Chapter Text
Man, he’d forgotten how terrible it was to try and converse with Jotaro.
Josuke had met up with the man to discuss the stand users popping up rapidly and their next plans of actions. They'd agreed on meeting at a local cafe to talk along with Okuyasu and Koichi and ended up meeting a few blocks away from their destination by pure coincidence. It was incredibly awkward, with Jotaro shutting down all of his attempts at conversation. Maybe the man was in a bad mood?
“So, Jotaro,” Josuke began, chuckling nervously. “Uh, how was the weekend-?”
"Josuke," Jotaro abruptly muttered, interrupting him. Josuke snapped his mouth shut. Shit, did I piss him off? Jotaro halted in his light steps, looking off into the distance with a guarded look in his eyes. Josuke stopped too, tilting his head in question. Jotaro continued. "Do you feel like we're being watched?"
Josuke froze. Now that he mentioned it... the air was oddly quiet and eerie, and he had been uncharacteristically jumpy during their walk. There was nobody else on the pathway they were taking, as they had ended up taking a shortcut to the cafe that went behind the many stores in the area. It was hidden from the rest of the town’s eyes, and the perfect place to ambush somebody. The tension in the air rose tenfold and he paused to glance around with the subtle movement of his head.
The barely noticeable sound of a stick breaking forced the two to instantly press themselves back to back, fists clenched and stands ready to manifest at any given time. They stood in silence, anticipating an attack as they both scoured the alley with their eyes for the enemy. For the next two minutes, nothing happened. Maybe Jotaro was just being paranoid?
Josuke relaxed his posture slightly, lightly laughing but still leaning against the older man's back. He called Crazy Diamond back, placing his hands on his hips. "Jotaro, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. I think we're all just on edge because of Kira, there’s no need to be so cautious over just a feeling-" He was cut off when the body behind him suddenly flinched, enticing a groan from Jotaro.
In one fluid motion, Star Platinum vanished from the air before it was able to act and Jotaro crumpled to the ground with a grunt. Crazy Diamond had been summoned out of pure instinct, sweeping Jotaro up before he could hit the concrete ground.
Shit. What the hell? Was there an enemy stand user after all? How had they gotten past Jotaro’s defense and Star Platinum’s speed? And surely Josuke would’ve at least seen something! He observed Jotaro's unmoving body, ready to heal the unconscious man of whatever injury he had gotten. His eyes were shut, mouth slightly open in a cut off shout. There was no wound anywhere on his body- it would stand out easily against his white coat and hat- and nothing seemed to be wrong. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, using his stand to heal Jotaro just in case it was something internal. He could do a more in depth checkup once they were out of danger.
Standing out in the open like this would just get them killed. He didn’t know where the stand or user was, but he had to get them both out of here before they were attacked again. He wouldn’t be able to defend the both of them all on his own. He scooped Jotaro up, surprised at how light the man was for his height and skidded into another alley, next to a dumpster. He bent down to a knee, leaning the man against a brick wall. He shook him furiously, even lightly slapping his cheek in an attempt to wake the man up. Maybe he was wounded somewhere he couldn't see? He had already healed Jotaro, so there was no reason for him to still be unconscious.
He called Crazy Diamond out again, holding his hands out to heal the man again. A faint aura surrounded them both, yet as time passed, nothing seemed to happen. The alley was void of any noise except for Josuke's panicked breathing. Why wasn’t he waking up? Was Jotaro somehow affected by a stand without it wounding him? Was the stand's ability to cause it's victims to go into a deep sleep? He tried shaking Jotaro awake again, pressing his fingers on his nephew’s neck to check for a pulse. It beat regularly, nothing seeming to be off. So then why wasn’t he waking up?
He stared attentively at the man's slack face. Was it just him or did Jotaro look younger? It wasn't like his nephew looked much older than most high school students, of course, but it was obvious that he was aging. His skin had smoothed out- maybe Jotaro had used lotion today? The simple thought of it made him giggle a bit, despite the circumstances. He was cut short when the white hat on Jotaro's head tipped forwards slightly. Josuke lifted it up for the unconscious man, frowning. He'd never seen Jotaro's hat do that on its own. Maybe it was loose?
Actually, Jotaro's hat couldn't exactly be loose- could it? It looked like it somehow merged into the man's hair at the back and was always a perfect fit, only drooping when force was applied to it and when the biologist pulled it down himself in an effort to hide his eyes under the shadow of the brim. He doesn't think he's even seen the rest of Jotaro's hair before.
So was it just him, or did Jotaro's entire attire look too baggy on him?
Jotaro suddenly jerked, the sound of a subtle sparkle signifying Star Platinum's summoning. The humanoid stand had appeared next to it's flailing owner, something about it's coloration a bit off. Was Star Platinum always all purple? He could've sworn that it had some blue on it as well. Not to mention that the stand sported a red scarf and black gloves now. Why...?
Suddenly, hands were digging into his shirt collar, hoisting him up in one fluid motion. Despite how tall he was, his toes could only barely reach the ground as he was held up by Jotaro, who had a wild strand of hair sticking out from underneath his slightly droopy hat. He looked... panicked?
"J-Jotaro, it's me, Josuke!" He said, raising his hands up. Jotaro only narrowed his eyes. There was nothing but an icy coldness in his eyes, accompanied with confusion and a bit of hidden fear if Josuke looked hard enough. Did he hit his head or something? "Can you put me down? We need to find the stand user who attacked us, before they try and attack again-"
He bit back a yelp of surprise as his back hit the wall. Josuke dared to make eye contact with the man, who had pushed himself to his feet. He didn’t dare meet the eyes of a hovering Star Platinum, fists still at its side but threatening nonetheless.
Shit. He's pissed.
"Who the fuck are you? Where the hell am I? Where are the others? How do you know my fucking name?" He growled in English, tone harsh and threatening. Josuke gulped. Jotaro had always been a reserved and quiet type, blunt and straightforward. To add to his hulking height, a simple glare could intimidate even the toughest. Yet, Jotaro was always more monotone and stone-faced than he was brash and rude. He only rarely heard Jotaro swear so intensely. Why was he so angry?
"I told you, I'm Josuke!” He shouted back in a panic. “You're in Morioh, and you just got hit by a stand! Calm down, we-" He felt his back being pushed against the wall harder now. Jotaro met his eyes with his own furious, burning blue orbs, but some surprise buried under the rage.
"You speak Japanese?” He muttered under his breath, and Josuke wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear him. “Alright, 'Josuke,' you're gonna either tell me how the fuck I went from Egypt back to Japan, or you can quit fucking with me and tell me where the others are before I break every bone in your body." He narrowed his eyes. "You're one of Dio's underlings, aren't you? I thought we got rid of them all. Pretty damn bold of you to show your face here. If you don't answer my questions, I won't hesitate to beat you into a bloody pulp."
Now it was his turn to be bewildered.
Josuke furrowed his brows. "Eh- what are you talking about, Jotaro? You’ve been staying in Morioh for like- weeks! What- isn't Dio that dude involved with the arrows? I thought he was-" Again, he was cut off by a gloved purple fist looming menacingly behind Jotaro.
"I said don't bullshit me, you bastard! Where are the others?" Josuke's eyes widened. Did he remember Koichi and Okuyasu? Maybe his vision was messed up and he was seeing somebody other than him right now. Was he hallucinating?
"Don't worry, they're fine! Okuyasu and Koichi are both probably waiting for us at that cafe- speaking of which, we should probably call them for backup if there's a stand user on the streets already," Josuke shouted, waving his hands defensively in front of him. Jotaro fumed.
"The old man! Polnareff! Where the hell did you hide them?" Josuke blanched again. Maybe Jotaro really did hit his head. What in the world was he saying?
"Who-?" He was saved from any more threatening as Jotaro suddenly grunted, his grip loosening as he lost balance and collapsed on the spot. Star Platinum dissipated, leaving a stunned Josuke staring at the man's unconscious body once again.
He'd give anything to not have a repeat of that again. While unconsciously rubbing at his spine, He flicked out his cell phone, punching in Okuyasu's number and praying that he would pick up right away. It seemed luck was on his side for the first time today as he was met with the cheerful voice of his friend.
"Oi, Josuke! What's taking you and Jotaro so long? Koichi 'n I are practically dying of boredom over here!" Josuke quickly hushed him.
"Jotaro got attacked by an enemy stand. I don't know what it did, but he got knocked unconscious without any wounds. He woke up and I don't think he recognized me or anything I was really saying." The line crackled with a burst of questions. "He passed out again though. We're in an alley near that one incense shop. Meet us there." He ended the call almost immediately, keeping his eyes on Jotaro at all times. He was lucky Jotaro decided to use his own fists instead of his stand's. If Star Platinum had been used, Josuke would've been positively fucked.
He sighed and sat against the cold, brick wall. All they had to do was wait.
After only about five minutes, Okuyasu and Koichi sped into the alley, spewing questions one after another as Josuke frantically tried to answer them.
"Should we bring him to my house?"
"Are you sure there's no wounds?"
"How long has he been out?"
"Dio? He mentioned Dio?"
“You didn’t see the stand?”
"Why would he think he was in Egypt?"
"Doesn't Jotaro kind of look younger or something?"
That caught Josuke's attention. Okuyasu glanced at Koichi, who had said it, then back to Jotaro. His eyes widened.
"Dude, you're right! He looks around our age!" All three students gaped. So it wasn't just Josuke's imagination?
"...Do you think this was the stand's ability?" Koichi muttered. "It might've explained Jotaro's outburst. He could've been in Egypt when he was younger. Maybe a field trip, or something." Both Okuyasu and Josuke nodded.
Jotaro stirred. All three stands appeared from the students out of pure anticipation. It was doubtful that anybody would actually attack. Jotaro groaned, eyes flicking open as he tried to orient himself.
Star Platinum had materialized itself as well, but it seemed to only be helping Jotaro up. Once he was sitting up, however, he acknowledged the presence of the others. His eyes widened.
"Wait, Jotaro-" Josuke started.
"Star Platinum!" Shit.
"Crazy Diamond!"
The first punch landed on Crazy Diamond's forearm, the force behind it strong and heavy yet the punch itself appeared to be sloppy and weak. Was this how powerful Jotaro was in his prime?
“So you’re an enemy stand user!” Jotaro snapped. The second punch was more focused, aiming for his face. Black gloved knuckles hastily punched, too fast for the normal human eye to detect. Josuke struggled to keep up with blocking the attacks. At this rate, his defense would be broken through. He was being backed up into the wall again.
The attacks were relentless, and just when he thought he couldn't keep up with avoiding them any longer Jotaro halted in his assault, Star Platinum's fist menacingly hovering only a few inches away from Crazy Diamond's face.
Josuke glanced at Koichi and Okuyasu who had both approached Jotaro and tried lowering his fists. Although they both had their stands out, all of them knew that encouraging the fight would only make matters worse. Jotaro glared at the two with an enraged expression, looking ready to punch their skulls in.
"Jotaro... I don't think you recognize us, but can you tell us what year it is?" Koichi muttered. Jotaro's stoic facade crumbled a bit, confusion clouding in his eyes. It was gone in an instant however as he pushed the two off of him, grunting in anger, though he didn’t actively attack as he eyed the three surrounding stands cautiously.
"It's 1989. What are you, fucking delusional? It's nearly February, how do you not know the damn year?" He snapped, not taking his eyes off of Josuke. "Where the hell are the others? I'll bash all your heads in if you don't tell me right now!"
Josuke suppressed a scream. Holy shit, the Jotaro they were talking to was from 1989. From ten years ago. His friends seemed to share the same shock. Jotaro's question flew over their heads.
Koichi fiddled with his fingers. "Um, Jotaro," he began. "It's 1999."
A deathly cold silence washed over the alley as Jotaro processed the new information. Josuke could practically see the gears turning in his head. If his nephew decided to not believe them, the only other option was to fight back if the man started attacking again. They all already knew how merciless the present-time Jotaro, and nobody wanted to see what this brash delinquent version of him could do.
"What?" Jotaro said, voice quiet yet menacing. He towered over Koichi, his stand abandoning its position by Josuke to loom over the shorter boy. Koichi gulped.
"W-Well, we think you got hit by an age reversal stand or something like that." Jotaro backed down slightly, sighing. Any panic or fear that had been displayed vanished under his poker face instantly.
"Yare yare daze... again?" He muttered, just enough for all three of them to overhear. Again? He pointed accusingly at Josuke. "So, in the future, I know all of you?"
Josuke nodded, recalling Crazy Diamond. "Yeah, it's... complicated," He chuckles nervously. Why did he feel so intimidated under Jotaro's glare? "But I guess we need to properly introduce ourselves then. I'm Josuke Higashikata." He decided to leave out the whole uncle-nephew thing.
Okuyasu spoke up for the first time. "I'm Okuyasu Nijimura, Josuke's friend!"
"I'm Koichi Hirose!" Koichi gave a small smirk. Jotaro didn't bother to respond and only scoffed, taking a look at his attire and cringing.
"To think I'd wear such a thing in a decade..." He scoffed. "Where do I keep my cigarettes? And where did I put my old clothes? This shit is too big."
Josuke gaped. Jotaro smoked? He'd either had kept the fact hidden or had quit later on. He thought it was the latter- the adult Jotaro didn't look like a smoker.
"I don't think you own cigarettes, Jotaro," Josuke said. Jotaro grumbled something before twirling around, preparing to take his leave. "B-But you stay in the Morioh Grand Hotel in room 324. I doubt you brought a decade old uniform though."
Jotaro continues walking, leaving the three students in the alleyway. He vanishes behind a wall.
"So... should we just," Okuyasu shrugged as he spoke. "I don't know, hope he doesn't mug somebody? Young Jotaro really gives off that vibe."
Nobody could deny that as they stood in silence, stunned at the interaction. Hopefully Jotaro didn't end up behind bars by the next morning.