Unexplored Sea - Jotaro x Reader / Stardust Crusaders insert

Chapter 3

Joseph just gives me a "we'll talk later" kinda look. I'm scared now. I almost want to cry because I really don't know what's going on and feel like I should. I also don't want my look to be ruined, but mostly I feel like I'm missing something—something important. What I'm most worried about, though, is Jotaro getting burned by all these flames. It's getting really hot in here now, and Jotaro is pinned up against the wall by what looks like fire wrapped around his wrists and ankles. God, Jotaro, please just come out of there.

"Kujo's stuck to the wall and can't move."

"But how... Isn't it getting sort of..." The police officer glances at the temperature monitor. "Impossible! How is it that hot? That's insane!"

He's just as confused as I am, but I don't think he can see the fire like I can. If he did, he'd be losing it even more. I think this is what Joseph's look was about. Only certain people can see this stuff. That means I'm seeing something I'm probably not supposed to.

The big red bird pulls Jotaro off the wall, finally, and I nearly lose my footing when something even bigger and... purpler?... emerges from behind him. It's not human, but it's shaped like one. Tall. Powerful. Radiating this insane energy. It's got the same height and build as Jotaro—same arms, same sharpness to it. It even moves like him. I watch it with wide eyes as it squares up.

With one solid shove, it knocks the bird back into the bars of the cell. I flinch, blinking at the crackle of energy. I glance at Jojo, who just stands there—cool as ever, like he didn't just summon some monster out of thin air.

"So finally! It's shown itself!" Joseph looks stunned, like he wasn't expecting that. I'm not sure if he's impressed or worried. Probably both.

Meanwhile, my brain is spiraling. Jotaro and I used to do dumb kid stuff—ride our bikes down stair rails, sneak into movie theaters, try and make food without burning down the kitchen. This? This feels like something out of a sci-fi manga. Ghost monsters, invisible flames, and Jojo being the center of it. I look at him and wish he'd just come out of that stupid cell earlier. I wish we could go back to sneaking off to the beach after school, or hanging out at the arcade without the world ending.

I don't even notice Avdol until he sinks down to the floor with a heavy thump, sweat dotting his brow. And then I see Jotaro. He's out of the cell. Finally. His hat's tilted slightly and his jacket's swaying like he walked out of an action movie. He glances at me again. It's the same unreadable stare he always gives, but his eyes hold onto me a second longer than usual. I almost say something but—he looks away. Just like that.

He and Avdol start talking about these "stands."

"Wait, what?" I glance from Avdol to Joseph to Jotaro. Holy looks as stunned as I feel.

"We need to go somewhere else to talk about this," Joseph mutters with a sigh.

Time skip – small café

""It smells good in here," I say as we follow the waitress. The café's warm air wraps around us—coffee, sugar, something citrusy. It makes me pause.

Jotaro sniffs, just once. "Smells like that diner we used to sneak off to after school."

I blink, surprised he brought that up first. "Oh my god, it does," I laugh. "The one with the busted jukebox that only played sad love songs?"

He shrugs. "Food was decent."

"You always ordered two burgers and then stole half of mine."

"You always let me."

I snort. "Yeah, because I was nice. That doesn't mean I didn't want them."

Jotaro just gives a quiet grunt that might actually be a laugh. We slide into the booth, and for a second the tension lets up.

The silence after that isn't awkward—it's the kind we've always been good at. Just existing next to each other without needing to fill the air. I could sit in silence with JoJo for hours. I can sit there and drink while he smokes and we can just sit and—be. We never need to be out and about with big crowds or going all these places. It's just so refreshing to know my life doesn't need to be a big perfect performance. 

We sit at the table and Joseph starts explaining everything about stands and Dio. I listen, of course. I mean, how could I not? It's literally life-altering information. But it's hard to keep up. Harder still when I realize—

"But Joseph...?"

"What is it, Y/N?"

"Does that mean I have a stand too? I could see everything that happened in the jail and I just saw the purple thorns come out of your hand when you smashed the camera."

Joseph blinks like he just now remembered I was here. Great. He definitely forgot.

"Oh my god..." There it is. The Oh no I forgot the teenager I dragged into this nightmare reaction. "Haha, Y/N! Don't think I forgot about you now!"

Yeah. Sure, Joseph.

"You are correct, young lady! You must have a stand, but it hasn't been awakened yet!"

"So? That doesn't mean anything to me. How do I 'awaken' my 'stand'?"

Avdol leans forward. "Well, Y/N, do you think you could've been born with your stand? Maybe you've had it all along, but just didn't realize? Think—have you ever experienced anything unusual? Something strange that could be the work of a stand?"

And I do think. Immediately. The memories hit me fast and hard. My whole body tenses as they start surfacing.

"I think I was around three years old. One night I woke up and saw my window blinds pulled up a little, with the moon shining through the gap. I laid back down and sat in my crib, playing with my stuffed animals... y'know, makin' 'em talk and fight and stuff." I glance around. "I tried picking up three of them at once and got frustrated 'cause I couldn't hold them all. Then, I saw this pink hand with white, scale-looking things running down the arm. And when I looked up... there was something standing there."

I trail off a bit. "And when Jojo and I fought those boys the other day... it was weird. I mean, they were twice my size, but it felt too easy. I know I'm strong, but it felt like I wasn't even trying. Like I moved without thinking."

Jojo's been quiet this whole time. I glance at him. His face is unreadable again, but his eyes are locked on me. Like he's been listening to every single word. I shift in my seat.

"Is that all? Was that the only time you recall seeing anything? You could've been dreaming," Joseph says gently.

I shake my head. "No. It happened other times too. When I was eleven or twelve, before my last soccer game back in the States, I saw it again in the locker room. I stared at it and my friends thought I was nuts. That game, my coach said I played like a monster... and we won. Other times, too, I'd catch glimpses of it. I just never knew what it was. I figured I was imagining things."

I stop, realizing I've been rambling. I glance around and it's quiet. No one says anything at first. I feel my cheeks get hot and I glance at Jojo again. He's still looking at me, but then—just like always—his eyes shift away before I can ask what he's thinking.

Avdol and Joseph start whispering to each other. My stomach twists. That cannot be good.