Chapter Text
Another autumn evening, another one of the Joestar family’s fancy schmancy formal balls that Jotaro had to endure and pretend that he enjoyed attending. The large open room was much too brightly lit by the glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and everything smelled of wine and perfume. The family’s hired musicians were playing all the popular dance melodies nonstop while fancily dressed men and women whirled across the dance floor, chatting and laughing over stupid pointless topics as they lavished in how rich and happy they were. Jotaro found it all idiotic really.
He stood as far as he could away from the dance floor, scratching at the stiff white collar around his neck with a deep-set scowl on his face; he hated balls. He hated ruffled collars too, and he hated being stuck in the middle of huge crowds. His family always forced him to dress up and attend every ball they hosted and he could never outright refuse them, so here he was wallowing in his misery.
“Honey! Why are you standing here in the corner all by yourself? There are plenty of girls waiting around for you to ask them to dance!” a grossly sweet voice said; Jotaro didn’t need to look up to know that it was his mother, Holly. She came practically skipping over to hug her son’s arm and wave over to the group of girls who had gathered nearby and were practically burning holes into him. The flounces of his mother’s ridiculous pink dress hit against his leg and only increased his annoyance.
“I already told you woman, I hate dancing. All those girls are irritating,” He growled.
Holly pouted but Jotaro turned his head away, ignoring her pointedly. She continued to pester him anyways and said, “Look they’re so beautiful! You know that you’re almost 18 already you need to start thinking about finding a wife”
Jotaro fought hard not to roll his eyes. The sound of snickering caught his ear and he turned to see his friends Polnareff and Avdol, standing by the alcohol serving area with amused grins on their face.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to laugh at you, Your Highness,” Polnareff said with an exaggerated bow.
“I’m not a prince, jackass,” Jotaro said, brows furrowed.
“I was just trying to show my respect!” Polnareff replied as he feigned surprise at Jotaro’s anger.
“You really should try to enjoy the evening more Jotaro, that frown of yours doesn’t suit the event,” Avdol said.
“Good grief, I didn’t ask to get nagged by so many people,” Jotaro said.
“I’m just jealous you have so many beautiful women waiting in line for you and you can’t even share with your friends!” Polnareff yelled.
“Take as many as you’d like, I couldn’t give two shits,” Jotaro replied as he waved his hand in the direction of the clamoring women.
Suddenly a disruption began to rise up from where the women were gathered. Jotaro and the others looked over to see what was going on on the dance floor. A tall blonde figure, someone almost as tall as Jotaro (which was a feat in it of itself), suddenly came to the center of the group of women. He had a devilish smirk on his lip and a confident aura that was practically dripping off the shoulders of his gold-laced suit jacket. Were those fangs poking out of the corner of his lip?
The blonde man turned to one of the women and coyly slipped a finger under her chin as he began to say something to her. The woman flushed an annoying shade of tomato red before shaking her head violently, but in the meanwhile the blonde man had snaked an arm around her waist. She pulled away roughly and said something else before she pointed at Jotaro, who flinched at the sudden involvement of himself into the scene. The blonde looked away from the woman to glance at Jotaro and his eyes seemed to shine recognition, his lips turning slyly upwards at the corners. Jotaro raised an eyebrow. Polnareff began to make judgemental remarks about the man’s outfit while Avdol looked on warily.
Before Jotaro could escape to somewhere else, the blonde was already making his way over with the protesting woman in tow.
“Is that a friend of yours Jotaro?” His mother asked. Jotaro shook his head. The blonde was now a mere few feet away and his staring hadn’t broken once while on his way over.
“Greetings sir,” He drawled in a tone that sounded to Jotaro like sarcasm, “This fine young lady has just refused to dance with me, I was wondering if you would know what that reason might be?”
The woman opened her mouth to protest but Jotaro cut her off. “Why should I care,” he said scowling, “What that woman wants to do is none of my fucking business.”
“Your speech is hardly that of an aristocrat despite your family’s social standing Jotaro,” the man said with a smirk, “I would have thought that you were raised better than this”
“I don’t give a damn about sounding like a stupid aristocrat,” Jotaro growled, crossing his arms now. Realization hit him then - how did this man know his name?
Noises from the dance floor rose up once more as the small crowd gathering around him suddenly parted to allow an annoyingly familiar old man to push through to the front; it was Joseph Joestar, Jotaro’s grandfather and Holly’s father. He looked first at the blonde man and frowned, to which the blonde merely responded with a wider smirk.
“Well if it isn’t little Joseph,” He said humorously, “It’s good to see you again.”
“I don’t remember inviting an evil vampire to my party Dio,” Joseph with his jaw drawn tight.
“Papa do you know this man?” Holly asked with a nervous lilt in her voice.
“Unfortunately,” Joseph said through his clenched teeth, “He’s been the enemy of our family for generations, but I thought that he’d been long chased off by my grandfather Johnathan.”
Dio laughed obnoxiously with such a maliciousness that even Jotaro felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “I’m honored you still remember me Joseph,” Dio said coolly, “But you’ve just disturbed the lovely conversation I was having with your grandson Jotaro.”
Jotaro made a noise of disagreement in the back of his throat and said, “We weren’t talking about shit, you were just upset that stupid woman didn’t want to dance with you.”
Dio’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance but didn’t let it show in his voice. “My my, that’s not a very kind way to address a lady Jotaro, she sincerely likes you and this is how you treat her?”
The woman was beginning to tremble under the tension between Dio and Jotaro. Jotaro didn’t bother to glance her way.
“I have no need to give any consideration for her feelings,” He said flatly, “I could care less.”
“Don’t aggravate Dio Jotaro, he’s a powerful vampire that could harm you! Back off and leave it alone,” Joseph said loudly as he waved his hand for Jotaro to step back.
“It seems your grandson is hardly trained in the ways of higher society, he’s behaving like a mutt,” Dio said with an amused lilt to his voice, “Is he void of any human emotions? Sympathy? Compassion? Love?”
Avdol spoke up then and said angrily, “That is enough! I will not allow anyone, let alone a stranger, call Jotaro a mutt! Show respect!”
Dio frowned. “So the mutt has friends huh,” He said with a disgusted tone, and then a light bulb seemed to go off in his head. He grinned and turned back to Jotaro.
“Do you like taking up challenges, mutt?” He asked. Jotaro’s scowl turned to a snarl.
“Don’t respond to him Jotaro! He’ll curse you!” Joseph said as he tried to step in between the two of them, but it was too late; Jotaro was already opening his mouth to retort.
“Don’t call me a damn mutt fucking asshole,” He growled. Dio’s grin widened.
“Then I’d love to see you prove me wrong,” Dio replied.
A huge crack of thunder boomed just outside of the dance hall and the guests screamed in surprise. The glass of the large windows shattered and sent glass flying every which way as the lighting bolts began to flash their light. Simultaneously, all of the hall’s chandeliers went out and plunged the hall into almost complete darkness as the room broke out in a great uproar. Guests were screaming as they ran out of the dance room but Jotaro, Joseph, Holly, Avdol, and Polnareff were stuck in place as if held under a spell. Dio stood facing them as well, unfazed by the chaos around them. The grin had yet to leave his face.
“You made a mistake when you decided to test my patience,” He said, pointing a finger right at Jotaro. Jotaro gulped hard. “I have always disliked the haughty nature of the Joestar family, and you are of no exception Jotaro,” Dio said. He began to swirl his hands around strands of dark, cold matter, and his clothes melted to reveal a long cape dripping with what looked like pure evil; Holly let out a scream as everyone’s jaws dropped.
Dio’s voice rang out like the thunderbolt from just moments ago, “From this moment forward you will be cursed Jotaro, along with your friends and family. Since you insist so much on behaving like a beast, you will be forced to become one. You can only be human again when you can show that even you can have romantic feelings for another, and have them returned to you as well.”
Before Jotaro and the others could react Dio had already begun to wave his hands, casting the spell as another boom of thunder rang outside. With a whirl of his cape he was gone, but the damage had already been done.
Jotaro looked down his hands to see claws shooting out of his fingernail beds and black fur flooding out everywhere, covering his skin completely with its horrors.
…
No one dared to come back to the Joestar castle after that horrific night. Some had tried to drive by in their carriages and see what had happened but a giant wall of thorny vines had wove itself around the edges of the palace grounds, threatening all trespassers and scaring them off. No one knew what became of the Joestar family, or the whereabouts of that strange blonde man with the evil look in his eye. Rumors spread that the family had been put under a curse; getting too close would only put oneself in danger. It would be years before anyone would come near the Joestar castle, and soon the castle and the events that had taken place there were forgotten.
…
Kakyoin cursed at the rain pouring down on him, as if it were mocking his feeble struggle to survive, cursed at his scrawny legs for buckling under his fatigue, and cursed his life for being but one long streak of unfortunate events. He wasn’t sure if the screams ringing in his ears were real still or imagined but he kept running nonetheless. He had hardly any idea where he was running to, he just needed to get away from it all. He couldn’t decide whether he wanted to keep his eyes open or shut; when they were open the looming dark of the forest bored holes into his pale, sweaty skin, and when he closed them the memories of the fires from the villager’s torches threatened to burn him alive.
Suddenly he was running headfirst into a wrought iron gate. He yelped from the pain and fell backward onto the wet dirt of the path, rubbing at his aching nose as tears began to well up in his eyes. Curses, that fucking hurt.
When Kakyoin looked up at the gate he’d just collided with, he realized that it was not only huge but also unlocked. Tentatively, he pushed against the gate to see if it would budge once more for him. It opened with a groan as the rusty metal moved for what sounded like the first time in centuries, and Kakyoin felt a flicker of hope for some shelter from the storm. Hierophant, his little green spirit friend, hopped out from behind Kakyoin and wiggled with excitement. This could be the lucky break they were looking for.
He stepped past the gate and closed it gently behind him. A loud, twisting sound suddenly rang out and both he and Hierophant jumped. Huge, thorny vines wrapped themselves around the gate they’d just passed through and wove around one another tightly. Kakyoin gulped; well, there goes their escape. He turned away from the gate to scan around and gasped.
Kakyoin was sure that he must have died and gone to some strange, grossly wealthy heaven. He found himself surrounded by huge, sprawling gardens with undulating tiers of colorful plants, white marble benches, gazebos, and fountains. Though untidy and wildly overgrown, the sheer amount of acreage dedicated to just greenery was shocking. When he tore his eyes away from the gorgeous gardens and finally turned towards the direct front of him, he almost fainted.
There stood a giant, absolutely beautiful castle. For a brief moment, Kakyoin remembered back to the books his grandfather used to show him, full of beautifully colored pictures of royal palaces from fairy tales; not even those could compare to the structure he saw before him. This castle towered over him as tall as a humble mountain, with great towers that gracefully spiraled upwards as if they were trying to reach the heavens. The pointed tops of the towers were a deep blue color and lined with gold, and the many windows along the walls of the castle were lined with gold stone rectangles and white interlaced motifs. Kakyoin noticed that some of the glass windows were shattered, which sent a chill down his spine. The castle was undoubtedly stunning, yet sinister in aura at the same time.
Kakyoin turned to Hierophant, who was equally as mesmerized by the structure before them. “Should we go inside? It could be dangerous,” Kakyoin said. After a moment of thought, Hierophant nodded his head. What else could they do? Who knows, maybe the owner of the castle was friendly.
Luckily no one else was around because Kakyoin couldn’t help but let his mouth hang open as he and Hierophant approached the castle; it was even more beautiful up close. He had been unable to see the winding moat from where he stood before by the gate, but he admired the sparkling water under the stone bridge that led to the tall wooden doors of the castle. To his surprise, no angry guards had come out to shoo him away, nor had any arrows been shot down at him from the battlements over the doors. He hoped that it meant that he was somewhat welcome. However, no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t remember there being a royal palace so far buried in the middle of the woods, so he wondered who was the owner of this magnificent place.
The door was heavier than it looked and took the combined efforts of both Kakyoin and Hierophant to push open. The sounds of the scraping door echoed in the large entryway, so dark and drab that Kakyoin could hardly see anything at first. Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness he felt rather disappointed. The interior was even messier and less cared for than the garden’s he’d seen outside; cobwebs were stuck in all the corners and every flat surface — the tables, the stairs, the shelves, the candelabras — had a thick layer of dust lying on top of it. It was a shame really, since all the furniture and decor that lay underneath the dust looked beautiful.
“This castle must be abandoned,” Kakyoin mumbled to Hierophant, who nodded in agreement.
He stepped inside fully and closed the door behind him with Hierophant’s help before wiping his dirty shoes carefully on the old, faded rug at the door. The room was instantly dark again and Kakyoin let out a small yelp, but Hierophant grabbed an old, intricate golden candlestick from a nearby table for Kakyoin to light with one of the matches that he kept in his pocket. He glanced around the room until he found more candlesticks and began to light those as well until the room wasn’t completely dark anymore, which brought him some comfort.
As he followed the candlesticks he realized that he’d reached a hallway, long and straight with a velvet red carpet on the floor and decorated with stunning portrait paintings hanging from the stark white walls, marble busts of whom Kakyoin assumed were the castle's past residents, and fragile chandeliers whose glass was murky with stains of age. There were a number of doors along the hallway spaced far apart from one another; Kakyoin wondered just how many rooms there were in this huge space.
Opposite to the hallway was a massive staircase that winded so far upwards that Kakyoin couldn’t tell what was up there. Now he was at somewhat of a crossroads now, and turned to Hierophant, “Should we go upstairs or down the hallway?”
“I’d suggest not going upstairs, the master might get upset,” A voice suddenly said.
Kakyoin shrieked in surprise and Hierophant jumped as well, for the candlestick in his hand had begun to move.
“T-the candlestick is talking, Hierophant the candlestick is talking,” Kakyoin stammered as he lay on the ground staring wide-eyed at the moving candlestick, who had suddenly sprouted eyes and facial features in the middle of the wax of the center candle.
“I have a name excuse you, it’s Polnareff,” he said with a huff. Kakyoin blinked twice.
“I’m sorry, uh hello, Polnareff you said?” Kakyoin said and he nodded. A throbbing nerve began rising up in Kakyoin’s head as he tipped it backward and let out a groan. How was a candlestick talking to him? How was the candlestick even moving? He was surely going insane. Hierophant looked on worriedly, turning his head this way and that between watching the strange candlestick move and poor Kakyoin.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you stranger, what might your name be?” Polnareff asked. He was leaning over Kakyoin’s face now, watching him with a peculiar curiosity.
“Noriaki Kakyoin,” He replied as he sat up fully. The candlestick extended its right arm? Stick? And Kakyoin gingerly shook it, maneuvering around the open flame.
“It’s been so long since we’ve had guests, I apologize for the poor state of the castle,” Polnareff said sheepishly.
Kakyoin laughed softly; who would have thought that he’d be talking to a candlestick who was apologizing about a castle’s cleanliness out of all things. Polnareff raised a confused, uh, what looked like an eyebrow.
“No need to apologize, I apologize for barging into your home,” Kakyoin said.
“Ah, this isn’t my home, I’m just a friend of the master’s,” Polnareff said.
“Is the master of the palace a feather duster or something,” Kakyoin said with a chuckle.
Polnareff shook his head violently. “No no, you mustn't make those kinds of jokes around him, he’s real short-tempered,” Polnareff said, “and he hates anything mentioned about his appearance”
“Who is the master? Are you alone in this palace? Also, how are you a moving and talking candlestick, are you a demon possessing that metalwork?” Kakyoin asked.
Polnareff shook his head and said, “No no no, I too was once a human.” His face dropped in sadness and Kakyoin felt a pang of sympathy.
“What happened to you?” He asked gently. Polnareff opened his mouth to speak, but shut it instead and shook his head.
“Never mind that, you must be hungry. You are our guest and you must have a decent meal,” Polnareff said. As if on cue, Kakyoin’s stomach growled and his face flushed red with embarrassment.
“A meal would be greatly appreciated, thank you,” Kakyoin said.
Polnareff ushered for Kakyoin to follow him down the hallway and he hopped down the path ahead, lighting the way with the soft golden glow from his flames. Kakyoin glanced around at the rooms they passed, wondering if perhaps the doorknobs and carpets might start talking next. He was glad to at least have someone to talk to who could respond, even if it was a strange little candlestick man.
“I’ll have to introduce you to my friends later, they’re probably all still asleep,” Polnareff explained, “Do you mind cooking the food yourself? Usually Joseph is cooking with the help of Holly but they’re both asleep and I’m horrible in the kitchen”
“I don’t mind at all,” Kakyoin said, “How long have you all been living here?”
“I’m not exactly sure, I stopped keeping track of the days since I've been turned long ago,” Polnareff said, “It must have been around a couple years, if I had to guess”
Kakyoin opened his mouth to ask more questions, but decided against it and bit his bottom lip instead; it seemed like Polnareff didn’t like to speak about it. He opted instead to look around the castle some more, craning his neck upwards to see just how far the high ceiling went.
Polnareff’s energetic voice broke through his train of thought, “We’re here!”
He gasped. Never before had he seen such a spacious kitchen before. Pots and pans of every size were hanging on the tall white brick walls, all shining under the light of Polnareff’s flames. There was food everywhere, sitting in packages on the shelves, on the two tables in the center of the room, and in sacks and barrels stacked in the corner of the space. Kakyoin realized that this was the only room that he’d seen so far that didn’t look completely abandoned. Perhaps the master only cared about eating. Do living household objects need to eat, Kakyoin wondered.
The door by the stove suddenly swung open and a brown clock — Kakyoin couldn’t help but admire the intricate wood carvings of vines and flowers on the clock’s sides and the goldwork interlaced throughout its face — came into the room, rubbing at its eyes as it yawned. Kakyoin blinked twice.
“What’s all this noise Polnareff, it’s so late,” the clock said, but when he saw Kakyoin he jumped and yelled. Polnareff rushed over to quickly silence and calm the clock down, but the clock pointed indignantly at Kakyoin and yelled, “You let a stranger into the castle? You fool! Jotaro is sure to kill us when he finds out”
“I didn’t let him in, he came into the castle on his own!” Polnareff yelled back with a frown on his face.
“How could he have possibly gotten in past the vine wall if you hadn’t let him in?” The clock asked with its eyebrows raised high.
Polnareff stopped for a moment and looked upwards thoughtfully, wondering. He turned to Kakyoin after a moment and asked, “How did you get past the vines?”
Kakyoin shrugged his shoulders and said, “The vines opened up for me and once I slipped past the gate the vines closed right back up again.”
Both the clock’s and Polnareff’s eyes widened. They turned to stare at one another and exchange some sort of telepathic message while Kakyoin just stood there dumbly, waiting for someone to say something.
The clock broke the silence eventually and turned back to Kakyoin as he cleared his throat. “Not just anyone is allowed past the castle’s protective spells,” he explained, “You being here must mean something. What is your name?”
“Ah, I’m Kakyoin Noriaki,” He said as he crouched down to be closer to eye level with the clock, He extended his hand and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Avdol, it’s a pleasure to meet you Kakyoin,” he said, extending his wooden arm to meet Kakyoin's hands and shake it. Kakyoin smiled.
“A candlestick and a clock huh? What a strange castle I’ve found myself in,” He said with a soft chuckle.
“It is strange for any travelers to be out and about in these dangerous woods, especially at night,” Avdol said, “What were you doing out there?”
Kakyoin’s face fell as his brows furrowed; Avdol regretted asking the question.
“I, um, didn’t want to stay in my hometown anymore, so I just left,” He said as he avoided Polnareff and Avdol’s eyes. Despite the horrible lie, they didn’t ask anymore.
“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like!” Polnareff said excitedly.
“That’s not for you to decide Polnareff! What will Jotaro say,” Avdol said, frowning.
“We’ll just convince that old grouch to let Kakyoin stay, just tell him we need a housekeeper,” Polnareff said with a roll of his eyes, “The castle is absolutely filthy and none of us can clean it well with these silly bodies”
“Since it’s your idea, you ask him then,” Avdol said, crossing his arms across his chest, “I’m not going to risk getting thrown against the wall for another one of your whims.”
“You’re so cruel Avdol,” Polnareff sighed.
“Is the master of the castle so cruel that he would truly throw you against the wall?” Kakyoin asked as he shivered.
“Avdol loves to exaggerate things,” Polnareff said with a laugh.
“I do not exaggerate things”
“Do too”
“Do not”
“Do too”
While they bickered back and forth the back door to the kitchen swung open again and two figures came in this time; a suit of shining armor had pushed the door open while a soft, beautifully painted pink teapot came bouncing through the door in front of him. When they laid their eyes on Kakyoin, Polnareff, and Avdol, they both let out a loud scream. Kakyoin was growing used to the surprised reactions at this point and just offered a friendly wave and a small smile; he was now half expecting a broom and mop to walk in next.
“A stranger! In the castle!” The suit of armor boomed as it frantically waved his arms about his head.
“What a pleasant surprise! Hello there!” The teapot said excitedly as she hopped over to where the other three were standing around. “How did you find yourself at this old castle? I’m Holly!”
“Hello Holly-san, I stumbled upon the castle by accident and I was let in,” Kakyoin explained with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders, “My name is Kakyoin Noriaki”
Holly’s green eyes lit up. “Only special people are allowed past the castle gates!” She said excitedly, “Fate must have brought you here to the castle!” Kakyoin smiled at her enthusiasm.
“Greetings Kakyoin, my name is Joseph. I am Holly’s father and Jotaro’s grandfather,” the suit of armor said, extending his metal arm and hand to shake Kakyoins’ as warmly as a suit of armor could. Kakyoin smiled and bowed his head slightly.
“Now you’ve met the whole crew! Except for Jotaro that is,” Polnareff said.
“Perhaps it's better that way,” Avdol said under his breath.
“Don’t be silly Avdol, I’m sure Jotaro will just love Kakyoin!” Holly said.
“You’re too optimistic Holly, we should do our best to prepare Kakyoin for when he meets Jotaro,” Joseph chided gently.
Kakyoin raised an eyebrow. Just how scary was this Jotaro? What could he possibly be, a human turned Iron Maiden torture device? At worst it’d just be difficult to shake his hand if anything.
Suddenly the door to the kitchen opened with a loud bang and the five of them all jumped. Kakyoin, who had his back to the main door, turned around quickly. His eyes widened.
In the doorway stood a huge, hulking creature with a snarling maw and searing anger in its dark black eyes. It stood on two legs with its large arms at its side, its whole body covered in thick black fur. Both the creature’s hands and toes had sharp claws that glinted under the dim light. The beast’s head had the look of a wolf yet with two pointed horns sticking out of the top of the black fur surrounding its face. Its chest was heaving up and down as its teeth clenched behind curled back, dark lips. Kakyoin instantly felt cold fear shoot through his veins. He fell onto his behind on the ground, trembling.
“Who dares trespass into the castle,” the monster snarled with a deep, gravelly voice that reverberated from deep within its large, furry chest.
“J-Jotaro! Stop being so menacing, you’ll scare Kakyoin,” Holly said with a nervous huff.
“He should be scared, entering someone else’s house uninvited,” Jotaro said coldly as he took another step forward. The ground seemed to shake slightly underneath his weight. Kakyoin subconsciously shifted himself backward.
“I-I apologize for coming into your castle, I was caught in the storm and needed a place to go, I meant no harm,” Kakyoin mumbled. He couldn’t seem to look away from Jotar’s dark eyes.
“You’re not welcome here, get out,” Jotaro growled.
“Jotaro! Calm down, no need to kick the poor man out,” Polnareff said boldly, hopping to the front to stand between Kakyoin and Jotaro. “I think that he would make a great housekeeper, the castle has gotten filthy and we could use a better cook than Joseph,” He said.
Jotaro was silent.
“In exchange for cleaning the castle and cooking he can live here with us,” Avdol chimed in as he moved forward to stand next to Polnareff, “I too think that it’s a good idea”
“Yes let him stay here Jotaro, he won’t do us any harm,” Holly said. Joseph nodded his head in support, the mouthpiece of his helmet clattering to emphasize the movement.
Jotaro’s snarl deepened and Kakyoin worried that he might say no. But, without another word, he turned away and stormed out of the kitchen as quickly as he’d come. Kakyoin exhaled a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.
“Take that as a yes,” Polnareff groaned, “He’s hardly sociable, that brat”
“Does he not like strangers?” Kakyoin asked timidly.
“He’s not the most friendly person out there,” Avdol said, “But he’s not a bad person per say, just difficult to get along with at first”
“I’m sure you two will be good friends soon enough!” Holly chimed in.
Kakyoin sincerely doubted it.