EARLY IN THE MORNING TWO DAYS LATER, DIO KNOCKED ON MY DOOR. It was an unexpected visit, since he said he'd be busy for a while. I barely had time to take in his appearance before he enveloped me in a one-armed embrace.
I returned his embrace automatically. Dio wasn't shy about expressing his affection for me, so I'd learned to appreciate it when I could. But this hug felt different. It felt like he was clinging to me out of worry rather than the desire to hold me.
"D-Dio . . . ?"
"Please," Dio said. "Just let me hold you a while longer."
I obliged his request, quietly rubbing his back in what I hoped was a comforting manner. Something told me he needed that. When Dio pulled away, he gave me a small smile. "Thank you," he said.
"Do you feel better now?" I asked.
"Yes, a lot better." Dio said. He straightened and then his face twisted in pain and his right hand flew to his opposite shoulder.
"Dio! What's wrong?" I asked.
Dio chuckled. "Well, I believe I'm in need of medical attention," he answered. "My collarbone is broken."
"W-what?! Why didn't you say that earlier? Or go to a doctor?" I ushered Dio inside and had him sit on the couch. I wasn't a doctor, but I knew how to tie a sling for Dio's arm. "That's the best I can do." I said. "You should go to a real doctor after this."
"I will," Dio said. "Thank you."
"Now, can you tell me what happened?" I asked.
Dio nodded. "Some drunkards were angry that I bumped into them on the street," he explained to me. "They attacked me and I was injured in the scuffle."
I frowned. Dio was a skilled fighter even when he was younger. Those skills had only grown with age. He shouldn't have had any trouble fighting some drunk men. But I guess these weren't normal men if Dio had sustained such a heavy injury.
"Why didn't you go to the doctor?" I asked.
"I didn't think about that, I just . . . I wanted to see you," he said. As flattering as that was, I would have been happier if he'd gone to a doctor first. I was about to voice my thoughts when Dio continued. "At some point during the fight, I thought I was going to die."
Those words made me freeze and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. Suddenly I was reminded that Dio and I were different. Dio could die and I would never see him again. If he died, that was the end. My time with him was limited. My heart clenched painfully in my chest. I had always known that, but it was so easy to forget when he was by my side.
Dio continued speaking, unaware of the distress his words had caused me. "My collarbone was broken and that thing was upon me. I could feel the power leaving my body. I thought there were many things I wasn't able to do. I had so many plans that were never fulfilled. I was afraid that everything I'd done until now would all be for nothing. But then I thought of you. Suddenly I wasn't afraid of dying, I was afraid I'd never see you again. All of the memories I had with you flashed through my head. Suddenly I couldn't help but think of you. I wanted to see you; I couldn't die before seeing you again. After the fight, I came here without thinking." Dio said. "I just had to hold you and know that you weren't lost. I've never been so afraid of losing someone before. Even when my own mother lay on the floor taking her final breaths, I never felt this way . . ."
I hugged Dio as he trailed off, tears watering in his eyes. "Don't cry," I said. I was worried for Dio, but as he voiced his thoughts, a feeling of happiness warmed my body. He cared for me enough to think of me during what he believed to be his final moments. Right now, I just wanted to care for him. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm so glad you're alright."
"I am too," Dio said.
We stayed embracing each other for a while, both of us needing comfort for fear of the other's absence. Soon enough, Dio stopped trembling in my arms and no longer clung to me as if I would disappear if his grip on me loosened. Soon enough, I let go of the worry that Dio could disappear without warning, allowing myself to enjoy the time I had with him for now. It became comfortable. I lost track of time as we sat there like that, but the sound of my father's coughs from the next room brought me back to reality.
I reluctantly withdrew from Dio. "That's my father. I think I should give him his medicine now." I said. Dio nodded in understanding. I gave father the medicine and quickly returned to Dio's side.
"My father is very ill," I explained. I hadn't been able to tell him sooner. "It seems he's caught whatever George has. It started off like a cold, but it has only been getting worse over the week. The symptoms are the same," I sighed. "The doctor had no idea what it was either. Father keeps rejecting the medicine too. . . I'm worried that he might die."
"I thought you didn't like him." Dio said. "You said you didn't consider him to be a father and you thought he was greedy for money."
I sighed. "Yes, what I said is true, but I don't want him to die." I said.
"Why not?" Dio frowned. I gave him a quizzical look, but realize Dio wasn't asking to be rude. He wasn't saying that out of cruelty either, he truly didn't understand.
I thought for a moment before trying to explain. "I want to believe that even people who do bad things are not bad people," I said. "Yes, he's still greedy and wants money, but he hasn't really stolen from anyone yet. There's time for him to change. And I think he's been changing since we arrived here. He's much more understanding now."
"He is the same," Dio denied. "People like that don't change. He's just learned to hide himself better. Deep down, he is still greedy."
"I want to believe that he will change for the better. I believed in you too. That's why I forgave you for everything you did when you first arrived at the Joestar mansion. I gave you a chance back then. And you've changed, so don't say it's not possible for father too."
Dio fell silent at my argument. He seemed to be thinking about something. Finally he sighed. "I am sorry," he apologized suddenly.
"What for?" I asked.
"For your father's ill health."
I shrugged. "There is nothing that can be done," I said. "And there is no need for you to apologize. It's not your fault he's sick."
Dio just hummed. "I do feel responsible for it," he said. "After all, my father has the same illness. Perhaps it was passed to your father."
"That's ridiculous," I said. No one else in the Joestar mansion had gotten sick other than George. Logically speaking, the first person to catch the illness should have been someone who lived in the manor. I was certain that Dio was feeling apologetic for no reason.
"Speaking of ridiculous," Dio said. "I have a strange question to ask you. If I was to become a vampire, would you join me?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Where did this come from?"
"It is a question I thought of while lamenting my mortality after my near-death experience."
"Oh," I frowned. I really couldn't tell what he was thinking. He was really serious about this question, despite how ridiculous it sounded. Perhaps this question was some kind of metaphor. Some sort of test to see if I really liked him and would stay with him throughout unexpected troubles. If that was the case, this was a strange way to ask.
I decided to take his question at face value. "I wouldn't want to become a vampire." I said. Dio frowned. I quickly added onto my initial answer. "I would still be by your side, of course. Just not as a vampire."
This seemed to make Dio feel a little better. He nodded to himself. "I see," he said thoughtfully.
My heart dropped. "Are you having doubts about the wedding?" I asked quietly. It wasn't uncommon.
Dio quickly rejected the idea with a shake of his head. "Of course not." He said, sounding almost offended that I'd even asked that question. "Freya, I fully intend to marry you. I have not doubted my decision ever since I made it. The reason I asked such a strange question was because something unexpected could happen between us. I don't want to do anything that might tear us apart."
His words made me feel a lot better. "Ok," I said, "I believe you. But what is it with you and vampires?"
Dio sighed. "I suppose I've always wanted to prove that I could live in this world," he said. "My family struggled to crawl from the depths of poverty. My father worked my mother to death while he sat and drank away everything she gave him. When mother died, I worked in her place, earning meager change from gambling or games of chess. Eventually, I felt like I was losing my humanity. I was the lowest of low. I would work for someone else's benefit and I would die weak and alone, having lived a lesser life than any insect. I was just a shitstain on the bottom of someone else's boot and that was all I would ever be."
Dio clenched his fist in anger as he recalled his past. I placed my hand over his closed fist to remind him that I was there for comfort. Dio nodded gratefully and unwound his fingers so my hand could slip into his. I'd never heard Dio talk about his past like this. He told me of his alcoholic father and told me of his kind mother. He'd never spoken about how he felt at the time.
"At some point, I wanted to become something more," Dio said. "I wanted to surpass my cruel father and crawl my way up from the filth. Everyone used each other to climb the ladder, but I would climb the highest. I didn't care what I had to do, I would forge my path through the hordes of others and reach the summit. I had it all planned out . . ." He sighed.
"I thought I was doing well, but today I realized how little I've accomplished. I realized how weak and foolish I truly was while in the clutches of death. My plans were nothing in the grand scheme of things. Even when I thought I'd grown, if I died today I would still be nothing more than a stain on the bottom of life's shoes. People are so fragile, they die so easily. I would gladly trade my humanity for something better. Right now, I want nothing more than to be something better. I don't want to die before I achieve my dreams."
I nodded, knowing exactly how he felt. We both wanted to become something better, but neither of us knew how to obtain it.
Dio suddenly spoke. "Did you know that necklace you're wearing was my mothers?" My eyes widened and I reached to touch the necklace reflexively. "When she died, father told me to sell everything she owned. All the jewelry, the dresses. There were so many things I lost. But I was able to hide that necklace until the bitter end."
The weight of the pendant around my neck seemed to grow. Dio spoke fondly of his mother. She had worked herself to death for her family rather than running away from it all. She had taught Dio how to read and given him as much care as she could. She stayed strong despite the cruel husband she'd married. She was a light in the darkness for Dio, a flame that had been blown out too quickly.
"Dio," I frowned, "I truly appreciate it, but I shouldn't―"
Dio stopped me with a shake of his head. "I knew what I wanted when I gave it to you," he said. "I knew it was yours the moment I placed it around your neck. She would have wanted you to have it."
I swallowed and nodded. This necklace was not just something Dio had given me because he wanted to impress me, it was something incredibly precious to him. He could have bought me another necklace― I knew he had the money― but he had chosen to give me something so valuable to him. "Thank you . . ."
"No, thank you." Dio said. "You are my light in the darkness. You were my first friend and before I knew it, I realized how much I treasured you. You are so kind, yet you have never turned away from my darkness. Instead, you offered me a hand and led me through the light. Without even knowing, you have helped me through so many struggles. You are all that I want and more; you complete me."
His words wrapped around me, blanketing me in happiness and warmth. "You are special to me too," I admitted my own feelings. "You are the star that shines brighter than any other. You say I led you into the light, but I would follow you into the darkness. I never thought I'd feel this way about anyone, but I would not hesitate to stand beside you. No matter what happens, I'll be there for you."
At the time, I fully intended to follow those words through. But later that night, I heard that Jonathan had arrived home. I decided I'd go welcome him back; perhaps he had brought good news about his research. I would never have expected the tragedy that fell afterwards. I didn't know it, but this night would change everything for me. This life as Freya and all my lives afterwards would never be the same.