Jotaro adjusted the hat on his head, following Joseph as they approached their boarding area. They just got through security (surprisingly) and had some time to spare before they actually boarded the plane.
Joseph rolled up his sleeve slightly to look at his watch. "We have about an hour to spare. Anything you want to do?" Jotaro shrugged. He still hasn't talked much since Egypt, Joseph got used to it already. "What about souvenirs? I'm sure Holly would love a little gift."
Jotaro followed behind Joseph as they walked to a gift shop. They didn't have to worry about leaving luggage behind, they didn't have any. They even ditched the weights in the suitcase idea.
As Joseph said, they were stuck in Pakistan for exactly two weeks. Not Jotaro's favorite, but he had to deal with it. He ended up writing about sea animals in his journal that he bought. He wasn't sure why, but it has the animal's information as well as a sketch. With the help of Star Platinum since he himself had no artistic talent whatsoever.
'Kakyoin would've sketched it for me.'
Jotaro quickly shook the thought as they entered the gift shop. He didn't want to get caught daydreaming again.
"Jotaro! What do you think about this?" Jotaro turned to see Joseph holding up a stuffed purple bunny.
"If she was four maybe."
"Why so moody? Jeez," Joseph pouted, putting the bunny back on the shelf. "well, she is your mother. What does she like?"
Jotaro thought for a moment, scanning the shop briefly. He walked up to a shelf and swiftly grabbed what caught his eye.
"Here."
The two left the store, Joseph with a small plastic bag in his hand. Joseph stopped to look at his watch. "About 40 minutes..." Joseph looked around for something else to do. "Hungry?"
The next thing Jotaro knew, they were holding pastries in their hands. Joseph practically inhaled his, while Jotaro took his time and ate slowly. They were croissants of some sort, Joseph's mouth watered at the sight and he just bought them, not even bothering to look at what they actually were.
Jotaro finished around 10 minutes later, and they had about 20 minutes to spare before the plane. They decided to just sit by the gate and wait for the rest of the time.
"All people in section A please line up," the flight attendant announced over a small speaker. Joseph and Jotaro were seated in section D, so they still had quite a bit of waiting before they actually got on the plane.
"Section B."
More waiting.
"Section C."
Almost there.
"Section D."
Finally.
Jotaro sat up quickly, restless to get on the plane and back to Japan. Joseph showed the flight attendant their tickets, and they were through. "Enjoy your flight." Joseph nodded with a small smile.
They made it to their seats, and Jotaro, of course, got the window seat once again. Joseph didn't mind, he wasn't too fond of heights anyway.
About 10 minutes went by and the plane started to move, driving to their lane where they would take off.
Jotaro shut his eyes tightly as he felt the sudden lurch in his stomach as the plane lifted off the ground. This was the only part of flying that he hated, it always made him nauseous. He took deep breaths until the plane steadied, and he opened his eyes once again.
The window was angel white as they flew through the clouds, the occasional flash of orange-pink light as the sun set in the sky.
Jotaro pulled out the Photo again, looking down at all their old friends. He's gone over this process, remembering them and their silly habits. He decided not to risk getting worked up and slipped it back in his pocket.
His eyes started to feel heavy. After being from Japan to Egypt, to Pakistan, and back to Japan, his sleeping schedule was pretty messed up. He didn't know what time of the day he would get tired, hopefully, he could get back on track when he got home.
He wouldn't tell anybody, but he was looking forward to seeing Holly. He missed her presence and the comforting vibe she always gave off, no matter where she was. He was a bit worried as well, after her stand and everything, that fever could've killed her. He couldn't help but feel anxious. Even though he called her and knew she was alright, he couldn't help it.
The next thing Jotaro knew, he was away in the world of dreams.
"We owe you an apology Kakyoin," Polnareff held out a hand as Kakyoin only smirked at them.
"It's fine, but maybe you should listen to me next time," he chuckled.
"Well, what are we going to do to the baby?" Joseph asked. The four were still in the world of dreams after defeating Death 13, but why weren't they waking up? Wasn't the enemy gone?
"Kakyoin, why didn't you just tell us about Death 13 from the beginning?" Jotaro asked.
"Well, once you wake up, you don't remember anything you did here. That's why I have the upper hand." Kakoyin smiled, almost sinisterly.
"Upper hand against what?" Polnareff questioned.
Kakyoin cackled and looked at them as if they were stupid. "You of course."
"What?" Joseph's brows furrowed.
Kakyoin looked at the three. His eyes turned black as if they hallowed out completely. "Lali ho."
Kakyoin lunged at them, shifting into Death 13. "You never defeated me! You fell for my decoy! And killed your little friend instead!" Death 13 laughed as a child would laugh after winning a board game. He gestured toward the spot where they defeated Death 13, Jotaro's eyes widened as he saw Kakyoin's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood.
A hole through his stomach.
"Jotaro!" Death 13 chuckled. "Jotaro!" Jotaro was cornered, sweating heavily as Death 13 zeroed in on him. His hand grazed Jotaro's chin. "It's time for you to wake up. Wake up! Jotaro! Calm down!"
Jotaro startled awake to feel a hand on his shoulder, which he quickly shoved off. Faces turned away as Jotaro controlled his breathing.
"Jotaro, are you okay? I didn't want to push it before, but you're really acting off. You were going crazy a second ago," Joseph went on.
Jotaro tuned Joseph out as he held himself, hiding his face from his grandfather. He was still shaking, sweating, his breath heavy and distorted. It was terrifyingly real and too familiar for Jotaro's liking. Seeing Kakyoin's lifeless body, he didn't want to think about it.
He shut his eyes tightly, in hopes he would be woken up by Kakyoin, and see Polnareff and Avdol making breakfast in the kitchen, and Joseph snoring obnoxiously on the couch.
But no. He opened his eyes to see clouds and the distant land below them, as they were thousand's of feet in the air.
Joseph finally noticed that Jotaro wasn't listening, and gave up. He sighed and sat back in his own chair. It was best to leave Jotaro alone for now.
~...~
"Can you take us here please?" Joseph pointed to a specific spot on a map to show the Taxi driver where they wanted to go.
The driver nodded and Joseph sat back in his seat next to Jotaro as the car began to move.
Anticipation filled Jotaro as he was anxious to see Holly and curious about who's been taking care of her.
Joseph was more excited than anxious. Hew knew Holly was holding up fine and was very happy that she was doing better.
The Taxi arrived at the Kujo Residence after 30 minutes of driving from the airport. Jotaro nodded off a bit in the car and was half-asleep as he climbed out, yawning as he adjusted his hat.
He moved to the trunk, opening it only to remember they didn't have any luggage. He closed it again, rubbing his eyes as he heard Joseph thank the driver.
Jotaro walked away from the Taxi as it began to drive off, he kept his eyes trained on the floor, waiting for that familiar cheery voice to shout their names and tackle them with a hug.
Joseph nudged his arm. Which he shrugged off.
"Jotaro..."
"What?" he snapped, irritated, he dropped his serious and annoyed look as he saw Joseph's face. Joseph was not looking at Jotaro, he looked surprised, his eyes were glossy, and he seemed speechless.
Jotaro followed Joseph's line of sight.
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"Kakyoin?"
Jotaro ran as fast as he could up to the front steps of his house. His hat long gone as it flew off his head as he ran. Tears brimmed his eyes and he launched himself onto the boy he thought he'd never see again.
The two fell to the floor with a grunt. Jotaro held the red-haired boy as if he could disappear any second. Tears spilled his eyes with no sign of stopping as he grasped his friend. And as he could now say; his crush.
"Someone's glad to see me," Kakyoin joked.
Jotaro didn't say anything, but let out a small choked sob. He hid his face in Kakyoin's shoulder, his tears wetting his outfit.
Kakyoin hugged back, his arms wrapping around the taller male.
They both bathed in the moment, not caring about anything around them. It was just the two of them. Jotaro felt as if he was floating in space, flying through a figment of his imagination.
"I thought you were gone..." Jotaro finally managed to say.
"I did too..." Kakyoin rubbed Jotaro's back in an attempt to comfort, which he was very good at, considering he never really had much human contact growing up. "But, you have the Speedwagon Foundation to thank for me being here. They managed to pull things off I never thought were humanly possible. I mean, you brought back Joestar-San back from the dead with a vampire's blood," he chuckled. "I had hopes."
Jotaro only held tighter, being cautious of hurting Kakyoin in his fragile state. "Were you the one taking care of mom?" Jotaro lifted his head slightly to be able to see Kakyoin and his features. The two scars that slashed across both his eyes. He probably had a new one on his stomach.
"Oh, no," Kakyoin laughed, looking up. Jotaro looked up to see Polnareff smiling widely.
"Bonjour! I've been the one taking care of these two while you and Mr. Joestar were gone!" he grinned.
"Yeah, Holly's doing fine," Kakyoin spoke, "I'm still recovering though. And man, doctors do not go easy on you with the medicine." he laughed.
"Seriously," Polnareff agreed. "you have to take like 6 things a day."
Kakyoin giggled, now running his hand through Jotaro's hair as he continued to hold Kakyoin tightly.
Joseph merely watched from the sidelines, shocked at the scene in front of him. "Crazy right?" Holly giggled as she walked up next to Joseph.
"Holly!" He wrapped his arms around her into a big bear hug. "I'm so glad you're doing better!"
She laughed, hugging her father back.
"It's really surprising though, Jotaro never seems to want anything to do with anybody," Holly pointed out. "but Kakyoin... that boy holds a special place in Jotaro's heart. It's really cute if you ask me. They fit well together." she smiled.
"Yeah," Joseph chuckled as he crossed his arms, watching the three boys converse.
Jotaro finally got up off Kakyoin after 5 minutes of being told to do so. He gave Holly a hug, which she very much appreciated. The five walked into the house, Kakyoin using Polnareff for support as he walked. Jotaro scowled subconsciously at Polnareff, honestly a bit jealous.
Kakyoin thanked Polnareff as they arrived at the Guest room door, Jotaro guessing that's where Kakyoin's been staying.
He went into the room with Kakyoin, to catch up a bit.
"So, what was Pakistan like? I heard you got stuck there for like two weeks," Kakoyin sat criss-cross on his futon as he looked at Jotaro with a smile plastered on his face.
"It would've been fun if I could actually go outside. That storm was dangerous, lightning, thunder, heavy rain and winds, the Old Man wouldn't let me out of his sight."
"Ouch, that sounds terrible. I couldn't be alone for that long. Even with Hierophant, that sounds like being stuck in a mental asylum."
"It wasn't that bad, there was a TV and I had a journal to put random nonsense in," Jotaro shrugged.
"Well, I just got discharged from the hospital a few days ago, Polnareff been taking care of me."
"Isn't he supposed to be in France?"
"He said he got a call about me and left for Japan instead. He told his family and they understood. He used the excuse that I was in a bad car accident instead. They would've contacted you if they could... but you don't technically have a phone... And they didn't know what hotel you were in either."
"Fair," Jotaro admitted. "you should rest."
"It's the afternoon Jotaro," Kakyoin chuckled.
Jotaro sighed. "My sleeping schedule is so messed up. I know, I'm just tired."
"Here," Kakyoin got up with the support of the wall and pulled out another Futon out of a closet. He placed it on the floor next to his. "how about you stay with me for tonight? We can keep each other company." he smiled with a sweet atmosphere around him.
"Sure. I can help you if you need anything. That's a pretty big thing to recover from."
Kakyoin smiled. "Yeah. I'm gonna need it, and I know how bad Polnareff wants to see his family, it would be bad to keep him here."
"What about your family Kakyoin?"
"Well, technically, my mom doesn't know that I'm even here..."
"What?" Jotaro became serious.
"Well, I called them while we were in Egypt and explained to her that I had a school trip or something. I don't really have a phone either, and nobody in the Speedwagon Foundation has their numbers. I decided to just let it be for now. Maybe tell them once I'm all better."
"You can't not tell your parents that you're in Japan and at a stranger's house."
"But you're not a stranger."
"To them I am. We met after I saved you from a flesh bud that DIO implanted in your brain. Now, wouldn't that seem a bit hard to explain to your parents?"
"What if we tell them that we met at school?"
Jotaro stayed silent as if thinking it over. "Fine. We'll save it for tomorrow though, you need to take it easy for now. Mentally as well." Jotaro stood up and opened the door. "I'll be right back. stay here."
Kakyoin flinched in the slightest as the door closed. He already hated this feeling again. Being alone. It scared him. Hierophant subconsciously appeared, wrapping its tentacles around Kakyoin in a comforting manner. It's something he did as a child whenever he felt scared, it always made him feel secure.
He leaned his head back against the wall of the room, his Futon was placed against the wall and in the corner, next to him was Jotaro's Futon, where he would be staying for the night. Kakyoin took this time to change into his blue and white striped pajamas, just in time for Jotaro to arrive.
"You look comfy," Jotaro joked. "here, I got you this." Jotaro set a bowl of cherries in front of Kakyoin. "And this." He also set down a small stuffed animal. It was a small Hierophant Green plush. It was obviously homemade because only the Joestar's knew about his stand. And Polnareff too.
"Thank you..." Kakyoin popped a cherry into his mouth and grabbed the small plush, hugging it tightly as he brought his knees to his chest, careful not to put too much pressure on his stomach.
"Now, tell me, how are you not dead?"
"Oh jeez," Kakyoin chuckled. "where do I start?"
"Anywhere, I have all the time in the world to listen to you."
(2698 Words)
End of Chapter Three
-Seeing You Again-
To be continued...