6 */*/*
Dear Speedwagon,
How are you faring? I trust life is treating you well and finally you can have some rest after all we have gone through.
I can't believe almost a month has passed since I sent my last letter, and I must apologise for that. A lot have happened since then, but allow me to reply to your questions first.
I am still in London, but this is my last day here (more about this below). I really couldn't learn to like the city, but I think for that I am to be blamed and not the people here. I'm just more used to the quiet of countryside than the crowds and the constant noise. The parks are a real heaven, and so are the libraries. The libraries are truly amazing in fact, I would have never progressed so much with my research if not for the astonishing number of fantastic books they store.
I was careful of my belongings as you warned me, but still, I was almost robbed once. Luckily the thief couldn't escape and I got my bag back without harm coming to anyone.
I really appreciate that you worry for me, and I know my leave was abrupt. You don't need to concern yourself however, I am doing fine. I'm very satisfied with my progress on my research and although I don't really have time to "have fun" next to it, that is all right.
Yes, the research does concern the Stone Mask. My apologies, but I can't reveal the details, other that this is something I have to see the end of. My father always said that a man's duties comes first before anything else, and he was right. I don't want to keep secrets, but there are some things I need to deal with on my own. Please trust me on this.
As I wrote above, this is the last day I spend in London. My research came to the point when I must travel to unravel all mysteries. On the 5th of next month I'm boarding a steamship that crosses the Atlantic. Can you believe it only takes it 8 days to reach New York? I'm so excited about it, I never travelled farer than France.
I know it's a bother, but I wonder if you could meet me in Liverpool on the 4th. I'd love to say proper goodbye to you and discuss the best way to keep in touch. I'll rent a room at the closest proper inn to the port. If you can't make it, don't worry about it - I'll write to you from the New World!
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Joestar
Speedwagon has re-read this note for what felt like a hundredth time, until he memorised the words by heart.
Miss Pendleton got a very similar letter from Mr. Joestar. Kind, optimistic, but not revealing much. She wasn't asked to come to Liverpool, but she said it was for the best.
"If I meet Jonathan, just to see him leave again, I might break down. He doesn't need my tears when he so obviously has something important to do," she said. "I trust him, Mr. Speedwagon, and I'm sure he wouldn't leave us behind without having a good reason. Tell him I miss him… no, don't tell him that, but rather that I hope he can be back soon. And that I wish him good luck for whatever he needs to do."
So Speedwagon is here on his own, afraid that he might be breaking down too. Miss Pendleton is such a kind but strong woman, not holding Jonathan's sudden disappearance against him - and it's not the first time it happened either. In her stead, Speedwagon feels just a bit angry at Jojo for leaving her - them - behind.
The anger is gone when Mr. Joestar bounces down the stairs of the inn, catching him in an inappropriate, bone-crushing, but all too comforting embrace.
"Speedwagon! I'm so happy you could make it," he beams at him. He looks somewhat tired, but nowhere as worn out and agitated as he seemed when they last met. "Do you want a drink? Or lunch? Or should we just have a walk?"
"Let's go for a walk, Mr. Joestar," he says, feeling just a tad disappointed when the hug ends.
It has been raining for days, but finally the clouds are clearing up with a tentative sunshine peeking through. Jonathan talks about his research as they walk the streets, about ancient cultures worshipping blood, violence, about human sacrifices to pagan gods. He tells Speedwagon about London, then smiles sheepishly when he realizes the shorter man is way more familiar with the capital than he is. He asks how he is doing, how Miss Pendleton is, if they lack anything.
When he mentions how happy he is for the return of the nice weather - I'm just a tad nervous about the journey, so I'm glad we don't start to cross the ocean in a stormy weather - Speedwagon just can't take it anymore.
"This makes no sense, Jojo!" he exclaims, forgetting his normal, polite addressing in his exasperation. "Why are you running away? What do you think you will find in America? I'm here, but if you don't tell me your reasons, how can be of any help?"
"I'm sorry… Robert," he uses his given name with a just noticeable hesitation, making Speedwagon embarrassed for his previous uninvited familiar addressing. "I've already burdened you enough with what are my own issues. It's probably selfish of me to have asked you to come here before I sail off. There's no need for you to get involved in any dark business again."
"Mr. Joestar, you are the least selfish man I know!" Speedwagon all but shouts, earning them a few disapproving glances from passer-bys. "Just please, allow me to be of some help!"
"You can call me Jojo, you know," he smiles at him. "Everyone does, so it's rather silly for my best friend to call me Mr. Joestar. But really... I can't really say anything more than I have unfinished business still, something I can't give onto anyone else."
"So, it is still about Dio, isn't it?"
Jonathan nods slowly.
"But how can he still cause you trouble? You destroyed him, he shouldn't have any powers left from behind the grave…" he trails off, his lingering suspicions materializing in a more concrete from of fear. "Because he did die, didn't he? I thought you have even went to check if anything was left of him…"
Jonathan is a way too straightforward man. He did his best to keep his horrible secret, but asked directly about it, his face is an open book, easy for Speedwagon to read. He wishes he couldn't, the last thing he wanted was his suspicions confirmed.
"You see now, that I have no other choice but to leave from here, go as far as possible from my loved ones," he says quietly. He looks determined.
"Oh, my god," the shorter man gasps. "He's… he's still alive then? But how?"
"He's not human anymore. And I… he's my responsibility."
"No, he's not! You must destroy it, Mr… Jojo. Before it's too late."
"I'm afraid I can't, Robert. I know this is all too strange and frightening, but I came to believe that Dio and I - we have a destiny we haven't fulfilled yet. He is quite harmless in his current state. Not much is left of him since our last battle. I know this sounds absolutely crazy, but once again I have to ask you to trust me. I know what I'm doing...or at least, I know what feels right for me to do."
There's no convincing him. Speedwagon tries, but all his reasoning and pleading bounce back from the strong wall of Jonathan's determination.
"Allow me to be of help at least," he pleads at long last. "You don't need to take on such a burden alone."
"There are two things I'd like to ask of you."
"Anything."
"I need to understand and master Hamon even more. If Tonpetty or Straizo are still in England, can you help to connect me to them? I will write regularly from America, and I'll leave my address as soon as I'll have one. The other thing…" he trails off, steeling himself probably. "I don't know when or if ever I can be back. I don't want to burden Erina with this nightmare, because how could I explain to her all that's happened? If I start to talk about Dio, zombies and the stone mask, I'm afraid it will sound like a distant, half-forgotten nightmare to her. Or she will think I'm mad. And I don't want her to be involved with such horrors anyway. The less she hears from me the better. Still, can you make sure she doesn't lack anything? If there's something I can do for her from afar, I'll do. She just won't need to know it's from me."
"Mr. Joestar…" his voice hicks, on the verge of breaking down in tears.
"Don't be sad, Robert," Jonathan clasps him on his shoulder. His blue eyes radiate confidence. "Everything is going to be all right. I strongly believe that this is how it should be."
Speedwagon takes a deep breath to hold his sobs at bay and nods, silently making a promise to help both Miss Pendleton and Jonathan with everything he can. There's not much he can do in such a situation, but if he needs to become a better, stronger, richer man to be able to help, he will.
They have a pint later, talking about carefully non-evil-personified topics, and he does his best to enjoy their time together. When night starts to fall, Jojo excuses himself. He says something quite inexplicable as Speedwagon walks back with him to the inn he's staying at.
"He gets quite annoyed if I'm still out by the time he wakes up. I think he's rather lonely without me right now."
He sounds so matter of fact, Speedwagon doesn't even get who he is talking about at first. He stops dead in his tracks when he understands it though, and gapes at the taller man. Jonathan just continues to walk, with a small smile at the corner of his lips.
They say their goodbye at dawn next day, before Jojo boards the ship. He has two trunks with him. Just thinking about how one of them has to host whatever remained of Dio sends a chill down on Speedwagon spine.
He stays in the port until the ship disappears on the horizon. He still feels like crying, but he doesn't. He thinks of Jonathan's calm voice and kind smile, his peaceful determination to do what he considers the right thing to do, and that gives him strength as well.
This Speedwagon won't be just a bother any more, he vows himself. He will make sure to become a man that Jonathan can trust, consult and turn to help for.
7 */*/*
Jojo is talking with some silly girl in front of their cabin. The young woman sneaked away from her aunt and uncle she's travelling with, to finally get to know the mysterious gentleman who never stays on the dinners or for music during the night. She babbles on and on about the trip to America, how excited she is about it, her dull life in England, her dull little hobbies, her dull interest in poems and romantic novels. She sounds just a bit out of breath as she talks to Jonathan, trying to pry information out of him as well. Where he's travelling to, why he's alone, does he have a fiancée, it goes on.
Dio knows her type. He met these pretty little vultures on the balls they used to attend from their later adolescent years. He heard their polite, superficial interest in Jojo more times than he ever wished to - which was none at all - and understood their much deeper longing for the Joestar fortune. They danced with Dio to question him about the manor, the lands surrounding it, the yearly income of the old fool, but never about his stepbrother. They were interested in the heir, but not the person. They were worthless and impossible to tell them apart. Dio smiled at them, because he knew they would never get the wealth he had plans to acquire for himself. He told them dishonest, cheap compliments, flirted with them without really putting an effort into it, and they let him kiss them, fondle their breasts and reach under their skirts when nobody could see. He saw the regret in their eyes when they refused him to go any further. Because in the end, he was not noble by blood, not an heir to any fortune. In the gutters where Dio spent his childhood, studying at a university to become a lawyer was a dream so high very few dared to dream, but to these spoiled, valueless bitches that was not enough.
He preferred the women who honestly sized Jojo up. The ones who appreciated all those muscles he put on, the board back and shoulders, the kind smile and the open, genuine, innocent blue eyes. They were usually women a couple years their senior, sometimes middle aged, looking for an attractive, agile lover. They always ended up in Dio's arms when they realized Jonathan's code of ethics was real, and not only for show as with everyone else on the balls.
They made the soirées bearable. He could get through the dances, the fake smiles and the whispers behind his back he had to pretend not hearing because he knew he'd get his reward from these women. By midnight, they were always sloshed and only longed for a hard cock in their noble cunts, to fuck with someone young and handsome, while their wealthy, fat, balding husbands had one more drink and looked away as their wives slipped out into the garden or into an empty room with Dio.
He built up quite a reputation among these so-called ladies. He loved the power he had over them and the expensive gifts they sent him later. The Joestars were, of course, clueless, always clueless.
It was ridiculous that people like Jojo existed, who believed in purity, marrying the choice of the heart. Who believed in the goodness of men and women. It has always been entertaining - to a degree - to listen to him struggling with his conversations. He never seemed to have any illusion of the spoiled girls having any real interest in him and he didn't understand what the older, married women wanted from him.
At thirteen he didn't have issues with chatting up the other gender, did he? But Dio got rid of the Pendleton girl, and Jonathan didn't really show interest in anyone else after that.
It's annoying to listen to this stupid twat trying to attach herself to Jojo with increasingly desperate hints. He should join her and her chaperones at dinner, she says, they should go for a walk (to where, Dio thinks, straight to the ocean?), maybe sit together to watch the seabirds and dolphins accompanying the ship. But it's amusing to hear Jojo politely but firmly decline all her offers.
After long, boring minutes of this, Jonathan finally makes his escape back into the cabin. Dio makes sure to glare at him when he is uncovered, but the Joestar seems unimpressed by it.
Before the trip, Jojo got him a new, improved prison. He now has a glass cage, with a pillow in it to rest the stump of his neck on. He hasn't told Jojo that he doesn't feel discomfort. That cursed, Hamon-filled fine net is still covers the case and he's hidden in the by now familiar wooden box at daytime.
"Lovely Miss Whatshername seemed really keen to get into your pants or wallet or both," he remarks. "You could have invited her in to have tea with us."
"Don't be like that, Dio," Jojo smiles. Lately he seems unaffected by whatever Dio tries to unnerve him with. What an annoying man. "She was just friendly and probably bored. She's travelling with her old uncle and aunt and…"
"Yes, I heard the details. Bla bla bla, uncle and aunt… bla bla bla… America… bla bla bla… you look rich, why don't we do something after what you'd be forced to ask for my hand."
"She wasn't like that!" Jojo denies without much conviction. "Girls are confusing though."
"Are they? I think their intention is usually clear as snow."
"Well, you are the most confusing person on earth, so maybe everyone else seems simple to you."
Dio raises his brows, not sure if he should take this as an insult or a compliment. In the end he just lets it go.
"Should we make another attempt at chess tonight?" Jojo is a terrible player, but there's a level of satisfaction in instructing him to move Dio's white pieces to slaughter his black ones, and in lecturing him on why his own moves were bad after the game.
"I was thinking… once the passengers go to sleep, I can take you out, so you can see the ocean as well. There's a full moon tonight, and I think the water will look pretty even in the dark."
It's a surprising offer, but of course Dio agrees. Since Windknight's Lot, he has only seen the inside of different rooms of the inns and now the cabin on the ship. Naturally, he's hoping for an opportunity to escape, but Jojo is vigilant. He covers up his glass cage, with the Hamon barrier and all, and only lifts the front of the cloths when he sits down on a bench facing the waves, holding onto Dio's prison tightly.
He has to admit, the ocean does look majestic. The full moon paints the gentle, dark waves with a silver path. The sky above them is clear, no cloud is blocking the sparkling stars. It's hard to tell where the sky ends and where the water starts, the velvety-black infinity of space is…
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jojo echoes his thoughts.
It is, and more than that. This night without borders, without the usual objects that clearly mark earth different from the sky makes him feel small, and he doesn't like that. On the other hand, he is impressed by how endless, how eternal the scene looks. He reminds himself that he'd become the ruler of the night, that the ocean - no matter how large it is - can't swallow him.
"The sea always made me feel insignificant," Jojo says pensively. "But when you're on the coast, or can see the land from a ship, it's different. Here, it really looks there is nothing else but the water and the sky, doesn't it? Like the world is gone. Does it make you feel the same way, Dio?"
"I certainly don't feel insignificant," he replies carefully, not sure what Jonathan is getting at. "The earth is still there, it didn't disappear just because we can't see it. But the night looks pretty, if that's what you're saying."
"God forbid me to imply you're not significant," Jojo smiles. Unsure if he's playfully teasing or rudely insulting him, Dio just glares at him. "Really, I don't want to! Look, you did have quite an impact on my life…" he trails off. He looks broody, but not painful.
"Yes, Jojo. If God exists and is controlling destiny, there's never been a relationship as calculated as ours. Without you, I would have never gained the power of the stone mask. If not for you, I'd rule the whole world by now. It was your choice to fight me, and not to destroy me. One day I'll change the world , will claim it as mine and reign over it, but your role won't be forgotten either."
"Dio. You don't make things easier, do you? You know that I can never set you free."
"Don't delude yourself, Jojo. You can't keep me captive forever. You decided not to destroy me - you must be aware that it's only a matter of time before I break free. When I do so, remember - it was your choice."
It must be this strange, infinite night that makes him speak so honestly. All this time he's spent in Jojo's presence filled him with the sensation that they are closer than two ordinary men could ever be. He's definitely closer to him than he has been to anyone else. He's never cared for honesty - to the contrary, he always took pride in his own skill at acting and manipulating others. To speak what is on his mind so freely is both frightening and liberating.
Jojo shifts the glass cage in his arms, until it is cradled to his broad chest. It is a strangely pacifying position, and Dio wishes the barrier separating them wouldn't be there. Maybe he wouldn't even attack Jonathan now. Maybe.
"I can't help but think that this is our destiny either," he says quietly. "Every morning I wake up and think that it might be for the best if the two of us would disappear from this world together. But then, this is also a second chance. Consider this, Dio: whatever happened, I forgave it. I'm not holding any grudge. What you do with this clean page - that's up to you."
"You're a fool," he wants to scold, but it comes out almost fond. And you are my fool, he thinks. How strange. He always wanted power, to rule over others. He wanted power over Jojo too, but now, he wants something more. How weak he'd become in this state. He needs to make his move as soon as he can. Once he'll have a body and regain his strength, he can decide what to do with this connection he has with Jonathan.
8 */*/*
It is pure luck that helps Strazio to find Jonathan Joestar in the jungle that is New York. Luck or fate.
He meets a very agitated Speedwagon weeks after the other Hamon user left to America, and listens to him recalling the incredible story of how the monster Dio survived against all odds. How Jojo left behind everything in search of the path of his destiny.
Though Speedwagon is baffled, Straizo understands Jonathan. He recognizes predestination, so he doesn't think twice about following the young Englishman and boarding the next ship leaving to the New World. Speedwagon is in tears with gratitude when he tells him, he's leaving everything behind to find his friend and offer him his help. Reassures him that it is the call of Hamon to fight against the creature of the stone mask. That's what made him leave Tibet alongside with master Tonpetty and Dire in the first place as well.
What he tells Speedwagon is a valid reason enough, but it's not the truth. He has an altogether different motive behind his sudden leave. He can't deny the rush of excitement that fills him upon hearing Dio is still alive. Since the fight against the army of the dark in Windknight's Lot, he hasn't been able to get the vampire lord out of his mind. He is evil personified, that is without doubt - but just as undeniable is his charm. With his eternally young and beautiful face and powerful body, Straizo can't resist him more than a moth can the lure of candleflame.
Thinking that Jonathan destroyed him for good, he did his best to forget about him. He saw his demonic body melt away, just as he saw the stone mask shatter to pieces under Speedwagon's hammer. He tried to convince himself that is how is should be. Humans were meant to age and die. He's no exception.
But the meeting with Speedwagon makes him realize he was deluding himself. He wants that immortality, that beauty, that power what Dio holds. And he will claim it for himself.
Straizo doesn't consider himself an evil man. He's not selfless, he doesn't aspire to live for the greater good, but he has no demonic intentions. He doesn't want to conquer the world, he doesn't want to rule over others or kill people for the thrill of it. He just can't bear the knowledge that his body will grow older and older with each year, that his mind will lose its sharpness, he doesn't want to slowly fade out of life. If he is granted the same powers as Dio has, he'll live with it much better. He's much more worthy to receive them.
To achieve his goal, he makes a simple enough plan. He just needs to distract Jonathan for a short while, to find where he's hiding Dio. He will promise freedom for the vampire in exchange for sharing his immortality. And once he's granted his wish, he will destroy the monster.
Looking at it realistically, he knows that the chances of finding Jonathan in New York without knowing where he's staying - without knowing if he's still in the city, really - are less than small. But they are destined to meet again, just as Straizo is meant to take the power of the stone mask from Dio.
So, he just walks the streets, until he finds him sitting in a pub, reading the local papers. The young, naive Joestar is overjoyed to see him. Straizo tells him how he met Speedwagon and, learning from him that Dio is still alive, how he travelled after him. He makes sure to keep his expression neutral, not judging as Jonathan probably expects, and not excited to be so close to his goal as he really feels, and the young Englishman tells him all that happened since Windknight's Lot, how he found Dio, how he hid him away, how he created his prison from straw, glass and Hamon.
"A question if you don't mind, my friend," he says quietly. "What was your reason behind keeping him alive?"
"I don't have a good explanation Strazio, other than I just couldn't bring myself to kill him again. As if finding him still alive was a message of fate - without any logical reason, it just felt the right thing to do."
"Destiny is only ridiculed by fools," he nods. He is here because of his own destiny too, after all. He can even convince himself that he's doing the Joestar a favour - he will get him and the world rid of Dio and be the guardian of the power of the stone mask himself. "You are no longer alone with this burden. Let me get some drink for us, so we can discuss this matter in details."
Jonathan protests of course, telling the Tibetan man that he doesn't want to drag anyone into the mess that is his and Dio's relationship, that he doesn't want to burden anyone with his choices. Tells him how grateful he is for his offered help, and how he would appreciate further training in Hamon - but how he doesn't want Straizo to concern himself with all this mess with Dio.
Straizo of course waves the protests away as he stands to get them a pitcher of wine. He won't let the Joestar keep this gift of immortal youth to himself.
He brought enough sedative powder to send a bull into deep sleep, and he uses all of it, mixing it into the drink. Jonathan weights like a bear, and it wouldn't do for him to wake up before time. He is fairly sure that it won't do anything fatal to him. He's not his enemy after all, he just needs him out of the way until he finishes his business.
It feels like an eternity, pretending to sip his wine, talking about possibilities to ensure Dio will never break free, when he knows what is going to happen today. He forces himself to smile understandingly when Jonathan starts to yawn, reassures him when he apologises, saying he understands how he must be very tired.
"I'm really sorry," the tall man mumbles, "I don't know what's gotten into me...just five minutes and I… just a minute…
Then he slumps down his chair. Straizo waits to see if he's really out cold, then smiles with satisfaction.
"It will be more than a minute or five Jonathan, but don't worry. When you wake, you'll be free of your cursed fate. Maybe you'll even thank me. You were proven weak in the end, but I'll lift your burden and will kill Dio in your stead. And I will live with the opportunity you were too much of a fool to even consider."
He passes a generous amount of money to the bartender, explaining that his friend was so tired that he fell asleep from some wine, and asks him to let him rest.
Luck continues to be on his side. In the inn where the Joestar said he rented room, there's a bit of a crowd from new coming guests and he sneaks in unnoticed. His heart hammers in his throat as he hurries up the staircase, gripping the keys he stole from Jonathan's pocket in his sweaty palm.
The room looks normal, one would not think it holds such dark secrets. An open book, some papers, pen and ink lying on the low table, a made bed, a trunk in the corner, a shirt peeking through its half-closed lids. And another trunk, carefully locked and covered in black velvet. Straizo rests his hand on it, trying to keep his excitement in check.
It's late afternoon but the sun haven't set yet, so he closes the shutters, and lights the lamps. It wouldn't do for Dio to perish before his time. With fumbling fingers, he takes off the cover and opens the lock of the cabinet. He knows what he will find, but still can't prevent a small gasp leaving his lips when amber eyes glare at him from inside.
"I remember you," the head says. It's such a dark wonder, he knows instantly that he made the right decision. This power, this eternality is meant to serve him. "You are one of those fools who came along to help Jojo. What are you doing here? And where is he?"
"I'm here to help you," he lies, taking out the glass prison that holds the vampire's head. "I met Jonathan by accident, and he told me about you. I realized I can't let a creature like you live in such unworthy condition."
Dio smiles at him. Even without his body, he managed to keep his glory somehow, his seductiveness just as strong as it was in Straizo's dreams. He looks confident - a demon who knows he can have anything he wants.
"And what would you like in exchange for your kind deed, my friend?"
"Share your power with me," Straizo breaths. "The stone mask is gone, but you can turn me into your kind, can't you? Make me immortal."
"Yes," Dio smiles. "All I need to do is to to inject my fluids into you and you'll be the prince of the night alongside me. But you are a Hamon user. You need to be careful, or your power of light will kill you."
"I'm master of the Ripple," Straizo claims proudly. "It won't betray me."
"Good. This shall be an enjoyable deal for both of us."
Straizo lifts the Hamon barrier easily and picks the living head out from the glass cage. It is so light, and from this close it seems fragile. It will be easy to crush him once the exchange of power is complete.
"This might hurt, but don't worry," the vampire whispers to him. "I've no intention to destroy your body."
Dio extends strange tentacles from beneath the stump of his neck and pushes them under the skin of Straizo's neck, right into the carotid artery. White, sharp pain bosoms through the Hamon-user's body, so suddenly that he can't even shout out. It's immediately followed by warm waves of pleasure. His whole being shakes, all his nerve endings on fire. It hurts, but it feels so good too. He sinks to his knees, moaning, begging for something, for some kind of release. Power is flowing into him. He wants to adore, he wants to serve, wants to do anything and everything for this wonderful creature who is granting him this pleasure, this might, his master, who gifted him with such feelings. He knows he will be unstoppable, he will never age, he will never lose his strength, his beauty, his powers.
Dio floats in front his eyes, his appendages still connected to his neck.
"Master," he breaths.
"Yes," the vampire smirks at him. "That's right. You know, my friend, I wasn't entirely honest with you before. The stone mask would be needed to become a creature like me. I can give you power beyond imagination of course, but there's a price for that. The power will remain mine - I'm just lending it to you. I couldn't have made you my equal, even if I had any intention to do so. All I could do was to turn you into was a zombie, a servant of mine without your own will. Your purpose now is to serve me with this power you borrowed from me. I guess that wasn't your original plan, but you surely don't mind it now, do you?"
"I live to serve you, my Lord," he hears his own voice. Somewhere, in an isolated part of his mind, what little remained of the man he used to be screams at him, to move, to attack, to escape. But he can't. He's trapped in the nest.
"Good, good. I'm very happy you came. I'm in desperate need of a body. I think you'll be satisfied to learn that I plan to use yours. You'll live forever thanks to me, just as you wished."
Those tentacles tear through his flesh and muscles, snapping his vertebra without effort. There's no pain. His separated head rolls away on the floor, and Straizo's consciousness quietly fades into nothingness.
9 */*/*
Jonathan wakes with stiff muscles and a very dry mouth. He straightens his protesting spine as he leans back in his chair. His first thought - that he fell asleep at his desk again - is swept away as he opens his eyes and sees he's in a pub of some sorts. He blinks around in surprise, trying to recall how he got here and how on earth he ended up sleeping slumped on a table. He's never got so drunk to be unaware of his surroundings, and he doesn't think he started it now. Slowly, painfully slowly his memories start to return, although it still feels like his skull is stuffed with cotton where is brain normally sits.
He decided to sit in this pub as it offered him a quiet corner where he could ponder over his newly purchased maps, and undisturbed time to plan their journey to Mexico. He could already see he had lots of preparation to do - although there is a train taking them south, to get to the ancient ruins he will need to cross the wilderness, and that doesn't sound like a walk in the park. He'll need the relevant supplies, including a suitable carrier for Dio, so he can take him through the plains, jungles and mountains. Merchants are either looking at him strangely when he tells them of the trip he's planning or tries to sell him all kind of trash he definitely doesn't need.
So, he was sitting in the pub when… oh yes, there was that fortunate incident of running into Straizo, or more accurately, Straizo managing to find him in such a large city. He was so relieved to meet the older man - an insider to his problem, a Hamon user, an acquaintance of Zeppeli, an apprentice of Tonpetty. It seemed as if fate finally took pity on him, and sent in some help.
They were talking about Dio, and Straizo seemed so understanding of his decision. He even offered help in making sure he can keep Dio safely away from humanity, an offer which Jonathan didn't plan to accept. Happier he was of the prospect of the Tibetan man teaching him further Hamon techniques, as he was sure he'll need those, the way he planned to live his life guarding Dio's head.
It was liberating to talk to him. Jonathan remembers how he was telling him his plans to travel to Mexico in search of the origin of the stone mask and then… he just can't recall what happened after that. He apparently fall asleep, but why? Did the tension and tiredness of the last months caught up with him finally, now that there was someone with him to trust and help?
He'd like to believe that, but he can't. He feels dizzy when he stands up, his legs protesting those few steps he needs to make to the bar.
"Can I get a drink of water, please?" he croaks and drinks it down in one gulp.
"Glad to see you finally waking up, sonny," the bartender tells him. "I've never seen someone pass out from so little booze. Especially such a big guy. I was just starting to worry. If we had to move you, we'd have needed some extra help for that…"
"How long have I been sleeping?" Jojo asks, not able to repress a yawn. Where is Straizo now? Did he leave him to rest? But why didn't he wake him up to tell him to go back to the inn and have a sleep in a proper bed? He feels embarrassed for god knows how many people seeing him like this.
"An hour? Closer to two, probably."
Cold dread settles in the pit of Jojo's stomach. Something is not right here. That meeting with Straizo - that wasn't pure, good luck, that is for sure now. If the time passed wasn't enough of a clue, his lingering tiredness, his dry as a desert mouth and persistent nausea are.
"The man - have you seen the man I've been here with? The one with the long, dark hair."
"He said he has some business to attend, and asked me to let you sleep. So, I did. We don't have much traffic today anyway, and he did pay me good money," the bartender smiles, patting his pocket with a fond smile.
Jojo mumbles his thanks and staggers back to his desk. He checks his belongings - he has everything, his maps, his books, his money - except the ring that holds the keys to his room and to the chest Dio is locked in. He feels like crying. Straizo isn't exactly an old friend - but he's a comrade he fought along with. A fellow Hamon user. Why did he betray him so?
He picks up his bag and stumbles out to the streets. The sun has already set. As much as his drugged body allows - because he's now sure that Straizo put something in his drink - he hurries back to the inn.
He was misled. He naively thought that Straizo will understand his motives behind keeping Dio alive. Maybe it's not a surprise he wasn't, when Jojo was not really able to explain his reasons. But why didn't he say anything, why didn't he try to convince him he was wrong, if that was the case? Did he prepare to drug him straight from the beginning? He must have, if he carried the sedative with himself. He would have thought he earned more trust than that, after him seeing Jojo fight and defeat Dio in Windknight's Lot.
He didn't expect the other man to betray him like this. He didn't say anything, didn't contradict or argue with him - he simply made sure Jojo is out of the way, like he was nothing but a bothersome child, before he went off to… to...
Fear grips his insides, ruling over his desperation and anger. How could he be so naive? Dio was his responsibility, he shouldn't have assumed others can help him with this burden.
He starts to run, even though he's still woozy. He bumps into people, knocking them over, then helps them up, mumbling his apologies over and over again. They must think he is weak minded or drunk, the way they hurry off with worried glances over their shoulders. He wishes there aren't so many people out on the darkening streets. He is so dizzy he's afraid he'll throw up, and he has to support himself against walls and trees to keep himself upright. What the hell did that cursed Tibetan made him drink?
It was before sunset when Straizo drugged him and Dio is in such a vulnerable state. All he needs to do is to expose the vampire to the light of the sun and he will perish. In the prison Jojo created for him, he can't defend himself. The Hamon barrier that keeps him captive will do nothing to repel Straizo.
He knows he is too late. The long-haired man left him more than an hour, maybe even two hours ago. In the end, Jojo's actions will result in Dio's death. It's ironic that after all that his adopted brother had done, all the hardships Jojo had to overcome to defeat him, that he had to do his best to assure he is not a danger to the world, the idea of losing him for good fills Jonathan with terrible pain. How can this happen after he made up his mind to remedy his relationship with Dio? Why can't fate be kinder to him just once?
Night is deep and dark around him by the time he reaches the inn. The key to his room was stolen from him, but he doesn't need it. When he tests, he finds the door of his room isn't locked. He enters and carefully shuts the door behind himself. Even in the dark he can see the crate that hold Dio was moved. The shutters and the windows are wide open. Feeling lost, he looks around. The moon peeking in gives just enough light for him to make out the lump on the floor. It's like a ball. Like a human head.
With shaking fingers, he lights a lamp and kneels down to examine it. Then, for a long time he just stares at it. He knows relief is a very inappropriate emotion to feel in this situation, but he can't make himself concerned about that right now.
He brushes aside the long, dark hair that shadows the face of the decapitated head. Straizo's expression is surprisingly peaceful, as if he's only sleeping. There's almost no blood, just a little pool where the stump of the neck was meeting the floor. Not larger than if someone cut his hand with broken glass.
"Dio?" he calls out softly, although he knows the vampire is nowhere nearby. He would feel his presence, if he was still here.
Unsure of what he should do now, what he should feel, he looks around, trying to figure out what is the proper way of dealing with Straizo's remnants. He shouldn't be found with the cut off head of a deadman, but just getting rid of it - burying it somewhere or throwing it into the channels - feels terribly wrong.
He takes a spare shirt out his trunk, planning to wrap the head into it until he can think of something better, then changes his mind. He can't quite put a finger on his suspicion, but it doesn't exactly look like an ordinary part of a human corpse. Without giving it a conscious thought, he concentrates Hamon into his fingertips and touches the head again. He isn't even surprised when it dissolves into dust under the force of his Ripple, leaving nothing left of the man who was once Straizo.
So, what happened, he ponders, trying to click the pieces into place. The dark-haired man sought him out with the clear plan of drugging him. He learned Dio's whereabouts and hurried here. Instead of killing Dio, he ended the Hamon barrier and let the vampire out of his prison. As a reward, his archenemy turned Straizo into his zombie servant. Then cut his head off.
Absurd as that story sounds, it seems like a fact. The body is nowhere to be seen - surely Dio took it somehow. He is whole again. Jonathan had once cut him from the top of his head down to his chest. Dio just smirked at that - he didn't even appear to be pained as he made his halves fit together again. If a wound wasn't caused by Hamon or the rays of the Sun, it apparently wasn't anything permanent for him. Nothing that blood, plenty of human blood, couldn't heal. Jojo has no reason to assume that he can't fit his head to another man's body, can't claim it as his own.
There are numerous questions. Why did Straizo do this? What did he plan to achieve, as surely he didn't rush after them to America to sacrifice himself and help Dio escape. Where is the vampire now? How strong he is, how whole he is, how much danger he is to the unsuspecting inhabitants of New York?
Jojo doesn't have the answers, and in all honesty, they can wait. Dio is now out in the night. Jonathan wasn't careful enough and let someone who he thought to be an ally learn too much. Someone who was a such a fool, that he got himself killed and released the vampire onto the world again.
He walks to the open window, wishing for some clue what he should do now, but of course he doesn't receive any. He is on his own in this. He sighs, then with conscious effort, shakes off the miserable melancholy he's feeling. He can't afford to feel depressed. His burden, his responsibility is probably hunting innocent people right now. Who knows what he'll plan to do once he is healed. Jojo must find him and stop him before it's too late.
Will he attack? Will he create an army of undead again and send them against him? Or does he simply want to flee from Jonathan? Maybe he changed and will cooperate with him. That last is very improbable, sadly.
He tidies the room, putting away the empty glass cage and scrubbing of the splatters of blood from the floor. It doesn't take him long, and there are no marks left that Straizo was ever here. He tries to force himself to feel sadness at the Hamon user's death, but it's very difficult not to blame him for what happened. Jojo reminds himself that nothing is black and white and that he, himself if just as much to blame here.
When he's done, he sits down at the desk to write a letter to Speedwagon. He needs to tell him as soon as possible not to mention Dio to anyone ever again. This is when he sees the note. It's a short one.
This is not goodbye, Jojo.
It's a scribble, lacking the usual elegant flow of Dio's handwriting. The letters are shaky and there are couple of inkblots accompanying the brief message. It was written by a trembling hand. Nevertheless, that hand was already controlled by the vampire.
"I wonder if we'll ever finish our business, Dio, so we can say our goodbyes," he replies out loud. It certainly feels that their dance - the chase, the fight, besting the other, the deceivingly peaceful talks in between their clashes are looped in an endless circle. He folds the piece of paper into two and sinks it into his pocket.
He lets himself rest for a couple of minutes only. He can't idle for long - he has a vampire to find.
TBC
