His hand flicked the switch yet another time, the beam tearing through the night air and into the sky.
Okuyasu rested his chin on the window frame kneeling on his knees, as he held out the flashlight out the window, turning it on and off.
The air outside tasted suddenly sour and Okuyasu felt as if he could then at that moment smell burning flesh. A memory, that's all it had to be. He thought of Keicho.
Josuke shifted in his sleep in the background, turning over and briefly scratching his thigh. Josuke slept atop a mess of blankets atop Okuyasu's bed, his hair undone, waterfalls of purple sky hair touching his neck and shoulders. His lips were slightly pursed, the moonlight glittering atop its plump figure.
Okuyasu stopped sleeping after Mr.Joestar arrived.
He couldn't bother closing his eyes and facing the memories of him riding his brother's coattails. He now understood Keicho's last words.
It was a hard pill to swallow, but Okuyasu knew it was true. He couldn't think for himself. More than anything he wanted to blame Keicho, as he forced him under his rule and quarantined his mind and free will. But Okuyasu knew better than that. He waited for Keicho's every word and hung on the edge of obedience with each scar and callus.
Okuyasu eventually stopped showing up at school. He could only sit in the bathroom, lurched over the toilet, puking out his every mourning thought. He simply told Josuke he was sick, and left it at that. He never kept down any food, even the meals Ms.Higashikata humbly made for him. He didn't understand why, but he felt that he didn't have the right to even give control to his own body. If he couldn't make his own decisions without Keicho, then why command his own being? So he would sit in his own sick, hair messy and undone, eyes sunken.
He felt like he was Keicho in those moments, broken and almost dead. Sympathy should have been noted for his late brother, but he kept it to himself.
His every thought leaned on those decisions he had made in the fight against Chili Pepper. He almost got Mr.Joestar killed with his rash behavior. God he knew Chili Pepper was right to say he was under the shadow of his brother.
Continuing to flick the flashlight on and off, Okuyasu stared down at a sleeping Josuke.
Why did he finally break and let Josuke see him? Perhaps it was his comforting hugs and the way he could let you relax in a pathetic manner in his arms.
Josuke started sleeping over after Okuyasu's sleep schedule was complete history.
Josuke would occasionally bring his game console and hook it up to the Nijimura's old blocky TV and play video games long into the night. Josuke would always fall asleep on the 12th round of F-Zero and Super Mario World.
Okuyasu would always stay up afterward, staring out the window with his flashlight. He didn't know why he started doing that.
Perhaps it was his repressed memory of the last bit of good he ever saw in his father beforehand.
Okuyasu was small then, sitting in the damp grass with his father. He held the very flashlight Okuyasu held tonight, pointing up into the sky and flicking it on and off.
"This is called Morse Code, Oku!" his father had told him as a wide eyed Okuyasu reached for the flashlight, begging for a turn.
They'd sit outside once and a while, chai tea and warm colorful blankets warming his fingertips and ears. His old man taught him the very simple codes, like a hello and a goodbye. He learned his own name and Keicho's and his mother's.
His hand slipped from the switch, and Okuyasu stared up at the sky, as if to look for that memory, to see his own smiling face and his father's once kind smile.
A shaky finger held down the switch yet again, as he felt himself reliving that melancholy memory.
K-e-i-c-h-o.
Tears suddenly threatened to sting his eyes as he gripped the flashlight with ease. Morse Code was all made up, he could never know if this could reach his brother. Yet he hoped. He hoped for a memory to cross Keicho like it did with him. A memory of pure bliss, happy little giggles, rainy days with galoshes and puddles, piano keys and strawberry ice cream.
He heard Josuke shift in bed behind him, and the floorboards creek.
Josuke kneeled down with him and rested his arms atop the window frame beside him.
"You're gonna wake up the neighborhood, ya know," Josuke yawned, rubbing the back of his neck and groggily blinking.
"Yeah I know," Okuyasu mumbled, continuing to flick the flashlight on and off.
"What are you doing?" Josuke asked, reaching over to pat Okuyasu's head.
"Talkin' to my big bro," Okuyasu whispered in a gravely voice, gripping the flashlight intensely.
They shared a moment of silence, as if Josuke were treading carefully on his words carefully.
"Is he sayin' anything back?" Josuke asked, yawning yet again.
Okuyasu's hands shook, as he slid his hands away from the window frame, placing the flashlight onto the floor.
"Just me," Okuyasu sighed, tracing a finger against the wooden frame of the window.
Josuke rested a cold hand atop Okuyasu's shoulder and rubbed it. "You're doing just fine," he assured.
Just fine? Was slinking over the toilet and puking up his feelings just fine? Was wallowing in the shadow of Keicho just fine?
Josuke could suddenly sense the pain. He could see it in his deep blue ocean eyes, thoughts swimming in the deep blue, as mysterious as the bottom of the ocean.
"It's not your fault, ya know."
Okuyasu felt pressures lift from his shoulder and stop the vibrato like shaking.
Chili Pepper wasn't his fault? In the end, all of this was his fault. The stands the threats, the scars. As damned obedient as he was, he couldn't manage to kill his own dad. Maybe...just maybe...
Okuyasu lurched over and felt like puking again, as Josuke held his shoulders, trying to comfort him. God he felt like he was falling apart, like some sort of time bomb about to go off.
Spit dribbled from Okuyasu's lips as he began to whimper, feeling sick and anemic.
Josuke reached under his armpits and boosted him up, comforting him and patting his back. "You should get some sleep, bro," Josuke assured, holding him close to his chest, a steady heartbeat ringing in his ears. Okuyasu wrapped shaky arms around Josuke's neck as he practically dragged him to his bed. He felt immobile, lost in incoherent thoughts and mindless drabble.
Josuke gently laid him down in the mess of sheets and blankets, reaching down to brush his bangs out of his face.
He climbed up on the bed and sat next to Okuyasu who laid in silence.
"I'm not gonna coni out, until you fall asleep," Josuke promised, carefully watching Okuyasu.
"I can't," Okuyasu mumbled.
"Why not?" Josuke pouted, slouching over to gently slap his cheek. "Just can't stop thinkin' about Keicho."
Okuyasu rolled over and hid his face in the fetale position. "He was right ya know when he died. I am a child. Can't think for myself, it's putting everyone at risk."
Josuke laid back next to him and placed a hand on his back. "I think you're pretty adult if you ask me."
Okuyasu uncurled from his position and turn over to face Josuke.
"huh?" Okuyasu choked, as the two friends faced each other.
"Admitting to yourself that you're not the most equip to deciding those things seems pretty adult to me," Josuke began. "You may think rash sometimes, but you do it for us, Okuyasu."
Tears cling to his cheeks as Okuyasu feels himself smile for the first time in a while. "Thanks Josuke," he blabbers, reaching over to pull himself into Josuke. He wrapped his arms around Josuke and hid his face in his neck. His hair was soft and tickled his nose.
"You think too much," Josuke laughed.
"I try not to think at all," Okuyasu said as he let out a small yawn. Josuke cradled Okuyasu gently, as a warm breeze found its way through the window.
"Just go to sleep," Josuke whispered.
Okuyasu felt that warm air against his skin and smiled, perhaps a Keicho did find a memory as Oouyasu had done. Whether it were to be a good memory or bad one, he hoped a Keicho was thinking of him too.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Mmmmm aye what up fam, today I give you Josuyasu cuddles. Tomorrow? Who knows.
Anyways I wanted to address some character growth in Okuyasu. I watched this really good video that broke down his character in a very well said way. It talks about why Okuyasu is actually very mature and how Ariaki demonstrates the will of a person who isn't smart and cunning, unlike most the jojo characters and their complex battle scenes.
So take a listen, and drop your opinions in the comments, let's have a conversation about this and about Okuyasu. But yeah, brilliantly said, brilliant video, give it a watch.
Anyways as always, drop some ideas in the comments I ALWAYS need them! Yes this chapter was short as a majority are becoming, it's because I'm a tad dry on ideas and I wasn't excepting this fanfic to become this popular so I'm like oh okay sweet now what XD
Chow!
-Jameson
P.S JOIN MY DISCORD I NEED MORE PEOPLE EEHEE
YOU ARE READING
Bold and Brilliant
FanfictionFate has a funny way of sneaking up on the most strong-willed people. Unfortunately, Okuyasu is no different. His whole family has put their fates in their own hands, his brother, an angry shell of a kind and loving sibling who once put bandaids on...