Heart of Gold

A Week Later

PROLOGUE
A Week Later

The sun's rays kissed the quiet, uneventful town of Morioh, painting the skies with pretty shades of red, yellow, and orange. At this time, the townsfolk were already making their way home after a tiring day of work, wanting nothing more but receive kisses from their loved ones, have dinner with them, and take a well-deserved rest.

She leaned beside an old oak tree, its branches devoid of leaves and its roots digging underground, producing tiny cracks into the pavement. (e/c) eyes scanned the flock of middle schoolers. She watched as some joined their friends and walked their way home, whilst some had their parents pick them up. Amidst the chaos, she looked for a certain ginger-haired boy.

Usually, after school, (y/n) would drop by the middle school section of Budo-ga Oka School to fetch her little brother, and accompany him in walking home. But due to an unfortunate series of events, she was unable to do so. She could only imagine how devastated her brother was when he walked home alone for a week.

Not to mention she missed the first week of school. All because someone randomly shot her with an arrow. She was on her way to school with her brother when it happened.

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It was the first day of highschool, and (y/n) was beyond excited (and also kinda nervous). Like usual, she woke up, did her morning routine, kissed her parents goodbye, and practically dragged her brother out of the house.

(y/n) chattered about her plans for her highschool life, occasionally shooting silent remarks at random passerbys, such as judging their choice of outfit. Her brother could only listen, but he didn't mind. He actually laughed when his sister quietly made fun of a man who wore a hat that seemingly blends in with his hair.

Everything was well, until they heard the rustling of bushes nearby. (y/n) instinctively stepped in front of her brother, before checking the bushes, only to find a peculiar turtle.

"It's just a turtle, you big baby!" She burst out laughing, eyes wandering to her brother who was shaking like a leaf. She continued to tease him, until something flew by, and suddenly, all air seemed to have left her. A sharp, painful sensation emitted from her lower stomach. She glanced down, and saw that an arrow had pierced her flesh.

She lifted her shirt, catching a glimpse of gold within the arrow's head. She didn't know what was more terrifying: her new uniform was ruined, her brother witnessed her being shot, she'd been shot, or the fact that the arrow kept digging deeper into her stomach.

She decided they were all terrifying.

"Sis!" Her brother's voice faltered, eyes wide as fresh tears rolled down his red cheeks. Random syllables fell from his mouth as he watched his sister fall down on her knees, coughing up blood. "I-I'll call for help! Stay here!"

She watched as her brother ran to the more crowded parts of Morioh, screaming for help. She diverted her attention to her stomach, not noticing the figure that approached her. A hand gripped the shaft of the arrow, and—to her horror—pulled it out in one swift motion.

She could barely raise her head to gaze at her assailant before she fell on her stomach. All she could perceive before going unconscious was a nest of blond hair.

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That was a week ago. Her wound hasn't fully healed, but enough to where she could be discharged from the hospital. She was glad though. The food there was like her father: non-existent.

Perhaps that was too harsh. Her father was there, but at the same time not. When he goes home, he doesn't even greet her, her mother, or her brother. He just enters the house, takes off his shoes, drop off his bag somewhere, sit on the couch, and ask what's for dinner. But he was still her father. She could only hope that one day, he would become a better man.

A grin crept onto (y/n)'s face when her eyes landed on the familiar bundle of ginger hair. She hid her face, and waited for her brother to pass by. Once he had his back turned to her, she quietly approached him, kneeled down, and covered his eyes with her palms.

"Guess who."

A gasp escaped her brother's lips, making her chuckle. She let go, and he turned around, tears threatening to spill from his eyes when he saw his sister's face. His lip quivered, and his breathe hitched.

"(y/n)...?"

She held out her arms for a hug. Seeing him smile made her day complete.

"Hayato."

He tackled her to a hug, crying into her chest. Well, that shirt was ruined too. Some civilians looked at the two, most having looks of concern.

"I thought I lost you!" Hayato cried, his hold around (y/n) tightening. "They wouldn't let me visit you in the hospital and mom doesn't tell me about you! I was so scared... I don't know what I'll do if I lost you-"

"Hayato..." (y/n) grimaced. "The wound."

The boy pulled away. "Sorry!"

"It's fine." (y/n) chuckled at her brother's nature. "I'm sorry, too."

"Um... why?"

"You had to walk home alone for a week, and you probably had no one to talk to back at home. I mean, mom is always up to something, and dad is always busy.""

Hayato hugged her again. "I don't care about that. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I missed you, Hayato." (y/n) returns the hug, laughing into her brother's hair. "Let's go home... together."

The two broke the hug, and started to make their way home, hands interlocked as they chatted the day away.

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A/N
it's my first writing JoJo. it's bound to be bad- but i hope you enjoy!

my friend (who is a JoJo weeb) kept nagging me to watch JoJo until i caved. first episodes of Phantom Blood were kinda boring to me but after the third episode or so i got addicted. this is evidence of how fast a person can fall into the JoJo hole, folks. i finished watching the anime a few days ago, and i just started reading Stone Ocean yesterday.

shoutout to my homegirl Reign_Blue1023 for the mental support!