Let's travel back to five months ago, before the toads' invasion of Wartwood.

For Sasha Waybright, her bizarre adventure began the day she was born. She was a natural born Stand user, so her Stand had been around all her life, but her parents weren't. As a child, she, like her parents, assumed it was an imaginary friend that would go away as she aged. But as she grew older and her Stand did not disappear, she began to question if she was possessed by a ghost or if the house was haunted. She got her answer when her Stand followed her everywhere she went. She kept quiet about it, especially around her parents, but it became hard for her to keep it a secret especially whenever something in the house broke all by itself or whenever a bully from school wound up in the hospital, looking like a pin cushion. For this reason, she kept the existence of her Stand a secret, especially from Anne and Marcy. Until one day...

A freckled girl with red hair tied in pigtails and wearing a backwards-facing purple baseball cap, a blue hoodie and a salmon-pink skirt screamed as she placed her hand over her private area, her skirt suddenly torn open and her backpack suddenly split open, spilling her homework everywhere. All the kids laughed and pointed until the teachers arrived, causing them to disperse. Only three girls; Anne Boonchuy, Sasha Waybright and Marcy Wu, were still laughing as they left the school.

"I cannot believe that happened to Maggie," said Anne.

"I can't believe it happened to her twice in one week," said Marcy. "Must be karma."

"Pfft," scoffed Sasha. "After the way she pushed you into the mud, she deserved it. No one treats my girls that way! So, where do you wanna go first now that school's over? The mall, the arcade, my place?"

"Actually, I have a ton of homework to do...and makeup," said Anne. "Can't really hang out this time."

"Anne, Anne, Anne," Sasha said with a shake of her head. "I thought we went through this. Why do today what you can put off 'till tomorrow?"

"What is today but yesterday's tomorrow?" asked an unfamiliar voice, startling the girls. Reclining against a tree was a girl about their age wearing a red jacket, a white t-shirt, green pants and black shoes. Her hair was gold, her skin was pale, she had a small scar on her lips and she was looking at them intently with honey brown eyes.

"Yeesh," said Anne. "And I thought vampires came out at night."

"Actually," said Marcy. "Dhampirs have been known to come out in the day and not get burned by the sun like vampires."

Sasha let out an exhale of impatience. "Mar-Mar, you're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Spouting out nonsense no one cares. And as for you, girl," Sasha pointed at the pale girl.

"I'm a boy," he said with annoyance.

Sasha balked. "Really?"

"I hate it when people mistake me for a girl. What? You want me to drop my pants to prove it to you?"

"NO! NO! You keep your drawers on!"

"Oh, I am so sorry for my friend," said Anne. "It's just with that skinny frame and that voice..."

"He's like a blonde Ciel Phantomhive," said Marcy.

"Don't make me hurt you," growled the boy.

"Pfft. Whatever. The point is," Sasha said as she poked her finger in his collar bone. "You stay out of our business." And with that, she turned to leave. "Creep."

"I know, right," said Anne. "Who does that kid think he is, getting up in our business like that?"

"Kinda cute though," said Marcy, earning her strange looks from her friends. "I said kinda!"

They turned the corner and entered an alley and guess who they saw? The boy from earlier. "This guy again," muttered Sasha before she shouted at him, "Listen, girly boy! We are not interested in whatever you have to say. So get lost before I..." She stopped when a switchblade slipped from the boy's sleeve and he caught it.

He flipped up the blade and he said, "Call me girly boy one more time. I dare you."

"Sash," said Anne wearingly. "I don't think we should provoke this kid."

"Girly boy."

The boy inhaled and exhaled. "You know, I really want to hurt you right now, but I don't have the time. Now, why don't you hand over the treasure I know you have and no one will have to pay for medical bills."

Sasha held her hand up. "Okay, I have no idea what you're talking about, crazy. I don't have any treasure."

"I'm not asking again," the boy snapped. "I saw what you did to that girl earlier today. That proves you have the treasure! It gave you that power!"

"You mean Maggie?" asked Marcy. "She had nothing to do with that! Maggie just had some bad luck and we got a good laugh at it."

"She deserved it too," said Anne.

Sasha did not respond. He saw? Had this kid been stalking them for some time now?! Or...did that mean he could see...HER?

"I see you need some convincing," said the boy. His eyes flashed a brief moment and Sasha gasped when a humanoid figure burst out of his body. Its body was white, save for a gold ladybug symbol on its chest and it wore a dome glass helmet that obscured its facial features, save for a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

"Sasha?" asked Anne. "What's wrong?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost," said Marcy.

"You seriously can't see that?" asked Sasha. "Right there!" She pointed at the figure.

What Anne and Marcy said next made her afraid. "Sasha, I can't see anything."

"Neither can I."

Holy shit, can she only see it? "Girls, I need you to run," said Sasha. "NOW!" As if on cue, the ghost that possessed her since she was a child appeared. It looked like a musketeer woman wearing a blue suit, a matching wide-brimmed hat with a feather in it and a pair of brown boots and it carried a rapier sword in its hand.

"Sash, what's going on?!" shouted Anne.

"Too late to run," shouted the boy. His spirit lunged at the girls only for Sasha's spirit to block it and stab its right hand with her sword. In an instant, the same wound appeared on the boy's hand as well and he let out a gasp of pain as he clutched it. "What the- It just appeared out of nowhere! Did it teleport?" The boy smirked. "No matter. The moment that sword touched DARE, the effect will take place. Like so!"

He threw the knife at Sasha only for her swat the knife away. Almost instantly, Sasha let out a scream of pain. "What?! The blade didn't even touch me!"

"That's what DARE does," said the boy. "When it touches a living creature or their Stand, their senses are either dulled or heightened. Right now, your sense of touch has been heightened, along with your pain receptors. In your state, the wind on your skin should feel like paper cuts."

Now that he mentioned it, Sasha had been feeling an unusual amount of pain since her spirit began fighting. But one question that was on her mind right now was, "What's a Stand?"

"HEY!" Anne grabbed the knife and pointed it at the boy. "I have no idea what's going on, but no one hurts our friend!" She threw the knife at the boy who blocked it with his hand. Big mistake. He let out a cry of pain as he pulled it out and grabbed the wound. Marcy then appeared out of nowhere and smacked him in the stomach with a steel pipe.

He growled at Anne and Marcy. "I was told to leave civilians alone, but in this case..." He summoned DARE again who gave Anne a single punch to the face, sending her flying into the side of a dumpster. Marcy swung the pipe again only for DARE to catch it and punch Marcy and making her land on her back.

"Ugh," Anne groaned. She got up and asked, "Hey! What's going on?! Who turned out the sun?!"

Sasha looked at her confused. "What are you talking about? It's still daylight."

"Then...why can I only see black?" Anne took a step forward only to trip and land on her face.

"Anne!" Sasha ran to her side.

"S-Sasha?" Anne whimpered. She looked at her, revealing dull grey eyes. Sasha gasped in horror. "Why is it so dark? Why can't I see anything?!"

Meanwhile, Marcy was screaming and writhing around on the ground in agony as she covered her ears. "TOO LOUD! EVERYTHING IS TOO LOUD! MAKE IT STOP!" Nothing she could do could drown out the sounds.

"What did you do to them?!" shouted Sasha.

"I told you," explained the boy. "DARE has the ability to heighten and dull the five senses. Your friend there has gone completely blind while your other friend's hearing has been heightened to the point she can hear every sound in the city." He approached Sasha and gave her a swift kick to the face, sending her onto the ground. DARE reappeared and pressed her face into the ground. "I won't ask again. Give me the treasure or I will-"

"MURI!" Sasha's spirit suddenly appeared and stabbed him in the knee. He let out a yell of pain as he fell down. Sasha got up and glared at him. "You can do whatever you want with me...but no one...MESSES WITH MY GIRLS!" Her spirit disappeared and reappeared behind the boy before it began repeatedly stabbing him with the rapier. "MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI! MURRRII!" The last stab impaled the boy, lifted him off his feet and sent him flying into a wall.

Almost instantly, the effects on the girls' senses disappeared. Anne looked around before she gasped. "I can see again!"

Marcy lowered her hands and said softly, "It's quiet." She let out an exhale of relief. "I thought I was gonna go deaf!"

Sasha held them close and said, "Are you girls alright?"

Marcy and Anne returned the hug. "Thanks to you, Sash," said the latter. "You were there for us, like always."

Sasha held them tighter. "Of course I am. And you'll always be there for me, right?"

"Right."

The boy groaned as he slowly got up. Sasha grunted in frustration. "Are you kidding me? How is he still alive?"

"You...don't know what a Stand is, do you," the boy said as he coughed up blood. "Then, you don't have the treasure."

"DUH! That's what I've been trying to tell you," shouted Sasha. "And why do you call it a Stand?"

"A Stand is your literal fighting spirit. It is a piece of your soul who will stand by your side for the rest of your life, hence the name. Only Stand users can see Stands, which is why you two," the boy pointed to Anne and Marcy. "Couldn't see them. But you sure can feel them and their effects and the only thing that can damage a Stand is another Stand and that damage will be reflected onto the user." He grunted in pain as he grabbed onto one of his wounds. "Like I am feeling right now." He turned to leave. "Sorry for the mixup, girls. Now, if you excuse me, I gotta go to the hospital."

He was just about to leave when Sasha suddenly called out, "Wait!" He stopped to look at her. "If I get you a hospital, will you tell me more about these Stands?"

"What?!" exclaimed Anne. "Are you kidding me, Sash? He tried to kill us!"

Sasha exhaled. "Girls, I have a confession. Since I was a little girl, I thought was haunted by a ghost of a musketeer." Anne and Marcy gasped when they heard that. "Not even my parents could see her but strange things always happened around the house. I kept it a secret out of fear, but now I met someone just like me. I can finally figure out where this power of mine came from."

"But, Sasha-"

"Anne. I want to learn more about these Stands, and I want him to live. Do you get that? END. OF. DISCUSSION." In an instant, Anne went silent. From where he was standing, the boy immediately felt the power in her voice.

"Soooo," said Marcy. "You have, like, cool anime powers, Sasha? Why didn't you tell us?"

"What did you want me to say? 'Hi, I'm Sasha Waybright, and guess what? I have a spirit that can turn you into a pin cushion if you piss me off!' Yeah, who would believe me?"

"Fair point," said Anne.

"Still," said Marcy. "I want a Stand, too. It's really not fair that you have a cool superpower and we can't see it."

"I think it's a good thing you don't have one," the boy was about to say before Sasha put a finger on his lips.

"Less talking, more walking to the hospital," she said.

The boy didn't like being told what to do by someone he just met, but she still had a point. "By the way," he said. "Aren't you going to give her a name?"

"Huh?"

"Your Stand. Give her a name."

"What should I name her?"

"Well, Stands have been named after Tarot cards, Egyptian gods, songs and bands."

Sasha thought it over, then decided, "Slash. I'll call her Slash."

"After the guitarist for Guns n' Roses? Cool."

"Speaking of names," said Sasha. "I didn't get yours."

"My name is..." He paused. "Uh..."

"Well, Uh, my name is Sasha and these are my girlfriends, Anne and Marcy."

The boy then said, "My name is Johan Shiobana, but my friends back home call me JoJo."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "A weird nickname, but I'll take it. Consider us friends then, JoJo."

"Really? But we just met."

"Hey, when I first met these two," Sasha gestured to Anne and Marcy. "We became friends instantly."

"After she rescued us from a gang of older kids," said Marcy. "It was so cool!"

"If I recall correctly, she fell flat on her face and the older kids thought she wasn't worth their time," said Anne.

"Regardless how it happened," Sasha said through gritted teeth before calming down. "We became fast friends and if we can, so can you."

Johan gave her a confused look. "We become friends after I tried to kill you over a misunderstanding?"

"Hey, life works in a strange way."

Following his brief trip to the hospital, the girls waited patiently outside to greet their new friend. "Hard to imagine he'd get better that quickly," said Sasha. "Must be a Stand user thing."

"You seem excited to meet him again," teased Anne. "Sure you're not crushing on him?"

"What?! Ew! I just met him! I mean, it's nice to finally meet someone who has another Stand. I can't tell you how hard it is to have this power and not explain anything about it to anyone."

"Well, I would have believed you," said Marcy. "I mean, I dream about having anime powers all the time and I find out you had one the whole time? You're so lucky!"

Sasha looked away. "That's not how I think it."

"Here he comes," said Anne.

Johan stepped out of the hospital, covered in bandages. "You're looking good," said Sasha.

"Still feel like shit, though," he said.

"Now, as promised, you," she said, poking him in the chest. "Gotta tell me everything about Stands and what this treasure you thought I stole is connected to it."

Johan looked around, as if expecting someone to attack at any moment. "Er...can we have this conversation somewhere more privately? Somewhere where there aren't any people around?"

"Not exactly what I was thinking of," grumbled Johan as he and the girls sat under the bleachers of Saint James Middle School's football field.

"This is where the girls and I come when we cut classes and just hang out," said Sasha.

"Wait, did you say cut classes? Do your parents even know where we are right now?!"

"I told them we're hanging out at the arcade," said Marcy.

"Never mind that," dismissed Sasha. "Tell me more about these Stands."

Johan wasn't so sure about telling anymore to this delinquent, but he did have a promise to keep. "Very well. But you can't go around telling ANYONE this. I'm already compromising the mission as it is."

"Ooh, are you a secret agent, or something?" taunted Anne.

"Shush," hissed Sasha. "Go on, JoJo."

"Right. Approximately 50,000 years ago, a meteorite crash-landed on Earth around an underpopulated region of what is now known as Cape York, Greenland. It is theorized that the meteorite sought out Earth through the will of its many strong spirits, rather than striking the planet by chance. In 1978, a mineral excavation team uncovered an unknown virus within the rocks of the surrounding area and determined that it had been lying dormant inside the meteorite that hit Earth long ago. Despite extensive research, government doctors were unable to determine the alien virus' purpose outside the total elimination of human life. Akin to the theory of evolution, it was discovered that certain people possessed a quality that would enable them to survive when exposed to the virus, as well as grant them supernatural abilities, known as Stands. To normal people, it seems like Stand users have psychic powers, but it's actually the Stand's ability."

Sasha listened with interest and made Slash appear. "So, what, I'm infected with an alien virus?"

"No. It's possible that somewhere along the line, one of your ancestors contracted the virus and the trait passed down the line. You being born with a Stand was probably pure luck, giving the fact that no one in your family has ever experienced it yet."

"So, what is this treasure you talked about?" asked Marcy.

"I'm getting to it. Several hundred years before the discovery of the virus, a man who wished to acquire the power of the gods took the rocks and fashioned them into arrowheads. The arrows allowed the wielder to unlock Stand abilities in those who had the potential to awaken one, essentially acting as the aforementioned trigger." Johan paused in his story. "Years ago before I was born, my dad, who was a natural born Stand user like Sasha, came across one of these arrows and, after a long bizarre adventure which I will tell another time, kept it in a safe in his study back in Italy. Since then, he led a good life. But a month ago, he got word that another arrow was found, but before he could retrieve it, someone had already taken it and fled to America."

The girls gasped.

"Yep, I thought that would be your reaction. People back home think Dad sent me here to study abroad, but that's just the cover story. In reality, I'm here to find the arrow."

"Why send you and not an adult?" asked Sasha.

Johan chuckled. "Who would suspect a young boy doing a man's job? Anyway, when I saw you, I assumed you were the thief or some unlucky sucker who got stabbed with the arrow as a means to distract me. Thank goodness it wasn't either case."

"Why do you say that?" asked Anne.

"Well, because if your body is not compatible for having a Stand, you will die. To normal people, it seems like a disease not found in any medical records so no ordinary doctor can cure it. "

Anne and Marcy gulped. "On second thought, I think Sasha IS lucky to have cool anime powers," said the latter.

"So now, here I am," said Johan. "I have to find the thief before he ends up pricking himself or some random schmoe."

Sasha thought it over then said, "Okay. We'll help out."

"What? No way! I can't have any civilians involved as it is! Besides, even if you do want to help out, what can you do? You may have a Stand but they," Johan pointed to Anne and Marcy. "Don't. Stand users are drawn to each other like magnets and what if the next Stand user you meet tries to kill you? Now, I'm not saying all Stand users are bad, but if you give someone the power of a god, they'll definitely go mad, but still..."

"It won't come to that," Sasha insisted. "I'm always there for my girls and they are there for me!"

"And what if they encounter a Stand user without knowing it? They won't be able to defend themselves." The next thing Johan knew, Slash was right next to him, impaling the wall next to him.

"It won't...come...to that," growled Sasha.

"I don't know, Sash," said Anne. "Maybe we should listen to him. I mean, I don't wanna end up like Johan, turned into a human pin cushion."

"Or wind up deaf or blind," said Marcy.

Johan chuckled. "You think what Sasha and I did to each other was bad? There are Stands that can control time, age you, shrink you, control metal, rot you alive, turn you into human bombs, steal your souls... Stands can do just about ANYTHING. And unless you have a Stand, you won't see it coming."

"If you're trying to scare us away, it won't work," said Sasha. "We are going to help you find the arrow. END. OF. DISCUSSION." she said with finality.

"NO." said Johan, making Anne and Marcy gasp. Sasha did not like being challenged, but she kept quiet. "I can't afford to have you in danger." Then he said, "But since you're far too deep in this, I don't have a choice." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dad's gonna kill me when he finds out." He looked at the girls and said, "You can help me look. Report to me right away if you see anything strange. But I don't want ANY of you engaging an enemy unless it's absolutely necessary. I don't want any civilian casualties in the city."

"You got it, boss," said Anne.

"Actually, my dad's the boss."

Marcy chuckled. "Boss. What is he, the godfather or something?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, what?"

"Yeah, he is. The godfather of Passione."

Anne and Marcy gulped and an image of a pale, blonde version of Marlon Brando appeared in their minds. Sasha laughed. "Okay, now I know you're pulling our legs. There's no way you're the son of a mob boss."

Johan shrugged. "Believe what you will." He reached into his pocket and took out a photograph of the arrow he was looking for. The arrowhead was gold and shaped like a frog. "This is what the arrow looks like. I repeat, it is important you keep what I told you today a secret."

For about three weeks, the kids searched high and low for any clues that could lead them to the arrow, often with Sasha and her friends cutting classes in the process. Truth be told, the girls cut classes before as a means to escape the boredom of school. As a result, they got in trouble both from the teachers and their parents. But now, they had a new reason to cut classes and that was to help a friend stop a possible danger in the city. Of course, they never told their families and teachers the truth of what they were doing per Johan's order so they assumed the girls were getting into the usual trouble.

When they weren't looking for the arrow, the girls and Johan shared their stories with each other. Johan told them of Passione, of the Joestar family and the story of his two grandfathers, Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando and how the latter became a vampire in an attempt to take over the world. He even showed them the photo of DIO he kept in his wallet. While Anne and Marcy were intrigued, Sasha laughed right in his face and told him unless he had real proof DIO was a vampire, she would not believe it. Johan's response was, "Believe what you will."

And yet, through it all, Johan couldn't help but feel bad as he felt him being here was giving the girls an excuse to cause trouble at school and at home. He especially didn't like the way Sasha controlled Anne and Marcy, as it looked less like friendship and more like a bully ordering her subordinates around. At times, he would tell her to lay off, but she would respond by saying something along the lines of, "Mind your own business!"

And then Anne's birthday arrived...

"Tanti auguri a te," sang Johan as he left the jewelry store. "Tanti auguri a te, tanti auguri a te, tanti auguri a te." He looked down at the ring box as he walked down the sidewalk. "I wonder if Anne will like gift I got her? She's probably never seen real gold and diamonds before." Then he thought, "I hope she doesn't think it's tacky." He was about to head to the school when he saw Marcy and Sasha looking into the window of a antique store. He groaned to himself, "Cutting class again, girls?"

Then he saw something he thought he'd never see: Anne sneaking out of the store's front door, carrying a small music box in her hands. She and the two other girls then slunk away and headed toward the park. His heart nearly stopped. "Did...did they just steal that?!" Okay, Johan had put up with a lot of their shenanigans, but this was crossing the line. Something had to be done.

As Anne met up with Marcy and Sasha at the park, carrying the music box, she didn't know she was being followed. Just as they were about to open it, a voice stopped them. "What the hell are you guys doing?!"

The girls turned to see Johan arriving. "I mean, I understand sneaking out, but stealing from an antique store?! Cosa stavi pensando?!"

"JoJo! Uh...this isn't what it looks like!"

"You stole from a store! What else could it be?!"

Sasha frowned at him. "Wait. Were you following us?! That's creepy!"

"No, it's called being concerned! This is the last straw, Sasha! I turned a blind eye to you and your friends' antics, thinking it's just usual teenage hijinks, but this is going too far!"

"This doesn't concern you! This is something Anne wanted to get for her birthday and I helped her get it! Besides, she left some money on the counter, right Anne?"

"Uh..."

Johan face palmed. "Ugh! Do you know how much trouble you're in right now?! The store manager saw you and called the police!"

It took a while for those words to sink in. "The...police...are coming?" Anne said slowly with dread. "Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! Mom's gonna kill me!"

"I can't go to jail," Marcy panicked. "When Mom and Dad find out..."

"QUIET!" Sasha shouted. "This isn't going to end this way!"

Marcy quickly said, "Anne, just take a quick peek in the box then go back and pay for it!"

"But...but Marcy..."

"Hey, I'm not going to let you spend the rest of your birthday in a cell!" Sasha snapped. "I promise you!"

"Are you kidding me?! You're in too deep, Sasha! TOO FRIGGING DEEP!"

"This doesn't concern you, JoJo!"

Anne did what Marcy said and opened the box, then there was a flash of light.

To Be Continued...