I do not own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure or the Persona series.


A stretch limousine drove down a foggy road, its headlights shining through the thick fog that covered the path. Almost everything inside the limousine was in the color of blue velvet. The seats, the ceiling, the carpet… everything was that color. When one was looking from the back of the interior to the front, they could see a small liquor bar to the left with wine, glasses, and tumblers. In the middle of the rack was a TV screen, like most high-class limos had nowadays. White light came from overhead, somehow giving the place an even more relaxing 'feel'. Though there were no speakers in sight, a woman's soft, haunting voice sung along with pianos and violins. It was enough to soothe any angry soul.

Two people occupied the front of the limo, sitting in their seats. One was an old man, yet it was questionable if he was really human. He was just skin and bones, and dressed in a black and white suit with white silk gloves. He was bald, except for the whisky white hairs on the sides and back of his head. His ears were pointed and long, and his nose was even longer than those ears. The man was hunched over a table with his eyes closed, as if contemplating something.

A young pale woman with white hair was to the man's left, dressed in a blue jacket with a matching skirt and black stockings. On her lap was a thick handbook, which her hands were resting on. Both of them looked up and stared at someone in the back of the limousine. The man's eyes were enormous and bloodshot, while the woman's irises were an almost enchanting gold.

"Welcome… to the Velvet Room." The man spoke in a smooth, gentlemanly voice to the hidden person.

"W-who the hell are you? Where am I?"

"Please, do not be alarmed. You were brought here because you have an unusual destiny lying ahead of you." The man spoke without even registering the person's rude tone. "I believe some introductions are in order. My name is Igor, and I'm delighted to make your acquaintance."

"And you may call me Margaret. It is a pleasure to meet you." The woman introduced herself to the person

"Just tell me where I am!"

While Margaret gave the person speaking a cold stare in response to his behavior, Igor just smirked, as if the person's alarmed state actually amused him. "This is a realm that is between dream and reality, between mind and matter. It is a room that only those that are bound by a 'contract' may enter. At least, that it is how it should normally be."

"What are you talking about? I never signed any contract, especially not with a weirdo like you!"

"You have not fully adjusted to this place, so it may take some time for you to comprehend." Igor then waved his hand, and a small stack of cards appeared on the table. The person in the back of the car noted the strange design of the cards – they had a drama-like black and white mask with vines in the background and harps in the corners of it. "Do you believe in fortune-telling?" Igor asked rhetorically before flicking his hand, causing the cards to shuffle themselves. The cards then spread out and took seven places on the table. "Each reading is done with the same cards, but the result is always different. Very much like life itself, no? Now then, let's take a look at your destiny…"

Before the person could voice his objections, Igor made the motion of flipping a card in the air, and the card to the lower right turned over. It had the picture of a tower being struck by lightning, with shaded human figures falling down from it. The Roman numerals on the bottom were XVI. Igor then repeated the motion, and the lower left card then flipped to show a crescent moon with a face outlined in the shaded side, and a lobster silhouette in between two L shaped blocks above the moon. It was numbered XVIII.

"Hm… The Tower in the downward position foretells a great catastrophe in the near future, and The Moon in the upright position tells of a mystery… very interesting…" Igor muttered to himself in a polite yet amused tone.

"What? Talk sense already!"

"It seems you will encounter a grave misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery shall be imposed upon you." Igor explained further. His eyes then fully opened, and his smirk seemed to grow even larger. "You are so very different from our previous guests. Your bloodline is one forever entrenched in destiny, and perhaps this catastrophe will be another chapter in a saga that transcends time itself!"

"What the hell are you…?"

"I understand you have many questions, but for now it is time for you to depart." Igor spoke, and to the person the room seemed to be moving farther and farther away.

"Wait! What are you trying to tell me!?"

"You journey will definitely be a most interesting one." Margaret spoke as they observed the person disappeared from her view. "Until we meet again…"

"Jonathan 'Johnny' Joestar."


xxXXxx

A young man woke up suddenly, his face resting on his right hand as he sat in his train seat. The noise of the tracks could be heard from outside, and the blackness of the tunnel was still apparent. The teen was slim and medium in height, about five feet and five inches tall. His hair was shoulder-length and blonde, and seemed to curl outwards at the tips. His eyes were a deep dark blue, and his face held delicate features that could make women swoon easily. He wore a simple sleeveless white shirt with red and blue stripes going across the abdomen along with a pair of denim jeans that had a stetted-on star symbol at the knees. His shoes were a pair of light blue sneakers with white soles; but the most distinctive feature of the young man was that he wore a reversed cap that had a silver horseshoe symbol on top of the opening, and three white stars running along the adjustment strap.

This was Jonathan 'Johnny' Joestar. While Jonathan was his birth name, he got tired of the nickname 'JoJo' and just referred to himself as Johnny. Eventually that stuck, and hardly anyone but his family knew his real name.

Johnny lifted his head from his hand and placed it on his face. "What the hell was that...? I feel like I had a really bizarre dream, but what was it about...?"

Light then suddenly flooded Johnny's eyes and caused him to blink for a second before he decided to look out of the window. It was practically all green. Trees littered the landscape, and there were several mountains in the distance. As the train sped forward, Johnny could see the town he would be staying at for the next year.

Yasoinaba.

"We are now approaching Yasoinaba." The speaker announced in Japanese, but Johnny could understand it perfectly. After all, his mother had grilled the lessons of her native language into his brain. She had said it was important to understand his 'family's culture'.

Johnny was a very particular individual. He was the son of a wealthy American tycoon, George Joestar, and a foreign woman he had fallen in love with, Orihime Joestar-Dojima. He had an older brother whose name was Nicholas Joestar, and unlike Johnny, he had inherited their mother's wavy black hair. They lived in a ranch way out in Danville, Kentucky, and over there Johnny had always ridden horses for fun, with Nicholas often joining in. But Johnny was so good that his father had called him 'a horse-riding genius'. After that Johnny got himself into competition after competition, only returning home for dinner. At the age of fourteen he had won over twenty awards, all from different championships.

But despite his often busy schedule, when Johnny would have preferred to fool around with whatever girlfriend he had for the week or his fellow high-class friends, his mother had sat his ass down and taught him Japanese. How to speak, how to write, how to read… all of it was ingrained into his mind. Johnny had never understood why. Other than his mother, he had no foreign friends or acquaintances. While he never thought ill of foreigners, he never actively hung out with them or talked to them unless it was necessary either. All his friends were from America, and as such he never thought he would be able to put the language into actual practice or use.

But things had changed. Nicholas was dead, their father hated the very sight of his youngest son, his mother could not look at him without pity in her eyes, and…

"Thank you for riding with us. We will be arriving in Yasoinaba station in a couple of moments." The speakers blared to life again, making Johnny sigh as he looked to his right and inched towards the wheelchair strapped to the seats by the entrance. Reaching out and grabbing the armrests with his hands, Johnny lifted himself from the train seat and onto the wheelchair, being sure to place his useless legs on the rests.

This was without a doubt the most glaring change. The former jockey prodigy Johnny Joestar was now a cripple. Irony was a cruel mistress.

Johnny could not move anything below his waist. He hadn't been able to move his legs by even an inch for two years, and by now he could hardly even remember what walking was like anymore. Since then, he had been forced to get used to going around in a wheelchair, and what he could and couldn't do without the use of his legs.

Johnny pushed the wheels on his side to the seat across. Making sure that the breaks were secured, Johnny took his bag and turned around to place it on a small basket behind the wheelchair. The train then suddenly stopped, signaling that…

"You have now arrived at Yasoinaba. Please collect all your belongings…"

"Well, here goes nothing." Johnny sighed to himself as he unlocked the breaks and moved the wheelchair towards the exit. Pressing a button, a small ramp came out of the floor and connected to the station. Johnny rolled out and began to look around.

The station was… small. In fact, it looked abandoned. Nobody was around, and he was greeted with nothing but the sound of distant cars and insects.

"Geez, it's so empty…" Johnny muttered to himself as he rolled outside to the parking area. "Even for a place in the country. Back home, main street would be a lot busier…"

"Hey! There you are!"

Johnny turned his head to the left to see a tall, slouched, middle-aged man, with dark black hair that was starting to go grey, equally grey eyes, and with a rough stubble on his chin. He wore a grey button up shirt with a loose red tie and dark grey slacks. To his side was a little girl with dark brown hair done in a pair of short pigtails, wearing a knee-length pink and white dress.

"Man, you look a lot more handsome in person than you did in the photo your mom sent." The man spoke with a small smile. "You sure look different now than you did back then. I only remember what you looked like when you were still in diapers."

"Uh… yeah." Johnny said flatly, not entirely sure how to respond to that. He tried and failed to remember the name of the man in front of him. "Who are you?"

"Ah, I'm not surprised that you don't remember. Like I said, it's been a long time." The man said with an embarrassed laugh. "My name is Ryotaro Dojima. I'm your mother's little brother."

"Oh. Right." Johnny said plainly with a raised eyebrow. "Coulda said that to begin with. Make things a little less awkward."

"Er, right. I guess I should've sent your mom a picture for reference." Dojima muttered half to Johnny, half to himself.

Based on his expression, Johnny assumed he was trying to figure out what to say next before he looked down and noticed the child hiding behind his leg. He smiled and gently pulled the girl so Johnny could see her. She was a pretty cute kid. Short brown hair tied up in pigtails and wearing a pink dress. The girl glanced up a Johnny for a moment before quickly turning her eyes downward to her feet.

"This here's Nanako, my daughter." Dojima smiled, gesturing to her. He leaned down slightly and spoke encouragingly to the girl. "Nanako, this is your cousin, Jonathan. He came all the way here from America, so why don't you say hello?"

"…'lo."

Johnny barely heard her because she spoke so quietly. The teen frowned, thinking of the problems they'd have communicating if she was always going to be this quiet.

"Um… why are you in that weird chair?"

Johnny's eyes widened at the sudden question, shocked for a moment before his fists tightened on the armrests of his wheelchair as frustration built within him. Dojima was quick to try and remedy the situation, kneeling down and making Nanako face him so he could explain.

"Nanako, your cousin got into… an accident a while ago. Because of that, he-"

"So because of that I can't walk anymore. That's why I'm sitting in this 'weird chair'." Johnny finished for Dojima curtly before pushing himself past the two. "Anyways, where's the car?"

"…To the sidewalk on the left. It's the grey one. You can't miss it." Dojima answered as Johnny continued to wheel himself forward, not bothering to wait for them.

"…Did I say something bad?" Nanako asked in a hurt voice while Dojima just sighed.

"Kinda… you can apologize to him in the car. Just… don't try to remind him of his accident or point out the chair. He went through a lot and it would be insensitive of us to focus on that, okay?"

"Okay…" Nanako gave a hesitant nod.

Dojima and Nanako quickly followed after Johnny, the adult mentally berating himself for not telling Nanako about her cousin's disability beforehand. He'd been doing paperwork at the station late last night and had almost forgotten his nephew was arriving today. Ignoring Johnny's attitude, Dojima could see that they hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot.

The detective sighed to himself. It was going to be a long year…


xxXXxx

Johnny hadn't needed any help moving from his wheelchair to the car. Apparently, he was used to moving himself from his wheelchair to another seat. All Dojima had to do was fit Johnny's wheelchair and bag in the trunk. Johnny sat in the back as it was easier to get out of the car from there, while Nanako sat in front. The car ride was mostly in an awkward silence, due to the exchange from before.

"Um…" Nanako spoke up, causing Johnny to look at her. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings…"

Normally, Johnny would have reacted coldly and said nothing. That was how it usually went with people who gave him the expected apologies and showed pity. But Nanako was a kid, and even in his foul mood Johnny didn't have the heart to take a snipe at her. Besides, he was going to live with her for a year, so he decided he might as well get along with the kid. Or at least make it so he wouldn't say anything that might make her cry.

"It's fine. Just… don't do it again." Johnny sighed.

Nanako gave him a small smile and nodded, happy since she was able to fix the problem between her and her cousin. With the silence broken, Dojima decided now was as good of a time as any to speak up. "Sorry it's so quiet out here compared to your home. It must suck that you have to move here because of your father…"

"Tch." Johnny clicked his tongue in distaste at the very mention of his father and looked out the window. There were several posters of a young girl with long red hair in a swimsuit promoting the latest diet drink. Apparently, she was the newest idol sensation sweeping Japan. Once again, silence filled the car and only the radio let out noise. It was something about some councilman having an affair with a television reporter. Mayumi something or another…

"Anyways… I'm glad that you're here Jonathan." Dojima spoke as they stopped at a red light. He turned his head and gave Johnny a smile. "Might take a little while to get used to the place, but we'll be around to help if you need it."

"It's Johnny."

"Huh?" Dojima asked in confusion while Johnny shot him a small glare.

"Look, I don't go by Jonathan. Call me Johnny. That's it." Johnny elaborated, glaring at Dojima. "And while I really appreciate the offer, I won't be needing much help from you. So don't expect me to ask for it."

Silence prevailed once again as Johnny and Dojima stared at each other. Dojima's eyes narrowed slightly. Seriously, even given his condition, this kid's attitude was…

"Dad, the light's green…"

"Oh, right. Thanks, Nanako." Dojima said, turning his eyes back to the front and shaking his head with a sigh. More quietly, he muttered to himself, "Orihime-nee… just what the hell did you saddle me with?"

Dojima's eyes glanced down at the gas meter and his eyebrows went up. He glanced back at Johnny and gave him a sheepish look.

"Hey, mind if we make a quick stop somewhere?"


xxXXxx

The gas station hadn't been too far away. Dojima pulled into MOEL Gas next to the closest pump. Their stopping had actually worked out well since Nanako had confessed a need to use the bathroom, and was worried that she couldn't make it before they got home. A cheery gas station attendant greeted Dojima and Nanako as they stepped out, directing Nanako to where the bathrooms were while Dojima told the man to fill up the tank while he went to have a quick smoke. That left Johnny alone to twiddle his thumbs while he waited for his uncle and cousin to return. At least they left the windows open.

"So, are you a foreign exchange student or something?"

Johnny gave the gas attendant an annoyed look. The man gave an apologetic smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry. You just looked like a foreigner and we don't get many of those around here so I was curious. Are you?"

Having nothing better to do, Johnny decided to humor the guy. "Somethin' like that. Came from America."

"Really now? Bet it was way more lively there than all the way out here, huh?" The attendant chuckled, gesturing to the main street of Inaba. Johnny looked to see that barely anyone was around, although he spotted several stores. He saw a bookstore, a tofu place, a Chinese restaurant, a textile shop, and surprisingly, a church a few buildings from a shrine. But other than that, there were a LOT of closed down shops. Honestly, it looked pretty empty. Quiet.

"…It's not that different, actually." Johnny muttered, glancing down disdainfully.

"Ah, well, take it from me, you'll be bored to tears if you don't find something to do." The attendant said. He snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something. "Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-timers right now. Interested? Could get yourself some extra cash."

"Thanks, but I probably don't meet the criteria most jobs set." Johnny said bitterly.

That, and he already had more than a little extra cash. His dad might be a bastard, but at least he hadn't cut off his own son from the family funds. He had enough loose change to spend in order to find ways to entertain himself and then some throughout the year. At least he hoped he could find something to do.

"Well, just keep it in the back of your head. You ever change your mind, the offer still stands." The attendant smiled and held out his right hand. "Sound good?"

"…Sure." Johnny replied as he shook the offered hand. Guy probably thought he was being clever and considerate by shaking instead of bowing.

The man finished filling the tank and departed just as Dojima and Nanako returned.

"Hey, sorry for the wait, Jonathan." Dojima apologized as he and Nanako got in. "You-"

"Johnny." Johnny repeated his request from earlier, stressing the name. "My name is Johnny. Use it."

"Right, right… sorry." Dojima sighed tiredly. "You ready to go?"

"Ready for anything." Johnny snarked as he rubbed his forehead. Man, his head was killing him…

"Hey, are you okay?" Nanako asked worriedly to her cousin. "Did you get car sick?"

"Nah. Just annoyed." Johnny replied, the throbbing behind his eyes making his reply sharper than intended. His demeanor softened when he saw Nanako's hurt expression. "Sorry, just… let's just go already."

"You're probably a little exhausted from the trip." Dojima stated. "Come on. We'll get home quick so you can lie down."


xxXXxx

It turned out that the Dojima residence was only a few minutes away. The town was pretty small, now that Johnny thought about it. Everything was probably only a few minutes away. Johnny placed himself back on the wheelchair from the car seat and entered the house as Dojima held the door open for him and Nanako. The boy took a quick glance around the place he'd be staying at for the next year. It was small, had a kitchen, living room, a bathroom, and three bedrooms considering Dojima had stated that all of his stuff was already in his room. Before entering, Johnny remembered seeing what looked like an unfinished garden on the side of the house.

"Man, what an eyesore…" Johnny thought to himself.

"Well I know it's not much compared to your place, but this is home sweet home to us." Dojima said with pride as he shut the door behind him before looking at his nephew when he noticed the step that separated the doorway to the rest of the house. It was small, but still… "You need help…?"

"I can go up a step with this." Johnny replied before going in reverse until the wheels touched the step. Leaning back and giving a mighty push, Johnny got up the step and truly entered the household.

"I know it's not a custom in America, but would you mind…?" Dojima looked at Johnny's sneakers, causing the young man to sigh before using his hands to lift his right leg and take off the shoe. He repeated the same motion with his left leg before placing both back in their rests.

"So where's my room?" Johnny asked while Dojima just looked to the stairs.

"It's upstairs to the left." Dojima sighed, only now realizing what kind of problem this presented as he glanced down at his wheelchair bound nephew. Still, it was the only spare bedroom in the house and the man doubted Johnny would want to share Nanako's room. Teenagers his age needed their own space. "Come on, I'll help you up…"

"I can do it on my own." Johnny protested while Dojima shook his head.

"No way. What if you hurt yourself?" Dojima asked as he began to move to Johnny. "Come on, I'll…"

"I told you I don't need any help from you. Back off." Johnny said rudely.

Dojima glared at him. "Now see here. My sister told me to look after you and I just want to-"

"I said I can do it on my own!"

Johnny's sudden shout caused Nanako to flinch in fear and Dojima to glare at him, but Johnny didn't budge on this. He didn't want his uncle to help him. He had been doing a damn good job handling himself after getting out of that hospital.

Nobody had been around to help him then, or bothered to offer him any, so he didn't need any assistance now.

Johnny moved himself towards the stairs and gripped the railing. He then began pulling himself from the chair and up the stairs. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he did so, but in a few moments he was at the top.

Dojima knew he should probably say something to his nephew, he really did. For showing disrespect, for being rude, and refuting help of any kind. But he just didn't know what to say. Not to mention some of his personality was understandable. "He lost his brother, he lost his legs, his father barely acknowledges him… how much horrible crap can one kid go through?"

"Um… G'night." Nanako softly called upstairs, receiving a hand wave from Johnny as thanks as he dragged himself to his open room.

Dojima might not have been able to help Johnny go up the stairs, but he sure as hell would be helping him go down, whether the kid wanted him to or not.


xxXXxx

Johnny opened one of the boxes that were inside the room and littered the floor. Dojima really hadn't been lying when he had said that all his stuff was inside the room.

The room itself wasn't half-bad. There was a sofa by the window, a small desk to work on, a study desk with a chair in the right corner, a TV on the left side of the wall, a brown closet to the left of the TV, and finally a cabinet to the right of the door.

Johnny had already decided how to place his stuff. His shirts, pants, underwear, socks and winter gear would be separated into different sections at the bottom of the closet for easy access. He could dress himself up easily enough by now. Any other non-essentials would go on the cabinet, which included his Yes and Fleetwood Mac CDs.

Johnny then reached into the box and picked up something he brought both for nostalgia and a reminder.

The last trophy he ever won.

It was just a medal really, made of solid gold and showed a jockey leaning down as his horse raced across the track. It was the first place medal. Johnny could remember that day clearly. The smell of his horse, the sound of him and the horse breathing as if one, the rush of speeding down the track, the clear blue sky, the cheering crowd…

'I'm sorry, but you'll never be able to walk again."

"What the hell are you hanging around us for? You're nothing now!"

"Get away from us you damn cripple!"

"Have you heard? That 'famous jockey' lost his legs because he wanted to impress some slut."

"What a loser!"

"I'm so sorry about what happened to you…"

"God had taken the wrong son…"

Johnny shook his head to dispel those memories and placed the award back in its box. Those were the voices that had been haunting him for years. He had had everything and he had pissed it all away. But there was no use dwelling on it now. He was tired and wanted to sleep.

Dojima had placed one of those 'futon' things behind the study desk, but Johnny wasn't planning on sleeping in it. Why would he want to sleep on the floor? "At least a couch is in here…" Johnny then lifted himself onto the couch and laid down on it. His eyes grew heavy, and began to close on their own. "So I'm here for a whole year…"

Do you wish to learn the truth?

Johnny's eyes were almost closed when he heard a voice speak to him. He partially opened his eyes again, confused when he found most of his vision obscured by fog.

"What the hell…? Did I open the window?" Johnny murmured sleepily.

His eyes began to close again, but he could see a silhouetted figure peering down at him. Johnny stared at the figure.

Well, well… it seems you can see a little despite the fog.

"What the… is this a dream?" Johnny muttered out as he squinted his eyes in an attempt to see the figure better.

Then if you desire the Truth, try your best to catch it.

Johnny wanted to ask who the disembodied voice belonged to, but his mouth would not work. Instead, he could do nothing but close his eyes and fall back into his slumber.


April 12th, 2011:


A young woman with short brown hair and dressed in a green and yellow athletic jacket yawned, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Her name was Chie Satonaka, local tomboy, kung-fu enthusiast, and classmate of room 2-2. She had been up all night and barely got any sleep as a result. Not from studying of course, she didn't have the attention span for that. No, she had been marathoning her Bruce Lee movies and trying to imitate his fighting style. "Maybe I shouldn't have tried the dropkick. Dad threw a fit when he saw the damage…"

"Hey, did you hear?" One of her classmates to the right side of the room whispered to the one behind him. "A transfer student is coming here! All the way from America!"

"Why would he come all the way out here?" The other one asked with a confused expression on his face. "There's nothing out here!"

"Oh, I heard the new transfer student is a dreamboat!" One of the girls gossiped with her friends, who all giggled as they fantasized.

"Transfer student?" Chie whispered to herself. This was the first time she had heard this particular rumor. And a foreigner at that? "You know anything about this, Yukiko?"

Yukiko Amagi was Chie's best friend. She wore a red sweatshirt over her school shirt like Chie wore her jacket over hers. She also had a red hairband to keep her long, beautiful black hair in place. Her grey eyes and fair skin always seemed to make all the guys instantly fall for her. But despite all that, Yukiko always relied on Chie to get her out of trouble. Always…

"No. This is actually my first time hearing it." Yukiko replied with a shake of her head, causing Chie to look behind her at Yosuke Hanamura. He had unkempt fawn hair and brown eyes, and while he wore the school uniform he also had a pair of red headphones around his neck. "At least you won't be the only transfer student now, Yosuke."

"Great. Thanks for the consideration." Yosuke muttered as he placed his head back on the desk. Obviously, he had also spent the night doing something like watching TV instead of studying as well.

Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal none other than Kinshirou Morooka a.k.a King Moron walking in. "Okay, the lot of you shut up!" King Moron then walked to his desk and stayed standing as he looked around the room with disdain in his eyes. "As you've all heard, we've got a new transfer student all the way from America, land of criminals and other degenerates." He then looked out to the still opened door and shouted, "What the hell are you waiting for? Come in!"

Chie looked and lightly gasped at what she saw. His American features stood out, with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing the standard Yasogami High uniform, save for a reversed cap that had a silver horseshoe design and several white stars on the adjustment strap. However, one thing set him apart from the rest of the kids in the class.

He was in a wheelchair.

The room turned deathly silent as the new student pushed himself in, glaring at King Moron a bit before turning to the chalkboard and writing a name in katakana. It's literal translation was 'Jyonii Jyosutaa', but considering this was a guy from the states, she could more or less guess that his actual name was 'Johnny Joestar'.

"This little punk was kicked out from the United States and tossed out here in the boonies, making him a fugitive. Probably thought he was all hot shit and got in trouble with the wrong people. It's probably why he's even in that chair to begin with!" King Moron declared.

Chie could not help but give a sympathetic flinch for the new student. King Moron was the worst.

Johnny frowned as the teacher jabbed a finger at him, sneering as he rounded on him. "Now, don't go thinking that your condition will get you any sympathy, trying to get the girls to be all maternal and feeling sorry for you. You punks always try to take advantage of your condition and try to make others sympathize with you. Well, just because that worked out in America doesn't mean it'll work out here! He may think his condition will get him all the girls, but so long as I'm around I'll make sure he and the rest of you horn dogs stay as pure as snow!"

"What the hell is your problem?" Johnny asked angrily, glaring at the teacher with utter hatred. "My being in this wheelchair and coming from the States have nothing to do with each other, you ass!"

"Why you…!" King Moron's face turned red with anger at being called out, and the class could not help but watch the event unfold before them. "If you were expecting any special treatment you can forget it! Your name is going down on my shit list, effective immediately! I don't know what kind of filthy institution you came from, but we don't tolerate you spewing your American crap here!"

"You're the one spewing crap!" Johnny shouted back, and King Moron looked like he was about to blow a blood vessel.

"Crap! If nothing is done King Moron is really going to expel that guy!" While Chie had always dreamed of the day King Moron would be called out, she didn't want someone to get expelled for it! Thinking quickly, Chie raised her hand and called out, "Sir!" Both King Moron and Johnny looked at her for interrupting their 'discussion'. "There's an empty seat by me. Can he sit here?"

"S-sure…" King Moron then returned to glaring at Johnny before shouting, "Go and sit your ass down!"

"I'm already sitting down, jackass." Johnny muttered under his breath.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing, I'm going."

Johnny shot the teacher another glare before rolling over to the seat right beside Chie. After pulling the chair out, Johnny lifted himself from his wheelchair and onto the school chair. Once he had placed his feet in place correctly, Johnny scooted himself in.

"Hey, sorry about that." Chie whispered to Johnny with a smile. "We call him King Moron. He's the worst."

"I can see why. How do you put up with that asshole?" Johnny whispered back, causing Chie to shrug.

"We get by. Just don't try to get on his bad side too often." Chie then decided to look forward, considering King Moron was giving them the stink eye. "My name is Chie. Chie Satonaka."

Johnny looked at Chie carefully. She was… fairly plain all things considered. Probably a tomboy too, considering her attitude around him. She seemed nice, but it was probably an act. Johnny remembered the girls from the higher class back home. They pretended to be nice, and then threw people to the side when they lost value.

But then again… Johnny could need someone to talk to. 'But the moment she shows anything that is even remotely like those bitches, I'm bailing.' "I'm Johnny Joestar…"

"Zip it you two!" Both Chie and Johnny clammed up as King Moron slapped his plans on the desks. "Alright listen up! Homeroom is about to begin…"


xxXXxx

King Moron's lecture went on for what seemed like hours. Johnny could swear that he saw some students just take a nap. Hell, the kid behind him was softly snoring. Johnny was actually planning to do the same, before King Moron announced "That's all for today. Normal lectures begin tomorrow."

"His intro lecture was just him going on and on about how we shouldn't be having sex and the 'good old days'! What the hell kind of teacher is he!?" Johnny thought to himself in exasperation as he began to pack his books and stuff into the backpack he brought over. He placed the backpack in his wheelchair's basket, and could not help but overhear a couple of his classmates talking.

"Hey, I watched that Midnight Channel thing last night! That Yamano lady is totally my soul mate!"

"Keep dreaming! Wasn't she having a fling with Councilman Namatame?"

"Midnight Channel?" Johnny asked himself in confusion as he lifted himself back onto his wheelchair. "Is that a fortune-telling thing or something else?" Probably was, considering that guy believes that announcer lady was his soul mate from it. What a bunch of crap. There was no such thing as a 'soul mate'. Just the woman you can stand to be around for several years. As Johnny placed his legs back on the rests, he looked outside and saw a thick fog covering everything. "They get fog all the way out here?"

Several chimes then came out of the loudspeaker before a voice called out, "Attention all students, there has been an incident reported in town. Please remain calm, and return to your homes immediately. I repeat…"

"Hm. Wonder what that could all be about." Johnny thought curiously before he noticed that Chie girl and another girl wearing a lot of red had walked over to him.

"Hey Johnny, are you going home by yourself?" Chie asked in curiosity before smiling. "If you are, why don't you come with us? This is Yukiko Amagi."

She had originally planned to have Yukiko walk with her home, but it would also be pretty cool to have the new transfer student walking, er, going home with them. Plus, the poor guy probably wanted some company after King Moron made fun of his condition. And who knew? Maybe they'd get to know each other better, and he probably had some pretty good stories, growing up in a different country and all. "Helps that he isn't swooned by Yukiko…"

"I'm so sorry for pestering you." The girl in red apologized, making Chie become all flustered from embarrassment.

"Yukiko! Don't apologize! It makes me look like I've got no upbringing!" Chie shouted while Johnny sighed and bit the inside of his cheek.

So it was happening already? Girls were beginning to flock to him, probably out of pity. Well, he might as well end it here…

"I don't know where you guys live. I probably live somewhere ways away from your places." Johnny then began to turn. "I'm sure you'll be fine on your own…"

"W-what the hell kind of guy just leaves two women alone!?" Chie shouted in anger as she glared at Johnny. "We were just trying to be nice! There's no reason for you to be an ass!"

Johnny stopped moving, and his eyes widened. That was literally the first time someone had the nerve to call him that. Not make fun of him for his disability, not stand there in silence, but just straight-up call him an ass.

Hell, it had been a long time since he'd encountered someone so seemingly straightforward. But was it really genuine…?

"…Fine. Just wait for me downstairs. I've got to take the elevator down."

Chie had to blink at that reply. Johnny had just seemed determined to not go walk with them a second ago, but now he was perfectly fine with it? Was it because she pointed out that he was acting like a jerk? Well, it didn't matter if he was joining them in the end…

"Alright then." Chie smiled. "We'll just-"

"Hey thanks Chie!" Yosuke suddenly shouted as he jumped in front of her. He held up her case of Trial of the Dragon up. "I loved it, it was totally cool! The way they moved and the… er, well then…" Yosuke then all but threw the case at her, and Chie could not help but notice he was now sweating bullets. "…Later!" Yosuke was now beginning to run, but Chie would have none of it.

"Hold it!"

Both Johnny and Yukiko winced when they saw Chie's leg kick up and strike Yosuke in a place that made his voice raise several octaves higher than normal. Chie huffed and bent down to pick up her DVD case, gasping at what she found when she opened it.

Her copy of Trial of the Dragon was cracked all the way to the center.

"Ah! You cracked the disk, you tool!" Chie then looked at Yosuke with utter fury. "How could you do this to my Trial of the Dragon!?"

"I'm sorry Chie! It was an accident! I'll make it up to you when I get my next paycheck!" Yosuke moaned out in pain while Chie just huffed.

"Did you seriously break a girl's stuff that she borrowed to you?" Johnny asked while shaking his head. "Yeah, she's not going to forgive you for a while."

"Are you okay?" Yukiko asked curiously to Yosuke, while Chie just huffed and began walking on.

"Don't be nice to this jerk! Let him suffer!" Chie announced, causing Yukiko to nod before following her. As the two cleared the door, Johnny took one last look at the guy who broke Chie's DVD.

Looked kind of like the local pushover. Probably that annoying kid every school had that tried to have everyone like him and failed miserably.

In the end, Johnny just decided to leave him be and pushed himself towards the location of the building's elevator, right by the left stairs.


xxXXxx

The three of them were walking down one of the streets of Inaba, mostly in silence. It turned out that their houses were more or less the same route as Dojima's place. But the thing that weirded out Johnny is how quiet the town was. There were almost no signs of activity whatsoever.

"So…" Chie began, turning her head to Johnny. "Why did you come way out here and not Tokyo?"

"My uncle lives here." Johnny answered truthfully as he continued to push himself forward. "And honestly he's the one farthest away from the States."

"Oh? So you wanted to visit him?" Yukiko asked curiously. "Were you two close?"

"Close? I haven't seen him for years. Hardly even know him." Johnny replied, his expression beginning to darken. "But there was no way in hell I was staying at my parents' place."

"O-oh…" Chie kinda felt guilty now for beginning the conversation. Obviously, Johnny was going through some family troubles or something of that nature. "It's so sad… He had to come here just for that…" Still! It was her duty to cheer the guy up! "Anyway, it is really quiet here! So there isn't much for us to show you, but I guess that's what makes it cool!" Chie then looked up in thought before saying, "Though there is something from Mt. Yasogami… I think our dried clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous…"

"Sounds amazing." Johnny replied without any enthusiasm or interest whatsoever, causing Chie to laugh uncomfortably before a great idea popped into her head.

Yes! There was that!

"There's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs the place, and it's the pride of Inaba!" Chie declared, causing Johnny to raise an eyebrow. What was so great about an Inn?

"I-It's nothing special. It's just an old inn!" Yukiko denied, causing Johnny to be even more confused. Shouldn't she take more pride in a compliment like that?

"No way! It's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure!" Chie then turned towards Johnny and said, "It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over some day!"

"So… it's one of those family run places, huh?" Johnny observed, causing Yukiko to fidget a bit. "You gonna inherit the place?"

"Well, I mean… I don't… that's, um…" Yukiko stammered out, only for Chie to jump in.

"'Course she is! It's what she wants to do! Isn't that right Yukiko?" Chie asked, turning towards her friend.

"…Yes." Yukiko wanted to say no, but this is what was expected of her. She had to run the place, no matter what.

"There! Now that that's settled…" Chie then smirked and asked, "So you think Yukiko's cute?"

Johnny blinked in shock. He had not been expecting to answer that question. Taking a look at Yukiko, he supposed that she was attractive… she had long silky black hair, her skin was fair, her legs were long and firm, and she had almost no fat on her. But like Chie, she was fairly normal. Not like those girls he used to flirt around with… back when he could walk and was somebody…

"Kinda…"

"Oh come on! You gotta be more truthful about these things!" Chie then looked back at Johnny. "You know, Yukiko's popular with the guys at our school yet has never had a boyfriend. Kind of weird huh?"

"That sounds more like an insult than a funny coincidence." Johnny thought to himself as Yukiko firmly denied she was either popular or needed a boyfriend to Chie. How could those two be friends? They seemed so different from each other, not to mention Chie kind of insulted her so-called 'friend'. Johnny then noticed a commotion going on in front of one of the streets. "Hey, what's going on there?"

"Huh?" Chie asked before noticing the commotion as well. "Hey, let's check it out!" The three students then went to the street. There were several cop cars parked behind yellow police tape, and several residents were looking on. Johnny himself heard several housewives gossiping amongst themselves.

"So as that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street…"

"Wow, who could imagine THAT hanging from an antenna?"

"I wanted to see it too."

"Oh you got here too late. The police and fire department took it down just a moment ago."

"Well I think it's terrifying! I can't believe a dead body showed up around here!"

"Woah!" Chie gasped in shock. "Did she just say… a dead body? Like… a murder? Here? In Inaba?"

That was just bizarre and wrong on so many levels!

"And it was hung from an antenna?" Yukiko asked herself as she began to morbidly look at the TV antennas on the houses for a glimpse at the crime. Something this horrible makes people want to actually want to see the event themselves, no matter how horrible it was.

"Huh. Guy must have a sick idea for art." Johnny muttered to himself while scratching the back of his neck. Sticking a dead body on an antenna? Talk about a twisted way of boasting about a crime…

"Hey! What are you kids doing here!?"

Johnny turned his head to see Dojima walking from the police line to him, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Any reason why you're here, Johnny?"

"Oh, well, it was just such a lovely day out that the three of us decided to spend it by checking out a murder scene. After all, how often does one get to see a dead body?" Johnny said sarcastically, holding up his hand when his uncle glared at him. "Look, we just happened to pass by on our way home. What are you doing here?"

"Oh right, you probably don't know." Dojima gave a small sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't get a chance to tell you before, but I'm actually a detective and I'm out here on the job. And Johnny, you shouldn't joke about things like this, especially not to me."

"…Got it."

"Wait, you know this guy?" Chie asked, gaping in shock. The two looked totally different from each other. Wait, didn't Johnny say he was staying at his uncle's place? Could it be…?

"I'm Ryotaro Dojima, his… I guess you can call me Johnny's guardian." Dojima gave off a sigh as he said, "I know he may be rough around the edges, but I hope you get along with him."

Johnny then watched as a person darted out from the police line and passed him before beginning to throw up on the side of the road. This seemed to piss off Dojima as he shouted, "Adachi! How many times have I told you!? If you keep acting like a rookie, I'm going to be sending you back to do desk work!"

"S-Sorry, boss…" Adachi replied before continuing to throw up on the side of the road.

Dojima then looked back at the three students and said, "Listen, this isn't the place for high schoolers. Go straight home, please." Dojima then looked solely at Johnny and said, "Your mother will kill me if anything else bad happened to you while you are under my care."

"Ah, she worries too damn much…" Johnny muttered darkly while looking to the side.

Dojima said nothing and instead headed back to the crime scene. Now was not the time or place for this. He had a job to do, but still… "Just what the hell went on between the Joestars?" His sister only told him bits and pieces of what went down between Johnny and his father. Apparently, there was an incident in Nicholas' old bedroom, and Johnny accidentally knocked down his father into a mirror, where George uttered something that stated his dislike towards his youngest son. While hatred for his father was understandable, Dojima could not understand why Johnny seemed to have no positive feelings about his mother.

"W-wow, this sounds serious…" Chie muttered before turning to Yukiko. "Hey Yukiko, why don't we cancel our plans for Junes today?"

"Wait, that was where we were going?" Johnny asked in irritation. "I thought we were just going home!"

"I meant we would have gone afterwards!" Chie replied with a huff. She then let her face soften before saying, "You know, if you want we can keep you company to your house…"

Johnny let out a sigh. While the offer was nice, Johnny still could not believe he had almost been suckered into going to this 'Junes' place. "Thanks, but my place isn't that far off. Go and do whatever. I'll be fine." With that Johnny began to roll away. "See you tomorrow."

Giving Johnny a wave goodbye as he went off, Yukiko turned to Chie and asked, "So what did you think of him?"

"Well, he was kind of a jerk…" Chie admitted as she and Yukiko began walking another direction. "But I think I would be pretty pissed if I was stuck in a wheelchair all the time."

"Still, not being able to walk… I can't even imagine what that would be like…" Yukiko muttered to herself while Chie gave a nod.

Still, Johnny was a lot more sociable when he was actually talking to them. He would eventually learn that he could depend on Chie for anything he needed.

Just like Yukiko depended on her…


xxXXxx

It had only taken Johnny several minutes to get to the Dojima Residence and open the door. The house was only a few blocks away from the shopping district, and Johnny could remember the route Dojima took to get to the house from there.

"Welcome back…" Nanako's soft voice greeted him, making Johnny turn to see her kneeling by the table and watching television. One of those anime shows that Japan was known for, probably one geared towards kids and not the ones that had tits that were impossibly large on the women and in no way could be natural. "Did you like your school?"

"Eh, it was okay." Johnny replied as he used his hands to take off his shoes from his feet and reversed the wheelchair to go up the step inside. "Could go without my teacher though."

Hey, it was small talk with a kid. He could at least give her the courtesy of answering her question.

"Oh, okay." Nanako replied before looking at the table in gloom. "Dad said he's going to be late for dinner…"

The way she said it made it sound like her father's tardiness wasn't entirely unexpected, giving Johnny the impression that Dojima wasn't around as often as Nanako liked. His father never really talked to him when he came home for dinner, unless it was to scold him or just comment on how insignificant his latest race was since he wasn't Nicholas, or couldn't even beat some British jockey. So he couldn't really comment on how Nanako felt without her father around.

"Listen, I'm not hungry, so I'm just gonna hang out in my room. That okay?" There was a flash of hurt in Nanako's eyes, but it was gone in another second.

"That's okay. I'll be fine here." Nanako said, making Johnny nod. At least she was cool with this. She'd probably enjoy dinner more without having to listen to him gripe.

Grabbing the railing of the stairs, Johnny lifted himself from his chair and began pulling himself up. Due to his condition, he had pretty good muscles on his upper body for pushing himself around often. But it still was a hassle to support his whole body weight.

"Come on Johnny, just a few more stairs…" Suddenly, the unexpected happened.

One of his feet, he didn't know which since he couldn't feel anything down there, got caught on the edge of a step.

Johnny let go of the railing in shock, and tumbled down to the bottom. "Ah! Shit!" Johnny cried out in pain as he held his head. It slammed right onto the floor. He wasn't bleeding and his vision wasn't blurry, so that was a good thing…

"Are you okay!?" Nanako asked as she ran to him, her eyes filled with worry and panic.

"I'm fine…" Johnny groaned as he began to right himself before patting his legs. He had to check if they were broken or something, since he couldn't really feel anything. Nothing felt broken or out of place… "I'll get up there no problem…"

Instead of standing back like he expected, Nanako instead rushed to his right side and put his arm over her tiny shoulders. "What are you…?" Nanako then tugged as she began climb up the stairs, trying to pull him up with her. "Hey come on, stop…"

"But you fell down when you tried to go up." Nanako protested as she tried and failed to pull him with her. "I wanna help you since Dad isn't here."

"You don't need to do this!" Johnny snapped as he began pulling his arm back. "I'm fine on my own!"

Why? Why was she doing this? They hardly knew each other! She probably already knew by now that she couldn't even hope to move him! It didn't make any sense! She was a freaking kid, and she was trying to help out… someone like him…

Was it pity? No, pity wouldn't sit right with a child like Nanako. She was too young to understand the very concept. So was it that… she was just being nice to her cousin?

Johnny then placed his left hand on one of the steps and pushed down to lift himself up one step. Nanako still held onto his arm, refusing to let go and believing that she was helping him. He repeated the process with each step, wondering if Nanako truly wanted to do this out of the kindness of her own heart or not.

Eventually, they reached the top of the steps, And Johnny sat down while taking his arm off of Nanako. "You know that you didn't have to do that…"

Despite being red in the face from the effort, she shook her head and began fidgeting. "B-but we're family… You got hurt so I…"

"Well… Thanks…" Johnny muttered to himself while looking away. So she really did just innocently wanted to help a family member. "I'm… going to bed…" Without another word, he began dragging himself to his room. But when he reached the door, he turned to Nanako and said, "Good night."

Johnny sighed as he pulled himself onto the couch. His cousin, she… it couldn't have been pity. Kids were too young and innocent to try and really take advantage of others. Well, some brats were, but looking at her and remembering the earnestness in her voice Johnny had a hard time believing that she was a bad kid deep down inside…


April 13th, 2011:


Johnny just stared at the person who was flailing around in a garbage can. Someone inside was shouting that it smelled along with whining in disgust. Honestly, this was not what he had been expecting to see this morning. He just wanted to go to school, get his required amount of education for the day, and head back to Dojima's place.

After Nanako's attempt to help him last night, he had to admit that she had successfully managed to endear herself to him somewhat. She was an innocent little thing, yet obviously pretty depressed about her father never being around. Hell, she even cooked him breakfast! If it was a regular thing, he could imagine that things might be a little hard on her with her father gone most of the day.

But that didn't matter now. He was seeing some guy stuck in a trash can while everyone laughed and walked away. For all intents and purposes, he should just roll on ahead.

"Shit, I just can't leave him like this…" Johnny thought with a sigh before rolling his wheelchair by the trash can and pulled on the back of the guy's uniform jacket. In a second, the person was pulled out and landed on his ass, revealing it to be… "Oh, him." It was the guy who broke Chie's DVD. Yo-something.

"Aw man, thanks dude. You totally saved me…" Yosuke whined out before perking up as he saw who it was. "Hey! You're that new transfer student right? Johnny Joestar?"

"Correct. You deserve a prize." Johnny replied before he began to turn back towards the route to the school. Since the guy was alright now, there was no reason to stick around.

"Hey, come on! Wait up!" Yosuke then ran up next to Johnny and said, "I'm Yosuke Hanamura! We go to the same class together! So, you get used to the town yet?"

"I've only been here for three days. Course I don't know everything about this place." Johnny replied as he continued to push himself forward. "Do you bug everyone like this?"

Yosuke still kept the smile on his face, but inside that comment stung. It reminded him a lot about those girls that worked at Junes. Always calling him in on favors but talking shit behind his bag. But maybe, just maybe, he could get the new guy to like him.

"Besides, the guy's a cripple, so he probably doesn't have many people to hang out with." Yosuke reasoned to himself.

And it might be a little interesting to hang out with a foreigner. Plus, the way he talked back to King Moron on his first day earned him some points.

"Oh come on! Don't be like that! Listen, as thanks for helping me out and to welcome you to Inaba, I'll treat you to some steak! You know, we're famous for that out here. It's kinda dull, but what do you expect from a town like this?"

Johnny thought it over a bit. The guy was annoying the way he pestered him, but then again he was also offering him a free meal. So why not?

"Sure, I'm fine with that." Johnny agreed.

"You can count me in on that!"

The two turned their heads to see Chie smirking mischievously as she began twirling the case of the DVD Yosuke broke in her right hand. "This is how you can pay me back for breakin' my stuff!"


xxXXxx

"WHAAT!?" Chie shouted as she stared at the plate Yosuke brought to her. "You stingy tightwad! This isn't steak!"

"No kidding. Looks like meatballs to me." Johnny replied while poking his plate, which was the same as Yosuke and Chie's, with a fork as he sat in the table they had chosen in his wheelchair. The three had gone to the 'Junes' place in town, which seemed to be like the Walmart of Japan, or something of that manner. Probably the reason why so many of the stores on main street were closed.

"Yeah, sorry man." Yosuke muttered his apology as he sat down with his own plate. "After Chie decided to hop on the freeloader train I had to change my plans. These are meat croquettes. Trust me, they're good."

"What was that!?" Chie declared as she stood up and glared at Yosuke. "It's your fault for breaking my Trial of the Dragon!"

"He did say he would pay you back with his next paycheck." Johnny commented while cutting into his meatball-like meal.

"Oh just stay out of this! And that was a limited edition copy! Limited edition!" Chie stressed before letting out a dissatisfied huff. "I was all pumped up for some juicy steak…!"

"And I'm currently mourning the loss of having said steak." Johnny replied as he took a bite. The croquette was kinda hot, but still good. Nice and meaty yet he could taste the bread.

"Would you two stop complaining and just eat your meat already?" Yosuke sighed. "I'm the one treating you…"

"I know, I know. Geez..." Chie muttered as she began digging into her food. She then looked at the American and asked, "Say, Johnny, did you hear anything about that body that was found yesterday?"

"Why ask me?" Johnny questioned the girl.

"Well, that detective was your uncle, right? I was just curious if he told you something…" Chie trailed off.

"Oh, you mean about that body found strung up on that antennae yesterday afternoon? That was all over the news last night." Yosuke said before turning to Johnny. "Dude, your uncle was investigating it?"

"Yeah he was, but I don't know anything about it. We haven't had a lot of time to talk lately." Johnny replied.

"I heard that it was actually that reporter that had an affair with that councilman. Mayumi Yamano, I think…" Chie said as she looked up in thought.

"Seriously? Man, I can't believe that happened here. Hanging a dead body out in the street like that? Now that's just messed up!" Yosuke said, shivering a little. "There's no way something like that happens by accident, so if someone did it… hope whoever's responsible has already been caught. I don't like the idea of a murderer wandering the streets. Better be careful."

"I'll be on my toes then." Johnny spoke while taking a sip of his drink.

"Let's change the subject." Chie wanted to get rid of the goosebumps on her body as soon as possible. Let's see… what was there to talk about… Oh yeah! "Hey, did you hear about that Midnight Channel thing that has everyone talking?"

"I heard some guys talk about it after class yesterday." Johnny chimed in, looking at Chie with a raised eyebrow. "Is it like a fortune-telling thing or something?"

"Ah, it's just a superstition man." Yosuke replied with a wave of his hand. "Supposedly, it comes on when your TV is off at midnight on a rainy day."

"That's not all! I heard whoever shows up on it is supposed to be your soul mate!" Chie's grin grew even more as she looked at the two. "Come on, we have nothing better to do tonight! Let's just check it out! I heard it's supposed to be raining!"

"You sound like you actually believe it." Johnny smirked at Chie who sounded far too excited. "It sounds like that stupid dare game 'Bloody Mary'. It's probably a hoax."

"Yeah, Chie. Why are you getting so worked up over all of this?" Yosuke asked before sighing. "You know, this explains why you can't ever have a boyfrie-" The table then lifted for a second and Yosuke cried out in pain. Johnny noticed that Chie was righting herself in her seat. "Geez Chie! Lay off me! Man, right in the knee…" Suddenly, Yosuke burst up from his seat and began waving, as if the pain had never happened. "Hey! Saki-senpai!"

Johnny turned around to see a young woman with long and wavy brown hair wearing a Junes apron with a tired look on her face flinch for only a second before looking at Yosuke and saying, "Hey Hana-chan!"

Yosuke ran over to her and said, "Hey Senpai, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm just a bit tired is all." Saki replied while adjusting her hair. Yosuke's concern all but shouted out that he obviously had the hots for this girl. She then seemed to look past Yosuke and notice Johnny. "Hey! You're the new foreign-exchange student right? Listen, Hana-chan doesn't have a lot of friends. I mean he's pretty nice but if he starts bugging you just let me know right away! I'll come over to help you out!" That last comment spread pain across Yosuke's face, and the sinking feeling that Saki might actually hate him in the youth's guts.

Johnny's eyes shot up in shock. Was this chick hitting on him while insulting the guy who obviously likes her at the same time? "Geez, and I thought I was away from bitches like that."

"I'm just kidding you know!" Saki declared, making Yosuke sigh in relief.

"Y-you know Senpai that isn't really funny…" Yosuke chuckled while scratching the back of his head nervously.

"He does know she isn't joking right?" Johnny whispered to Chie, who blinked before nervously laughing.

"M-maybe it seems that way, but you never know!" Chie honestly wanted to say that Saki was just joking, but those little stabs at Yosuke almost seemed too sincere. As if she were giving her honest opinion on Yosuke. Yosuke then got back into his chair, smiling and humming as he did so. "Hey, what's got you so chipper?"

Yosuke smiled as he held up a ticket to that spy romance movie that was now playing in theatres. Johnny didn't know the name itself, but he believed that it was some Japanese James Bond ripoff.

But that aside, Johnny could tell what it meant.

Yosuke got himself a date.

"Oh man, I now see where you're coming from!" Chie laughed out while Johnny sighed as he ate more of his food.

It would be better just to tell the guy that the girl just wasn't into him. Might prevent him some heartbreak in the future. But then again it wasn't his business.

Nevertheless, he honestly didn't hate talking to the two. It just seemed… normal. It was a weird kind of normal too compared to the gatherings of the higher class he had usually obligated to go to. Yosuke was a bit annoying, but talking with him and Chie beat just going straight home and watching TV until he passed out or listening to music. He didn't need to be their friend per-say, he could just talk to them from time to time. Just that and nothing more.

It would prevent any pain from befalling him if it turned out that they were just like his old 'friends'.


xxXXxx

After about an hour more of just listening to Chie and Yosuke bicker, the three bid farewell to each other and left for their respective homes. Johnny had been able to arrive just in time for dinner at the Dojima household. They were having store-bought sushi. Luckily, Johnny had tried the stuff before so he laid claim to all the tuna pieces. "Could have done without the wasabi though…"

Surprisingly, in Japan they eat at the small table on their knees. Not that it bothered Johnny, since he could get into the position without a problem thanks to not feeling anything like stress on his legs. But he kept the wheelchair nearby to move from there to the stairs quickly and easily.

"What did you think when you found her?" The reporter on the screen asked a girl who had the top part of her head cropped off for 'censoring'. But it was useless. Johnny could instantly tell it was that Saki chick from her hair.

"Well… I only…" Saki replied, obviously nervous around the reporter. But rather than backing off, he just kept pressing on.

"Did you see anyone who seemed suspicious to you?" The reporter asked, as if gleeful with interviewing something 'important' like this. It honestly made Johnny a bit sick.

"No! Not really…"

"And that concludes our report on the girl who discovered Mayumi Yamano's body earlier this morning."

"Do they seriously call that an interview?" Johnny asked in an exasperated tone. "Geez, the people in this town need to calm down. It's a murder, not some attraction…"

Dojima then let out a snore, signaling that he truly was asleep, which Johnny had suspected since the man did close his eyes only a few moments ago. "I think Dad's asleep." Nanako got up from her 'seat' and walked to a small basket on the side of the couch. She picked up a blanket and began covering Dojima as he slumbered. "He was up all night yesterday. Said it was for work…"

Johnny could only keep silent as he looked to the side. There it was again. That same hurt little voice from Nanako. She must've really been lonely

"At Junes, everyday is customer appreciation day!" The voice of a commercial seemed to perk up Nanako as she looked at the TV. "Come in and experience it for yourself!"

"Every day is great at your Junes~!" Nanako sung out with the commercial, and Johnny couldn't help but find it a bit cute how she sung it. "I'm gonna take my bath now!" Nanako then ran off, cheerily humming the commercial's tune.

Johnny scratched the back of his head. There were some things he wouldn't be able to get about his cousin he supposed. "Might as well go to my room and catch that Midnight Channel thing…"


xxXXxx

Johnny had been able to kill time by listening to his CDs. It was more out of boredom, but he did also enjoy the music itself. The idea of becoming a rockstar had come across his mind when he was five, and Nicholas even joked that he would be the drums player if Johnny were to actually go through with it.

"Damn, Nicholas…" It still hurt, whenever he thought about his dead older sibling. He was everything Johnny never was. A perfect boy. Nicholas got all the high grades, he won respect just by talking to people. Hell, he was even a better jockey. Despite all that, Nicholas still loved Johnny, and always looked after him. And Johnny loved and admired his big brother, wanting to become just like him.

And now he was dead… Dead and gone for good…

Johnny shook his head. No. He promised to never cry for Nicholas after that day with his father. He didn't deserve to shed tears for his big brother…

Instead, Johnny looked back at the clock. It was only a couple of seconds to midnight. He had switched the lights off, and he could hear the rain outside. "Well, here goes nothing…" Johnny muttered to himself as the clock struck midnight…

…and nothing came on the TV.

Johnny sighed. Figures. Was this some sort of prank going around to fool suckers like him, Chie, and Yosuke to stay up all night? And who's to say Chie and Yosuke even actually stayed up to watch the thing? "Fucking waste of my time…"

Just as Johnny was about to crawl back into the couch and go to bed, the TV suddenly began to glow yellow. "The hell?" Johnny could see a picture. Wasn't that the Saki girl that Yosuke had the hots for? "Is this for real?" Johnny then began lifting his right hand to the TV screen, as if to confirm that this was actually happening.

I am thou…

A sudden pain then erupted from Johnny's brain, causing him to gasp.

Thou art me…

"Damn it! This again!?" Johnny cried out as he staggered. It was just like the voice from that one night, though a little different. He reached up to support himself and ended up pressing his hand against the screen of his television…

…Only for his hand to suddenly sink through the screen itself!

"The hell?!" Johnny shouted in alarm.

But you must first come and accept me.

Johnny then gasped as he felt like he was being sucked into it. He placed his left hand on the frame of the TV and began to push.

And I shall be waiting…

Johnny's eyes widened when he felt something move. His eyes shot down his right leg. He could've sworn that…!

The shock was so great that Johnny pushed himself hard with his left hand, falling from the TV and hitting his head against his table.

"FUCK!" Johnny cursed, springing up and clutching the back of his head with his hands. He let out a pained hiss as his head throbbed.

"Johnny?" Nanako's voice called out to him from the other side of his door. "Are you okay? I heard a noise…"

"It's nothing!" Johnny replied quickly as he leaned back against the table. "I'm fine… go back to sleep."

"Okay…"

Johnny listened as she walked back downstairs to her room before frantically patting his leg, trying to see if he could move it. Johnny frowned when the limbs just laid there, as unmoving as ever.

Johnny still couldn't feel a thing. No sensation, no nothing. Just like before. Just like it has been for two years.

"…Just what the hell was that?" Johnny asked himself as he stared at the TV.

This story is the tale of Johnny Joestar starting to walk.

Not only in the physical sense, but from adolescence to adulthood.

In this tale, Johnny Joestar begins to learn that he doesn't need to be alone.

That bonds with others can help the broken bird fly again…


The Infamous Man Presents...

A Different Kind of Truth


Note: *EDIT* Special thanks to Kiiam for helping me correct dialogue between the characters.

Hey there, it's TIM here starting another ambitious project with the help of Kiiam and Sir Godot. In fact, this chapter was actually betaed by Sir Godot.

Over the past few months, I fell in love with the series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. It's campiness and crazy plot lines are just something to behold, and each part is a different genre and each protagonist is different from the last.

Incidentally, I also got a PS Vita for christmas as well as Persona 4 Golden. That game is just addicting, and the story, characters, and friendships between you and the other characters are just amazing. Turns out that the Power of Friendship isn't entirely bullshit! Plus, the characters are totally relatable to real life problems and inner concerns.

That's when I got the idea for this story.

Johnny Joestar is the protagonist of JJBA Part 7: Steel Ball Run, which is a cowboy coming-of-age epic story. Timeline has been shaken up, but Johnny is more or less the same here. Johnny is a cripple here as well, which made the idea of new interactions with the characters too interesting to dismiss. In fact, Johnny's entire character is interesting to write. He's just so different from your normal protagonist...

Do not worry, this does not mean I'll loose focus on either JaUT or Stay Away. I'll try to handle the three the best I can.

Please leave reviews here with constructive criticism on the story.