Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything was really, really dark. Uncomfortably so- but it was interrupted by a piercingly bright light. All he could really feel was cold- but as things slowly became clearer and clearer, he was able to feel things. Slowly, the numbness began to fade from his legs, moving up his legs and abdomen. His fingers twitching as the long since dead blood began to move. The numbness was replaced by pins and needles surging through his limbs, making him shake.

When his chest began to rise and fall, a shriek pierced the air.

The mortician, who was working that evening, had come in, to see the body he had been working on, sitting up. With a flash of movement, the body was on top of them.

The body of Joseph Joestar had gotten up, leaping on the innocent worker with inhuman speed, shoving his fingers into the neck of them and draining them of their life. He heaved, feeling his effort pay off as the heat of blood surged up his arm, filling his body as the corpse of the mortician became mummified, hollow and dry.

“Ngh… s-sorry…” The vampire mumbled, retracting his hand, and shaking off the extra blood. Despite this being some sort of instinct, he didn’t entirely enjoy the sight in front of him- hell- it was gruesome.
He was confused- and dizzy. His hand went to his head as he felt things spinning around him. His last memories were blurred- confused. He was… older, and he remembered the outline of most events. He had visited Morio to see his son- brought a baby home... His chest tightened as the worry for his adopted daughter, Shizuka, filled him. He could remember spending day after day at his wife’s grave, making the worry grow with increasing sadness. Out of all the things that had happened- he couldn’t put together why he was in a Morgue, or why he was naked, his chest stitched up like a zombie. His fingers ran along the seam, making him shiver lightly. He wanted to get dressed- and get out of here- right away. If someone came and saw what had happened- he was so overwhelmed with all of this! He had to get out.

At least finding his belongings wasn’t too hard. His button-up shirt didn’t fit right- it was too small. His pants just barely went on, and his jacket was tight on his arms and wouldn’t zip up. None the less, he quickly made a break for it out of the window, running and jumping into the bushes. He gave a small breath of relief that he wasn’t on the top floor.
It was night time, and incredibly cold. He felt kind of lucky that for some reason, he couldn’t feel it too strongly.

Now that he was outside, he wasn’t entirely sure where he should go. He at least could recognize where he was, or the general area. The smell of cigarette smoke, blended with exhaust felt overwhelming all of a sudden- as if his senses had been turned up. He covered his nose, coughing softly. He started off on the sidewalk, keeping his mouth covered as he went.
Of course, the silence only lasted a moment. As he wandered down the street, lost in thought, he ran right into another person. The person yelled, his acrid breath filled with the scent of alcohol.
Joseph recoiled from the violent outburst. In any other situation, the proud man would have defended himself, but he was just too uneasy and conflicted. He shamefully ran off, hurrying down the street.

As he kept running, he only felt like he was getting more and more lost. He thought he knew where he was going, but he had gotten himself completely lost in the downtown of the city. He slowed to a stop as he came to the far side of the city’s park. He knew parts of the park well enough- but he had never gone this far to the other side of the city. Hoping to find some refuge, he wandered in.

Joseph tried to make sense of what could be happening. The vague memories of weeks before made little sense, and hardly added up to where he was, now. Not only that, but he felt so wrong. He was tall, again, towering over other people. His body had plumped with the youthful muscles he had once, and his hair seemed to flow easily again. When he came to a stop, he gazed down into a puddle- a young, white-haired Joseph Joestar looking right back at him. His breath hitched in his throat, eyes widening as he took a step back, hands on his cheeks as he felt his unnaturally smooth and soft skin.

“Oh my GOD!” He cried out, feeling down his neck, his shoulders and sides. His body was the spitting image of his youth- and it felt even better than that! He hadn’t looked like this in over 60 years- and he couldn’t possibly fathom why he looked like it now. He fearfully sat down on a park bench, gulping. Did he die? Was this heaven? Hell? Has he finally passed on to the other side?
The memory became slowly clearer, and clearer, now. He had died at home, alone, in the night. He remembered feeling his conscious slip away, kind of like sleep. It shook him to the core- making him grip at his already stretched clothing.

He must be dead! This must be the afterlife- then- he left Shizuka all by herself! How could he do such a thing- die on his infant daughter that he had just adopted? Guilt welled up inside of him. He had wanted to see Josuke again, maybe spend time with Jotaro- but now he was gone.

“S-Suzie! Suzie, are you there? Please!” He suddenly shouted into the dark, empty park. He whirled around, looking wildly. If Suzie was dead, he’d get to see her again! He’d get to see everyone again- where were they?!
“A-Avdol, Kakyoin- I’m here, now! Please, come out. Please!” The overwhelming fear of being alone, never seeing his beloved friends again overwhelmed the poor man.

“C-Caesar!”

Chapter Text

The night was long and hard for the newly reborn Joestar. He had made his way around the park, getting to the other, busier side of town. Despite it being the dead of night, the lights of stores flashed and flickered excitedly. The city had its own new heartbeat in the night. A heart of neon signs, smoke and sirens. Joseph felt as if he had stepped into a vaporwave modern world.

Finding his way back to the sidewalk, he kept wandering towards a seemingly more familiar area. Of course, the city was always changing, and as an old man, he didn’t get out nearly as much. Also, he was getting quite the looks from civilians. He looked silly in the tight, clearly too small clothes. He indeed was uncomfortable, but somewhat more coherent than his outburst in the park.

The walk had helped to clear his thoughts up a bit and affirm the fact that he was, indeed, alive. It was a relief, his mind clinging to the human self-preservation.

With a clearer head, he could finally think about what had happened. He started from his most recent memories, and those being the ones confirming that he had died. This leads his mind to one of the only things that would have made sense.

Many, many years ago, during the end of the ’80s, Joseph and his team of family and friends had made their way to Cairo, Egypt, to defeat the vampire and stand user DIO. The blonde vampire had killed Joseph then, as well, and took all of his blood. He was later brought back with hard work of his grandson and the Speedwagon Foundation. The blood of DIO was put into his body.

This was the only way he could make sense of what happened. The DNA of DIO, Jonathan Joestar, and his own Hamon. Somehow, through the more than 20 years of such DNA festering and changing inside of him, he had become some sort of altered life form. It was only logical, but absolutely ridiculous all the same. He didn’t understand how the DNA could have made him so young again. It must have had something to do with Jonathan’s young body when it was taken over.

As he thought of this, he tried to sort out what he had to do about this. First of all, he absolutely could NOT go to ANYONE wearing what he had on. He looked absolutely ridiculous! To the Joestar, fashion meant a lot.

Joseph did a small double-take- god- he felt like he actually was young again. Acting like this, but yet, he felt embarrassed. He felt that tinge of the awkwardness of being a young man, looking so foolish.

He decided to ask someone where the nearest shop would be.

“Erm, excuse me, Ma’am.” Joseph paused, standing by a restaurant’s open seating. The seats were mostly open, but a small group of women took up one table. The smell of smoke rose from them.

Some of the women gazed over, one of them beginning to cackle at the sight in front of her. Some of the others joined her in giggling at him, making him blush.

“H-Hey now! Where’s the nearest shop, I know I look stupid, damn it!” He felt himself heat up even more. One of the ladies pointed down the road.

“To the left, there’s a thrift shop. Good luck!” One of the ladies said in a sing-song voice. Clearly intoxicated. Joseph put his head down, hurrying off in that direction, getting to the end of the block and turning left.

His eyes were greeted by a dingy sign and a dirty storefront, wire mesh on the windows and metal door. It was unappealing, but probably his only low/no budget option. He hesitantly walked in, gazing around the dimly lit store. Racks and racks of used clothing covered the walls, along with old bags, shoes, hats, everything really. He got right to it, shuffling through shirts and pants. While picking a few out, he did his best to avoid the eyesight of the shopkeeper at the cash register.

After about an hour, Joseph was able to leave. He traded his old clothes for his new ones- considering they were in similar condition. He felt better, wearing a tee shirt, ripped jeans and a worn through pair of runners. While in the washroom at the store, he washed his face and hands- spending a solid half hour in the mirror. To a regular DIO-created vampire, to look in the mirror would leave much to be desired, as regular vampires could not see themselves in the mirror. Oddly enough, Joseph could see himself. His face was the spitting image of his youthful self, back when he had battled the pillarmen. His jawline was toned, tightened and ever so elegant. His skin had such a soft, youthful glow, and his once silvery blue eyes were now glowing with a golden hue, like a ring within his own pupil. His hair had lengthened, and it had kept its silvery white appearance from his age, but became thicker. His two incisors had sharpened slightly, but a lot less than what one would expect from a stereotypical vampire.

At least now, he looked a lot more human-like.

His next choice of action was going to be rather difficult. He had two ideas out on the table- go to the Speedwagon Foundation, try to prove that he was actually Joseph Joestar and get the help he needed, but that would mean subjecting himself to rigorous tests- and he really, really didn’t want to go through all of that. In fact, he remembered what the organization had done to Vampires, before. Plus- having anything DIO involved meant that he indeed would be a prime test subject. Joseph shivered at the thought, feeling rather uncomfortable at the idea.

Either way, he had to get to Japan. The only proper way to do that would be by plane or ship. If he took a ship, it’d be weeks before he arrived. If he took a plane, well, Joseph and planes didn’t always get along. However, he’d have to do something like that, if he wanted to get to Jotaro. Jotaro could probably help, right? Or Josuke, his son.

He felt a smile form on his lips. Maybe, just maybe, he’d get to see what was left of his family, again.

That was all the inspiration he needed! Now, to get a taxi…

Which wasn’t too hard. He put his hand out, other hand cupped to the side of his mouth.

“Taxi! TAXI!” He called, his body freezing for a moment when he got a good hear of what his voice sounded like… he had his accent again! He thought all the years of living in America had stripped him of his native accent, yet there it was! He felt a bit of pride for that.

A rundown yellow taxi-cab pulled over after a few minutes of him shouting on the side of the busy road. He opened the door and got in, sighing softly and sitting back.
“Airport, right away, now.” He said as he glanced around.

The driver glanced back through the tinted glass divider, his eyes looking up and down the young Joestar. He smirked.
“Right’ta way, Mister.” The taxi roared off, the driver being somewhat reckless. Then again, the state of the inside of the cab stated how it obviously wasn’t the most classy mode of transport.

“So how will ya be payin’ today, eh?” Called the driver as they pulled onto a highway.

Shit! Payment! How the hell could he have been this stupidly impulsive? Joseph hesitated, feeling the beginnings of panic welling up inside of himself. He had no money, no identification, no nothing. Then again, how the hell was he going to get on an airplane!

He mentally cursed himself out for being an absolute idiot, getting rather distracted.

“Speak up, eh? How will ya be payin’ me? Hm?” The taxi driver insisted more forcefully, accelerating the car. It jarred Joseph from his moment of lapse, and he nervously cracked a smile and laughed.

“Haha- yeah, uhm, cash! Cash, when we get there. Yeah.” A bead of cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck as he blatantly lied to the driver, doing his best to feign a silly grin.

I’ve got a limited amount of time to get a run on this guy- I don’t know how far I’ll be able to escape once I get to the airport. I’ll sort out how I get on the plane when I get there- right now, I just have to get out of here! Joseph thought to himself.

And sure enough, that moment came uncomfortably faster than what Joseph was hoping. The taxi-cab pulled off of the highway, onto the off-ramp down to the main road into the airport. He drove around front into the Taxi lane, parking his car.

“Aight, that’ll be uhh 35.80.” The cab driver swung around, gazing back only to be met with the sight of an empty seat, and the door ajar. In the distance, Joseph running as fast as he could towards… the runway entrance? The taxi driver ripped up the parking brake, running out of the car.

“Hey! Thief! Stop- stop him!” He shrieked, doing his best to run after the clearly much more in shape vampire.

Joseph had managed to reach the employees only area, hurrying inside and closing the door quickly behind him. Taking a second break in the dark room, he could hear outside the sound of the Taxi driver describing him roughly to the police. Luckily, it seemed they ran by the employee's door.

He sighed and continued on, finding himself in the Employee locker room. He paused for a moment, picking up an airport worker hat as he went by, putting it on. He tucked most of his hair into it, trying to at least conceal some of the probably recognizable features he had. As he kept walking, he came out into a hallway. Down to the end of it, was the entrance to the runway. There were shelves with safety vests, safety glasses and helmets. Most importantly, earplugs. He picked up the glasses, replacing the hat with the hardhat. With a bright orange safety jacket, he effectively was able to walk out without any questions raised.

Night time was just as busy as daytime at any airport- especially for one in such a busy city. Airport workers bustled and drove quickly around the runway, preparing planes or loading cargo. He found himself blending in, and thanks to some quick thinking, he was able to go with the flow of people, going with some other workers to load up an international flight. He glanced up at the plane, reading the airline.

“It’s French… damn it.” He mumbled quietly, hoping there was at least one Asian airline flying that evening.

“Hey- you new? Get going!” A man brushed by him, taking note of where cargo was headed, and who was handling it.

“Where are ya supposed to be working, anyway?” The official inquired, making Joseph immediately begin plotting how he would take this.

“Uhm, a flight heading out to Japan needs loading, uh, sir.” He said hesitantly, getting a rather scrutinous look from the official as he stammered out his words.

“Get movin, then! Get down there, the flight was due to leave an hour ago and we can’t delay it any longer or so help me god I’ll be splitting hairs!” Barked the stressed man in uniform, inspiring Joseph to give a cohesive smile, nod, and then run off towards where he had pointed. He panted softly, rounding a mound of luggage to see a team of workers finishing up and juuuust about to close the cargo doors.

Joseph cursed mentally- he had to get on that plane! Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t afford to mess this up and get caught.

“Hey! Stop, wait! Security check. I need to investigate some luggage on that plane.” He called out, giving a small wave as he walked over. He puffed his chest out, putting on an official voice. The last two workers closing the plane looked up. One of them glanced to him, before looking back down at their shorter co-worker.

“The plane’s already late- make it quick, now.” The taller one said, unlatching the cargo hold again, and letting Joseph climb the staircase up to the opening. The other two stepped back.

Damnit, now what. Joseph thought. I need to stay onboard, but I can’t with these fools here!

“Hey uh- the boss wants to see you for a minute. I’ll finish up here, you two go before he gets impatient. You know how he can be.” Joseph said, as a liar would.

Sure enough, the two exchanged worried glances and hurried down the ladder and off around the corner again to see the man he had just spoken to. He gave a sigh of relief, climbing inside the cargo, and using the latch from the inside to seal himself in.

Now, this was absolutely not flying in style. His seats were a pile of bags, and he expected that he would end up becoming awfully cold. He was kind of thankful that he had inherited some vampire DNA. He knew the altitude wouldn’t kill him.

He heard a commotion outside as the ladder was wheeled away, and the plane’s roaring jets firing as the plane slowly began to move. Joseph did his best to position himself amongst the bags in a way that wouldn’t send him to the chiropractor after a night of sleep.

The plane lurched down the runway, picking up speed until it caught the wind and soared upwards with an engine’s roar. Joseph finally felt like he could relax, just for a moment.

The night was incredibly terrifying, waking up in a morgue and having to escape all on his own. He felt guilty for killing the mortician- he didn’t know how to control himself in that moment, being so overwhelmingly thirsty from the regeneration. He curled himself up amongst the bags, feeling as the temperature began to drop around him. He tried to feel happy about being alive, but he couldn’t help but feel overwhelming discomfort and sadness. Hell- he might have even become a monster.

With all of these thoughts swimming in the poor, old man’s head, he closed his eyes and accepted his body’s desperate need for rest.  

Chapter Text

Joseph was surprised- to say the least, that is. The moments before of him climbing into the cold cargo hold of the plane and closing his eyes had melted away and warped into a completely different scene. As the plane climbed higher and higher into the night sky, the white-haired young vampire was finally able to get some rest.
However, something had caught his subconscious off guard.

It had been a long time since he had experienced a memory like this, but it seemed as crisp and clear as when it happened years ago.
Joseph could feel his bruised, broken body. Every inhale laboured him- and he could taste sour coppery blood.
The inhumanly beautiful physique of the Pillarman, Whamuu, loomed above him. He could hardly make out his face with the light of the moon piercing the clouds behind him, but he knew this memory all too well.
The words were muffled, and the deep rumble of the voices was almost calming- in an eerie, unnatural way. Then again, why did he feel so at ease? Something wasn’t making sense in this memory.

His thought process was halted when the large man bent down and pushed the wedding ring of death into him, his face becoming clear and eyes locked with his own. His breath hitched as he gazed upon who he thought would have been the pillarman- but he was speechless when he saw with who it actually was.
Before he could speak- the jostling of the luggage awoke him. Sunlight pierced his eyes as he slowly drew himself awake. He groaned, his now-young body aching from the less than a preferable sleeping situation.
Wait… Sunlight?!
Joseph recoiled in surprise and fear- not yet realizing he had scared a poor Japanese airline worker. He tried to cover himself, fearfully thinking his body was on the verge of turning to dust just like D IO or the Pillarmen did. However…
Nothing was… happening? Why was nothing happening? He was a vampire, wasn’t he? He gazed at his hands. His pale, yet warm hands. He didn’t understand!

As much as he wanted to sit and contemplate his life, he really needed to get going. He climbed over the luggage and stood up by the door, gazing out and squinting.
The sun was setting off in the distance, considering the time difference. Or was it rising? He didn’t take the time to care, running out of the plane and hurrying past luggage and workers too absorbed in their work to care.
The noise was painfully loud on the runway without hearing protection. It only encouraged him to run faster and get the hell out of there. He went down the grassy side of the runway, breaking out into a full on sprint. He wasn’t having any trouble keeping up such speed- it kind of felt incredible, running like this.
That was until the roar and rush of a plane landing on the runway to his side threw him off, making him trip and roll in the grass. After a moment, he dusted himself off and gazed down at his now-ripped pants. Looking behind him, he saw that he had dug up a lot of dirt- how hard was his impact? Not only that, but his skinned knees were healing right before his eyes!

He felt a rush of energy as he got up, the wind brushing past him as he saw the fence in the distance. He planted his foot and moved again, running.
It was a good decision on his part to pick up the pace, as in the distance, sirens were beginning to wail. Someone had reported the strange man getting out of the plane.

With a sharp inhale and a solid leap, the tall vampire had made it over the fence, crossing the road quickly and entering the summery forest.
The cool ground felt nice under his bare feet, considering that he had lost his shoes from running at inhuman speeds across the tarmac. None the less- the momentary silence and peace felt refreshing. Despite the sounds fading in the background, and the voices dulling- he just didn’t want to stop running.

He was lucky that it didn’t take him long to find civilization. A town that bustled with life, despite it being small. It felt like that a lot in this country, in his opinion. As he approached, he found himself entering someone’s backyard. His eyes gazed from the outdoor dining table and barbecue to the windows. He ought to not cause more trouble for himself- and swiftly moved around the house and out to the sidewalk.

So far he didn’t recognize the area- which was fair enough, considering it was just a small town. Mainly residential, from what he could see thus far. He found himself wandering out of the housing area, brushing by bustling men and women in work-wear, and the occasional students. He was catching some stares and glances, and he did his best to just keep moving and keep quiet about it.
However, as he kept going, he overheard whispers from people around him. Some of the high schoolers were commenting on him.

“Is he a hobo or something? He doesn’t have shoes.” Came one whisper, making Joseph tense lightly, moving a bit faster. He didn’t like being out in public in such a half-hazarded outfit. Despite all of this- his appearance mattered!

He felt a weight come off his shoulders when he found the bus station. His eyes glanced over the Japanese characters, reading them under his breath as he looked for one he recognized. He had to hold himself back from verbally cheering when he saw Morioh as an option. He hurried over to the platform, spotting the bus and making a bee-line for it. He hurried past the bus driver, trying to just get on.
As he climbed aboard, he very cautiously swiped a ticket off of the person behind him, and he scanned it and sat down before anyone would have noticed. He didn’t condone stealing, but by god, this was for a worthy cause. He kept his head down when the person began to search for it, and ultimately was removed from the bus.

When the bus finally began to move, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the jacket he had balled up into a makeshift pillow. It wasn’t that he was overly tired, but that the long bus ride would most certainly be boring otherwise. He didn’t like the idea of letting his mind wander after all that has happened.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally felt himself fade out- the roar of the engine bringing a sort of comfort to him.
In fact, it made him dream.

For the first time since he was brought back to life, it was a good one.

Chapter Text

“Jojo- wait!”
Rang the voice of old Speedwagon- but the young Joseph was too far along to hear him. The roar of the plane engine. The propellor plane accelerated, catching wind under its wings and lifting off of the runway. As the plane arced into the sky, Speedwagon sighed in defeat and just decided to watch.

“Woohoo! Hahah!”
Joseph cheered as the plane reached a low cruising altitude, the world beautifully forming into a map like scene below him, cars darting around the road and homes speckling the green carpet of grass and farmland. In the distance was the city, but he didn’t have enough fuel to try and tour that just yet. He turned the controls, the plane tilting and turning towards the airport again. He came in for a landing, seeing a stressed Speedwagon awaiting his return on the tarmac.
Right as he was about to slow, the engine stalled out- causing the young Joestar to panic as the landing was much harder than intended. The plane screeched down the runway, the landing gear given out from the impact. When it finally stopped, the fearful Speedwagon had rushed to the scene to pull Joseph out of the cockpit. The poor old man was worried sick for him- rightfully so, he was almost like an uncle or father to the young boy. Right as the sun flooded in and Speedwagon’s fearful face came into view-

“Last stop, Morio-cho main station.” Came the soft, automated voice over the bus PA system, the engines revving down as the bus slowly rolled through the bright town.
Joseph went to roll over- or shift- only to nearly fall out of his seat and catch himself on the pole in the isle. He gulped and blushed, avoiding looking up and making uncomfortable eye-contact with anyone.

More importantly, he had made it. He gazed out the window of the bus, seeing students walking around and men in suits bustling to work to and from the subway station. It made him feel a slight pain of nostalgia, remembering coming here to investigate the dangerous stand users unintentionally found in the town. He was a lot older, then. As he tried to remember more about the previous trip, he found the memories getting somewhat foggy (to his frustration).

As the bus slowed to a halt, he quickly got off and looked around, feeling a small smile form on his lips. He had made it! He had really done it. He felt a bit of anxiety lift from his chest as he looked around- but it was cut short.

His stomach suddenly lurched, sharp pain dulling into waves struck his abdomen, along with incredible hunger and horrible nausea. He almost faltered as he quickly looked around- hurrying down the sidewalk with no real confidence as to where he was heading. He felt hungry- and not just the ‘Oh, I missed breakfast and lunch’ hungry but the I Will Literally Eat Another Human I Have Not Eaten For 3 Days sort of hungry that brought the worst stomach pain, the kind that cramped like claws scratching away at your insides.
Of course, he was already thinking of what had happened to him when he woke up merely a day ago. He… drained someone of their blood, and it eerily satisfied him. In fact, the idea of that made his mouth water, his hunger increasing yet again as he hurried along.

“Think, Joseph, Think! I’m not about to endanger someone- what about blood bags? Yeah, that’d work!” He gazed up to get his bearings, cursing himself immediately.

“The fucking hospital is literally on the other side of town are you KIDDING ME. Ow, fuck fuck fuck-.”
His hand went over his stomach as he kept going, ducking into an alley to catch his breath. He became tired easily without keeping his strength up. Strength being blood.
He let out a cough, feeling his chest sting from exertion as he leaned against the wall, his legs feeling less and less stable.

“Ahem… Scusa… are you alright?”

Joseph whirled around, tossing himself to the other side of the alleyway as he coughed. His eyes widened at the sight of the familiar tall chef.

“T-Tonio-!” He recognized the italian man, having fond memories of his restaurant. But of
course, Tonio did not recognize him.

Tonio looked surprised that the stranger knew his name, but brushed it off, considering his restaurant was gaining popularity in Morio-cho. More concerningly to him- he was face to face with a behemoth of a young man who looked multiple shades paler than anyone should be, cowering in a sort of way in the alley outside the restaurant. He was about to offer a meal to the sickly boy, but Joseph had already dove past him into the kitchen.

He had caught the scent of blood- and he lost control of himself, his body switching over to a sort of autopilot as he dashed towards the smell, his feet slipping and scrambling on the white tile, his veiny hands grabbing at the tables for stability, knocking over pots and pans. Hot broth splashed onto his torso as he dove for the last table. His senses were absolutely fixated on a freshly butchered cow- so fixated he didn’t register the burning sensation stinging at his abdomen and sharp pricks of stepping on knocked over knives.

Finally, his unnaturally strong fingers dug into the dead animal, his body slumping heavily as the blood was sucked up his arms and into his exhausted body, a headrush of relief and bliss filling the young vampire as he was replenished. His mouth was agape as sighs of relief left him. The satisfaction was unparalleled to anything he had ever felt before.

He was in such a trance of momentary pleasure, he didn’t hear the shouting coming from Tonio until he came over and pulled at him to get him off of the meat.

“How dare you- get off! You and your… your filthy, unwashed hands!” He started,

“W-what the hell… What are you doing!?”

The sight of the massive carcass shriveling and drying in front of his very eyes was enough for him to falter and back off. Just what kind of monster was this… this thing!

It took mere, gruesome seconds for the white-haired Joestar to finish his meal. The remaining bits of carcass being dry and brittle, an absolutely fearful sight to behold for anyone.
His sharp nailed fingers withdrew, and with a simple wipe on his shirt, they were clean and pristine once again. He blinked, feeling the relief fade and quickly be replaced by realization. He felt guilt and stress well up in his chest.

“Goddammit! Damn! I lost control of myself again, damn it! What the hell is wrong with me!” He couldn’t help but verbally express his frustration. He smacked his cheek with his hand.

At this point, Tonio had been able to infer the severity of the situation, and had adequately armed himself, holding a rather sharp kitchen knife. His stand, Pearl Jam, had picked up it’s own utensils of choice and mimicked the stand user’s defensive sort of stance.

Joseph jumped lightly and rubbed his eyes, before pointing at it.

“Hey, woah now! Don’t point that thing at me- I’m sorry for breaking into your kitchen.” Joseph was surprised to hear his british accent returning with his newfound youth. More importantly, he was about to be attacked by a stand with knives and other uncomfortably sharp objects. He instinctively tried to summon Hermit Purple, but the stand energy he was met with was unfamiliar, making him back up lightly. He looked at his hands, seeing the purple vines struggling to form.
The vines kept withering as they formed on his hands, making him cup at the withering and falling pieces of dead vines.
“What the hell- my… my stand! Hermit Purple!” He cried out, looking panicked as he clenched his fists, trying to push- force his stand out into forming.
No luck. He could still feel it’s power and presence, but it just wouldn’t form on him. He released his grip, looking utterly defeated.

“J...Joseph… is that… is that you?” Came the slow, shaky voice of Antonio from the other side of the kitchen.
The italian had heard everything, and he recognized the stand’s unique name. However, he was struggling to believe that the man that stood before him was actually the same man as the elderly Joseph Joestar he had met only a few short years ago. It just felt utterly impossible!

Joseph looked up, feeling a bit hopeful from being loosely recognized. He took a slow step forward, his hands up in a gesture of unwillingness to fight him.
“Yes… that’s me. Listen, I don’t know how this happened, I’m just as confused as you, honestly a bit more… considering it’s my body.” He was getting off track.

“But anyway, please, I’m sorry for invading your kitchen- I-I need..” He felt his words die in his throat as the thought that once pricked at the back of his mind made its way front and centre. He didn’t know what he really needed. He had made it, and he was finally being recognized by someone he knew, but what would he do now?

“Joseph- mama mia, how did this happen to you? You’re supposed to be old- and… didn’t you pass away…?” Poor Tonio was trying to figure this one out as well. Only a week ago were the stand users of Morioh gathered so that the composed Jotaro could speak the reality of things to them. He could remember it being broken to them- the tension of the atmosphere as the words were slowly drawn out of him.

“Joseph Joestar… is dead.”

Yet, here it was, standing as if nothing could oppose him and his youth. His eyes still held the same softness and wisdom that his once elderly body reflected. It was almost eerie how beautiful he looked now- yet he seemed so old.

When Tonio looked again, he saw that Joseph had no words to explain how he felt, or to form his needs or wants into speech and dialogue.
He was relieved that the person who had stormed in was indeed not some thief or strange, but now he had to do something about the situation at hand.

“I need to clean up this mess- you’re filthy. I can’t have you in here like that.” He started, walking over to one of the cabinets in the back room.
Tonio shortly returned with some hand soap, a towel, and what looked like Tonio’s clothes.
“Here- I’ll just wear this uniform home tonight. Go outside and use the garden hose. You smell like public transit.” Tonio instructed as he handed them over.
“We can figure out what to do with you when I’m done for the day. Hurry up, I have customers waiting!” Tonio pushed Joseph lightly towards the back door.
He tried to thank him, but the door was closed before he could speak.

Joseph took a quick glance around, seeing how the hose was conveniently placed at the back of the building, just out of sight range of any passerbyers.
He felt relief to peel off the sweaty clothes.

As he cleaned himself up, he could hear the faint chatter and music from a nearby open window higher up on the wall. It was calming background noise, and it made him feel surprisingly better. The quick, cold shower undoubtedly helped him with that. He now smelled like citrus hand soap.

The sun had began to set as he headed back into the restaurant's back door. He lingered in the little porch, watching as Tonio finished up cleaning his kitchen. He then hurried back out and rang through the last customers, waving them off with a friendly smile.

“Are you closing early?” Joseph piped up.

Tonio nodded. “You need to answer some questions, and I’d rather ask them at home. Come on, I don’t live far from here.” He said as he pulled on his shoes and jacket.

“Wh- wait now, you didn’t have to close early for me!” Joseph started.

“No, I wanted to. It’s the least I can do.” He responded with a smile. Tonio set out on the sidewalk, keeping a brisk and well timed pace. Joseph didn’t have any trouble keeping up, however the tight clothes kind of made him strain a bit.
As they walked, Tonio told him that he’d throw his clothes into the washing machine when he got home, and he could take a real shower. Joseph was thankful for that.

Chapter Text

Having a real, genuinely hot long shower was the most incredible feeling Joseph had been subject to for what felt like an eternity. Being able to scrub down thoroughly while letting the hot water scald his back and shoulders was heavenly. Tonio was kind enough to let Joseph use his nice soaps- the chef having quite the collection of cleanly-scented products.

Half an hour had passed once Joseph finally turned the water off. With a towel around his waist, he stepped over to the mirror.
He jumped slightly, still trying to get used to the fact that he indeed looked like a young man again, not the aged old husk of what he used to be. It was chilling.
His hair was silvery white, fluffy and full. His skin soft and supple, but much… ashier. His physique was parallel to his early 20’s- able and strong.
Joseph leaned forward, carefully smiling only to reveal two sharp teeth. He lightly poked at them, gulping a bit from how sinister it made him look.

A small knock at the door made the young vampire jump lightly, straightening up from the mirror.
“Come in.”

Tonio lightly pushed the door opened, his hands holding neatly folded clothes. It was kind of jarring to see the chef in comfortable at home wear.
“Scusa… I finished up your laundry…” He trailed off as he looked at Joseph. He blinked a few times.
“If you don’t mind me asking… was this what you looked like er… when you were younger?” He gently set down the pile of clothes on the counter. His eyes were fixated on the hulking man in front of him. Tonio was struggling to grasp the situation. The image of the old, frail man was embedded in his mind. It didn’t make sense how he could have just become young!
After a short pause, Joseph chuckled softly.
“You bet! Back to my glory days.” He emphasized jokingly with a flex of his arm, trying to lighten what felt like an eternally sombre mood.
The italian stand user couldn’t help but smile a little bit.

Whether it was out of genuine humour, or the awkward situation in the bathroom was unbeknownst to either of them.
Tonio awaited in the kitchen as Joseph finished cleaning himself up. He had cooked himself dinner, leaving the rest of the meat raw for his guest.

Footsteps, followed by a loud thunk, rang through the house. Joseph stepped around the corner, rubbing his head and grumbling about how low the door frame was. He paused when his eyes met with the plate set for him on the table.
“Is that um…”

Tonio nodded and smiled.
“Go ahead.

Upon receiving confirmation, he quickly sat down and picked up his fork and knife, looking at the plate with a hunger he couldn’t describe.
He hesitated, trying to figure out how he was going to do this whilst looking at least polite and composed- but Tonio’s stare was easy to feel in such close proximity. He set down his fork gently, before pushing two sharp-nailed fingers into the meat.
The results were instant, the feeling of warm, electric energy shooting up his arm as the slice of meat shrivelled and dwindled into a dusty, dry husk.
Tonio clearly struggled not to comment, his eyes wide at the repeat of earlier before him.

“So um, Tonio.” Joseph started, his eyes settling on the italian chef. “Thank you, for everything. Honestly.” His voice held genuine relief.
Tonio offered a small smile, nodding. “I’m glad I was able to help- it’s the least I can do after what your family has done for this town.”

Joseph had to catch himself from snickering. He knew from a special someone that Italians valued family deep in their heart. He must’ve smiled, as he received a curious glance.

“So… what happened, Joseph. This is all so… bizzare. I’m worried for you.”

“Ah… Um..” Joseph started “Well, I”m not entirely sure- I just… woke up… and well, yeah.” He exhaled softly.

“I remember dying. I thought I was waking up in well… an afterlife, I guess.” He felt a bit embarrassed to admit he thought he was in heaven- or something. He didn’t feel like he deserved it after everything he had done.
Describing the events that followed became easier as he rambled, the words falling out of him without any hope of stopping. Tonio’s face grew ever-more concerned as he listened.

“And, well… yeah. Crazy, right?” He tried to end it on a light note, giving a cheery smile, which drew one from Tonio as well, despite it being a little bit awkward. Even in tension, Joseph would always have his staple charisma.
Tonio nodded as he got up and picked up the dishes.
“Well, it’ll be another day until you’ll get to see your son, or Jotaro-san.” He hummed, carefully setting the plates in the sink, his friendly stand floating out and giving him a hand with the cleanup.

“Jotaro was off taking his Masters, that’s right. I remember. Why’s he coming back here?” He cocked his head, rolling up his sleeves and joining the stand at the sink, taking the clean dishes and drying them off.
There was a long, awkward pause, before Tonio answered.

“Ah, Your funeral.” He said quietly.

The tall Joestar paused, taking a long moment as he gently sat down the plate in his hands. He slowly looked over to Tonio, his eyes a little bit wide. The memory came back to him in a wave- him walking up behind his Mother, his loved ones, and surprising them at the very same event years in the past. The feeling of seeing their fear turn to a joyful relief made him smile. It reminded him of how much they cared for him.
“Eeh… Why are you smiling like that?” The hesitant Tonio awoke Joseph from his momentary lapse into the past. He smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry I uh, just remembered something. Yeah… Well..” He trailed off. When he was younger, the thought of crashing his own funeral again would have been a hilarious idea- but in his current state, he could have some serious problems with going for that route again.

“Ah god, Toni. This is… going to be harder than I anticipated, not that I can anticipate what to do after awakening from the dead.” He played off the comment with one of his playful smiles, leaning on the counter for a moment. Tonio offered him a small smile in return, before turning back to the dishes.

“It’s late. Go get some rest, Joestar-san.” Tonio urged him out of the kitchen, carefully guiding him by putting his hand on the taller gentleman’s shoulder, keeping with his stride down the hall and to the nicely furnished guest bedroom. Joseph didn’t get a word in as Tonio smiled and guided him to his bed.

“Listen, we can figure this out after some good rest, alright? Clear your head a bit.” He carefully closed the blinds by the window, pausing to gaze out for only a moment.

Tonio was lucky enough to afford a nicer home with the success of his restaurant, and the fruits of his labour were revealed with the setting sun on Morioh. From the windows, he could see the brilliant lights of the town sparkle in the dusk. The town’s centre was radiant with light, and the streets were bustling as always with the town’s bizzare community members, and a surprising population of tourists.
The summer did tend to bring out city dwellers to enjoy the warmth and time off in the less-urbanized town.

“It’s beautiful, Toni.” Joseph’s voice slightly startled him. The brit had silently stepped to his side, towering by him and gazing out the window. He looked almost sad for a moment, his unnatural eye-colour reflecting the warm light of the town. He gazed away, stepping back over to the bed.

“I’ll find a way to repay you for this. I’m sure the Speedwagon foundation will- ehm, well… I’ll have something for you.” He corrected himself slowly, pulling back the sheets and sitting down. He crossed his arms, sighing softly.
“Night-o, then.” He regained a sliver of charisma to bid his friend goodnight, flashing a toying smile. Tonio took his leave, and softly from down the hall came the sounds of him finishing the dishes.

Joseph flopped back, his eyes glaring down the empty ceiling in an endless, fruitless staring contest. He didn’t recognize this ceiling- and it brought him a sense of discomfort. The colour, texture, lighting… It was all wrong. It brought a pain to his chest, a pain that prompted his hand to it. As his hand settled on his breast, he felt a slight movement.
“Wh- hah-.” He jumped, scuttling back against the headboard of the bed, the sheets being kicked aside as he yanked at his shirt, trying to find the alien sensation that jumped from him.
A sight he never expected to see again was sitting on his chest, vines curling across the skin and thorns lightly prickling him. From the centre of the vine cluster, a flower slowly opened. Hermit purple was blossoming. The vines of hamon energy were growing and thriving, their colour changing from the lighter purple to a much deeper, more sinister ultramarine, to a dark violet purple. The flower had bright flecks of gold on it’s magenta petals.
It had an uncanny resemblance to his daughter’s stand, with a sense of change. The vines seemed to continue growing from his chest, expanding slowly across the bed and under the sheets, collecting near the end of the bed as a figure began to form.

“H-Hermit… Purple?” He said softly as he stared at the vine-figure forming before him. It was humanoid, flowers adorning it with familiar golden decals on its body. If anything, it reminded Joseph of the Hierophant. It’s ability to coil and uncoil, it’s face- it was striking to look at. The beady, bright eyes reflecting a deep crimson- it’s gear-like shoulder pauldrons and body designs were intricate and unique.
“Y-You’re not… what… my Stand..?” He looked closer, lightly touching one of the vines, and feeling the slight twinge of contact on his own skin. It definitely was his stand, and it was beyond anything he ever imagined he could have.

Hermit Purple was no more, as earlier he remembered the attempt to use his stand lead to it wilting in his own hands. Only now was he able to summon it. This towering figure couldn’t just possibly go by the same old name. He needed to know what this being’s identity was- or what it should go by. He remembered how Josuke told him about his stand. The name just came to him, as if the being itself reached inside his head and whispered the name.
Of course, Abdul insisted on the Tarot card names, however stands seemed to evolve with time itself to pick their own names.

“Hey uh, who are you?” Joseph felt stupid asking, as the stand just cocked it’s head at him and looked at him, it’s vines curling and coiling around him as if it was feeling the bed, learning where it was.
“Erm… Hermit Purple?” he tried, looking as the stand didn’t respond to it. If anything, it just kept staring at him, another flower blooming on it’s vines. The stand itself looked like a sort of garden in his bed.
Garden. When he thought that word, the stand perked up a little bit. It’s almost like the name implanted into his mind, like a seed of growth from the stand’s odd vines.

Joseph smiled a bit, he now knew.

“Savage Garden.”

Chapter Text

The night life in Egypt never changed. Gorgeous venues with roadside seating stretched out and along the bright, glowing boulevards. The air was cold, and rich with cigarette smoke from the nearby civilians. It was nostalgic, but for only a moment. The wind became harsh, cutting into his skin in an instant. The blood that spurted down his chest was warm, and stung his nose. It was sickening, but the adrenaline was high. From behind him came a rumbling laugh. He didn’t need to turn to recognize just who was there.

“Joseph.”

The voice was like fingers of ice, running their sharp nails up Joseph’s spine. With a yell, he whirled around, hand outstretched and crackling with Hamon.

"Wake up.”

Too bright. The light coming through his window was too damn bright! The room Tonio had given the Joestar was on the east-most side of the house, meaning the sun was right in his eyes the second it pierced the horizon. With a grunt, he pushed himself into a sitting position. His eyes kept flickering across the room, just trying to grasp his bearings once more. He was in Morioh again, and the meticulously clean room was truly spotless- it was almost unnerving how clean it was, but Joseph didn’t mind. It was a comfort, really- some people were disgusting, so he counted his blessings that he ran into Tonio first. It was only as he stood up did he notice how dry his mouth was. He was hungry. His hands ached to plunge into the chest of some p- no, no no, Joseph shook his head, clearing the thought from his mind. That was gross. It made his chest cold as the anxiety began to flood the back of his mind. Why did he want to hurt someone? Was he going to hurt someone if he got too hungry? If he kept feeding would he eventually lose control?

The scent of blood snapped him back to attention. It wafted down the hall and under his door, tempting him. He turned and looked, beginning to walk towards the door. He didn’t even notice he had stood up- his body was overcome with the same sensation he felt the day prior when he had crashed through the kitchen of Tonio’s restaurant. The door was before him in a heartbeat, blood rushing to his head as he heard his undead heartbeat ring, clawed hand reaching for the door-handle. He was hesitating, exerting his will over himself! He refused to lose control- a Joestar would never lose control! He refused to charge out there, he refused to give into carnal desire, he refused to hurt Tonio- or anyone!

“Savage Garden!”

The furled stand pushed forth from his chest, blossoming into a rose and curling down his outstretched arm. The grip of the vines was fierce, refusing to waver just like it’s master. It grasped at Joseph’s hand, pulling it back and away from the silvery doorknob. Terrified of what his body attempted, he recoiled back towards the window. How could he have done something like that- he was stronger than this!

“Joseph? Are… you alright?”

Tonio’s guest did just shout his stand name, thus prompting the concern and sudden entry into Joseph’s room. He stood at the ready, stand summoned despite the non-threatening appearance of the chef. In Tonio’s hands was a plate of some sort of breakfast, and a piece of raw meat. “I was bringing your breakfast- but I heard you shout. What’s going on?”

The town had been quiet stand-wise since the death of Yoshikage Kira. Everyone involved in his discovery had been kept under the radar while the police investigated the circumstances, and eventually it was chalked up to an unfortunate accident. The outcome of it had been satisfactory, as it didn’t risk the reveal of any of the local stand users- Tonio Included. Hearing another yelling involving such a supernatural power set off alarms in Tonio’s head, as the worry that things had finally picked up again reared its head. He was relieved to see it was just Joseph, albeit still apprehensive.

“Sorry, Tonio. I… I just had a moment. Still adjusting to this new body is all.” Joseph felt his stand return to him, the flowers shedding their petals and vanishing without a trace. His fist finally relaxed, and only then did he feel how hard he had gripped himself- he had left marks on his hands. Tonio offered a reassuring smile as he walked over, settling both plates of food onto the bedside table.

“That’s alright. As long as you’re ok. I’ve had a bit of an idea, if you don’t mind. You haven’t tried to eat proper food at all, have you?” Tonio inquired. Joseph wracked his recent memory, looking puzzled as he did. After a few moments he shook his head, silently admitting that he hadn’t. “Well, I thought we could give it a try. You might feel a bit better with a good meal.”

Joseph stared down at the plate, studying its contents. A fresh, yellow egg yolk done sunny side up, with a lovely portion of bacon. Very American- it was clear Tonio was an expert of devising what someone would truly enjoy. Despite how much the piece of meat aroused his hunger, the eggs just looked so damn good. Before he let his instincts overcome him, he reached for the plate of actual food and pulled it into his lap. Plucking up the fork, he took some bacon and slathered it in the runny egg yolk, before shoving it into his mouth. The flavour was incredible- as always. Tonio’s cooking had such a blissfully wholesome taste, and it made him practically moan with delight!

Within moments he was scarfing down the plate of protein, feeling that strange blood hunger change to regular hunger- which was quickly satiated by the dish. Within moments, he was overcome with itchiness. The ability of Pearl Jam activated as he began to scratch like mad at his skin- good god, it was intense! The dead skin from his body flaked off by the pound, piling down onto the hardwood floor. If Joseph didn’t already know about such an ability, he would be panicking- well, he still sort of was. Despite knowing what’s going on, it was still such a freaky stand! The itchiness wormed his way under his skin, finding its way around his body and stimulating his what he thought were dormant skin-cells.

“T-Tonio! How is this working? I thought I was undead! What the hell!” Joseph shouted, falling to the hardwood floor and squirming like mad!

“I did not expect a result like this, Mr. Joestar. My stand only works on living tissue-“

“Living?! I’m not sure if you’ve gotten a peek at me lately, but I’m very much deceased!” The writhing man shouted from the floor as Tonio just looked on, baffled at the outcome.

The Italian frankly didn’t know what was going on- but his stand wouldn’t have been able to activate unless the body it entered was living, and he knew that for a fact. After another moment, Joseph finally came to a halt. He was completely out of breath, an utter pile of dead flesh laying around him as Pearl Jam extracted from his body, hovering around its user with an inquisitive expression mimicking Tonio’s. The tired Joestar gave an uncomfortable grunt as he began to get back to his feet. His large hands made quick work of the residual skin stuck to him as he simply brushed it off. His heartbeat thrummed loudly in his ears as he sat back, letting out a sharp sigh as his rear hit the bed. Wait- heartbeat? His breath caught in his throat as his leftmost hand snapped to his chest, his other hand reaching up to the divot in his neck, feeling along the juicy vein that thrummed with blood flow. A fanged smile broke out on his face as he sprung up, quickly rushing over to Tonio.

“Good grief, man! You’ve fixed me! I’m not sure how, but your stand is a miracle worker!” The Italian didn’t even get a moment to properly respond as the larger man engulfed him into a tight hug. Joseph’s flesh was warm to the touch, however still so pale. Tonio tapped out quickly, not being strong enough to withstand the hug for much longer. Joseph pulled away, however, keeping his hands on either side of Tonio’s shoulders, absolutely beaming a smile at him. The shorter man didn’t have as happy of a reaction, much to Joseph’s surprise.

“Mr. Joestar, my stand doesn’t fix dead people. You weren’t dead- you’re alive, but I didn’t do it.” He tried to explain, walking by him to pick up the empty breakfast plate.

“Could it have been an ability you didn’t know you had?” “No, I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, Mr. Joestar.” He turned from where he now stood in the doorway, giving an apologetic gaze. Joseph looked defeated all over again- his shoulders slumping a bit as another layer of mystery was piled onto his unnatural being.

“Then we have no idea why I’m alive- or still fanged, for that matter. It just doesn’t make sense. If I’m alive, why do I look like a vampire?” The mirror sitting in the corner of the room reflected back Joseph’s form- so much for that old wives tale, he could see himself just fine. His hair perfectly licked upwards, just as he used to look as a young man. Thinking back, he recalled that some stands indeed played with the strings of fate. Most dangerous being the late Dio, of course- but other stands held similar powers. Jotaro and Polnareff had told him about a man named Alessi. A stand user whose power can permanently turn back the clock of time on one’s body, and take with it the memories of the lost years. He shook his head.

Alessi would never have helped me- not after the fiasco in Cairo. He must be an old man now- if my grandson didn’t retire him for good. This couldn’t have been his work.

He racked his brain, trying to think of a known stand that could alter his physical form to such an extreme. Crazy Diamond was off the table- his son was nowhere near the mortuary he woke up in- and most important of all he couldn’t de-age someone! This town had always been a phenomena, with all of its unique and powerful stand users. He knew full well the Speedwagon foundation had been keeping an eye during the absence of his family. But none of the stands in Morioh had such a large reach that they could afflict him all the way from America. That ruled any of them- or any stand user in Japan out. Still, though- he came to Morioh despite the fact his enemy might have already been nearby on his awakening. It was almost like his body made that choice for itself before he even really considered his next steps. Even now it felt right- he felt at home. It was where he needed to be, even if he didn’t know why.

“Mr. Joestar, I’m going to be heading out soon.” Tonio’s voice came from the doorway. It seemed that during Joseph’s deep thought pacing, Tonio had gone and gotten dressed. He was wearing a black suit, and looked rather somber. His hair was brushed back and held in place with a touch of pomade, which was definitely a much more formal appearance than his usual restaurant chef attire.

Right. My funeral.

“Well. Guess it’s time to repeat history.” Joseph stood up a bit taller, composing himself after his previous moments of contemplation. His left hand went up and brushed through his fluffy mullet-like haircut, pushing it back a bit.

“Well… are you quite sure that’s a good idea? Pardon me for asking, as I am not fully aware of your history, but a vampire looking like the recently deceased might… not turn out in your favour.” Tonio looked hesitant, and more worried than anything. He was a sunshine man, but when it came down to it he really cared.

“Psh, it’s fine. I’ve done this before. It’s going to be just fine! Just give me five minutes in the washroom to get tidied up.” The young brit brushed by him, walking down the hall.

“If you say so, Mr. Joestar.”

Tonio had expected as much, which became clear to Joseph when his eyes fell upon a neatly folded shirt and pants- as well as the hairbrush and pomade left out for him. Joseph scooped up the tool and began to work at his hair, getting it styled in his classic 1940’s look. A touch of aftershave to his cheeks for that classy scent, and then he got dressed. The shirt was tight. His ridiculous build was quite visible through the thinly pressed cotton. The pants were alright, although it left very little to be desired. Overall, it was a good look. He couldn’t have been more than 25 with a face like that, and with his signature smile.

“Still got it.”

A honk of the horn came from outside, making Joseph turn and hurry his way back down the hall and out through the front door. The sun was hanging high in the sky, and it felt warm on his skin as he stepped out into the beautiful summer weather. Waiting for him was Tonio, sitting in the driver’s seat of his modest car.

“Hop in, Mr. Joestar. We don’t want to be late!”