Work Text:
DIO. There he was. DIO, the monster that they had set out to defeat all those days ago, was standing at the top of the staircase, only a few dozen feet from where Jotaro stood. Jotaro couldn’t see his face; in fact, he couldn’t see much outside of the silhouette of DIO, and the bodies strewn around him. Wait, bodies?
Jotaro’s eyes darted from body to body, his sight barely able to linger on the horror of the sight for more than a few seconds. Avdol’s body laid lifeless a few steps down from where DIO stood, his forearms completely cut off from the body and a hole directly in the center of his forehead. Polnareff’s body was laid vertically, his head, with its mouth agape, lying to the right of DIO. A gigantic gash was present on his chest, exposing his innards to the open air. Kakyoin was strewn over the right railing, his arms dangling in the air. A massive hole could be easily spotted in his chest. Finally, his neck being grasped by DIO’s hand, wearing an expression of shock on his completely dead face… was none other than Jotaro’s grandfather, Joseph Joestar.
“DIO! DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS WILL WORK?!”
“Hah. What is it you’re implying, Jotaro?”
“YOU CAN’T SCARE ME WITH THIS CRAP! ALL YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED IS PISSING ME OFF! STAR PLATINUM!” Jotaro called out the name of his Stand, but nothing appeared. Where he expected his fighting spirit to appear, there was naught but empty air. DIO laughed.
“You’re powerless, Jotaro. As powerless as these limp, lifeless bodies. I have a much better idea in mind for you than trying to mindlessly fight against what you cannot defeat…” Jotaro could only watch in horror as tendrils of flesh began to extend out of DIO’s head, rearing up to charge at Jotaro. “Jotaro… Why don’t we be friends?” Jotaro attempted to scream out for Star Platinum yet again, but nothing came out of his mouth as the flesh buds charged at his face. He kept calling out uselessly, over and over again, and he was unable to fight back as the flesh buds dug into his forehead. Jotaro closed his eyes, preparing for his final moments, when-
“Jotaro! JOTARO!”
“Nngh… what…?”
“Jotaro! Are you awake?!” Jotaro opened his groggy eyes, a light headache forming in his cranium. When he was able to perceive his surroundings at a comprehensible level, he realized he was seeing both the light of a campfire and the, thankfully, very much alive Kakyoin. Past the campfire were Joseph and Polnareff, sound asleep. Jotaro couldn’t spot the baby, but he knew it was in the area. Kakyoin was kneeling over Jotaro, one hand on the ground and the other on Jotaro’s face, and he had a worried look on his face.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m awake…” Jotaro sat up and Kakyoin backed up to get out of his way. Jotaro placed his hand on his forehead, and realized he was sweating quite heavily.
“Oh, thank goodness. You were getting pretty aggravated in your sleep, so I was worried. Were you having a nightmare?” Kakyoin was smiling now, apparently relieved.
“Yeah… I think I facing off against DIO, but I couldn’t summon Star Platinum, and all of you guys were…” Jotaro cut himself off, not wanting to even think about what he had seen in that damn dream. A lot of people thought Jotaro was a cold, heartless bastard, but he’d sooner eat shit and smile about it than see any of these idiots he’s travelling with wind up dead. They had already lost one man too many.
“Mm, I see. Well, it’s a good thing I woke you up.” Kakyoin settled back into his sleeping bag. Jotaro laid back down, but didn’t close his eyes.
“Why are you awake, Kakyoin?”
“One of us needs to keep a watch over the area.”
“Looks like you’re only watching the campfire from here.”
“That’s part of the trick, Jotaro. It may look like I’m just dozing off, but I have Hierophant Green maintaining a barrier around the entire area. If anybody tries to get the drop on us, they’re in for a rude awakening.”
“Huh.” Jotaro pondered that for a moment. Every time Kakyoin used his Stand, it seemed like Jotaro learned something new it was capable of doing. “Your Stand doesn’t look it, but it’s pretty damn versatile.”
“Yes, my Hierophant isn’t particularly strong, so I’ve had to learn quite a few tricks over the year to keep it up to par with other Stands.” That’s right; Kakyoin developed his Stand pretty early in his life, so he’s had a lot of time to hone it. A question popped into Jotaro’s mind.
“Say, what was that like? Growing up with a Stand, I mean.” Jotaro wasn’t really sure why he was asking that; it’s not like he gave a damn about Kakyoin’s life story, right? Nah, he was just curious, since he only acquired Star Platinum recently. That was the only explanation, he thought.
“Well…” Kakyoin’s relieved expression was replaced with one that looked… wistful. He stared off into the night sky. “Back then, I think I saw my Hierophant as a gift. I never had many friends growing up; in fact, I’m not sure if I had any to begin with. I was always isolated from other people, off in my own little world… Looking back on it, the overwhelming loneliness I felt is likely why my Stand developed in the first place. It’s almost as if the universe took pity on me, and granted me a friend.” Kakyoin chuckled. Probably not because he thought it was funny, Jotaro thought, but because he was laughing at his own patheticness.
“The more I think about it, the more I realize… my Stand may have been more of a curse than a blessing. Nobody could see Hierophant Green except for me. If I was a loner before, now I was just a freak. I stopped trying to make friends, or even to have any meaningful relationships. I thought the rest of my life would go on like that, that I would be the only person capable of understanding what I was going through…”
Jotaro chimed in. “But then you met Dio.” Kakyoin nodded.
“When I met Dio, I was at the lowest point in my life. I had given up on understanding other people. I thought I would be alone for the rest of my days. Even if Dio wore how evil he is as if it were a badge of honor… I gave in as if it were nothing. Simply because he understood me.” Kakyoin laughed again, presumably to lift some tension from the situation. “Ah, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear my life’s story, Jotaro. It doesn’t matter at this point, after all. All that matters is our goal; defeat Dio in fifty days.”
Jotaro pulled on his hat, adjusting the visor in such a way that his eyes were obscured from Kakyoin’s view. “… Kakyoin.”
“Yes?”
“… I’m sorry.” Upon hearing the words exit Jotaro’s mouth, Kakyoin was surprised. Exasperated, even.
“What for? It’s not as if you’re at any fault in all of this, Jotaro.”
“No, not for that. I’m sorry about what happened earlier.” Jotaro was referring to the whole incident that happened with the baby earlier that day, of course. Kakyoin claimed the baby was a Stand user, and that he had cuts on his arm that proved it, but the other three men thought he had turned into a damn lunatic.
“Oh, that? Please, Jotaro, I’m not upset. Really, I was behaving irrationally. Your reaction was justified.”
“Maybe, but… I can’t shake this feeling that you were right the whole time, and we were acting like assholes for doubting you. Even if you had just gone insane, we’re supposed to be teammates. We shouldn’t just turn on each other like that. So, I’m sorry.” Kakyoin smirked, both as a smug way of saying ‘I told you so’ without words, and as a genuine sign of his appreciation.
“Well, I’m glad, Jotaro. That means a lot coming from you. But…” Kakyoin sighed. “Really, you don’t need to worry about it. It’s not like I could be mad at you even if I wanted to.”
“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Jotaro knew his reply probably came off as pretty aggressive, but it’s not like he gave a damn; what Kakyoin said didn’t make any sense to him.
“Jotaro… You put on this image of an extremely aggressive and confrontational man, but I think none of us would hesitate to say you’re an extremely selfless and caring person. You risked your own life without a second thought to save somebody who had been trying to kill you only minutes earlier.” Kakyoin turned his head towards Jotaro’s. “Truthfully, Jotaro… I would say you’re the first real friend I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t risk our friendship on something petty like that.”
“… Kakyoin.” Jotaro’s expression was unchanging; even in a heart-to-heart, his stoicism knew no bounds.
“Hmm?”
“… You’re alright.” After muttering those words quietly, Jotaro turned over, his back now facing Kakyoin. “I’m gonna get some actual damn sleep. Wake me up if you sense anything.”
Kakyoin was a bit surprised; a compliment? From Jotaro? When he spent a moment to consider it, however, he couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. You’re alright; what a Jotaro thing to say. “Of course,” he said, turning his head back towards the night sky. As Jotaro’s body began to go limp as his brain’s functions shut down for the night, three words ran through Kakyoin’s head.
Jotaro…
Thank you.