Ch. 8
Straight Through The Heart

NOVEMBER 26th, 1988
10:13
NARITA, JAPAN

Joaquín had brought Mohamed and his grandfather back to the tea room the moment they came back. He and Della told them everything that happened and assured them that they were all safe and unharmed. Naturally, Joseph felt disturbed by what he heard. "Joaquín, you know what this means, don't you," he asked as Mohamed sat in silence making tea for them all.

"Of course I do" he replied without hesitation. "It means Dio knows. He knows about us knowing he's awake. Do you think it has something to do with that link to Jonathan's body?"

"It has to be. Every picture of him I took, I could feel him staring back. And it's not because he's looking directly at us, but rather something more real. Like he's really in front of us."

That brought up a chilling thought. "So if he wanted to, could Dio look into where we are?"

"Undoubtedly. If I'm able to look into where he is, it's safe to assume he could do the same to us." He secretly hoped he would have said something else, but Joaquín knew he was right. It wasn't just a coincidence that Dio would send a spy the day after he learned about him. He had to have felt them all looking at him through a picture. Their bodies were linked thanks to Jonathan Joestar's blood. It was how their Stands came to be, so being able to find where they were and act was not unusual at all.

That being said, Dio was bound to send another spy to their home. And God only knew if they would be as mercifully weak as Money's user. They had to be prepared for an attack. But there was no real need to. There were four Stand users under this roof (well, three since Joutarou's at school), and all of them could fend off anyone who dared come near them. Even if he didn't have the others, Joaquín would bravely take them all on himself. He would gladly lay his life down for his family.

"Mr. Avdol," said Della as she accepted some tea and drank, "I know this might be a bit of a stretch, but do you guys have anyone else who can help us? Any Stand user we can call to come guard the house?"

"Unfortunately, we do not, Ms. Brown," said Mohamed formally. "Stand users are more often than not secretive about their abilities. They do not show their Stands unless they have to, and we have no way of discerning one from a simple bystander. As of lately, we have been unable to locate any."

"How are you able to find them?"

"We look into any suspicious reports of supernatural occurrences and trace them to whoever is involved in them. I am unfortunately disappointed to say that the ones we have encountered in New York are not friendly. Not even the one we have on reserve."

"Reserve?"

"Yes," said Joseph as he was making himself some instant coffee. "He's not exactly evil, but he is a rowdy one. It took Avdol everything he had to capture the bugger. I'd rather save him for emergencies, only because his personality is unpredictable. If he wanted to, he would tear this entire house apart." He then took a sip of his coffee and spat some out in disgust. "Blegh! Geez, the Japanese can't even make coffee right, can they?!"

"Uh, actually that's Americano, Abuelito," said Joaquín with a chuckle. He drank the tea given to him with some mild disgust himself, but he did appreciate it. He felt his nerves slowly calm. It's just like Mom said when I came back. This stuff does help. He looked up and added, "To be frank, I'm more comfortable with who we have now. I mean, we have two heavy hitters, a fire manipulator and someone who's got vines. We can take on anyone who tries to attack."

It seemed as if that would come sooner than he expected, for there was a brief shriek outside. It was his mother. Both Joseph and Joaquín shot up, the latter bringing out Preciosa with his fists clenched for combat. He was ready to fight again. "Looks like we got more company. You ready, Abuelito?"

"Always," responded his grandfather with fire in his voice.

"Wait, Jojo, Mr. Joestar," hurriedly cried Della as she stood as well. "I don't think there's an intruder here. If there really was, she would have sounded more scared. Don't you think so?" He thought about it for a second and realized she had a point.

"Okay. But who's here though?"

His question was answered when a shoeless Joutarou came into view a few seconds later. He looked rather beat up, his cheek bandaged and his leg wrapped up. His uniform was caked in blood. Carried on his shoulder was another teenager in a green uniform with wavy cardinal red hair, which had a thick fringe hanging on one side. And just like his brother, he was bloody and bruised. Joaquín went pale when he saw their condition.

"Joutatou, you didn't," said Joaquín in shock.

"Yeah, I did," dryly responded Joutarou as he set him down.

"But why the hell did you get into a fight after you just got out of jail?! Are you out of your mind?!"

"He attacked first. This kid swore allegiance to Dio, and he-"

"Wait a minute, Dio?" His shock quickly turned to anger and concern that his brother was spied on at his school. "You mean that bastard sent someone after you in school?"

"Looks like it. He knew you guys were here, too. I brought him back so we could interrogate him. But now that I look at him, I think I might have overdone it."

"Don't sweat it, Joutarou," said Joseph moved closer to look over him. He checked his breathing and felt his forehead. "You were simply defending yourself." His brow furrowed and his entire tone changed to somber one. "It's no use. It's too late for us to save him. He'll die within a few days."

Della gasped and Joaquín looked over to his younger could tell he was beside himself, even though he was hiding it. He's got no problem putting people in the hospital, but I know he wouldn't outright kill a man. It's enough to shake any man to the core. Joseph must have sensed this feeling as well, as he continued reassuringly. "This isn't your fault, Joutarou. Look at him. Why do you think this boy would swear allegiance to Dio and come to kill you? He doesn't look evil, does he?

They looked back at the pale teenager. His unconscious face seemed to hold a type of sad loneliness that bullies would take advantage of. There wasn't a single trace of evil on him. I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, thought Joaquín, but I can't see a guy like him working for Dio willingly.

"No," spoke up Joutarou, breaking his brother's thought process. "He doesn't. So why…"

"I know the reason why. And it's right here." Joseph moved the boy's bangs and Joaquín recoiled in disgust. Della let out a gasp of horror. Joutarou's eyes flashed, stunned by what they beheld. Something fleshy was stuck on his head. It looked like a flower bud, digging its disgusting roots into his head. He could have sworn he saw it pulse with a life of its own.

"Holy shit," exclaimed Joaquín.

"What the hell is that," asked Joutarou, keeping his voice steady. "It's like a spider stuck in his head."

"That, everyone, is a flesh bud made from Dio's cells," explained Mohamed. "It pierces straight into this boy's brain. Once implanted, this small flesh bud manipulates its host's mind. It awakens hidden feelings from within, acting as a controller made up of Dio's strongest trait."

"And that trait is charisma," said Joseph in disgust. "The same feeling that made soldiers obey Hitler! The same feeling that makes cultists admire their leaders! This boy admired Dio, and as such, he swore loyalty to him! It was through that bastard's charisma that this innocent boy was controlled and ordered to kill you."

"But it can be removed, right," asked Della hopefully. "Like, surgically removed?"

"No. That flesh bud can't be destroyed via normal means. The brain is delicate. If you try to move that thing, it would injure him. Even my hamon, which could fry this parasite, would end up causing damage."

Joaquín couldn't believe this. His mind raced with so many questions. Is this really how that fiend is gaining followers? Bribes and manipulation through parasitic charm? How many people are unwillingly serving him because of these flesh buds? What about Money's user? Was he really a willing servant or just some hapless man who Dio implanted his charisma into just for undying loyalty? The more he thought about it, the more Joaquín wanted to beat him up for his heinous methods.

Mohamed, who was solemnly looking at the boy, shut his eyes shivered slightly. He raised his head to him and Joutarou and said, "I have not told you both this, but... four months ago... I met Dio."

"You saw him," Joaquín practically shouted.

"Yes. As a fortune-teller, I run my business in a souq called Khan el-Khalili. I met him there one evening under a full moon. He stood quietly at the top of the stairs leading to the second floor of my shop. His gaze was a cold one, almost as if it would chill my heart. I remember him clearly… Golden hair, pale, translucent skin, an inhuman sexual appeal… At that point, I was already acquainted with Mr. Joestar, and he had already relayed to me the story of the man known as Dio.

"There was no denying that the man before me was that same monster, reborn from the Atlantic Ocean."

Joaquín's stomach turned as the Mohamed spoke. He knew he spoke the truth, for that was the perfect description of the undead man that stalked him in his dreams. His beauty was simply too unholy for any mortal man.

"And then… he spoke in such a soft voice… The way one would to a lover. 'You seem to possess an extraordinary ability uncommon amongst ordinary mortal beings, do you not,' he asked me. 'It would please me if you demonstrated it to me.'" He could hear the same voice as well. It almost made him retch. "When he spoke those words, my heart... felt at ease. They were filled with a dangerous tenderness. At that moment, I felt true terror. But that was nothing compared to what happened next."

"W-What happened," asked Della, quaking on the spot. It looks like she had imagined him speaking as well.

"His hair, flowing without a single breeze, grew in length and writhed all about him. Entwined around the very ends were the same flesh buds you see on this boy, ready to take their next host… I could not help but scream as I desperately fled into the night through a nearby window. I dared not to fight him. I was grateful for both my knowledge of Dio, and of the maze-like souq."

There was silence now, save for the radio outside and the soft babbling of water. Joaquín was pale, and Della looked mortified with her hands clasping her mouth. He looked at Joutarou, who was just as horrified as they were, even if he didn't show it. Looking back at Mohamed, he couldn't decide whether to praise him for his escape or feel sorry for experiencing that.

Just recounting the story sent a shiver down Mohamed's body, which did not suit a man like him. "I can only imagine what would have happened had I not ran, I would have been swayed by him and implanted with a flesh bud, just like this boy. My Stand would be under his command."

"I can't imagine fighting you," said Joaquín. "I know I haven't seen your stand in action, but I could tell he's a really powerful one, like mine."

"And like this boy will soon be," added Joseph solemnly, "he would have been dead within a few years from his brain being devoured."

"Dead", exclaimed Della, her wide eyes becoming even more so "But there's gotta be something we could do! We can't just leave him to die!"

Joutarou moved over to the boy and summoned his Stand. "She's right. He's not dead yet. We can save him." He and the purple humanoid that was his Stand knelt beside him, Joutarou grabbing the sides of his face and the Stand reaching for the flesh bud. Everyone but Joaquín cried out in shock.

"Joutarou, don't," exclaimed Joseph.

"Don't touch me, jijii," he said calmly. "I'm gonna remove this thing from his brain without hurting it. If my Stand has enough accurate movement to catch a bullet in an instant, then I have confidence that it can harmlessly pull this flesh bud out."

"You don't understand! That flesh bud is alive! Don't you see why it's sticking out of his head like that?! It's why not even the best surgeon on Earth can remove it!" And it was when the Stand pinched the bud that one of the burrowed tentacles lashed out and dug right into one of Joutarou's hands. Joaquín could see the pulsing tendril move up into his arm. He looked at his brother and was amazed to see that he wasn't too disturbed by this at all.

Joseph looked even more panicked and practically shouted, "It's going to invade your brain! Damnit, Joutarou, pull away!"

He seemed to be tuning him out. His Stand was slowly trying to pull it out without flinching from both noise and pain. Joaquín couldn't help but admire him. He's putting his life at risk for someone he never met, someone who swore loyalty to Dio. Maybe he can see that he's innocent, just like me. This kid doesn't deserve to suffer from such an awful fate. Joutarou was certainly better than he had thought.

All too suddenly, the boy's honey-colored eyes shot open. He looked all around before he rested his gaze on his savior. He slowly hissed, "Ki... sa... ma..." He wasn't too grateful, it seemed, still under the flesh bud's influence.

Joutarou didn't react as he said, "Don't move, Kakyouin. If I fail, your brain is done for." The tentacle, they all noticed, had moved all the way to his cheek now.

"Joutarou, get your hand away," Della yelled. "It's at your face now!" She tried to approach, but Joaquín held her back.

"Della, hold it," he said sternly. "This is my brother who's dealing with this. Look at him. It's so close to his brain, but he hasn't lost his nerve one bit. Neither he or his Stand are shaking." The flesh bud was almost out of the boy named Kakyouin's head. One of Joaquín's hands sparked up with hamon energy. "Here it comes! Throw it over here!"

His Stand finally pulled the writhing flesh bud off with a triumphant cry, ripping out the tentacle that invaded Joutarou's body as well. It then tossed it Joaquín's way. "OVERLOAD," he shouted as he grabbed the fleshy parasite with his sparking hand. Its tentacles made one final desperate attempt to enter him, but they disintegrated before any of them could pierce his skin.

The ordeal had ended. Everyone had breathed a sigh of relief. Joutarou's nameless Stand faded back into him as he stood and began to walk off. Before he could leave, however, Kakyouin sat up and turned to him. His eyes, once filled with wickedness, seemed softer now.

"W-Why," he asked with a calmer, yet confused voice. "Why did you save me... and risk your life to do so?"

Joutarou stood in silence at the entryway, not looking at him. He then said, "Well, not even I know, really..." And he walked off into the garden, leaving the boy confused and somewhat unsure of how to react to that answer. Joaquín knew why he did it, and it made him smile.

"You big softie," he muttered as he looked out to where Joutarou left.

"Overload," asked his grandfather with a chuckle.

"Well, it sounds better than 'Overdrive'. And it makes sense."

"No, it sounds stupid."

~+JO*JO+~

The boy, they discovered later that day, was named Kakyouin Noriaki. While his mother insisted that he shouldn't be harassed with any questions, Noriaki didn't mind answering any of them. The biggest question, and first, was how he had even met Dio. As it turned out, he and his family had traveled to Egypt for a vacation along the Nile three months ago. When they met, he was persuaded to be his friend. Noriaki was a lonely boy whose only friend was his Stand. And that monster took advantage of that fact.

"I was absolutely afraid of him," he said as he adjusted his orange, cherry-shaped earrings. "But the way he spoke, it soothed my heart. And I let him control me. I let myself bow to him... I can never forgive myself for that."

"Well, we forgive you," said Holly as she helped to bind up his head. Her Japanese was just as seamless as Joaquín expected for someone who lived in Japan half her life. "Papa and the others are looking for that man right now… There, all done! Now, you should stay the night and get some rest. Today must have been really tough for you." She then turned to her father. "Papa, can you set up one of the guest rooms with a futon?"

"Me," asked Joseph incredulously, as though he were asked to shingle a roof. "Why do I have to do that? Besides, sleeping on the floor is awful!" He patted the tatami they sat on to drive his point. It was sturdy, but Joaquín didn't mind at all. The old man crossed his arms, practically pouting. "Holly, I want that futon out of my room and replaced with a real bed."

Holly's face turned serious for a moment as she too patted the tatami flooring. "No. You're in Japan, Papa, so you have to get used to the way the Japanese do things! And please, while we're here, call me Seiko."

"What?!"

"Holly comes from the word 'holy', which translates to 'seinaru' here in Japan. My friends ended up calling me Seiko and I just fell in love with the name!"

Everyone except Joutarou (he was used to his mother pushing this on others) laughed at Joseph's flabbergasted fury. She indeed wouldn't acknowledge him even as he practically screamed her name. When the humor died down, Joaquín had time to think about the boy's words. Noriaki said he met Dio in Egypt as well, a month apart from Mohamed. This is was not some coincidence. Dio might still be there, but they wouldn't know until they got a proper lead on him.

Later that night, Joaquín decided to spend some time with his brother. They didn't do much except walk around in the street and talk. But in the short time they spent together, Joaquín learned several things about his brother. He was into sumo wrestling and hip hop, as well as detective shows. "Columbo is my favorite," he said. He also had a geeky side to him; the books he kept in his room were all either mystery novels or about marine life. Joaquín suggested he take up a career as a marine biologist.

This earned him a rare smile.

It was on their way home that his suspicions about his stoic personality were true when Joutarou was asked about them. He didn't mind.

"I never thought it was necessary to show my emotions. I still feel them. Happiness, anger. I just don't really like showing it. I don't like being an open book, and because of that, everyone thinks I'm this punk that doesn't care. I want them to think that. But I know I'm not really that bad of a guy, despite doing some questionable things. Like beating up punks or stiffing restaurants that serve awful food that's not worth the price."

"Or smoking," said Joaquín reproachfully. As if to answer, he pulled one out of his pocket and lit it up. "Those things will kill you, you know that, right?"

He was met with a shrug. "You can shrug now, but in the future, all that's gonna catch up to you. Especially when it concerns your stoicism. It might affect your personal life. Imagine you make your own family. Are you gonna keep up that wall over your emotions your whole life? That's gonna come bite you hard in the ass. One day, you need to change before that happens. Now I'm not saying to be as outgoing as me, no, but... Just consider other people, you know?"

Joutarou stood silent. And this time, Joaquín couldn't tell what he was thinking. He hoped he would consider that bit of brotherly advice. They ended their conversation there as they returned back home. He made sure that he would kill his cigarette before going in. Just as they were both turning in for the night, Joutarou stopped his older brother by his guest room and looked down at him.

"You know, I'm not sure if Mom said this, but… I'm glad to have a brother now."

"She did. And I am too, Joutarou." And he smiled up at him as the two went into their respective rooms. Della was already fast asleep, the blanket of their futon open for him to slip into. Joaquín wasted no time doing so. It was a tiring day, but it was by no means boring at all. In fact, it was exciting. Sure, Dio was sending deadly spies after them, but he felt a thrill knowing he could meet fight such interesting foes and protect his family and friends in doing so. Joaquín could only imagine just who he would send next.

With a yawn, he shut his eyes and prepared for whatever the next day brought.

~+JO*JO+~

The next morning was odd.

Joseph was walking around the house calling for his daughter, complaining about being given Joutarou's pants. Joutarou himself was heading back to the school to apologize for the wreck he caused ("I think I destroyed the west wing during our fight."). Neither of these things was odd. What was, though, is that for some odd reason, Holly wasn't around to give her son a good-bye kiss or scold her father for not calling her "Seiko" as she mentioned the night before. Even odder was the lack of a smell of breakfast hanging in the air.

Joaquín knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. The whole house had a foreboding silence to it. He looked around through every room to see if she didn't stop by to put something away. She was nowhere to be seen. When he turned around one corner, he saw something in the middle of the wooden floor that made his blood chill. A lone spoon. It was by the entrance of the kitchen. Someone was in there, and something had happened. Joaquín didn't want to enter in fear of what he would see next.

But he had to.

He slowly approached and looked inside. He was greeted to the sight of the fridge open, several pans and utensils strewn across the floor… and his mother passed out among the clutter.

"MOM, NO," Joaquín screamed as he ran to his mother's side. He heard four pairs of footsteps running to the sound of his scream as he lifted her up into his arms. He was shocked to feel that her whole body felt burning hot. A fever, he wondered with panic. But how?! She was okay the night before! Sure, she was pale, but aside from that, she showed no signs of one! No burning or shallow breaths… So why is she unconscious?!

Taking a closer look at his mother, he noticed what looked like thorns, leaves, and raspberries along her neck.

"W-What is this...?" He laid her on her stomach and pulled the back of her shirt and jacket down. Her back was covered by this mysterious growth. Joaquín tried to pull them off, but he saw that his hand went through. Incorporeal... This could only mean… But… "No... Impossible... This is-"

"Mrs. Holly's Stand," finished Mohamed in a tense voice. He, Della, his brother, and his grandfather were standing at the door. Della and Joseph looked close to tears. Joutarou looked like he was ready to break something. "She has manifested one as well... I only thought that, because you three men were the ones influenced by Dio's body, and Mrs. Holly showed no signs, we had no call for concern."

"No," said Joseph in a shaky voice. "We knew. We just didn't want to worry."

"But she is a Joestar as well... There was no way she wouldn't have developed one. However, a Stand is controlled by its user's spiritual energy. Their fighting instinct. Mrs. Holly is a pure soul. She cannot withstand Dio's curse. Which is why her Stand has turned against her." He backed away slightly, knowing the next words he would say would be devastating for them all. "If she continues to suffer like this… she will die."

Della let out a mixture between a gasp and a sob, burying herself in Joseph's chest. Joaquín set his mother down, his hands shaking, fury bubbling inside him. All he could think about was Dio. It was his fault his family had suffered for over a century, his fault his family's Stands came to be. His fault that his mother, his sweet, pure-hearted mother, was now suffering. She had just come back into life, and now there was a chance that, like his father and grandmother, he was going to lose her.

That thought alone made him cry out in anguish and fury. Joaquín had never felt so much hatred for someone in his life, not even for his father's killer. He wanted to find this man and outright kill him. To make him suffer like his mother was. And he knew he would never rest soundly until the deed was done.

There was a long silence. Everyone's eyes were both on his mother and on him, who sat on his knees and was shaking in anger. Nobody moved or spoke in an attempt to calm him. It would not have helped him. After a moment, Joaquín's shaking ceased, but not his anger. He stood up, and when he spoke to his grandfather, his voice came out low and deadly. "Abuelito Joseph... Tell me we need to find Dio... Tell me we need to kill that son of a bitch to help my mother..."

His grandfather, who had wiped his eyes and was controlling his own rage, nodded and shakily said, "Yes. We kill Dio, we undo his curse. But we still don't know where he is. Every one of my psychic photographs shows the same thing. We tried using computers to analyze the background, but it's nothing but darkness. We just don't have the means to properly see where he is."

Something clicked in Joaquín's brain. What could see better than a computer? With a frantic tone in his voice, he cried out, "Quick! Get me a pen and paper! And bring one of those photos of Dio!" Joseph nodded and left for a moment before bringing everything he needed. Joaquín took the photo and summoned Preciosa. Utilizing his telescopic eyes, his Stand's sight zoomed into the darkness, looking all around the photo for any clue that would give away that monster's position.

After a few seconds, he could make out an odd shape. Something tiny and insect-like. "I see a fly! Here!" He handed the pen and paper to his Stand, who placed the paper on the nearby table and began to draw. One eye was on the drawing and the other on the picture. Everyone had gathered around, looking on in amazement at how quick and detailed his fly was being drawn. When he was nearly done, Mohamed suddenly realized something.

"Wait a minute, I recognize that fly!" He left the kitchen and returned a moment later with an encyclopedia. Mohamed flipped through the pages and landed on the one he desired, just as Preciosa finished. He pointed it out to everyone to see. "This is it! The Nile We-We fly! Or rather, the Aswan We-We fly. You can tell by its streaked legs. After the Aswan High Dam was built, the species spread and became a pest... That means-"

"He's still in Egypt, close to Aswan," slowly finished Joaquín, his fury washing away by a wave of determination. "We got him..."

"You said he's still in Egypt? When do you leave? I wish to join you all."

They turned to the kitchen doorway to find Noriaki standing there, head still wrapped and back in his cleaned, green uniform.

"Kakyouin," muttered Joutarou. "You want to join us? But why?"

The teenager looked at him silently for a moment before his wide mouth broke out into a smile. "Well, not even I know, really." Having his words echoed back at Joutarou simply made him scoff. "But I suppose it's because you saved my life. Joining your group would be my way of paying my debt to you... I want to help you find and put an end to Dio. Nobody deserves to go through what I have."

"Agreed," said Joaquín, who was glad to have a new ally. He then turned to his grandfather and asked, "When should we leave, Abuelito?"

"Tomorrow," he quickly replied as he lifted his daughter into his arms. "I have some calls to make. I'm going to book us all a flight to Egypt. Now that we know where Dio is, there's no point in dawdling anymore... And while we're gone, I'll have doctors here caring for Holly around the clock."

"Before we depart," began Mohamed, "there is one small matter we must attend to. And that is Joutarou's Stand. While it is not of the utmost importance, I feel that having a nameless Stand will bring about bad luck."

Joaquín looked at his brother, who looked as if he was waiting for an opportunity to name him. But how would he name him? What would he name him? He was certain Joutarou was wondering the same thing as well. Their answer came in the form of Mohamed pulling out a deck of cards from within his robes. He knew what they were. The cards of fate: tarot cards. Wordlessly, Joutarou pulled out one from the middle of the deck. It was not one of those he received his fortune back in New York.

"The Star. A symbol of hope, courage, and personal transformation. You and your Stand shall grow together as one in the journey to come, becoming stronger than you could ever imagine. Henceforth, I christen your Stand…

"Star Platinum!"

Star Platinum and Preciosa. Brothers in arms for two brothers by blood. You better prepare yourself, Dio. We're coming after you.

~KAKYOUIN NORIAKI: REFORMED~