The Green Little Ghost

He had failed completely. Lord Dio will be mad. Lord Dio will punish him. That Jotaro was much stronger than he thought, challenging his Hierophant Green's impressing abilities. He had swept the rain of emerald away, with ease, he had given every blow back to him. Kakyoin knew that the young man's strengh was not the only thing to take into account. He had been not fully focused. Something about Jotaro troubled him and his mind was trying to send him a message, a feeling of deja-vu which took over his mission to eliminate his target. Hierophant had been troubled too, copying his user's doubts. Kakyoin had lowered his guard, trying to understand what was going on exactly. He had paid a heavy price for this.

All his body was suffering from his defeat against Jotaro. He was wondering why the teenager didn't finish him instead of bringing him to his home. His head was on the verge of splitting open, he just could hear confused voices and pieces of sentences that weren't making any sense. Him, manipulated, submitted to Dio ? Nonsense. He was following him willingly. He had to kill Jotaro because he was a threat to his master, that was it.

Then he felt hands on his cheeks holding him and the pain in his head exploded.

"Curse you !"

"Don't move Kakyoin. If I miss, it's over for your brain."

He couldn't move anyway, paralysed by all the blows he had taken and also because it felt like a metallic rod was piercing his head. So he just gazed at Jotaro's pupils, those turquoise eyes that were tickling the center of his memories, as if they already knew each other and not just met.

The huge wave of pain stopped nearly altogether as soon as the parasite was extracted from his brain, even if a vague suffering remained to drill into his head. The vampire's influence disapeared at the same time as the flesh bud that was destroyed midair by Joseph. His ideas were still confused, but he already felt more like himself, alone in his body and mind.

He sat with difficulties, touching the rather deep hole the mind controller had let in his forehead.

"Why did you risk your life to save me ?" he asked.

Jotaro stood up, met once again Kakyoin's eyes with his own, activating something in him, something familiar but distant...

"Who knows... I don't even know myself."

While Holly was bandaging his injuries he watched Jotaro with attention, trying to unravel the mystery.

"Why are you looking at me like that ?" he groaned when he realized that the teenager was examining him thoroughly.

"It's nothing. Sorry."

We have already met, I am certain. I remember.... I must try to remember...

Fiddling with his memories when his brain was just recovering from Dio's influence was perhaps not a good idea, but the curiosity was stronger. He tried to imagine a younger Jotaro, more childish. He wouldn't wear this cold and bored expression on his face, on the contrary, his features would be marked by innocence and joy that usually defined that tender age.

He focused on this image, trying hard to put the young boy that Jotaro had been back in a context where he could have met him...

                                                                                             **

Noriaki very much loved the park: the swings, the slides, the sandpit...

The thing was, his mother made a point in taking him on wednesdays and saturdays afternoon when the place was crowded with children.