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This was the end, he could feel it deep, all the way into his bones. There wasn’t much he could do, but he knew one thing that he could do. He stood up, coughing out blood. It dripped from every point in his body, wounds covering his entire body. His body could barely move, but he needed to do this one thing. For Joseph, yes, he would have to. He climbed up the stairs, keeping his head low as he did. He could barely feel it, but he knew blood was splattering down the stairs as he stumbled forward. Barely able to hold himself up, but he needed to get there. To where Wamuu was, to save Joseph. He needed to do this for his precious friend.
Once he was on the top of the steps, he balanced himself as he tried to weakly punch at the Pillar Man in front of him. It was a distraction, really. He knew he was dead already, there was no way he could have survived this. So, when he stumbled back, slipping on his own dripping blood, the man had turned around, seemingly to leave. However, he figured that he could sense him regaining his balance one more time, stepping his foot back to launch himself forward. Wamuu turned around, shocked that he would even be able to get up. Caesar gave a smirk, pulling off the nose ring from the man’s lip before falling back down the stairs and onto the floor. He could figure out that it would be his death bed. He really had no idea how he would be alive after this.
It wasn’t like it mattered. This was for Joseph, the ring that he held desperately in his palm. He was shaking, his body trying to find some semblance of strength left. However, all he could do was sit on the bottom of the stairs, spewing out what little words he had left. There was not much thought to them, saying something about how he didn’t care to die, or that he wasn’t scared of it. Of course, there was the human fear of death, but besides that, he could agree with whatever was spewing out of his mouth. He really didn’t care if he had died or not. It felt like a purpose that he had to fulfill, for the one who would save the world. He started to sit up once again, finding the strength to do so. The Pillar Man stood there, watching what the young man was doing. He held out the ring, gritting his teeth together as he held it out, yelling out his pride in his family.
Quickly pulling off his headband, he heard the rock above him crumble. He didn’t have much time, now. So, he started yelling out his last goodbyes, yelling out to Joseph. Secretly, he hoped that he was listening. At least that would have put his soul to rest. He leaned up, on his knees, calling him out as he activated the last of his Hamon. This was what he needed, more energy to help defeat the rest of the Pillar Men. Kars and Wamuu, who was beaten pretty badly already, at least he could help out JoJo in someway. He needed to yell out his feelings somehow. He needed them to reach to his precious friends.
The rock started falling. Memories flashed in front of his vision.
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It was a bright sunny day out, kids running around the house. Being the eldest, he was assigned to watch them. Even though they could get irritating, as they were young and had couldn’t tell that they were annoying him, he accepted. He loved watching them, as much as he didn’t like it. They brought the most joy in his life, including his mother. Though, she was supposed to come back home pretty soon. The youngest of them, just a few months old, was sitting in Caesar’s lap, watching her siblings run around the house. Three other rowdy children, nagging and teasing each other. He would have joined in on the fun, but he still had to watch out for the youngest. He would protect them with his life if it ever came down to it.
The door opened and a woman’s voice came from the door, calling the children out. Cheers came from the younger ones, even Caesar’s face lit up. His mother. He loved her dearly, she was so close in his heart. There was always a feeling of trust with her. They all went up to her, each receiving a kiss as a greeting. He was smiling, feeling the happiness float up and build within him like bubbles. It really was a gentle moment, something that he would never forget, not until the day he died, at least. “Well, children. How about… we go to the gardens, yes?”
They all loved heading to the gardens. It was somewhere where they could play in, chasing each other and ate. It was just the thing they needed after being in such a stressful situation. They didn’t have too much money on them, so his parents were working very hard to gain enough money to keep them and their four children stable. Caesar could understand what his parents were going through as well, so he figured that his mother would need a break from all the hectic things in life. Quickly, the kids squirmed from their mother’s hold, except for his two-month-old sister, heading to their shared room to grab the things that they wanted to bring. The eldest of the children didn’t need to bring anything, nothing important for their favorite place, anyway. Soon, they came rushing back into the living room. Once they had all gathered together, they quickly moved out of the house, looking around at the quiet town around them.
At the gardens, they all stared at the flowers, carefully examining them. One of his younger siblings started talking about which flowers were her favorites. Of course, she had a lot to choose from in this public garden. There were so many choices, she ended up liking them all. After a good laugh, Caesar turned around to see his mother, who was right behind them with a smile. She looked through all the flowers, specifically narrowing her eyes at the sunflowers. “Well, I think these are my favorite. They remind me of my favorite things, my children. So bright and happy, always facing the sun with such hope. They’re beautiful, just like you four, as well.”
It was very inspiring to him. He looked towards the sunflowers, examining them. He wasn’t really one for flowers, that was something that his sister enjoyed much more, but thinking about it in the view that his mother had, he figured that he could give it a second thought. She was always very thoughtful of them. In return, the sunflower felt like his mother. Bright in all the best ways, large petals spreading out, just like the amount of love she had for everyone she met. Her love was so warm to him, something that he always wanted to be under. He couldn’t imagine his life without her and he wouldn’t trade that special bond for anything in the world.
She went to go sit down at a tree after they had run away. Caesar had started a game of tag, chasing around his younger siblings with a giggle. They ran away as fast as they could, grinning and laughing along as well. Each time that he had gotten close, they had let out a shriek, but he let them get away sometimes. Other times, he would tag them back and then run away, letting them chase him. He was old enough to understand what made them cry and what didn’t, which was not getting a turn to be chased and becoming bored, or getting tagged too many times and becoming frustrated. It was a hard medium to reach, but once he did, he tried to keep it like that for as long as he could. If only his father was here as well, but he was busy off at work. It was to help their precious family, after all. He understood that, but he really wanted him here, just to watch.
He managed to take a glance at his mother, who looked severely stressed at the moment. It was unusual for her to be so stressed, especially when she was in her favorite place. His mother usually was relaxed in this scenery. So, he stopped playing tag with his siblings, saying that he was going to take a break as to not worry them. They didn’t want him to go at first, but he said that he was just going to come right back. So, he made his way to the sunflowers, looking at one. Which one looked absolutely perfect for his dear Mom? Giving it some careful thought, he decided that one in the back was the best. He plucked part of the stem off, leaving the top half with just enough to put in a vase. Hopefully, she would have been happy with this. He went up the small hill and underneath the tree, hiding the flower behind his back. When he got close enough to his mother, he pulled it out and showed it to her. Of course, she gave the brightest smile and pulled him into a hug. Pressing a kiss to his temple, she laughed softly, looking down at him. “Oh, Caesar, aren’t you just the sweetest thing… Thank you for this, I love it.”
He laughed softly, grinning brightly as he handed it over to her. She took it, holding it in her hand to say that she truly did want it, but set it carefully on the ground after a little bit. Looking back up at her son, she seemed to stare. Was there something on his face? Maybe she was looking at the pink birthmarks that he was born with. They really were weird little markings that he was born with, but he didn’t mind. His mother usually called them cute. He lifted his hand up to wipe his cheeks, just in case there was some dirt on them, but she just seemed to snap out of her trance. A heavy sigh fell from her lips before she patted the ground next to him, shaking her head. “Caesar, please come sit here for a moment. Your mother needs to tell you something very important.”
Confused, he started to come even closer to the tree, sitting at the base of it. Looking up at her, he could see her eyes starting to water up. What, no! This was the exact opposite reaction he wanted her to have. For a second, he wondered if he had done something wrong, but she started to speak in a soft and hushed tone, though, it sounded like her heart was breaking as she said each little word. “Dear, this is so hard for me to tell you, but… your father, he’s left. Not to work or anywhere we know of, he’s just not coming back, okay? I’m so sorry, baby.”
His heart broke at those words.
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His mother was missing, presumed dead. His relatives had stolen everything from him, including his little siblings. Now that he had nothing to really live for, he had turned to the dark. He was a delinquent now, but he could really care less about it. He needed to take out his anger and stress out somehow, after all. However, on this particular day, he had spotted a very familiar man, someone he had not seen in over ten years. Mario Zeppeli, someone who had left his family for dead, someone who had most likely spent his own life in luxury while they had struggled for the rest of their lives, his own father. Although he must have not known who he was, he was going to murder this man as payback for what he had done to his family for all these years. He had already committed all crimes in short of murder, what was one more added to his pile?
So, he lured the man out into a secret passage underneath the Colosseum, secretly stalking him there. However, he had gotten a bit distracted in his mission. There was a shining jewel in the wall, right there with some stone statues. He was confused, why would there be a precious gem such as this out in the open? It would be the easiest thing to steal. So, going up to it, he touched the surface of it, smooth as ever. However, he heard a shout, something that startled him. It sounded like a beg, but it happened so fast that he had no idea what was happening. Suddenly, there were vine-like strings shooting out from the wall, as well as daggers. He looked over at the man, getting pushed off to the side.
His father was stabbed in the stomach by those vine-like things, starting to pull him towards the wall. Suddenly, it all hit him like a brick. He had left not because of his selfish needs, but he wanted to protect his family. Both his wife and children, he wanted to protect all of them, so he did what needed to happen and leave them. His eyes widened at the realization, but he could hear the man shouting at him. “Young man, I beg of you! Please fulfill my final wish! Go to Venice, speak with a woman named Lisa Lisa and tell her what you saw here. She is the only one who will be able to stand a chance against these monsters, please!”
Within seconds, he was swallowed into the wall, Caesar’s hand reaching out towards him. He was in shock from what he just discovered and witnessed, really, but now he had much more respect for his father, more than he could have ever had for him while he was in his life all those years before. He stared at the wall and its daunting emptiness. He tried to call out to his father again, but no reply came. It seemed like he didn’t know him as well, right before he died. Maybe he was in too much shock, or maybe it had been so many years and he had grown up a substantial amount for him to not recognize his own son.
That day, he vowed his vengeance against the Pillar Men, to protect the ones he loved, and the rest of the world.
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It had been a long day of hard training to prepare for the battle with the Pillar Men. It was supposed to be in two weeks, which was too short for his own liking, but Joseph seemed to take it as a joke. Like his own life wasn’t on the line. It was downright frustrating and infuriating, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t get him to stop fooling around. It was very important, after all. The two of them could have been the last hope for humanity as a whole. It was something that he would never understand. That asshole was making a fool out of himself.
Speaking of the young Joestar, he had not seen him around in a little bit, not since after their nightly meals. Usually, he would be all over him, trying to get him to entertain him like he was some sort of jester. Normally, he would have been dragged against his will to a place that Joseph thought to be fun. But today, he was doing no such thing. Where was he at a time like this? It was almost concerning, the way he had been acting was strange. No, no. What was he doing? Thinking of that idiot? He should be enjoying the peace and quiet, not thinking about it constantly. Though, he couldn’t help but wonder where he was off to and who he was bothering.
Moving through the halls, he started heading back towards his room. Yes, he would be able to feel the comfortable and warm confinements of his bed and blankets. However, when he rounded the corner, he ended up bumping into someone slightly taller than him. Wait, someone who was slightly taller than him? Oh, no. He looked up and, sure enough, it was Joseph. A sigh left his lips as the other one looked down at him with a smile. “Oh, hey! I was just looking for you. I’ve gotta show you something really cool, c’mon.”
“What? No. Knowing you, it’s something stupid, dangerous, or both,” he said, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. Well, that didn’t seem to stop him anyway. He reached out and grabbed a hold of his hand, starting to pull him towards the opposite direction of where he was going in the first place. Wait, what? No, he wanted to head to his room to relax, not go along with whatever this guy was saying. He tried to shake his hand off to get him to explain what he was trying to show him, but there was no time, according to him. Well, whatever. He could follow him. If it were stupid, he could just slap him on the head and scold him for taking him to a place against his will. Though, it was also late at night, almost midnight, in fact.
“No, you’ll love it, I swear! We just have to hurry,” he said, a wide grin spreading on his face. What could have been so important that he was being dragged across the floor by the arm? It better have been something of interest, or something highly important, and not another one of his stupid pranks. Though, it was starting to sound like one already. Well, he’d best prepare himself for that, then. If it were a prank, he could possibly get him back somehow. Or, since it was past the time they were supposed to be asleep, he could have just told him to go back into his room and sleep.
Finally, they had made it to the balcony. Looking up, he heard the distant, soft cries of people in the town. The island that they were on was not far from the main city, so he could hear the sound of people from where they were. He was confused, for a second. However, as he opened his mouth to speak up, he heard a booming noise, along with a flash of colorful lights. He stopped what he was saying to turn around towards the sky. There were fireworks sounding off in the distance. Oh, yes, it was the New Year today. They had been too caught up in training for him to even notice it. He then looked over at Joseph, watching the young man watching the sky’s colorful show. He turned back to face him, a wide grin plastered on his face. “See?! I told you it would be worth it. You just have to trust me sometimes!”
Another explosion sounded off in the background, right behind Joseph. It was a nice scene to watch, especially since he seemed so happy to have someone watching the fireworks show with him. It put the smallest of smiles on his face as he watched. Caesar couldn’t deny it, he found him to be gorgeous like this. That single thought had put him in a spiral, down into his emotions. He always found him to be quite the handsome man, but would never admit that out loud. There would have been an onslaught of teasing. The boyish nature of his, it reminded him of himself when he was just a young boy. Innocent and oblivious to the wonders of heartbreak. It brought a warmness into his cheeks while he tried to warm up his hands, the coolness of the night surrounding him. He had finally figured it out, he was in love with this man.
Though, he would never get the chance to tell him this.
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As those memories flashed before his eyes, he smiled and closed them, looking down. He really did live a good life, despite all the hardships and troubles he went through. From his father leaving and later being eaten alive, to his time spent with the rambunctious idiot, he would treasure all of those sacred moments right before he died. In his own mind, he thanked those that were close to him. His mother, for dealing with five children despite her husband leaving. His father, for choosing to leave to protect his family and sacrificing himself for someone he thought he didn’t even know. His mentor, Lisa Lisa, for bringing him back and training him all the precious Hamon skills he knew, as well as being a motherly figure for him. And Joseph, God, there were so many things to thank him for. Now, there was just one more thought in his mind, swirling up towards his lips in a soft whisper.
“Good luck, JoJo.”