#also Joseph may br old but he's still sharp as a tack so he quickly tied those two points together

[minawakitten]

Polnareff's sleeping big brother instincts AWAKEN upon finding Kakyoin in such a messy and distressed state. Kakyoin is torn between not wanting to be seen, wanting comfort and trying to get Polnareff to fuck off because, Goddamn it, why, of all people to catch him crying and hyperventilating, it's him. It fails.

Polnareff has no idea what the hell is going on or what upset Kakyoin ( he assumes DIO, which is a reasonable assumption, Kakyoin was (( and still is )) a child when DIO forcefully took him under his wing, those months in Egypt before he was sent back to Japan were probably Hell ) but he's doing everything to comfort him, much like he did for his sister when she was still alive.

Kakyoin hates it. ( he genuinely appreciates it. )

Joseph, on the other hand, is quick to note his grandson is missing and starts searching without even waiting for the possibility of him returning to the hotel. As the search drags on, the question of what possibly could have happened really stands out to him, along with how Kakyoin repeatedly showed interest in the accident.

Kakyoin is usually fine giving people their space and not pry into secrets, much like how they haven't with his own background, but something about the incident has him curious. No. It's more than curious. There was an underlying desperation. But why? Why would Kakyoin be so desperate to know what exactly happened in the incident? And thinking back on it, Holly spoke very familiarly with Kakyoin, of course Holly is a very open and friendly person but it wasnt the same, it was like . . . like she met him before.

And with that train of thought, a dusty memory attaches to it.

Holly was excited, as always when it came to her precious son, but more so this year, when he called to confirm he received a copy of Jotaro's class photo himself. She happily gushed about a certain child in the picture. A little boy with red hair. Her son's first friend. A boy he heroically saved from some bullies and carried back to the Kujo family home, where she bandaged him up and served him some snacks.

A sweet but shy boy with such an imagination about his little green friend -- Tenmei-kun!

She never uttered a word about the boy's surname but, a boy with red hair in Japan is not common. It really isnt. God. If only he recalled that stray memory sooner, perhaps this could have been avoided.

With the help of his Stand, Joseph is able to locate his grandson soon enough, and Jotaro is fucking going to town on some local punks, hes clearly been shanked a few times [ hes too high on adrenaline and emotions to really feel that shit right now ], hes just been trying so hard to beat his emotions out and hes still at it after the guys are down. It's always worked before, so why isn't now?

Joseph forcefully removes Jotaro from this scene, and thankfully before cops arrive, but Joseph notices how Jotaro's knuckles are bruised and bloody and his gaze is unfocused as he inspects his grandson for any other injuries or anything serious. Jotaro cant think. He doesnt want to think.

[ If he thinks, he'll see Kakyoin's crying face, be reminded of how he abandoned him back in the hotel room or the very fact he had someone he cared for and someone that cared for him and the destruction of that childhood hurts him.

This is Also Jotaro refusing to look directly at the writing on the wall that tells him that DIO knew this shit too. Because of course he would. Of course he would make Kakyoin spill his life story for his entertainment and when he mentioned meeting Jotaro as a kid, of course he would take advantage of this information. He doesnt want to think about the thought he went to fuckign town and beat up his own childhood friend bloody without a second thought.

He just. Doesnt Want to Think At All. ]

hello, its me again, the self insert bastard

i have SO MANY thoughts about Jotaro and Kakyoin being childhood friends, it's only for a short time because Kakyoin's dad's job causes him to move around a lot; but they reunite in middle school only for Kakyoin to move away a month later AND THEN, Jotaro gets in an accident where he hits his head and forgets, along with him starting to show an aggressive nature [ due to said injury ] + combined with the harassment he faced because of Japan's xenophobia and then people suddenly wanting to be all over him one the Joestar Genes (tm) kick in

Which leads to DIO trying to take advantage of this bond between the two by sending Kakyoin after Jotaro in some sick mind game and Kakyoin expecting Jotaro to falter in their battle only for Jotaro to not have a single goddamn memory about Kakyoin and beating him stupid.

Which ALSO adds a layer to the scene where Jotaro pulls the fleshbud from Kakyoin's head and Kakyoin being near in tears as he cant understand why Jotaro saved him after very clearly not recognizing him and Jotaro is just, idk bro [ deep down his soul is like I GOTTA ]

theres like so many MORE layer to this when the self insert universe lore comes into play but i dont want to barf it up all at once because i want this to slap people in the face when its revealed in full [ when i can finally write this, i gotta finish the current project im on before diving into more ]

my brain is full of thoughts

*crashes through the wall* HEY I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND BUT FOR SOME REASON THIS SMACKED ME UP THE HEAD WITH BRAINROT SO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR EVEN MORE ADDED IN WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT-

so what if I just. what if I

*bonks Jotaro with more amnesia*

what if in the accident you mentioned Jotaro couldn't remember anything. Like, brain blank, had to relearn a lot of basic skills and is having to essentially start living life again from scratch

Holly is of course a god send through it all. She never expects anything from him even though he's supposed to know who she is, and despite the undoubted amount of pain she's experiencing seeing him like this she lets him get closer and comfortable at his own pace, never making him to do anything he isn't comfortable with. She does what she can to help him remember things, but also does what she can to help him keep the new memories he makes (another symptom of amnesia is having difficulty making new memories too which will honestly just adding more frustration). Maybe she gives him a small notebook and maybe even a video camera to help him out

she doesn't try to mould him into how he used to be and just..... lets him be who he wants to be

and honestly...... when he does start school it's no wonder he retaliates. He probably pestered Holly for months to let him go back to school, but when he does...... the world is crueler than he thought. It's not at all like his home with Holly's warm hugs and phone calls with Joseph's bad jokes and crazy stories and Suzie's gentle encouragement and advice. Instead, it's cruel with harsh gazes waiting for him to mess up and whispers he can just barely hear and rules he can't understand

it frustrates him and scares him but most of all it confuses him. And because he doesn't know how to respond to it all, he retaliates with anger. Anger was easy. It made sense, it was clean cut and knew what it wanted him to do and gave him quick, easy explainations of how to do it

(Holly hates it, he knows. He can see it in how the spark in her eyes dims a fraction every time she gets a call from the school, how her eyes will linger on every bruise and scrape when he comes back home long after the sun set, how she always looks so sad whenever he hangs out by himself without any friends)

((But she never says anything. She still keeps the first aid kit under the sink stocked up, she still makes him his favorite foods (new and old) every few weeks, she still helps him go over all his video footage and journal entries, and in those soft moments behind the wood walls and shoji doors that keep the harsh world out, Jotaro can't help but wish he could remember what to feel instead of anger))

but of course, Dio and Kakyoin have no idea about any of this. As far as Kakyoin's aware, Jotaro simply..... forgot about him. There was no recognition in Jotaro's eyes, so hesitation in his punches, no acknowledgment of the past they shared, of how much they'd meant to each other

And BOY that's painful to learn, that the one and only friend he ever made, who stubbornly stuck to his side no matter what he did to try and scare him off, who accepted Hierophant's existence without hesitation even though he couldn't see the spirit, simply....... forgot about him completely. Whether it was because he didn't care or because in the grand scheme of things Kakyoin really wasn't that important, it burns in a way he hadn't predicted it would

this definitely changes his and Jotaro's dynamic, with Kakyoin trying VERY hard to pretend he doesn't care and is completely unaffected and Jotaro who really has no fucking clue what's up with this red haired kid

and who knows. Maybe Kakyoin was a pinch familiar to Jotaro but he brushed it off since there were a lot of things in his life that felt vaguely familiar. Maybe they knew each other before his accident, but they probably weren't that close since the guy hadn't tried bringing up the past yet. Or even worse, maybe it was a one sided type thing and Kakyoin had no idea who he was at all

(Jotaro tries not to acknowledge the slight disappointment he feels at that thought. His knowledge who he is, who he was, was almost entirely limited to his mother and grandparents who lived across a whole ocean. No friends, no extended family, just the three of them left filling in the gaps. The idea of there being a fourth person who properly knew him, someone his age...... ah, but no matter, it probably wasn't anything)

also for some added angst....... just. when Jotaro starts getting more positive(?) attention at school, what if some people tried pretending they knew each other before his accident to try and get closer. Just to give this boi some ✨ trust issues ✨

and honestly, there are so many ways the reveal and reconnection can go and I don't know which one to pick. We could have the crack-y "Joseph makes a joke about it and Kakyoin's brain soft reboots" to the softer "in a moment of vulnerability Jotaro talks about the amnesia because he's starting to genuinely see the Crusaders as friends" to an angsty "Kakyoin reveals he knew Jotaro in a moment of stress/high emotion and Jotaro slightly flips his shit because This Guy Knew Him And Didn't Say Anything"

there's just. so much and it's so tasty