"What if I killed him?" Dio muttered under his breath. It wasn't hard to hear though as Pucci turned to him.

"You want to kill him? After all the trouble you had bringing him back?"

Dio looked up from his book. Eyes mere slits of hatred and confusion. His elbows steadfast on the table, making sure the book wouldn't budge from hiding the rest of his face.

"One day soon he'll remember what I did. And hate me. It's no surprise he hates me for what I've made him already."

Dio turned the next page of his book. But the words on the page blurred together. Non being the slightest comprehensible.

The book slammed shut between his hands. Deep breaths.

"Dio. I can't stop you if that's what you want. I also fixed the machine whilst you slept. If you'd like to try that again?" Pucci's voice was calm and neutral. He dared stir any of these emotions whittling Dio to boiling point. He was fragile. Pucci could see that. Somewhere though, he realised Dio needed Jonathan still.

"I'll be in the library if you need me." Pucci muttered as he shut the towering door behind him.

Dio put the book down on the table. He listened to the echo. The chiming of the clock. The day Pucci had given him the idea. The day Jonathan looked at him with such a loving smile as he died. Vibrant memories cluttering his mind.

"Dio?"

That voice. Dio opened his eyes and looked up. Jonathan looked down at him before meeting his eye level, pulling up a chair on the opposite site of the round table.

"What do you want with me?"

"There's something I want to tell you. You may or may not like it."

"Just get it out."

"I hate that you did this to me."

"I'm not surprised."

"Yet-" Jonathan looked down at the table and gently took the book from Dio. Dio's hands barely clasping it. Their hands met like two long lost friends. "-I have no hatred, no resentment about this anymore."

Dio tried to meet Jonathan's eyes. That voice, those hands. The same as they'd always been. So gentle and kind.

"I don't know how you got that stone mask. But more over I don't understand how you've managed to live with such grief for me. I'm honoured you respect me. I'm honoured you tried to get me back." Jonathan looked up to meet Dio's face as tears fell onto the table.

"Damn you for making me cry." Dio couldn't help but smile. Not holding it back anymore. Fully feeling those uneven hands intertwined with his. "Would you be happy? If you died now? Would be alright for me to let you go?"

"I'm not going to die until you die. I don't think letting me die now would help you. Would it help you?"

"I see."

"Unless my presence is too painful for you?"

"You're the only person in this world I want in my world. Just you and me against the world."

"Then let's live together as brothers. If that's what you want."

Dio nodded slightly as he looked up to see tears forming in Jojo's eyes too. It's funny. The stitches had gone. The uneven colours forming his skin. Where gone. Only the prominent neck scar remained as Jojo, as he was all those years ago, sat in front of him.

"Maybe, like you said, being a vampire isn't all bad?" But Jojo chocked the words out as he tried to hope that was so. He'd always known it wasn't.

"You can drink s much of my blood as you want. It'll be enough to keep you alive for now. You don't have to keep living for me."

Jojo remained silent as he held Dio's hands tightly.

"The stone mask? It's fake. A replica. You destroyed it? Didn't you?"

Jojo nodded. "Why make a replica? How am I a vampire then?"

"It was a nice decoration. You know I don't need the mask to make them vampires?"

Jojo gently let go of Dio's spindly fingers. Fingers that once belonged to him. Now infected with vampire filth. But Jojo couldn't judge for he too had the same vampire filth within him. He turned to look to the ever-present moon. Being the only thing bright enough to shine through hazy clouds in the midnight sky.

"I have another question." His voice hesitant.

"Go on."

"What was it like?"

Dio looked to the moon then back at Jojo. He never turned to meet Dio's gaze.

"What was it like? To have a mother?"

Dio beheld Jojo's face in the blissful moonlight, looking into the night air. His eyes sparkling, hair glistening and face just as perfect as it always had been. Jojo eventually turned to Dio. Eyes still shining, hair still gleaming. Tears accompanying his shimmering beauty.

Dio swiftly turned to look back at the moon. He paused in his wake. His mouth wanting to speak but the words became jumbled in his experiences. His mother. Present in his dreams, daunting, taunting him to go through with selfish desire. To achieve his dreams no matter what. No matter who got in the way.

"Why do you ask? You had a mother, didn't you?" Dio's tone grew bitter at the thought of his own mother, meddling in his current life she didn't need to be a part of.

"My mother died to save me. You had one though, until she also-"

"We never needed mothers, did we? We never needed a mother's love."

"I don't think-"

"All we needed was the drive and pride to take what we wanted."

"Is that why you acted like this? You never had a loving family? Even my family wasn't enough for you?"

Dio stopped. He straightened his back and sighed. He'd let himself get too eager, hadn't he?

"Maybe so? But what does that matter now?"

"Do you know what it feels like? Love? Compassion for someone other than yourself? You said you respected me but even so that doesn't equate to love."

"It's not a question of love."

"Then what is it? Loyalty? To a master?"

"You're getting flustered. Know this; you are not my slave or subservient. You are my equal and non-other could ever be my equal."

"Not even Pucci?"

The two fell silent.

Dio rose to his feet. "Why don't we enjoy the rest of the night? Rather than bicker?". Dio held his hand out to Jojo. He took it. There was no hesitance.

"It's coming very soon. You know don't you?" Jojo held Dio's hand rather tightly.

"I won't lose to the rest of your pesky family Jonathan. That Jotaro will be the one to taste flames not I."

"Your arrogance will get the better of you I fear." Jojo muttered cautiously as he was dragged behind Dio to the door.

"You remember everything do you? Got all your memories back?"

Jojo was tugged harder having a small chance to nod his head before-

"Great then there is no use for that blasted machine! Come Jojo, why don't you help me prepare for the inevitable."

Jojo was dragged through several hallways and down several flights of stairs to a large ballroom. Despite its size, the two of them were mere ants in comparison.

"Now show me your stand."