If someone told Kakyoin that he will die at the age of 17 only to be resurrected as a walking corpse, he would give them a confused and horrified look before dismissing it. Why would someone tell him that morbid prediction, it could be only done to get a sick satisfaction in watching someone's terrified reaction. Well whether he believed them or not, they had the last laugh because that's exactly what's happening this morning. And it's all thanks to the work of an eccentric man who espoused his goal of 'saving' Saga Prefecture.
Just when I thought my life was out of the ordinary already… Here comes me as a living corpse, who fortunately didn't hunger for brains, sitting together with Sakura in this basement. Which looked like a dungeon for some reason. Kakyoin internally sighed.
When he was with the Crusaders (the group was originally unnamed, and would've stayed that way if Polnareff didn't decide to name the group "Stardust Crusaders", coined after Jotaro's Stand. Aside from his brief complaint, no one objected and the name stuck for the most part), he would take a bath, adjust his looks, clothing and any personal belongings he took on the journey, eat breakfast, have a chat with his friends, and set off to their next location. It was a mundane activity compared to the group's arduous fights against many enemy Stand Users, always hounding them no matter where they go, but if he's being honest, it was as close to being "normal" as far as being a Stand User can get.
However, him sitting next to his newest companion in a dimly lit basement containing a jail cell that accentuates the eerie atmosphere and twelve zombies roaming around emitting inhuman groans may be the icing on the cake over the bizarre sights he thought he'd come to expect.
Never mind the fact that he and Sakura are alive… as zombies, fully conscious and in control of themselves unlike the twelve. If he's being honest again, as much as he does not want to imagine it, it's probably better if he stays dead if only to avoid this.
Staring at the back of the chalkboard with nervous eyes, Sakura is trying her best to process that this is her very first day as a living undead. Looking at the kimono woman, the little girl, the blonde man struggling to walk properly, a boy who looks like a lady striding around with head raised up, and the raven-haired woman inspecting the chalkboard, Sakura was this close to admitting that she may have seen it all.
Meanwhile, Kakyoin turned around to see Avdol, the braided man and the Frankenstein-looking girl clutching the bars while moaning creepily. Raising an eyebrow, he remembered hearing from Jotaro that Avdol and Joseph visited him in the police station, where he let himself be imprisoned after his Star Platinum, then-called an "evil spirit" until he learned the correct term, manifested. Avdol would force him out of his cell using Magician's Red, and only that as Joseph instructed so no serious blows were thrown.
Taking note next of the blonde woman holding out her arms forward, the long-haired cowboy raising an arm and a man with zipper motifs prancing next to a girl covered in bandages while clutching his left shoulder, Kakyoin resisted the urge to shake his head. Their groaning and mindless trudging is getting to him now, making him almost use Hierophant Green to tie them all up in one place.
Trying to get his mind off of them, he turns to Sakura and strikes up a conversation. "So… did you get a good sleep last night?"
Turning to him, Sakura shakes her head. "No. I was wide awake because I tried in vain to remember anything. Other than that, the fact that I came back to life as a zombie is what kept me up the whole night."
"Well, good thing we're zombies because we might not need any sleep," Kakyoin yawned despite his words. "Otherwise, you will be sleepy all day."
"I don't think that's a good habit to be having, zombie or not."
A door swinging open snaps their attention to it, and to the man who brought them back to life as he enters. Named Kotaro Tatsumi, he moved up to the chalkboard and, once standing in attention with his arms plopped on his waist, he exclaimed, "Goooood morning, ladies and gentlemen!"
Looking at the two zombies currently sitting in the center of fourteen chairs expectantly while ignoring the prowling zombies he sees they're not returning the greeting, so he walked close to them before inching his face close much to their discomfort and repeating the greeting louder, "I SAID GOOOOOD MORNING!"
"G-G-Good morning!" Sakura stuttered back, getting nervous from Kotaro getting so close and shouting right to her ear.
"Good morning." Kakyoin greeted calmly, looking unfazed by comparison.
"A correct response!" Kotaro exclaimed, "You two will be working with your respective teams, so a little respect is required for cooperation. If you don't have any respect, then no one will acknowledge you, just like the others."
"…They're still acting like the zombies they actually are. When… do they start acting normal like us?" Kakyoin pointed out the obviously not yet conscious zombies.
"Trust me. They will be sooner or later." He said. Feeling something fuzzy rubbing his leg, he looks down to see it's the zombie poodle the two saw last night, possibly his pet. An odd pet.
"Ah. Hey there, Romero. Good job wrangling the girls and guys here." He complimented the dog before dropping a piece of dried squid from his breast pocket onto the floor. The dog smiled at the treat before digging in.
カブッ!
Whether their imaginations are kicking in or he can transform somehow (most likely the former), Romero suddenly looks like a big scary dog when he chomps the squid with ferocious intensity. Sakura shrieked and tried to scoop away on her seat while Kakyoin was unnerved.
N-N-Note to self! Do not feed dried squid to dogs, especially zombie ones, by yourself! She thought as a precaution.
"And so here we are," continued Kotaro as he returned to his original position. "Let's work hard to get you all to cooperate together to turn these zombie girls into idols, and have the zombie guys protect you rotten girls… starting today!"
With the exception of Sakura and Kakyoin, none of the zombies listened naturally, so they continued prancing around.
Wondering if this is the moment when he'll reveal more details about his plan to "save" Saga, Kakyoin takes the opportunity to ask him, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. Ask away." Kotaro permitted, pointing his hand like a gun.
"Will you explain how you're gonna turn Sakura and the girls idols, while also having me, Avdol and the rest to protect them from enemies, all in an effort to… save Saga?"
"And why am I chosen as an idol?" Sakura added.
"As for your question Kakyoin-kun, yes, I'll explain more. And as for you Sakura-chan… it's to 「save」 Saga."
"…By ｢being an idol｣?"
"That's right," he nodded with utmost seriousness. "In this day and age, regional idols are becoming a thing of the past, but because of that, the 「competition」 has died out as well. You'll capitalize on that to save Saga which is itself on the verge of becoming a 「thing」 of the past. And boom."
Flipping the chalkboard over to show something written on the other side, Kotaro confidently declares, "We call it the ｢Zombie Land Saga Project｣, baby!"
Noticing something odd about the board, Kakyoin points it out. "…The chalkboard is upside-down."
"Huh?" Looking at the board, he sees it is upside down, and so too are the words. He quickly flips the board again before turning it around so it's now displaying the name properly. "There. Happy now?" Kotaro replied, trying not to feel indignant.
"I am." Despite the bizarre situation he's in, Kakyoin didn't hesitate to crack a smile.
"W-Wait a second please!" The two look at Sakura having concern and anxiousness written on her face. "I… I don't remember anything from when I was alive. So asking me to be an idol or to save Saga is…"
"No need to worry," interjected Kotaro. "You ain't alone 'cause the others have some baggage too."
Kakyoin raises an eyebrow. "Does that include the zombie guys and Avdol?"
"Who else Kakyoin-kun? In fact, those three over there have even more baggage than the rest of the rotting zombies and you two," he pointed to the man with zipper decorations, a guy who looks like a lady and the crawling man. "Trust me when I say that. Their pasts are so horrible enough that I feel an ounce of pity for the three."
His statement makes the two curious over what he said about them. As for Kakyoin, he wonders how having no friends due to his belief that everyone would never understand him because he has Hierophant Green be considered less baggage or on par to these three.
Speaking of which, it's about time the two learn who these twelve zombies are. Spurred by this thought, Sakura asks, "Uh, and they are…?"
"Curious?" Kotaro teased.
"Of course we are," Kakyoin replied, folding his arms. "In fact, this girl has bitten Sakura thirteen times since this morning. I had to remove her from Sakura's body also exactly thirteen times." Sakura lifted up her arm to show the long-haired, creepy woman, the same one they encountered last night, biting her arm.
"They're… ｢legends｣."
"Legends?" The two parroted in unison.
"That's right. ｢Legends｣." Kotaro repeated. Holding a dried squid in his hand for the woman, who let go of Sakura's arm when she saw it and hungrily bite it, he says more, "They're the legendary girls and boys I have chosen and revived to save Saga. And together with you two, they will form two ultimate teams!"
Kotaro kickstarts the introduction of these so-called legends by pointing dramatically to the blonde-haired girl first. "She conquered all of Kyushu at the turn of the century as the second-in-command of the 「Dorami」 biker gang! Cower before the 「Legendary Kamikaze Squad Leader」, SAKI NIKAIDO! ! ! !"
A member of a biker gang, huh? Kakyoin looked at the girl curiously, and warily, after hearing her title. He's not intimidated though.
…I-I hope I don't get on her bad side! As for Sakura, she felt immediately nervous when she heard she was a biker gang member.
Pointing to the puffy haired girl still gripping the bars next, Kotaro shouts, "This girl single-handedly gave rise to the 「idol boom」 of the 1980s! The 「Legendary Showa-period Idol」… JUNKO KONNO! ! !"
Kakyoin's eyes widen when he hears Junko's name. Junko Konno? The idol who perished when the plane she's in crashed on its way to Saga? Looking over at the white-haired girl still holding the bars, Kakyoin did not expect she's the one and the same. While he may not know her well, he did hear about her and her tragic death.
Pointing next to the woman in the kimono, Kotaro states, "From the turbulent time spanning the death of the shogunate into the 「Meiji era」, the 「Legendary Courtesan」 known only as… YUGIRI! ! !"
Shogunate? Meiji era? Sakura is surprised, and in awe over what this Yugiri accomplished. And that Kotaro managed to revive someone from the Meiji period. By that point, her body would have withered until she's nothing but bones. Heck, she and Kakyoin would have withered to bones too given many years have passed after their deaths.
Turning to the twin-tailed kid with an exposed heart, Kotaro continues, "After her debut on a long-running period drama, she left her mark on every network in the nation's 「prime-time shows」! 「Legendary Child Actress Prodigy」… LILY HOSHIKAWA! ! !"
So even a young kid has died. Kakyoin solemnly thought, believing she got it worse than him due to having died so young than him or Sakura.
Child actress prodigy? Wow. She must be really good for someone so young to earn that title. Such a shame she died too young… Sakura both complimented and expressed pity, sharing Kakyoin's feelings about her dying so young.
Pointing two fingers at the short-haired girl, the suited man reveals, "After the year 2000 when all the major idol groups were at war, she was the implacable center for the number-one group 「Iron Frill」! 「Legendary Heisei-period Idol」… AI MIZUNO! ! ! !"
Turning to the Heisei-period idol, Sakura has a feeling she recognizes that girl. Wait… Isn't she…?
"｢The Legendary TAE YAMADA｣! ! !" He lastly introduced the final zombie girl, without adding anything worth detailing. "Aaaaaaaand they will be joining you, Sakura-chan, on your-"
"W-Wait a second, just a second!" Sakura stops him after realizing the last zombie girl got a simplistic and anti-climactic introduction compared to the previous five. "That last one…"
"｢The Legendary TAE YAMADA｣!" Kotaro repeated.
Unconvinced due to how abrupt he introduced her, Sakura says, "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you. The legendary…"
"…｢TAE YAMADA｣!" He repeated thrice, without elaborating more.
"Uhhh, isn't there… Anything else?"
"DOES THERE HAVE TO BEEE?!" Kotaro shouted as he zoomed his face close to hers again, looking irritated.
Shrieking when he unexpectedly gets close to her again, Sakura says, "B-B-But what's her legend about-"
"WHO SAYS A LEGEND HAS TO BE ABOUT ANYTHING?!"
"Then isn't she just a normal zom-"
"WHAT MAKES YOU LEGENDARY THEN?! GO ON, TELL THEM! OR IS IT THAT YOU'RE NOT A LEGENDARY ONE, HUH?! YOU DUMBASS ZOMBIIIIIIIIIIE! ! ! ! !"
"THAT'S ENOUGH! ! !"
Kakyoin's voice cut through Kotaro's words loud enough to stop him from pestering Sakura. The two turn to him glaring at Kotaro for intruding on her private space, his obnoxious shouting, and mocking Sakura. With folded arms, he said, "Don't try to make her feel more discomfort than she already had. She has a lot to deal with on top of it, so please… Stop insulting her."
After staring at him with a blank look, Kotaro concedes with a shoulder shrug, seemingly not regretting screaming at Sakura, stating, "Alright, if you insist."
Touched by Kakyoin's intervention for her, she says, "Hey, you didn't need to stand up for me. What if he shouts at you next?"
"Then I'll stand my ground. You don't exactly look confident the whole time, so I had to. I was concerned." He replied earnestly. "And also, I don't want to go deaf."
Giggling at the last part, Sakura smiles and says, "Yeah, I can understand. Well, thanks for topping him, Kakyoin."
"AAAAAANYWAY! Back on the topic in haaaaand!" Kotaro yelled abruptly. "Now that I introduced you two to the girls, it's about time for the zombie guys to be introduced! Pay attention this time Kakyoin-kun! It's important to know who you will be working with!"
Dramatically pointing his fingers again, he begins introducing Kakyoin's teammates starting with Avdol hugging the wall next to the cage. "An Egyptian fortune teller and friend of Kakyoin, he is one member of the group who ventured towards Egypt to ｢kill an evil vampire｣ in order to save a member's own mother! The ｢Legendary Fortune Teller｣… MUHAMMAD AVDOL! ! ! !"
Avdol… Never thought that I would say this as a zombie but… it's good to see you again. Kakyoin smiled at the groaning undead Egyptian, glad that someone he knew was present.
Evil… v-vampire? Sakura can feel her spine shivering just from thinking about it. What kind of journey did Kakyoin and Avdol embark on to reach this vampire? And did they really encounter this vampire? Or do vampires exist?
Two fingers are pointed to the man in a white suit next as Kotaro shouts, "A member risen to the ranks of capo in the infamous Italian mafia ｢Passione｣, he and his team have betrayed the boss in order to usurp him and reform the organization from within! ｢Legendary Caporegime｣… BRUNO BUCCIARATI! ! ! !"
Wh-Wh-WHAT?! A-A m-member of a M-M-M-MAFIA!? Screaming internally, Sakura is shocked to learn Kotaro has revived a member of a mafia, much less a high-ranking member. If she's hoping not to make Saki angry, then she better hope Bucciarati does not look at her with killer eyes lest she positively melt under his glare.
While Kakyoin isn't outwardly as surprised as she is, he gets immediately wary that a gangster is recruited like the biker girl.
Pointing dramatically again to the messy-haired boy standing wobbly with his head tilted up as if he's gazing upward, Kotaro reveals, "A rookie member of Passione, this kid working under Bucciarati will not hesitate to follow his leader's command to accomplish his team's goals, even if it means ｢betraying the boss｣! He's the ｢Legendary Soldato｣… NARANCIA GHIRGA! ! ! !"
Oh, he's affiliated with Bucciarati-san? Kakyoin thought. Although he seemed young like him, he could tell Narancia was not someone to be trifled with if Bucciarati was willing to betray his boss, not to mention being part of a mafia.
…W-Wait, Narancia-san's a boy? I thought he was a girl! On the other hand, Sakura is surprised to learn his real gender. His outfit, thin build, and androgynous voice have led her to believe he's a girl. Other than that, she better hope Narancia doesn't look at her the wrong way too.
Pointing towards the man lying on the ground with his head turned one side and limbs spread out a little, Kotaro exclaims, "An equestrian currently afflicted with a mild paraplegia who is not around these parts alongside his friend and the planter man, having such a disability will not deter this man from participating a transcontinental horse race in order to ｢walk｣ again! ｢Legendary Jockey｣… JOHNNY JOESTAR ! ! ! !"
Kakyoin perks up when he hears Johnny's last name. "Huh? Wait a second. Did I hear you right? Is his last name… ｢Joestar｣?" He asked Kotaro.
"Yup. You heard me. Johnny Joestar." Kotaro reaffirmed.
"…Really? He's a Joestar? Could it be, is he… a lost relative?" He asked more, wondering what Johnny's connection to the two Joestars he knows.
"Nope, he isn't. I'm aware you were affiliated with two ｢JoJos｣ Kakyoin-kun, but despite that moniker and his same last name… Johnny's not related to them, believe me."
Blinking twice in puzzlement, he asks yet again, "Then, who is he? And why is he called-"
"If you want to know why he's a Joestar in spite of being unrelated to the Joestars you know, let me just say he's… ｢not from around here｣. That goes too for his friend and the planter man. And no, I don't mean they're from a faraway country or city. If you're still confused, which you likely are, hold that thought for now 'cause I'll tell you in a day or two. Is that clear?"
"…Ooookay?" He dropped the subject, curiosity and confusion still etched on his face. He's wondering who exactly is Johnny Joestar and what Kotaro meant when he and the two as-of-yet-introduced zombies are not around here.
As for Sakura, she is surprised to learn he's paraplegic; now she sees it makes sense why he is crawling instead of walking. She did see him having trouble standing up properly, so he's experiencing lingering effects of his paraplegia. So that's why he has trouble standing up. He must be an impressive man if he was willing to join a horse race in spite of his condition.
"Moving on!" Kotaro directed the two next to the long-haired blonde man still raising a hand like he's catching or holding something. "A dear friend of Johnny, he is an executioner for the Kingdom of Naples who participated in the race to win amnesty for a child in death row, and also an expert of the mysterious ｢Spin｣ technique! ｢Legendary Executioner｣… GYRO ZEPPELI! ! ! ! !"
E-Executioner? Cautiously looking over Gyro, Sakura marks him as the fourth person she hopes not to get on the wrong side or else she'll die the second time.
As for Kakyoin, he's naturally curious about Gyro, referred to as Johnny's friend. Gyro Zeppeli… Hmm, his last name… Have I heard it before? Ah, maybe from Joestar-san's mouth when he and Avdol recounted his own adventure from his youth and how they came to know DIO. …And what's this about the Spin?
"And last but not the least…!" He lastly points to the man in a jumpsuit lying on his back near a seat. His introduction is thankfully not anti-climactic unlike Tae's. "Hired by a family patriarch as a secret plant appraiser and fruit grower, he helped two acquaintances of the patriarch's family to recover a ｢mysterious fruit｣ capable of healing one body part but in exchange of turning the other part to stone! ｢Legendary Plant Appraiser｣… RAI MAMEZUKU! ! ! ! !"
Plant appraiser? Oh, guess the vines on his jumpsuit and grape decoration on his hat aren't there for show. Kakyoin mused.
"Aaaaaaaaaand there you have it! These are the zombie guys you will work with, Kakyoin-kun!" Kotaro declared bombastically. "You're part of a team of Stand Users who will guard the up-and-coming zombie idols and fight against enemies that will threaten the girls and Saga!"
"…Stand Users huh?" Turning to his soon-to-be teammates, Kakyoin already knew what to say about his team. "I must admit. This is an interesting and most bizarre group I ended up in. But in a good way. If what you said about them aside Avdol is true… then I'm willing to work with them and do as you instructed me. Sure beats being a walking, living corpse who can only do nothing but prowl around with no purpose." Except for Magician's Red, he's curious about what Stands Bucciarati, Narancia, Johnny, Gyro and Mamezuku have. Since Kotaro knows they have Stands and possibly the enemy Stands said to be making trouble in Saga, then he shall follow his bidding and do his best to work together with them. The circumstance behind is founded on an absurd, insane reasoning, but he chose to accept it and make no fuss of it. Chalk it up to the nature of him being a Stand User one would like, but he already made up his decision.
Now if only they snap out from their mindless states, he can work with them sooner than later.
"Bizarre is right, but I assure you, your group will be the best bodyguard group there ever is!" Kotaro confidently agreed, clenching his left fist.
"Kotaro-san, Kakyoin, can you two explain to me about Stands already? I think this is the perfect time to explain it, right?"
Hearing Sakura's question born from mounting curiosity and slight impatience pushing her to bring it up, Kakyoin and Kotaro turned to the redhead. Remembering that he was about to explain what Stands are yesterday until Kotaro forces him to save it for tomorrow, he guesses now's the right time to explain.
"Fine. Have your way, Kakyoin-kun."
After getting Kotaro's permission, he begins explaining what's the deal of Stands.
"To give you a short answer, ｢Stands｣ are physical manifestations of a person's life energy that is psychically projected in any form. They represent one's fighting spirit, desire, or passion and gifts its user with extraordinary abilities. They're called Stands because they appear standing next to their user, ready to act under their command. Those who have Stands are called ｢Stand Users｣ and each individual user has different types, forms, and abilities based on their psyche."
Listening intently, Sakura is amazed. To think such a phenomenon exists that can give one unique powers based on their psyche… Musing over his explanation, she took note of the fact that Stands appear near their user when they're called…
"Kakyoin, when we first encountered the zombies last night, a humanoid figure appeared in front of you and fired emeralds against them," she reminded him. "Could that be your Stand?"
"Yes. Hierophant Green is my St-"
!
He didn't finish his reply when he realized the implication behind Sakura's words. He's not alone here as Kotaro, despite his eyes obscured behind his sunglasses, does have a hint of surprise on his face.
"…Wait. What did you say, Sakura?" Kakyoin asked with eyes wide as he double-checked her statement.
"About the figure I saw last night… Was it your Stand?" She obliged.
Believing he may have misheard her, Kakyoin summons Hierophant Green before asking, "Can you see my Stand ｢hovering｣ near me?"
"Ah! Yes! I can ｢see｣ it! The Stand from last night!"
There is silence between the three aside from the groans of twelve zombies still prowling around. It would be three seconds before Kakyoin and Kotaro broke the silence with a surprised "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"
"Whawawawawawawa-!? W-W-What's wrong?"
"SAKURA-CHAAAAAAN! DID YOU… DID YOU JUST…!?" Kotaro zoomed close to her face for the third time as he's having a breakdown of some sort.
"Did you really see my Stand!?" Kakyoin inquired with an equally shocked expression, standing up and joining Kotaro in moving close to her, albeit not too much.
Almost freaking out as to why they're so shocked but seeing they're waiting for her answer, she nods affirmatively. "Y-Yes. I-I did see your Stand, Kakyoin."
The two remained in that stance for three seconds before they backed off once seeing she's telling the truth. Calling Hierophant Green back, Kakyoin stood up straight and rubbed his chin, still in disbelief and processing Sakura had seen Hierophant Green. "I can't believe this… How can you see my Stand, Sakura? You obviously don't have one, so how in the world can you see it?"
"Um… Am I supposed not to be seeing it normally?"
"You weren't supposed to," Kotaro replied, pushing his shades after calming himself down. "Only Stand Users can see other Stands. If you don't have one, you can't see them at all."
"Really?" Sakura is a little surprised, now sharing their perplexed state over her being able to see Stands. "But if that is true, then why can I see them?"
"Who knows? It is puzzling to be sure, but…" Shrugging first, Kakyoin had thought of the implication and may have realized the reason why. "Perhaps… You have the ｢potential｣…" He told her.
"…The potential?"
"The potential to ｢gain｣ a Stand," he added. "There's so much I don't know about Stands in general but whether you will gain one or not… We'll have to wait and see," Remembering that Kotaro knows about Stands, he turns to him and asks, "If I'm curious Tatsumi-san, can you see my Stand?"
"No, I can't," he stated simply. "I don't have a Stand like I told you last night so obviously I can't see them. As for how Sakura-chan can see your Stand, even I'm curious if she can potentially summon her own… BUT!" Suddenly pointing one finger to Sakura, Kotaro tells her, "I must remind you, Number One, that you're an idol first and foremost, so whether you can summon a Stand or not, that's irrelevant when you and the zombie idols are about to have a stimulating performance ｢tonight｣!"
"Well, I admit I- W-W-Wait. Performance…?" Sakura repeated in surprise.
"And tonight?" Kakyoin added.
"That's right! Your first appearance as an idol iiiiiiisssss…! TONIIIIIIGHT! ! ! ! !" Kotaro announced, grandiosity and confidence lacing his voice that isn't shared by Kakyoin and especially Sakura.
"…"
"…"
"WHAAAAAAT!?"
To be continued
Onomatopoeia:
カブッ (Kabu) - Hard bite