JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Thin Air

Chapter Twenty-Four: What Once Was (Part II)

Josuke opened his eyes, pulling himself out of the darkness, and found himself somewhere he did not expect to be in. He was on his bed in his bedroom back in Morioh.

"What the hell am I doing back at home?" he said groggily. He then realized the state of his body and voice and concluded that he'd waken up after a night of sleep. But why was he in Morioh?

The door to his bedroom opened and saw the figure of a woman entering his room. He rubbed his eyes to get a better view of her and saw that it was his wife, Ally.

"Didn't expect you to be here this late, Josuke." Ally said. "You're not one to sleep in."

"What time..." he said, pawing away at his nightstand, reaching for his phone. He turned it on and saw that it was 9:07 in the morning.

"I guess I am late," he said, kicking the blanket off of his body and sitting up. "First time for-

Josuke felt the urge to look at phone again. He picked it up again and his eyes immediately found the date: August 15, 2016.

His eyes constricted with horror as he realized what day it was; the day of his father's death. Was he somehow reliving that same day again?

"Something wrong, babe?" Ally asked her husband. "You seem kinda-"

"I just remembered how late I am!" he said, standing up abruptly. "Work starts in less than an hour!"

He had to do something, but do so discreetly. He had no idea if this sudden rewinding of time would somehow affect real life, so he didn't want to take any risks and somehow change the timeline. To him, Fate was something that was set in stone. Trying to change it would cause him to end up with dire consequences. He had to rescue his sister without changing reality.

He got himself cleaned up in the bathroom, then changed into his work uniform: a grey three-piece suit. He'd enjoyed wearing even though it was a hassle to put on, his role as an Inspector gave him some distinctiveness where as most of his police colleagues had to wear a normal police uniform. Plus, it allowed him to retain his pompadour hairstyle.

"See you at six, probably, babe." he said to his wife as he left his house. The unpredictability of his work made it impossible to tell which time he'd be home by.

"You're forgetting something." Ally said.

"I am?"

"Your briefcase, silly." she said, handing him his valuable receptacle.

"Damn, I almost forgot that!" he said, his rush to something unknown having caused him to forget it. He had to treat the day normally, like any other workday. He didn't even know if he was actually sent back to the day his father died or if it was some sort of dream. "Thank you!"

"Oh, and one more thing." 

Ally stood on her toes and looked up at Josuke's face. The couple locked lips for a number of seconds before Josuke slowly pulled away.

"I love you." Ally said.

"Love you too, darling." Josuke said. He took his bike off of the porch and began his ride to work, but first, he'd stop somewhere, a place he'd go to almost every single workday.

Josuke spent 10 minutes riding down the roads of Morioh on his grandfather's bike, one that he spent top dollar to keep in working condition. Ryohei Higashikata had been one of the reasons he became a police officer, so using his bike to get to work was one of the ways he honored him. 

He entered the spot that he'd eaten at since he was a teenager: St. Gentleman's bakery. It was a nearly daily ritual for him to visit it since he started his job as a police officer. Not much had changed; the business had expanded so he was able to get his breakfast without it being sold out quickly. The only real difference was that its operations were overseen by his best friend.