DISCLAIMER: I do not own JoJo's bizarre adventure or Rising of the shield hero

Dio stood to his full height of 195 cm, towering over the young demihuman. He held Raphtalia's hand as he intended to leave the area with her.

"Excuse me, not to spoil your victory, but could you explain why an orangutan and insect spirit were trying to murder you, surely those weren't sent by the king," Beloukas inquired.

"Worry not, your safety is assured, they only wish to kill me. As it seems, my past has come back to haunt me, they hold me accountable for the loss of their previous lives. They are not from this world, and while I'm not sure how they've arrived here, I'm certain there are many more just like them," While Dio spoke calmly, he was in fact, enraged by how much of an evil man he must have been to have such creatures previously call him by 'lord Dio'. This was evident as he unconsciously gripped Raphtalia's hand tighter, something that did not go unnoticed by her or Beloukas.

"Well, then, another problem, all the demihumans and beastmen here were just killed, my stock and trade," Beloukas complained.

"Beloukas, that is of no concern, because from now on, your trade will be that of kings."

"I'm not certain what the meaning of that is, but I suppose I'll have to take your word for it."

"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest. Raphtalia, let's go," Dio said while stretching his limbs.

"Dio, are you not forgetting something!?" THE WORLD spoke within Dio's mind.

"Such as!?" Dio asked, slightly agitated.

"The user of CASTLE OF BLACK, his body must be somewhere nearby."

"What about it, the worst that could happen is someone finds it, and assumes it was a mutilation."

"That is not my point. Your body has suffered far too many fatal wounds, sleeping is not going to cut it. You need blood, human blood."

"I would never degrade myself to devour the blood of a piece of horseshit like that, how dare you!" Dio reprimanded THE WORLD.

"Fine, if you believe it is the right course of action, I will not fight you," THE WORLD understood and let Dio be.

*mental sigh* "You're right. I need blood."

"Sir, are you ok?" Raphtalia asked, noticing how distant Dio looked.

"Hm? I was just thinking," Dio responded.

"Um...where are we going?" Raphtalia questioned with a trembling voice.

"My room at a nearby inn, after such an eventful night, I think it would be good to rest."

"Ok." Raphtalia stayed close to Dio, but at the same time trying not to irritate him.

At the inn

Dio and Raphtalia entered Dio's room. It was filled with weird items, books, and fancy jewelry. Dio then guided Raphtalia to his bed.

"You can sleep here tonight."

"Where will you sleep?" Raphtalia spoke with surprise, she was never allowed to sleep on such a nice bed.

Dio then jumped into a flip and landed on the ceiling, standing on it as if it were the ground. He then crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes.

"Wow," Raphtalia thought as she witnessed such an impossible feat. She then got onto the bed and covered herself, trying to get comfortable in the large bed. Dio noticed how she struggled.

"What's wrong, little one?"

"I'm sorry sir, please don't mind me."

"Raphtalia, please don't call me sir, just call me by my name Dio. Feel free, I won't force anything on you, I simply wish to repay my debt to the person who saved my life," Dio treated Raphtalia with respect and spoke to her like she was any other child.

Raphtalia felt the sincerity behind his words and knew that Dio was a good person. She nodded her head, tucked in and fell asleep quickly and without struggle.

"It has probably been some time since she has slept in a bed. I hope she sleeps well." Dio thought to himself.

Later that night

Dio jolted awake as he heard Raphtalia scream, quickly getting in a fighting stance on the ceiling.

"Raphtalia, what's wrong," Dio asked as he examined the room.

"D-dad, m-mom, they...they..."

Dio soon understood and jumped down from the ceiling onto the bed, holding Raphtalia closely.

"I'm here, don't worry. You're safe with me."

Dio cuddled Raphtalia. As she calmed down, he thought of a way to help her sleep.

"Spiral staircase, Rhinoceros beetle, Desolation row, Fig tart, Rhinoceros beetle..."

"How does he know them, it must truly be his destiny," THE WORLD thought to himself.

"...Singularity point, Secret emperor." Dio's words somehow comforted Raphtalia so much that she fell asleep immediately and had heavenly dreams. In that moment, Dio could feel an odd connection to Raphtalia as he held her. Like a father holding his newborn child. Dio shrugged it off however, tucking Raphtalia in bed and returning to his sleeping position, this time, being more protective and on guard.

In the morning

Dio instinctively woke up early with Raphtalia still asleep. Using this time, Dio put on his solar protection outfit and went out. He took some gold he had left since the first day he arrived, searching for new clothes for Raphtalia.

"So, Dio, what are you going to do about Raphtalia?" THE WORLD questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that her parents are deceased, something she likely witnessed not too long ago. My question is, where will she go?"

"I have no issue with being her keeper."

"Staying with her is not safe. Remember, you are a wanted man, both by this country, and your former henchmen. She could end up in the crosshairs."

Dio contemplated this, and after a moment of silence, gave his answer.

"I feel that in a place such as this, it would be hard to find anyone to take care of a young demihuman experiencing trauma. But it is not impossible. She will have to be under my care in the mean time, and concerning her safety, I, Dio, will personally train her. So even if we find ourselves separated, she will be capable of facing any danger," Dio declared, determined to teach Raphtalia everything he knows and more.

"There really isn't any way of stopping Dio when he's ambitious," THE WORLD thought internally.

"In fact, we shall begin today, it's clear stand users see through my hypnosis, so an attack is unavoidable. The sooner we begin, the better, and I know just where to start," Dio then looked in the direction of a shop that Jouta had described to him.


Dio had returned to Raphtalia and explained the situation, she hesitated at first, but then thought of how her weakness had led to all the misfortune in her life, motivating her to become stronger. The first step was to observe and shape her fighting mentality.

"Raphtalia, no matter where you go in this world, one thing always remains a fact, it is a dog eat dog world. The dogs that eat are the ones that grow. What this means is never hesitate to land the final blow, even when your opponent is already down and defenseless. But, practice caution, as some are worth giving a second chance," Dio advised Raphtalia as the two stood in a field of grass, Raphtalia equipped with a sharp dagger.

"Listen, I have scattered several balloon monsters across the field, they will attack you with full force, one at a time. All you have to do is pop them, understand," Raphtalia nodded her head as Dio finished speaking.

"Good. Now, behind you!" Dio shouted and Raphtalia turned around to face a balloon monster, however, she instinctively jumped back instead of attacking.

"Remember what I said, no hesitation!" Dio reprimanded her as another monster jumped at her. This time she dodged instead of jumping in fright. Dio saw this and realized something.

"She won't do it on her own unless she is motivated enough."

Dio then thought of something.

"Raphtalia! What is it you fear most?" Dio asked seemingly out of the blue, which caught the girl off guard.

"Huh?"

"You heard me, what is stopping you from taking action? Your own life is at risk if you do not become stronger, and yet you still refuse to do so," Dio attempted to get to he root of the issue, because for as long as she hesitates even for a moment, she will never reach her fullest potential. Raphtalia froze in place, trying to give Dio a straight answer.

"I...I..." Raphtalia struggled to form a coherent sentence under Dio's stern gaze.

"Do not fret. These things take time, and besides, you haven't eaten," Dio said while turning to walk away, Raphtalia following closely.


Dio and Raphtalia found a fancy establishment that didn't serve demihumans, but Dio entered nonetheless. Many of the people inside began to stare at them.

"Dio, I don't think they want people like me here," Raphtalia whispered to Dio while trying to hide from the many eyes looking in their direction. Dio took a sip from his wine and looked around, seeing the stares they received.

"No, those are not towards you."

"How do you know?"

"Simple. Look at that woman over there, instead of crossing her arms, fidgeting with her fingers, or grimacing, which would show disapproval, discomfort or disgust, she simply stares with her mouth slightly agape. My dear, those are not looks of anguish, rather of lust. And they are all directed towards me," Dio expertly explained, easily examining basic human behavior.

"Whoa!" Raphtalia's fragile young mind became overwhelmed by Dio's knowledge.

The two then ordered their food with Dio getting red wine and steak while Raphtalia selected a little more.

"Are you sure that you can finish all that?"

Raphtalia nodded and wagged her tail as she prepared to devour the entirety of several dishes filled with various types of food.

"Can I even afford all that?" Dio felt a chill down his spine as he imagined the bill.

"Um, Dio?"

"Yes."

"Why are there wanted posters of you everywhere?" Raphtalia asked in a quiet voice.

"Please don't get the wrong idea, I haven't really committed any crimes, I am just against the current rule of this country. Specifically, the way it treats demihumans, it's unforgivable."

"Then how do you just walk around so casually?"

"I use hypnosis to make sure anyone who looks into my eyes does not make the connection between me and the poster. You could point right at me and say that I am Dio, they would not think of me as anyone they have seen before,"

"But if you're worried about me getting hurt, why not hypnotize people into thinking we're unrelated," Raphtalia suggested feeling confident in her words. Dio smiled and placed his hand atop her head and ruffled her hair a bit.

"If only it were that simple. Stand users can see through hypnosis; They possess senses beyond the physical body."

"What's a stand?" Suddenly Dio could feel THE WORLD materializing with vigor and knew what he wanted to do.

"Raphtalia, your food is getting cold!"

"Oh, right!" She then began to scarf down plate after plate while Dio enjoyed his wine. Raphtalia would ask the occasional question and Dio would provide a reasonable and understandable answer.


After some time, Raphtalia somehow finished all her food, which cost Dio all his money, and they left the establishment. They returned to the grass field and continued training. This time, Raphtalia countered instead of avoiding them, however, she still hesitated and struggled to pop them with one swift strike. Balloon monsters were popping out from the grass and soon one found its way behind Raphtalia while she struggled to pop another one. It nearly got to her when...

*POP*

Dio swiftly destroyed it with a single chop.

"Come now, you must do better than that if you want to live. Show me that girl I met last night, the one that saved my life! Be the one attacking, stop waiting for them!"

Raphtalia grew frustrated by her own ineptitude and tried harder, popping as many balloon monsters as possible before tiring out.

"Child, use your senses, your natural ability to navigate with precision. In this world, we are all born with tools to help us survive, if you don't utilize yours, you'll be left behind."

At that moment, Raphtalia heard Dio's words and burst into tears, running up to Dio and hugging him tightly.

"No! Please don't leave me Dio. I'll do anything, please!" Raphtalia begged as tears flowed down her face.

Dio then pulled her closer and knelt down to eye level, holding her shoulder.

"I will never leave you, in fact I will make you the greatest demihuman to ever live!"

Raphtalia then hugged Dio again and he returned the hug. Once the hug was over Dio suggested that they go back to the inn and rest. Raphtalia agreed and they headed back to the inn, where Dio could hear the loud cries of a baby.

"Where did this child come from, I never saw or even heard any sign of one earlier."

"Perhaps, it recently arrived," THE WORLD suggested.

Dio and Raphtalia went off to sleep, but little did they know that someone was waiting for them on the other side.

"LALI-HO!"