JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Paradox

Chapter 10: Prelude of the Ripple

It has been three days since JoJo perished Dio for good in the burning mansion and I've been standing outside of the hospital with my knuckles wrapped with bandages for about an hour. I stood restless, worrying about JoJo's hospital stay while my eyes looked upon the night sky. Father was also in the hospital for about a couple of days from his common cold while Danny keeps him company; it appears that his coughs subsided a tad since the doctors took care of him.

I let out a sigh before Speedwagon left the hospital with a cane.

"Is JoJo alright in there?" I asked, "I know that I said that he'll be alright, but I just wanted to make sure that he's alright."

"From what I see," Speedwagon replied, "It appears that JoJo is awake and I do say he won't be lacking a reason to live after this reunion."

"What do you mean?"

"I took a peek inside the room and saw Erina Pendelton healing JoJo's wounds. When JoJo recognized her as the childhood sweetheart, it was a heartfelt reunion for the two of them."

Was that the same girl who took me to the hospital seven years ago? I thought curiously, Perhaps it was the girl that I used to know, but I haven't seen her for years...

A day later, I saw Erina walking with a cane held in her hand.

"Um, good morning, Erina." I greeted as I walked up to her.

"Oh," She was surprised that I still knew her name before she replied, "good morning to you too. How did you remember my name?"

"I..." My words parted away from telling her about what Speedwagon heard; so I changed the subject a bit, "How's JoJo feeling?"

"He's feeling much better. His left arm is a little sore based on the looks of it. Maybe we should check on him."

We walked by and saw JoJo standing near the crumbled mansion. Erina called his name so he could notice us before she could give him the cane to walk properly.

As we all continued to take a stroll, JoJo looked behind and thought that he saw someone standing nearby the fence.

"Is something wrong?" Erina asked JoJo.

"No, all is well..." JoJo gasped with shock when he saw a man with a top hat sitting on top of the retaining wall, eating a sandwich while he stares back at him. I should be as stunned as my brother, but I jumped a bit when the man appears within a split second in front of us.

"Ah, signore Joestar," the man greeted JoJo with an Italian accent as he tipped his hat and looked at all of us, "and the lass at your side is signorina Pendleton. As well as..."

The man halted to study my suspicious presence before he muttered to JoJo with a sense of doubt.

"Why is Dio here with the two of you and why is he not disintegrating in the sunlight?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, sir," JoJo explained, "this is Demetrio Brando. I know what you're thinking; he looks just like Dio, but from what I know seven years ago, he told me that he came from another universe in which he founded out how selfish he once was long ago. He came to our timeline to fix the mistakes that he once done to protect me from suffering the nightmare Dio was going to create on the behalf of himself."

"I see..." The man sighs and nods his head understood JoJo's words before he launched himself upwards from the concrete and continues with a louder voice, "The both of you survived against the mask. Not many men can claim that!"