 'ESP'", added Mohamed. "While I was born with my Stand, yours all awoke through a link with Dio's... no, Jonathan's body. The awakening of his Stand has brought about yours as if it were some curse."

Joaquín looked thoughtfully at the picture again before asking, "What happens if we kill Dio? Do our Stands just… go away?"

"That I do not know. Our Stands are a part of us. They will not leave us until the day we die. We will have to kill him to find out."

"And can you tell where he is?"

"No. Like his heart, Dio's surroundings are enveloped in darkness. It is impossible to discern his whereabouts."

It was as he thought. They didn't have any other solid information besides the fact that Dio was alive. But that wouldn't stop him from accompanying them. If this man was a threat to his family, then he would do everything in his power to find and slay him.

Joseph paid for the coffees, and the group prepared to leave. "Sorry Holly," he apologized to his daughter, "but Avdol and I are going to be staying in Japan for a while. Do you mind-"

"Not at all," happily replied his daughter. "You and your friend are more than welcome to stay as long as you'd like at my home." Holly then looked at her eldest son and Della. "The same goes for you both as well. I can give you one of the guest rooms."

"If it's okay," said Della, "I wanna share a room with Joaquín. I don't wanna take up a room all my own."

"Oh, certainly. Go right ahead, dear." Joaquín silently thanked Della. Having someone like her sleep with him really helped. Though now that he thought about that, he wondered how many guest rooms were in this house, had she decided not to bunk with him.

As they all walked out the door, he stopped slightly behind them and unconsciously touched the back of his neck. Everything he had heard was still fresh on his mind. There was someone out there, a vampire, who had brought his family years of misery. And now that he was back, his family was in danger again. Turning to his younger brother, he caught him mimicking his action. He wondered if he was thinking the same thing as him:

Where is this madman now? And what is he up to?

~+JO*JO+~

"Hm... Again... That feeling again... I felt it just now... As if someone were watching me...

"...

"I was right... One of Jonathan's descendants... My body knows... It's sending some sort of spiritual signal to them...

"I was weakened on that day, reduced to a mere head... Had it not been for Jonathan's body, weak as it was... I never would have survived...

"But this body has established a link with his descendants... They know of my existence... This new power achieved with his body, the Stand... It has an influence on them... Advantages, setbacks... they are both faces of the same coin...

"Fine... If this is destiny, then so be it... I shall rid myself of this link...

"I shall eradicate the dredges of the Joestar lineage once and for all..!"

~+JO*JO+~

There were no nightmares last night. Was it the calming atmosphere of the oriental home surrounded by such serene foliage? The lack of blaring horns and street lights in his eyes? Or was it, perhaps, Della, who chose not to take an extra futon and sleep in Joaquín's that night?" He wasn't too certain this time. When the two slept at her apartment, he knew it was her presence that helped him sleep peacefully. But here, in another country, another environment, he couldn't tell.

What he could tell, however, was that he found it adorable the way Della was sleeping against him. Her long, messy hair had been gently brushed aside so he could see her face. She looked so serene, her rest seemingly dreamless. He could hear her gentle breathing, see the rise and fall of her body, feel the hand that laid undisturbed around him, and the head that was positioned on his chest. Joaquín wondered if she did that so she could hear his heartbeat. The thought of that made him smile.

But that smile soon faded as everything from last night came back to him. The inescapable destiny surrounding that man, Dio. I'm gonna have to face him, he thought as he took the hand of his friend in his. And Della will be involved. I know she will… But there's nothing I can do to stop that. She's not gonna let me go on my own. Nobody, not even Abuelito, can stop her… It's like she's my own Stand; a guardian angel. Maybe I'm fated to have more than just one guardian. And maybe I'm fated to be one myself.

Della… I promise I'll protect you. I won't let you get hurt.

Quite by accident, he ended up saying this aloud in a whisper. It must have been too loud because Della let out a disturbed noise. After a stretch, she opened her eyes to the sight of her friend in her arms. "Good morning, Jojo," she said with a sleepy smile. "Did you say something?"

"Good morning." And his smile returned. "Nah, I was talking to myself, that's all. Hey, I think Mom's making us breakfast. It might be different than what we normally have in New York, though."

"I have faith in her cooking." The two got up and changed with their backs turned to one another for modesty. Joaquín put on his signature style of clothes: his workout shirt, jeans and gloves. Della, meanwhile, wore a red tunic with a black, long-sleeved undershirt and leggings beneath. As per usual, her hair was tied back, though he liked it more when it was free. Neither of them wore shoes, as was customary in a Japanese home. When they went to the tea room, Holly had already prepared them breakfast.

She looked up from her morning newspaper and waved to them. "Ah, Joaquín, Della! Good morning! Come, I made some eggs and some fried fish!" The two knelt around the small table she had set up and began to eat. She really was good at cooking, even if it was a small dish. "How did you two sleep? Good? I know it's not like in America."

"It was the best sleep of my life, actually," answered Joaquín. "We both slept pretty great." He looked around and noticed that there were no other plates besides theirs. "Hey, where is everyone?"

"Joutarou's heading to school. They have classes on Saturday here. Papa and Avdol are out taking a walk. They won't be back for a while. By the way, I've been meaning to ask, how have things been in New York? Were you raised well?"

"Um... kind of. I mean, we weren't rich, but my family survived. Dad taught me how to defend myself and Abuelita taught me how to cook. I can live on my own, but... I wanna have a family, you know? It was painful to think that I was alone, without either of them."

"Oh, sweetheart… You have us now. I'm so happy to have you back in my life. And Joutarou's happy to have an older brother!" Somehow, he knew she was right, even if his brother wouldn't admit it. "So how did you two meet?"

The conversation shifted all over the place, the mother-son pair slowly learning about each other. Della was asked about her life as well by Holly so as not to feel left out. They both learned about Holly's childhood in New York and how she came to marry Kuujou Sadao. He was the most popular jazz musician in Japan, and his success was what bought Holly and him this large home.

"Of course, I never married him for the money," she said with a smile. "Besides, I have plenty of that already without him!"

"So where exactly is he," asked Della curiously.

"Oh, he and his crew are on tour. I'm not much of a touring girl, but I do go see him every now and then at his shows. I just prefer staying at home. Besides, someone needs to watch over the home and Joutarou."

He didn't want to stay on the topic of his stepfather for too long. There was one thing he wanted to know. And Holly was the only one who knows better than anyone else. With a sigh of trepidation, he asked her, "Hey, Mom? Um… I wanted to talk about Dad for a second. Abuelito told me about how you met, but… I wanna know… why did you leave him? And why was I left with just him?"

It wasn't an easy topic at all. And the last thing anyone would want to talk about. But he just needed to know. It's been 22 years, I have a right to know, Joaquín thought defiantly.

Holly took a sip of her tea and sighed sadly. "Carlos cheated on me with another man."

Joaquín did a double take. "HE WHAT?!"

"Yes. Now… I don't have a problem with homosexuality-"

"Neither do I, but I've never seen him with another man!"

"Of course you wouldn't. He was secretive about that lifestyle. His mother never knew. And I didn't know until near the end of my pregnancy. I had no problem with that, but it was the secrecy, the betrayal… I felt hurt and angry in a way that's quite unlike me… That anger made me scared. I didn't want to take it out on you and give you an awful childhood. Which was why when you were born, I gave you to him. And I made him promise never to tell you…"

It was a lot to take in. All his life, he had never seen his father show any interest in another man. It just didn't seem like him. He looked at his mother with wide, eyes and asked, "Did he say who it was? Dad's had a lot of friends."

"Some man in New Jersey," she said, taking a second of silence to recall his name. "Yariel, I think."

He almost fell out of his chair, Della grabbing Joaquín's arm and pulling him back before he did. He was not expecting a double shock. Yariel was his father's boxing buddy, a man who he would go over his house to watch championship bouts. He remembered him from when he went to New Jersey when he was little. And now that he thought about his thin, rather girlish appearance, and how his father would always simply called him Yari, he couldn't believe how oblivious he was.

"Oh my god... Him?" He sounded rather thunderstruck, which made Holly's smile return in the form of a giggle. "Dios mío, that explains everything."

"I forgive him, though. He may have broken my heart, but… even now, I could never hate Carlos. He's always been a kind person. To me and to his peers. And I hope, wherever he is up there, he's spreading that kindness with everyone else."

This entire time, Joaquín had taken note of his mother's personality. No matter what she spoke about, she always had a positive vibe. She managed to lift spirits and bring smiles on anyone without even trying, Nothing seemed to keep her down. Holly was strong. Plus, she cared about everyone, no matter how little she knew them or what history they shared. And it shone through when they discussed his father. Even after everything, she held no ill-will towards him. She still cared about him.

She did say she still loved him yesterday.

Before he could say anything else, there came a strangled cry of "Jojo, look!" It was Della, and she was pointing behind him. Turning around to the open view of the garden, he saw something out there. Hidden behind a tree, there was a figure with a pair of binoculars staring directly at them.

We're being spied on.

"Stay here, both of you," commanded Joaquín as he made a mad dash outside. He jumped into his shoes and made his way out to where the binoculars were peeking out of, which had disappeared. He didn't know whether it was some avid stalker of his stepfather or not, but he was going to kick their ass. It didn't take long for Joaquín to reach a bright clearing in the woods. He stopped in his tracks, looking all around for anyone hiding.

"Come on out, you bastard," he muttered in Japanese. "Why the fuck were you spying on us?"

There was no hesitation for whoever he was chasing to answer. "I have my reasons. But don't worry. I'm not here to fight you." A Japanese male. Joaquín imagined he was in his thirties due to how mature he sounded. It didn't matter, though, because he couldn't pinpoint where his voice was coming from. It was above, he knew that. But it was as if it came from everywhere and nowhere. "I was sent here to confirm a few things for my benefactor."

"Who do you work for? Show yourself so I can kick your ass!"

There was rustling up above. Preciosa immediately manifested and gazed up into the trees. Through his Stand's odd-looking lens, he scanned through the leaves for any disturbance. He had to be up there. But there was just nothing… Could it be that… Is he a Stand user?

His suspicions were confirmed when he laughed and said, "Are you trying to look for me with your stupid-looking Stand? Well, good luck with that one, kid, because my Stand lets me hide any time I want. And it's quick. Even if you found me, how would you catch me? The answer is you can't. Nobody has."

"Nobody, huh," asked Joaquín with curiosity. He bent down and picked up a stone, handing it to Preciosa. "I doubt that. If your as fast as you say you are, then let's play a game. You know how the cup game works?"

"Uh, yes," he said. "What're you getting at?"

"Jump around and stop at any tree you choose. And I'll pick out which one you stopped at. If I'm right, then you gotta tell me who you're working for. And I might just consider sparing you."

"That's a fair deal. But you'll lose regardless." The invisible man jumped from tree to tree, shaking the leaves all around him. They were moving so suddenly that it seemed like they were being disturbed all at once.

This guy wasn't joking, thought an impressed Joaquín. If it wasn't for Preciosa, I couldn't find him at all.

Eventually, the man stopped and said, "Choose. Cause if you're wrong, I'll come down and kick your ass instead."

"I thought you said you didn't want to fight," asked Joaquín with a raised eyebrow.

"You're right. My Stand doesn't exactly increase my strength. But either way, there has to be a price for getting this wrong. Now pick!" Joaquín thought for a moment before pointing to one of the trees beside him. "Are you sure? This is the tree you want?"

"I wouldn't pick it if I wasn't certain. That's the tree you're on."

The Stand user made a sound like a buzzer. "An X for wrong! You chose wrong, and now, you're-"

He didn't have time to finish his threat. Preciosa swiftly threw the stone in his hand at the treetop he had chosen. There was a crack and a loud cry of pain as something came tumbling down from the trees. He couldn't see it, but in a moment, it faded into view. It looked like a large green lizard with a fin on its head and back. Its eyes had cent symbols for irises. Tattooing its chest was a massive dollar sign, and its shoulders and hands were adorned with the yen symbol. Its mouth was open to reveal a human face.

The man was holding his swelling, square jaw in pain, looking fearfully at Joaquín. "How did you catch me? I know I lied, but how did you know where I was at?"

"My Stand's got the best vision around. Preciosa found you after the third jump and locked onto you. He could tell which tree you landed on due to how much it shook afterwards. That's how he could see which one you were hiding in." He approached the man and lifted him by his back fin. "This is a very interesting Stand. I never seen one you could wear. Look cool, too. What's it called?"

"M-Money," he uttered.

"Fitting name. Now keep your word. Who do you work for?"

"O-Okay… I was spying on you for D-Dio…"

His blood ran cold for the second time in two days. That name again. Dio. The man who haunted his lineage. Sending a subordinate to spy on him meant only one thing: he already knew about the remaining Joestars. They weren't safe. Joaquín's hands trembled in fury. How dare he send someone to invade his mother's home? Abuelito better find out where he's hiding fast, cause I'm ready to hunt him down on my own and tear him apart for this.

The man he was holding saw his rising fury, shaking in fear of what would come next. He spoke in a trembling voice. "L-Look, all he said for me to do was spy. I don't have to attack you guys. H-He paid me to do it. How could I say n-no? He's a powerful man. A-And rich! Plus, the economy sucks right now. I'm doing this so my kids and I can survive." He looked at him and saw that his face held no lies in them. He would have felt sorry for him had he not accepted a bribe from a dangerous madman.

"S-S-So a-are you gonna keep your word?"

"My word," he asked dangerously.

"Yes! You said you'd spare me!"

"I said I'd consider it," corrected Joaquín sharply. "And now that you told me who you work for, I made my decision. Do you want my answer?" The Stand user nodded in pleading desperation. "The opposite of that." He threw him at Preciosa, who immediately pummeled into him with his usual cry of "¡TOMATOMATOMA!" He then grabbed the man by his Stand's tail and began spinning him around.

"STO-O-OP," he cried out amidst the spins. "LET ME GO-O-O!"

Figuring he had enough, he obliged. He let go of his tail and sent the screaming man flying. To where, he didn't care, but it was definitely nowhere near his mother's home.

Joaquín was now left alone, his Stand remaining by his side. The more he thought about Dio, the more he wondered just how powerful he was. Everything about him seemed to be shrouded in mystery and dread. He was a vampire, that much he knew, and he had several servants in his prime. By now, after having been awake for four years, he was bound to have amassed an army. But if he was really this powerful, and if he had his own Stand, why would he need one?

Just what was he plotting? Was it just the extinction of the Joestars? World domination? There had to be a better reason than just that. No man just wants revenge or ruling the world. For an immortal man such as Dio, there had to be more. And Joaquín wanted to know what it was. But that's a thought for another day. He just wanted to calm down and think about anything but him. Joaquín called back Preciosa and made his way back home, wondering if his mother's tea was as good as her cooking.

~NIJIMURA SENKICHI: HOSPITALIZED FOR A FEW WEEKS~

STAND TIME

STAND USER: NIJIMURA SENKICHI (虹村 千吉)

STAND NAME: MONEY (お金 (マネー))

POWER: E, SPEED: A, RANGE: E, DURABILITY: D, PRECISION: E, POTENTIAL: C

ABILITY: Money is unique in that it is a wearable Stand, taking the shape of a basilisk lizard. It can allow its user to blend into the environment, taking on surrounding colors and textures the way an octopus can. It is almost impossible to discern its whereabouts, as the user is camouflaged as well. It also grants its user incredible speed, enough to run across small bodies of water. Despite these feats, the user is not given any additional strength, only minimal defense, from wearing his Stand.