Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 293

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Jotaro tries to bear the burden on his own as always, but his uncle won't let him.
Word Count: 1031
Rating: Teen
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS

 

14 Hours Earlier

        They think he’s overreacting.
        Well.
        Possibly not everyone. Josuke’s been worried about the grandson he’s never met since the beginning. He’d finally reached a state of equilibrium with his own father, but probably never intended to do the same with the rest of his family, and the fact that Johan’s on his own, even if he has the Joestar blood. Even if he can take care of things without somebody hovering over his back.
        It doesn’t sit right.
        It hadn’t with Jotaro, either, but what use were words? Why talk about it and just rile everyone up more? It’s not as if they could change much. Too much going on at their end, too. Dr. Ackerman alone. Stand and Shark researcher. They didn’t talk much, but he’d been useful, and...well, he’d be missed.
        Josuke...was spoiled, because he’d never been alone to deal with a problem. Except at the end, when he’d ended up at the hospital, so okay, based on his own experience, maybe he had a point. Not like it applied to everyone, but still.
        At times, he could be incredibly oblivious. Just like jiji. Now happens to not be one of those times, and he’s taking Jotaro’s concerns seriously, and Jotaro doesn’t know whether to be grateful or annoyed.
        At least he’s not making a scene. The marine biologist is leaning toward grateful. Just leaning. He hasn’t made up his mind.
        It might be due to trying not to stick around too much in his own head, though. Josuke always gets more observant when he’s trying not to dwell. He might be playing it cool, but the kid’s not taking the revelation that the supernatural exists very well. At all. Though it’s slightly cheering him to realize that yes, he absolutely can punch it, in this world. Maybe years of being a police officer have helped, too.
        “What’s up, Jotaro-san?” he asks quietly, not drawing attention. Which is as much for Jotaro’s peace of mind, because the last thing he needs right now is everyone nagging, and to stop everyone from panicking. They probably wouldn’t. They’re not taking this seriously. But if they were, they probably would be.
        Which, from that logic, Jotaro is probably panicking, too. He ignores that and the desire for a smoke. “Probably nothing.”
        “Hey, I trust your instincts. Even if they did get you nearly melted by a rat, you’re still the world-famous Dr. Jotaro Kujo, marine biologist and world’s greatest Stand User,” Josuke teases. He’s trying to lighten the mood, which means he’s worried.
        Jotaro smirks, inappropriate as it is for the situation. “That anonymous tip-off. The Wolfram & Hart infighting. The Mask, the Arrow, and the water Stand User, or demon.” He’s also personally not too sure about this whole demon business, but he’d been punching those since he wandered off and so far none of them had stood much chance against Star Platinum.
        “The fact that this is a trap,” Josuke fills in easily, glancing at the front of the plane where his daughter’s talking the ears off anyone who would listen.
        “Hmm.” Jotaro pulls his hat down further, shadowing his eyes. The fact that they’re in a plane is also concerning, though at least the old man isn’t here. He’d tried to insist, but he’s far from a fighter anymore. He’d sent Shizuka in his stead. She hasn’t changed, still overwhelmed by too much attention. Preparing herself quietly in a corner for the fight.
        “It...is kinda similar in ways I don’t like much,” Josuke confesses, comb making another appearance. “To how we met, I mean. There’s who knows how many enemy Stand Users being created for some reason, there’s a serial killer using water, an Arrow on the loose, and we don’t know why any of it is happening. It could help to talk through it, maybe. Let’s focus on a motive. Who would benefit from this?”
        Being a police officer, Jotaro reflects, has been good for him. “Not Wyndam-Price, probably. He might be a cocky bastard, but I don’t think he’d run the risk of anything interfering. Not unless he could delay us until it was too late.”
        “And his goons didn’t attack us before we took off, or, well…” Josuke trails off, suddenly looking around nervously like his words could summon a missile to try to bring them down.
        “Possibly a rival. Though Passione hasn’t noticed any activity to indicate they’re actually taking advantage of the chaos. Like by killing all his Stand Users in his absence.” Maybe they’d wait until after, but that’d be a dangerous approach. It’d rely on perfect timing, perfect everything. If they did it now, while he was preoccupied, they could eliminate possible reinforcements while he was occupied.
        “A third party, maybe. Though if it’s the Water guy, what does he want? He’s already gotten the Arrow from Wolfram & Hart. It can’t be another follower of DIO, right?” It’s rhetorical. He shrugs anyway. Josuke knows as well as Jotaro that there’s no evidence to indicate anything. It’s pointless to speculate. Jotaro’s mind is doing it anyway, frustrated by the gaps and attempting to fill them.
        The others, particularly Kakyoin, sometimes treat him like he hasn’t changed at all. But he’d gotten a doctorate. Swallowed months of boring drudgery all for a piece of paper. It’d been worth it, but he’d learned patience. Like with Sheer Heart Attack. He was more prone to watch first, punch later, these days.
        He wants to sit back and observe right now, too. That’s probably what’s getting to him. He hasn’t even been able to gather data. But they’re on a clock, and they don’t have the time.
        Good thing he can stop time, then. Maybe give himself the few seconds he needs to actually piece a few things together.
        “I’m counting on you,” he tells Josuke in the place of a response, because there simply isn’t one.
        “Oh, great.” Josuke’s complaining, but he’s still smiling. “Well, I am the guy that stays cool under pressure, so you can count on me. Just...try not to do anything too reckless, okay?”
        “It’ll be fine,” Jotaro reassures him, because it will. He’ll make sure of it.