Capitolo Secondo: Ambizione (29)

You know, there’s something quite odd when you are a watcher of an event and when you are a major part of it.

At times this difference is abysmal, to the point one doesn’t notice it much, but there are a few occasions, such as the one I was currently dealing with, that it was… evident. And overwhelming at times. Marriage had never been much of a worry to me, not until I was there, waiting as my soon-to-be wife started to make her way towards the altar. It’s been three weeks and many things have taken a curious turn. From Speedwagon making the trip back with Daisy, the shy young woman instantly drawn into the small group made by Erina, Sarah and Hannah, to Santana becoming an accustomed fixture to the workplace. Hannah hadn’t exactly digested the way he became an ally, and she was still distrustful of him.

Not as much as I was at times, but I was willing to let the Pillar Man either prove his genuineness in ‘serve’ me rather than jump at any instance to accuse him through my paranoia. Despite all the worry that came from that decision, the tall and buff guy seemed to actually ‘fit’ within the company. Some were intimidated by him, but there was a general effort to accept him around. And I caught him many times helping around while I was busy by the office, either by single handedly carrying large iron beams around, or actually running around while holding giggling kids in his arms.

It was really shocking at times but… I guess that’s how the Pillar Man tried to enjoy his calm life. And if that didn’t fully convince me, then there was the strange request he made me back a while ago about ‘spending time by the cafeteria’ while I was out with Hannah. He technically didn’t need to eat anything, but either out of interest or because of the rumor I heard about someone challenging him to try and cook something with just his body, Santana took cooking as a serious hobby. It was definitely a competition against his own limits, both physical and mental, to try and achieve a form of perfection that could only be drawn out by this combination.

Still, nothing compared to the important day that saw me and Hannah finally get that step forward dealt with. The magnitude of the event was incredible. St. Martin in the Fields Church was the setting that we decided to focus our big day in and… it was massive. So many people were in there, from friends and families, to close associates and even members of Made in Heaven. George had humbly accepted the role of ‘father’ to Hannah as he escorted her to the altar. My face felt tight, my cheeks a bit redder, but not outright sporting a blush as I felt just nervous and… empty-headed. Only the noises around, Hannah’s footsteps, her own tension, the world around me felt so dreadfully loud and then… I stopped time.

“｢ACT 4｣,” I softly whispered, and the world went suddenly quiet.

I breathed, I shook my head, I checked around and tried my best to get a hold of myself as I looked around. I saw so many faces, I saw so much happiness. The incredible weight of time itself crashed onto my shoulders as I pondered about the future. I did it. I was now reaching that long-awaited closure to my ambitions. Once the wedding was over, the next step would be to ‘conquer’ the world. To achieve full domination by extending MiH’s reach through the globe. It felt like the perfect villainous plan, and… yet, I knew that it was necessary. But that wasn’t what worried me. No more. It was something that came out from this bond. From this union.

The responsibility of being a loving partner to Hannah. We grew up well together, we were close- would I be able to take time off from my businesses and give her devotion as a husband should. Yes, I was having a small case of cold feet, but more entitled to my logical understanding of how tough it was going to be to carefully harmonize time between family and duty. Between my own happiness and the happiness of others. It was going to be difficult, and many would give up to try and stand by the middle of it. To either be a philanthropist or to be a loving family man.

…

I wanted to taste the challenge. I reached ｢The World｣’s strongest form, I could achieve my own limits and break them once more. I would wreck havoc on those trying to disrupt my plans of a perfect ending, and I didn’t plan to let go of what I got in recent times. Yes, I will succeed, and never fail. For I now was Dio Joestar, the beholder of a new plan for the Heavens and, hopefully, a caring husband too. Time resumed its course, and the ceremony resumed as intended. I felt calmer, my self pep-talk managed to carry me through the big questions before me, and the kiss that came forth, that signature to this life-binding contract, tasted of love and hope. Not just mine, but Hannah’s. The grand applause, the ensuing feasts, the wine, the cakes, the lengthy celebration and then… sharing that bed and doing my duty as a husband.

Truth be told, Hannah was… quite fierce. Not as fierce as I had expected, but she definitely proved herself a few steps more eager than I was about it. Not like I liked it or anything so stupid, but I was particularly cautious due to how powerful our bodies were. In a sense, my paranoia proved to be right in this regard. We ended up breaking four beds in a single week, and it wasn’t like we actually were spent when the beds would break. It would always be a forced ending to these intimate moments. It would take a while and a specially reinforced bed when, as we went through our honeymoon vacation, we ended up reaching the limits offered by our growth. It was intense, draining, but exciting. To the point where I was genuinely quick to drop any work when Hannah would walk up to me and tell me a few words that soon became a codename for this kind of stuff.

“I’m going to bed… don’t make me wait~.”

I love this woman to death, and no one can dare to tell me otherwise.

So, it wouldn’t be much of a reach when, six months after the event and after many intense nights in bed, Hannah got pregnant. And when the child was born while we were enjoying a break from work during a second visit to our honeymoon’s location. Erina had already delivered a healthy boy, George II, a few months earlier, making both Jojo and his father quite elated at the joyous day. Sadly, it was just me, my wife and a cast of medics dealing with our child’s birth, and the resulting development was… eye-watering. After enduring so much out of this new life, after conquering my own weaknesses and shaping my own destiny with my actions… Now I had something in my hold that was the product of said future.

Hope crystallized in a new being, a quiet creature that yearned for warmth and care. His eyes were closed when I had him in my hold, but he seemed to get curious enough to try and look at me. The little blond squinted eyes softly, and a pair of light-blue eyes greeted me. Giorno Joestar was born April 16, 1885. A healthy boy, the greatest treasure of two caring parents. Hannah and I, our horrible experiences from the past, gave us an edge. We knew of pain, and thus we valued joy to a higher degree. This was destiny, this was… our first happy ending. And what was left to do was now to make sure the world we left to Giorno would be filled with goodness and justice.

I, Dio Joestar, have a dream that I know is just. So witness me as I enforce true fate upon the world around us.