P H A N T O M B L O O D
"Oh, I may weep forevermore, my love will never die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You lean against a long-dead tree, leaving a single patch of forget-me-nots as a marker for your friends. You hope they see it. The only living thing growing anywhere near the castle you're about to enter.
Let me be very clear, the architectural design of Dio's castle is insane. On one side is a series of towers that look like stairs and on the other is a series of stairs leading to a tower. Who thinks like that?
What long-dead king or queen wanted people to have to walk all the way up a hill and then have to climb up one of the multiple towers? Who let them do that to all their guests?
Never mind, it's probably to keep invaders at bay or something. Very effective considering you can't even find the front door.
But we're not gonna talk about how ridiculously lost you get in the ridiculously designed, zombie-filled castle. Instead, let's focus on Dio.
What's sort of fun shenanigans is he up to?
"Oh please sir, I beg you. Please don't bring no harm to my child, let him be," A woman begs, cradling her baby son from her crouched position on the red checkered floor of Dio's lovely new home.
The vampire in question crushes a metal crucifix, scaring the poor lady who clutches her child even closer.
"Hm, do I comprehend you? Let us clarify what you desire," Dio calmly puts down the broken crucifix and picks up a not quite blooming red rose, "Voluntarily you will give yourself to us on the condition that we not touch your child?"
He tauntingly waves the rose, "Is that accurate?"
The crying lady looks about at all the menacing zombies standing on the ceiling. Glowing red eyes stare down at her like crows lurking about a dying sheep. Was this hell staring down at her? Was this odd, inhuman man meant to be some kind of god?
"Yes," She finally says, hugging the baby with a tragic finality, "Only don't hurt my boy."
"You move me to tears," Dio says softly like the bad liar, the bad guy he is. He stands up from his chair by the fire, "Agreed, you shall have your wish. I hereby swear that neither I nor any of my servants will bring harm to your child."
"That said, you need to be aware of one thing. All my minions without exception willingly gave up their souls for me," Dio continues, lowering the rose away from the woman, "I truly think it would work out far better if both of you were to join me."
"There would be no more worries. You would both be part of a new and greater family," Dio starts approaching the woman, looming over her. This was it for her, huh?
"Remember you promised- you promised not to hurt my child!" She cries desperately, looking up at the vampire and the zombies watching, "Me for him."
"So be it then," Dio drains the woman of all her blood, turning her into a zombie, before walking over to his vase and grabbing another rose. Leaving the zombie and the crying baby behind him.
"Sweet little child!" The zombie coos hoarsely, growling and opening her mouth wide to eat her son.
"As promised we've not harmed the child, that's something you've taken care of on your own," The smug blonde vampire dramatically turns to look at the scarlet coloured flower in his hand, "The irony is lost on you. A pity."
Only Dio doesn't hear the sound of the baby going silent or the sound of a zombie tearing into flesh. Instead, he heard a loud thud, a squish and some panting. The baby even giggles slightly, ignorant brat.
Ewwww, what the fuck?
The vampire turns around and lo and behold, there you are. Backlit in front of the fire and carrying the baby defensively. The zombie lies in a puddle, a Hamon infused, giant helmet sitting on the remains of its head.
That explains the sudden strong smell of flowers.
"Dio, you dog killing bastard!" You snarl just as abruptly as you appeared, "To think you were going to let this baby die-"
"Milord, there's an intruder in the castle!" A short little zombie cries, rushing into the room behind you. You don't look at the zombie but you grab its head and pop it like a bubble with Hamon. Dio maintains eye contact with you and it's probably just a vampire thing but oh god you look so hot all murderous.
"Ah, (Y/N), I haven't seen you this angry since the labouchere amendment. Whatever's the matter?" Dio asks, twirling the rose in his hands.
"Stop trying to kill Jojo! And um, Speedwagon and Zeppeli too," You ask, letting go of the zombie's melting body and adjusting the baby in your arms to hide your lack of stomach. Not that Dio hasn't already noticed, the zombies are literally licking at the trail of blood you're leaving on the floor.
"I shan't think it my fault that you choose such poor company, love," The vampire's in front of you all of a sudden, glaring at you, "There'd be no reason for you to be so upset over their deaths if you were by my side."
"What? No! I-" You're cut off by a gasp as Dio reaches forward and presses his fingers on the outside of your injury. Not that there's an inside considering the wound is just a gaping hole.
The vampire pulls back and stares at the Hamon infused blood on his fingers with a frown, as you wobble from the pain, "Is this all that sustains your life, this pathetic magic trick of yours?"
You scowl at him, stepping away even as your legs struggle to support you. Dio doesn't let you get far.
"Poor thing, ready to die for Jonathan Joestar," Dio coos mockingly as he clutches you in his arms, "Why are you doing this to yourself when I could give you anything you want? Why do you scorn me so?"
"It's not like that- I'm... I'm just trying to do the right thing. You killed Lord Joestar! And if no one does anything you're going to kill everyone I love and enslave the whole world! Stop twisting everything!" You snarl, glaring up at the blonde, "No matter how much I care for you, I can't just let you do that!"
"Oh, poor sweet little (Y/N). How foolish of you! How naive, you adorable little thing," Dio squishes your face with one clawed hand and pulls you closer to him with the other, you angle the baby away from him, "Look at your little face! You have no idea, do you?"
"What the fuck are you talking about- get off!" You try and push his face away from yours but there's no strength behind it, all your energy going into not dying, "Stop being so condescending! This is a life or death matter-"
"He's already dead."
You blink, focusing your hazy vision on the pointed teeth in Dio's grin, the exhilaration in his eyes, "What..?"
"Don't look so surprised, none of your little friends was a match for my knight. I received word earlier through a telepathic link," Dio squeezes your face again and this time it hurts and everything hurts and oh god, oh god, oh god, "Jojo's been dead for at least a half-hour now. I suppose you took a while walking here, hm?"
"Oh well if that's the case... Awful embarrassing for me to show up and ask you to spare them," You say, looking somewhere over Dio's shoulder, a faraway look in your eyes as they well up with tears, "You're joking right, love? This is all just you mocking me right? There's no way they're... Not Jojo. Jojo wouldn't die like that."
"I knew you were putting him on a pedestal. It's not healthy. He's dead, gone, expired. Accept it," Dio huffs, "Feel free to join me, of course. I'm sure it's a difficult loss but we must all support each other now. There's no shame in accepting defeat."
"Jojo's really gone?" You start hyperventilating.
Dio ushers you onto the sofa, passing the baby to a zombie who won't eat it and gesturing for another to grab the stone mask.
"Dio he- Dio, he's, Jojo is," You stutter out, not registering the lack of child in your arms or the mask in Dio's, there's only this big hole in your heart that's opened up all of a sudden and it hurts and you need it to close and it hurts and Jojo's dead. Jojo's dead.
"I know love, I'm sorry. It's going to be okay, I have you now. I've got you. You'll become a vampire now, won't you? I'll help you make all those nasty feelings go away," Dio places the mask into your hand but all you do is look at it and sob so he helps raise it onto your face, "There we go, nearly better now."
"You killed him..." You whisper, Dio fussing over a zombie passing blood to him. The idea of becoming a vampire isn't appealing anymore. Why is Dio doing this? How can he expect you to live forever in a world without Jojo? Looking into the eyes of his murderer every day?
You won't. You won't.
You're going to kill the marigold blonde for this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dio's spread out on a lavish and decomposing sofa in some other large and decaying room. Two rose vases sit on either side of him, as well as one flower remaining in his hand.
As well as some odd undead creations sat about, you're curled up onto him despite the lack of warmth the blonde offers in the bone-chilling room. Dio remains as confident and well-composed as when you had first seen him hours ago compared to your fuzzy mind and exhausted face.
You're so tired. You think that you should be feeling some sort of pain or disgust but there's only the blonde invading your senses.
There's only hunger.
You're so tired.
"Hm, how amusing. I've put this town in my thrall in but a single night," The blonde chuckles slightly, the blonde turns to you, "Are you finally coming back to me, my love?"
"Dio?" You whisper up at him and the vampire grins.
You can hear sobbing and whimpering as well as the snarls of the zombies. None of these people wanted this, did you want this? Is that why you're a vampire?
Why can't you remember what you're here for?
Dio reaches down and pets your head, encouraging sleep. You like the affection. Is it affection? Is this why you're here? A fondness for the blonde?
That can't be right.
All attention is on the human in the middle of the room. The poor girl who had previously been gazing out the window in horror at the ghostly Windknight's Lot turns upon feeling the glowing gazes of the two vampires in the room.
Your eyes meet hers and blink tiredly, remembering. You'd seen her earlier when you'd passed this room with a helmet in hand. Your (E/C) eyes had met hers and you'd promised to come back and rescue her.
Your eyes are red now. Red and confused and guilty as you look at her pleasing gaze. Whatever haze your recently turned brain was in clears instantly and you feel ice running down your back.
You remember Jojo.
Oh god, Jojo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weeeeeeeeeeeee. Wrote something else then remembered Tarkas told Dio that he'd managed to kill Zeppeli and Jojo and thought I could use that.
Not sure how I feel about this whoops.
Hope you enjoyed!