"Enough. I'm going."
"Caesar! Please don't!" I called for him before he made his first step. His eyes softened at my teary eyed expression. He let out a sigh before stepping up to me and grabbing my hands.
"Devon. I know this may be hard to understand but this is something I absolutely need to do. I must avenge my family honor. I know you're worried, but I will be ok." He places a firm kiss on the back of my hands. The touch of his warm lips against my cold skin leaves an intense sting as he walks away. We all knew he would lose, but we couldn't stop him. He was too full of rage to think straight.
I have to go after him... if I don't he'll die—
I begin to follow him until someone grabs my arm.
"Let me go!" I yelled as I pulled away from Joseph's hard grip.
"Oh please you can't be just as stupid as him! You know this is a bad idea!" He yelled back into my face as he tugged on my arm a bit.
"I know! I know that, but I need to go after him!" "Why do you care so much?!"
"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!" Joseph's grip on my arm softened as everyone processed what I had just screamed. I pull at my arm one more time before speaking again.
"JoJo... I love him. I love him so much it hurts to see him do these things to himself. I can't just watch as he runs willingly into his demise. I just can't lose him..." I cry. I can tell from his eyes that he knows I'll be going after him no matter what, and he lets me go. I begin to run, following the footprints in the snow.
————
"THIS IS THE LAST OF MY HAMON! TAKE IT FROM ME!" Caesar screams as he realizes he is going to die no matter what.
I follow his screams to a giant, broken room to find Caesar at the bottom of a staircase that leads up to Wamuu. I look around and notice a large crack in the ceiling above him, loosening the stone in between.
"CAESAR!" I yell as I run to him. The stone above finally begins to fall. He's going to die! I speed up my pace and jump to push Caesar out of the way just as the rock is about to crush him. He lands on the surrounding ground with a loud grunt, almost blacking out. The thing to catch his attention before he can though, is a terrible scream. The kind of scream that would shatter any glass within the vicinity. Full of the pain and anguish of a lifetime that had been bottled up for years. He opens his eyes to find the source.
I managed to push Caesar out of the way of the giant stone, but I didn't slip away unscathed. I almost couldn't process what had just happened until I felt an intense pain in my left leg. I looked back and noticed where my left calf should be replaced with a huge bloody rock. Realization sets and I let out a scream I never knew was in me. I try to pull myself away but it seems that some of my leg is still attached to the rest of me. I notice that Wamuu is now gone, and the only life left in this room was the fading Caesar Zeppeli and Devon Johansson.
Before I lost my consciousness, I heard the incoming footsteps of two people. Coach... JoJo?
Joseph runs to Caesar's aid as Lisa Lisa runs to my side.
"Coach... I need you to cut off my leg..."
Those were the last words I remember before my consciousness left me.
————
I woke up to the sound of a heart rate monitor in a blindingly white room. I groan as I gain movement of my limbs and notice a new heaviness. I pull the blankets off my legs and notice a mechanical implant attached to my left thigh. Oh yeah... that rock...
A doctor of the Speedwagon Association and von Stroheim enter the room. They tell me that after passing out, JoJo and Lisa Lisa went to fight Wamuu and Kars. During that, members of the Speedwagon Association went out looking for me and Caesar, and managed to get us to a hospital. I lost a lot of blood from the open wound on my leg and there was no use recovering the rest of it. With Stroheim's technology, they put together a robotic leg replacement for me.
"Now, you may feel a little stiff for a while until your nerves can fully attach themself to your new leg. Movement might be a bit slow for the time—" "Where's Caesar?" I interrupt the doctor, not really caring about myself right now. I did all of this to save Caesar... Now where is he?
"He is in the room next to you but he is still regaining his consciousness so it might be a little longer until— wait! Miss! Please sit back down!" I pull my worthless leg off the hospital bed, grab my IV stand and slowly stumble my way to the next room over. A nurse in the hallway tries to stop me but I push out of her grasp.
I push the next door open to find Caesar hooked up to a bunch of machines, beeping and monitoring his current state. From what I can tell, his blood pressure is rather low but his breathing is steady.
"Caesar—" I stumble over to his bed side and plop myself down next to his legs. I reach up to push the slightly bloody hair out of the way of his eyes and whisper his name again. He starts to wake up and realize his situation.
"Devon? Where are we—" He is stopped by the strong hug I pull him into, my face buried in his neck and my hands tangled in his hair.
"Oh my god Caesar, I thought I lost you! I thought you— oh my sweet Caesar!" I pushed myself back into his neck as I finally cried. He was safe. The love of my life is ok and alive. He reaches his arms around me and squeezes. His breath shakes as he begins to let out a few tears as well.
"Devon... I'm so sorry. I didn't think it would end up like this..." he said as he grabbed my face and rubbed my cheek with his thumb.
"Caesar... I— I love you, Caesar. I couldn't let you go die alone. I need you in my life. I didn't think love was out there anymore but then I met you. I met you and you opened my heart again to the world. I love you so much" I cried as I leaned into his touch.
"Dev—" I pressed a longing kiss to his lips. One with the passion of a lifetime. He put a hand behind my head and the other to my back. After a few moments, we pulled apart and looked deep into each other's eyes.
"Devon... I love you too."
