Chapter 11: Man from Morioh Part 3
Friday, 4/22/20XX, Shujin Academy, Lunchtime
"No effin' way any of that happened."
"Really? After everything you've seen and done the past week and a half, you have a hard time believing that?"
"Yeah, but that was in the Meta Verse. Nothin' makes sense there. That kinda stuff ain't supposed to happen out here." It was lunchtime at Shujin Academy, and the Phantom Thieves were currently gathered on their rooftop hideout to eat lunch. Jolyne had just finished telling Ryuji and Ann a condensed version of her, Josuke, and Morgana's fight with Matsumoto, and Ryuji was having a difficult time accepting the way events had transpired.
"Didn't Josuke-san say that Stands could do anything?" Ann shot back, and Ryuji scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, but I didn't think that meant 'turning people into killer toys.'" Ryuji responded.
"Well, it's what happened. That sicko would've turned me into one of those things too if it hadn't been for Morgana." Jolyne stated, and Morgana looked rather proud of himself.
"It was nothing. Pitiful lowlifes like him are nothing to me, even in this form." He boasted, and Ryuji rolled his eyes.
"So, you guys managed to beat him up. Then what happened?" Ann asked, and Jolyne swallowed nervously.
"Well, I…kinda told Josuke about the Meta Verse." She stated, causing Ann and Ryuji's eyes to widen.
"Wait, are you serious? What did he say?" The blonde model asked, and Jolyne just shrugged.
"He didn't really react. We were both pretty exhausted after the fight, so he didn't really push. He just had me sign the paperwork at the Speedwagon Foundation and sent me home." She explained.
"He didn't…react? Freak out, demand proof?" Ryuji asked, and the transfer student shook her head.
"I think he was just taking it all in. Regardless, I don't think we have to worry about him ratting us out." Jolyne responded, and Ann sighed.
"Honestly, after what he told us the other day, it's not surprising he'd just…accept the Meta Verse." She stated. "Oh! Has Josuke-san gotten back to you about Shiho yet?" The blonde asked, and Jolyne shook her head.
"He'll definitely have something ready by the time we get out of school."
"Well, if anyone can fix her, it'd be that guy. My leg feels better than new ever since he fixed me up." Ryuji said, and that's when the bell chimed, signaling the end of lunch.
"Oh wow, lunch is over already? It feels like we just got here…" Ann said, and Ryuji sighed.
"Aw man, I didn't even get the yakisoba pan today…" The former track star groaned out, causing Jolyne to raise an eyebrow.
"Yakisoba pan?" She asked.
"That's right, you wouldn't have had the chance to try it yet. Basically, every Friday, the school store sells these yakisoba pans that are just DELICIOUS. Thing is, they sell out super fast, so you have to be pretty lucky to get one." Ryuji explained, and Ann nodded in agreement.
"They're the best! I'm normally not big on yakisoba, but the ones from the school store are amazing!" Ann said, and Jolyne pursed her lips.
"Noted. Well, looks like we should be getting back to class." Jolyne said, ushering a reluctant Morgana back into her bag. They reentered the building, and began heading towards the second floor. However, as they passed through the third floor, they didn't notice a certain student council president noticing them.
"What were those three doing up there…?" Makoto muttered to herself, before returning to her class as well.
Afternoon
Jolyne sat at her desk, trying to pay attention to Ushimaru's social studies lecture, when her phone vibrated in her desk. Propping it against Morgana, Jolyne checked the new message from Josuke.
JH: Tlkd 2 Speedwagon about ur friend.
JH: Get Takamaki and meet me hospital 4
Jolyne's eyes widened as she deciphered Josuke's message, and began typing out a message to Ann, only vaguely acknowledging what sounded like Ushimaru addressing her.
JC: Josuke just got back to me about Shiho. He wants us to meet him at Shiho's hospital at 4
As soon as she hit 'send', Jolyne saw Ann take a sharp inhale, and was about to send a follow up…
"I said pay attention!" Ushimaru growled, and Jolyne felt a sharp *thwack* on her forehead as the Social Studies teacher chucked his chalk at her, hitting her square in the forehead.
"Ow!" Jolyne groaned out, and the class began to react.
"Whoa, was Cujoh seriously spacing out while Ushimaru was talking?"
"Man, she's gotta be dumber than I thought. Everyone knows that's suicide!"
"You really surprised a delinquent like that doesn't care?"
"Settle down!" Ushimaru bellowed out, and the class began to slowly quiet down. "Now, as I was saying…" From inside Jolyne's desk, Morgana simply snickered as Jolyne rubbed the welt that was forming on her forehead.
"Damn, that hurt…" She muttered out.
"That's what you get for slacking off during class. Though if your reflexes were better, than you might be able to dodge it…" The not-cat advised, but Jolyne just grumbled as she turned back to the lecture.
After School, Shibuya
Jolyne and Ann stepped out of the underground subway platform, Morgana having left to hitch the train back to Yongen as the hospital didn't allow cats, and Jolyne had to almost run in order to keep up with Ann. The blonde model almost broke into a sprint, with Jolyne struggling to keep up as Ann pushed her way through the crowd of people. "Ann, slow down!" Jolyne called out, but Ann didn't seem to hear her, instead continuing to push her way through the people going about their day. "Dammit…Stone Free!" The Stand materialized and reached forward, grabbing Ann by the back of her hoodie.
"Oof!" Ann grunted out as she was stopped in her tracks, and turned back to Jolyne. "What are you doing?" She asked as Jolyne caught up to her.
"Slow down, will you? Josuke said he won't be there until four, and Shiho isn't going anywhere." Jolyne said, and Ann sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Right, sorry. I just…got a little excited." Ann apologized, and let out a sigh. "I just thought about undoing what that bastard Kamoshida did to Shiho, and my legs just started moving on their own."
"Shiho really means alot to you, doesn't she?" Jolyne asked, and Ann nodded.
"Yeah, she does." Ann said, and Jolyne gestured forward.
"Why don't you tell me about her on our way?" Ann nodded, and the two began to walk. "So how long have you known Shiho?" Jolyne asked, and Ann pursed her lips as she thought.
"Let's see, this year it'd be about…six years, I think." Ann answered, causing Jolyne to whistle slightly.
"Damn, that's quite a while." She commented, and Ann nodded.
"Growing up, I was pretty lonely. My parents were always gone on work, and the other kids tended to keep their distance. Like I was…exotic, or something. The closest thing I had to friends were the people my parents hired to take care of me while they were gone." Jolyne knew that feeling all too well, minus the part about the caretakers, but she didn't speak up. Instead, she let Ann continue to speak as they continued to walk towards the hospital. "But one day, back in grade school, I'm in art class. The teacher wanted us to paint something, I can't remember what. So I'm just sitting there, trying to paint..." Ann began to smile. "…and then this girl, her brown hair just a mess and paint all over her face, comes up to me and says, straight to my face 'Takamaki-san, your painting sucks.'" Ann recalled, and Jolyne's eyes widened.
"Wow. If that was me back then, she probably would've been swallowing her teeth." Jolyne commented, and Ann chuckled.
"At first, I thought that she was just trying to make fun of me like everyone else. But she told me that they were so terrible, that she just had to tell me. It was harsh, but…that was the first time someone had ever spoken to me without mentioning my looks." Ann explained, and her smile widened. "After that, we started talking and growing closer, and we've been best friends ever since. Well, she's a bit more than a friend-" She didn't know why, but Jolyne could swear she felt a small pang in her heart. "-she's more like a sister." And just like that, the feeling was gone, but Jolyne didn't really think on it, as Ann's smile began to falter. "Shiho…isn't good at a lot of things. So when she made it onto the volleyball team, she was happier than I'd ever seen her before. I started to worry that she wasn't good enough to keep her position, so I started flirting with Kamoshida. And because of that, he…he…" Tears began to well up in the blonde Phantom Thief's bright blue eyes, and Jolyne put her hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, stop blaming yourself. What happened isn't your fault."
"But it is!" Ann exclaimed, stopping and turning to face Jolyne, tears streaking down her face. "The only reason that Kamoshida even looked at her is because I pointed her out to him! I didn't…I didn't even notice what he was doing to her! She was suffering, and I just ignored her!" Ann shouted, and slumped backwards against a building, sinking to the ground. "I've been such a terrible friend…I might as well have pushed her off that roof myself. I'm…I'm so weak. I'm garbage, that doesn't even-"
"…shut up." Jolyne said in a low grumble, and Ann looked up at her.
"What…?"
"I said shut the hell up!" Jolyne shouted, and Ann noticed that she was almost shaking. "You saw his Palace. Kamoshida was a sick bastard, and Shiho was far from his first victim. For all you know, he would've hurt her regardless of whether or not he met you. All you wanted to do was help Shiho. So stop blaming yourself for shit you can't control!" She shouted, and Ann was caught off guard. The transfer student was normally so calm and collected, but now she seemed…enraged was the wrong word. The leader was definitely livid, but it was more like she was upset. Jolyne took a deep breath, and her body seemed to steady. "…sorry. Some of the stuff you said…it brought back some bad memories."
"…no. You're right." Ann muttered out, catching Jolyne's attention. "Kamoshida…Kamoshida is a monster. Blaming myself was just a way to rationalize how he could do something so horrible." Ann began to wipe her tears away with her sleeve. "The whole reason I went into the Palace with you guys is because I hated myself for not believing that Shiho could keep her starting position using her own talents, and I wanted to try and make up for that somehow."
"Well, I'd say you more than made up for that, and then some. And for what it's worth? I don't think you're weak." Jolyne stated, and Ann raised an eyebrow. "I think that most people, if they were in that position, would've just given up and wallowed in despair. But you pushed through, and you made sure to pay that sick fuck back for what he did. And the way you spared him like that?" Jolyne chuckled. "If it was me in your situation, I don't know if I could've done the same." Jolyne said, and Ann smiled up at her.
"Are you kidding me? I don't think I could've done any of that if you weren't there." Ann said, and Jolyne chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"Well, I dunno about all that…" she muttered, and her phone chimed with a message.
JH: where r u guys?
"Looks like Josuke just got to the hospital. We should probably hurry up." Jolyne said, and extended her hand towards Ann. The model took her hand, and Jolyne pulled her up. However, when Ann got up on her feet, Jolyne accidentally pulled her a little close. Their faces were awfully close to another, close enough to feel each other's breath. The thing was, Ann didn't pull away immediately. They stood there for a moment, hand in hand and closer than they should be. Jolyne's heart hammered in her chest, staring into Ann's eyes, as a tint of red appearing on both their faces…
"You'll never see it coming~" The sudden noise startled the two of them, and they remembered where they were. Jolyne slipped her hand out of Ann's, allowing her heart rate to calm down, dug out her phone, and saw "JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA" on the caller ID. Hitting 'answer', she put the phone to her ear.
"Hey, where are you guys?" Josuke's voice asked through the speakers.
"The trains were running slow." Jolyne answered.
"Just making sure."
"We'll be there in a minute." Jolyne said, and hung up. "Looks like we should get going." Ann nodded in agreement, and they resumed walking.
Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital
Jolyne and Ann stepped out of the elevator into the Intensive Care ward of the hospital, seeing Josuke sitting in a chair outside of a hallway. "There you two are. I was beginning to worry you two got attacked by another Stand User." Josuke greeted, and Jolyne rolled her eyes.
"Good grief, you're so dramatic. Is that the excuse you use every time you're running late?"
"Just making sure.
"'I'm sorry I'm late for your appointment, ma'am. I was attacked by a guy who controls killer grass or something.'"
"Laugh it up. That may actually be a thing." Josuke retorted, and turned to a giggling Ann. "Are you ready?" Ann's face turned serious, and she nodded.
"Yeah, I am."
"Then lead the way." Josuke beckoned, and they entered the hallway. Walking through the sterile white hallways, they eventually spotted a door with "Shiho Suzui" emboldened on it in kanji. Ann took the doorknob in her hand, twisted it, and they entered the room. Inside the hospital room, a woman in her early 40's with messy dark hair was sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. Her brown eyes were bloodshot and looked exhausted, like she hadn't gotten any sleep in a few days. However, when she turned towards the sound of the door opening and saw Ann, she attempted a weak smile.
"Ann-chan!" The woman greeted, getting up and walking over to give Ann a hug.
"Hey, Miko-san. How're you doing?" Ann asked, and Miko sighed.
"The same as yesterday, unfortunately. Shiho…still hasn't woken up. I haven't seen any of her doctors all day, and the nurses won't tell me anything, and I'm afraid that…that there's something they don't want to tell me." Tears began to well up in Miko's eyes, and Ann squeezed her shoulder. The older woman composed herself, and noticed Jolyne and Josuke behind Ann. "Ann-chan, who are these people?" The woman asked as she composed herself, and Ann moved to the side and gestured to them.
"This is my friend Jolyne, and her uncle Josuke."
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Jolyne said, the two bowing to her. Miko's brow furrowed, and she turned to Ann.
"Ann-chan, you know Shiho's not ready for visitors yet. Why did you bring these two here?" The woman asked, and Ann scratched the back of her head, and Josuke spoke up.
"Well, to put it simply, I'm going to fix your daughter." Josuke said, and the woman looked confused.
"Wait, what? But the doctors said-"
"Let's just say you don't have to worry about what the doctors said anymore." Fear spread across Miko's face, and she opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Josuke held up his hand. "Relax, not like that. Just…watch, ok?" An expression of confusion dominated Miko's face, and she looked at Ann, who simply smiled and nodded. She still looked unsure, but the older woman stepped to the side, allowing Josuke and Jolyne to approach Shiho's bed.
Looking at Shiho's face, sleeping in the bed with her brown hair in a halo on the pillow, one could think she looked almost peaceful. That is, until one saw the bruises on her face, the brace around her neck, the casts around her raised, broken legs…if it wasn't for the steady beep of the machines around her, Jolyne would've assumed she was dead. Josuke sighed, pushed up his sleeves, and cracked his knuckles. "Well, time to get to work…" Josuke muttered, and walked up to right beside her head. "Crazy Diamond." The pink stand materialized behind him, and Ann seemed to tense up as it raised it's hand. However, instead of punching like she expected, Crazy Diamond placed it's hand on her forehead, and Josuke closed his eyes, and activated his ability.
As the healing energy of Crazy Diamond flowed into the comatose volleyball player, Josuke could feel the true extent of her injuries. Her legs had been badly broken, twisted to the point where the bones almost shattered. Josuke healed those first, the bones resetting to their natural position and mending together until they were as good as new. As he healed her lower half, Josuke noticed another piece of damage in that area, and he had to force back his disgust as he healed the damage to the best of his ability. Then, Josuke moved onto the rest of her body. In addition to several cracked ribs, Shiho's lower vertebrae had been badly damaged. Even with years of intensive therapy, the chances of her walking again were slim to none. Well, that would normally be the case, if Josuke wasn't currently using Crazy Diamond to heal her ribs and vertebrae. He then fixed some minor nerve damage on her hands, and then healed her broken neck. That part was tricky, as he had to make sure everything went back exactly where it was supposed to be. Fortunately, this wasn't his first time doing this, and everything went back perfectly. All that was left was some minor brain damage, and Josuke wiped that away like it was nothing.
If Miko was confused before, it didn't compare to what she was feeling now. The man with the strange hair had just placed his hand on Shiho's head, and the next thing Miko knew, Shiho's casted legs began to shuffle, and if one listened close enough over the *beep* of the EKG, they could hear the bones in Shiho's leg shifting and fusing back into their proper place. Then, the bruises and scrapes that decorated Shiho's body even before her suicide attempt began to vanish, and soon it was as if she had never been injured at all, save for the casts and neck brace.
"There. Good as new." Josuke said as his eyes snapped open, and he removed his hand from his forehead. The confused Miko's head darted from left to right, looking between Josuke and Ann.
"How…what…?"
"Let's just say Josuke-san has…special talents." Ann replied, and squeezed Miko's shoulder. "I promise I'll explain everything later." Miko still looked unsure, but she slowly nodded as Josuke began to walk away from Shiho. Miko was about to open her mouth to ask more questions…when Shiho began to stir. Everyone turned to her and watched closely as her face began to contort, softly grunting…before her brown eyes fluttered open.
"Hmmm…wha…?" She softly groaned out as her eyes open, her eyes scanning the room. "Ann…? Mom…?"
"Shiho!" Ann cried out, her and Miko rushing to her side almost immediately. "Shiho, how are you feeling? Are you ok?" Ann asked, tears welling in both Miko and Ann's eyes. Shiho looked confused for a moment.
"Everything…doesn't hurt? But that's not right…because I…I…" Shiho began to say, before tears began to well up in her eyes as well. "Because I can't do anything right…"
"Shiho, don't talk like that. You're extremely fortunate, and-" A teary eyed Miko tried to say, but Shiho ignored her, instead turning her head to look at Ann.
"Ann, I'm…I'm so sorry…" The volleyball player squeaked out, but Ann grabbed the wrist closest to her.
"Shiho, you don't have to apologize for anything. It was all Kamoshida's fault, and he can't hurt anyone anymore. I'm just glad you're ok!" Ann replied to her, squeezing Shiho's wrist, and Shiho grasped back as she began to cry.
Josuke and Jolyne stood around the corner, both of them smiling as they watched Shiho's awakening and reunion. "We should get out of here." Josuke suggested, and Jolyne nodded, the two of them heading into the hallway. "That's why I do it, you know." Josuke said as Jolyne silently closed the door, catching his niece's attention.
"Hm?"
"Did you see their faces when Shiho woke up? When they realized that she really was going to be ok? That's why I became a doctor." Josuke replied. "Ever since I got my Stand and discovered what it could do, I used it to help anyone I could. A friend's broken arm, my grandpa cutting himself shaving…just anyway that I could. At the beginning, I just did it because I thought helping others was just the right thing to do, but as I got older, I realized something: I didn't do it because I was supposed to. I did it because I loved to do it. The feeling I got when I helped someone who should've died, and seeing them living their lives with the people they loved…I never wanted it to end." He explained. "Eventually, I realized that I couldn't fix everything with Crazy Diamond, so I went to medical school to try and bridge the gap of what Crazy Diamond could fix and what I had to do on my own."
"I see." Jolyne said, listening intently.
"And you wanna know something? I think you're exactly like me, Jojo." At this, Jolyne raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"
"You like to help people, just like me. It's why you helped that woman in Nagasaki, and why you helped take down Kamoshida instead of just walking away." Josuke stated, and Jolyne looked away from him.
"…it's not like that. I just did it because it was the right thing to do." She stated, and Josuke sighed.
"Whatever you say, Jojo." He replied, and they stood in silence for a moment, before the door to Shiho's room clicked open, the door opening to reveal Ann standing there, tears still visible on her face.
"Oh, you two are still here. I thought you would've left by now." Ann stated, and the two Joestars turned to face her.
"Something wrong?" Josuke asked, and Ann shook her head.
"No, I just thought I'd give Shiho and her mom some time alone. Her dad's already on the way." Ann replied, wiping the tears away from her face. "Shiho…she still blames herself for doing what she did."
"I'm sorry. There are some things even Crazy Diamond can't fix. It'll be up to you and her family to help Shiho heal her mental scars." Josuke replied, and Ann nodded.
"Yeah, I figured it'd be something like that. I'll make sure to be there for her every step of the way this time." Ann said, and to Jolyne's surprise, she actually bowed. "Thank you very much for this, Josuke-san!" She exclaimed, her voice about to crack. Josuke just nervously scratched the back of his head.
"Uh, you're welcome. It was no trouble at all, really." He replied, and Ann righted herself, and turned to Jolyne.
"Hey, uh…do you mind if I talk to you in private for a moment?" Ann asked, and Jolyne raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, sure." She responded, and glancd back to Josuke, who just nodded.
"Go on ahead. I'll be waiting downstairs." He said, and walked off towards the to either of them, as he walked away, Josuke had a mischievous grin on his face. Knock her dead, Jojo!
As Josuke walked off, Ann and Jolyne were left alone. They stood in silence for a moment, with Jolyne scratching the back of her head and Ann nervously rubbing her right arm. "So, uh, I just wanted to say thank you. For everything." Ann said after a moment.
"Hey, you don't need to thank me. Josuke's the one who did all the work." Jolyne responded, and the blonde phantom thief shook her head.
"You did more than you think. Last week, when Kamoshida called me, I felt like I was trapped. I was running out of options, and I could feel the walls closing in…but then you showed up. I'd treated you coldly, brushed you off…but you still stopped to help. To just…listen. Aside from Shiho, no one's really done that before." Ann said with a small smile. "And then when we were in the Palace, and Kamoshida's shadow was about to kill me…I was ready to give in. I was ready to just…accept it as my punishment for not helping Shiho. But when you called out to me, I realized what an idiot I had been, letting that asshole play with me like that." Jolyne just swallowed dryly, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Ryuji and Morgana probably would've said the same thing. I just happened to be the first to say it." Jolyne said, but Ann simply shook her head.
"No, they wouldn't have. Earlier today, when I told you I still blamed myself for what happened to Shiho…they would've just listened and nodded along. But you made me realize just how stupid I was being. You made me realize that I WANT to be stronger, so I can be there for Shiho this time. After all that, I just wanted to say…" before Ann said her next word, Ann reavhed out and pulled Jolyne close into a hug. "…thank you." Jolyne was stunned, her heart racing a mile a minute, before she slowly returned the hug. When Josuke had told her that she was just like him, that she liked to help people, she had just brushed him off. After all, how could he possibly base that off of just a handful of incidents. But now, with Ann thanking her and telling her that Jolyne had made her want to be stronger...it felt good. That was the only way she could think to describe it.
"You're welcome." Jolyne responded, smiling softly. They held the hug for another moment (were platonic hugs supposed to last this long?), they began to pull apart. However, as they pulled apart from another and they made contact, they both felt…something. The same something they had felt when Jolyne had helped Ann up earlier, and when Josuke had asked Jolyne about whether Ann was just a friend or not. As they gazed into each other's eyes, the world seemed to slow around them…
"You'll never see it coming~" The ringtone punched through the silence, bringing both of them back down to Earth.
"S-sorry, that's mine." Ann said, her hands darting into her jacket and pulling out her phone. "Looks like it's just one of those telemarketers. Crazy how they never stop." Ann said, and Jolyne chuckled.
"Yeah, they can be pretty persistent." The transfer student responded, and they were silent for a moment that felt like an eternity. "So…see you tomorrow?" Jolyne asked, and Ann smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. Tell your uncle I said thank you." Ann said, and Jolyne smiled, before walking off towards the elevator. Sending one more wave back towards Ann, Jolyne entered the elevator. As soon as the door closed, Jolyne collapsed back against the wall, clutching her chest.
"Holy shit…" She panted out, and began to recompose herself as the doors opened on the first floor, revealing Josuke waiting on her.
"You guys have a good talk?" Josuke asked, and Jolyne nodded as she got out of the elevator.
"Uh, yeah. She just wanted to say thanks for everything." Jolyne responded, and Josuke simply grinned mischievously as she walked up to him.
"So when's the second date?"
"Ora!" The breath left Josuke's lungs as Jolyne elbowed him rather roughly. Josuke's grin was unflinching, even as he tried to regain his breath. After a moment, Josuke righted himself, his grin dying down into just a smirk. Jolyne just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Didn't you say you were only here for three days?"
"That's right. My train leaves in an hour, and some Speedwagon guys are taking my bags down to the station." Jolyne raised an eyebrow. "Hey, old man Speedwagon said they were to provide us with 'anything.'" Josuke defended as they left the hospital. "I figured we could use the time to just…chat. It's been a while since it was just you and me." He suggested, and Jolyne shrugged.
"Alright, sure. What do you wanna talk about?" She asked, as they began to walk through the city.
"Well, you've just gotten a lot of info, and had a hell of a day yesterday. How are you holding up?" He asked, referring to the history lesson and their encounter with Matsumoto yesterday.
"I dunno. Everything you told me about Dio and Stands just…makes a certain amount of sense. I always knew we were different from most people, I just didn't know how. Explains why entering the Meta Verse and getting my Persona felt so…natural." The transfer student responded. "By the way, do you know anything about those?" Josuke shook his head.
"I've never heard of anything like that before. Though the way you and Ryuji first entered the Meta Verse reminds me of how Koichi and Rohan found Reimi's alleyway…" Josuke said, and Jolyne's brow furrowed.
"Reimi? Who's that?" She asked, and he just shook his head.
"Something that happened a long time ago. Don't worry about it."
"Ok…wait, you just said Koichi-san. Does he have a stand too?" Jolyne asked, and Josuke nodded.
"Yeah, so does Yukakko. And Okuyasu, and Rohan, and Tonio…just about every person you met with me whenever you came to Morioh. And that arrow shard Jotaro sent you was once part of the Arrow that gave them their stands." Josuke said, and Jolyne's eyes widened.
"Wait, seriously?"
"Yep. Matter of fact, that Arrow's the whole reason I even met your dad."
"NO way." Jolyne said, with an incredulous expression on her face.
"Way. It's a pretty long story, so I'll have to tell you about it some other time." Josuke said, and his expression turned serious. "Jojo, I want you to promise me something. No matter what, you cannot lose what's in that necklace. If something like that got into the wild, there's no telling what could happen." Jolyne nodded solemnly.
"I promise. I've got it locked up in the drawer in the attic, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Good. Just make absolutely sure. Enough people have gotten hurt by that thing." The pompadoured doctor replied. "So, what's next for you guys?"
"What do you mean?"
"After Kamoshida confesses. Are you gonna keep doing all that Phantom Thieves stuff?" Josuke asked, and Jolyne's brow furrowed.
"I…I don't know. We just focused on getting through the Palace, and then you showed up right after. I haven't really thought about what comes next." Jolyne stated. "I don't even know if we can, since the Palace collapsed."
"I see." Josuke tapped his chin.
"Honestly, right now, I think I just want to keep my head down. I've had more excitement in the past 2 weeks than I have in my entire life." Jolyne said.
"I think that'd probably be for the best. Take a few days to recharge your batteries. Explore the city and just relax" Josuke suggested, and they began to approach the station. "So, when's the last time you spoke to your dad?" And there it was. Jolyne had been hoping that they would be able to get to the station and send Josuke on his way, but she supposed that had been too much to ask for.
"In case you didn't notice, that asshole was 'out of the country on work' during the trial, so I don't exactly feel a great need to talk to him now." Jolyne stated with a scowl on her face, causing Josuke to sigh. He was afraid that it was like that, and seeing his great-niece talk about her father, his nephew that was more like a brother, like that…it pained him. For a moment, Josuke considered just changing the subject, but he quickly banished that thought out of his mind.
"Look, Jojo, I get it. My dad wasn't there for most of my life, and when he finally wanted to be a part of my life, I treated him coldly. After all, he didn't care for 16 years, so why should I believe him now? But the more time I spent with him, the more I realized he genuinely cared for me."
"There a point to this?" Jolyne asked, cutting Josuke off, and he sighed.
"Well, if you wanna get right to the point…what I'm trying to say is don't be so hard on Jotaro. I know he wasn't around a whole lot when you needed him, but that isn't because he doesn't care. Jotaro loves you more than anything."
"He's got a funny way of showing it. If Jotaro cares about me so much, then where was he? Why did he leave mom to raise me all her own? Why did he pawn me off on Grandma Holly after my mom died?" Jolyne spat.
"Look, he has his reasons-"
"And just what is that?"
"I…it's not my place to say." Josuke said, and Jolyne scowled. Josuke stopped walking, faed Jolyne, and grabbed her shoulders. "Look, I'm not asking you to just forgive him on the spot. I'm not asking you to even give him another chance. Just…call him, ok? Talk to him." Jolyne met his gaze for a minute, her scowl unmoving…before she sighed.
"If it'll make you happy…then I guess I'll give him a call tonight." As soon as she said that, a grin spread across his face.
"That's great! Here, let me send you his stuff and-"
"Don't worry about it. Sojiro gave me the number a few days ago."
"Oh. Alright then." The great uncle replied, and they stood there in front of the station for a moment in silence.
"So…thanks for everything. For telling me the truth, for helping with Shiho…I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't shown up when you did." Jolyne spoke after a moment, and they began to enter the station.
"It was nothing. You know that if you ever need anything, give me a call. I'll be here faster than you can say 'Ora.'" Josuke responded, and Jolyne chuckled, before a light turned on in her head.
"Oh hey, I almost forgot, I met someone who said they knew you."
"Really? Who?"
"The doctor around the corner from Leblanc. Her name is Dr. Takemi." As soon as Jolyne said that, Josuke's eyes widened.
"Wait, Takemi? As in Tae Takemi?" Jolyne nodded.
"Yeah, I think that's her first name. Mean anything to you?" Jolyne asked, and Josuke's brow furrowed.
"Not beyond saying hello at a conference or two. All I know about her personally is her nickname: 'The Plague.'" Jolyne's brows shot up at this.
"Well that's, uh…certainly a nickname for a doctor."
"I don't know the story behind, not beyond rumors anyways." Josuke stated, and sighed. "To think a person like that would end up right around the corner from you..." With that, the last vestiges of a smile vanished from Josuke's face, and he turned grimly serious. "Jojo, before I go, there's one more thing I want to tell you."
"I'm listening."
"A long time ago, someone told me that Stand Users are attracted to other Stand Users. And something about this-" Josuke pointed to the spot on his neck where his birthmark was. "-just naturally draws trouble to us. With those things together…just promise me you'll be absolutely careful."
"Hey, don't worry about me. I've spent the last week fighting scary monsters from Hell, and you saw Matsumoto. I can handle some assholes with powers." Jolyne said, but Josuke's face remained serious, and he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Matsumoto was nothing compared to some of the genuine monsters out there. Just…promise me you'll use your head, ok? If you come against a strong Stand, find it's weakness. If you can't find the weakness, swallow your pride and run away. Live to fight another day." Jolyne dryly swallowed, before she nodded. She had never seen Josuke like this before…
"I promise I'll be careful." As soon as those words left her mouth, relief seemed to spread through Josuke's body, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. You have no idea how much better that makes me feel." Josuke said, and the two stood in silence for a moment.
"So…guess you better get going." Jolyne spoke up after a minute, and Josuke nodded.
"Yeah, guess I should." Josuke said, and the two hugged.
"Love you, Grunkle J."
"Love you too, Jojo. Don't hesitate to call me if you ever need anything."
"Got it. Who knows, I may even visit you next time." Josuke chuckled at that.
"That'd be great." With that, the two separated, and Jolyne went over to the Yongen line. As she stepped through the ticket line and into the train for Yongen Jaya, she cast one last look back at Josuke. Josuke flashed a smile and a nod, and the doors in front of Jolyne shut.
Evening, Yongen Jaya
Sojiro looked up from the coffee mug he was polishing as the door above the bell chimed, looking to see Jolyne entering the establishment. "Welcome home. Your uncle still in town?"
"No, he just left."
"Ah, I see. Seems like a nice enough guy. Almost can't believe he's related to punk like you." Sojiro jabbed, and Jolyne just rolled her eyes. "So, how's school been going? You've been keeping your head down?" Jolyne nodded.
"Yeah, so far. Pretty easy, since just about everyone avoids me like the plague." Jolyne answered, omitting her struggles against Kamoshida. Sojiro sighed, placing the mug on the bar.
"I guess staying under the radar would be difficult with a rep like yours. Still, if they keep their distance, then that means you can't get into any trouble. At least you were able to make some friends. Just keep doing what you're doing, keep your grades up, and this year will pass by."
"Whatever you say, Boss." Jolyne replied, and began to climb up the stairs. Entering the attic, she looked over at her bed…and saw Morgana licking himself. "Aw, Morgana! That's where I sleep!" She complained, averting her eyes as the cat almost jumped.
"Hey, this is how I have to bathe myself! I didn't choose this body!"Morgana retorted, sitting up on his paws.
"At least don't do it where I sleep!"
"If it'll stop you're hollering, then fine!" He conceded, and Jolyne set her bag on her desk. "So, how did it go?"
"It went great. Josuke got Shiho all patched up." Jolyne replied, and Morgana seemed to smile.
"Great! I'm sure Lady Ann was thrilled by that." As soon as Morgana said Ann's name, Jolyne recalled the moments they had shared that day. The closeness on the sidewalk, that oddly intimate hug they had shared in the hallway...Jolyne had known she was attracted to women for a few years now, but she had never met anyone that had made her feel the way Ann did. What exactly did that mean? She definitely had some soul searching to do…
"Uh, yeah. She was." Jolyne replied, and then her brows knitted together in thought. "Wait, how come she's 'Lady Ann' and I'm just Jolyne?" She asked, and Morgana's dryly swallowed. He had to choose his words very carefully.
"Well, uh…that's because I owe you a debt! Yeah, that's it!" Morgana said, and Jolyne crossed her arms as she raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"That's right! If it wasn't for you, then I would still be in Kamoshida's dungeons. I could never think of someone I owe such a debt to in the same fashion that I think of Lady Ann." Morgana hastily explained, and Jolyne dryly chuckled.
"Sure, Morgana, sure." Jolyne replied, and spotted the trashcan by her bed. Feeling a lump in her throat, Jolyne began walking to the trashcan, beginning to rifle through it. "It should still be here…" Morgana looked confused, hopping over to the desk as he watched his companion.
"…what are you doing?"
"Looking for something. I haven't taken the trash out since then, so it should still be…there!" Jolyne declared, and pulled out a crumpled up sheet of paper, uncrumpling it to reveal the number Sojiro had given her last week.
"A phone number? Why'd you throw that away?" Morgana asked, Jolyne sitting on the bed as she pulled out her phone.
"Don't worry about it. Just…stay quiet for a while, ok?" She asked. Morgana looked concerned, but he nodded anyway. Jolyne dialed the number, took a deep breath, and hit 'call.' The phone rang once…twice…a third time…
"Hello?" A gruff, older voice said on the other end, and Jolyne swallowed the lump in her throat as she found her words.
"Hey there…dad." Morgana's eyes widened, and Jolyne heard what sounded like a gasp on the other end.
"Jolyne? Is that you?" Jotaro Kujo asked from his office at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, his voice containing what could almost be described as a mixture of relief and disbelief.
"Yeah, it's me. Haven't had a chance since you called last week, and so I thought…why not?" Jolyne said, nervously rubbing her arm with her free hand. She had to keep her emotions under control. Keep down the anger, the feelings of abandonment, and just talk to him. She had promised Josuke she would at least do that much.
"That's good. Good that you had some time, I mean." Jotaro said. "How have you been settling in?"
"So far, so good. Haven't gotten arrested yet."
"I'm glad to hear that." Jolyne couldn't tell if he was trying to be joking or sincere. "So…I talked to Josuke yesterday. He mentioned that you had awoken your stand." Jolyne had to bit back a curse. She shouldn't be surprised that Josuke had told Jotaro she had acquired her Stand. Had he also told Jotaro about the Meta Verse? No, Josuke wouldn't disclose anything she had told him without her express permission first.
"Uh, yeah. I did. Did he also tell you that we got attacked?" Jolyne asked, and she heard a sharp inhale.
"Wait, what?! By who?!" The concern was evident in his voice, to the point where Jolyne had to keep from rolling her eyes.
"Some asshole. Doesn't matter, though. We took him down, no problem." Jolyne responded, and her father sighed.
"Good grief, I'm going to wring Josuke's neck…anyway, I'm glad you could handle yourself. How are you settling in with Sojiro?"
"It's not too bad. He can be a little prickly at times, but as long as I stay out of trouble, we won't have a problem."
"That's good to hear. Sojiro's been a good friend to me over the years. Don't hesitate to trust him." Jotaro instructed, and they were silent for a moment. "Jolyne, let me just say…I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you." And there it was. As soon as Jotaro said those words, Jolyne couldn't stop the emotions that rose up. "I had to leave the country to investigate a matter for the Speedwagon Foundation, and it took longer than I thought it would. I didn't find out what happened until it was already too late."
"Yeah, well, don't worry about it. I'm used to you not being there by now." Jolyne almost spat that out, sounding crueler than she had intended. But she didn't care. As soon as her father had brought up not being there, those same feelings of abandonment that she thought she had left behind bubbled up to the surface.
"...right." A pregnant pause filled the room, none of them uttering a word. For a minute, there was no sound save for the noise of the static from the phone speaker. "Well, it's...it's getting late. I'm sure you've got homework to do." Jotaro said after a moment, and Jolyne gripped her arm.
"Yeah, homework. I think there are exams coming up soon or something." She replied, the venom from before having vanished from her voice. "So, I'll...talk to you later, I guess. Good luck with your fish or whatever."
"And good luck on your exams. And Jolyne? Thank you for calling. I lo-" Before Jotaro cold finish his sentence, Jolyne hit 'end call', and let out a sigh, dropping her phone onto the bed and collapsing backwards.
"Good grief…" She groaned out, Morgana hopping up next to her.
"So, that was your father?" He asked, and she nodded. "Whenever Josuke mentioned him, you seemed to get angry. So, uh...if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened between you two?" Jolyne loked over at the cat, and sighed.
"I...don't really wanna talk about it right now. Maybe some other time." She responded, but Morgana still looked concerned. Still, he knew that he couldnt force it out of her, so for now, the not-cat just sighed.
"Very well then." He replied, and Jolyne's phone chimed once more, signalling that she had a new message in the group chat.
AT: Shiho's doing great. Those Speedwagon guys are helping to arrange for her to be released.
RS: For real?! That's awesome!
JC: That's great to hear!
RS: Have they said when she'll be back at school?
AT: Well, Shiho's mom said that they're going to keep Shiho at home for a few weeks while she mentally recovers.
AT: If you two ever wanna come with me to visit her, you're more than welcome too after next week!
RS: Sounds good to me.
JC: Same here.
RS: Oh hey, while I've got you guys here, I've been thinking.
"I hope he didnt pull a muscle…" Morgana snarked, only for Jolyne to elbow him as Ryuji began to type.
RS: Jolyne, do you still have that medal that the treasure turned into?
JC: Yeah, it's locked up in my drawer. What about it?
RS: Well, it's not his actual medal, right?
JC: Morgana says it's not, but it'd be identical in every way.
RS: Well, why don't we try sellin' it?
AT: Ryuji, how hard did you get hit in the head in the Palace?
AT: A bunch of high schoolers can't just sell an Olympic medal that's as old as them. People would just ask questions.
RS: See, that's the thing. You know that place in Shibuya we got our guns from?
JC: The one ran by that yakuza-looking guy?
RS: Yeah, untouchable!
RS: I heard that the guy there will buy anything of value, no questions asked.
AT: You can't be serious. Who'd you hear that from?
RS: One of the guys at my gym was talking about it the other day.
JC: Could be worth a shot. I'll check it out after school someday.
RS: Awesome!
JC: I'd better go. I've got some homework I've let pile up this week.
JC: See you guys tomorrow.
RS: Later.
AT: Good night!
A/N: Fear not, all. Josuke shall return. Also, next chapter, we're starting some Social Links!