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Jotaro stood along the shoreline, his feet in the sand, his pants rolled up and jacket blowing in the wind. He felt at peace as if nothing would bother him. He bent down and picked up a seashell, then looked at it against the sunset, it was a beautiful ivy color. He tucked it in his jacket and decided to walk further along the beachside. It was just him, secluded and alone, no noisy beach-goers, no rambunctious teens, no children playing, just Jotaro all by his lonesome. This is what he had always dreamed of, just a peaceful life where he could be his quiet self in the place he loved to be at the most.
‘It’s quiet,’ Jotaro thought. Not that he was complaining, but it was rather suspicious. Considering the last thing he remembered seeing before waking up on this deserted beach was Pucci using Jolyne’s own stand against him. After that, it’s darkness and then he found himself on the beachside, wandering and wandering but no soul in sight. Not even Jolyne or Annasui, who were right next to him. He wondered if he had passed out from the damage and washed up on land somewhere, but in his heart, very deep down, he had a feeling Jolyne wouldn’t just let him wash away onto some random shore. Or maybe she would? He wasn’t sure how far down her hatred for him really went. ‘She went through all the trouble of putting me back together, it can’t run that deeply.’ He picked up some sea glass and stared at it in the palm of his hand, it was his favorite color, transparent and it gleamed beautifully against the sun’s rays. He stared out into the ocean and said to himself: “Where am I?” But alas, no answer was returned. He stared longingly for a while, letting the wind blow his jacket, the ocean breeze tickled his nose, the orange sky reflecting onto the green ocean creating an abstract painting in front of him. He had never felt this calm. The constant running around and hiding from Dio’s minions plus his job had made him accustomed to the busy life. ‘What do I do now?’ He wondered. He stood for one last moment but then continued his walk and suddenly it seemed a house appeared in the not-so-far distance. ‘That look’s like Mom and I’s house,’ he thought as he squinted for a better look. Before he knew it, Jotaro was in a full-on sprint towards the house.
‘Mom, I have to make sure she’s okay!’ He thought, as he got closer and closer to the house he saw a large figure sitting on the porch. ‘That’s not mom, who is that?’ His thoughts raced with ‘Where am I’ and ‘Who is that’ continuously until eventually he reached the house.
Jotaro panted and looked at the large figure through what he could see through his hat. The large man sitting on the porch had locks of blue hair and almost seemed like he was very out of fashion with what seemed like 18th Century clothing. He was smiling at Jotaro gently.
“Wh-who are you?” Jotaro managed to get out between breaths.
“I’m Jonathan Joestar,” The mysterious man replied rather bluntly for his soft looks.
“J-Joestar . . .?” Jotaro panted. He took a deep breath and got himself back together. “I know of you, but didn’t Dio kill you?”
“Sit down, Jotaro,” Jonathan said, his voice was almost melodic and soothing. He patted the space next to him. Jotaro followed suit but seemed obviously cautious.
‘He’s dead, how can he be alive? Or maybe . . .’ Jotaro began to think but was interrupted.
“Isn’t this place nice?” Jonathan asked. “Don’t you like it here?”
Jotaro hesitated but spoke “Y-Yes. . . ‘his voice trailed.
“I wish where I am from was this peaceful, this must be your favorite place, then? Home with your mother and a peaceful beach?”
“I suppose so,” Jotaro replied, he looked away towards the ocean. “It is nice.”
“But it feels like something’s missing, right?”
“Yeah- “Jotaro paused and looked at the man with a glare “How do you know all this? How are you even alive?”
Jonathan closed his eyes, seeming serious for a second, but then smiled again “I was getting there. Now, why don’t you tell me why it feels like something’s missing?”
Jotaro didn't appreciate the avoidance of his question, even though in his heart he knew what was happening, he just didn’t want to accept it. He took a moment then replied “My daughter, she’s not here. Neither is my mom or my friends.”
Jonathan breathed and let out a sigh as the wind gently blew his hair. “We don’t realize what we’ve lost until it’s gone.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t think I don’t know. You were cruel to your mom as a teenager and left a woman with your child, Jotaro.”
“The second one had good reason, you should know that,” Jotaro said coldly.
“I do. I do.”
Silence fell for a moment.
“My favorite place was home with my dad, I loved seeing him happy,” Jonathan says nonchalantly. “That’s where I’ve come from to see you.”
“Come from? See me?” Jotaro felt more confused each sentence.
“Yes, Jotaro.” Jonathan touched the sand gently, then picked some up, “This place is what you and I call Heaven,” Jonathan said as the wind blew away the sand. Jotaro’s eyes became shocked, but oddly he didn’t feel panicked, he knew. Jotaro looked away once more, he readjusted his sitting position so his arms could rest on his knees, and he sighed. “You knew that, didn’t you Jotaro?” Jonathan asked. No response. “Then, you know why I’m here to greet you.”
“Greet me?’ Jotaro asked.
“Most people in our family who end up here are freaked out or try to escape, they won’t accept it at first. When Joseph arrived for those few moments way back when, he tried running and running until he passed out, but I told him it wasn’t his time. So, I gave him back to you. However,” Jonathan paused and gazed at Jotaro who was looking away “You already knew this place, didn’t you?”
“I had a feeling as soon as I saw you,” Jotaro said. He continued to stare out into the sea in silence. “So, is it my time?”
“Yes.”
Jotaro gulped loudly.
“It’s okay to be yourself here, Jotaro. You can show the emotions you've been holding in for so many years, you can be free, you can let go.”
“But Jolyne. . . “Jotaro began, his voice cracking, which it had never done since puberty. “My friends . . . My mom . . .” He looked down at the ground between his legs. Dark spots formed where his tears began to hit the ground. “I didn’t get to say goodbye. I never told them how much- how much I-I loved them.” Slowly the wall that was Jotaro Kujo came crumbling down. “I never got to tell them I cared so much, but I didn’t have a father, so I didn't know how to express it properly. Jolyne-“Jotaro covered his mouth then used the same hand to take his hat off “- She’ll never know why I did everything for her.” His gentle crying turned into uncontrollable sobbing. “Kakyoin. . . Avdol. . . Iggy. . . “He hiccuped between cries “They all died because of me and I never got to tell them how I really felt.”
Jonathan put his hand gently on Jotaro’s back. “Let it out,” Jonathan said solemnly. Soon Jotaro’s hiccups and pained cries turned into wails and yelling, like a kid throwing a temper tantrum, except this one was pure grief. It seemed to go on for a long time as he put his face in his hands and screamed like he had never screamed before. Moments passed, but not hours, before Jotaro felt tired from all the tears. He tried to suck it up like he had done since he was a teenager. He sniffled, he whipped his eyes multiple times, he stuck his hat back on and took some deep breaths.
“I wish I could tell them I’m sorry,” Jotaro confessed.
“They’ve forgiven you. I see your friend’s souls around at times, they forgive you.”
“But mom . . .”
“Her time will come, you can apologize then. We can visit her together.”
“But what about my alive friends? They’ll never understand, not even my own daughter will get an apology.”
“Everything will happen in due time, do not hold so many regrets, Jotaro,” Jonathan said calmly “It will all work out. Why don’t you go inside and rest?”
“I can rest here?”
“Yes for as long as you want. If you need to visit another Heaven just dial this number on the phone inside,” Jonathan said as he handed Jotaro a small piece of paper with a number written on it. “You can visit your friends from here. The operator will direct you to the right place to go.”
“How does that work?” Jotaro asked as he took the piece of paper.
“You’ll see in due time.” Jonathan stood up and looked down at his descendant. “I’ll be heading off now, please forgive yourself just a little, Jotaro. Dio was the one that caused all this, it isn't your fault.”
It isn’t your fault.
The words he needed to hear.
Jotaro looked at the ground again “Okay.”
With that Jonathan walked into the distance and seemed to just fade away into nonexistence. Jotaro looked at the paper in his hand once again and got up from where he was sitting and went inside the empty home. It still very much resembled the house he was used to living in, he even found the phone in the same spot.
“Yare Yare daze. . . I guess I have some phone calls to make,” He says to himself quietly then begins dialing.