Bloody Golden Butterfly [JJBA Fanfiction] (Giorno x Jolyne)

7. Sobreviviré

Florida, 2011

Some associated the color green with good luck, but for Jolyne, that couldn't be further from the case. When did her days become miserable? She would say it started when she moved to the green swamps of Florida. When did Romeo run over the man whose murder she was in jail for? The same day she dyed parts of her hair green. Life, it seemed, from the very beginning just kept throwing a barrage of misfortunes at her... And why was that? She didn't need to look in the mirror to tell you that the eyes she viewed the world with were also green. Well, F.F. was very green too, but she was the exception to the rule.

All things considered, she was a bit apprehensive when she found herself in the green swamps by Green Dolphin Street Prison, holding a green demon baby in her arms.

But no—hadn't good things happened to her too since she had entered the prison? She had been made privy to the true nature of her scumbag boyfriend, she attained a Stand (she supposed that was a good thing), and most importantly, she finally understood her old man for the first time after all these years. Her dad loved her and always had; she'd learned that walking out of her life was only ever with the intention of trying to protect her. A bad plan, but what mattered was that he never stopped caring about her. She could also count her meeting with Hermes, F.F, Emporio, Weather Report, and she supposed Anasui on her lucky stars too.

But of course, the bad things just kept piling up, one after another.

She had had so much ill luck ever since she'd entered the prison. Damn, she didn't know how she was still alive. It had all been too much lately. She knew she still had more left to do and the risks to her own life were only going to be greater, but she didn't care if it meant saving her dad. Let them call it Joestar courage, or whatever they wanted, but if she had to beat the priest to pieces along with all his underlings, she would do it.

"Jolyne, my sweet darling, we've almost reached where that damn priest is. After we defeat him, we should find another priest to officiate our..." She only half listened to Anasui, lost in thought, but she didn't think she was missing anything important anyway.

There was a sudden strangeness to their environment. The cold was slightly different from the wet cold of the swamp, which was usually more humid. This chill was different, the kind that got under the spine and did not leave until you took a long hot shower. It took her a moment to realize that it was not the cool temperature, but a feeling of fear that had made her skin crawl.

Was she feeling the power of a Stand? Even Anasui, who didn't seem to be very good at reading situations well, was silent. She might not have been involved with Stands for long, but she had certainly encountered quite a few. But none looked like this, if it was even a Stand. Whatever it was, if Jolyne had learned anything, it was that the best way to defeat a Stand was to attack its user. Few abilities could allow the user to resist a kick in the balls.

The green baby clung to her tightly in her arms, actually looking scared. It had long stopped nibbling on her prison uniform. She put it down gently on the floor of the airboat, a little reluctant to part from its warm body heat. If she was going to have to fight, it was better to have her hands free. Whispers resounded through the swamp, seeming very out of place. At first, she thought she had misheard, but then she heard them again. It was almost as if someone was chanting 'Joestar' around the area. When Anasui said 'What the hell is a Joestar?', she confirmed that her mind wasn't just playing tricks on her.

A wall of mist began to rise from the swamp's water, making it increasingly difficult to see. They weren't left with much choice but to approach the shore. There was no point in running away if the enemy intended to pursue them anyway. The sound of the voice calling for Jolyne grew nearer. It came from various locations, though they could hear something move closer and closer to where they stood.