Chapter 9: The Man from Morioh
Shujin Academy, 4/20/20XX, After School
Jolyne sighed as the bell rang, ushering Morgana into her bag from her desk. Today had been largely uneventful, with no events of note occurring. However, everyone was talking about Kamoshida and his sudden 'leave of absence' and what it meant.
"What do you think's wrong with Coach Kamoshida?"
"Think it had anything to do with that weird poster yesterday?"
"It must have been too much for him. I don't think I could handle being accused of Suzui's suicide like that."
"I just hope he comes back soon. Our team will get destroyed without him…"
And so turned the rumor mill, churning out speculation on the reasons behind Kamoshida's sudden disappearance. By the end of the day, Jolyne had heard all sorts of reasons as to why he was gone. The stress of the accusation had been too much to bear, he had injured himself stretching and was too embarrassed to face anyone, Jolyne and Ryuji had attacked him and he was recovering…well, that one wasn't necessarily false.
"Hey." Ann's voice shook Jolyne out of her musing, looking up to see Ann turned back to face her. "Think we should head to the rooftop?"
"I'm sure Ryuji's already up there waiting for us. Might as well discuss what's going on." The two got up and began making their way to the roof. "So, how's Shiho doing?" Jolyne asked as they began to climb the stairs.
"Shiho's…well, 'fine' is a bit of a strong word." Ann replied, her face becoming downturned. "She still hasn't woken up yet, but the doctors say the worst is behind us. They expect she'll wake up soon."
"That's good to hear."
"Thanks." And with that, the three arrived at the rooftop, seeing Ryuji indeed waiting for them.
"'Sup." He greeted as Jolyne unzipped her bag, allowing Morgana to jump out and inhale the fresh air, before he turned to Jolyne with an angry glint in his eye.
"From now on, you're keeping that bag unzipped in school!" He ordered.
"But if someone sees you then-"
"I don't care! Do you know now stuffy it is in that thing?! At the very least, leave it unzipped while you're walking." Morgana complained, hopping onto the air conditioning unit next to Ryuji.
"So, you think this 'leave of absence' crap means we changed Kamoshida's heart?" The former track star asked, and Morgana looked…uncertain.
"I'm not sure. This is my first time stealing a heart as well." He answered, and Ann's eyes widened.
"Wait, so you've never done this? But from the way you were talking, I thought you were an expert or something!" She said, and Morgana shook his head.
"Like I told the two of them before, I just know how to do all of this stuff." He replied. "Still, we did everything right. We followed the directions perfectly, and the timing is too convenient. I'm positive that we changed his heart. It's just…taking a while."
"As long as its by the board meeting, I'm good." Ryuji responded, and pursed his lips. "So…what do we do now?" That…was a good question. Beyond stealing Kamoshida's heart, none of them had really given a thought as to what would come next.
"Well, the Palace is gone, right?" Morgana nodded at Jolyne's question. "I guess…we could just hang out?" The other's brows furrowed at Jolyne's suggestion. "Well, we don't have anything left to worry about Kamoshida wise, and now that I think about it, we don't really know each other, do we?"
"That's…actually not a bad idea." Ann said. "We haven't really stopped just to hang out talk. Where do you guys want to go? The diner? Big Bang Burger?" She suggested, and Ryuji shook his head.
"I blew all my money on that shotgun the other day. I'm outta money until my mom gets paid on Friday."
"Well why don't we go to our place? We've got plenty of space in our room." Morgana suggested, causing Jolyne's eyes to widen.
"Uh, Morgana? I don't really think that's the best idea."
"Why? We should be fine, so long as we stay out of Boss's way."
"What're you two talkin' about? There somethin' wrong with your place?" Ryuji asked, and Jolyne rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, I…kinda live in the attic of a coffee shop."
"Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot you were on probation." Ann chimed in.
"What about your places?"
"Can't do it. My mom doesn't like me to have a buncha people over when she's not there." Ryuji answered.
"I can't do it either. My place is..a bit of a mess." Ann replied, and Jolyne sighed.
"Well, as long as we stay out of Sojiro's way, I guess we'll be fine. Just brace yourselves in case he kicks us out." She warned, and Ryuji grinned.
"Alright, party at Jolyne's!"
Yongen-Jaya
"Whoa, you live all the way out here in Yongen?" Ann remarked as they stepped off the train onto the platform. "How long does it take you to get to school?"
"I just take the train to Shibuya, then get onto the Ginza line."
"I don't think I could do it. I practically live next to Aoyama, and I'm almost late every day as it is." Ryuji chimed in as they entered the backstreets. "Man, I haven't been here in forever. Hasn't changed that much."
"Not gonna lie, the place is kinda growing on me." Jolyne said, and she lead them do the alley where Leblanc was. The bell above the door chimed, revealing Sojiro behind the counter while there was a customer facing away from them.
"You're home early. And…you brought friends." Sojiro greeted, and before he could say anything, Jolyne held up her hand.
"Don't worry, we'll stay in the attic. I already told them the rules. We won't bother your customers."
"Actually, that's not-" Sojiro started to say, when the customer stood up.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Jojo?" The man said, and Jolyne's eyes widened as Ryuji and Ann raised an eyebrow.
"Jojo…?" Ann said, while a smile began to spread across Jolyne's face. There were only three people in Japan who could call her that and remain unscathed, and two of them were in Nagasaki. Which meant that the customer in front of her could only be…
"Grunkle Josuke!" She exclaimed, and that's when the customer turned to face them. Ann and Ryuji took in his strange hairstyle, his white jacket and yellow shirt, the vine tattoos on his left arm…and the slight, yet noticeable resemblance he held to Jolyne.
"How ya doin, Jojo?" Josuke asked, and she tackled him in a hug, which he gladly returned.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have patients back in Morioh?" She asked.
"I got invited to a medical conference up here in the city that starts tomorrow, so I figured that'd be as good of an excuse as any to see how my favorite niece was doing." The strange pompadoured man replied, and that's when he noticed the two teenagers standing behind her. "Going to introduce me to your friends?" He asked, and Jolyne pulled back.
"Right. Grunkle J, this is Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki." She gestured to each of them as she introduced them. "Guys, this is my great uncle, Josuke Higashikata."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Ann greeted, and Ryuji waved in agreement.
"Sojiro-san was telling me you had made some friends. Guess I can thank you two for keeping this one from getting lost, huh?" Josuke asked as he patted Jolyne on the shoulder, and Ryuji's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What do you-" He started to say, only for Ann, who had caught on to the lie Jolyne had told Sojiro about how they were spending their time together, to cut him off.
"That's right! I remembered how confusing and intimidating this place was when I first moved here, so I figured we could help her figure out her way around the city." Ann 'explained', and Sojiro sighed.
"You two were a godsend." He praised, and turned to Josuke. "Did I mention that Jolyne got lost on her first day of school? Missed half the day." Josuke merely shrugged.
"Eh, getting lost happens. Especially here in the big city." He said, and gestured to the booth where he had been sitting. "Why don't you two take a seat? I'd love to get to know Jojo's friends."
"Sounds good to me." Ryuji grinned as Ann nodded, and as they approached the booth, Ryuji leaned close to Ann. "Hey, what do you think's with up with that weird hair?" Unfortunately, he said that a little louder than intended, and Uncle and niece alike froze as fear crept up Jolyne's spine.
Shit! Literally the one thing I didn't want him to do! Jolyne thought to herself, while a feeling of pure menace began to emanate from Josuke.
"Hey, Ryuji, was it?" He asked, his voice low and unsteady. He turned back to Ryuji, his hair almost seeming to spike up as he adopted a grin that seemed almost angry in its intent. "The hell did you say about my hair?"
"I-I uh, just said that uh…" Ryuji stammered out in fear, and Jolyne stepped between them.
"He said that he really likes your hair, and that he'd like to do his like yours someday. Right, Ryuji?" Jolyne interjected.
"I didn't-" Jolyne grabbed the back of Ryuji's neck.
"Right, Ryuji?" She grunted out through grit teeth, her face transfixed in a nervous smile as sweat beaded across her forehead. Ryuji and Ann swallowed nervously as Josuke reached into his jacket…only for him to pull out a small comb. He fixed his hair back into its pompadour, and his face returned to its 'friendly uncle' countenance.
"Oh really? Let me warn you, it takes a lot of work in the morning to make it work. I think you could pull it off, though." Josuke said.
"T-thanks…" Ryuji responded, and the Phantom Thieves piled into the booth.
"Sojiro-san, four coffees, please. I'm buying." Josuke said, and Sojiro nodded as they entered the booth. Ryuji and Ann sat next to one another, while Jolyne sat at the interior of the booth next to Josuke.
"Hey, so what was that word Jolyne called you? Grumple or something?"
"Grunkle. It's an abbreviation of the English words for 'great uncle.' When Jojo was little and I would visit her in America, I'd try to speak English until she got her Japanese down. One time I messed up the pronunciation of 'great uncle', and it just sorta…stuck." Josuke explained, and Ann looked confused.
"Jojo? Is that her nickname or something?" She asked, and Jolyne nodded.
"Yeah, I think it's a family thing."
"Oh, I think I get it. You take the 'Jo' at the beginning of your name, and the 'Jo' at the end of your last name, right?" Ann asked, and Josuke nodded.
"That's right. The 'suke' part of my given name can be written as 'Jo', but no one really calls me that." He explained. "Well, enough about nicknames. Jojo, how are you settling in here?" Josuke asked, and Jolyne shrugged.
"So far so good. Nothing too daunting so far." She lied. Somehow she doubted that her uncle would believe that the other day they fought a demon that was the manifestation of a volleyball coach's twisted desires.
"That's good. How're your classes?"
"It's not so bad. English is a cakewalk, and everything else isn't too hard."
"That's great!" Josuke then turned to Ann and Ryuji. "So, how'd you two meet Jojo?" Josuke asked, and Ryuji swallowed as he tried to remember their cover story.
"Oh uh, me and her ended up getting lost together on our way to school on the first day. After we made our way to school we just kinda started hangin out." The false blonde answered. Not the whole truth, but also not a complete lie either. Josuke then turned to Ann.
"And you?"
"Oh, we're in the same class. She actually sits right behind me."
"Very cool. I'm glad she's been able to make friends." Josuke remarked, and turned to Jolyne. "You hear from your dad lately?" Ann and Ryuji took note of how Jolyne averted her eyes and seemed to sink into the booth.
"…I've been busy. Haven't had a chance to call him." She answered, her tone making it clear she didn't want to discuss it any further. Josuke looked like he wanted to say something further, but decided against it, simply sighing and smiling once again.
"So, Shujin Academy, huh? Feels like I've seen that place in the news a lot over the past week or so." Josuke mentioned, and from the way Ann's eyes became downturned, he could immediately tell he had changed the conversation to the wrong topic.
"It's…been a busy week, that's for certain." Ann replied, and Josuke saw Ryuji making a slashing motion across his throat. He felt Jolyne nudge him in the side, and looked to see his niece shaking her head. Taking the hint, he searched desperately for a new topic.
"So…what do you do, Josuke-san?" Ryuji asked, switching topics, which Josuke gladly picked up on.
"I'm a general practitioner in Morioh." He answered, and Ann's brow furrowed.
"Morioh? Where's that?"
"M Prefecture, about 5 hours outside of Tokyo."
"Did you drive here?" Ann asked, and the great uncle shook his head.
"Took the train in. My family and cars don't get along." Josuke answered, and Sojiro, who had been making coffee behind the counter, let out a small curse.
"Dammit!" He grunted, and saw that all eyes were on him. "Damn coffee siphon's jammed. Coffee will have to wait until I can fix it."
"Want me to take a look at it?" Josuke asked, getting a shrug from Sojiro.
"Be my guest. Not much you can do until I find my kit. Now where'd I put that thing…." Sojiro mumbled, and Josuke turned to the group.
"I'll be right back." With that, Josuke got up and headed behind the counter, and Ryuji and Ann leaned close to Jolyne.
"Dude, your uncle's kinda weird." Ryuji whispered, making sure to keep his voice low this time.
"Oh come on, he's not that-"
"I feel like he would've killed me over that hair comment if you hadn't stepped in."
"And now you know not to mention it ever again."
"He's supposed to be your great uncle, right? I thought those are supposed to be old, not in their 30's." Ann asked, and Jolyne sighed.
"The way I heard, my great-grandfather used to be kinda…loose." Jolyne answered. "Look, I'm sorry this got sprung on you guys. I had no idea he was coming either." Ryuji opened his mouth, ready to say something…when they saw it.
Josuke had gone over to the coffee siphon to look at it, while Sojiro had gone off into the kitchen to find the maintenance kit. Sure enough, the machine was jammed. Making sure Sojiro was out of eyesight, Josuke grabbed the siphon with his right hand, and the air around his left hand almost seemed to shine. It shimmered, before a pink arm with white armor on the forearm and around the hand and fingers materialized next to Josuke. It clenched it's fist, and smashed through the siphon. "Dora!The siphon was smashed apart, but a split second later the parts of the machine began flying back together, reassembling back together as if nothing had happened. Josuke turned the nozzle, and the black liquid flowed once more. "Hey, Sojiro-san, I think I got it working again!" Josuke called back, and Sojiro returned from the kitchen with a bewildered expression on his face.
"Well I'll be…how'd you get it working?"
"Magic hands, Sojiro-san." Josuke replied, and that's when he noticed Jolyne and her friends staring at him, their eyes all wide as saucers and jaws dropped all the way to the floor. Josuke's eyes widened as realization set in and shock spread across his face for a second. He walked back over to the booth, sitting next to Jolyne once more. Only instead of the friendly, welcoming smile he had before, the doctor's face was somber and downcast. "So, did you three…see that?"
"Uh, what...what are you talkin' about? W-we were just talkin' about school and stuff." Ryuji tried to explain.
"R-right!" Ann supported, but their rushed explanations answered Josuke's question, and he turned to Jolyne, who looked shellshocked herself.
"What…what was that? That…arm?" Jolyne asked, and Josuke sighed.
"I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later." He muttered under his breath. "Where's your room?"
"Upstairs. Why?"
"We're gonna need somewhere we can talk in private." Josuke said, and turned to Ryuji and Ann. "You two saw it too, didn't you?" They looked to Jolyne, and she nodded.
"Y-yeah. I couldn't see much though. Just some kind of outline." Ann replied, and Josuke raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue that for now
"And you, Ryuji?"
"I could kinda make out a shape, just like her." Ryuji's answer seemed to further confusion in Josuke, and he gestured to the stairs. As the four spilled out of the booth, Josuke approached Sojiro.
"We're gonna head up stairs so we don't get in your way. Don't worry about the coffee." Sojiro looked around the otherwise empty café, but shrugged.
"Alright, suit yourself." Josuke gave the shop owner a thumbs up, before heading upstairs, following Ann up the staits behind Jolyne and Ryuji.
While Josuke spoke with Sojiro, Jolyne and Ryuji had gone up ahead, being greeted with the sight of Morgana sitting on the bed. "Finally! I was wondering how long you'd keep me waiting." Morgana exclaimed.
"I was wondering where you went. When'd you even get up here?" Jolyne asked.
"I got out of your bag when you got in the booth. Didn't feel like being crushed against the wall." He replied, and that's when Josuke and Ann entered the attic.
"Huh. Cute cat." Josuke mused upon looking around the attic. He then turned to Jolyne. "Did you receive anything from Jotaro recently?"
"Yeah, a locket with some weird rock in it."
"Can I see it?" Jolyne nodded, and walked over to the desk by the bed, opening a drawer and pulling out the locket, which was next to the medal they had taken from Kamoshida's Palace. Shutting the drawer, she tossed the locket to Josuke, who caught it. He opened it, and as soon as he saw the shard, he cursed under his breath.
"Damn, he really sent it…Jojo, have you cut yourself with this?"
"It pricked my finger a few days ago." Jolyne answered, and Josuke mulled that over.
"And you two, have you cut yourselves with it too?" Josuke asked, and Ryuji and Ann looked at each other, unsure of how they should answer. Should they tell him about the Meta Verse and their personas?
"Josuke, what the hell's going on? What's got you like this?" Jolyne asked before they could answer, and Josuke sighed as he closed the locket.
"Can you show me?"
"Show you wha-"
"You know what." He responded, and Jolyne swallowed a lump she didn't know was forming in her throat.
"Stone Free." The air behind her shimmered, and the pale blue humanoid materialized behind Jolyne, it's face unmoving. Josuke's breath sharply hitched as soon as he saw it.
"It was only a matter of time…" He said under his breath.
"Do you know what this thing is?" Jolyne asked, and he nodded.
"It's a manifestation of your fighting spirit, your spiritual energy given solid form by your own willpower. Because of how they stand by us, no matter what, we call these manifestations 'Stands.'" Josuke explained, and Jolyne dryly swallowed. Was this related to their Personas? Igor had mentioned that her Persona and Stone Free operated on the same basic principle…
"Ok, so these…'stands.' What exactly are they? What causes them?" Ann asked, and Josuke pursed his lips.
"That's a good question. We're not exactly sure about the exact science behind them, but from what I've been told, a long time ago a meteorite crashed into Earth. Over the years, someone took pieces of that rock and forged them into six arrows. Something about the meteor's properties awakens the hidden potential inside of certain people, giving them a Stand." He answered.
"So, do you have one?" Ryuji asked, and Josuke nodded. The air around him shimmered and shined, and a figure materialized behind Josuke. It was about two heads taller than him, with a predominantly pink body and silver armor across its head, abdomen, arms, and legs. The head was clad in tall head gear, with a heart shapes adornment on its chin. It had heart shaped shoulder pads with spikes on them, and cables that connected to its head to its back. It's purple, rippled eyes were unmoving and its face was unchanging, just like Stone Free.
"This is my stand, Crazy Diamond. It has the ability to fix whatever it touches." The doctor said, and Ryuji and Ann seemed to squint as they looked behind Josuke and Jolyne.
"I can almost barely see them. Like I said earlier, I can only see some sort of outline, maybe a few colors?" Ann said, and Ryuji nodded.
"Same here. This that 'hidden potential' thing you talked about?' He asked, and Josuke shook his head as Crazy Diamond and Stone Free dematerialized.
"You can either see them or you can't, and Stands can only be seen by other Stand Users. There's no in between. I don't know why you two can see the outlines." Everyone swallowed at this, as they all had a sneaking suspicion that their Personas played a role in this.
"Wait, so how come we have these things?" Jolyne asked, and Josuke sighed as he scratched the back of his head.
"That is…a long story. How much do you know about our family history?"
"Next to nothing. Every time I asked you or Grandma, you'd redirect me to something else, and it's not like my dad's been around long enough for me to ask." Jolyne replied. "The only one who I could get to talk was your dad, and you remember how he was at the end. I couldn't tell what was real and what was the dementia talking." Josuke crossed his arms as he thought over that answer, before pointing to Ann and Ryuji.
"How much do you trust these two?"
"Anything that you can say in front of me, you can say in front of them."
"Then you all should take a seat. This is a long story. I don't know all the details, since I heard about this secondhand and thirdhand from the people who were involved." Josuke said as he pulled up a chiar, and they did that. Ryuji sat on the couch, while Jolyne and Ann sat on the bed together, with Morgana occupying the table next to the couch. "Alright, so you know how our family originally came from England, right?" Jolyne nodded. "So, a long time ago, my great grandfather, a man named Jonathan Joestar, came into conflict with a man by the name of Dio Brando." Jolyne's eyes widened.
"Dio…Joseph always mentioned that name every time I asked him." Josuke nodded at this.
"Now, this is the part that's going to take a bit to believe. As ridiculous as this sounds, I want you to know that this is the complete truth. I'm not making any of this up."
"C'mon dude, don't keep us waiting. It can't be that weird." Ryuji said, and Josuke sighed.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. I don't know exactly how, but during his conflict of Jonathan, Dio abandoned his humanity, and became a vampire." Ann let out a snort at this.
"Seriously? With fangs and a cape?" She chortled out, but it was clear from Josuke's face that he wasn't joking.
"I never actually met the man. I heard all of this from Jotaro and my old man years after the fact." Josuke replied, and placed his right leg over his knee. "Ok, so long story short, Dio and Jonathan ended up fighting on a cruise ship bound for America, the ship went down, and Jonathan died. Somehow, Dio managed to remove Jonathan's head, and steal our ancestor's body for himself."
"No freakin' way." Ryuji blurted out. "I'm sorry, but this can't be real, right? This sounds like some sort of manga or TV show."
"Ryuji, shut up." Jolyne said, leaning on the edge of her seat and hanging on every word. After all they had seen since coming to Tokyo, she was ready to believe anything. "Josuke, you can continue." Josuke nodded, and resumed.
"Dio had stolen Jonathan's body, but he was trapped in a coffin at the bottom of the ocean for a hundred years. In 1985, deep sea scavengers pulled up the coffin containing Dio, and he was unleashed on the world again." Josuke said.
"And I'm guessing that this Dio guy got the arrows you mentioned earlier?" Jolyne asked, and he nodded.
"That's right. The shard in this-" Josuke held up the locket. "-was one of the arrows Dio acquired and distributed among his followers. Over the next couple of years, Dio would use the arrows to amass a small army of Stand Users loyal to him, and gave himself a Stand as well."
"And how does this, very interesting, history lesson concern how we have these Stands?" Jolyne piped up.
"Because of this." Josuke took off his jacket, turned around, and pulled down the neck of his shirt to reveal the star shaped birthmark on his neck, in the same exact location as Jolyne's.
"…what is that? Some kinda tattoo?" Ryuji asked.
"It's a birthmark. I have one just like it." Jolyne said, shrugging off her blazer and pulling the collar of her uniform down to reveal an identical mark.
"Every blood member of the Joestar family is born with this mark on our left shoulder. It ties us together, and is what linked us to Dio." Josuke explained, putting his jacket back on. "When someone gets stabbed with an arrow and acquires a Stand, it affects their entire bloodline."
"So let me see if I've got this straight: because this Dio guy stole your ancestor's body-" Ann felt crazy just saying those words aloud. "-when he gave himself a Stand, it affected you guys too?"
"Bingo. Everyone who was alive at the time gained a Stand, including myself and Jolyne's father, Jotaro." Josuke explained, and Jolyne gripped the edge of the bed.
"So, the whole reason I'm like this is because of him?" She asked, her voice low, and Josuke reluctantly nodded.
"…yeah. Children of Stand Users that are born after the parent acquires their Stand are either born with a stand or have the potential, more so than others." Jolyne scoffed at this, her grip tightening on the bed.
"That bastard…so our whole family knows about this? Even Grandma Holly?" Josuke almost seemed to shirk from the glare she was giving him, before he nodded. "When exactly did you all plan on telling me all this?"
"Jotaro…thought it best to keep you as far away from all this as possible."
"So that means running around doing god knows what while leaving literally everyone else to raise your daughter? I don't think he gets a lot of say in what I should know." Jolyne spat out, leaving Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana with the uncomfortable feeling that they didn't quite belong.
"He has his reasons. For what it's worth, I've always thought we should've told you everything." Josuke responded, and Jolyne scowled. A pregnant pause hung in the air for a minute, until Ryuji cleared his throat.
"So uh…what exactly can these things do?" He asked, and Josuke seized upon the chance for a subject change.
"Just about anything. Each stand is different, with its own unique characteristics and abilities. For instance, in addition to being able to restore something to a state it was in before and essentially fixing it, Crazy Diamond has incredible speed, precision, and offensive power. And they don't have to be humanoid, either. There are even some Stands that are bound to certain objects." Josuke explained, and gestured to the tattoo of the purple vines on his arm. "This tattoo is based off my old man's stand, Hermit Purple. It had the ability to take what he called 'spirit photographs', which were essentially visions he could capture in photographs."
"This is all so weird…" Ann mumbled, while her eyes shifted to Jolyne, who was staring at the ground. Ann couldn't imagine what she was thinking right now. She supposed Jolyne was angry, which wouldn't surprise her. After all, if Ann found out that her family knew they had special powers, but didn't tell her, she'd be pissed too. The blonde couldn't exactly think of anything to say that would alleviate the tension, instead opting to place a comforting hand on Jolyne's back. Her breath hitched, before the transfer student softly exhaled.
"So…" Jolyne said, drawing Josuke's attention. "…when you say that these things can do anything…what exactly does 'anything' mean?" She asked, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, from what I've seen, anything means anything, but as weird as this may sound, there's a set of rules to everything. Every Stand comes with its own drawbacks and weaknesses, balancing out the scales. Crazy Diamond has incredible speed and offensive power, but it has a maximum range of only two meters. Also, while Crazy Diamond can restore almost anything and return it to it's previous state, I can't use it to bring anyone back to life. Learned that one the hard way…" Josuke answered, remembering how he had tried to bring his grandfather back in 1999. "So, Jojo, what all can your Stand do?"
"I haven't really had a chance to test it out yet. It only fully materialized yesterday." She answered, and Josuke's brow furrowed.
"Fully? Did it manifest in any sort of way before that?"
"Only like this." Jolyne answered, and her hand began unraveling into strings. "I can use these to eavesdrop on people and pick locks, or I can unravel my arm and use it as a rope."
"How'd you find that out?" Josuke asked, and Jolyne's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of an explanation for how she knew she could do all that.
"I uh…I accidentally locked myself out going to the convenience store around the corner one night, so I used these to get back in. It all felt like instinct, like it was natural." Josuke raised an eyebrow, as it was obvious that there was something Jolyne wasn't telling him, and from the looks on the faces of Ryuji, Ann, and even the cat, they all knew what that was. However, he didn't pry.
"Since a Stand is an extension of yourself, it's essentially like a muscle or a limb. You'll know exactly what it can and can't do and what it's limitations are." Josuke explained.
"So, it's just like our Personas." Morgana said.
"How many people are there that have these Stand things?" Ann asked.
"A couple hundred. Less than a fraction of the population, which is why most people don't know about a Stands, but they're spread out all over the world. The Speedwagon Foundation keeps a registry of known Stand users and what they can do." Jolyne's brow furrowed.
"Speedwagon? Aren't those the guys that showed up when…you know…" She trailed off, and Josuke nodded.
"Yeah, part of the Foundation's mission is to monitor and evaluate Stands. We would know even less than we do now without their research."
"So what's the connection with us?"
"The way I understand it, the guy who founded the Speedwagon Foundation was tight with our family back in the day. Before he died, he declared that the Speedwagon Foundation will provide our family with anything we need." Josuke answered, and snapped his fingers. "Which reminds me, we'll need to go down there soon and get you registered and introduced to the people down there."
"That sounds fun…" Jolyne groaned out, and Ryuji nervously cleared his throat.
"So uh, that Shining Diamond-"
"Crazy Diamond."
"Right, sorry. So that thing…when you said it can fix anything, does that mean people too?" The blonde former track star asked, and the pompadoured doctor nodded.
"Yeah, I can heal just about any wound or injury on a person. I can even reattach limbs and heal holes in a person's chest." He answered, and noticed Ann's eyes widen. "I can't bring someone back to life, and I can't heal myself. It doesn't work on illnesses either, as there technically isn't anything physically wrong." He explained, and looked at Ryuji. "Why?" Ryuji nervously gulped, and clutched his right knee.
"So about a year ago, my leg got busted up by…by an asshole. It's healed since then, but my knee's still pretty effed up. It pretty much ended my track career, and it gives out every now and then. The other day it gave out and I…I almost let someone down pretty bad." He said, thinking back to how his leg had given out against the Shadow Kamoshida yesterday. "I was wondering…could you fix my knee up?"
"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem." Josuke replied almost instantly, causing everyone's eyes to widen. Josuke gestured for Ryuji to come to him, and Ryuji walked up to him. The air behind Josuke shimmered and shined as Crazy Diamond appeared in front of him, and the stand placed its hands on Ryuji's knee. An aura of sorts engulfed him for a second, before the Stand disappeared once more. "There you go. Good as new." Ryuji looked unsure, as the whole process took only a few seconds. However, as soon as Ryuji began placing weight on his right leg, his eyes widened as his mouth dropped.
"Holy shit…" He muttered out, bouncing on his right leg and testing it out as tears began to well up in his eye. "Holy shit…it…it doesn't hurt anymore."
"No way…" Jolyne whispered as she watched Ryuji move around the attic. Gone was the almost unnoticeable limp that Ryuji had walked with, even in the Meta Verse, and he now walked as if he had never been injured in the first place. Ann, on the other hand, was experiencing different thoughts. While of course she was happy for Ryuji, her mind was racing elsewhere, taking into account Josuke's abilities and reaching to the conclusion that…
"Um, Josuke-san?" She spoke up, drawing his attention. "You mentioned that you saw Shujin on the news, right? Because of the suicide?" Josuke somberly nodded, and Jolyne and Morgana realized what she was about to ask. "Shiho, the girl who jumped…is my best friend, and she was messed up pretty badly." Ann said, hands clenching the edge of the bed. "I was wondering…could you heal her?" She asked, and Josuke began to think.
"How bad?"
"Hm?"
"How bad was she injured?"
"Uh, let's see…" Ann had to fight back the tears as she remembered the extent of Shiho's injuries. "Her legs were both broken, her spine was damaged, and the doctors say she could have some serious nerve damage. And she…she slipped into a coma, and hasn't woken up since." Josuke tapped his chin, thinking it over.
"Well, it's not a question of if I can or not. Something like that is no problem. The real question is whether or not I'll be able to." He replied, causing everyone to look at him with a confused expression.
"What do you mean by that?" Jolyne asked.
"She's already in a hospital. They've already had their doctors record the extent of her injuries and the condition she's in. If this young woman's injuries just completely vanished overnight and her body was in top form, then it would be noticed by everyone." The doctor explained, and Ann gripped the edge of the bed as tears threatened to well up in her eyes. Now it was Jolyne's turn to comfort Ann, placing a hand on Ann's back.
"Lady Ann…" Morgana lamented, and Jolyne simply glared at her uncle.
"Seriously, Uncle Josuke? Is there nothing you can do?"
"I never said that. I just said it'd be difficult to pull off." He responded, and looked at Ann. "Takamaki-san, I promise, I'll do what I can for your friend. Just…give me a few days to come up with something, alright?"
"…alright." Ann responded, and began to get up. "I…I should get going. I've got homework to do." Jolyne frowned.
"Are you sure?" Ann put on a smile and nodded.
"Yeah. It's fine. I'll text you later." Ann said, and turned to Josuke. "It…it was nice to meet you, Josuke-san."
"Likewise, Takamaki-san." Josuke said, and Ann smiled, before vanishing down the stairs. This left Ryuji alone with the two Joestars and Morgana. Needless to say, Ryuji felt like a bit of an intruder.
"So uh…I better go with her. Make sure no creeps try and hit on her, yknow?" He said, and to Jolyne's surprise, Ryuji actually bowed. "It was nice to meet you! T-thank you for healing my leg!"
"No problem, Sakamoto-san. Get home safe, alright?" He replied, and Ryuji disappeared down the stairs, leaving Josuke and Jolyne alone with Morgana.
"So…they seem nice." Josuke said after a moment of silence. "Though I kind of got the feeling that Ryuji guy didn't really grasp all the concepts."
"Yeah, he's…not the brightest, but he comes through when you need him." Jolyne responded, and shuffled where she sat. "So, how long have you known about all t?"
"Since I was your age. Your dad was the one who explained it all to me back then." He answered, and chuckled. "Kinda fitting that I be the one to explain this all to you, I guess."
"Someone had to. Not like my dad was going to do it this time." Jolyne bitterly said, and Josuke looked at Morgana.
"So…what's the deal with the cat?" He asked his niece, and she shrugged.
"He just started following me home one day, so I took him in. His name is Morgana."
"And Sojiro-san's fine with this?"
"As long as I don't get into trouble, he doesn't really care what I do." Jolyne answered, and Josuke scowled.
"This probation crap…it's a load of shit. You shouldn't have been forced to move all the way up here." Jolyne simply shrugged.
"It is what it is. And frankly, it could've been a lot worse."
"You should've never been put in that position just to begin with. Now your whole life's been ruined, all because of some drunk asshole. Least they could've done was let you live in Morioh with me."
"Hey, I'm lucky I was able to get sent up here at all. I'd rather be up here than in jail." Jolyne said. "Besides, it hasn't been too bad up here so far."
"Yeah yeah…" Josuke grumbled out, and sighed. "So...what do you think about all of this? I know learning about this can be a bit...daunting?" Once again, Jolyne shrugged.
"A week ago, I probably would've laughed in your face, but after this week, I'm willing to believe anything."
"Yeah, acquiring a Stand does a lot for what you'll believe."
"...right. My Stand. That was...pretty crazy." Jolyne dryly replied. "So, how long are you going to be in Tokyo?"
"About three days. I'll be busy for most of the day, but I should be done by the time you get out of school." Josuke said. "I'll text you the details later. I need to call the Speedwagon Foundation so they can set everything up properly."
"And Shiho? What are you going to do about her?"
"Something else that I'll need to discuss with the Speedwagon people. I won't have any definite plans until tomorrow at the earliest."
"Alright, I'll tell Ann tomorrow." Jolyne responded, and Josuke got a bit of a mischievous smirk.
"So, Takamaki, huh? You two seemed awfully close a minute ago." He jeered, and Jolyne's cheeks reddened as she looked away.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She said, and Josuke chuckled.
"Whatever you say, Jojo." The doctor remarked, and looked at his phone. "Well, it's getting a little late. I need to go and get checked into my hotel."
"Where are you staying?"
"A place near Shibuya. I'll text you the name of the place when I get there." Josuke said.
"Alright. Need help getting there?" Josuke shook his head.
"I've been here enough times to know my way around. See you tomorrow?"
"SOunds good. Just be careful, alright? Lot of accidents have been happening in the city lately."
"Hey, don't worry about it. I can handle a lousy car crash." Josuke said, and got up. "Later, Jojo." And with that, he vanished down the stairs, leaving Jolyne and Morgana alone.
As Josuke exited Leblanc and headed towards the station, he stopped in the middle of the street, and looked around. After about a minute, he shrugged, and headed towards the trains. Unknown to him, a small model plane circled the air above the backstreet, before flying off towards Shibuya at a high speed. After flying for a few minutes, it flew into the open window of a building, landing in a dimly lit room. "So, that was Josuke Higashikata, huh?" A man's voice said as a hand picked up the plane off the ground. "Tch, he doesn't seem like such a big deal." The voice said as it set the plane on a shelf next to several other planes and model cars...that was above a woman that was bound and gagged. "Now, where were we, sweetie?"