JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Blood Ties (A JJBA Fanpart)

Chapter I - Grace Brando, Vampire Joestar

Fear. That's the one thing Grace had felt. Well, that and the slight pain from the amount of force her mom had used to push her small body away from the slowly approaching hoard of Stand users. Or, at least, that was what her mom called them. Grace had no clue what Stands were, but that would change. She was hidden behind a pile of boxes in the alleyway she was shoved into. She peeked over one, seeing her mom being pushed and beaten by what Grace saw as an invisible force. All she heard was yelling, but her mother remained quiet. They connected gazes for a brief moment. Hot tears stung both their eyes, both knowing how this would end.

"Your kind caused so many problems," Grace heard a voice yell, followed by the distinct cracking of bones. "It's a wonder why we hadn't found you sooner!" More sounds of punches and bones breaking. The copper taste of blood lingered in the air, and yet her mom was still quiet. She didn't even try to fight back. Grace's small body convulsed with fear, fighting back a scream as she turned away. She knew the sun would rise soon, and she had to choose: try saving her mom and probably die in the process, or run and have a chance at living. So she ran. She looked back once, seeing her mom motionless on the ground, blood pooling around her broken body. She continued running, all the way to the old mansion Dio owned, making sure to avoid as many people as she could.

Grace awoke in a cold sweat, tears staining her face as she clutched her sheets. "Nightmares," she huffed as she looked at the clock. 3:42 pm, the sun was still out. "Damn, dad's probably out running errands or something," she muttered, dragging herself out of bed. She rummaged through her dresser and eventually decided on her usual style: t-shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans. She strolled to the huge library of the old mansion she called home. After Dio's death, she tried getting rid of the bad image it carried. Technically speaking, it was still belonging to a vampire, but at least she didn't have an aggressive hawk as a guard. A lot of the damages from the battles in '89 were still there, however, like the carved up floor from Vanilla Ice's battle with Polnareff. She only knew the history of the mansion from her mother.

She was drawn from her thoughts when she about ran into one of the numerous bookshelves, her Stand, Holy Diver, holding its hand out to stop her. A soft wryy echoed from the Stand before it faded. "You've always been so protective of me," Grace laughed, sitting down in one of the old chairs. "Man, what will I do without you..." She grabbed one of the books she had previously piled next to the chair and thumbed through it, the musty scent of the old paper bringing a smile to her face. Her Stand peeked over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Grace asked with a laugh. "You interested in the book? It's just one of mom's journals. This one's specifically about those old stone masks that made mom and dad who they were, and technically made me who I am."

"Grace!" She heard a voice yell, "I'm back!"

"I'm in the library!" She called back as she stood up before running to see her adoptive father, Hol Horse.

"Holy Diver been keeping you company?" Hol Horse laughed as he ruffled Grace's hair. One of Dio's old followers, Hol Horse was "retired" after bullets from his Stand, the Emperor, hit him in the face. He was now in his 60s, scarred but just as goofy as ever.

"Of course," she laughed, hugging him.

"What are you doing up? Normally you sleep until 7," he asked, "... Was it another nightmare?"

"Yeah," Grace sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"Of Paramore again?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. The usual," she laughed sadly.

"Hey, don't worry," Hol Horse sighed as he hugged her. "Paramore was an amazing woman. She wanted to make sure you were safe. She'd be so proud of you, continuing her research."

"Thanks, Dad," She laughed.

"Why don't you get some more rest, kid. You still seem tired," Hol Horse laughed and ruffled her hair again. "Oh, and I did get that blueberry cheesecake you like if that makes ya feel any better."

"Thanks," Grace chuckled softly as she walked back to her room.

"Oh wait! There's one more thing," Hol Horse said as he ran over to Grace, "Another letter for you. No return address, as usual. Do you want me to just get rid of it? It could be those assholes again."

"I want to read it at least, so we can maybe compare it to the other letters." Grace calmly grabbed the envelope and tore it open with one of her claws. She tossed the envelope to the side and unfolded the crumpled letter. "Oh? This is different! It isn't a threat! Though it's kind of sad to say that I get excited about those kinds of things."

The handwriting was a lot cleaner than the normal letters, despite the appearance of the paper itself. "Speedwagon Foundation?" She asked, tilting her head slightly when she saw the repeated mentions of that name.

"Oh, the Speedwagon Foundation. They help out the Joestar family and investigate supernatural things," Hol Horse said calmly, "I don't know if Paramore had told you but your father, Dio, his body wasn't truly his. He stole the body of a man named Jonathan Joestar. So indirectly, that makes you a Joestar. Have you ever noticed the star-shaped birthmark near your neck?"

"Oh, that?" Grace asked, "I've just never acknowledged it. Thanks for telling me, dad."

"So I suppose the Speedwagon Foundation wants to talk to you for some reason or another," Hol Horse said calmly. "Strange how there isn't a return address. Maybe one of the employees was nearby?"

"Seems about right," Grace said calmly, "Wait, I see a name. Neil Speedwagon. Is he the leader or something?"

"I believe so. I might have to get in contact with Joseph to make sure, but I'm pretty sure Neil is the descendant of the original founder. Maybe he's still around here? Grace, do you want me to go find him?"

"Please do. I want to meet Mr. Speedwagon. He might know more about mom and dad, considering the supernatural research they do."

Hol Horse nodded and walked outside, readying Emperor just in case. He was no stranger to people trying to attack him, as those who followed Dio tended to be ostracized in Cairo. Grace watched carefully from the shade. I hope he finds him soon, Grace thought. She sighed and walked back to the library, grabbing the journal and picking up where she left off. I might as well get comfortable...

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