Capitolo Secondo: Ambizione (6)

A full day had passed since the problems at New York were brought to an end.

With the city cleared by the Undead horde the moment the sunlight tore through the now normal clouds, the police and the army proceeded with the troublesome task of cleaning up the streets of any debris and rubble left after the serious fighting unfolding within the soon-to-become a metropolis. The costs of handling the entire thing was, by all definitions, a crippling element that easily threatened the city and the nation’s economy. Most of the buildings were ruined by the absurd invasion, and so the reparation price was well above what the USA could currently muster without hurting the entire nation’s stability.

In a normal instance, that would have been a dreadful ‘reward’ to be tied to with the unfair condition imposed to the poor citizens of New York. Much to everyone’s relief, I had more than once proved to be well beyond the normal and the standard, and I had to praise a degree of luck and forgetfulness for this.

Just a little less than ten hours since we arrived in the city, a train filled with resources and manpower coming from Made in Heaven managed to arrive and provide economic relief to the crisis that had slowly taken form. Speedwagon looked nervous as he ordered the engineers and the builders around to get everything fixed, aiding the local experts by providing with the required manpower with no price tag tied to the help, and I could easily tell why he was so… frightened by the current situation.

I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that he wasn’t alone as he first approached me to explain the situation. Bhediya looked positively angry when he marched in my general directions. Years spent learning some decorum and etiquette courtesy of George Joestar while also sharpening his discipline with Muddiburri’s assistance, the young man was dressed in a fine set of formal clothes. His hair had been straightened and pulled in a long, thin ponytail that now reached a little below his shoulders.

“You know, we thought the situation wasn’t bad… just not this manageable bad,” He finally explained, tensed as he could be as he finally provided me some insight about why the two men looked positively upset with the current predicament. “You forgot to send a message back home. It took a lot of convincing to keep Hannah from taking the first boat available and Spin her way to the States to check on you.”

I flinched at that, imagining the inhuman sight unfolding as the fierce woman was mightily restrained by numerous men and women while either Erina or Sarah, maybe both, trying to calm her down from making the most incredible and insanest thing someone of her caliber could have pulled in those circumstances.

I really had to blame myself for forgetting this important element, but… then again, it wasn’t like I wanted to willingly skip that task. I had left the manor just for the very reason of having that task completed before I was caught up with the entire predicament coming down onto me like an avalanche.

Bhediya himself was pissed too, but he was open to listen as he understood that the reason I couldn’t send anything back home happened to come beyond my predictions. He knew well enough to know when I was lying and when I was genuinely pulled in a situation that wasn’t conjured by my plotting.

Still, he lectured me about me ‘losing the edge’ if that was indeed the case and that I needed to keep myself as sharp as I could be now that I had a good motivation to scout the entire North American region. He decided to tag along for this adventure, mentioning how it would be foolish of him to not assist me and Speedwagon, plus the new members of our growing ‘crusade’ against Vins. He was mostly annoyed that there was indeed someone that had managed to accomplish the power of manipulating things within a dimension.

After what happened last time we fought seriously against a threat, I saw it more than important to give a proper explanation to every single member of my group about the importance of ‘dimensional-related issues’ and how those tended to work in a normal scope. It was a full week of unpleasant headaches, the one that saw me headbutting the most with Jojo and Bhediya to get the basics of this subject in their brains.

With Bhediya around, I also found a good way to check if he could ‘smell’ anything familiar on Kate and give me some clues of what she was. The young woman was still sleeping despite how many hours had gone by, her rest confirmed to be a normal one that was meant to restore her some mental strength that was lost during her Captivity. Zephy protectively sitting on her belly as she was provided a small bed by one of the tents built by some of the workers. After making sure that all those joining Made in Heaven were aware of the potential weirdness that surrounded my steps, I knew I could trust a handful of experienced guys to not ask any awkward questions for this task.

With the girl asleep, Bhediya didn’t need to ask any permission to try and study her scent. ‘Weird’, that’s how the werewolf perceived the scent he could find on her. He could feel just enough to ‘perceive’ the fur, but beyond that he was surprised when the smell itself was… beyond anything he had the chance of catching while sticking around in London. The young tanned man also pointed out something else I had felt on a personal level when he brought up the energy he could feel within her, something akin to Hamon yet not.

I pointed out my own experience on the matter, once more finding myself wondering what kind of individual we had rescued, but also who she was. Zephy’s words were to be trusted as far as I was concerned, but at the same time it was action that made me understand someone. What happened in that fight against the vampirized Ninja… I couldn’t help but feel like something resonated as she struck the monster and gave me the chance of winning against it.

I knew I could study this more on my own and try to scavenge some extra hints out of what I could remember or from Kate’s peculiar appearance, but I decided to limit myself from getting too invasive with my curiosity. I might have many things I wanted an answer to, but I also didn’t see the point of being a rude and uncouth fool to gain the truth by being too forceful.

Instead, I had other issues to wonder about, especially now that I was summoned to the Valentine Manor by the head of the family himself. The invitation had been expected, but I was calmly surprised to have it come this early on after I made sure that Bloody was sent back to his grandfather. The decision hadn’t been a light one, as I would have preferred to personally escort the boy back to his home by myself back to his grandfather, but I quickly realized by asking around to a couple of police officers that the man I was going to personally talk to was far from… normal.

I didn’t make much of a reaction to this, already suspecting this man was far from normal compared to his other version- the one I would have been worried to meet if he had his Stand with himself. I knew he hadn’t, but I was really not thrilled by this meeting as much as it was necessary for me to be in there to cover for Bloody’s current circumstance.

After leaving Robert to keep an eye out for Derek and Kate while also handling the situation at the MiH Camp just outside the city, I proceeded to make my way to where the Valentine Manor was together with Bhediya. The reason why I brought the werewolf with me was tied to the fact I really wasn’t calm about meeting the Valentine patriarch, and I wanted an extra guarantee that things weren’t going to escalate in an unpleasant fight that I might be forced to concede out of the fact I really didn’t need to enrage the local law enforcement department.

The walk was surprisingly short, mostly because there was no traffic since most people were making use of the multiple tents disposed of by the army and the police around New York. The entire city was almost deserted, with just a handful people among soldiers and officers. I was actually surprised that the Valentine family had been granted the chance to live in their manor, but… maybe they could pull that move because they were rich and their home survived the attack.

In fact, the building was heavily-guarded with a thick and tall wall that circled the entire perimeter of the large plot of land owned by the family. Bhediya made a quick comment about seeing so much green but no flowers to fill the unquestionably grass-only garden. It was so… unsettling. Why would anyone leave their gardens barren of any flowers?

I didn’t linger too long with my brain about this first detail, deciding that I was trying to look deep in silly elements this early on. I had yet to meet with the man, and I was already making troubles on my own by behaving like that. Sighing quietly, we were finally met with a butler, the man looking particularly experienced with standard etiquette with the way he regarded us before leading us around the building. He was very brief about the story of the family and manor, just something curt to highlight ‘the greatest moments’ of the Valentine family and how this place was built.

At least I was given confirmation that the man I was going to meet had more than just the age connected to the Funny Valentine I knew about. His father died in a war and Captain Valentine, a friend of his deceased father, came back to give him the tale of his heroic parent and how he manifested the true essence of his patriotism through his fierce love for the country. I wasn’t sure if the handkerchief detail was also there, and I didn’t ask out of the chances of it being a private and unknown thing nobody but only the family was meant to know.

The trip around the hallways concluded with both Bhediya and I waiting just outside a pair of sturdy-looking doors as the elderly butler moved to knock at the door. At first there was silence, but then a calm but loud enough voice offered permission for us three to enter inside. What we found once we stepped into the office was… particularly common. Libraries, a wooden globe, a mahogany desk, and a small fireplace on the right-sided corner of the room.

Funny Valentine left me… perplexed. Not because I could feel anything malicious or dangerous coming from him, but because his frame and his facial features were pretty much the same as the US President in Steel Ball Run. That should have been the first sign I had to be worried about the man as he glanced with a piercing gaze over us. But what made me actually ease down before the intense stare he was regaling the two of us was… the fact I could tell this man didn’t have a Stand.

Despite the similarity with the Funny Valentine I would have been more than happy to actually never met, there were wrinkles and hints that his physique was a result of training than the discovery of ｢D4C｣. I recall hearing the man had served during the Civil War and making a name for himself by fighting fiercely for the Union Army. His hair had long turned silver-gray, while his shoulders were slightly sagging despite the elder’s best effort to appear strong and mighty with his pose.

Bloody was here too, the boy looking particularly surprised to see me, but he didn’t say anything as he merely nodded my way. I nodded back and calmly accepted the silent old man’s gesture of indicating the two chairs in front of his desk. As we sat down, he began speaking, his tone remaining vigilant but also at ease.

“Mr. Joestar, I wasn’t expecting for you to bring a guest with yourself,” He pointed out, drawing a quick nod out of me.

“I saw it as a necessity since I trust Bhediya as a good advisor and friend,” I explained. “I hope this will not be problematic.”

Funny shook his head. “Not at all.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Still, I hope you understand that the motivation that saw me asking your presence here without much notice isn’t one anyone should scoff at. In fact, it is pretty important to me since it regards the Valentine’s family,” Funny addressed tensely, eyes still aimed at me as he knew I was the big boss on the other side. “Dio Joestar, I’ve heard of your growing company for a year or two now. I’m surprised to see that you decided to expand your business here in the United States so soon.”

“We are already making good progress in Europe. The fertile economic land that is this Republic isn’t something Made in Heaven can just ignore.”

He nodded, quickly understanding my response as he swiftly returned to the attack.

“Yet I can’t help but feel that this business motivation might also be tied to the supposed kidnapping of my grandson,” The elder indirectly accused, putting me on the defensive already with that comment. “I fail to understand how… ‘ninjas’ or ‘vampires’ could be behind something so… unusual. This doesn’t sound like a convincing argument.”

“Maybe that’s because you lack a reason for this to happen, not to believe that those are real,” I carefully pointed out. “The undead horde-”

“Was indeed a fascinating situation, but, then again, it doesn’t provide enough evidence to believe vampires and… ninjas of all groups,” Funny interrupted flatly. “Japanese refugees hardly harbor this kind of organizations since they are all stuck in their homeland, trying to live through the modernization of the country as the Emperor is bringing an end to much of its archaic traditions.”

“Yet you are not accusing me that I’m a liar, only that it’s odd.”

…

“You have noticed? Not many would have,” He commented in brief surprise. “I suppose you are more than just a reputation, Mr. Joestar. I heard many interesting things about you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Valentine.”

He sighed. “Funny would be fine for this occasion.”

“Dio. Please, let us be… friends.”

He blinked at my change of tone, almost surprised when I gave a sprinkle of OG Dio in that response.

“I hardly see you more than a modest businessman. Friendship isn’t something warranted like this.”

“But it can become a flattering exchange of formality. One that stems out of respect for each other,” I flatly pointed out. “After all, I believe you value people with good hopes.”

“Hope? Since when is that something I mostly aim for?”

“The moment you craved sitting in the big office at the White House,” I answered without hesitation, ignoring his annoyed look. “Hope is what Americans want to feel answered by a leader. Which is why they choose someone like Ulysses Grant instead of you. He campaigned over reforms to help the nation to conclude its healing process, while you aimed to strengthen what was already there while ignoring that it would then heighten the effects of the Jim Crow laws down in the South.”

“You… sound very literate over what happened in the country in recent decades,” He noticed with a calm voice, yet I could feel some irritation when I brought up his electoral defeat back in 1869. “But still, I fail to see how this ties to-”

“Patriotism is a great virtue in this world. While men and women are mostly regarded as animals that would fight to protect themselves and those they care about, the truth is that, by defending a belief so strong that we doubtlessly protect our fellow citizens, we are only manifesting the truest form of nobility man can expect to show.”

…

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…

“Where did you… hear this?”

“Myself. But I suppose that’s something we can both agree on since you yourself are a strong advocate of patriotism,” I explained quietly. “The only difference between you and I is that my patriotism transcends nations and latches onto the common sense of humanity as a whole. I believe we are all in the same boat, no matter the ideology that divides us. We are men and women, we are beacons of intelligence, hope, and creativity. We are darkness, and we are light. We are Chaos, and We are Order.”

…

Noticing how I managed to get him completely captured by my words by bringing up his step-father’s creed over his love for the nation, I decided to deliver an easy winner for what plans I had for this meeting’s aftermath.

“Do you believe in Gravity, Funny Valentine?” I asked seriously, shredding the silence once again. “Do you believe in the possibility that sometimes the world just sees it fit to bring out all the potential of entire generations out in the form of an unexpected and fortuitous event?”

He stared at me intensely, not offering a single question to what I had just said.

“Because I believe in the fact that destiny can be conquered. Sometimes through Patriotism, sometimes through Ambition, and ultimately through pure Determination and Willpower.”

“And you believe this… is happening with my grandson?” Funny inquired with a perplexed tone, almost intrigued by what I was saying. “That you would give your life to demonstrate your point true and my early estimations of his worth?”

“Everyone has a worth, but it is never quantifiable in an objective way. He could be the strongest or smartest being in the world, but someone will always give him less worth out of ignorance or jealousy,” I replied flatly. “Plus, I don’t need to demonstrate any points. I don’t need to as I firmly believe you have already noticed the signs on himself. Even if you might have trouble believing the truth behind why he left New York, you have to concede to the true detail that is Bloody’s determination.”

…

“Are you referring to his posture, aren’t you? The one he currently has taken during this meeting,” The elder inquired, gaining a nod out of me as the young man subjected to this merely stared at this new revelation. “He isn’t as frightened as he used to. It’s been just a couple of days, and yet he seems to have gained thrice as much bravery as he had before leaving. That, I can’t just ignore.”

…

“Which is why I believe you have a proposal to make me, don’t you? I just can’t ignore how evident your offer is.”

“I would like to tutor Bloody during my trip around the United States,” I ultimately admitted. “Because I can say, without any hesitation, that he will do what you could. His eyes already glint to a bright future.”

…

Bloody was confused by what happened, but in the end he was glad that I managed to get his grandfather to accept my idea through that bizarre talking. Very bizarre indeed...

--------d-d-d-d----------

The return to the camp was an uneventful one, but the same couldn’t be said about the reception.

While Robert had managed to keep things running smoothly and Derek was happy with the fact he could take his chances to finally nap happily in relative peace, a curious situation had developed just a little less than an hour before our return.

Kate finally woke up and… things were fairly tense by her tent’s surroundings. A couple of workers had been tasked to pass her something to eat, only for them to be forced to back away at a first bout of resistance from the young woman. Then it was the turn of Derek, but, just like with the previous attempt, he couldn’t get any close before he would be threatened by the upset individual we had rescued just the day before.

I was surprised by her reaction since I knew Zephy would have told her at this point what was going on and where she was. But then again, I remembered that her mind had to still be out of shape and recovering, leaving her unable to properly think and ponder just yet. With that in mind, I decided to be the one to check on Kate and see if I could get her something to eat.

The inside of the tent was barely illuminated. Despite that, I instantly spotted the young woman, still wearing her usual clothes, as she was quietly immersed in reading a newspaper… that I had forgotten by her bedside before leaving. Her blade was leaning on the edge of the mattress, restrained in its sheath as I was left to only stare at Zephy, the small talking animal waiting near the entrance of the temporary living quarter.

“Dio.” The critter addressed, his voice bringing Kate out of her distracted task as the blonde was quickly narrowing her eyes at me, her hands carefully reaching for the hilt of the still-sheathed blade. “Apologies, Kate usually isn’t-”

“It’s alright,” I calmly interrupted, nodding as I could understand the situation. “In fact, I should be apologizing for having forgotten to mention I had to leave so suddenly. But I had to handle a situation about Bloody-”

“The boy- how is he?” The woman asked, her uneasy posture settling to be more worried than guarded as she showed mere moments earlier.

“He is fine. He wasn’t hurt during what happened yesterday or before that,” I answered briefly. “But before I make myself a terrible host- My name is Dio, Dio Joestar. I hope you are fine with your current disposition, Ms. Aryoko.”

“You… You are the one that… said those words back there,” The feline humanoid commented and, before I knew it, she had silently moved to stand in front of me. It wasn’t too close as she was still reluctant to get any close to anyone, but it was enough for our pairs of orange eyes to match each other in a brief silent exchange.

…

“And you were the one that helped me against that monster.”

“Y-Yes, but… I don’t remember much of what happened next,” Kate admitted, her right hand reaching for her head, my eyes narrowing as I saw her footing faltering as she said that. I moved just in time to avoid her falling backward, her sight growing unfocused for a moment, but Kate was compliant enough to allow me to carry her back to the bed. She sighed, looking particularly irked that she couldn’t exactly move out of there right now.

“While your wounds have been healed, your mind took a toll during the time you were imprisoned,” I pointed out. “I would suggest you give it at least until dinnertime to try and move around on your own, lest you might be fainting for too much stress.”

“I’m… sorry.”

I blinked. “For what?”

“I… I don’t like standing still,” Kate elaborated, showing some discomfort while saying this. “Not like this at least.”

“I can assure you that nobody here will cause any problem to you. I personally saw to that,” I pointed out. “Still, if you want, I can try to bring some chairs and a table.”

“That would be nice.”

With that little situation solved, I decided to move to the reason why I was there.

“By the way, I believe you have yet to eat something for lunch,” I brought up, sparing her a curious look. “Do you have any preference?”

Her lips twitched at that question, but, after just a couple of quiet seconds spent thinking about it, the blonde nodded.

“I wouldn’t mind something simple. I’m not… picky.”

“I understand. I suppose you are not very hungry.”

“I’m only thirsty right now,” She admitted. “But I wouldn’t mind some food too.”

I nodded once more, and I left quietly to bring the requested dish and a glass bottle of water. She gave a thankful sigh as she silently recovered the container, carefully sipping some of the liquid before focusing on her meal. I had already eaten, so I was fine to stay there and let her enjoy her lunch on her own.

In fact, this very occasion gave me the chance to ask some more about Kate and get some background about her. She wasn’t really that easy to convince to provide me some information about her past but… she seemed particularly open about her childhood when Zephy mentioned ‘It would help her’. I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but I still decided to listen to her tale and shed some light about the mystery the feline humanoid was.

“My father… he found me in the mountains near to where our home is, back in Japan,” She slowly explained, taking her time remembering these bits of her past. “I… I don’t know how or why I was there as a newborn, but he still took me in as his own child. He called me his daughter, his heir to inherit the Shin-Aki.”

“And then… bad people happened,” I guessed and she nodded slowly, a pained look flashing for a moment on her face.

“The Renkai Clan has been responsible for many attempts to steal the sword even before I was born, and… the last one I can recall before what happened just recently, was when my father lost his life,” Kate continued, her voice growing nervous at this last bit. “I was only ten and… they weren’t planning to spare anyone for this… sword.”

“...Do you need a moment alone to… sort out these memories?” I genuinely asked. “I didn’t mean bring back to your mind anything that bad-”

“It’s alright,” She quickly interrupted. “I… it’s been long enough. I’m just… tired. I'm usually not this emotional when it come to this. Not anymore at least..."

...

“...What about you?”

I blinked. “Excuse me but… what?”

“I was trying to say… what is your story, Dio?” Kate asked curiously. “I don’t wish to push you, but I feel like… I have the right to ask. You said you were up for an exchange of this kind.”

“That might be a little complicated but… I guess it’s only proper I return your truth with mine,” I admitted with a nod.

And with that acceptance, I started to narrate her the general bits of my life. I didn’t go through some ‘unimportant’ details, nor I said anything that would suggest my Self-Inserted Nature. Instead, I gave out what I knew I could get away with. I barely mentioned Dario, and focused mostly on the Joestar and what happened from the moment I was taken in by them.

Kate listened raptly, growing attentive the more I brought up the shenanigans I had to handle four years ago and how I managed to end up with a loving woman that was what many would technically define a pseudo-vampire. The blonde was so enraptured that she looked ready to fall asleep at how tired and committed she was on the tale.

“And now we are all at this point. This woman, Vins, is trying to do something with a powerful being that has been sealed for millennia now and I think she is planning to do something with him,” I started to highlight the current situation. “And I know it is nothing to be calm about. If that being is released… then there would be little chance of stopping him from ever causing a rampage to ensue and… worse.”

“So you want… me to join this endeavor too?” The feline humanoid asked, surprised by this request.

“I wouldn’t ask this if it wasn’t needed. This individual, if allowed to win, would doom the entire planet as we know it. If- If my suspicions are proven correct, this might be the first of many dreadful steps that would lead to mankind’s complete subjugation,” I explained to her with a serious tone. “And I’m not even overestimating the threat. She will do everything to gain that victory, and then, if she succeeds with her plans, nothing could come and stop her.”

“She sounds like a… terrible person,” Kate commented with a swift nod. “She was behind the attack on the boy, and the fact she managed to get hold of what was left of the Renkai Clan… this is not something I can just ignore. I will join your mission, Dio.”

I nodded. “Thank you. I mean it.”

She smiled, and… then yawned. “I’m sorry-”

“It’s alright. I guess I can leave you so you can enjoy some rest,” I interjected with a quiet sigh. “When you are awake, I will visit again, this time with Bloody.”

Her smile widened. “I would be happy if you did that, yes,” The young woman said, and I was already walking towards the tent’s entrance when she uttered two words.

“Thank you.”

I stopped and… I looked back at her with a kind smile.

“You are welcome.”