Author's Note: Wow, two chapters within a week of one-another? That hasn't happened in like six months. … Oh god I've been at this for almost a year. I need to kick myself into gear. Enjoy the chapter, and may you have Great Days.

Here's hoping that this marks the return of updates at least bi-weekly, or weekly on weeks where work isn't a pain. God I wish I could write full-time.

Chapter 14: Full House

"Hey, old man, do you want me to set the suitcase down over here?"

"Hm? Ah, that'll be fine, thank you Josuke."

Josuke sighed as he set the case down. "Geeze. We went through the trouble of setting the others up with Rohan, but we still ended up dropping in at Okuyasu's."

"It can't be helped," Jotaro stood at the window, "We can't afford to be divided into too many groups, especially with only a couple of fighters that can actually hurt these vampires."

"You mean one fighter." Joseph leaned on his cane, letting the floor creak beneath him. "I might've had a moment in the spotlight and had some cockiness about it, but I can't breathe well enough to normally use hamon these days. I may've boasted in the fight, but it's right to say that I won't have ease of access to Tonio's every day, and there's no guarantee that it'll always work to that effect. Really, Giorno is our best weapon in this case."

"Speaking of Giorno… Star Platinum: The World." Jotaro suddenly appeared closer to the others. "Alright, it seems that we're out of Gold Experience Requiem's range. We still need to figure out exactly how far that is though. While I got some use out of Gold Experience distorting my time stop, it'll be better to know when I can use it like normal."

Josuke thought for a moment. "Could I use Crazy Diamond to send their bodies back to when they weren't Vampires?"

Jotaro shook his head. "I thought about that. Your stand hasn't ever shown the capacity to revert a body's age, just changing wounds."

"That's true. Oh! But if we can pummel their body out of shape, I can make it heal incorrectly to leave them stuck in a deformed state. They'll be able to break themselves back into place, but it would at least slow them down for a moment."

"That'll definitely help, but I imagine that you'll only be able to get away with that once per fight."

"No, he might be able to get it off multiple times, Jotaro," Joseph gently let himself down onto the nearby couch, "If Koichi is also slowing them down with Echoes, they probably won't be able to respond fast enough to retaliate. We could use that as a way to lock them in place."

Josuke shook his head. "You're right, but we can't reliably say that we'll be together during the next vampire attack. If anything, we should plan around me slowing them down while Okuyasu scrapes away at them."

Joseph was struggling trying to get his hand around the cap of a water bottle. "That's a good point. Okuyasu might also be able to finish a vampire off, if he manages to destroy their head."

Jotaro walked over and pulled the bottle cap off. "Then I'll focus on using The World to get anyone away from a life-threatening counterattack in that case."

Joseph nodded his head and took a sip from the bottle. "That'll be our best bet for surviving, since they seem to just bounce back from a normal flurry of blows."

The front door opened, and in walked Okuyasu, Suzi-Q, and Shizuka.

"We're home!" Okuyasu called out, his arms filled with grocery bags.

Shizuka ran over to the couch and climbed onto it, sitting next to Joseph. "We got a lot of food! So much of it!"

"Is that so?" Joseph smiled at her, "Well, I hope you got some for us too."

"Don't be silly, we did! Okuyasu picked out a bunch of ingrednts for cooking."

"Oh? What's an ingrednt? Is it a kind of fruit?"

"Papa, no-"

"I hope it isn't too sour."

"In-gre-di-ents."

"Oh, ingredients! Well why didn't you say so in the first place Shizuka?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

"I'd never dream of it, dear."

"You're lying!"

"Me? Joseph Joestar? Your papa? Lying? To you? My heart can't take this kind of attack, Shizuka!"

Josuke walked over to the couch. "Keep up the onslaught Shizuka, you've got him on the ropes."

"You're a liar! You're mean! You make fun of me!"

With each statement, Joseph made an exaggerated movement, as if he'd been hit. "Oh No! Mercy!"

"No mercy! You just said 'no mercy' so I won't give mercy!"

Joseph slouched back where he sat. "Then it's over, my own daughter defeated me"

Suzi-Q giggled as she walked past with Okuyasu. "Me and Okuyasu are going to go get everything put away in the kitchen. I don't like seeing this violence being used on my husband. Shizuka, darling, maybe you'll give him mercy if I ask for it? Pretty please?"

"Well… if mama wants me to give mercy, I guess I'll give mercy."

"Thank you, darling! Alright, we'll be back in a few."

"Oi, Okuyasu," Josuke chimed in, "What's on the menu tonight?"

"I'll be making some ramen from scratch with some mexican-inspired preparation of the meat. Tonio taught me the spice mix last week and I've been meaning to try it out."

Joseph breathed in a fake sigh of relief as the two of them went to the kitchen, "My life has been spared."

Shizuka crossed her arms over her chest, "for NOW."

Josuke let out a laugh, "You hear that, old man? She says that you're spared for now, but she could end you at any moment."

"Yeah, I heard, I guess I'm stuck walking on a tightrope over a layer of thin ice."

Shizuka giggled, "papa, I don't think you can use your cane while walking on a rope."

"Oh No, she's right, I'm doomed."

"Well…" Shizuka thought for a moment, "I guess I'll let Josuke catch you. I don't want you to fall through the ice."

"Oh? But what if Josuke falls through the ice when he catches me?"

"Then I'll cry!"

"You won't shed a tear for me, your dear papa, but you'll shed tears for your brother? That's cold Shizuka, colder than the ice that I'm currently balancing over!"

Shizuka stuck her tongue out at Joseph and hopped off the couch. "I'm gonna go see what Mama and Okuyasu are doing!"

As Shizuka stomped off into the kitchen, Josuke sat down on the couch. "Shouldn't we have had them stay somewhere away from us?"

Joseph shook his head. "They'd be in danger of being used against us as hostages the moment an enemy found them since they'd stand out as foreigners. They're in danger here with us, but better to be in danger where we can protect them than in danger out of our reach."

Jotaro placed the cap back on Joseph's bottle. "The four of us should be able to handle ourselves in case of a vampire attack, and so should the others. They have Koichi and Mista to slow an enemy down, Rohan to immobilize an enemy, Trish to deflect damage, and Giorno to finish a vampire off. Tomorrow we'll meet back up with them and figure out more potential mixed strategies for when we're together. For now, let's rest and regain some strength."