Foenix

Ch. 37: Averno

Jolyne was quite resolute about how to deal with her ex-boyfriend for the time being. It didn't take more than a sharp blow to the back of the head to knock him unconscious; he was a problem she would deal with later. Now she had some more important matters to deal with, like two brothers who wanted to kill one another. Actually, on second thought, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all. Letting Giorno kill Donatello would be the best option. She was on the verge of suggesting this idea when her dad spoke up.

"We should interrogate him for information about Pucci and whatever was up with those biologically incorrect turtles just now," Jotaro said.

"True, we can't kill him just yet," Jolyne said with disadvantageous sigh.

"Dr. Kujo, if you will, I have experience making people talk," Giorno said.

"No offense, Giovanna, but I can't trust you with your brother."

"It's all right, dad. We can trust him." Jolyne put a hand on Giorno's shoulder. "I know I do."

Star Platinum held Donatello while Jotaro adjusted his hat and muttered one of his signature 'yare yare daze'. Giorno shot a grateful look at her. Weather Report looked between them but said nothing. It was Shizuka who cut the silence as she stared at the unconscious Romeo.

"So, blondies, huh?"

"Yeah, blonde like Iulius," Jolyne replied, making Shizuka blush with embarrassment.

Obviously, the Hamon warriors were prepared to deal with vampires, so there was an underground dungeon on the island that was suitable to hold Donatello. She had only seen it once herself before while touring the island. The matter of Donatello's Stand made things a little bit more tricky, but after some discussion, they quickly decided he would be bound at the wrists with silver chains and watched over by someone at all times so that he would have no opportunity to activate his Stand.

Shizuka was tired, but she was feeling much better thanks to Giorno, so she took care of Romeo with the help of Iulius, who came running to the area to offer his help in any way he could. Even though they were practically children, the Hamon training made the two of them much stronger than Romeo, so they took him without any problems. For a second, Shizuka's eyes met Jolyne's, who smiled mischievously at her as she mouthed the word 'blondes', causing Shizuka to quicken her pace.

Jotaro was called over by Lisa Lisa to talk about the wreckage, so only Jolyne was left along with Weather Report and Giorno to transport Donatello to the dungeon. Or rather, she led them while Weather Report dragged Donatello and Giorno trailed behind them, probably so as not to kill him right there.

Despite the age of the dungeon, it was not so different from a police station cell. It had a small bed behind long bars and a tiny ceiling window that allowed the moonlight to pass through into the cell below. The most modern thing about the place was the electrical installation and a small modern urinal.

After Donatello was tied up, Jolyne and Weather Report had a quick whispered conversation with their heads close together. She could feel Giorno's gaze on her from the corner of her eye, but nothing more. Perhaps he had grown accustomed to this habit of Weather Report's along with the way he tiptoed around as though he lived in a continuous state of extreme caution. To Jolyne, there was still so much mystery built around her friend, even compared to the others, but her gut told her he was a good person deep down.

Weather Report nodded to what she said and patted her on the shoulder before exiting the dungeon.

Feeling Giorno's gaze burn with curiosity, she said, "I asked Weather Report to let you talk to this guy alone."

"Grazie, not that I have much to talk to this monster about anyway," Giorno replied, shooting a disgusted look toward the cell.

"Of course, we're all monsters except for our golden boy," Donatello said.

Under the dim lighting of the cell, he looked too relaxed sitting on the bed for someone whose hands were chained together in front. While his red leather jacket looked pristine, his white suit was stained with blood.

"I'm sure that no matter how many lies you've told Rikiel, you think the same about our brother. Who even knows what you would have said about Ungalo."

"Ungalo?" Giorno was quick to latch onto that. "Is that the name of our brother?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Answer the question properly. I don't like repeating myself."

"You really want to know about our brothers, do you?" Donatello raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll tell you, but not today. I don't feel like continuing the conversation."

Jolyne glanced at Giorno. His face looked calm, but she could tell that something wasn't right; his fists behind his back were clenched tight in anger. Remembering Rikiel, she guessed that the information on their remaining brother must be very important to him.

"I'm not going to get my hands dirty with you," Giorno said coldly, "but I'm sure my men will enjoy doing so. Didn't you want to meet them? One of them is going to love making you talk and then taking care of the remains."

Giorno was no longer Giorno at that point. He was Don Giovanna; he explained, not threatened.

"He's a specialist in dismembering bodies and keeping them alive during the process. At 12 years old, with a small knife, he dispatched men more intimidating than you. At 20, he was already feared by all of Italy. Imagine how much he's refined his skills now that he's left his humanity behind. He's a true craftsman of torture. Working on a unique specimen like you, who is capable of healing so quickly, will bring him immense joy."

Donatello was glaring at him with so much hatred, if looks could kill, Giorno would have been torn to shreds before her very eyes by now. Giorno, however, looked relaxed as he took a step forward.

"One way or another, you will answer my questions," he said. "Whether it's now or later, more painful or less, that's for you to decide."

"I'm not telling you anything," Donatello spat, trembling with rage. "Not to you or your cronies. Go ahead and try to torture me all you want. You aren't getting a word out of me."

"Is that so? Have it your way. The mafia shows no mercy, not even to blood relatives. You may be my brother, but you aren't my fratello."

As the brothers stared one another down murderously, Jolyne could swear the room's temperature dropped a few degrees. She decided it was a good time to bring up something that had been bothering her.

"The last of you, Ungalo. He's here somewhere nearby on this island or in Venice, isn't he?" Jolyne said. "He must be the one who violated Nintendo's intellectual property."

It was just a guess, but Jolyne became more sure as she said it aloud. It could explain Donatello's nonchalance. He must be counting on this brother to save him.

Not good. She shot Giorno a grim look.

"Oh? You want to know more about my brothers too, my JoJo?" Donatello leaned forward as much as the chains would allow, a smug grin on his face. "In that case, maybe I do feel like talking. I wouldn't mind if you're the interrogator."

"Eyes on me, Versus," Giorno growled.

Donatello ignored him, his eyes not leaving Jolyne's. "I'm willing to talk, but you have to do something for me first."

Jolyne glared, knowing it couldn't be anything good.

"I want you to kiss me."

Giorno went rigid beside her. No doubt he must be regretting what he had said before about her offer to let him be alone with Donatello.

Just when he was about to say something, she stepped forward to open the solidly barred door that separated her from Donatello. She approached him calmly as if to inspect him. Since he was kept seated and chained to the bed that served as a bench, it was the first time she had seen him from above. It was a little less scary that way after being haunted by him in her nightmares for so long.

She swallowed down her disgust when she caught sight of the smudged green lipstick stains around his mouth. She was afraid to look at herself in a mirror. Her own lipstick had to have been smudged too and maybe even covered in blood. Could Giorno have realized...?

She shoved the thought out of her head as she gently took Donatello's face in both hands and gazed at him. Smiling, he closed his eyes in anticipation. It was at that moment when she headbutted him hard in the nose. A telltale crack was heard, and Donatello groaned.

She let go, bursting out laughing. "Did you really think I was going to do it?" she said, clutching her stomach. "Oh, I feel so much better, more relaxed. Giorno, could you fix his nose so he can break it again?"

She tossed a look over her shoulder and found Giorno returning her smile.

Donatello's grimace faded as his blood dripped from his nose toward his mouth. He stuck out his tongue to lick it slowly. "Mm. Delicious, don't you think, my JoJo? You've had a taste for yourself, and I'm sure I'm going to love yours too. It must be true that love is about sharing because I certainly enjoyed doing it with you." His smile chilled her bones. "If you want more, you know you only have to ask."

Jolyne froze. Something churned in her stomach. She wanted to say it was all disgust, but there was something else too, something she had been able to willfully ignore during the battle. But now the adrenaline was gone, and she felt an inexplicable evil desire that brought her shame.

Meeting Donatello's deep blue gaze, she saw his cold eyes dance with laughter. She quickly turned her gaze downward, only to catch sight of the splotches of blood on his expensive tailored suit. Whose blood was it? She began to wonder if the red of the leather was just meant for camouflage.

She wanted to break his nose again... but then she also wanted to lick the blood that seeped out. At the memory of the kiss, there was a surge of pure anger intermigled with desire. Jolyne clenched her fists, trying to look nonchalant.

Seconds could have passed or even minutes before she felt a gentle grip on her arm, pulling her out of the cell.

As the cell door shut with a click, she looked up and met Giorno's reassuring aquamarine gaze. He pulled out a handkerchief neatly folded in his lapel. Grabbing her gently by the chin, he brought the handkerchief to her face, setting about wiping it. Slowly, her face felt cleaner. When he withdrew the handkerchief that was stained red and green and held out his hand, it took her a few seconds to understand what he was asking. She handed him the green lipstick she carried in her pocket. Cradling her face with one hand, he proceeded to carefully reapply the color to her lips.

"Not a trace," he whispered to her.

This time, the faint heat she felt in her cheeks had nothing to do with the blood she'd consumed.

"No matter how much you try to erase me from her body, you can't get rid of me!"

There was the sound of chains clinking and moving. She turned and saw Donatello angrily tug at his restraints, seeming to check the hardness even though it burned him.

"This posh Italian wouldn't understand anything you've been through, Jolyne, but I do!"

At his words, she gave him her full attention, pursing her lips.

"Do you know? I was once also sent to fucking prison for something I didn't do, and I was only 13. Like you, I was treated like shit over there. And also like you, I was isolated from a family that was supposed to love me. Don't you see? Our lives are a reflection. It's gravity, if you think about it. It's what Pucci was telling us so much about..."

"If you're going to talk, it better be information we want on Pucci. I don't give a damn about your so-called feelings for me." Jolyne glared before sighing in frustration. "You know what? I've had enough for today. Punzie, he's all yours. Enjoy the family reunion."

"You're leaving already? You can go ahead and try to escape. Chasing you is fun, my JoJo," he said, licking his lips.

Jolyne heard a 'crack' that momentarily stole Donatello's smile before it returned to his face, now with an unbearable smirk. Squinting her eyes, she noticed something odd about his nose. Not only had it stopped bleeding, but it seemed...intact. As though it had never been broken in the first place. Seeing this, she put her hand on her throbbing forehead, on the place where she had hit him.

She whipped around, rushing away. She didn't think she could take another second of that smug smile or the tantalizing smell of his blood that was now inside her as well.

As she left, she mumbled something insulting under her breath, slamming the door behind her. Of course, a lone string was left behind. She didn't intend to stop listening to what was going on in there. Donatello wasn't able to see it from his position, and she hoped Giorno wouldn't either. She found a safe spot for herself a distance away, half-way toward the exit.

It was amazing how quickly the atmosphere in the dungeon changed. She even seemed to notice a change in temperature through her thread.

"So, you're working with the enemy now, are you? With the same man who killed our father?"

"I'm not the one who murdered their patriarch in cold blood," she heard Giorno say. "They're not my enemy."

"Oh, so you think the Joestars are going to let you have her just because you play the good guy with them?" Donatello didn't laugh, though the mockery was present in his words. "You may be the golden boy, but you're nothing but a dirty mobster to them, dirtier still for climbing over others to get your way to the top. You're just as much a son of Dio as the rest of us, only guiltier of more crimes."

"How many of us are there? I know there's one more at least. I'm giving you a chance to talk before I force it out of you." Giorno's voice was stoic.

"You're still as cold as when we first met. I hated you then, you know. I was destined to be the one to lead Dio's sons, and then overnight, Pucci showed up with news of another one with life-giving abilities and, on top of that, he controlled the most powerful gang in all of Italy." Donatello's voice seemed empty at that moment. "But when you arrived, I discovered that you were little more than a child, more lost than even I was. You had no courage to do what really needed to be done. That's all you ever do. Keep me from doing things like a coward. The worst part is that even Rikiel wants to leave with you."

"Rikiel is a grown adult who can choose for himself," Giorno said coolly. "Do you treat our other brother like that as well?"

Donatello began to laugh, the reverberations of his laughter making Jolyne's skin crawl. "Do you really think I'm so easily fooled as to give you more information about our other brother like that? You want to know more about him. Well, I'll tell you that his name really is Ungalo, but nothing more. If you want to know more, you'll have to wait until we beat you. You lost the right to know more about them the day you left us."

"Left you? Is that what you've convinced yourself? Don't you mean the day you went to assassinate Joseph Joestar?" Giorno spat. "You know the main difference between you and me? I don't run away from my mistakes and spend my time blaming others for them."

"That's what you tell yourself to sleep at night on your throne over the corpses of your enemies? You know, I wouldn't have actually been able to do it if you had warned them in advance. I trusted that you were too much of an egomaniac to ask for help, and I was right. You're a lot easier to read than you think, and you're certainly not invincible. That will be the end of you."

Jolyne furrowed her brows, questions flooding her mind, but she would wait to hear an explanation from Giorno later. That was a much better option than continuing to think about the sinister things that might or might not have happened.

"I may agree with that to an extent, but it won't be today and it won't be by you," Giorno said. "I have more people on my side than you think. You think you're going to get into my head that easily?"

"Our father also believed in his followers, but he ended up dying alone. His followers convinced him that he controlled them, yet that control was not enough, just like you with your zombies. Oh, I know about your little secret in the basement of Naples, GioGio..." He exaggerated every syllable of his name with a thick fake Italian accent, making it almost sound like an insulting parody. "It's the same with the Speedwagon Foundation... Jotaro Kujo isn't going to let you near his daughter now that he's found her. You missed your chance to pop her cherry even though you had so many opportunities."

It took Jolyne a few seconds to process his last sentence. When she did, her heart shook.

Damn, did all of them know she was a virgin? Fucking vampires and their obsession with blood and smells. She wanted to punch a wall.

"How did you..."

She could practically hear Donatello's smirk as he responded. "You thought I wouldn't realize? There is something so exquisite about the blood of a virgin. Even more exciting is the prospect of taking it. Really, I should thank you. Despite having passed through both you and that idiot boy's hands, she's still as good as new. Must be fate. Our father wanted to snatch everything from the Joestars, and now it's my turn."

Feeling bile rise up her throat, Jolyne restrained herself from going right back in and throwing her fist straight at his face again.

It seemed that her lack of sexual activity had really been made a state issue. She didn't know how she was ever going to be able to look people in the face again.

She felt exposed; it was less about her virginity and more about the whole world knowing about her intimacy, something that should only matter to her and the person she did it with when the time came. As always, Donatello managed to make her feel like an object instead of a person. It was the same thing Romeo had done to her when he tried to make her follow his will, minus the few moments of false happiness.

Engrossed in her own thoughts, Jolyne realized she had missed part of their conversation. It was probably for the better. She didn't think she could take any more disgusting words from him anyway.

With the way Giorno was moving, she could tell his patience had reached its limit too, and he didn't need to hide it now that she wasn't in front of him. If he was thinking of killing Donatello, she wouldn't do anything to stop him. Surely, no one would miss him. However, something still seemed to hold Giorno back. She didn't know what, but if there was anyone capable of restraining himself in such situations, it was him.

Giorno's voice spoke again. "Jolyne is a person you won't have. Gesù benedetto figlio di Dio Padre, you can't just decide on your own that you're going to have someone. They are... a human being." He paused. "People are not to be owned, least of all her. She deserves someone who will love her regardless of her legacy."

"How chivalrous of you to say that when you find yourself drawn by her blood and to her beauty. Do you even love her?"

"Yes," Giorno said without hesitation. "Because I know her. She is much better than you and me. She's brave and strong, and in spite of everything, goodness still shines in her. So yes, putting aside my desire for her blood, I love her."

Jolyne retracted her string. It was just in time too because one of the advanced students walked past her just then, apparently arriving to stand guard.

She couldn't tell if Giorno had given up on the interrogation, but it was best that the student took his place. They just weren't going to be able to talk to Donatello anyway. She knew Giorno didn't enjoy being cruel, at least not normally, but she didn't doubt that in this case, he would be more than willing to allow his consigliere to torture Donatello as he had promised, right before handing him off to Rohan to read.

She stared at her intact finger as if it was to blame for what she had just heard at the very end, a thousand thoughts circling her head.

Giorno liking her was not news to her, but apparently, he had skipped the path between a crush and full-blown love. Her mom always told her that Italians were very intense people; it seems she wasn't lying.

Knowing Giorno must be coming out soon too, she knew she couldn't stick around with her thoughts in a jumble. It wouldn't bode well if he caught her eavesdropping on him.

Little did she know, Giorno had seen her string and known she was listening from the very beginning. 

---

Marena: Welcome to the class on Jolyne.

Anasui, Donatello, Romeo, Giorno: Good morning, teacher!

Marena: In terms of her appearance, Jolyne is beautiful.

Anasui, Donatello, Romeo, Giorno: Of course, teacher.

Marena: Additionally, she is very intelligent.

Anasui, Donatello, Romeo, Giorno: Tremendously intelligent, teacher.

Marena: And she is an independent person capable of choosing the person she loves and rejecting the ones she doesn't.

Giorno: Of course.

Anasui: I don't understand that part.

Romeo: Who wouldn't choose me?

Donatello: If someone else's wishes clash with mine, it doesn't count.

Marena: I see. Only Giorno passed the class, so the rest of you will have to go to remedial classes with the other teacher.

Jotaro: First lesson, I'm going to kill you all.