Work Text:
“I really don't like you right now,” Josuke muttered through gritted teeth.
“I know,” said his companion. “That's why I'm here. Come on, Josuke, one more squat, you got this, buddy.”
“You said that like four squats ago!”
Okano Shuichi laughed, pushing his short brown ponytail back over his shoulder and adjusting his rectangular glasses. He was annoyingly in good shape – which Josuke assumed was sort of the point for a physical therapist – and was bent down a little himself to make sure Josuke made it all the way into the desired position.
“I promise, I actually want just one more. And this one can be as quick as you like, I won't make you hold it this time.”
“Oh thank fuck,” said Josuke, doing a very quick squat and straightening almost immediately, stepping away before Shuichi could correct his form or anything.
“And you're done!” cried Shuichi triumphantly. “No more mandatory PT! You've officially graduated! How 'bout that!”
“Yaaaaay.” Josuke grabbed a water bottle off of the floor and chugged the rest of its contents down, trying to get his breath back.
“All right,” said Shuichi, “pain report, what do we got?”
“...Both thighs hate this with the same intensity,” said Josuke after a moment of consideration. “Left one's sore as hell but not 'cause of the injury.”
“Hell yeah!” Shuichi cheered, going over to the wall and leaning against it. “Hey, you wanna see something that sucks?”
“...No?”
Shuichi gave him that little grin that he'd learned to very much hate, then slid down the wall until he was in a seated position and then held it. He was very obviously not sitting on anything; only the wall was supporting him.
“This, right here? This is very not fun.”
“Then why are you doing it!?” yelped Josuke, getting a very bad feeling.
“'Cause it's another one to build up the thigh muscles.”
“I am not—”
“No, of course not,” Shuichi assured him. “Not today, anyway, and certainly not for this long.” His legs had begun to shake underneath him, so he pulled himself back up the wall and stepped away. “But every few days or so, I'd like you to try it for just a few seconds – with supervision – until you get the hang of it. Then try to add it to your daily shit – I tend to do it for a good thirty seconds whenever I need to use the toilet. It's easily my least favorite move but damn if it isn't effective.”
Josuke grumbled to himself and dabbed his face with a wet washcloth, already not looking forward to it.
“Okay,” said Shuichi, clapping his hands together. “So I know I said we're done, and we are, but I will still be checking in every couple of weeks, probably Sundays, until I'm completely satisfied with your recovery, and maybe even after that. 'Cause I'm annoying and want you to stay recovered or some shit.”
“That's fair, I guess,” Josuke admitted; he had grown used to Shuichi's near-constant presence over the last few weeks.
“Good. Got any more questions before I completely abandon you to your own devices?”
“A couple, actually.” Josuke put a hand on his left side. “I feel like my gut wound should be flaring up more than my leg one. Is it weird that it's not?”
“Don't think so,” said Shuichi easily. “You're not constantly putting weight on your torso, after all.”
“...Good point, that was a stupid question.”
“Not really, I've heard way dumber. And it makes sense that you'd think one was worse than the other even if they're healing at different rates. Anything else?”
Josuke deliberated for a moment, then finally asked the question he'd been wanting to ask since this whole process had started.
“...How long do you think it'll be until I'm back to...as normal as possible?” He braced himself as Shuichi visibly turned over the question in his head.
“I mean, even with – no, especially with – the Speedwagon Foundation helping you, not to mention all this extra stand stuff you have at your disposal, there's really no way to tell since you're progressing far quicker than most others in your position. So I want to say around the end of the year but it might even be before that.
“That being said,” he added, holding up a finger in warning, “it all depends on how much work you're willing to do. The hardest part will be restraint, which in this case means not forcing yourself to the point that all this hard work was for nothing.”
“I know,” said Josuke immediately, having heard this part of the speech many times already.
“In particular, it'll be good to set some goals a bit more concrete and immediate than 'I want to return to gym class,' because I'll tell you now, that's still a while off. Even when you're back to 'as normal as possible,' you still might want to start at a much slower pace until you can relearn your limits.”
“Got it.” Josuke's eyes landed on the stairs, and he said hesitantly, “So I can go up and down the stairs normally with almost no effort – except for that one time I overdid it and had to sleep on that couch for a couple days – but there's something I used to do with the stairs that I'd like to get back to.”
“Oh yeah?” said Shuichi, sounding interested. Josuke went over to the stairs and pointed at the landing.
“I almost always jump from there to the bottom, especially when I'm in a hurry.” He glanced down at his leg. “Or at least I did.”
“No kidding!” said Shuichi, coming up beside him. “I used to do that in my parents' house, too! And then when I was twenty-three I twisted my ankle and had to go through my own version of this and never did it again!”
“Bummer.” Josuke couldn't keep his eyes off the stairs. “But if anything would signify a return to normalcy, it'd be that. At least until I get as ancient as you.”
“Ha ha.” Shuichi put a hand to his chin in thought. “...I can't promise anything. I can't even promise you'll truly be able to do it again. So we're going to go with baby steps here – and by that I mean only jumping the last two for right now. Optimistically I'll let you add a whole other step every two weeks.”
“I think I can agree to that.” Except that he suddenly needed to know this instant. “Can we try now?”
“You still have energy left?” Shuichi shook his head. “What I wouldn't give to be a teenager again...”
Josuke grinned. He really didn't have much energy left, but he wanted to try this badly enough. He climbed the first two steps, turned around and purposely hopped down on his right foot.
“...Should I've tried it with my left?”
“Probably.”
Josuke backed up and repeated the process, landing on his left foot this time. Nothing happened.
“No issue,” he reported.
“Completely fine?”
“Completely fine.”
“...Well we do want to push you,” Shuichi said slowly, “so how 'bout three?”
Josuke immediately went up three steps and turned around. His legs weren't long enough to just take an exaggerated step down like he'd just done, so he actually did have to land on both legs again. A shock of pain went up his left thigh for a moment, but it faded immediately and he was able to pace in front of the staircase just fine. He reported that to Shuichi.
“Okay, good to know.” Shuichi turned this over in his head for a moment. “I honestly don't want you trying that without some sort of supervision; even just your mom would do. And I don't want you doing it all the time, okay? Because that quick burst of pain can so easily turn into something more and we'd have to operate again.”
“Oh believe me, I do not want that.” Josuke had had enough of hospitals for a lifetime; it was probably inevitable that he would end up in one again regardless, but he wasn't so reckless that he wanted to ruin all his hard work.
“Excellent.” Shuichi began packing everything back up, and turned back to Josuke once he was done. “A few things before I go: you may or may not have noticed already, but your injuries are still gonna smart when it rains or gets cold.”
“That does explain why last Tuesday got so bad...”
“Exactly. It might go away as you continue to heal but it also might not, so just prepare for that.”
“Okay.” Kind of vague but whatever.
“And now for something a bit more psychological,” said Shuichi, looking more serious than Josuke had ever seen him throughout this past month. “You also might've noticed this, but any particularly sharp reminder of the cause of your injuries can trick your brain into thinking that your wounds are fresh and new and just that painful again.”
Josuke thought back to whenever he'd woken up from a nightmare since the Kira incident, convinced that there was still bamboo embedded in his flesh. At least now he knew the reason why the pain felt the same as well.
“Now,” Shuichi went on, “even though that pain isn't real, it'll feel real enough that you should definitely give your body a rest after. If you treat it like it's real, it'll fade faster than if you tried to deny its existence. Try to rely on your friends and family when this happens, and us if you need to. And keep us updated regardless so we can help; it's what we're here for, after all.
“There is absolutely no shame in feeling weak and needing help. We know that you've brought it upon yourself to look after as many people as you can, but don't forget that you deserve to be looked after as well, all right?
Josuke nodded, his jaw a little tight as he tried not to get too emotional. He'd been hearing that a lot from everyone around him ever since the hospital, and it might've actually started to sink in a little despite his best efforts.
It was nice to feel cared for, though. It had always been his mother and grandfather, but now he basically had a whole town at his disposal, plus some actual other relatives, even if they were on different parts of the globe at present. Having so many people that he could rely on was still something he was getting used to, but it was growing easier by the day.
After Shuichi bid his final farewells and left, Josuke waited a few more seconds to make sure he was gone before breathing a massive sigh of relief. It wasn't that he didn't like the man – he was friendly enough when he wasn't being a complete asshole, and that was just him doing his job – but he'd reached a strange point where being in another's company for too long was a little stifling for him. He'd grown to treasure the moments of solitude that he could, especially as he knew that those would be few and far between once he returned to school.
Unwilling to take a full shower, he pat himself down a little more with the damp washcloth, going over to the kitchen sink and reloading it with water when he needed to. Glancing outside, he saw what a nice day it was, and realized he hadn't actually left the house for anything but school in the past couple of days. He glanced at the clock and saw that he still had a couple of hours until his mom got home; a quick walk around the neighborhood couldn't hurt too much. Maybe not even that far, maybe he could just visit Okuyasu's dad and Stray Cat and then come right back.
Or he could just stay at home and relax, which was tempting, but despite all the work he'd just done he still felt restless. Maybe it was wise not to push it, though. As good as he felt, he did not want to backslide into being out of commission again. The Speedwagon Foundation had done some absolute miracle work on him, and he'd pushed himself like crazy in physical therapy, but he was honestly a little scared to move forward without someone literally guiding him along. He wanted to get back to normal – well, as normal as possible, considering – and he couldn't do that if he overdid it and hurt himself again.
Stretching his arms over his head, he came to the conclusion that if he didn't set out now, he really would end up staying home for the rest of the day. Which meant that he would have to get dressed. He'd been in his tank and boxers for most of PT, which showed off the scar on his leg; it was already pretty healed and he was happy to know that it would fade even more with time. He went back up the stairs at a much slower pace than he used to so he could pull on some clothes and adjust his hair a little. He'd had his hair done up as usual during the PT, as one of the most important aspects of the whole process (at least to him) had been standing and moving around long enough to actually do his hair at all. It had become considerably undone so he set about fixing it first before putting on his school uniform. Standing easily in front of the mirror, he'd felt more right than he had in some time.
Jogging down the steps – it was so much easier to go down than up – and hopping down the last two to purposefully land on his right leg, Josuke went to the front door, opened it, and immediately stopped in his tracks.
A white woman was standing just outside, her hand raised as though she had just been about to knock on the door. She looked up at him, her lips parted in surprise. Her hair was mostly the color of straw but it had begun to be liberally streaked with gray, and her eyes were an aquamarine color that Josuke was sure he'd seen somewhere. She looked to be middle aged, was wearing a short-sleeved brown and red plaid dress with a tan purse slung over her shoulder, and continued to stare at him as he tried to figure out who she was and why she was here.
“...Can I help you?” asked Josuke, hoping that she understood Japanese. Was this yet another person from the Speedwagon Foundation? How many was he going to have to deal with before they just left him alone!?
“Oh! Uh...” The woman brushed some of her hair behind her ear, almost as though she was nervous about something. “This, uh...You're Hi-Higashikata Josuke, right?”
“Yeah...?”
She didn't say anything else immediately, but those familiar eyes of hers started to water as she put a hand to her mouth. Josuke was getting more and more unnerved by the second.
“Can I help you?” he repeated, more slowly; he really wanted to get this walk out of the way while he still had some strength in his leg left.
“Uh, s-sorry...this is fairly difficult for me,” the woman explained, and Josuke continued to wonder if she meant the language barrier and also why she was here. “We, um, we haven't met. My name...Well, my friends call me Kujo Seiko.”
At the name “Kujo,” Josuke got a sudden hit of realization. This must be Jotaro's mother. It made perfect sense. Not only did they share the same name, but that's why those eyes had seemed so familiar. Jotaro had the same eyes, after all.
...Come to think of it, Mr. Joestar also had the same eyes...
...Holy shit.
Holy shit holy shit holy shit.
Why had it taken this long to click!?
“Of course, I was born with the name Holly Joestar,” the woman was saying in a soft voice when Josuke didn't reply, as though she wanted to hammer the point home but wanted to do so as gently as possible.
Josuke stared at her, his eyes wide. He felt a few tears escape him as he tentatively whispered the word, “ ...Sis?”
The woman – Holly – his sister – burst into tears and reached for him at the exact same time that he found himself automatically extending his arms toward her. They pulled each other into a hug, spontaneously sobbing into each other's shoulders while also laughing hysterically. Neither of them knew how long it took them to pull apart, and both of them had to frantically wipe their eyes, continuing to giggle the whole time. It was like they couldn't stop just staring at each other, as if trying to forced themselves to believe that the other was, indeed, real.
Well, Josuke knew there was one way to check.
“Do you...?” he started to ask, not able to get the rest of the words out and instead reaching up to pull the left side of his jacket down to reveal the birthmark on his shoulder.
“Uh-huh!” She pulled the neckline of her dress down on her left slightly to show off her own, and Josuke let out a watery laugh, almost wanting to pinch himself just to check that he hadn't fallen asleep right after PT and that this wasn't all a dream. “Oh!” Holly continued. “I've heard from Jotaro already, of course, but do you really...?” A bunch of thin, leafy green vines burst from her back, some of them with what looked like raspberries growing out of them.
“Whoa, is that—?” He automatically summoned his own stand and watched Holly's face light up. “This is Crazy Diamond; it fixes most things, including injuries, though I can't fix myself. It can also punch real good.”
“I'd heard!” Holly motioned to one of the raspberries. “I can use one of these to heal some diseases and illnesses, though it leaves me drained after.”
“Really?” Her stand more resembled Mr. Joestar's, but appeared to have similar powers to his own. If they needed any more proof they were related... “Can I ask how that works, exactly?”
“Of course! Um, for example, if someone has the flu, and they eat one of my berries, they'll be healed immediately but I'll have to lie down for a couple of days.” Holly gazed fondly at her stand. “That's usually what they're used for, but a few years ago a friend of mine found a lump in her chest. She was diagnosed with stage two, and I immediately forced her to eat five of my raspberries. I don't know how I knew that was the right number; I just did.” She grinned. “The tumor shrank and became benign pretty instantly, but I was basically in a coma for three months.”
“Whoa!” cried Josuke. “Are you okay now?”
“Yep!” said Holly cheerfully. “I'd warned everyone what I was doing first so they wouldn't freak out; I knew it'd take a lot out of me and they appreciated the heads up.” She laughed. “At least my son didn't have to go out and kill any distant family members this time. And I'd still do it again in a heartbeat, which I might have to do if it becomes a problem again.”
Josuke stared at her in awe.
“And Jotaro called my stand kindness incarnate. That's absolutely amazing!” He glanced back at the ripe berries on the vine, Crazy Diamond leaning in for a closer look. “What do they do to someone who isn't sick?” he asked curiously.
“Oh, they're just a decent snack,” said Holly. “I can only grow up to ten a day, though.”
So there was a limit. Seemed like all stands had them, though hers seemed especially harsh. He could already tell what a good person she was just from her stand alone.
“What's its name?” he asked.
“...It's just called 'Raspberries',” she admitted, her face turning red. “I'm afraid I'm not very imaginative. Though to be fair I did just recover from a terrible fever, like, hours beforehand.”
“I didn't even give mine a name when I first got it!” said Josuke reassuringly. “Your son named it for me after we met!”
“Really?” She looked so proud of her son! “He didn't mention that part!”
“Also I think the Raspberries are an American band or something, so it still ties in with the rest of ours being named for music references.”
“I did notice that! So strange, isn't it?” Holly giggled, and it seemed to light up her face even more, were such a thing possible. “Oh, um, if I could make a small request?”
“Of course!” If it was within his power he would do absolutely anything, especially since she suddenly looked so nervous.
“Well...I mean, I know I was named Holly when I was born, but I've been living in Japan for so long now that Seiko just feels so much more natural—”
“So Big Sis Seiko instead of Big Sis Holly? I can do that.” It was a simple request, and it made her happy, so why the hell not? And the way she beamed at him in response only further confirmed that he'd made the right decision.
Josuke still couldn't quite believe it. Not once did Mr. Joestar even offer to show him a photograph of her, but here she was, right in front of him. The birthmark...the stand...the fact that she was Jotaro's fucking mother...
Eventually, politeness finally caught up with him and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I...You wanna come in?” he stammered. How long had they been standing at the door...?
“Um, yeah, sure, that'd be wonderful!” Thankfully she seemed just as nervously excited as he did.
“Okay, c'mon in!” As she let her stand fade while she toed her shoes off at the door, he did a quick scan over his shoulder to make sure that the room wasn't that dirty. It wasn't, though he did leave a few of his new exercise bands on the couch. He quickly used Crazy Diamond to grab them and store them at the side of the sofa before recalling it and turning back to his sister (he had a sister!). “Um, do you want anything to drink, or...?”
“No, I'm fine, thank you so much!” She couldn't seem to stop smiling; then again, neither could he. Josuke watched as Ho—as Seiko took a look around, her grin widening more than he though possible. “So is this where you grew up?”
“Uh, yeah, just me, my mom, and my grandfather. Which is now just me and my mom.”
“Jotaro told me about that,” said Seiko, her smile faltering. “I'm so sorry, Josuke.”
“I appreciate it,” said Josuke sincerely, guiding her over to the sofa. “This okay?”
“Absolutely!” Her excitement returned in full force once she sat down next to him. “Oh, there's just so much I want to ask, I don't know where to begin!”
“Um, what do you want to know?” asked Josuke, tempted to reach for his comb if only to do something with all this nervous energy.
“Anything and everything you're willing to tell me! Gosh, even just the little things, like your favorite color, your favorite food, I don't even know your birthday—”
“Um, we can do like an exchange, if you want? 'Cause I really want to know about you too, if that's okay?”
“Of course!” Josuke's big sister – he had a big sister – was practically bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Okay, okay...Yeah, starting out small sounds pretty good, actually. Um, I was born on May 24th.”
Seiko gasped and brought her hands to her mouth.
“I was born on June 24th!” she exclaimed.
“No fucking way!” cried Josuke, and immediately grimaced at his tone. “Uh, sorry.”
But Seiko was already waving it off.
“Believe me, my Jotaro has said far worse. I don't want to hold you back.”
Right. She's Jotaro's fucking mom. This is completely insane.
“How 'bout I go next?” Seiko giggled.
“Go for it.”
“Well...I know I said something about favorite food, so...I used to be obsessed with pasta when I was younger, which is probably why I'm drawn to pretty much any Japanese dish with noodles in it.”
“Nice,” said Josuke appreciatively. “I mostly like snack food – pocky's a big favorite – but I've been getting into Italian food as well. There's an authentic Italian restaurant that recently opened up here in town, run by a stand user who uses his powers to make people feel better with his dishes, he's great.”
“Oh that sounds wonderful! My mother's Italian, but it's been a while since we've actually been back to Italy—” She stopped talking abruptly and brought a hand to her mouth again, this time looking guilty. “I didn't...I don't mean to speak out of turn, it's just—”
“No, no, it's fine,” Josuke was quick to reassure her. “I...I don't want you to feel like I'm holding you back either, you know? I mean, there is this huge elephant in the room that we're both kind of refusing to look at, but...”
Josuke suddenly found it hard to look at Seiko. His uniform was growing too hot. As the seconds dragged on, the silence was becoming more and more awkward. Which, it really was her fault for dragging it up in the first place—no, of course not, she was just talking casually as they were both trying so hard to do. This was such a new experience for both of them, and so different from how it had been with Jotaro and even Mr. Joestar. And the silence still continued on. Josuke struggled to stay still, or to say something, anything that would break this oppressive silence, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing was really coming to him.
Just as he felt that he might lose it completely, Seiko spoke up first.
“...I need you to know something.” She waited for Josuke to look at her. “None of us blame you or your mother, not even my mother. After she'd initially calmed down, one of the first things she said was that of course she wouldn't be the only woman to love our dad.” She shook her head.”No, I think we've all been very good at placing the blame exactly where it belongs, and that's on Papa and Papa alone. He's the one who promised to remain faithful to Mama, and he's the one who failed to do so.”
Some kind of weight that Josuke had been feeling for so long – since probably before Jotaro had ever set foot in Morioh – suddenly disappeared off of his shoulders. It was as though he was able to finally breathe for the first time since he was a child.
He cleared his throat and, blinking back a couple tears, said, “So! Favorite color's next, right?”
Seiko let out a watery giggle, wiping a tear away herself.
“I think it was, yes!”
“Well...” Josuke had to think for a second. “I'm partial to darker blues and purples.”
“I like blue, too, but I like that really light baby blue.” She smiled. “And I really like spring! Watching cherry blossoms is amazing, but even in New York I used to love watching everything start to grow in again after the dead of winter, even if it rained all the time.”
“I love spring, too!” said Josuke excitedly. “And for the same reasons!” It was amazing that they had so much in common, and it was even more amazing to watch her smile and laugh at something he'd said, like she was a patient older sister listening to her excited little brother.
No. It wasn't like anything. It was this. He still couldn't wrap his head around it.
“Um, what kind of music do you like? I'm a fan of Prince and Pink Floyd.”
“I've heard some of their songs!” cried Seiko. “But I prefer jazz songs, personally, especially my husband's music.”
Josuke stared at her. Something about that sentence refused to process for a moment.
“...Little Brother? You okay?”
“...Yeah, it—” How to put this into words? “It just never really sunk in that I have a brother-in-law. Somehow.”
Seiko giggled again, saying, “Wait until you meet your great niece.”
“...I have a great niece?” Another family member he didn't know about!?
“Of course! Did Jotaro not tell you about Jolyne?”
...Wait.
“Jotaro has a daughter!?” Josuke yelped, standing up so quickly his gut wound flared up.
“...So that's a no?”
“He didn't say a damn thing about him being a father!” he cried, clutching his side but ignoring the pain as he paced up and down in front of his sister. “He didn't even tell me about you! I mean I knew I had a sister and that's how I was related to him, but...” He slowed to a stop. “I have a niece. Holy shit...” This had truly been an insane year.
“Jotaro actually lives in Florida with his wife and daughter when he's not visiting family,” said Seiko, pulling out a picture of a smiling, green-eyed girl in a blue butterfly shirt with black hair pulled up in twin buns and blond bangs framing her adorable little face. “I've only met her a couple of times around Christmas, but she's never been to Japan or even New York. Jotaro seems oddly reluctant to introduce her, or his wife, to the rest of the family; I think it's because neither of them have stands and he wants to keep them separate from all of this.”
“Well that's not cool,” said Josuke, examining the photo. “I'd love to meet my...niece-in-law? Is that how it works? And especially my great-niece, she's so cute!”
“I'll try talking to Jotaro again about it,” said Seiko, taking back the photo and sticking it in her wallet.
“I'd appreciate that, thank you,” said Josuke, still holding his side even though the pain had subsided by this point.
“Oh, are your injuries okay?” said Seiko, noticing his hand. “I heard you were in the hospital for a while after that stand battle.”
“Yeah, just a bit of a flare-up,” said Josuke, stretching his left thigh a little. “Actually, before you got here I was gonna take a short walk around the neighborhood. Wanna come with?”
“I'd be honored!” Indeed, Seiko looked nothing short of delighted. As she followed him outside, he watched as she took a closer look at all of the houses. “I was paying way more attention to the numbers on the houses than the houses themselves,” she admitted to him. “Wanted to make sure I got the address right. But my goodness is this an adorable little town! You must've loved growing up here!”
“I really did,” he admitted, though for him, unbidden, darker memories had begun to surface. Not only all of the recent Kira bullshit, but the ridicule his mother had faced for raising a bastard son on her own, the bullying he'd put up with for being only half Japanese, and his grandfather seemingly never getting promoted simply because his grandson existed. As he reflected on this, he noticed that his legs had mechanically carried him over to the Angelo Rock, and he stopped in front of it, feeling his sister halt beside him.
“...It's certainly an interesting art piece,” said Seiko after a moment.
“It's the man who killed my grandfather,” said Josuke almost robotically. He couldn't bear to look at Seiko, who he could feel staring at him. “I used Crazy Diamond to fix him with a rock.” He sighed. “It may have been in self-defense and he did kill a fuckton of people beforehand, including Grandpa, but...” He couldn't even look at the Angelo Rock anymore. He turned away, staring at the ground, and said in a small voice that he almost hoped his sister couldn't hear, “I'm just saying...your brother might not be that good of a person.”
“You're saying that like my son and our father don't have kill counts of their own,” Seiko replied immediately. “And I don't love them any less, so why shouldn't I still love you?”
Josuke whipped his head around to stare at her; she stared back with a resolute expression on her face.
“Now, I'm not naive,” she went on. “I know that not all blood relatives have the luxury of loving each other. But...” She smiled up at him. “There's just something about you that's impossible to hate.”
Josuke blinked back tears. He was doing that a lot today. His sister was just so amazing. He couldn't believe she was finally in his life, and so willing to accept everything about him.
He was determined to do the same for her.
“...I guess we have that in common as well, then,” he said at length, wiping his nose and seeing her smile brighten. He sniffed. “Which is why I cannot in good conscience introduce you to Rohan-sensei.”
“And who might that be?” Thin vines whipped around her body for a moment as she pretended to crack her knuckles. “Someone you need help taking care of?” she asked with a smile and a wink.
Josuke chuckled.
“Nah – I mean his stand's pretty powerful but it's kind of just a personality clash.” He paused. “And I did cheat him out of some money. And said game resulted in his house burning down. So. Couple valid reasons for resentment.”
“Huh.” Seiko frowned for a moment. “Can Crazy Diamond not turn ashes back to normal as well, or...?”
“No, it totally can – I actually did fix small portions of his house here and there when he wasn't looking, but he was pissed enough when I had to heal him from near death a few days later so I really didn't want to push it.” He shrugged. “Eh, he's got manga money, he'll be fine. Eventually.”
“...Hold up,” said Seiko with a look of dawning realization. “Kishibe Rohan? The writer of Pink Dark Boy?”
Josuke sighed and nodded, then looked at her in surprise.
“Wait, you read that stuff?”
“Yeah, I read Shonen Jump!” Seiko said excitedly.
“No kidding...” He never would've guessed, for some reason.
“I'm more partial to Shaman King, Prince of Tennis, One Piece, and Hunter x Hunter,” she admitted, “but I tend to read the whole magazine. I like the artwork in Pink Dark Boy but its subject matter's a little too scary for my taste.”
“Yeah, One Piece and Hunter x Hunter are more my speed, too.” They really did just have so much in common...
“You think that's another reason he doesn't like you?” asked Seiko with a little grin, which Josuke returned.
“Honestly, he doesn't really like anyone aside from one of my best friends, Koichi, and he's even harder to hate than the both of us put together. So I'm really not even that pissed at Rohan anyway; he just rubs me the wrong way and I prefer to avoid him if I can.”
“I see.” She shook her head. “What a pity. I can't think of any reason for anyone to miss out on spending time with you.”
“Sis! “ Josuke whined. “You're gonna make me blush!” He could feel that his face was already quite red.
“I'm serious!” said Seiko. “All I had to hear was that you existed, and that you were hurt, and that was all I needed to want to meet you and make sure you were okay. After I spent some time fussing over our new baby sister – and wow do I love saying that—”
“I love hearing it,” said Josuke.
“But once Papa took her back to New York with him, I knew I had to come to Morioh. To see you.”
She came all the way out here just to see me. Just because she wanted to know her brother.
...I would very much like to stop tearing up now. Damn it, I'm supposed to be cool!
Blinking rapidly, the impact of the last thing that Seiko had said finally sunk in. There was suddenly a question that Josuke needed to ask her. One that he very much needed to know the answer to.
“So you said that Mr. Joestar and Shizuka are back in America now?”
“Mm-hmm. Shizuka will be raised in New York like I was. The Speedwagon Foundation is all set up to homeschool her if she stays invisible for the rest of her life, though I do hope she'll still have some semblance of normalcy.”
“I mean, she'll always be welcome back here,” said Josuke. “We're not only all in the know about her, but this town's seen weirder in any case. So if she needs a place where she can fit in, we'll welcome her whenever she wants to visit.”
“That's very kind of you,” said Seiko, patting his arm, and Josuke felt his face turn red again.
“...Can I ask you...kind of a hard question?”
“Sure,” said Seiko, looking up at him.
“...What was it like? Being raised by Mr. Joestar, I mean.”
Seiko thought his question over for some time before speaking.
“...I think my parents and your mother and grandfather wanted us to grow up to be good people. So I'd like to say not much different from how you were raised, but I think we both know that's not true.” She paused. “Well, there would've been some differences anyway, what with you growing up in a small town in Japan and me growing up in a big city in America.”
“That's true,” Josuke allowed. “Whenever I'd visit a city even in Japan, I couldn't fathom how people could live with the noise.”
“Oh you would not believe the relief I felt when I moved out to a quieter part of Tokyo.”
“I can imagine,” Josuke laughed.
“Also,” Seiko went on slowly, “I mean, you would've been raised a little differently anyway, being a boy. There's kind of a difference between 'Dad's pride and joy' and 'Daddy's little girl', after all.”
“That...is a good point.”
“Exactly. Which means you wouldn't have grown up...having been told certain things about what to expect from growing up.” Seiko appeared to have regretted saying that as soon as the words came out of her mouth, but luckily for her Josuke actually knew how to handle this one.
“Oh, you mean period shit?” he asked easily. “I know all about that. Well, as much as I can having never experienced it.”
“Really?” Seiko looked surprised.
“Oh yeah. Mom told me everything when I was about nine.” He grinned. “She said it was to teach me empathy for the girls in my class who would have to go through it in a couple of years if they weren't already, and to realize my own privilege that I don't have to go through it myself. Only I'm pretty damn sure it's because I have to be extra nice to her and do extra shit for her while she's on it.”
Seiko giggled, and Josuke felt his grin widen.
“...So yeah,” he went on, “I never though it was embarrassing or shameful or gross or whatever like I guess a lot of people are raised to believe. Like, I'm pretty squeamish in general but blood's still just blood, y'know? So if you ever want to complain about anything like that, your bro's got you, 'kay?”
Seiko smiled and initiated a hug, which Josuke gladly accepted. She whispered into his shoulder, “I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm kind of post-menupausal.”
“...Oh. Right.” He cleared his throat. “Well if you want to complain about that, too, I'm still here.”
Seiko giggled again.
“I just might take you up on that. It wasn't that long ago and I'm still having hot flashes, plus some other stuff.” She pulled away and frowned slightly. “You sure you don't mind hearing about...that kind of thing?”
“Fine by me.” He blinked. “This is gonna sound weird – again with our bullshit ages – but if I hear you talk about it, then I'll be better prepared when Mom has to go through it herself in ten plus years.”
Seiko giggled again.
“If she ever needs a shoulder to cry on that actually already has gone through it, let her know I'm available. I do think we should be able to talk about this kind of thing, as well.”
“Right? It's like you're shutting up for our sense of comfort, and we don't even have to go through it ourselves, so it doesn't make sense why you can't talk about it.”
“It's not just that! Even among other women, I felt like I couldn't talk about any of it!”
“...Okay that's just weird. And stupid.”
“We're taught to feel deep shame about it the moment it first starts happening when we aren't even teenagers yet.” She scoffed. “See? I can't even really say the name of it when you just said it was okay to talk about!”
“Period. Menstruation. Ovulation. Uh, fallopian tubes,” said Josuke. Seiko laughed brightly.
“I do appreciate that,” she said, “but why don't we wait for another time when we're not still trying to get to know each other?”
“Absolutely,” said Josuke, suddenly grimacing. He hadn't noticed, but the two of them had actually been standing in front of the Angelo Rock for some time now, and his leg had started to cramp up without him noticing. “Uh, on the topic of...changing topics, do you mind if we went back to my house? My leg's kind of starting to act up.”
“Oh, of course!” said Seiko, shifting instantly to looking worried and holding her hands out as though to catch him if he suddenly pitched forward. “Do – do you need me to prop you up at all, or would I only slow you down? Maybe I can help hold you up with my stand, that way you won't be embarrassed if someone passes by – but I don't know if that will be enough...” She caught herself and started to look down. “I know, I'm sorry, I keep slipping into Mom Mode—No!” Her head jerked back up and she hopped up and down in excitement. “This is Big Sister Mode! I get to be the big sister!”
Josuke beamed and said, “Now that I can get behind!” Seiko squealed in delight and Josuke was only too eager to wrap an arm around her shoulders, allowing her to guide him back to his house. Once they got back inside, Seiko helped Josuke lay down on the couch while Raspberries got an ice pack out of the freezer, then went back for a second when Josuke requested another one for his stomach for good measure.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” she asked.
Josuke considered telling her he was fine – and that was basically true for once – but a sudden thought struck him.
“You got any embarrassing stories about a baby Jotaro?” he asked, smiling maliciously
Seiko laughed.
“Do I ever! Actually, I just thought of some photographs that I absolutely have to mail to you!” she said gleefully. “I almost think they'll be funnier without context!”
Josuke chuckled, realized something, and let out a big sigh.
“I'm gonna dig my own grave here.” He took a deep breath. “Do you or do you not want to see my baby pictures.”
“YES,” Seiko yelled immediately, sitting quite literally on the edge of her seat.
“Fine.” Grumbling, and knowing that he brought this upon himself, he stood up and wandered over to a small cabinet under the window, clutching his side and making exaggerated movements and wails to indicate how much it physically pained him to be doing this. Seiko giggled the whole time it took for her little brother to grab a couple of photo albums and bring them back to the sofa.
It was less embarrassing than he'd been expecting, Josuke reflected as Seiko squealed with unbridled joy at every turn of the page. There was an image of his mom when she was heavily pregnant with him grinning cheekily at the camera in a poorly-fitted kimono, Josuke's very first baby picture at only a couple hours old, Mom holding him for the first time, and Grandpa holding him up by one leg in triumph after he'd changed Josuke's diaper for the first time. Having not looked at many of these in some time, it was almost as though they were new to him as well, and it was...nice, actually, to see his grandfather's smiling face again.
Turning the page, Seiko kept cooing over image after image of Josuke as he grew into a toddler (and he was very grateful that Mom hadn't taken any photos of him while he was naked).
“Hard to believe your hair was ever that short,” she commented, glancing up at his pompadour and winking.
“Same,” said Josuke. “I honestly don't remember my hair being any other way, at this point.”
“I'd heard,” said Seiko, getting a little impatient and coaxing the album off of Josuke's lap onto her own so she could turn the pages at her own pace. Her gaze fell onto a four-year-old Josuke posing with what to him must have been a giant baseball bat, and her brother could tell that one stood out considerably because of how pale he'd looked at the time.
“That was right when I was starting to feel not that great. For some reason Mom didn't take another photo of me until I was out of the hospital. No idea why she wouldn't want such a treasured memento of her son slowly dying horribly of a seemingly incurable fever.”
“I see. When my mother visited during my own illness, she actually insisted on taking a picture with me. She was positive I would recover, and to this day I don't know if she truly didn't know how touch and go it really was or if she does and is just refusing to acknowledge it.”
“Or she did know and wanted one last memory with you anyway,” Josuke suggested.
“...That is also possible,” said Seiko. “Everyone around me made such an obvious show of hope that I could tell some of them were faking for my benefit. Who knows, maybe Mama did too.” She smiled at later photos of Josuke at almost six, already starting to grow out and style his hair. “Do you have any other relatives on your mother's side, besides your late grandfather?”
“Not really. Had a grandmother, too, but she died of lung cancer before my fever so I don't remember her. And anyone else was either too distant to begin with or...well, I heard of a cousin who cut all ties with Mom after she...after I happened. Apparently they were really close before.” He shrugged.
“Good riddance,” said Seiko resolutely. “That is not a good enough reason to leave your family.” She looked as though she'd suddenly remembered something, and added, “So there is one more relative on Papa's side to tell you about.”
“That we know of,” Josuke couldn't help but comment darkly.
“Well,” Seiko allowed, “Papa did swear that your mother was the only time he strayed, but I suppose you could still have a point, sadly. But we do have a grandmother on Papa's side. Or did. To be honest I have no idea if she's still alive.”
“...Mr. Joestar's so old that the idea of his parents still being alive never really occurred to me,” Josuke admitted.
“I can't blame you for thinking that,” said Seiko. “Her name is Elizabeth, but she always went by Lisa Lisa when I knew her. I don't know if Papa told you anything about her?”
“Not really, no.”
“Okay. Did he at least tell you that we're actually English, and he only became a US citizen in his thirties?”
“Not when it happen but I knew that he was from England,” said Josuke.
“Okay, good. Well, when our great grandfather Jonathan defeated Dio the first time, the ship they were on sank, and Great-Granny Erina managed to save a baby that had been onboard.”
“And that was Lisa Lisa?”
“Exactly. And when Erina gave birth to our grandfather George, he and Lisa Lisa eventually fell in love and had Papa.”
“Small world.”
“Right? But unfortunately, right after Papa had been born, our grandpa George was killed by one of Dio's zombies – you know about the vampire stuff, right? Okay, good – anyway, there was still a zombie wandering around, disguised as a member of the Royal Air Force. Lisa Lisa destroyed it, but of course you can't really tell the general public about that sort of thing and have them believe you. So she was forced to flee the country while being accused of treason, leaving Papa to grow up without any parents.”
“He did mention he was raised by his...our great-grandmother Erina, and Speedwagon himself,” said Josuke, still trying to keep all of the family straight in his head.
“That's right. Papa didn't even meet Lisa Lisa again until he was eighteen and needed to learn hamon. That's around the time he met my mother as well, actually. Anyway, after all the business with the Pillar Men, Lisa Lisa remarried and moved out to Hollywood to be with her new husband, but was constantly around New York when I was little. It was around the time Great-Granny Erina died that Lisa Lisa started to drift away, and I haven't heard from her in nearly twenty years or so. I don't know if Mama tried to contact her after she found out what Papa did, or to see if she wanted to meet little Shizuka.”
“...Mr. Joestar mentioned that hamon tends to keep you young, but that he largely stopped using it around his thirties. Do you think Lisa Lisa kept using it out of habit, or do you think it was a like-mother-like-son type thing and she just sort of stopped once the main vampire threat was over?”
“That's a good question,” said Seiko ponderously. “I do think I saw her starting to go a little gray at the temples the last time I saw her, but I don't know whether or not that's my memory playing tricks on me.” She sighed. “I definitely need to bring some photographs next time; I only have the one of my granddaughter on me.”
She is a grandmother and she is also my sister. What is happening, how is this possible.
Suddenly, Josuke whipped his head around to stare at the clock on the wall. “Shit...Mom's gonna be home soon.”
“Oh, should I go?” It was amazing how she was able to transition seamlessly from one mood to the next. “I don't want to make her uncomfortable.”
Josuke was about to agree with her, but stopped himself. He'd been so open and honest about everything with his mother lately – he'd told her about stands, Kira, even meeting Mr. Joestar – that the thought of concealing anything else from her, especially something that he was keen to continue, ended up repulsing him. It was nice to not have to hide much of anything from her anymore. He wanted to keep that going if possible.
He told all of this to Seiko, and added, “Do you know your way to the station from here?”
“I think so.”
“...So here's what we're gonna do, if you're up for it. You're gonna hide in the kitchen, and I'm gonna greet my mom at the door and tell her about you. If she's up for a visit then you can come out and we can keep talking, and if she's not you can just sneak out the back door no problem. Only some discomfort, little of it in person.”
“Are you sure?” She seemed hesitant.
“Yeah,” said Josuke, shrugging. “I at least want to give her the option, you know? I mean, only if you're up for it,” he added hastily.
“...Genuinely, I would love nothing more than to meet your mother,” said Seiko. “If she's anything like you, it'll be easy to see exactly why Papa fell for her, too.”
“What is it with everyone complimenting me these days?” cried Josuke, laughing even as he felt himself blushing again. “Be honest, it's the injuries, isn't it.”
“Only a little bit!” Seiko laughed in return.
Still grinning, Josuke stood up.
“I'm just gonna watch from the window,” he said, looking outside. “We can keep talking until she actually—Aaaand she's here. Fucking timing, wow.”'
“She's here?” Seiko looked worried. “Is it too late for me to hide?”
“She's coming up the street, you still got time.”
“Okay,” she said, grabbing her purse and jogging toward the kitchen. She stopped before entering and turned back. “Um, if I do have to leave...can I call you sometime?”
“Absolutely,” said Josuke; he stayed by the window but quickly summoned Crazy Diamond to rush over to a chest of drawers and pull out a pencil and some paper, jotting down his phone number and tearing off the sheet. “I don't know when a good time would be, but we'll figure something out.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely, accepting the slip of paper from Crazy Diamond and disappearing around the corner with one last smile.
Josuke kept his grin in place as she disappeared from view, but it faded as he faced the window again and he had to bite back a tiny sigh. He really hoped that Seiko wouldn't have to leave; was it really too much to ask that his sister got along with his mother?
...That might be the most normal thought I've had all day.
Mom was at the driveway now. Out of the corner of his eye, Josuke saw Raspberries quickly grab its users shoes from the entrance, pulling them back behind the corner just as Mom approached the door. Josuke sprinted to the entrance and opened the door for her, saying, “Hey, welcome back!”
“I'm home,” Mom greeted him, flashing him a grin. “And may I say, it makes me so weirdly happy to see you just...standing there.”
“I know what you mean,” said Josuke, accepting a hug and taking her bag as she kicked off her shoes.
“Except why the hell are you wearing your uniform when you didn't even go to school today?”
“Makes me feel normal,” shrugged Josuke.
“...Guess I can understand that.”
Mom moved to go further inside, but Josuke held out a hand to stop her. Desperately trying to keep things casual, he smoothed out the hair on the back of his head as he said, “So I had a visitor today.”
Mom gave him a look.
“I take it you're not talking about Shuichi?”
“Right.”
“I see.” She looked over his shoulder. “And are they still here?”
“...Basically, yeah.”
“And they're hiding because...?”
Josuke took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
“Because it's Kujo Seiko.” He cleared his throat. “AKA Holly Joestar.”
Mom's eyes widened and it took her a moment to speak.
“So...Joseph's daughter.”
“And my sister.” Josuke was unable to hold back a smile. “When she found out about her little brother, she wanted to meet me.”
“...Okay. Okay...” She was clearly mulling things over. “So does she want to meet me as well but is just aware of...of the awkwardness of the situation?”
“That, and I showed her where the backdoor is so she can just escape right now if you don't want to meet her.”
“Smart plan. And really liking how you're still keeping me in the loop about stuff.”
“Yeah, hiding things from you sucks, I don't want to do that anymore.”
“Mm.” She took another moment to think, then gave Josuke a firm nod. “Yep. I want to meet her. Bring her out.”
Josuke, apprehensive but still grinning, craned his neck over his shoulder and yelling, “Oi! Big Sis Seiko! We're good!”
“Okay!” she replied, stepping into view and grinning in nervous delight, having just just finished shoving her shoes into her purse. Josuke let out a soft chuckle and could see his mother fighting to keep her face straight beside him.
“It's such a pleasure to meet you, Higashikata-san!” Seiko exclaimed with a deep bow. “My name is Kujo Holly, but all of my friends call me Seiko.”
“And is that what you prefer to be called?” asked Mom in an even tone that, if it was forced, she gave no indication of it being so.
“If it's not too much trouble,” said Seiko, bowing again.
Mom finally cracked a smile of her own.
“Then please, Seiko-san, call me Tomoko,” she said with a bow of her own, and Seiko smiled in delight with a hint of relief, echoing Josuke's own feelings. But then Mom sighed, and said, “Okay, let's just get this out of the way.” She cleared her throat, knelt on the floor, and bowed low before Seiko. “I really must apologize for any inconvenience I've caused you and your family for my...for what I did.”
“Mom...” said Josuke softly, Seiko letting out a gasp and holding up a hand in protest.
“I knew it was wrong,” Mom went on, “I knew he was married, I knew there'd be consequences even beyond Josuke, and I did it anyway.” She pressed her forehead into the floor. “And worst of all, I don't regret a single moment of it. I completely understand if you don't forgive me.”
But Seiko was shaking her head, a sad smile on her face.
“Please, there's no need for that,” she insisted, reaching down and helping Mom to her feet. She guided Mom over to the kitchen table and sat her down in one of the chairs, taking a seat herself before continuing. “Mama said that there was no way she would be the only woman to ever fall for Papa. She's only mad at Papa for actually cheating, not at you for doing something that to her was so logical, or at Josuke for existing; that is especially not his fault.”
Josuke had already heard this earlier but boy did it feel nice to hear it again. Mom, for her part, looked like it was her turn to have some of the weight lifted off her shoulders.
“...You have his eyes, you know,” she said softly. “You and your son both.” She then smiled ruefully. “You know I mistook Jotaro for Joseph when we first met?”
“I did not!” cried Seiko, giggling. “But they do bear a striking resemblance, don't they?”
“Mm. Could just be the height.”
“Could be!” Seiko laughed. “I can't tell you what a joy meeting Josuke has been,” she went on, sounding a little more serious. “I've always wanted siblings, but my birth was kind of traumatizing for my mother so she didn't want any more kids. And now that I have them...if it's all right with you, I'd like to be involved in my brother's life, at least from time to time.”
“I want to see Joseph again,” Mom immediately choked out quietly.
Both siblings stared at her in shock.
“Mom,” Josuke whispered, “we've talked about this, you can't just...”
“No, of course not, I don't mean—” Mom reached out her hand hurriedly before letting it drop to the table in resignation. “...I don't want that to be the trade-off. Of course you can be involved in Josuke's life as much as you want – as much as he wants, I can tell he's happy just getting to know you – I'm just...” She sighed, with a sad little smile. “It's the desperate request of a woman who's still in love with someone she shouldn't be, that's all. I know it's a ridiculous request. Forget I said anything.”
Seiko immediately put her hand on top of Mom's with a kind smile of her own.
“I can't promise anything,” she said softly, “but I'll see what I can do. It will honestly be up to my mother in the end.” She let out a quiet chuckle. “Had you asked a month ago, I'd dash all your hopes right now, but little Shizuka's calmed everyone down considerably.”
“Shizuka?”
“Fuck,” muttered Josuke in a sudden panic. Ah well, better late than never. “That invisible baby I told you about?”
“Yeah?”
“We never found her parents, so Mr. Joestar adopted her. I completely forgot to tell you, I'm so sorry.” He gestured to his left side. “I have a couple of excuses but I don't know if you're willing to accept them right now.”
Mom stared at him with a blank expression that made Josuke steadily more nervous before finally saying, “So my son has two sisters.”
“...Yep.”
Mom stared at him for a moment longer, took a deep breath, said, “I'll process that later,” and turned back to Seiko. “You said there might be a chance?”
“A slim one, yes.” Seiko frowned. “Though Papa is back in New York right now and I honestly don't know if he's well enough to travel again so soon—”
“I will more than settle for a phone call.” She let out a snicker. “It's probably for the best if we do that, actually; there's less chance of me trying to steal him again if he's not even on the same continent anymore.”
Seiko laughed, and Josuke smiled as he finally sat down as well. With the three of them gathered around the kitchen table, Josuke felt a jolt of mixed grief and happiness as he reflected how nice it was to be sitting with two of his family members again.
Grandpa would have loved her, he thought to himself as he watched his mother and sister act like the family that they only today knew themselves to be.