Chapter Text
“Flight 382 to Tokyo, Japan, leaving in 30 minutes.”
Several days ago, your sister called you in a panic to express concerns about her son’s odd behaviour. She had lived in Japan for a while now, moving when you were only 9. You two kept close, mostly through frequent phone calls and visits in the summer. She couldn’t describe her situation very well, just that you would be the best person to fix it.
Running through the airport with your frantic mother by your side, you barely managed to make it onto the plane, with only minutes to spare.
“Did Kate tell you anything about what’s going on?” Your mother huffed out whilst catching her breath. Unfortunately, you knew little of the situation either.
“No, just that something was wrong with Kaito.”
The flight went smoothly, aside from all the panicking on your mother’s part— it seemed as though you inherited your pessimism from her. Hurrying back into customs was a mess, as neither of you could think straight. Thankfully, your sister was there to greet you.
“Y/N! Mom! Thank you for coming.” Kate sighed in relief. Neither of you could return her joyous attitude as you both scrambled for answers.
“Is everything okay with Kaito?” Your mother panicked profusely whilst you were being led to Kate’s car.
“It’s kind of hard to explain... Y/N, that thing you have, I think you called it a Stand,” she waited for your confirmation, “I think Kaito might have one. O-or he might be possessed! I don’t know!”
“He’s handling the Stand well, right?” You asked, assuming that he would be as sick as you were when you first discovered your Stand.
“Y-yeah, I think he’s okay in that regard,” she nodded, “but he’s going crazy about it! I think I’ve given birth to a demon child!” You cursed your mother’s pessimism for being such a strong influence on both her daughters.
“He should be fine,” you said, although you sounded like you doubted yourself.
It all brought back memories of discovering your Stand when you were ten. You’d fallen gravely ill inexplicably, with the hospital barely able to understand either. Whilst warping in and out of consciousness you could see these strange hallucinations of a two-faced being, feminine and graceful, both faces appearing like a smiling mask on either side of its head. The strange floating woman, cloaked in a long white robe had lavender tinted skin. She was peaceful. She protected you.
You named her Lavender Lady. You recovered soon after, and this woman became a close friend to you, even if your family could not see her. There were times where she helped you in situations too overwhelming. Her graceful powers would swathe you in the comforting warmth of her fabric, which grew and extended beyond its original dress form. It was instinctive and Lavender Lady always knew just what you needed during stressful times: comfort.
Years later, when you were fifteen, you ran into two interesting men in America: Joseph Joestar and Muhammed Avdol. The three of you instantly shared a connection as they explained what you garnered was a Stand, not a spirit. Avdol even offered to help name your Stand with his tarot cards; once he was done shuffling you pulled out a Ten of Cups. From then on you named her Lavender Ten.
You could never quite remember what that card symbolised, but it felt fitting.
Once at Kate’s home, you noticed its disarray. The normally serene Minka felt off, even if its structure was still intact and the garden was still flourishing. You took the lead once Kate led you to Kaito’s room where he shut himself off from the world.
“Why is he in darkness?” you asked, not able to see his position in the room. Hesitantly you prised the curtains open, where Kaito was seen quivering under the sheets of his futon. The sudden entrance of light made him cower underneath the blankets, though they seemed to move on their own.
“Make it go away, mom!” Kaito cried, referencing the ghostlike thing that caused the blanket to move.
“Kaito, I’m going to need to see your face. And for that, I need you to sit upright.” You explained softly.
“But I’ll see him if I look into the light!” Kaito pleaded.
Slowly, you moved the covers, Kaito’s petrified face came into view. Out of the corner of your eye, there was scampering creature of a deep blue hue. It stopped atop of Kaito’s lap, looking at him with big eyes.
“Reach out and touch him. He won’t hurt you,” you demonstrated on your Stand, shaking the hand of Lavender Ten to show the peace and unity between you two. Kaito placed his hand on the lizard-like creature that was his Stand, and after a few strokes felt more at peace with it.
“Stands are here to help you, you shouldn’t be scared of them.” You explained.
You exited the room, leaving Kaito to play around with his newfound Stand. Your mother and Kate were listening intently and looked embarrassed to be caught scrunched up, cupping their ears against the door.
“I think Kaito could do with meeting more Stand users,” you suggested to Kate, “to prove he’s not alone.”
Kate gave it some thought and perked up suddenly, excitedly explaining her idea, “One of my friends has a son your age. She said he locked himself in jail a few days ago because he thought he was possessed. I might be a Stand!”
“Could you call her and ask if Kaito and I could come over?”
“Yes! Yes!” She ran to the phone frantically, “She lives close by too, in the same district, in fact.”
Kate’s phone call went better than expected. Not only did her friend invite her over, but confirmed her son did have a Stand as well. Relieved, you rapped on the door to Kaito’s room, who seemed more at peace and was embarrassed to be caught playing with his Stand as though it were a puppy.
The walk to find the home of Holly Kujo (who thankfully spoke fluent English) was silent as you took in the beauty of Japan. Kaito was the only one accompanying you, as your sister and mother stayed home since they didn’t have Stands and felt that they wouldn’t be of much use. Holly said that her son wasn’t home yet, but was due to come back from school in the meantime.
You arrived in good time, getting sent to the tearoom with a cosy brew in hand. Expecting Holly’s son to be waiting there, you were greeted by the familiar faces of two older men.
“Mr Avdol? Mr Joestar?” You recalled, almost ecstatic. The stars aligned perfectly for this moment to happen.
“Young [Y/N]?” Avdol vaguely recognised you, though you had definitely aged and matured slightly since he last saw you a few years ago.
“You were just the people I needed to talk to,” you said, “my nephew has just discovered his Stand, I wanted him to meet more experienced Stand users so he feels more comfortable with his.” The two men nodded and welcomed Kaito, flashing their Stands at his wide-open eyes as he watched in complete awe.
“Tell me, young Kaito,” Avdol began, “have you given your Stand a name yet?” He peered over at the lizard-like creature and admired its dark blue hue.
Kaito only expressed awkwardness when he tried to muster up a name, “I was thinking of something like, uh… Uhm, Akira or something.”
Joseph let out a hearty laugh as Avdol pulled out his pack of tarot cards, reminding you to ask him about the meaning of your card again.
Avdol beckoned Kaito to pick a card, who simply took one and stared at it blankly. Avdol nodded, satisfied with its meaning, “The Page of Wands. Symbolising inspiration, discovering and limitless potential.”
“How about calling your Stand ‘Indigo Page’,” you suggested, “he’ll sound like a brave knight if you do.”
The boy was still somewhat nervous and only nodded shyly in response. It might still take some time to adjust to all this new information, but you were grateful that he wasn’t pulled into sickness unlike you.
“My Stand isn’t as cool as Mr Avdol’s or a pretty as auntie (Y/N)’s,” he finally said. With how small and childlike it was, you weren’t surprised at how disappointed he sounded, especially since everyone else around him had a far greater Stand that he did. Indigo Page was less than a foot tall and looked like a little blue salamander.
The playful tone in the room was lost with the arrival of a tank-like man placing the limp body of another onto the floor. Both men looked muscular and tall, both adorning high school gakurans, though the one in the green gakuran intrigued you the most. Joseph’s questioning of the one who was conscious alerted you that his name was Jotaro, Holly’s son and Joseph’s grandson, who didn’t seem to share the same wholesome energy as either of his relatives.
The tearoom was shrouded in mournful silence, enough to make Kaito cling tightly to your leg. The unconscious body of the student, whom you learned was called Noriaki Kakyoin, lay on the ground like it was his deathbed. There was too much of a heavy atmosphere for you to comfortably introduce yourself to Jotaro. Everything felt eery as you watched the two men examine Kakyoin’s state.
You and Kaito knew little of what was going on except for the weight of the situation. Through listening to the men converse, you discovered that both Jotaro and Kakyoin had gotten into a fight-- the latter taking a harsh beating.
“Well, this is no good. He’s done for.” Joseph said bluntly, “He’s not going to make it. He’ll be dead in a matter of days.”
You tensed up and saw Jotaro do the same.
“Jotaro, it’s not your fault,” Joseph clarified, though it did little to remove the tension from the room. He began speaking about a man named Dio who actively sought out Jotaro to kill him using Kakyoin as a puppet. It was something that alerted you of Kaito’s presence again, who was swaddled by your Stand and comforted by his own, which was perched on his hand close to his face.
The mention of a flesh bud embedded in Kakyoin’s head made your blood run cold and your stomach churned at the very concept. At Jotaro’s attempts to directly remove the flesh bud, you sprang out of the room, dragging Kaito with you. Avdol and Joseph took note of your disappearance but made no attempts to coax you back in, they knew the situation was not one that you should be dragged into by association alone.
Holly seemed blissfully unaware of the full details, only knowing that her son had come home with another student he presumably beat up. The way she spoke to you about Jotaro was so kind and caring, you could tell she was deeply concerned for him. Still, you held your tongue and only gave small details about what you’d just seen or what was going on, assuming that neither Jotaro nor Joseph would take kindly to you worrying the already worried woman any more than necessary.
She was a sweet person, one whom you could listen to for hours about anything. You could see why she got along with your sister so well— both American women who moved to Japan and married Japanese men— the only difference being the age gap. In many ways, she reminded you of Kate, with a touch of your mother too.
“Thank you for helping, [Y/N],” she said, folding the last of the clothes just as you did.
“Don’t push yourself too much, Ms Kujo,” you said as Holly had begun to take in a mass of supplies. You could see she was pale and her cheeks lacked a youthful glow, it was almost like the poor woman had worried herself sick. “Let me take these instead,” you offered, taking the tray out of her hands. Kaito hopped up and grabbed a spare pillow.
“I wanna help Mr Kakyoin too!” Kaito said eagerly.
“Thank you, [Y/N] and Kaito,” she smiled, “I might sit down for a while. Tell me if you need my help.”
There was a peaceful air in the tearoom where Kakyoin lay, resting after Jotaro removed the flesh bud. You had not witnessed the sight but what you had heard was disturbing enough. Kaito sloppily put the pillow beneath Kakyoin’s skull, seeing him stir slightly from the sudden tugs at his head and neck.
“Kaito, be more careful,” you whispered, readjusting Kakyoin’s head till he lay blissfully and sunk into the pillow’s fluff. Seeing him smile softly made you instinctively smile too.
Subconsciously, Lavender Ten summoned, weaving her long wintry dress over Kakyoin. You noticed quite quickly what she was doing— it was the same thing she did to you when you couldn’t sleep.
Your fingers grazed the bandage on his forehead as his hair was moved out of the way. You never paid much mind to him at first, but now you could get a good look at him, you realised he was extremely handsome. That striking red hair against the green uniform complemented his complexion and his eyelashes were long enough to make you jealous. The one thing you wished you could see were his eyes. Were they green like his uniform— or hazel to match his hair?
A disturbance game from your side— a jab from Kaito, “Why are you staring at him all weirdly? Is he your boyfriend?” His voice got a little too loud for your liking.
“Kaito, go pester someone else,” you whispered harshly, “he’s trying to rest.”
As Kaito walked out to go find Joseph or Holly (or whoever could tolerate him), you heard him mutter something under his breath, “I shouldn’t have guessed that. Auntie [Y/N] couldn’t get a boyfriend.”
Before you could scold him, a low chuckle left Kakyoin’s lips. This alarmed you and you rushed to see if there was any pain that jolted him awake.
“Kakyoin, how long have you been awake?” you attempted to get another good look at his bandage but was captured by his lavender eyes.
“Since you walked in,” he admitted, “I thought you might have been Ms Kujo until I felt the presence of a Stand.” You blushed, embarrassed that he felt Lavender Ten comforting him the same way she did with you. It felt like a part of you was exposed.
“Sorry to disappoint, I’m no Ms Kujo,” you joked, yet Kakyoin brushed this off.
“I’m not complaining,” he shrugged, “I assume Jotaro and the others told you my name, but might I know the name of my nurse who’s been so kindly treating me?”
“[Y/N] [L/N], I was only visiting to ask about Stands for my nephew.”
“I suppose it’s a shame you got roped into this mess,” he sympathised, letting you change his bandage and relaxing at your delicate touch.
You laughed a bit, “I’m indifferent about it, the only thing I’m worried about is Kaito,” you finished up the bandages and poured him some tea, “and you, of course.”
“Yare yare…” an uninvited voice interrupted your thoughts, “[Y/n], your sister called. Go home.” He left just as quick as he came, leaving both you and Kakyoin baffled and staring at each other in disbelief.
The two of you interrupted into a fit of laughter. You weren’t sure why-- nobody had said anything hilarious-- but it just felt right.
Before leaving, you made one last trip to Avdol and Joseph, finding them doing their own thing around various parts of the house. Avdol, in particular, was the one whom you wanted one last conversation with.
“I’ll be heading back soon, but I need to know one last thing,” you pulled him aside, “the card I pulled out for my Stand-- what does it symbolise?”
“Ah, you mean the Ten of Cups?” he recollected, “I wouldn’t worry about that, young [Y/N], you should discover that soon enough.”
His response was cryptic and left you with more questions than answers.
“Young Jotaro tells me you seemed to get on well with Kakyoin,” he said, “I suspect you will find out in good time what that card really means.” And with that, he walked off, smiling to himself.
There was no telling the correlation, though his words did evoke some new thoughts about how hectic today was. You recalled Kaito’s meeting with Indigo Page and the small family reunion with your sister. Then there were the strange characters at the Kujo house: Joseph and Avdol from a few years before, the silent but deadly Jotaro, the worried sick Holly.
The one who stood out among all of them was Noriaki Kakyoin. You were surprised at how relaxed his presence alone made you feel. Perhaps it was the fact that you could joke with him or the fact that he was so handsome you felt at ease just looking at him. Regardless of what you drew towards him, you were sure that you would return tomorrow (free of Kaito, hopefully). Then maybe you could understand Avdol’s response better, if only a little.