October 2, 2024 update - Updated the chapter and its contents, and added two small scenes around the middle and in the latter half. Also included the chapter's summary.

Chapter summary: Two Japanese students hailing from different times: one who has a dream, and the other one who is seeking redemption, perished in unexpected circumstances. But their own journeys doesn't end there or shall not end yet before it started, because fate has plans for these two that necessitates bringing them back from the dead...

January 16, 1989

"M-My final… Emerald… S-Splash…"

Noriaki Kakyoin muttered those words weakly after he had Hierophant Green fire a stream of emeralds to the clock tower's face, destroying its hands and causing it to stop working. His Stand soon dissipated when the deed was done.

Being sure he had DIO trapped within a 20-meter radius web created using Hierophant Green's unraveled tendrils, Kakyoin was confident in his plan to figure out the ability of his Stand, The World, through having the sensitive tendrils detect movements from either DIO or his Stand, which will fire plenty of emeralds from any slightest touch to learn how DIO is able to teleport somehow. He might even kill him for good measure. With all of these in mind, he believed he got the century-old vampire surrounded, with no means of escape.

Or so he thought, because it didn't go as he planned it. Just when the emeralds he voluntarily shot out were about to hit DIO, he summoned his Stand, and before Kakyoin expected it, all the emeralds shattered by a mere inch away from hitting and he was suddenly blown away with a big wound in his abdomen. He then crashed into a water tank, the impact adding to his excruciating injury so fatal that he couldn't talk and move his hand or even his whole body. Right there and then, he could only lay there as blood flowed out from his large wound, unable to do anything except feel the agonizing pain coursing through his body. Remembering his parents who were unaware of him joining the Crusaders months ago, he apologized for making them worry over where their son could be after going to school and disappearing suddenly.

His thoughts shifted focus on how DIO had broken through the 20-meter radius web and emeralds easily, noting that it happened simultaneously and without any slight delay in time. After thinking deeply, specifically about the word "time" and replaying the moment DIO summoned The World and the emeralds shattering in his head, Kakyoin eventually realized The World's ability is. Despite puking up blood in straining himself, he mustered the last of his strength and will to shoot his final Emerald Splash at the clock tower to provide Joseph Joestar, who is currently facing DIO with seething teeth, his final clue. The clue being that DIO can stop time.

It's a… m-message. It's… t-the best… I-I can d-do… Joestar-san… Pl-Please, understand… P-P-Please… figure… i-it… o-o-out…

With his last thought placing hope that Joseph would figure out his message and impart it to Jotaro and Polnareff, Noriaki Kakyoin closes his eyes for the last time, allowing the cold grasp of death to claim him.

…for twenty-nine years.

April 7, 2008

I'm gonna be the girl I want to be!

Starting today, Sakura Minamoto begins her second year in senior high school, excitement fueling her veins as she turns off the laptop playing a song from her rising favorite idol group, Iron Frill.

Today is an exciting day for her because she has the application papers she's gonna bring to an agency hiring idol singers. She's usually a clumsy girl, but she refuses to let that trait get to her because she is more than just that. Having admired Iron Frill, especially its leader, Sakura was inspired to be like her literal idol so much she decided her dream shall be to become an idol singer herself so she could sing her heart out to her supporting fans with a big smile on her face. Perhaps, she has a shot in fulfilling it.

That same smile remains on her face as Sakura grabs her bag and rushes out of her room. Coming down the stairs, she slips her feet into her brown loafers and after tapping her foot to make sure they're a snug fit, heads outside. Instinctively shielding her eyes from the rays of sunlight, she almost feels disoriented, but she doesn't let it impede her smile or enthusiasm for the day.

That way, I know there are gonna be days full of thrills and excitement waiting for me!

With the bright sun beaming down on her as if she's an angel, Sakura greeted the wonderful weather with a nod. Breaking into a sprint, she makes her way to the front gate as she exclaims, "Ittekimaaaaaaas-!"

ドグシカァァーァァァ

Then suddenly, a truck rammed into her at full speed.

If anyone was present, they would witness this accident from different camera angles, including the driver's view. Oh and in slow motion too, one that clearly shows her head getting the brunt of the impact from the van's windshield before launching away.

Everything slows down as Sakura is flung up high in the air without warning, letting go of her bag and papers. Her eyes and mouth are agape, as if she's reacting to the sudden appearance of a truck crashing into her.

A crow flies higher up in the sky as Sakura's body falls to the ground sideways, a sickening crack heard coming from her head, effectively ending her short life if the truck hadn't done so already. Her expressionless and dull eyes stare blankly into the air, visible for the world to see.

And just like that, Sakura Minamoto's days full of thrills and excitement would never come to fruition due to her unexpected death…

…until ten years later.

Splashing rain and rumbling thunder are the first things Sakura hears after waking up.

With her eyes already open, Sakura groggily got up so she's sitting, noticing she's on a floor. Also noticing she's in a dark room with a dimly lit window, she could barely make out the lamp stand and chandelier in the darkness, both of which were turned off. Anyone who has common sense or can react accordingly fast would dictate turning either one on to illuminate the room, but not Sakura, because she is confused and afraid. What had just happened to her? And most of all, why was she lying on the floor instead of being in her bed?

Before she can think more, a creaking noise suddenly squeaked.

"Eeeek!" Sakura jolted, turning behind her back and glancing her frightened eyes towards the source of the sound, which is an ajar door swinging back and forth a little because of a gentle breeze.

"…Eh? What's that strange shape…? Ah! Is that a person?"

Her fear vanished quickly however, when her eyes happened to fall on a man slumped against the wall next to the door, just barely visible in the darkness. Even before her eyes happened upon him, she might have heard a soft whimper behind her as she awoke.

Relieved to see she's not alone but concerned and curious of him, she crawled over to his slumped body, kneeling before him once she's close so she can make out the appearance of the man more clearly. He's a handsome teenager who's taller than her even though they haven't stand up yet wearing a slim-fitting green gakuran school uniform that shows his physique quite well, with his brown shoes matching his attire. His hair is colored red with a tinge of pink, distinguished by a single, large and twisting bang hanging before his face. Cherry-shaped earrings adorn his ears, which is a rare but not uncommon sight to see from a man.

After she's finished examining him (and swooning over his handsome face), Sakura shakes his shoulder to wake him up. When he doesn't, she shakes him harder, hoping she didn't startle him so much when he wakes up…

…Which is exactly what happened next.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Their screams lasted for a while until the man stopped when he realized he wasn't sleeping anymore. Gasping for air, his face changed from terror to confusion when he noticed he's in a dark room, prompting him to look around. "Huh? What… What happened? W-Why is it so… dark in here…?"

Breathing quickly as she calms herself down after screaming her lungs out, Sakura turned back to the awakened man and watched him become confused on where he was. Believing he's in a similar situation as her, she speaks up to get his attention. "Hey. Are you alright, mister?"

"Huh?" The man realized someone was kneeling before him. Squinting his eyes, he saw that it was a pretty and shapely girl with long red hair tied in strands by a blue-and-pink polka dot ribbon hanging to the left side of her head. She wore a typical female high school uniform, which consisted of a dark blue coat or blazer that reached down to the hem of her pleated white skirt, a white dress shirt, a dark blue ribbon with white stripes along its edge tied around her collar, white socks, and brown loafers. A wide strap was securely fastened beneath her breasts, holding her coat tightly against her body. With crystal blue eyes that accentuated her beautiful face, his calm lavender eyes seemed to bore into hers, as if he were entranced by her beauty.

He gasped however, breaking his stupor after he remembered his last memory before he… blacked out.

"Ah! T-That's right! DIO! I must tell the others his secret before it's too late!"

Standing up straight immediately, the red-haired man moved to the nearby door in a hurry. He would have gone through it if Sakura hadn't stopped him. "Huh? H-Hey, where are you going?"

"Hm?" Turning his eyes back to her, he realized he had almost left the girl behind. "Oh. Sorry. I… almost forgot you were still here," he addressed her politely, removing his hand from the door handle. "I apologize for almost leaving you alone."

Seeing that he had her full attention, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief because she would have to chase after him if he did up and leave. Dusting off her skirt and coat as she stood up shakily, she replied, "It's alright. I'm a little relieved I'm not alone in this room," she responded with a sigh. She looked at the taller man, her eyes moving up and down as if she's sizing him up, before she asks, "Still though, you seemed to… too rattled enough that you almost ignored me. Hmm, could it be…? Is it was because… you were having a nightmare, right? You did scream suddenly after I woke you up."

Flinching in response, the man couldn't bring himself to deny it, for he remembered his nightmare so vividly. Of him chasing DIO, of Hierophant Green getting hit by DIO's Stand, of him trapping DIO to kill him, and finally, of DIO stopping time before finishing him off with a fist through his gut-

He shakes the unpleasant thought before taking a deep breath to ease his racing mind. "Well, I-I… did have a nightmare, but it's… it's nothing to worry about." He brushed off the unpleasant feeling. At least trying to.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine. I'm just… processing that I, or we, are in an odd predicament."

Though unconvinced, Sakura decided to let it slide for now because learning more of their situation should be their main priority. "Well alright. Just seeing you fine is good enough for me. So, should we get out of this room then? Ummm… Oh, right! We haven't actually introduced ourselves yet. Silly me," she chuckled. "May I ask your name, please?"

Returning her smile with his own, he introduced himself to her, "It's Kakyoin. Noriaki Kakyoin. You can call me by my last name if you like, as I don't mind being referred to by my last name only."

Sakura could feel her face heat up over his smile. As if she didn't have any doubts he was everything a woman had ever imagined an ideal man would look and act like… Shaking her head out of that thought, she introduces herself next. "Nice to meet you, Kakyoin-san. I'm… Sa...Saku- Sakura… Mina…moto…" She seems to have trouble saying her name as if she's having trouble remembering it, but she ignores the strange feeling as she finishes introducing herself to her new acquaintance. "Right, I'm Sakura Minamoto. Call me Sakura if you like."

"The pleasure's mine, Sakura-san." Kakyoin returned the greeting with a nod and smile, finding himself comforted by her voice. He doesn't know why, but for some reason, that sweet voice of hers could possibly be complemented by singing. It would sound like heaven to his ears.

Now knowing their names, Kakyoin moved on to the next and most important question related to their current predicament. "Now that we know our names, can you tell me where we are? You're the first one who woke up, so I assume you took a look around, right?"

Her beaming smile turned to a frown upon being reminded of their situation. She shook her head, stating, "Sorry. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor and I didn't have time to look around when I saw you. At most, I don't know what we are doing here or what this place is."

"That so? Figures…" He sighed. Taking note of the architecture of the room, squinting his eyes through the dark to do so, he recognized what kind of architecture the room is built in. This indicates something to him that doubts where he should be in, but even still, he chose to ask anyway. "Apologies if I'm being too curious but… can you tell me what country we are in?"

"Country? We're in Japan," she replied, curious as to why he would ask such a question. She hadn't noticed Kakyoin's eyes briefly widening in surprise upon hearing they were in his home country when she next spoke, "Why do you ask, Kakyoin-san?"

"Just… wanted to clarify," he claimed. Wanting to figure out their situation more and where they are, he next says this, "So… shall we head out of this room and explore the place? We've been here long enough."

"Okay, but please stay close to me. I don't like how scary it is here. It's creeping me out."

Abiding to her request, Sakura and Kakyoin exit the room. With their eyes in full attention, they see that they are near the window located at the end of the hallway, and it is just as dark here as it was in the room they had awoken in. Checking outside first, a long terrace is visible outside being splashed by the rain coloring the misty night sky with its clear, gray color. Judging from its height, they must be on the second floor.

"Hmm… I believe this isn't a normal house," speculated Kakyoin. "It's hard to tell from the dark, but I think… we're in a mansion."

"A mansion?" Sakura repeated.

"It's only my guess, but we must be in a mansion judging by the height and the balcony outside."

Accepting his hunch, the two walked away from the window and moved forward, still keeping their eyes peeled. As Sakura opined, the creepy mood in the air feels suffocating and pervading to their heads. This got on her nerves quite well, leading her to stay close to Kakyoin at all times. She even thought of holding onto his arm but she refused since it would be too intimate and might trouble his personal space. Still, Kakyoin didn't mind her getting close to him for her comfort because she's the most fearful of the two.

In the meantime, there's the matter of a question of why they woke up in a room and they're in a mansion of all places. As much as Sakura wants to find out why she would rather let it stay unanswered for some reason, and just up and leave. However, she believed it's probably for the better if they explored a bit before leaving so they could see what kind of place they were in, at least.

While Sakura's thoughts are occupied, a lot of questions race through Kakyoin's mind too. From what he remembers, he was fighting against DIO alongside Joseph, with Jotaro and Polnareff chasing them somewhere in Cairo, Egypt. Then, when he had DIO cornered, he was killed. Although he wants to dismiss it as a vivid nightmare, he has this dreadful feeling that it might have actually happened. If it did, then why is he alive when he should be dead? And what was he doing here in Japan when he was supposed to be in Egypt?

As the two continued walking, they spotted what looked like a window on their right and turned towards it…

ガシャンッ

…Just as something, no, some one burst out through the glass abruptly.

ズドン

It took them two or three seconds before they turned around to see what had just happened.

"Eh?"

"What the?"

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

"HUH!?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Limbs contorting quickly and unnaturally as she straightened her body, the creepy woman raised looked up to the two frozen in shock, showing her sunken red eyes and bluish or greenish skin. Apart from that, the woman possesses long dark hair with two large, swept hair strands spread out slightly from her normal bangs, bandages on her head, neck, collar area and left leg, and ragged black dress held up by a white thin strand on her waist with gray knee-length socks and black shoes. These features helped accentuate her ghostly appearance too well, especially when she stands up creepily.

"Unnnggggh…" Groaning as her eyes bore into the two with her piercing gaze, the woman raised her arms and took two slow steps before instantly charging at the two. Sakura cried out in panic as she dove out of the way. Kakyoin, however, didn't react in time since he was too shocked to respond. Instead, he instinctively grabbed her arms in defense, snapping out of his stupor just in time for them both to fall onto the floor.

"Agh!"

"Kakyoin!" Sakura shouted.

Struggling to stop the thrashing arms almost too strong for him, Kakyoin gritted his teeth, demanding, "D-Damn it! Get off me, you crazy woman!"

"Uwaaa! Braugh! Errryaaah! Hngaaagh!"

His face scrunched up in disgust as the crazy woman screamed hysterically, splattering saliva and spit everywhere, including his face. During his struggle to push the woman up, Kakyoin takes note of how she seemed to make biting motions, her ghastly body that looked to be rotting, and a putrid smell emanating from her body. Taking all of these together, his eyes widened slightly when he realized what this woman was.

This woman…! Don't tell me! She's a…!

Having had enough of the zombie woman, Kakyoin grunted as he exerted enough strength to get her hands off of him before he propped up one leg to push her aside.

"Aaaangh!" The woman cried out, rolling twice across the floor before stopping. Now free, Kakyoin quickly stood up while breathing heavily, ready to get away from the woman.

"Kakyoin! Over here!"

Hearing Sakura's calling out to him, Kakyoin spun around to catch her hiding behind a door that she found while the scary woman pinned him. She motioned him inside, so he sprinted into the room without hesitation, and once he's inside, Sakura quickly closed the door. The zombie woman left outside begins banging her hands on the door, seemingly still intent to continue pursuing them. They, in response, back away from the door…

…But Sakura's footing slipped when her heels caught something firm, halting her movement.

"Whoawhoawhoa-! WAAAH! ! !"

"Huh? Sakura!"

Acting quickly, Kakyoin grabs her flailing arm and pulls her back. She was then cushioned on him with her head resting on his chest and his hands wrapping around her back. Such an intimate contact surely makes her flustered, coloring her cheeks red.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Y-Yes… Thank you for… pulling me to safety…" She sighed, finding herself enjoying being so close to him, more than she thought. Whether Kakyoin realizes it or not, he lets go of her after seeing she's fine. Their relief is cut short however when they hear a shattering sound. They soon see it's thanks to a hand that had pierced through the door's window, allowing the raven-haired woman to peer through with one eye.

As if the sight of a zombie woman persistent on her pursuit is scary enough, multiple figures rising up with harrowing groans alert the two. Too close than they liked. Backing away instinctively whilst turning around, they were given visibility of the room for a moment when flashes of lightning illuminated the room so they saw who the groans belonged to.

Much to their horror, those figures turned out to be, like the black-haired woman, zombies.

"Uaaaaaaannnnnrgh…"

"W-What!? More zombies!? In this ROOM!?" Kakyoin exclaimed in disbelief.

"T-This… This has to be a… a n-n-nightmare… R-Right? Right?" Sakura fearfully hoped, forgetting she had just woken up a couple of minutes ago.

ドドドドドドドド

Aside from the zombie woman, 11 zombies in total are accounted for in this room, consisting of 5 girls and 6 boys. The girls include:

A blonde woman with green and orange streaks of hair tied up in a ponytail wearing a red varsity jacket, orange tie, white buttoned shirt, and long skirt, possessing stitches on her arms and bandages in various parts of her body;

A woman with short slate blue hair decorated with tiny yellow flowers, completely wrapped up in bandages from head to toe (except the area around her eyes) underneath her dark blazer, yellow long-sleeved vest, and frilled short skirt;

A puffy, white-haired woman having thin twin-tails parted sideways clad in black and white sailor fuku uniform, giving the impression of a high school girl. Unlike the previous two, her body is covered, or possibly made up of, stitches and patches of skin in various colors (blue, green, cyan, and white), also giving her appearance similar to Frankenstein's creature;

An auburn-haired woman having a stitched-up scar around her neck, whose attire took on a traditional style consisting of a red and white checkered kimono with a purple collar and a green skirt reaching near her ankles;

And finally, another puffy, twin-tailed girl who is shorter and the only kid among the group, having light blue or cyan-colored hair, a hair decoration emblazoned with stars, a green blazer, white dress shirt underneath it, and a gray skirt. Most noticeably and morbidly, she's exposing her heart out instead of inside the chest.

As for the boys, they consists of:

A tall man with short black hair adorned with two hair clips wearing a white suit covered in black spoon-like symbols and zippers in shoulders, chest and waist exposing his cleavage covered in a lace top;

A teenager with messy, black hair appearing as purple in certain lighting conditions wearing a tank top and pants joined by orange headband, wrist straps and skirt;

A blonde man having shoulder-length hair wearing a knit cap adorned with pink stars and a horseshoe over an image of a rearing horse, hooded, short-sleeved blue top over a longer-sleeved purple undershirt that has thick lines and two patches of purple hearts on his shoulders, a yellow feather with black-spotted tip rising from under his collar, striped wristband and pants, both studded with pink stars;

Another blonde-haired man with square patches of facial hair lining his jaw wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a pair of goggles around the brim over his back-length hair, dark purple leather shirt lined up by small green balls, arm bands, tan pants, a belt with buckles showing a pair of hands pointing to his crotch, holsters housing two green balls, cowboy boots and a cape;

And lastly, a man with dark blue or bluish black hair sporting two braids dressed in a green jumpsuit emblazoned with darker green vine and peapod embroideries over a light-colored shirt with a tie and green and yellow bomber hat decorated with seven small balls in the front that resemble grapes.

Curiously, the last three figures have blue, green, and orange painted lips respectively, as if they are wearing lipstick, and the shoulder-haired man seems to be having trouble walking or even standing up properly, so it chooses to crawl instead.

As for the last man and zombie overall, Sakura is naturally horrified and intimidated because he's the biggest zombie. But Kakyoin is shocked beyond belief when he recognizes the broad-shouldered man in the back.

A-Avdol!?

His eyes are not playing tricks on him as Muhammad Avdol, the Egyptian fortune teller and member of the Stardust Crusaders recognized by his Bantu knot-style hair, white headscarf, long red robe with elbow-length sleeves, orange scarf, gray pants, necklace made up of engraved medallions with the biggest one showing an ankh, tassel and metallic bracelets, is present among the eleven zombies. Seeing his friend in the flesh, moaning creepily with arms stretched out, Kakyoin is stunned to see Avdol not only somehow here, but as a zombie like them.

As he stands in shock watching his friend walking slowly with hands out forward together with the other zombies, Kakyoin got snapped out yet another stupor when Sakura pulled him away by his sleeve, who is more than eager to escape as she does not want to be eaten by zombies tonight. Arriving shortly to the door separate from the one they came in and occupied by the zombie from earlier, Sakura starts opening it but she's having difficulty due to her panicking.

Meanwhile, Kakyoin stared down the eleven groaning zombies walking slowly to the two with their arms stretched forward, including the black-haired zombie that entered, seemingly intent on feasting on their bodies.

As much as he dislikes attacking a friend like Avdol or a kid, he has no choice in the matter.

Sorry everyone, but I can't let you all get us. He thought, regretting what he would do next but knowing it is necessary.

Panicking at the thought of getting stuck to be eaten by zombies, Sakura hugged the door with her back and asked frantically, "What should we do? What should we do!?"

Staying mostly unfazed as he stared at the slowly approaching zombies, he took a deep breath before he does something extraordinary.

"｢HIEROPHANT GREEN｣!"

Multiple white tendrils with complex green spots and patterns materialize in front of Kakyoin. The tendrils all combine to form a humanoid being with yellow mechanical eyes and a mask covering its mouth. White-colored pieces of armor cover various parts of its body, but much of its green skin, reminiscent of a shiny melon, remains exposed. The Stand strikes a pose lastly, by raising its right knee as if it's kneeling then pointing a finger intensely withs its head raised up after twirling in the air.*

ドゴーンッ

As if this night couldn't get any weirder (or freakier), a humanoid being appeared in front of Kakyoin, who is covered in a green aura, facing the zombies with a steely gaze. He also struck a pose by moving his hands near his face and waist, each with a thumb and index fingers up, and a pinky over the hand near the wajst respectively, that emphasizes his determined and overdramatic expression.**

"E-Eh? What…? W-What am I…?" Sakura stammered, wondering if she was imagining the masked humanoid or perplexed by his flashy pose.

Without delay in Kakyoin's action, Hierophant Green gathers liquid energy in its hands. Once the charged energy is sufficient, Kakyoin shouts, "NOW! Take this you zombies! Emerald… SPLAAAAAAASH!"

ドッバアーッ

Emeralds shoot out from its hands rapidly, hitting the zombies hard enough to make them fall backwards. Any stray emeralds that missed them hit the walls, floors and furniture, but not the windows. Overall, there are some damage done to the room, but not too much that it's beyond repairs. Once they're writhing on the floor, Kakyoin disperses Hierophant Green and turns to Sakura, who is left gawking and amazed at his technique.

"Hey! What are you standing there for? Open the door!" He reminded her. He's so focused on telling her that he failed to notice one zombie had recovered quick and is about to get their hands on the unseeming man.

"Uaaaaaargh!"

"Ahhhhh! Kakyoin, behind you!"

"Wha!?" He turned back only to almost gasp when he came face to face with a zombie girl so unexpectedly he couldn't react in time.

At the same time however, Sakura happens to touch a fire poker's handle resting against a wall below her. Acting fast, she grabbed it and before she knew what she's doing, she pushed Kakyoin out of the way and throw the fire poker to the bandaged up zombie with enough strength to stab it through her head. The zombie fell back as a result.

"Uuurgh!"

Staying still in shock for nearly getting ravaged by that zombie, Kakyoin released a hitched breath out of his mouth. "Crap… I barely missed getting attacked by a zombie again. Didn't expect much resilience from her." He remarked, gulping before he stands up.

"There! The door is open, Kakyoin! Hurry! Let's get out before they catch up!"

Hearing Sakura loud and clear, he whirled around to see she did open the door and her foot has stepped pass the doorframe. What happened next should be obvious as the two didn't hesitate to run out of the room. Moving as fast as they can, they ran down the stairs with hurried pants while the zombies picked themselves up and futilely chased after them at a snail's pace.

Eventually, Sakura and Kakyoin find the genkan of the mansion and immediately head outside through the rain, panting from the force exerted on their legs as one objective is in their minds: get away from the mansion.

After many minutes spent running through the rain, not caring that they are soaking wet, the two stop running to catch their breath after they are far away from the manor they've woken up in. Even though they didn't run for too long, they're really tired due to what they've witnessed back there. With a potential zombie apocalypse seemingly imminent, no one can blame them.

"We… We made it… We made it out…" Sakura panted, her hands nestled on her knees.

"We gladly did…" Kakyoin concurred, combing his now wet hair with his hand. He can't wait to properly comb his hair after this is over and they figured out what to do next.

Once they've calmed down, the two are made aware of the rushing river nearby. Turning their heads to it led them to spot a stone erected beside it. Written on it are kanji denoting the name of the river as well as the prefecture.

｢Choda River｣
｢Saga Prefecture｣

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

"We're in… Saga Prefecture?" Kakyoin added, looking surprised and puzzled the most out of the two. He finds the name "Saga" intriguing to him, but for what reason, he has no clue. Like this is the first time he saw that name. How odd… What is this 「strange feeling」 I had when reading the name… And why I'm feeling it in the first place?

Just as abrupt as hearing the river, a voice pipes up in the splashing rain. "Heeeeeeey! You two! You can't be out this late!"

It's a policeman lazily trudging across the puddled sidewalk with a bicycle he's pulling beside him. He next asks in the same lazy tone of voice, "What's the matter? Are you two lookin' to be arrested? 'Cuz I'll arrest you two!"

Relieved to see someone who is not a zombie, the two walk up to him as he speaks up about how he wants to go home because his underwear is soaked. "Officer! Thank goodness! We need help!" Sakura pleaded.

As they move closer, the policeman stops for a moment to squints his eyes on the two…

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

…but it's quickly replaced by terrified ones. Dropping himself and his bicycle to the ground, he scurried away from the two fearfully, not caring he gets even more wet. "W-Wha…! Y-YOU! YOU TWO…!"

Perplexed by his behavior, the two were about to ask what the matter was, only to be alarmed when the scared policeman pointed his gun at the two, freaking them out. "Y-You two…! STAY BACK! W-WHA… W-WHAT ARE Y-YOU TWO!?"

"Huh? What are we…?" Kakyoin mutters in puzzlement, him and Sakura growing more confused over his odd statement and his sudden change in behavior. Then they spot a mirror above a pole near them and, out of curiosity, they look up to see themselves in the mirror…

…not knowing what they see would shatter the illusion of how they see themselves.

The reflection was obscured at first, but it clears up. A flash of lightning illuminates the mirror, revealing their faces have sunken cheeks, dead red eyes, and greenish or bluish skin reeking with devay. They have scars too, with Sakura having a long, stitched-up scar draped over her forehead, while Kakyoin has two smaller, clean scars lining his eyes vertically.

Such scars, eyes and skin color were found on the zombies back in the mansion…

With all of these in mind, the two realize to their horror that they are actually… zombies.

Meaning, counting them, there are fourteen zombies in the mansion in total…

Lightning flashed again, illuminating their face to harrowingly show they are not imagining this and also emphasizing briefly their decaying appearances…

ドガッ!

Two gunshots cut through the pouring rain and their thoughts. They both looked down and respectively saw a hole in Sakura's neck and Kakyoin's chest.

Tense seconds passed as Sakura and Kakyoin looked behind them and saw the terrified police officer shakily holding his gun, smoke coming out of the barrel. The former stares for a moment before her body gives out on her uncannily and she lies on the ground with her hair and limbs sprawled out around her, face frozen in shock and horror at the realization she's a zombie thr whole timd. For her, this is the pinnacle of this terrifying night.

"Sakura?" Kakyoin looked down to her in surprise and concern, who doesn't have the strength to look at him. He slowly turned to the policeman and, without thinking, took a step forward in a daze. This prompted the policeman to stand up quickly and step backward, shouting, "S-STAY BACK! You… YOU…! ZOMBIE…!"

"Hold on! T-This… This has to be some kind of mistake…!" He pleaded, refusing to believe what he saw in the mirror.

"I-I'M WARNING YOU! I-IF YOU DARE STEP CLOSER, I'LL…!"

バグォッ

A shovel slammed onto the back of his head, stopping his manic words and knocking him out.

"Huh?"

Blinking in surprise, Kakyoin stared at the now-unconscious police officer lying face down on the wet ground, then to the newly-arrived figure showing up out of the blue. The figure holding a shovel is a brown-haired man slightly taller or on par to his height, dressed in a suit consisting of red vest, white shirt, black bowtie and pants, a coat hanging from his shoulders like a cape, and most peculiar of all in this time of night, black sunglasses. He has a serious expression on him as the man walked up to the lying Sakura while holding an umbrella and shovel neatly with his left hand,who looks up to him and see he's looking at her with a passive and neutral expression. Tiredness soon caught up to Sakura though, so she closed her eyes and lulled to sleep.

Seeing he doesn't seem fazed or scared that they are zombies and likely knows what's going on based on this, Kakyoin gets his attention. "Hey."

"Hm? What is it? If you thought I was ignoring you, then no. I haven't forgotten you're with Sakura-chan. So don't be jealous." The man turned to him and replied in a dismissive tone.

Hearing him utter Sakura's name despite not having met him yet, Kakyoin is now determined to get answers from the strange man. From this, he asks, "What's going on here? Why am I and Sakura… zombies? And speaking of zombies, why are there other zombies, including Avdol, back in the mansion? Do you have anything to do with them?" He stared at him down, telling him silently that he'll not be satisfied until he gets an answer. A proper and satisfying answer actually.

"...As for the first and third question, I'll explain tomorrow," the man replied. "As for the second... ｢You're dead｣."

"I'm… I'm what?" He sputtered, blinking in apparent denial.

"You died," he repeated. "If you want proof, check your abdomen."

"...My abdomen?"

Feeling nervous all of a sudden, Kakyoin unbuttons his shirt and looks down. He lets out a hitched gasp when he sees the proof.

ドドドドドドドド

Kakyoin could only widen his eyes in shock at the bandages wrapped around his abdomen. While he could feel his wound had apparently healed and was filled with flesh, it did not comfort him; along with his sickly skin, this was proof that The World did punch through his gut.

Meaning the nightmare of DIO killing him was all too real…

Shakily putting his hand on where he thought his gaping wound would be, Kakyoin feels his breath rattling as memories of his death play in his head. "It… It can't be…" Try as he might, he didn't have it in him to deny the reality that he did truly die fighting against DIO, getting a hole in his abdomen for his trouble. "This… A-Ah… I-I…"

"Look," the man put his right hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts as he said, "It sucks knowing you died with that bandage covering your wound as a zombie, but don't fret. You get to have a 「second chance」 in life along with Sakura-chan here. And also, for the sake of comfort, you two are not the only ones who died so horrifically and abruptly."

"…Only one?" Confused at first, Kakyoin realizes what he's talking about. The man is referring to the twelve zombies back in the mansion. Glancing at the sleeping Sakura, he took note of the scar on her head, leading him to believe a head trauma may have killed her.

Avdol is not left out, as he sacrificed himself for Polnareff and Iggy's sake before DIO was fought. Sadly, the latter dies shortly after Avdol does.

He didn't recognize anyone else back in the mansion, but he could obviously tell they had died just like him, perhaps horrifically too. Again, counting him and Sakura, there are fourteen zombies accounted for.

However, this begs the question of why he, Sakura, Avdol, and the others were revived as zombies. "Hold on, I don't think I understand yet the bigger picture here. Why did Sakura, Avdol, the others, and I came back as zombies? I know you said you will answer tomorrow, but I really need to know now ."

Rubbing his chin in thought, the man says, "Perhaps I should lay the bare facts for you if you and Sakura-chan go back to the mansion, which, by the way, is now your 「residence」. I'll disclose the rest next morning because right now, I need sleep. Sooooo, let's get moving if you really want to know now. Preferably to the van just a few blocks away. Yeah, I managed to track you two down when I realized you two ran outside." He walks past Kakyoin, but not before telling him to carry Sakura back since his hands are full before leaving him to process his thoughts.

Once the man left, Kakyoin turned to the girl still asleep on the ground. After a few seconds standing in mild contemplation, he let out a sigh before he scooped her up in his arms and started walking back on the sidewalk towards the van the strange man told him about. He could only hope he got some answers later and tomorrow, because right now, he's too confused and tired to comprehend the fact that, in an act against fate, he had come back to life.

…

…

…

…

"...So, those two have 「awoken」."

Someone said after no one (aside the unconscious policeman) is not in the area anymore. They had quietly watched the whole run-in between Sakura and Kakyoin, and an unlucky policeman, and the man wearing sunglasses meeting the two the whole time, having hid himself behind the curtain of the falling raindrops. No one noticed them, something they are fine with because they're not planning to meet with them yet.

"With those two up and their consciousness restored, I suppose it's only a matter of time before the other zombies 「wake up」. Once they do, I shall await the day Saga's 「fate」 will be tested. The day when there shall be only one winner… and I already know who will 「lose」."

After saying that weird spiel, the unknown figure left the scene.

Returning back to the mansion, Kakyoin is made to wait in the living room as per the shady man's instruction. Sitting on a couch, he kept watch over Sakura, who is currently sleeping besides him and haven't stirred up during the interim. With arms crossed, he patiently waits for the man in the suit to appear to get some answers. Throughout this time, his mind has to grapple with the fact that he has been resurrected as a zombie. With the sealed wound on his abdomen serving as a reminder of how he died, he can only wonder just why he, Avdol, Sakura, and the others have been resurrected. If the man isn't planning to cause a zombie apocalypse thankfully enough, then what is his reason?

Kakyoin sighs, wanting to believe this is still all a dream in spite of reality splashing down on his face like rain.

Ten seconds would pass when the red-haired man senses movement. Guessing that she is waking up, he faces her so she will see him and doesn't panic thinking she is alone.

Comprehending a little she woke up in a room again, which is considerably brighter compared to the last room she woke up in, Sakura rises up to see she's on a couch. Puzzled since she doesn't remember sitting, she turns sideways only to see Kakyoin sitting beside her. "Oh? Kakyoin?" She whispered.

"Sakura, glad to see you're awake," he said with a small smile. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to continue sleeping after you passed out an hour ago."

Immediately after facing him, she sees he has green skin, red eyes, and two scars lining his eyes. The same features she also saw on her when she looked at the mirror. Remembering it and believing it might be a bad dream, she stood up and scampered to a nearby mirror. Unfortunately, she saw, to her dismay, her skin is indeed green and her eyes are red, in addition to a large scar on her forehead.

"What the hell… This… This isn't real… This must be a nightmare!" She exclaimed in denial.

"As much as I want to deny it, we 「came back to life 」 as 「zombies」, long after we died," Kakyoin stated simply, walking towards her. Sakura turned to him again as he added, "Whether I want to call our resurrection 「a blessing or a curse」, I guess we should accept that we are back in the living world."

Though he seems calm, Sakura can sense he has mixed feelings on getting resurrected. She empathized with him because they were revived without their consent.

Becoming curious, Sakura eyed Kakyoin for a second before asking, "Um… I don't mean to pry on you but… If I may ask Kakyoin, how did you… die?"

Flinching and going still for a moment upon hearing her question, Kakyoin sighed before unbuttoning his shirt. The red-haired girl began blushing, believing he's undressing for some reason only known by him. She would've freaked out and urged him to stop had she not seen the bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

"Eh?" Her eyes widened in surprise, wondering what necessitated such volume of bandages on him as opposed to the bandages worn by the other zombies she had seen earlier except for the short-haired girl.

"Sakura, you may not be able to see it fortunately since it's covered by bandages but…" He pointed his finger to where his large wound was. "I met my end when a fist rammed through my abdomen. If that's not enough, I was thrown into a water tank, where I have died of blood loss thanks to my large wound, while my entire body is paralyzed to the point I almost couldn't talk…" he explained solemnly, alreading eeling uncomfortable telling the details of his death.

A gasp escaped from her as Sakura covered her mouth in shock ober what she heard. "W-What…? That's… That's horrible!"

Kakyoin grimly nodded, stating, "It is. And even if it's apparently healed, I can't help but imagine a hole on my body in full display, even if I'm revived as a zombie… It's just… too vivid to my liking."

Shuddering just by imagining his death playing out, questions arose over how he could have died that way. He wouldn't have died like that unless someone was deranged and strong enough to kill him in that manner. Out of concern for the man, she asked, "Who… who killed you, Kakyoin?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but he stopped. As much as he wanted to answer her, he remembered the details revolving it that are… out there, so to speak. He's pondering whether or not he answers her directly, and whether she migjt accept an explanation that a century-old vampire killed him using a Stand that could stop time. This must be her first exposure to the supernatural, so he needed to respond carefully…

…or simply leave it unanswered for a while.

"I'll answer once I believe you are ready to accept the circumstances surrounding it." That's his vague response.

Confused as to why he became hesitant to tell her, Sakura sees he's not going to budge, so she drops it. "Well… okay. If you insist, I won't ask again. You don't seem to like talking about your death. Sorry."

"I am, but I'll manage. Thank you for your concern anyway," he replied gratefully while buttoning his shirt. "Now that I told you how I died, how about you, Sakura? How did you die? Is it related to that big scar on your head? I assume it's from… head trauma, right?"

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

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

In fact, she can't remember anything at all.

"Oh no… Oh no oh no oh no Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoooo!" Sakura undergoes a nervous breakdown, clutching her head as she tries in vain to remember anything.

"S-Sakura? What's wrong? Is everything alright?" Kakyoin asked worriedly.

"N-No. I'm… I'm not alright…" Sakura let out, breathing heavily with her eyes darting around almost frantically.

"Why is that?"

"Because… Because…"

"B-Because what…?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!"

Closing her mouth with her hand after shouting suddenly, Sakura stares at Kakyoin, who flinched back in surprise thanks to her sudden outburst. "Ahh! I-I'm sorry, Kakyoin! I'm sorry for making you jump out of your skin!" she apologized, bowing repeatedly to him.

"D-Don't worry Sakura. It's fine," Kakyoin reassured her. Listening to what she shouted now, he says, "So… What was the reason why you can't tell me how you died? Is it because… you can't remember?"

Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura gloomily nods, stating, "Yeah… I can't remember who I am. Whether my life, hobbies, parents, where I was born or even my own death, I can't remember 「anything」."

"I… see…" He uttered out, feeling more worried for the girl because she got the short end of the stick compared to him. Does she have… 「amnesia」 then? Could something that gave her a big scar on her head cause her to lose her memory? He wondered, staring at the scar on Sakura's head. Wanting to lighten the mood, he says, "Well, at least you can remember your name."

"Ah, right. My name…" She goes ponderingly silently. "What is my name again?"

"Your name is Sakura Minamoto."

Hearing someone else speak up, the two turned until they to see the suited man wearing shades standing before them with an impassive expression. This time, he's curiously carrying a zombie mutt or poodle dog covered in different stitches and one eye shut on his right hand. Said zombie dog wag its tail and has its tongue out. And lastly, as noted by Sakura in confusion, there's a dried squid in his left breast pocket.

Recognizing him, Sakura points at him and exclaims, "Ah! You're the man from earlier!"

"Yes. The same man who knocked the policeman out cold with a shovel," Kakyoin recalled rather bluntly. "It's about time you show up."

"Apologies if I kept you two waiting," the man said, pushing the bridge of his sunglasses. "My name is Kotaro Tatsumi," he began introducing himself. "Starting tonight, you two are under my 「management」 as long as you both follow every word I say. If you do, then there will be no problems."

Listening to him, the two wonder what he meant when they are under his management. In response, Sakura replies, "I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're saying…"

"Same here," concurred Kakyoin. "But before you tell us more, can you tell us what the current year is? Since we died many years ago, many years have passed since then, so I think learning the current year is should be important. So, will you tell us?"

"…It's 2018." Kotaro answered.

"2018?!" The two exclaimed with eyed wide in unison, not expecting the gap between the year they died and the current year would be that big. This is especially true for Kakyoin, who remembered it was 1989 when he died, so to hear almost thirty years have passed since then is quite shocking, to say the least.

"You heard me. ｢2018｣ . Sakura Minamoto died ｢ten years ago｣ while Noriaki Kakyoin died at least ｢twenty-nine years ago｣ . Both of you came back as zombies alongside the others," he continued, not skipping a beat. "As to why I revived you two as zombies… You two will work together as ｢Number One｣ and ｢Cherry Boy｣ with your respective groups to ｢save｣ Saga Prefecture!"

"Number One? Cherry Boy?" Sakura repeated the titles given to them with incredulity.

"And… What's this about saving Saga Prefecture?" Kakyoin inquired, wondering if Kotaro is making true of his intent to tell them the reason why they had been revived.

As if what Kotaro is saying doesn't sound absurd enough, he goes on to grab Sakura's chin, causing her to be bewildered and blush. Kakyoin blinks in disbelief at his daring act (and somewhat incensed) as Kotaro continues, "Number One is the 「codename」 you will undergo as an idol. Like I said, there'll be no problems if you follow my words, so you don't have to worry about anything."

"Idol?"

"Yes. I'll turn you and the other 「zombie girls」 into ｢idols｣!" He made this bold statement.

Before Sakura can reply back, Kotaro lets go of her chin and faces Kakyoin next. Questioningly, he grabs his chin too and lifts it slightly. Such a gesture almost flustered Kakyoin, who would have a feeling so complicated if what Kotaro said to him didn't shock him..

"As for you Cherry Boy, you and the other 「zombie guys」 will use your ｢Stands｣ to protect the idols as bodyguards and fight against an enemy ｢Stand User｣ and their horde of ｢enemy Stands｣ lurking in Saga Prefecture!"

"What!? Stands!?"

Forcing Kotaro's hands off his chin, Kakyoin looked at him with a shocked and prudent look, having not expected he would bring up the topic of Stands. He knows I have a Stand the whole time? If that is the case, then does that mean he must have resurrected me and Sakura as zombies through-!

"No. I don't have a Stand and didn't use them to revive you two as zombies. My method of resurrection is completely ｢unrelated｣ and ｢different｣ to Stands." Kotaro guessed his line of thought and quickly made this declaration.

"Huh?"

Wondering if he heard him right as his wariness vanishes immediately, Kakyoin asks if he used a Stand to revive them.

"I did not." Kotaro affirmed.

"…If you didn't use a Stand, then… How did you revive us?" Kakyoin asked this important question.

"Have you watched a zombie movie before?"

"…Yes?"

"And there's your answer!"

There's a moment of silence before Kakyoin, unconvinced, states, "That doesn't explain it."

"And that's aaaaaall you'll ever get from me!" Kotaro maintains his stance on the matter, more or less telling Kakyoin that, 'I will not reveal the secret of my zombie revival process so deal with it.'

Still wanting to know exactly how, Kakyoin was about to ask again, sternly this time, when Sakura chimes in. "Um, excuse me…" The two turn to her as she asks, "What is this about… 「Stands」? You were surprised when you heard Kotaro-san mention it, Kakyoin, so may I ask… what is a Stand?"

Having almost forgotten again Sakura is present, Kakyoin found himself fumbling with his words, wondering if, and how, he could explain it to her. "Stands? W-Well, you see… Stands are-"

"You can talk about what Stands are in the next morning, which is also when I'll clarify more about what I told you two regarding saving Saga." Kotaro stopped him because they had dragged this conversation long enough.

Still unable to understand yet what he's saying so ridiculously, Sakura once again asks, "How, exactly, do we 'save' Saga?"

Kotaro stares at her in silence for three seconds, before he clears his throat and repeats what he told Sakura and Kakyoin…

…In a bombastic display as he shouted his lungs out complete with one clenched hand raised up high in the air.

"IT'S THROUGH MAKING YOU GIRLS ｢IDOL SINGERS｣ ! AND THE GUYS USING THEIR ｢STANDS｣ TO ｢PROTECT｣ THE SOON-TO-BE IDOL GIRLS AS ｢BODYGUARDS｣ ! AAAAALL TO ｢SAVE｣ SAGAAAAAAAAAAAA! ! ! ! !"

Hearing his nonsensical reason to "save" Saga Prefecture, Sakura and Kakyoin has one word describing succinctly their reactions and feelings over his bizarre motivation.

"…What?"

To be continued

Stand Analysis:

Hierophant Green (Stand Master: Noriaki Kakyoin)

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

Hierophant Green is a long-distance Stand that can unravel its entire body into tentacles or tendrils for various purposes like using it as a rope, avoiding damage to its user and weaving a sensitive 20-meter radius web that detects enemy movements. It is also capable of entering inside a person's body to forcefully control them, although Kakyoin used it rarely due to its inhumane nature.

Its signature technique is called Emerald Splash, which lets Hierophant Green fire a barrage of emeralds after gathering energy in liquid form on its hands before discharging them as emeralds. While certain individuals can block or deflect the attack because it isn't quite powerful, its blast range, shotgun-like launch, and high speed make this quite a capable technique under the right strategy.

* - Hierophant Green's pose before Kakyoin lunged at Mannish Boy during Death Thirteen's fight.

** - The pose Kakyoin made during the Tower of Gray fight.

Onomatopoeia:

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

ガシャンッ (Gashan) - Glass shattering

ズドン (Zudon) - Thud

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ/ ドドドドドドドド (Gogogogo/Dodododo) - Dramatic tension

ドゴーンッ (Dogon)- Close-up emphasis

ドッバアーッ (Dobbaaa) - Sound of Emerald Splash

ド ガ ッ (Doga) - Gunshot

バグォッ (Bagou) - Shovel smacking