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As a child, Kakyoin had always been lonely.
Was it because other kids didn't like him? Was it because he was shy? Or was it because he was...
Different?
To other kids, he seemed like an ordinary child, except for the fact that he didn't have any friends. To Kakyoin, however, he was very different compared to the others. He had a green companion that no one else could see.
All these years, he had longed to find someone else that could see his green companion. His Hierophant Green. That was why he had distanced himself from the other kids in his class. No one else could see his companion that was right there, right next to him.
"Noriaki! Do you want to play with us?"
"Sorry...I'm busy.."
"Noriaki! Come eat with us at lunch!"
"No, sorry...I have somewhere else I need to be..."
After finding out that his parents couldn't see his green companion, he decided not to bring it up again. He worried that his parents would think he had gone crazy or mentally insane. But Kakyoin felt perfectly fine. At least, he felt physically fine. He felt no mental illness either. It was just the loneliness that kept nagging him.
When he had first—and maybe last—told his parents about his Hierophant Green, he was met with worried looks on their faces. His parents didn't believe him.
His life continued in loneliness. That was, until he met someone who would change his life.
Kakyoin was on a vacation in Egypt when it happened. His parents had let him wander the city of Egypt for a bit after dusk fell. On his way back to the hotel that he was staying in with his parents, he felt a presence behind him.
A blonde man stood behind him, radiating a powerful aura.
When the man, whose name turned out to be DIO, met Kakyoin, he introduced Kakyoin to a world of Stands. Kakyoin realized that there were others like him who had companions of their own. However, he never felt any real connection with DIO or anyone in his mansion, even though they could see Kakyoin's Hierophant Green.
Kakyoin continued to long for a friend, but didn't let that get in his way of his duties to DIO, since DIO's fleshbud was controlling him.
Then, he met Jotaro Kujo.
Kakyoin's first meeting with Jotaro wasn't exactly an ideal one. It started off with Kakyoin trying to kill Jotaro because of DIO's orders. It turned out that Kakyoin had been controlled by a fleshbud, which had been pulled out by Jotaro after Jotaro knocked Kakyoin out and brought him back to the Kujo household.
When Joseph, Avdol, and Jotaro found out that Holly, Jotaro's mom, had fallen ill because her fighting spirit couldn't handle her Stand, they had decided they would go on a 50 day journey to find and defeat the man who had caused this. Kakyoin had opted to come with them.
When Kakyoin explained why, it was because he wanted to repay them for freeing him from the control of DIO. It was also because Holly seemed to be a really nice and kind person.
Deep down, however, maybe it was also because Kakyoin just wanted to make friends with them and travel with them.
Kakyoin had longed for friends for a very long time. Friends who were able to see his Stand and were able to establish a connection and bond with him. And he finally found the people he could have a chance with.
A chance at friendship.
"Jotaro and I will share a room, since we're both students." Kakyoin proposed to Joseph.
After Joseph gave each Jotaro and Kakyoin the keys to his and Jotaro's room, they both walked in silence until they reached their room.
As soon as they entered the room, Jotaro immediately plopped on the bed and leaned back on the headboard.
"Tired?" Kakyoin asked.
Silence was the only reply. Kakyoin let out a quiet sigh as he took a seat on the other bed. The room was filled with a tense and awkward silence.
Suddenly, a mischievous idea popped into his head. Kakyoin realized he had never seen Jotaro without his hat before. If Jotaro was actually asleep, his plan might just work..
Kakyoin slid off his bed and carefully approached Jotaro's bed. He couldn't see if Jotaro's eyes were closed since his hat was covering them. Asleep or not, Kakyoin decided he'll risk it anyway. In one fell swoop, he swiped the hat off of Jotaro's head.
Jotaro's bright green eyes became exposed as soon as the hat was snatched off. It turned out he was awake. He looked up with a piercing glare.
"Give that back." Jotaro demanded.
"I think it's about time you go without your hat for once." Kakyoin replied, playing with the hat in his hands. He tried not to be fazed by the murderous aura that was emanating from Jotaro.
Kakyoin turned the hat around to take a look at the back and noticed the torn style it had.
"Huh. At one point I actually thought your hat fused with your hair. Turns out it was just the back being torn."
Jotaro leapt from his bed and attempted to swipe the hat back from Kakyoin. Kakyoin jerked the hat away from Jotaro as he made his leap.
Not wanting to drag this on any longer, Jotaro summoned Star Platinum and sent his Stand to retrieve the hat for him. Luckily for Kakyoin, Hierophant Green was already summoned just in case something like this would happen. Kakyoin gave his Stand the hat as soon as he saw Star Platinum being summoned. Hierophant Green quickly put as much distance between himself and Star Platinum.
Unfortunately for Kakyoin, Star Platinum was too fast and caught one of Hierophant Green's limbs. Star Platinum finally grabbed the hat, despite Hierophant Green's futile attempts to keep it away. Star Platinum returned to his user and returned the hat before disappearing.
"Alright, you won." Kakyoin sighed and plopped down on the bed he claimed for himself.
Just as Jotaro put his hat back on, the room's phone rang. He made his way over to the phone and picked it up. As soon as he put it to his ear, he heard a familiar voice. It was Joseph's. He told Jotaro that they will all be meeting in Joseph's and Avdol's hotel room. When Jotaro hung up, he turned to Kakyoin.
"We'll be meeting the old man and the others in a bit."
Kakyoin nodded.
As they made their way out of their room, Kakyoin spoke up.
"You may have gotten your hat back this time, but next time, you won't be so lucky."
"I'd like to see you try." Jotaro replied.
Kakyoin nearly missed the small smile that Jotaro tried to hide. He looked away from Jotaro and felt his own smile growing as they made their way to Joseph and Avdol's room.
Since then, the two began to interact with each other more.
Kakyoin sighed in relief as he and the others left Mannish Boy in the nearby town. He never wanted to see another baby with a Stand again. He was definitely going to have nightmares about this for a while, despite defeating the Stand that tried to kill the Crusaders in their dreams.
Now the Crusaders just needed to get on a boat and head to Egypt. Joseph and Polnareff were busy trying to obtain a boat they could ride. Kakyoin and Jotaro stayed behind.
Kakyoin slumped onto the nearest seat he could find, still overwhelmed by the fight with Death 13. With the variety of different Stand powers and users, he was surprised the others didn't believe that the baby had a Stand that could kill them in their dreams.
Jotaro sat next to Kakyoin. Once again, the atmosphere became tense and awkward.
"Kakyoin."
"Hm?"
"That baby we had to take care of earlier, what kind of Stand did he have?"
Kakyoin turned to Jotaro in shock.
"You believe me? When I said that the baby had a Stand?"
"I had suspicions. If even an orangutan could have a Stand, a baby with a Stand shouldn't be too surprising. And the fact that all of us felt like we had terrible dreams we couldn't remember strengthened my suspicions."
Kakyoin nodded.
"I still mostly doubted you the night before we woke up feeling like we had terrible dreams, before my suspicions were strengthened. That was why I didn't defend you when you were explaining to us that the baby had a Stand that was trying to kill us." Jotaro continued.
"Now that I think about it, it does seem very unlikely for a baby to have a Stand, since their fighting spirit's aren't strong enough. I guess that justifies why you guys didn't believe me. But that doesn't mean it isn't a hundred percent unlikely."
A small pause passed between them.
"You still didn't answer my question. What kind of Stand did the baby have?"
As Kakyoin explained how Death 13 worked, Jotaro began to piece together what he had seen along with the information that Kakyoin gave. Kakyoin felt a bunch of weight lifted off his shoulders after letting all of the information out.
"So... you really believe me?" Kakyoin asked.
"Yeah."
The silence that settled felt more comfortable than last time. It felt nice to Kakyoin that someone could trust him. Even though Jotaro doubted him before, it was nice that he eventually came to believe him.
Joseph and Polnareff returned, notifying Jotaro and Kakyoin that a boat is ready for them. They would soon set off to Egypt.
Though, not before a detour to a certain island.
Kakyoin had a few days before his eyes could heal as best as possible. During the course of the healing, he would have to have his eyes bandaged, which meant he wouldn't be using his sight for a while. Because of this, the Crusaders will be traveling without him for a while.
As he heard the Crusaders shuffle out of his hospital room, he sighed. It wouldn't be much fun if he stayed stuck in a hospital room with nothing to do. However, he did want his eyes to recover to their best possible condition, which was why he agreed to stay behind.
When the door had finally shut, Kakyoin leaned back on his bed. He wondered what he was going to do during the time he would stay in the hospital.
I'm beginning to miss my Famicom already.. He thought wistfully.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door again. It creaked open, and footsteps walked in.
"Oi, Kakyoin." A familiar voice called.
Kakyoin's head whipped up and turned towards the voice. It was Jotaro's.
"What's up? I thought you already left."
"We won't be leaving for a while. The others are preparing before leaving. I just decided to stay here for a bit."
"Coming to keep me company, huh?" Kakyoin smirked.
Jotaro ignored his comment. Kakyoin heard him take a seat next to his bedside.
"The old man saved some oranges. Hungry?" Jotaro offered.
"A snack sounds good."
Kakyoin felt an object being dropped into his lap, which he assumed was an orange. The scent of delicious citrus wafted into the air. When Kakyoin picked up the orange, he felt that the skin was already gone, meaning that it was already peeled and the skin was already thrown away.
"I could still peel it myself, you know." Kakyoin was still grateful, despite what he just said.
"Whatever. Are you going to eat it or not?"
Kakyoin took a piece and slipped it into his mouth. The fruity citrus flavor spread across his tongue.
"Not too bad." Kakyoin remarked.
Kakyoin heard chewing that was other than his own, and knew that Jotaro was also eating an orange. They ate in silence together while basking in each other's presence. When Kakyoin had finished his orange, he leaned back on his bed again. It seemed that Jotaro had finished before him, since Kakyoin no longer heard chewing from the other.
"So..." Kakyoin began, trying to break the silence. "I remember you saying that you liked the sea."
"Yeah."
"Maybe you should become a marine biologist one day."
Jotaro replied with a grunt.
"It would definitely suit you." Kakyoin went on.
"What would you wanna be one day?" Jotaro asked.
Kakyoin paused, thinking for a moment.
"I'm thinking of becoming a painter one day. I could make a living off my paintings."
"If you are, then I'll be buying one of your paintings one day."
"I'll be looking forward to your purchase, valued customer. I'll even be giving you a discount. Be grateful for it, since I won't be handing out discounts that freely."
"Looks like I'll be saving some money. What will you be painting for me?"
"Hm... maybe scenery of the ocean and the shore."
"Mn."
Silence settled between them again. Then, an unexpected question.
"Kakyoin. Are you... lonely?" Jotaro asked.
Kakyoin whipped his head towards Jotaro's voice in surprise.
"Well... I guess I used to... but I don't seem to be anymore." Kakyoin mumbled. "As a kid, I've always distanced myself from others because they couldn't see my Stand. When I met you guys, I felt like I finally found companions to be wit—ah—am I saying too much?"
"Nah. When we finally return back home from defeating DIO, I'm dragging you with me so we can walk to school together. Feels better to have company other than the girls that keep swarming me every time." Jotaro replied.
"And then you won't be lonely." Kakyoin could hear Jotaro saying these words, but knew he would refuse to say it to keep up his edgy demeanor.
"I appreciate your offer. I gladly will, once this is over." Kakyoin replied.
"You better."
"Is that so?"
Then, Kakyoin heard Jotaro stand up from his seat.
"Seems like we're leaving soon. I'll be going now. Maybe I'll call you when I can, Kakyoin." Jotaro said, about to make his way to the door.
"Wait."
Kakyoin caught Jotaro's sleeve, giving it a light tug.
"Call me Noriaki."
"I'll call you when I can, Noriaki."
With that, Kakyoin heard footsteps continuing towards the door. He smiled to himself. Looks like staying in the hospital won't be so bad after all, if Jotaro and the others kept him company through the phone.
This was it. This was the day they were finally going to defeat DIO, the man who had caused this journey to happen.
Kakyoin was walking with Jotaro and Joseph after their encounter with T. D'arby. They were going to meet up with Polnareff, Avdol, and Iggy after their encounter with whatever enemy they had.
Kakyoin felt that all of this was ending too soon. They were already in the very same place as DIO. Now, they just needed to defeat him.
"So... all of this is finally coming to an end, huh?" Kakyoin mumbled.
"Yup, I can't believe this is already going to be over soon." Joseph replied.
"To be honest, part of me wishes that this wouldn't end. I had so much fun during this journey. It's a shame it has to end."
"Well, who knows? After this one, you might have to embark on another journey to fight more Stand users."
"If I had companions like you guys to travel with, I'd definitely look forward to it."
"The next time you go on a journey, I might be too old for it. You could just go with my grandson Jotaro."
Jotaro grunted.
"Gladly," Kakyoin responded to Joseph. "But these past 50 days will still be something special to me. It was the first time I was able to be with people who are also Stand users like me, and people who I could have a bond with."
"I'm glad we're able to make it a great experience for you." Joseph answered.
"Yeah... these 50 days have, by far, got to be the best of my life. And I would gladly relive these past 50 days."
"Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. But that doesn't mean you can't give yourself a new experience that's just as good as this one!" Joseph grinned.
"Yeah, yeah..."
The three Crusaders stopped in front of a wall that they knew Polnareff was behind. As soon as they broke it down, they found that Polnareff was indeed behind that wall, and DIO was retreating up the stairs. They brought Polnareff back to join their company, but found out what unfortunately happened to Avdol and Iggy.
As Kakyoin was walking with Jotaro, Joseph, and Polnareff, he thought of Avdol and Iggy, who unfortunately couldn't make it with them. He knew they were in a better place now. Kakyoin looked over to Polnareff, who looked despondent. Kakyoin felt his heart tug in sorrow and sympathy. He couldn't believe the same happy-go-lucky guy was the one walking with them right now. Polnareff must have been through a very difficult experience to have looked like this.
Though, even with the losses, Kakyoin definitely enjoyed the journey. He met friends that could understand him and see his Hierophant Green. If Kakyoin were to be honest, he felt an an inkling of gratefulness to even DIO, since he had indirectly caused Kakyoin to meet the Crusaders and end up where he was today.
Even when the Crusaders had experienced DIO's Stand, even when they all jumped out of the mansion's window to follow him, even when Polnareff ran away to try to somehow take down DIO on his own, Kakyoin still held on to the moment, trying to get the full experience. The journey was ending too soon.
And when the Crusaders were about to split up to try to pull a pincer attack against DIO, Kakyoin finally spoke up to Jotaro before Jotaro went to join Polnareff.
"You know... I think you're my first closest friend." Kakyoin quietly said.
"That so?"
"Yeah... so... we'll be able to hang out with each other after our journey?"
Jotaro nodded.
"Then, you better make it out alive after all this is over." Kakyoin responded with a grin.
"Same goes for you." Jotaro answered, trying to hide his own smile.
They shook hands, but still held on to each other's hand.
"You better not die out there." Jotaro mumbled.
"Then you better not die out there either." Kakyoin replied.
Neither wanted to lose each other.
"You ready to take DIO on?" Kakyoin asked.
"Sure am."
They finally let go of each other's hand.
"See ya." Kakyoin waved at Jotaro as he walked over to Joseph.
Jotaro gave a small wave back at Kakyoin.
With that, they both split up to put their pincer attack in motion.