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's face. His seeming last-ditch attack shatters the clock face and its hands, causing it to stop working.

Being sure he got DIO cornered by creating a 20-meter radius web using his Stand's unraveled tendrils, Kakyoin is sure he can figure out the ability of his Stand, The World, and also kill DIO for good measure because the web is sensitive enough that any slightest touch or movement will cause it to shoot out emeralds against DIO. From the moment DIO is trapped within the web, he has the century-old vampire surrounded with no means of escape.

It didn't go as planned, however. As soon as the emeralds were about to hit DIO, he summoned his Stand, and before Kakyoin expected it, all the emeralds shattered and he was suddenly blown away across the air with a hole in 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 impending 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 broke 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 the clock tower's face as a clue for Joseph Joestar, who is currently facing DIO with seething teeth. That clue being DIO ｢can stop time｣.

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 hoping 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 clumsy girl, 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 an exciting day for her because she has the application papers for idol singers. Having admired Iron Frill, especially its leader, Sakura is inspired to be like her idol and become an idol singer herself so she can sing her heart out to her supporting fans with a big smile on her face. That same smile remains on her face as Sakura grabs her bag and rushes out of her room. Coming down the stairs, she slips her feet on her brown loafers and after tapping her foot to make 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 today.

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, "Ittekimaaaaaaassssss-!"

ドグシカァァーァァァ

Then unexpectedly, a truck rammed into her.

If anyone was present, they would witness this accident from different camera angles, including the driver's view. 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 eyes and mouth are seen agape, as if she's reacting to the sudden appearance of a truck crashing into her.

A lone crow flies higher in the sky as Sakura's body falls on the ground on her side headfirst with a sickening crunch, effectively ending her short life if the truck hasn'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.

Eyes already open, Sakura groggily gets 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 lying on the floor instead of her bed?

Before she can think about her next move, a creaking noise is heard behind her. Shrieking, 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.

Her fear vanished quickly however when her eyes happen to fell on a man slumped against the wall next to the door who is slightly visible in the darkness. Even before her eyes happened 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 and curious of him, she stands up wobbly and move to his slumped form. Kneeling before him once she's close, 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 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 startle him when he wakes up...

...Which is exactly what happened next when the man screams his lungs out.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"

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

Breathing heavily as she calms herself down 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. "E-Excuse me. Are you alright?"

"Huh?" The man realizes someone is kneeling before him when he heard a voice. Squinting his eyes, he sees it's a pretty and shapely girl having 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 female school uniform, 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 hadn't spoken. "H-Huh? Hey, where are you going?"

"Hm?" Turning his eyes to her again, he realized he had almost left the girl in a hurry, having acted without thought regarding her presence. "Oh. Sorry. I almost forgot you're here." 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 of the room. Standing up and dusting her skirt and coat, she responds, "It's alright. You were too rattled to notice me after you woke up. I'm guessing it's because you were having a nightmare, right? You screamed 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 chasing DIO, Hierophant Green getting hit by DIO's Stand, 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 am 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 in response, he reveals his name to her. "It's Kakyoin. Noriaki Kakyoin. You may refer to 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 herself 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's having trouble remembering it but she ignores the strange feeling as she finishes introducing herself to her new acquaintance. "Right, I'm Sakura Minamoto. 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 most important question related to the matter at hand. "Now that we know each other, can you tell me where we are? You're the first one who woke up so I assume you have taken a look around, right?"

Her beaming smile turned to a frown upon being reminded of their situation. She shakes her head, stating, "Sorry. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor so I didn't have time to look around before I saw 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." 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 when she next says, "Why do you ask, Kakyoin-san?"

"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 have been here long enough."

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

Abiding by 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 on 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 parrots.

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

Accepting his hunch for now, the two proceed away from the window and move forward while keeping their eyes peeled. The creepy atmosphere gets on Sakura's nerves rather well with her staying close to Kakyoin, even grabbing his arm for support. Kakyoin 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, 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 has this dreadful feeling that it could have possibly 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 charged through the glass unexpectedly.

ズドン

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

"Eh?"

"What the?"

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

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Limbs contorting unnaturally 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 bangs spreading out slightly from her normal 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 creepily.

"Uuugggggnnnnhhhh…" Groaning as her eyes bore on the two with her sunken 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, struggling to stop the thrashing arms. His 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 guesses 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, ready to get away from the woman.

"Kakyoin! Over here!" Hearing Sakura's shout, Kakyoin turn to her behind a door she found when he had the woman in his grasp unwittingly, noticing she is motioning him inside. Acting instantly, he sprints to the room and once inside, Sakura closes the door. The zombie woman left outside bangs it with her hands as she wants 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 around her back. Such an intimate contact surely makes her flustered, coloring her cheeks red.

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

"Y-Yes... Thanks for... pulling me to safety..." 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 hear 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 creepy woman persistent on her pursuit isn't unnerving 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 had just woken up a couple of minutes ago.

ドドドドドドドド

Aside from the zombie woman, there are eleven zombies in total for this room, numbering 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 long skirt reaching to her ankle having stitches on her arms and bandages in some parts, a short woman with short slate blue hair with small yellow flowers covered entirely in bandages under her blazers, yellow long-sleeved vest and slate skirt, a puffy, white haired woman with thin twin-tails in black and white sailor fuku having stitches and patches of skin of colors blue, green, cyan and white 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 another puffy, bright blue twin-tailed kid with an exposed heart wearing a hair decoration emblazoned with stars, green blazers and gray skirt.

As for the boys, there's a man with bob cut black hair with 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, purplish dark hair, tank top and pants joined by orange bandana, wrist straps and skirt, a blonde-haired man 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, another blonde-haired man with 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 two braids 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, the last three have blue, green and orange painted lips respectively, as if they have put a lipstick on and the shoulder-haired man is having trouble walking or even standing up properly, almost crawling instead.

As for the last man and zombie overall, 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 looks intimidating 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 here, 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 zombie from earlier, 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 black-haired 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, regretting what he would do next but knowing it is necessary.

Panicking at the thought of being eaten by zombies, Sakura hugs the door with her back and asks, "What should we do? What should we do!?"

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

｢HIEROPHANT GREEN!｣

Multiple white tentacles with complex green spots and patterns materialized in front of Kakyoin. The tentacles all combine to form a humanoid being with yellow mechanical eyes and a mask covering its mouth. White-colored pieces of armor cover various parts of its body but much of its green skin, reminiscent of a shiny melon, is 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 this night 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, wondering if she is imagining 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 turns 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. "It's open!"

The two didn't hesitate to run out of the room, moving as fast as they can. The two runs 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 are soaking wet, the two stop to catch their breath. They are really tired due to what they've witnessed and the fact they've been running without stopping. Considering a potential zombie apocalypse is imminent, no one can 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. How he likes to properly comb his hair after this is over.

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

Choda River
Saga Prefecture

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

"We're in... Saga Prefecture?" Kakyoin added, looking surprised the most out of the two. He finds the name "Saga" familiar to him even though it feels like this is the first time he heard the name. Before he can think about it, a voice pipes up in the splattering rain.

"Heeeeeeey! You two! You can't be out this late!"

It's a policeman, lazily trudging along with his bicycle as he asks, "What's the matter? Are you two lookin' to be arrested? 'Cuz I'll arrest you two!" He jested.

Seeing someone that is not a zombie appear, the two walk to him as he speaks up about how he wants to go home because his underwear is 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

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

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

"Huh? What are we...?"

Confused and alarmed over his words and action, 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...

ドガッ!

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 as 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 stares 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 and not having the strength to look at him. He slowly turns to the policeman and without thinking, takes a step forward in a daze. 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 some kind of 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 at the brown-haired man slightly taller than him 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 closed 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 and satisfying 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... 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 unbuttons his shirt and looks down. He lets out a hitched gasp when he sees the proof.

ドドドドドドドド

Kakyoin 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 gaping 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... A-Ah... 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 not left out, because 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. Preferably to the van just a few blocks from here. Yeah, I managed to track you two down when I realized 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 a 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 had to comprehend the fact that 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 dream in spite of reality splashing down on his face like rain.

Many seconds later, 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 thinks she is alone.

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

"Sakura. Glad to see you woke up. I was wondering if you are going to continue sleeping since you fell 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 imagining it, stands up and scampers to a nearby mirror. Looking at her reflection, she sees that, to her dismay and horror, she has green skin and red eyes too, in addition to 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 conflicted on being resurrected. Understandable, considering they got revived without their consent.

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

Freezing for a moment when he hears her, Kakyoin sighs before unbuttoning his shirt. The red-haired girl would have freaked out and blushed over him possibly undressing if she hadn't seen bandages wrapped around his abdomen. Her eyes widen in surprise, wondering what necessitated volumes of bandages on him unlike the bandages from the other zombies she saw earlier.

"Sakura, you may not see it since it's covered in bandages but," He pointed his finger to where his large wound was. "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 and telling 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 my body in 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, and out of concern for the man, 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 believe you are 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. "Well... okay. If you insist, I will not ask again. You don't seem to like telling me of your death."

"I am, but I'll manage. Thank you for your concern anyway." He replied gratefully. "Now that I told you how I died, how about you Sakura?" Kakyoin asks next, buttoning his shirt. "How did you get a scar on your head? I assume it's caused by head trauma, right?"

With her being next to answer, Sakura tries to remember how she died.

Keyword tries as no matter how hard she did, she can't remember.

In fact, 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..." He let out, feeling concerned she got the short end of the stick of the two. So she got amnesia huh? Could something that gave her a big scar on her head cause 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 knocked the policeman out cold 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 sunglasses, he introduces himself, "My name is Kotaro Tatsumi. Starting tonight, 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, can you tell us what the current year is?" Because they died many years ago, it's predictable many years have passed since they died so learning the current year 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 remembered it was 1989 of January when he was alive, 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 were revived.

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, "Number One 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 statement.

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 it 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!"

"What!? S-Stands!?"

Surprised, he forcefully 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 become wary of him. 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 guessed his line of thought and quickly 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 turns to her as she asks, "What is this about Stands? You were surprised when you heard Tatsumi-san mention about it Kakyoin, so may I ask what it is?"

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 talk about what Stands are next morning, which is also when I'll explain more about what I revealed to you two about saving Saga." 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?" Kotaro stares at her. After staying silent for three seconds, he clears his throat before he repeats his answer to Sakura and Kakyoin.

In a glamorous display, complete with shouting and hand clenching raised up high in the air.

"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｣ SAGAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

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?"

Stand Analysis:

Hierophant Green (User: Noriaki Kakyoin)

Destructive Power: C
Speed: B
Range: A
Durability: B
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: D

Hierophant Green is a long-distance Stand having the ability to unravel its entire body into tentacles or tendrils for various purposes like using it as a rope, avoiding damage to its user and weaving a sensitive 20-meter radius web that detects enemy movements. It is also capable of entering inside a person's body to forcefully control them, although Kakyoin used it rarely due to its inhumane nature. Its most noticeable technique is Emerald Splash, which lets Hierophant Green fire a barrage of emeralds after gathering energy in liquid form on its hands before discharging them as emeralds. While certain individuals can block and deflect the attack and isn't quite powerful, its blast range, shotgun-like launch, and high speed make this quite a capable technique under the right strategy.

Onomatopoeia:

ドグシカァァーァァァ - Car crashing into someone

ガシャンッ - Glass shattering

ズドン - Thud

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ/ドドドドドドドド - Dramatic tension

ドゴーンッ - Close-up emphasis

ドッバアーッ - Sound of Emerald Splash

ドガッ - Gunshot

バグォッ - Shovel smacking