Vultro Meets Shizuka Joestar (story)

Vultro Meets Shizuka Joestar! is a currently unwritten story detailing the meeting between Shizuka Joestar and Vultro the Fox, as well as bringing a sample of the Stand virus into the Vultroverse.

Story

There aren't many days I can feel so terrified, so empty, so alone, that even invisibility can't make me feel safe. Even now, walking home from the funeral, it still feels like I could simply pop out of sight and... forget. Forget, and be forgotten.

I still remember the last thing he said to me. It starts how it always starts. A joke about his old enemy finally getting what they wanted. Was it the vampires? The Aztec space god come back to Earth? It was always different. "They played the long con on me," he said. "Can't run any more, not with these knees." I chuckled and gave him a big smile. In an unusual moment for my father, he then turned to me looking quite serious. "JoJo..." he said with an alarming weakness. I knelt down by his side. "You are living proof that the Joestars have a pure heart." He paused. "Don't... don't ever forget that." It looked like he tried to smile, but it came across as a pained grimace.

It seemed like he wanted to say more, but there was just no more energy left for him to speak. Yet, he somehow had the energy to point to the camera we had left at his bedside. He had asked for one to be kept there in case he had any "last minute premonitions." I placed the camera gently onto his bed and stepped back. With all of his might, he choked out two final words: "Hermit... Purple!" He launched his frail hand into the camera, sending the thorny purple vines into it. The camera spat a small photo onto the floor before disintegrating. Jotaro scooped it off the floor before I could look at it. I was too upset to care. My father, the great Joseph Joestar, lay frozen in his hospital bed. I had to leave.

Even thinking about it now is making it hard to keep my composure. First my mom was taken from me, now my dad? An eighteen year old without parents? It wouldn't be the first time I was left alone, of course. I mean... I also wasn't truly alone. My brother Josuke has been in town since things looked bad-- and Jotaro came once we were sure dad wasn't going to make it.

But, I had never really talked much to what I liked to call the "extended" Joestar family. Jotaro (who's technically my nephew) would occasionally visit on account of his daughter living in the US-- he was nice enough. A lot of his time was spent abroad doing marine research. His daughter Irene was a lot closer to me in age, so we talked every once in a while. Not much though.

My brother Josuke I would see the least of all. He lived in Japan, in the small town where I was once found as a baby. We've grown strangely close these past few weeks, which is why I'm glad to be meeting him today to discuss my father's business. It wasn't his idea, just a move pressured by some grumpy board members.

"Shizuka!" Josuke said with the most cheerful tone he could manage. "Hi," I said as I came through the door and sat at the table. "How are you holding up?" I thought about how honest I should be in my answer. "Not great," I said with a nervous chuckle. Josuke silently nodded as he sat down next to her. "I'm sorry we have to do this today, of all days." He tapped his fingers on the table. "I'm trying to stay as positive as possible. The Speedwagon Foundation pushed back hard on my efforts to reschedule." He nodded to himself. "They say they have our best interest at heart. And it's true... the Foundation is rarely wrong." I returned his silent nod with one of my own as a stared down at the table.

"Hey, Josuke?" He looked up at me. "What was... what was on that photo Jotaro picked up that day at the hospital?" Josuke's slight smile disappeared. "Oh, that?" A frown grew on his face. "It didn't really make much sense. It was a picture of a fox." I stared at him blankly. "A fox?" I asked. "Yeah. A fennec fox, you know the ones with the big ears?" This puzzled me. Dad's psychic photography was always in some way relevant-- but really? A fox? My thoughts were cut off by the very loud sound of the man now entering the room.

"Ah! You two!" he bellowed. He was quite a large man, with a bald head and an ill-fitted suit. "First of all, I'm sorry for your loss." I didn't return the handshake as he reached out to me. "Erm... I'm Sylvester Steel, the one that was taking care of Mr. Joestar's business affairs temporarily." Josuke kicked his feet up, clearly sharing my lack of respect for the forced meeting. "Yes, Mr. Steel, we know why you're here. But if we can get on with this, Shizuka and I are still very distraught." The man to Steel's left seemed to agree. "Sly... are you sure we need to be doing this? With these kids, no less?" Steel put his hand up to stop the man. "Yes, this very much needs to happen. Don't worry, I'll handle it." He turned towards the two of us, a manufactured smile on his face. "Yes, well. I see we're not all here, but it doesn't matter. I don't think this will take long."

"According to Mr. Joestar's will..." he paused for a moment to clear his throat. "According to the will, all Joestar Inc. operations shall be ceased within 30 days, and all assets transferred directly to the Speedwagon Foundation." "WHAT?" Josuke said as he sat back up. "Like hell it will," a voice said from the doorway. "Jotaro!" Josuke said in relief. Jotaro stood at the head of the table, furious. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kujo. That's what it says." Jotaro shook his head. "There's no way the old man would just throw away his business like that. Besides, that's not even what it says in the will." "Oh?" Steel said. "He said he wanted the three of us to split the operations evenly," Josuke corrected.

"Then how do you explain this?" Steel said as he shifted a piece of paper across the table. Jotaro snatched the paper and skimmed its contents. "Bullshit," he said with a calm but angry voice. Josuke took the paper and showed it to me as we both started to read it. "This is the amended will filed mere hours before his passing. It was done under Foundation supervision, so he was certainly of sound mind when he filed it." "But how is this possible?" I asked in disbelief. "I don't know," Jotaro said. "It has to be a lie, something's not right here. You and I both know that the old man wouldn't do this."

The man next to Steel starts to stand up, but Steel stops him. "Why don't we sort this out with our legal team? I'm sure they could clear your confusion on the matter." Jotaro stands up. "Fine. You two better stay here, I'm gonna go sort this thing out." Josuke and I nod as Steel walks Jotaro out of the room.

"What the hell is this about?" Josuke asked. "Dunno. I'm still hung up on that fox thing, honestly."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a strange band of colors leaking through the window. I looked over to it, puzzled, and Josuke quickly took notice too. Without warning, the entire room became bathed in a bright yellow light, as the rainbow bands of colors began to wash over and warp the objects in the room. As if a glitch in a video game, objects in the room began to pop in and out as the walls re-textured themselves.

"Crazy Diamond!!" Josuke yelled as he stumbled to his feet. But it was far too late-- the room was now dead quiet. We were now in what appeared to be a living room, the cold corporate white walls replaced with a warm orange.