Chapter Text
Jotaro stood still. Emotionless, at least that was how he seemed. Josuke's mouth was agape, and he couldn't help but stare. Neither Joestar knew what to do...and perhaps they weren't the best people for the stand emergency at hand. They stood just outside of Tomoko's house, staring into the front yard. They'd left for a moment to have a private, "family" sidebar inside. And they'd returned to...this.
Standing before them was a misty-eyed young boy. His skin was Okuyasu's complexion. His hair was curly and black but cut short at the sides. It was an oddly mature style for a small child. The boy was short, even for a kid his age, and he stood wrapped in Okuyasu's school jacket. Other than an obvious scrape on his knee, he looked to be physically healthy. Absently, the boy plucked at the dollar-sign pin on the collar of the shirt, though the distraction wasn't helping. This was almost certainly where they had left Okuyasu. And they had only been in the house for a few minutes. But it was so hard to believe that the boy in front of them was the same as the delinquent teen that Josuke got on so well with. The eyes were what did it for Josuke, though. It had to be Oku. They were big, round, and innocent now- but that purple hue was unmistakable. His eyes were always so captivating. They were captivating now. They tugged at Josuke's heartstrings now that they were magnified. Okuyasu's eyes were so unique...
And wet. Oh- shit. The kid was about to cry.
Immediately, Josuke jumped into action, bending down and putting his hands on his knees. "H-Hey, Okuyasu-chan!" He started, but Jotaro finally spoke up, "Kun." Josuke froze, flustering greatly at the correction. "Okuyasu-kun! Of course! I'm sorry, kid...." He trailed off, measuring the boy's reaction. But Okuyasu just stood there, still clutching his jacket. The tears in his eyes neither spilled over nor did they retreat. The yellow tank top clung to him like a little dress. It was admittedly adorable. But still, the two Joestar men were utterly at a loss.
"Oku. My bro calls me Oku..." The small, scratchy voice was unmistakable. Even when he was a kid, he sounded a bit like a kid who smoked a pack a day. "Of course, Oku-kun." Josuke nodded. And suddenly, his mouth went dry. Keicho. Keicho was dead. He looked back to Jotaro for some help, but the man hadn't the time to respond before Okuyaso asked the dreaded question. "Where's my bro...? Keicho. He can come to get me...." He frowned, lower lip starting to tremble. When Josuke froze, Jotaro blinked. Now he needed to step in. He was an adult. But just as he started to put his words together, Josuke panicked, "Oh...Okuyasu! That cut on your knee must hurt- pretty bad!"
Of course, Okuyasu didn't have his stand when he was a kid. He hadn't been pierced by the arrow. The kid could marvel at his wound suddenly closing up, and that would buy them some time! Josuke beamed. He was a genius.
"Crazy Diamond!" He summoned his stand, but before he could get to fixing anything, the little boy screeched, falling back onto his rear promptly. Just as he hit the ground, an apparition leaped out from behind him. The stand was blue and white, and a bit larger than Okuyasu. It held its hands out on either side of the young boy, palms up. "WAAAAH"
The Hand.
Immediately, Josuke retracted his stand, and Jotaro narrowed his eyes, and just about read his uncle's mind. "Josuke. Once Okuyasu got The Hand, it became a part of him. That is his soul. Even if he were hit by a stand that regressed him back to his younger self...he wouldn't just lose his stand." The Hand remained behind Okuyasu, looking daringly between the two Joestars. The smaller version of the Hand waved its right hand haphazardly side to side as Okuyasu held his own hands protectively out in front of him. And once the shock wore off, the tears finally started to flow, and the young Nijimura was sobbing openly. "You just scared the shit out of him. And since his stand is here...I'm assuming he felt like his life was at risk. He's a child. How the hell do you expect him to trust us now?" Josuke hadn't considered that. Though he just scowled at Jotaro. He was Okuyasu's best friend. He knew the guy better than anyone else. "He's fine, I just-"
"Wait."
Jotaro held up his hand, taking a step forward before he took a knee on the ground. Okuyasu was still frozen in place, and he only cried harder as Jotaro approached. "His face. Look at his face."
Josuke followed Jotaro's line of sight. At first, he saw nothing. But then he realized. He'd become so accustomed to Okuyasu's facial scars, he'd overlooked them entirely.
"He can't be older than seven years old," Jotaro said, and suddenly something dangerous flashed behind his eyes. That look alone was enough to shock the boy, who immediately stopped crying. Instead, he sniffled and stared back at Jotaro, who had seemingly taken interest in his scars. The scars he was so ashamed of.
"Hey. Kid. We're gonna take you to your brother. We'll find Keicho with you." Jotaro said gruffly, holding out his hand to Okuyasu. The young boy looked at him with that same, stupid look. Jotaro forced himself to relax his expression. "I have a daughter about your age, you know. And...one day, she got lost at the grocery store." He cleared his throat, blushing slightly as he disclosed one of the worst moments of his entire life. "But a nice man helped her find me again. So let me help you find your brother."
A few more seconds passed before Okuyasu reached out with one tiny hand, his stout fingers latching securely around Jotaro's palm. The man let out a quiet 'mhm', before standing up straight. He looked back to Josuke, who stood nervously to the side, flashing a small smile. "We'll go to a hotel." He said, "I don't think Mr. Nijimura would be able to handle this. And...I don't know if I want to see him right now." With that, Jotaro started walking with Okuyasu in tow, who left his pants behind, but dragged his school jacket as best he could. Josuke paused, making a face before he ran up beside Jotaro's side opposite Okuyasu. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, still entirely overwhelmed as he whispered into Jotaro's ear. Though, his nephew didn't even turn his head, and instead shrugged his shoulders. He needed to remain calm.
"Scars aren't like stands, Josuke. Scars are physical. If he's truly been reduced in age, he would retain his stand, but...if Okuyasu has his scars now, that means that..." Jotaro trailed off, but Josuke had already caught on. He glanced down to Okuyasu in horror, who was still focused on dragging the school jacket with his one free hand.
Who the hell could do something like that to a kid?
But this wasn't the time. This wasn't the place. So Josuke and Jotaro just kept walking. And Jotaro seemed to hold it together effortlessly. But Josuke's heart shattered when Okuyasu started to hum a little nursery rhyme.