Chapter Text
A cool breeze flowed through the air, carrying fallen leaves along with it. The sky was its usual golden color, the sun rays matching its hue as it beamed down on the quaint town of Morioh. It was a warmer than usual spring day in May and the streets were lined with the students of Budogaoka as they all made their way back home. Lively chatter could be heard throughout the crowds of teens ranging from usual gossip and complaints of upcoming tests to barely contained excitement for the upcoming summer break. Despite the buzzing energy that could be felt throughout the crowds, it wasn’t overwhelming. It felt like the perfect, almost picturesque spring day.
“Man, finally glad school’s done for today…” Josuke sighed, walking leisurely on his usual route home with his bag slinged over his shoulder. “I was thinking we can get all our studying done today so we can hang the rest of the weekend. How’s that sound, dude?” the older teen asked, turning to look at his best friend Okuyasu.
Okuyasu didn’t respond as he continued to walk beside Josuke. He was looking straight ahead but his eyes were unfocused like he was lost in thought. Josuke furrowed his brow a little, concerned for his buddy’s spaced out expression.
“Helloooo? Earth to Okuyasu?” Josuke raised his voice slightly, waving a hand in front of Okuyasu’s face. That seemed to do the trick as Okuyasu blinked and turned to look at his friend with a smile that seemed a little too forced.
“Oh, my bad bro. I was zonin’ out.”
“Uh huh, I figured…”
An awkward silence stretched between the two boys. Okuyasu said nothing as he looked forward again, his expression clearly showing he was upset with something. Josuke felt a pain in his chest, he hated seeing his dear friend so upset.
“C’mon man. I can tell something’s bugging you, what’s wrong?” Josuke asked, nudging Okuyasu’s arm playfully. Okuyasu smiled slightly and shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“I dunno dude, I just…” Okuyasu muttered, “It’s kinda lame.”
Josuke shook his head, smiling softly. “Dude, you’re my best friend. You can tell me whatever, even if it is lame.”
“Well I ain’t tellin’ ya if yer gonna make fun of me!”
“Okay, okay. I promise I won’t make fun of you.” Josuke stopped in his tracks, holding up his one hand and placing his other over his heart. Okuyasu stopped as well, pursing his lips as he stared at Josuke before relenting.
“It’s kinda hard t’ explain,” Okuyasu started, looking away as he kicked a small pebble. “But I guess I’ve just been…lonely, or somethin’.”
Josuke scoffed, closing the distance between him and Okuyasu and pulling him into a side hug. “That’s all? We just gotta hang out more, then! Maybe Koichi’s free too if he and Yukako aren’t—”
“No, no, not like that dude. Different kinda lonely.”
“Oh?” Josuke cocked his head, looking at Okuyasu. He still didn’t make eye contact with Josuke, though up close Josuke could see he was starting to get a little weepy.
Josuke smiled softly, pulling Okuyasu closer. “What’s wrong, man? You know you can talk to me about anything. I’m always gonna be here for you, Okuyasu.”
At that, Okuyasu finally looked Josuke in the eyes. Okuyasu’s lip quivered slightly and it made Josuke’s heart feel like it was about to burst. He gave Okuyasu’s shoulder a light squeeze and waited for him to speak.
Okuyasu wiped away the tears that started to form in his eyes and took a small, shaky breath before he started speaking.
“It’s just…I’ve been missin’ my mom like crazy.” Okuyasu confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. Josuke frowned, but he waited to speak until Okuyasu was done.
“I know I’ve got you, and yer mom’s real nice t’ me so it helps sometimes,” Okuyasu continued. “But it’s not the same. I go home to that big empty house and I just wish I had someone waitin’ for me t’ like, check on me ‘n make sure I get my homework done and all that. Maybe it’s silly, I dunno…”
“No dude, it’s not silly!” Josuke replied, standing in front of Okuyasu.
“You don’t have to lie to me man, I can take it—”
“Hey,” Josuke frowned, grabbing Okuyasu’s face and squeezing. “You callin’ me a liar, bro?”
“No way, bro!” Okuyasu exclaimed, his eyes widening.
“Exactly, so take what I say seriously.” Josuke smiles, patting Okuyasu’s face, earning a grumble from the younger boy. “Have you been thinking about this for a while?”
“Well, kinda.” Okuyasu replied, crossing his arms. “I mean, it’s somethin’ that’s been on my mind forever, y’know? I guess I’ve just been thinkin’ about it more. And then I got that math test back today that I did shitty on and the teacher was all like, ‘I bet your parents are disappointed yer doin’ so bad’ or whatever.”
“The fuck? What an asshole,” Josuke interjected, his temper spiking. The school had some mean teachers, but a lot of the teachers treated Okuyasu noticeably worse and it pissed Josuke off. He wanted to turn around and give that lousy math teacher a well deserved ass kicking but he held himself back. He’s a high school senior now, he doesn’t fly off the handle like freshman Josuke did.
“A total asshole! I’m tempted to walk back there and beat his ass til he cries,” Okuyasu agreed angrily, Josuke smiling slightly to himself at the two of them having the same idea. “But whatever, anyway. That kinda got me thinkin’ cause I do tell my old man about my grades but he’s not in any condition to get on my ass about it. What would my mom think? Would she be disappointed in me? And that kinda fucked me up.”
Josuke shook his head, pulling Okuyasu back into another side hug. “Forget that dickhead math teacher. Your mom wouldn’t be disappointed in you at all, Okuyasu.”
“…Really?” Okuyasu’s voice cracked slightly.
“Really,” Josuke grinned, squeezing Okuyasu’s shoulder. “You’re a really great person, dude. Despite everything you’ve been through you’re still super nice and caring and stuff. And you’re a total badass.”
“Thanks, Josuke. Yer the best.” Okuyasu beamed, genuinely this time. It feels like something inside of Josuke does a somersault, but he tries to ignore it.
The two stood there in silence for a moment, Josuke gently rubbing Okuyasu’s shoulder to attempt at comforting his friend at least somewhat.
Okuyasu pulled away first, just enough to look up at his friend. He smiled again, the look in his eyes seemed less burdened, like his emotions no longer weighed him down.
“Thanks for listening t’ me bro. Still don’t feel too great, but gettin’ it off my chest helped.” Okuyasu confessed. Josuke returned the smile, pulling Okuyasu in closer again as they began to continue their path home.
“Of course dude! I wish I could help you out more, but if you ever wanna talk or if you need something you know I’ve always got your back.”
The two continued their walk home in a comfortable silence, relishing in the light mood and lighter breeze that swirled around them.
“What’d y’ get on that math test anyway?” Okuyasu asked after a moment, letting go of their hug.
“Like, a 19. I bombed that shit bad. The teacher didn’t even say anything to me about it either, which was weird.”
“Aw, what?! I got a 36! That bastard, how come he got on MY ass about my score when you did worse than me??” Okuyasu boomed, his face red with anger.
“Yeah…How the hell did I do worse than you?” Josuke asked, barely holding back a grin.
“That’s what I’m sayin’—wait a minute, what’s that supposed t’ mean, asshole?!”
Josuke burst out laughing, his laughter turning into screaming as Okuyasu chased him down the road all the way to Josuke’s house trying to whack him with his bag.
The two collided into each other at the edge of Josuke’s front yard, giggling and trying to catch their breath. Okuyasu gave Josuke a playful punch on the arm before looking towards the direction of his own home and stopping dead in his tracks.
“Oi Josuke,” Okuyasu whispered, grabbing Josuke’s sleeve. “Are you seein’ what I’m seein’?”
“Hm?” Josuke followed Okuyasu’s gaze over to his front gate, where a woman was attempting to push it open.
She was a bit far away, but Josuke could tell she was an older woman, probably in her 40’s. She was short and stout, with brown skin and short blonde hair, and bright clothes that led Josuke to believe she was a tourist. He narrowed his eyes, growing more serious.
“Do you recognize that lady, Okuyasu?”
“Nope. At least, not from this far. Maybe she’s a little familiar but I dunno from where.”
The two fell silent as they watched the woman for a moment. Besides her touristy appearance she didn’t seem strange or looking to pick a fight, so there was a good chance she wasn’t a stand user. The two also noticed she was carrying a stack of papers in her arms.
“Maybe she’s just a solicitor or something?” Josuke suggested, looking over at Okuyasu. Okuyasu nodded as he continued to stare at her.
“Yeah, maybe. I can probably deal with this on my own.”
“You sure, bro? I can go with you, I really don’t wanna go inside yet.” Josuke asked, Okuyasu turning to him with a shit-eating grin.
“Aww, scared mommy’s gonna kick yer ass over yer bad grade?”
“Ha ha, very funny. YES.” Josuke answered dryly, earning a snort from his friend who had started to walk away.
“Damn, that sucks bro. Good luck with that! Byeee!” Okuyasu called out as he trotted off.
“SCREW YOU DICKHEAD!” Josuke shouted back with a laugh, before taking a deep breath and making his way into his home, opening the door to a very angry looking Tomoko. Josuke swallows, knowing it’s already too late for him.
Okuyasu was a few feet away from the woman now, who stood right against the gate to his front yard peering around. He stopped just before he reached her, trying to figure out what course of action to take.
Okuyasu—who’s no longer as impulsive as he used to be—still mostly thought with his heart and not his head. So after what he decided was enough thinking, stomped closer to the woman and loudly (but still somewhat politely) boomed, “Excuse me lady, can I help ya with somethin’?”
The woman yelped at Okuyasu’s sudden announcement, and turned around sharply. “Don’t just sneak up on me like that, young man! Nearly gave me a heart attack…” She scolded, clutching her chest.
“Oh, er, my bad. Just wanted t’ see if ya needed any help.” Okuyasu crossed his arms, partially trying to seem tough but also because he was trying to concentrate. Now that he was closer up, the woman did seem much more familiar, although he was fairly certain he’d never seen her before.
She wore dark aviator sunglasses, an orange and yellow striped shirt with dark wash denim capris and orange platform sandals. She sighed and removed her sunglasses, opening up her massive brown leather purse and putting them away.
“Well I'm trying to find someone and they apparently live at this address, although I doubt it…this building looks like it’s two seconds away from collapsing.” The woman pursed her lips, shuffling through the papers in her hands. “Although knowing Mansaku, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did stick those two in this dump, lousy bastard…” She muttered this last part mostly to herself.
Okuyasu squeezed his arms closer together, trying to stay calm. He was definitely starting to freak out a little. This random woman said she was looking for someone who lived at this address—his address—and she knows his father’s name? Who is this lady? Okuyasu’s temper was beginning to flare, he hated being put in situations where he had to think things through too much.
“Who are y’ looking for exactly?” Okuyasu asked, trying to keep his voice even. This whole scenario was giving him a weird feeling.
“Oh, well that’s—” the woman started to explain when she finally made eye contact with Okuyasu and stopped dead in her tracks, mouth slightly agape.
“Is it…?” She whispered, slowly walking towards Okuyasu. Okuyasu’s anger dissipated into anxiety, the sudden shift in the woman’s expression worrying him. Was she going to pick a fight? Some poor victim of his father’s bidding for Dio, here to exact revenge? Okuyasu started to go on the defense, but still refrained from calling out his stand.
As the woman continued to approach Okuyasu, he looked down and noticed a photograph at the top of the stack of papers she was holding. A certain blonde pillar of hair reminded him of someone and his heart drummed hard in his chest.
That was definitely a young Keicho in that photograph. A photo Okuyasu hadn’t ever seen before. His nervousness grew rapidly. Who the hell was this woman, and why did she have a random childhood photo of his brother??
As he looked at the photograph a little more, it wasn’t just his brother. A younger version of that woman was also there, holding up the young Keicho. They were standing next to what seemed like a hospital bed, with a woman whose face he couldn’t make out due to a glare holding a baby lying in it.
A baby that looked a lot like…him.
“…Okuyasu?” The woman whispered, tears beading at the corners of her eyes. She stood directly in front of Okuyasu now, her hand slowly moving towards him.
“W-what—who—” Okuyasu breathing began to quicken and he felt his body start to shake. This was far too much for him to process.
“Hey—slow down honey, you’re okay. I’m not gonna hurt you,” The woman finally noticed his anxiety and attempted to calm Okuyasu down, a warm smile on her face. A smile that was so familiar. At that Okuyasu finally realized how he recognized the woman: she looked like an older version of his mother.
Okuyasu took a deep breath, and cautiously asked, “Who…are you?”
The woman’s expression took a more bittersweet turn. “Ah, well. I should’ve expected you wouldn’t remember me.” She looked up at Okuyasu with a genuine smile and said gently,
“I’m your mom’s sister, honey. I’m your aunt.”