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“Excuse me?” The man startled Rohan as he appeared behind him without a warning. He was mostly plain, but his hair stood out like a light in the dark. It had a vibrant hue of red that matched the cherries on his earrings that was clearly thanks to dye. There was a scarf tightly wrapped around him and his long coat reminded him of the heat that rose with each passing day. Rohan could hardly imagine how much he was sweating under all that. The man’s hand was hovering in the air as if he was going to grab Rohan, “Do you know a Jotaro Kujo? I’m with the Speedwagon Foundation and-”
Rohan stepped back, “Heaven’s D-”
“Hierophant Green!” The redheaded man took a step back as well, his own stand appearing as if it was second natural. Perhaps it was. Rohan wasn’t given much of a chance as the green stand wrapped itself around Heaven’s Door. His surprise was written clearly over his face as his opponent smiled with an odd gentleness that Rohan had a small feeling couldn’t belong to an enemy, “I’m not an enemy stand user.”
“You haven’t proved that yet.”
He shook his head, “Of course not. My apologies, my name is Noriaki Kakyoin. Jotaro might have mentioned me.”
Rohan squinted, “He hadn’t.”
The information didn’t faze Kakyoin as he shook his head again, “Right. He doesn’t like to talk about what happened. I was one of the people who helped him defeat DIO in Egypt.”
DIO. Rohan heard the name several times and the context even fewer, but he never got the full story. As Kakyoin said, Jotaro didn’t like to talk about what happened. It sounded like it’d be a good story, but Rohan knew he wouldn’t be able to get that out of him nor would he have a right to tear it from him. Not something like that. “Did he call for your help?” Rohan asked with hesitation, not wanting to entirely trust the man just yet.
Kakyoin didn’t respond as he pulled his stand back. Instead, he shoved his hands into his coat jacket, “I heard about what’s going on here. Yoshikage Kira… He’s no vampire, but he sounds like he a piece of work.”
“And now he’s gotten a face change. He could be anyone now. I’ve been taking pictures of everyone who sparks my interest. Someone out there-”
“Why don’t you just use Heaven’s Door on them?”
“Too many people. It’d take too much time.”
“Ah.” Kakyoin glanced at the ground, “I wouldn’t lose hope just yet.”
“I won’t, but the extra help already shifts things in our favor. I was just going to meet up with Jotaro to discuss him. You should come with.”
There was a flash of emotion across Kakyoin’s eyes that he couldn’t describe. He shifted his head ever-so-slightly to bury into his white scarf, “I couldn’t interrupt you two…”
“Interrupt?” Rohan placed his hand on Kakyoin’s arm, “You won’t be interrupting as his friend. You could tell me more about the two of you as we head over there anyways.”
Kakyoin’s face flushed deeply as he tried to sink into his scarf even more, “If you insist. He’s the closest friend I ever had. I tried to kill him when we met.”
Rohan raised an eyebrow at that. He wasn’t Josuke’s friend, but Okuyasu was Josuke’s foe before they became friends. “Willingly?” He asked, not able to imagine what it’d be like to face someone as fearsome as Jotaro.
“No. That was all thanks to DIO. After that, I decided that I’d never let anyone else control me. I went with Jotaro and the rest to prove that to DIO. And, to myself.” Kakyoin responded, adding the last part quietly.
“Did you do it?”
Kakyoin responded now with a smirk, “It was because of me that Jotaro could kick DIO’s ass.”
The two fell into silence as they continued walking. Rohan stole quick glances towards his new companion as he tried to piece together where he’s seen him before. It must have been one of the photos he saw in Jotaro’s hotel room. The few times he been there, he felt himself pulled towards them and the stories they hold. From what Rohan knew, those men risked everything to defeat DIO after a long journey- It was something he would have read long ago. Maybe not written. At least, not without a few changes to the mood and events. Jotaro’s face would darken at the mention of the journey and Rohan wasn’t able to pull out more than a few details as well as the obvious message of ‘stop asking’. Jotaro wasn’t someone you wanted to upset so Rohan learned quickly that it was sometimes better to leave it alone.
But, now he had Noriaki Kakyoin, who already seemed willing to answer questions.
“How old were you two when you fought DIO?” Rohan asked.
“We were both 17. Maybe we became so close because we were the same age. I never asked him.” Kakyoin replied.
“Close, you say?”
Rohan expected Kakyoin’s face to turn pink again, but instead the man smiled sadly, “Missed opportunity. I had a bit of a crush on him, but I never asked him if he returned it. Now, he’s married and… Too late to bother him about it. Besides, we were too busy trying to figure out how to deal with DIO to deal with things like crushes.”
“It must have been terrifying.”
“Of course,” Kakyoin said, “If I wasn’t exhausted from fending off enemy stand users, I’m not sure how I would’ve slept at night. We were nearly adults, but we were still kids and we were fighting for our lives. No one should go through that.” Kakyoin’s hand drifted towards his stomach and Rohan could only assume what scars he was covering.
His words ran through his head several times before he made the connection. “Oh. That’s why you came?”
“Hm?”
“Koichi, Josuke, Okuyasu. They’re all around 15 years old. Their friend was even younger… They’re all too young to be hunting a serial killer. It nearly slipped my mind” Rohan wouldn’t want to admit it, but it was putting a pressure on him as well. He was an adult. He would have to-
“You’re 20, aren’t you, Rohan?”
The question took him off guard. “Yes. Why?”
“Legally, you’re an adult, but you’re still young. Hunting Yoshikage Kira shouldn’t fall to your shoulders either. It shouldn’t fall to anyone's shoulder, just like DIO shouldn’t have been Jotaro or my responsibility.” Kakyoin spoke with no hesitation in his voice, staring forward at nothing. He was only 28, but something about his words seemed older. Wiser. His journey must have aged him in a way Rohan could never understand.
“Are you upset that it did?”
Kakyoin took a moment to think about it before shaking his head, “No. I was, years ago, but I accepted what happened. To be honest, I found I had no reason to be upset or angry over it. What happened was what happened. Mr. Joseph didn’t want to drag us into this, but that’s what happened. Nothing could change that.”
“I admire your bravery, Kakyoin.”
“Thank you, Rohan.”
Rohan tilted his head slightly, “You know, I don’t remember ever telling you my name. Did Jotaro mention me to you?”
“He did. All good things, of course.” Kakyoin smiled to himself, “He’s like that. He acts so tough and tries to push people away, but he’s feeling so much inside. We’re the same that way. I think that’s why we understand each other so well. Jotaro wouldn’t openly admit it, but he needs me here. Whenever he needs me, I’ll be by his side, whether he finds it in himself to ask me or not.”
“You’re a good friend. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”
Kakyoin was silent.
Rohan quickened his step as he saw Jotaro, who was inspecting a newspaper and drinking some coffee. “Jotaro!” He called out to get the taller man’s attention, who glanced up, “Looks like we’re going to have some extra help.”
Jotaro stared at him, “What? Who is it?”
“Noriaki Kakyoin. I’m sure he’ll- Hey!” Rohan could barely blink before he was nearly knocked off his feet, Jotaro grasping his shirt as he leaned in. There was a dark look on his face, darker than Jotaro had ever given him. Rohan could barely suck in a breath as he looked into his eyes.
“If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not amusing.” He said with a quiet intensity.
Rohan grabbed his hand, trying to pry at it, “What the hell do you mean? He’s just-” He turned quickly to point out Kakyoin, who had a sad smile on his face, “He’s right there! How could you not notice?”
Jotaro didn’t look, “I knew you could be a dick, but this? This is unacceptable. Tell me why I shouldn’t beat your ass to a pulp.” “You haven’t even looked. Maybe if you did, you wouldn’t-”
“What the fuck are you expecting me to do? Just fall for it? I don’t care what you’ve set up. I don’t want to see it. Don’t mention that name to me.”
“When have I ever played pranks on you? You wouldn’t know unless you froze time to steal a glance, which is-”
“He’s dead.” Jotaro responded, his face scrunching up, “You think I would forget something like that?” He dropped to the ground as Jotaro grabbed onto his shaking hand, something glistening now sliding down his cheeks. Was he… crying?
Rohan scrambled to his feet as he looked back to Kakyoin. His skin was fading into a pale color as a scarlet color started to spread across his coat. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose and the color in his eyes lost its saturation. All of him seemed to turn a darker shade except for the brightness in his hair and the darkness of the blood. Kakyoin followed his gaze to his torso and opened his jacket, revealing the hole that he could see right through. It was something he would’ve written, but Rohan had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to convey this ever.
His stomach flipped and a bile rose to his mouth as he stumbled backwards, nearly dropping to the ground again. Rohan covered his mouth in horror as the man he was talking to earlier showed him what he truly was- a corpse. “You’re… But… This must be an enemy stand user.” Rohan said, mostly to himself, in between quick breaths. This was different from Reimi.
“No.” Kakyoin covered his wound once more, but the fabric just gave way to the hole, “You have a gift. I’m not sure why you can see me, but I’m really who I say I am. Noriaki Kakyoin.”
“What the hell happened to you?”
“DIO.” Kakyoin responded as if that’s all the information needed.
Jotaro lowered his cap, “Good grief… You got me, alright? You can stop now.” The anger in his voice was obvious, but even more obvious was his thinly veiled attempt to stop his voice from cracking. Jotaro couldn’t hide how upset he was, no matter how much he tried.
“What do you mean DIO? Why is there a hole right through you?” Rohan would have moved backwards, but Jotaro had grabbed his arm suddenly.
“Rohan, how do you that? How-” Jotaro glanced towards the space where Kakyoin was standing, “His eyes. What happened to his eyes?”
Kakyoin didn’t hesitate to answer, but Rohan took a second to repeat what the ghost just said, “An enemy stand user. He got scratched by water.”
“When we first met- During our first fight, he told me something right before I kicked his ass. What was it?” Jotaro’s voice turned almost desperate as he grasped onto him.
“Let the loser be the evil one.” Kakyoin nearly whispered as he walked towards Jotaro.
“Uh. Let the loser be the evil.” Rohan blinked at the wounds were gone. Jotaro had slowly let go of him as well and was focused entirely on the space where Rohan was looking.
Jotaro was barely audible when he was his next question- “Where is he?” A new side of him surfaced and Rohan watched as he sat on the ground, looking around. He was lucky no one else was around, but Rohan quickly pushed that thought out of mind.
“I’m right here.” Kakyoin responded though Rohan had a feeling he knew he wouldn’t be heard. He took his time touching Jotaro’s shoulder as if he would disappear if he put too much force into it. The motion was tender enough that Rohan felt like he was intruding. Kakyoin leaned onto him, “I wish it was you that could see me.”
“I’m sorry,” Rohan apologized with an uncharacteristically quiet voice, “He’s holding onto you.”
Jotaro waved his hand through the air and Kakyoin was quick to place his own over his. Rohan could see the shiver pass through Jotaro, which seemed to be enough for him. He was quiet as he stood up. “Rohan,” He didn’t look at him as he spoke, “Can we talk some other time?”
“Are you s-”
“Yes.” It was the first time Jotaro’s voice didn’t waver since Kakyoin was mentioned.
Rohan had so much he wanted to ask. He wanted to know more about Kakyoin and their relationship and how DIO could create the hole in Kakyoin, but Jotaro didn’t give him time to ask. He set his things down with shaky hands and retreated, Kakyoin following closely behind. Kakyoin turned slowly then quickly back to him with an urgency that sent a chill down Rohan’s spine.
As he glanced around, he saw Reimi standing by his side silently and slowly, more spirits stepped up to join them seconds before disappearing. They didn’t have the ties that Reimi and Kakyoin had, but he appreciated the support they were given. There was another presence, though, that Rohan felt behind him. The air around him chilled and something deep down in him told him to not turn around. His first meeting with Reimi since he was a child came to mind as he stared forward and the hair on his skin rose in response. Whatever it was that lurked behind him moved closer to him. His breath stopped as it stopped, inches away from touching him. There was a hand brushing his back before it backed away.
Morioh was full of spirits. Not all of them were from here, but it became a home to them in the last few months. The hunt for Yoshikage Kira become one that was watched closely by eyes no one could see.
No one, but Rohan, that is.
Whatever responsibility that placed on his shoulders perplexed him, but he would do what he always did. He’d tell stories- real stories- and he’d find justice for each and every soul Kira placed here.
…Maybe that would be a good plot for a manga.