A Gentleman's Red Butterfly

Chapter 11: JoJo vs Dio. Man vs Monster

As Speedwagon and the head policeman gazed at Dio's corpse, George still had some life in him. He slowly reached out....to touch his son's face. Jonathan carefully laid his father down, while still holding on to him as he gazed at him with sorrowful eyes. "JoJo...." George said, weakly. He cupped his son's cheek. If these were his final moments with his boy...then he should make them count. So that he may not have any regrets.

"Father... this is all my fault." Jonathan said as tears swelled in his eyes. He held his father's hand, savouring his warmth. "I should've blocked his knife... The mask...when I saw it, I froze up. And you payed the price." Viola quickly kneeled before Jonathan and tried to tell him, "No, Jonathan! This was all my fault, I should known he would do something like this." Viola could hear her voice breaking. She was the one to blame. She should've known. Viola should've struck him down when she had the chance. Because of her mistakes, George was doomed to die.

Just seeing him like this broke her heart. She couldn't do this. The tears dropped from her eyes. Why does this always happen to her? She's lost two mothers, and now she's losing the closest person she had to a real father. George shook his head. Silently telling them to not blame themselves. George gave Jonathan the kindest smile and took his hand back. He showed Jonathan a very special ring he had on his finger. "Take this ring. It was your mother's, JoJo."

Jonathan's eyes widened as he gripped his father's hand again. "Father..!" Viola gently placed her hands on George's shoulders as she tried to stop crying, but the more she tried, the more tears fell. "Please, Mr. Joestar. Stay with us!" Speedwagon looked at the couple as they cried over the dying man. His heart pained him as he saw their sorrowful expression. As much as it hurt him to say it, he had to. "Damn it. Ain't a doctor on earth who can fix that. How'd that devil get the drop on us?" Speedwagon asked.

Suddenly, the head policeman became very alarmed by the ring's presence and begins to insult himself for something he did a long time ago. "It's all my fault! If only I hadn't listen to you, Sir Joestar. If I had run his father out of town years ago like I had in mind to, none of this would've taken place!" Upon hearing him make claimer, Speedwagon turned to him and asked as to what he meant by that. There the policeman began his explanation.

Back when he first became a policeman, a man was arrested who was trying to sell that very ring. That man was none other than the vile man himself, Dario Brando, who had taken then ring from George during the carriage accident. George had been brought forth to the jail cell where Dario was and upon realizing who it was, George tells the policemen that he actually gave the ring to him. The policeman is confused why George would lie about this, but he explains that if had been born into poverty he would have done the same thing.

George gave the ring to Dario so that he could be an honest man and to save his family from poverty. He had hope that Dario would change his ways if he was shown such great kindness. Despite the fact that he owe nothing to this man, George still gave Dario a great amount of generosity and took in his son anyway. Of course, nothing good had ever happened. As evidence by today's events. Dario never became an honest man. He drove his family into more poverty and his son had become the embodiment of evil.

"Father. Hang on, the doctor's on his way now." Jonathan said. Clinging to the last bit of hope. George looked up to his son's eyes and said, "Don't hate Dio for what he's done. I am to blame for this. I was hard on you...because you are a Joestar. I went too easy on Dio, and he might've felt I didn't care. Perhaps he did this for want of a father's love. Please. see that he is buried next to Dario."

"Father..." Jonathan said. With a small smile, he nodded. If that is what his father wanted, then that's what he'll do. Viola sat on her knees and more tears fell from her eyes. Her 'father' was dying right before her and there was nothing any of them could do about it. George looked at the red-haired girl and gave a small smile. "Dearest Viola. Please do not cry....such a face does not suit a beautiful woman such as yourself."