"Kakyoin! Jotaro! My boys!!"
Jotaro sighed as his grandfather made a ridiculous scene in the middle of the airport.
"Calm down old man."
"Oh, Jotaro, let him be. It's been a while since he visited. How are you Mr. Joestar?"
"What have I told you about that Mr. Joestar mess, huh? It's Jiji to you!"
Noriaki blushed as Joseph nearly picked him up in a hug, "Oh! Jiji!"
Joseph dropped Kakyoin and moved to hug Jotaro, nearly falling in the floor when his grandson sidestepped out of the way, "Oh come on, Jotaro! Give your old man a hug!"
"Pass."
Noriaki rolled his eyes and laughed as Joseph chased Jotaro around the airport trying to hug him.
"Alright you two! You're making a scene."
Jotaro moved to hide behind Noriaki, "Stop your stupidity, old man!"
Joseph frowned, "I just wanted a hug from my grandson!"
"Maybe later, Jiji. We should go. We can talk over lunch. There's a lovely Italian place not far from our apartment."
"OH! My treat!" Joseph shouted.
Jotaro sighed, "Calm down old man. It's just lunch."
"It's an Italian lunch! Is it worth it, Kakyoin?"
Noriaki shrugged, "I believe so. Isn't Mrs. Joestar Italian? You could tell us how authentic it actually is."
"I will! Come on boys! Let's go have lunch!"
Twenty minutes later they sat at the restaurant as Joseph ordered for everyone.
"I promise you, boys. You will love what I ordered. Squid ink pasta is the best!"
"You wanted to talk to Noriaki about something, old man?"
"Jotaro! Be polite!" Noriaki said.
"Oh, he's alright, Kakyoin. I am here to talk to you about something important. But maybe we can wait until after lunch?" Joseph asked.
Jotaro huffed, "Fine. But it better not be anything stupid."
Joseph sighed, "Trust me. It's not. I wish it were, but it's not."
Kakyoin narrowed his eyes, "What is it, Jiji?"
"I'd rather wait..."
"Spill it, old man!"
Joseph grumbled, "Fine...but you're not going to like it..."
"Jiji...what's wrong?" Noriaki asked.
"Nothing's wrong. It's just...we've figured out how to restore your memories..."
Noiraki's eyes widened, "Really?!"
"It's not just that..."
"Then what is it, old man?" Jotaro asked.
Joseph fidgeted in his chair, "Well...Kakyoin...you're not exactly...normal..."
Noriaki leaned forward on the table, "What do you mean?"
"Well...you're...a clone..."
A long silence filled the area as Noriaki absorbed the words.
"A clone? What do you mean?"
Joseph sighed, "The real Noriaki Kakyoin died in Egypt. You are a clone. Created to help Jotaro recover..."
Noriaki sat still for a long moment, waiting for Joseph to laugh or smile or anything to tell him the man was joking. But it never happened.
Jotaro just stared at his grandfather, knowing by the way the man sat hunched in on himself, that he was telling the truth.
"I...I'm a clone...?"
Joseph nodded slowly, "Yes. You were recreated to save Jotaro...and...to give you the life you would have missed out on..."
Noriaki's eyes filled with tears, "I...I'm not real..."
Joseph's expression turned fierce, "You are as real as the original..."
"I'm not real!! I'm a copy! I never survived! I'm an experiment! I...I'm not real..."
"Nori..." Jotaro began.
"No! I'm not Nori. I'm...I'm nothing! I'm nobody! Just a fake..."
Jotaro pulled Noriaki into a hug, "No. You're my Nori. Nothing will change that."
"I'M NOT REAL!!" he screamed, earning the stares of other customers. He didn't care though. All his life had been a lie. How old was he? A few years? How long would he live like this? How had they even managed this? Was it even legal?
"Noriaki, please. Calm down..." Jotaro begged.
"How can I calm down!?"
"We'll figure this out together..."
"HOW?! You're dating the memory of a dead man!!"
"It doesn't matter..."
"I'm just a fake! You're not dating me! Just the memory of...of a dead man! You never loved ME!"
"Nori, no..."
Noriaki shoved Jotaro away and ran for the exit, needing the space to breathe once again.
"Noriaki!" Jotaro called as he stood to follow.
Joseph grabbed his grandson's arm and held him in place, "Let him go, Jotaro. He needs time to think..."
"No! He shouldn't be alone right now!"
"He needs time..."
"He needs me to be there for him!" Jotaro yelled before pulling his arm away from Joseph and running after Noriaki.
Outside the restaurant, Noriaki ran down the sidewalk until he saw someone leave a taxi. He slid to a stop, hearing Jotaro calling after him. Without a glance back, Noriaki ducked into the taxi and ordered the driver away.
*****
Jotaro stopped in his tracks, watching as the taxi pulled away and became lost in the traffic.
"Damnit." He muttered as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Noriaki's number.
It went straight to voice mail.
"GOD DAMNIT!!!"
"Jotaro..."
"What?!"
"Come on. He needs time to think. Let's get you back home."
"He shouldn't be alone..."
"He needs to be alone. Just give him time to think. I dropped a lot on him. And you..."
"He's really a...a clone?"
"Yes. He is."
"Noriaki died?"
"He did. He died bravely, for us all."
Jotaro took in a shuttering breath, "Is...why..."
"We had to save you. We knew Noriaki would be able to reach you. I...I didn't want to lose you too."
Jotaro nodded, "I understand. The memory transfer?"
"It didn't work fully the first time." Joseph said, leading Jotaro back to the car and heading back to the young man's apartment, "He didn't regain his personal memories. But now, we can complete the transfer."
"Then why bother telling us? Why mention it at all?"
"Because, there's a 50/50 chance that the transfer will overwrite his new memories and reset him to his 17-year-old self."
Jotaro's head jerked around to stare at his grandfather, "You mean I could lose him again?!"
"There's the possibility that he won't remember the last few years, yes."
"No. no. we can't do the transfer! I won't lose him again, old man!"
"It's ok, Jotaro. You won't lose him. We'll figure this out. Don't worry."
**********************************************
Aaaand here we go with more angst.
You're welcome.
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