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After Death (DIO + Dio)
~It was ironic enough, that he was beat with the power he thought was only his.
It was also ironic that his last words were the words which started this whole 100 year conflict.
"You defeated- me DIO!" DIO was conscious enough to feel his blood being transfused to the old Joestar's body.
No wait, it was Jojo's blood.
Jotaro Kujo fought DIO fair and square (albeit, not that fair if you asked him) and he accepted defeat. He was conscious enough to feel the desert wind around him meaning that he was outside.
Where did he go wrong? Was it when he killed his Father? DIO disagreed with himself. That can't be right. The geezer deserved it for killing his Mother and abusing him.
(DIO felt some kind of phantom pain that he hadn't felt since he was human while waiting for the sun to rise and finally kill him which was impossible! He rejected his humanity a century ago!)
Was it when he tried to kill George Joestar or was it when DIO put on the Stone Mask that slowly took his soul away from himself?
What was he thinking?! The Stone Mask was the greatest thing that has ever happened to him! Forever young, forever strong! He owned [The World] and was going to own the literal world if not for the youngest Joestar that ruined it for him!
Was it really? He could have gotten a good job even without stealing the Joestar fortune and eventually [The World]
DIO cringed at the looming sunlight rising from the horizon. He couldn't see it, but could feel the burning sensation ebbing away his body.
Jojo's body.
An image of a person came while DIO screamed internally in pain. He had navy blue hair with matching eyes. It was the only person DIO ever respected.
The only one that didn't treat DIO like a god but a mere human being.
Jojo...
***
Dio gasped as he sat straight up in bed. He put his hand on his chest and there was a steady beating.
What...?
He summoned [The World] and stared at it with a confused look. [The World] looked at him just as confused.
"Where am I?" Dio looked at his hands and felt his pulse on his wrist. "Why is my heart beating when it hasn't been beating since a century ago?" He looked around to see that he was inside some kind of manor that was tugging the back of his memory.
The memory DIO tried to block as soon as he woke up from his 100 year slumber.
This is the Joestar Manor! Why am I here? Was this all a dream? Dio wasn't dumb. If [The World] was here, then obviously it couldn't have been as materialistic as what 'humans' would call a dream.
(But the heartbeat in his chest only proved that he was still some kind of a human even if he was confused at the moment as to why this was happening.)
"Because you're dead." Dio jumped at the sudden voice that wasn't his and summoned [The World] again ready for battle. In front of him was someone Dio thought was long gone.
"W-what?" With there being no aura of battle, [The World] disappeared and it only left the two adopted brothers alone.
"Sorry." The man in front of him looked like the day he died and Dio took his body. As if nothing happened in this one hundred years. "Maybe I should have knocked." Leave it to Jojo to apologize after dropping a bomb like that. Dio decided to cross his legs and act like he knew more than Jojo even though he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
It always worked before.
How come he, Dio could see Jonathan Joestar when even he knew that he deserved a place in Hell and Jojo didn't?
(If he actually believed the bull that Jojo just said but then again, Jojo was never a liar.)
"How do you know about this place? And even if I were dead, I'm pretty sure that I would not be in the place which I helped in destroying." Dio took out [The World] and used it to punch the wall in front of him.
Jojo winced.
"Please don't use your Stand to damage the building, Dio." As soon as he said this, the house repaired itself. Dio's eyes widened. He could see my Stand?
"You did take my body and used the same body to develop a Stand, so yes I can see your Stand." Huh. So Jojo could be sarcastic if needed. You learn something new everyday. Jojo sat at the bed Dio was sitting on.
"You're dead and I'm a bit unsure as to why you're here but I believe that there must be some kind of reason otherwise you would probably be in Hell right now." So Hell does exist. Dio was quiet, thinking.
"The Stone Mask took your soul away from you. Believe it or not, you were more human when you were battling me than when you were fighting Jotaro." The name Jotaro made Dio's blood boil. He stood up.
"THE STONE MASK GAVE ME STRENGTH THAT YOU COULD NEVER IMAGINE, JOJO. I ONLY DID WHAT WAS RIGHT FOR MYSELF! I FIGURED THAT THE JOESTAR FORTUNE WASN'T ENOUGH SO I WANTED [THE WORLD] BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY! BUT IT'S ALWAYS SOMEONE FROM YOUR DESCENDANTS THAT HAS TO GET IN THE WAY OF THAT!" He spurted out in anger. DIO was encouraging him to say more.
He's nothing! You beat him in that ship all those years ago, you can do it again!
He was about to shout out his Stand's name for him to be able to stop time and try and hurt Jojo somehow but he got cut off.
"Dio, I can read your mind. I know that you were just about to stop time." Dio flinched as Jojo continued. "The vampire version of you is trying to convince you to try and kill me... again. I'm afraid it won't work as we're already dead." There were so many questions Dio wanted to ask but his pride wouldn't let him ask them.
He would be damned to ask something from goodie goodie Jojo.
"Since you took my body, we have a connection and I am sorry to say that it's a bit annoying sometimes. When you wore the Stone Mask, your inhuman self took over. I've been trying to tell you that since you got here. You're as human as when you were when we met at twelve years old." Dio's eyebrows raised. Jojo really was patient enough to say all of this without a grudge. Dio stole his body for fuck's sake!
He's lying. I'm you, Dio we are one! A voice seethed in his mind. It was in the same tone that DIO used to convince Kakyoin and Polnareff to put on one of his fleshbuds.
Dio's vision blurred and he fell on the bed again. He held his forehead. I'm not feeling so well. He thought to himself. And at the worst moment possible!
"I don't regret killing anyone. Why is it, that I'm here?" He said without thinking. He needed to talk otherwise the voice in his head would start screaming. Besides, Jojo seemed like he was the expert here. His voice made DIO quiet enough for Dio to think at least.
Jojo shrugged as he helped his adoptive brother to sit up again.
"Maybe you were granted a second chance? Maybe you do have some regrets that don't involve the actions you've done as a vampire?" But I've killed my own Father before I was a vampire, Jojo. You wouldn't understand.
At that moment, Dio forgot that Jojo could now read his thoughts. Shit! Whatever Jojo was thinking, he kept it to himself.
Seeing the Joestar right there made Dio feel even more uneasy. He knew that he threw away his humanity a long time ago but Jojo was something more than that.
"I killed your Father, I indirectly killed your Master, I killed you." Dio seethed the last part through his teeth as he listed more. "I killed your Grandson -which by some miracle came to life- and I almost killed your great great grandson. How could you bare to be around me right now?"
That's right! He's probably going to use you! Manipulate you! Remember in your childhood where you had no one to trust? Dio knew now that what DIO was saying was utter bullshit at the moment. Jojo would never manipulate him. In fact, Dio was the one who pulled the strings almost all the time.
"I don't forgive you just yet. I'm only giving you a second chance because your here. Only those with heroic souls can come here." Dio wanted to throw up. Heroic? Heroic? What the Hell does he mean? I murdered and I enjoyed it! I wanted to see my Father die right in front of me! Kakyoin came in front of me and I smashed him like a bug! Jojo sighed.
"Loneliness can bring even the best of men into the gutters. If I didn't have Speedwagon or Erina by my side I'm afraid that I probably would have fallen into the same depths as you did. You wanted to prove your Father that you could beat him. That you could be better than him."
He's only pitying you Dio! Stop it! Use [The World] to leave him right now! Remember that you can stop time for 9 seconds! That's more than enough for you to leave this place and go somewhere better! Dio clutched his head again. The voice was shouting nonstop.
"Dio!" Dio barely heard Jojo's voice but he could see some... golden(?) light come out of his hands. Is that Hamon? He wondered.
"I'll try and make this as painless as possible!" Jojo promised as he put his hands on Dio's forehead.
"SUNLIGHT YELLOW OVERDRIVE!" He yelled. Dio's heart stopped beating for a split second.
***
"Dio, remember. If you become a loyal man, you will go to Heaven." Dio held his Mother's hand as they walked in the grimey streets of London.
The scene shifted to Dio sprawled on the ground and Dario was above him with a broken alcohol bottle.
"Dio, you're just like your Mother. Kindness won't get you anywhere in the world!
The scene shifted again. This time, Dio was merely a head held in Jonathan's lap.
'He's dead.' Dio thought. 'Too bad. I wanted to fight him a bit more. He's the only worthy opponent for me.'
It seemed that even he, Dio missed Jojo even though another part of him was cheering in victory.
***
"I removed the vampire version of you. I think it was too much since your human side took over." Dio felt the beating in his chest start again. Just in case, he summoned [The World] and was glad that it didn't go along with his non human self.
Sometimes, [The World] was the only company Dio had in Egypt.
"Are you alright?" Jojo asked. Dio nodded.
"I think..." Dio fiddled with his fingers. Jeez he could manipulate basically a whole cult to do his bidding but in front of Jojo he was speechless.
"I regret killing you. That's the reason why I'm here." With DIO gone from his head, he could think clearly. "Like I said before, I don't regret killing anyone else." Jojo's face softened.
That was the best he was going to do ok?! Even if it wasn't heroic enough. Jojo laughed.
"Of course! I wouldn't expect you to say anything else otherwise you wouldn't be you." Oh yeah. Jojo can read his thoughts. This is going to get annoying fast.
Jojo stood up and took out his hand.
"C'mon. Let's go meet everyone else. Although, I don't think Kakyoin would be happy you would be here." He looked to the side when he said that. Dio smirked.
"[The World]!" He yelled and he was in front of Jojo. Jojo laughed in the stopped time.
"That doesn't work on me remember?" He caught up with Dio.
Maybe Dio didn't exactly have a heroic soul but anything was better than Hell right?
...Until he saw who was at the bottom at the stair and he felt the killing intent out of all them...