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Chapter 15

"Ahh! Mr. Jostar! Good morning. Come in, come in!" Jabari exclaimed with a joyous smile, "What brings you by so early? Tenmei out with Mr. Kujo for breakfast. I do not expect to see my son for the rest of the day."

"Good morning, I actually came to see you. I brought an authentic Italian breakfast!" Joseph said, holding up a paper bag.

"Oh, well. I am a man easily bribed with good food! I will order us some coffee to go with it. Please, have a seat." Jabari said. He quickly called room service before joining Joseph in the sitting area. They held polite conversation until the coffee arrived and Joseph pulled open the paper bag, revealing half a dozen brioche.

"These are my wife's special recipe. A family tradition. I did a lot of begging and several large purchases for her to teach me how to make these. I made these with cherry filling. It was Kakyoin's favorite." Joseph explained.

"Oh? You're wife? Is she...we didn't see her last night?"

Joseph gave a sad chuckle, "She's fine. She's at our home in New York. I'm staying here with Jotaro for a while. We're...in a rough patch. I was encouraged to give her space in order to salvage our marriage."

"Ahhhh, I see. Marriage is a precious thing. I miss it greatly."

"You were married?"

"Yes. My wife was lovely. Sadly, she became ill and passed...oh I guess it's been over 20 years ago now."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you have children?"

"We had a son, but he passed as well."

"May I ask what happened?"

"He often spent time with a dear friend of mine who had a son the same age while I worked. They were best friends. When he was 14, they were out doing...whatever boys do and...he was hit by a truck. I was nearly on the other side of Cairo when it happened. I didn't find out until I returned home that night." Jabari said softly. Joseph didn't know what to say so he reached over and put his hand on Jabari's shoulder. Jabari looked up at him and smiled, "It's alright. I got a second chance. 5 years later, I stumbled across my Tenmei. He is such a good boy. I am truly blessed to have him as my son."

"Hmm, yes. Kakyoin was always a good boy. It was...difficult to lose him. Especially for Jotaro."

"Yes. You know, I caught a glimpse of your grandsons' eyes last night. Tenmei remembers him, in his own way. He's been painting Mr. Kujo's eyes for nearly 5 years now. To the point of obsession sometimes."

"You don't say. Well, maybe, with time, he can regain all of his lost memories." Joseph mused.

Jabari smiled, "I truly hope so. It's long been his dream. I often wondered if I did enough, if I could have pushed just a little more in the beginning with my stand's abilities." He said, voice heavy with regret before adding, "Then, at times, I wonder if it's a physical issue at all."

"You think it could be psychological trauma?"

Jabari shrugged, "With what you told us last night, it's certainly possible. Who wouldn't be traumatized by all of that? The fact that he so easily recalls bits and pieces with reminders would seem to support that."

"Hmm, Mr. Zaki, I wanted t..."

"Please, just Jabari."

Joseph nodded, "Jabari, I was wondering...what exactly does your stand do?"

"Ahhh, well. It's quite simple really. All Shook Up can regenerate organic tissue. It's excellent for healing injuries and even replacing lost blood. The draw back, is that there's a limit to how much can be regenerated at one time. I...I pushed myself nearly to collapse the night I found Tenmei. I couldn't let him die. We healed his abdominal wound as much as we could and restored enough of his blood that he wouldn't immediately die. I was unable to treat his head wound for many hours." Jabari explained.

"Head wound?"

Jabari sighed, "Yes, what caught my attention was a body floating down from the burst water tower. I saw a glimpse of a stand. I could tell he was horribly injured. I ran to him. He was still about 2 to 3 stories up when Hierophant Green faded completely. He landed very hard. There wasn't enough blood left in him for his head to bleed."

"Why go through so much to save a stranger? Someone who could be an enemy when they woke? A dangerous one at that. I've seen what he can do and Jotaro has firsthand knowledge of how...ruthless he can be."

"Oh, I know. I've seen. He's had...encounters with troublesome people. He is formidable." Jabari said. "However, that night, I didn't see a potential enemy. I saw a boy, a son....in a way I saw my son, broken and bleeding in the street. I'm not sure I was even rational at the time. I couldn't not save him. I believe I would have died trying."

"Thank you. For saving him. And...for being a father to him. His parents...they aren't bad people, really. But Kakyoin is a born stand user. They're not. It left room for a lot of misunderstandings during his youth. I spoke with them, told them what happened. They were furious. Said we took advantage of their emotionally and psychologically disturbed son." Joseph said, voice an angry whisper. "He seems so much...lighter now. Having had a parent who not only understands but accepts and encourages his abilities, it changed him. In a good way, I think."

"You do not have to thank me. These years I have had with him, are some of my happiest. I'm glad to have had a positive effect on him."

Joseph smiled, "Well, now that I know a bit more about you, I'd like to talk to you about The Speedwagon Foundation."