[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure] Standstill Bonds

Chapter 45 ~ Lets get a move on

Jotaro and Giorno moved through the city streets and across one side of the city, Josephine, Polnareff, and Hiroshi also advanced through their section together.

"Stay sharp. Pucci might strike from anywhere and his lackeys could be lurking too."

Polnareff replied assuringly, "Don't worry Jotaro. We're not about to let ourselves get jumped. We'll handle our end just fine."

Hiroshi, less seasoned but no less determined, added, "We've got this. Just stay connected."

Josephine scanned their surroundings before saying, "Be careful too Mr. Jotaro, and you Giorno."

As Jotaro and Giorno kept searching on their side, Giorno's thoughts turned inward, and curiosity found its voice.

"Signore Jotaro," he began quietly, "I've always wondered about Dio. He's my biological father, but I only know him from a photograph. Polnareff told me he was evil, that you're the one who killed him and I understand that's partly why Pucci holds a grudge against you. But I need to know, what was his whole story?"

Jotaro was quiet for a moment, he understood the need for Giorno to understand the man from whom he came, even if that man was as twisted and malevolent as Dio Brando. With a brief nod, Jotaro began recounting the dark and twisted tale.

"Dio wasn't just a bad man. He was a monster," Jotaro said bitterly, "He became a vampire in his quest for power and immortality. His Stand, The World, could stop time, and that ability alone nearly cost us everything. Because of Dio, the Joestar bloodline was cursed with Stands. My mother almost died because of it, her Stand manifested but she didn't have the strength to control it. Killing Dio was the only way to save her... and the world, that's why we went after him in the first place. I defeated him in the end, but it wasn't without cost... Dio took three of my closest friends down with him."

Giorno nodded slowly as he listened, "I understand now why Polnareff only ever spoke of him with hatred. I'm sorry for what you lost because of him... and for what he was to me."

Jotaro waved a hand dismissively, "You don't owe me any apologies for Dio, you're nothing like him, you've spent your life doing the opposite of what he did, protecting and caring for others, that counts for a lot in our world."

"There's more though," Jotaro continued as he delved deeper, "Dio's evil started long before my time. He and my great-great-grandfather, Jonathan Joestar grew up together. Jonathan tried to be a brother to Dio, but Dio was consumed by greed and a lust for power. He found a cursed stone mask, turned into a vampire as I said, and tried to take everything from Jonathan including his life. In the end, Jonathan managed to stop him... or so he thought. Dio's head survived, and he took Jonathan's body, he survived by  hiding inside a sealed coffin for 100 years at the bottom of the ocean, until it was hauled up by unsuspecting fishermen, bringing him back to our world. He sought to conquer everything; his ambition knew no bounds. Dio's actions shaped our destinies, and my family have been dealing with the consequences ever since."

Just then, as Jotaro finished, a realisation struck Giorno, causing him to come to a halt. Jotaro, noticing the abrupt pause, turned to look at Giorno with a questioning expression.

"What's the matter?"

Giorno's eyes fluttered from side to side as he pieced the dots together, "So, if Dio had Jonathan Joestar's body, and Jonathan is your great great grandfather... does that mean you and I are related?"

Jotaro's chest rumbled in an amused chuckle as he watched the younger man's face turn in thought. "Technically. Bizarre, isn't it?"

Giorno, still processing the information, couldn't help but express his bewilderment, "So, I'm like... your great granduncle?" he mused, trying to pinpoint the exact nature of their familial relationship.

"You're not the first relative of mine who's supposed to be older actually end up being way younger." he explained with a wry grin, "Thanks for making me feel so old, kid."

Giorno couldn't help but laugh at that, "I'm thirty years old, Signore Jotaro. I'm not exactly a kid."

Jotaro shot him a sidelong glance, "Well I'm forty-five. You're basically a kid to me."

As they continued to search the streets of the city, Jotaro couldn't shake off the lingering questions in his mind about Polnareff and his wheelchair-bound condition, he turned to Giorno, seeking answers to his comrade's past.

"Giorno," Jotaro began carefully but curiously, "Polnareff never really opened up about how exactly he ended up in that wheelchair, just that there was some accident with another stand user. Do you know anything about that?"

"Polnareff found himself entangled with Diavolo, a stand user with a power known as King Crimson," Giorno explained, "King Crimson had the ability to erase time by a few seconds, aside from being incredibly powerful physically. Polnareff was on the brink of death but I got to him just in time as Diavolo left him for dead. In our gang's pursuit of that bastard I lost several friends; Abbacchio, Narancia... Bucciarati... When I gained requiem I was able to defeat King Crimson thanks to my Stand's new ability. I took over his position as boss of Passione when it was all over. And now, what's left of us work underground to infiltrate criminal gangs and drug dealers."

Jotaro's hand came to rest on Giorno's shoulder, "That's quite a story, thank you for explaining it all to me. I'm sorry for the loss of your friends. I know too well how it feels." The impact that the departure of friends... and of departed family could leave on the soul, Jotaro truly did know it better than most.

"Thank you, Jotaro, It's never easy, but their sacrifices weren't in vain. We made sure of that."

-

On the other side of the city, Polnareff, Josephine and Hiroshi found a brief respite near a quiet building corner. Polnareff operated a small laptop displaying a sonar-like scan of their surroundings. His eyes scanned the screen intently, searching for any anomalies that might reveal the presence of their adversaries.

Josephine stepped closer to Polnareff, a hand resting on one of the handles, her eyes flickering between the screen and the surrounding area. "Have you found anything yet?" she inquired.

"Nothing yet," Polnareff replied, his hand reaching up to gently grip hers. She nodded and straightened up, sighing softly.

Sensing her unease, Polnareff attempted to reassure her, "Don't worry, mon enfant. With Jotaro leading us, there's no Stand user we can't handle. We'll find Pucci and we will put a stop to this."

Hiroshi did his best to reassure her too, "He's right. We've got a kickass team, Pucci won't stand a chance."