Hey everyone! Last author's note was long, so I'll make this one shorter. So here's my one shot on Dio, from Mad Father

Warning: Feels trip ahead. If you don't like sad stories, you're better not reading. At least it's supposed to be sad, so sorry if I screwed up .3. That kind of story is a first for me anyway...

Dedicated to the fabulous michimouse14, because I know she likes Dio too  XD Enjoy potato.

Enjoy!

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In the middle of a flower garden located on top of a small hill, stood a little girl, about 7 years old. She had (h/l) (h/c) hair floating behind her in the wind, mesmerizing (e/c) eyes filled with glee, and graciously wore a (f/c) dress with a giant ribbon in the back. She was waiting there, a rose in her hand, as she gazed towards the sky.

"Daydreaming again, (Y/n)?" suddenly spoke a voice from the bottom of the hill, making her jump.

The young girl turned her head and noticed the blonde boy that just a arrived. She smiled: she had been waiting for him.

"You're late again!" she shouted at him, pouting. 
"Sorry, my mom needed some help."

Quickly, he climbed the hill and arrived at the top, panting.

"Oh, I'm sorry." the little girl apologized, lowering her head in shame. "How is she?"
"Well, that's why I asked you to come here." he replied, scratching his head.

(Y/n) turned around and looked at him, puzzled.

"What do you mean by that?" she tilted her hand in confusion. "Did you not come here to play with me? I even picked up a rose for you!"
"I apologize. The doctor came yesterday, and he said that mom was sicker than we thought." 
"So he can't heal her?"
"It's... something like that."

He stopped for a second, and sighed, before staring at (Y/n) directly in the eyes.

"There's a guy, a scientist of some sort, who sent Mom a letter the other day. He said he had the ability to get rid of her sickness."
"So that's good news!" (Y/n) exclaimed in excitement. "So then, why do you look so worried?"
"We'll have to move there."

The conversation fell silent, as Dio was looking to the ground. The girl stared at him in bewilderment, tears slightly forming in her eyes. 

"So, you're leaving me?" she asked, her voice trembling. 
"I am..." he sighed. "But it's for the better. Once Mom is healthy, we'll come back here to see you!"
"Still, I'm going to miss you so much." 

Her hand let go of the rose, and she threw herself into her best friend's arms.

"Me too." he spoke calmly. "But in the meantime, I have something for you."

Without letting (Y/n) reply, he took a little box out of his pocket and laid it in her hand. Curious, she looked at him before opening the case, only to discover a beautiful necklace. She took it out and gazed at it in awe, especially at the beautiful (f/c) crystal heart pendant that dangled from it.

"Keep it with you as long as I'm away." Dio whispered with a sad smile. "We'll meet again. I promise."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dio..." you whispered, as you slowly opened your eyes.

Everything around you was pitch black. Again. You had been locked in this storage room for what seemed like days now. You back laying on the cold wooden floor, your eyes stared at the ceiling although you couldn't see it: this place was so dark you couldn't even gaze at your own hands.

But even after hours and hours of thinking and asking yourself questions, you still couldn't find any lucid explanations about why you were here, like a piece of your memories had been taken off. The last thing you could remember was riding your family's carriage towards the North. After that was blurry images and complete darkness in your mind.

Worse, each time you tried to close your eyes, one dream always came back to your head. A dream that made you remember everything you took so long to forget about.

During your early childhood, you had a best friend named Dio. You were both living in the same small village in South Germany, in which you were still in up to that day. However, Dio had to leave when his mother fell ill and needed a special treatment, only given by a scientist living in the North. He had promised he would come back as soon as possible.

But years had passed, and he never fulfilled his promise.

Melancholically, you tightened your grip on the (f/c) heart pendant lying on your neck. A necklace that represented his now broken promise.

"Why didn't you come back..." you whispered.

But as you were deeply drifting in your thoughts, a loud crash resonated from behind the walls. 'Maybe there's someone around?' you immediately thought, your heart filled with hope. You quickly got to your feet and walked around the gloomy room, an attempt to find an exit.

"Is there anyone here?" you shouted. "Respond if you're there!"

But no answer reached your ears. As you felt you were about to give up, a repetitive echo resonated from behind you. Like... footsteps.

You turned around, and although you saw no one, you felt a metal doorknob onto your hand. So this was the door! You tried to turn it, but it was obviously locked. The footsteps kept their pace and were even closer than before. You had to catch this person's attention if you wanted out.

"Do you hear me?" you called out. "I'm stuck in here."
"I can hear you." whispered a voice from the other side of the door.

You immediately froze. What if it was a mean guy, or worse, the person who had locked you in? You were so eager to exit this place that you hadn't really thought about it. But when you started to hear the doorknob moving frenetically, you were totally convinced it was all a bad idea, and ran to the back of the room, trying to find a hiding spot. In vain.

The door slowly opened with a horrible creaking sound, and lighting finally entered the place. You could see everything around you, although there wasn't much to see except the unwelcoming rock walls.

"Hey, who are you?" asked the person behind you.

You turned to face your rescuer, who didn't seem to want you any harm. He was rather short, probably about your age, with long blonde hair. His skin was pale, almost translucent and he had a bloody bandage on his right eye. At the moment your gazes met, you realized this person was oddly familiar to you.

Until reality hit you: it was none other than Dio.

"Dio?" you whispered, your heart filled with hope. "Is it really you?"

Suddenly, after a short moment of reflection, his cold expression was turned into a friendly one, and he flashed you a smile.

"I thought I would never see you again." he declared in awe.

Without a second thought, you ran towards your friend, engulfing him in a hug that both sent you on the ground. "It's been so long!" you laid your head on his shoulder happily. "I was sure you forgot about me!"
"How could you expect me to do such a thing?" Dio chuckled.

Lifting up your head, you looked at his pale face when you noticed a red liquid on his bandage. I looked like blood. But then again, he seemed even more hurt when you saw the slight burning wound that recovered a part of his right cheek.

"Dio, your eye..." you whispered with a worried expression. "Are you hurt?"
He raised his fingers to the gauze but managed to keep his smile. "Just a bit." he answered calmly. "But don't worry, it won't kill me."

He chuckled lightly, convincing you there was nothing to worry about. You had the reputation to be a little bit too overprotective, and it looked like he remembered it.

"I hope so!" you exclaimed, pouting. "Do you even imagine how sad it would make me! We just reunited!"

This time, Dio didn't answer. He just kept staring at the void, like he had something on his mind. 'He's just shaken' you thought, 'Maybe he had been locked up too, who knows.'

"Do you have any idea of where we are?" you asked, getting up to brush the dust off your dress.
"You need to get out of here." he instantly replied, his face being torn into a dark expression you had never seen him take.
"But where is this place?"
"Drevis Manor, northern Germany. Far away from home. It's dangerous here. How did you even get here?"
"I don't remember..." you mumbled. "All I know is that we were going on a trip with Mom and Dad. Even though Dad got injured recently, so I didn't really understand why we did that."
"Did he talk about getting a treatment?
"No. Well, I'm not sure. Maybe."

Even if Dio looked reluctant about this place, your passion for danger and adrenaline took over: you intended to stay as long as necessary. You stood right in front of your friend, hands on your hips and a decided look in your eyes.

"In any case, I'm staying with you."
"What?" his eyes were expressing a mix of surprise and anger. "I'm not kidding (Y/n), it's really not safe."
"But that's the point! Besides, I'm not getting out of here without you!"
"I can't get-"

He stopped neatly on his words, and laid down his hands on your shoulders.

"Listen." he started, staring deeply into your eyes. "This manor has been hit by a curse, and the people that had been killed within those walls came back to life. Like I said, it's not saf-"
You cut him off before he was done."Then what are you doing here?" 
"I've been asked to save the young mistress of this Manor."
"I'll help you find her! Please, don't leave me alone again..."

You held tightly to his arm, and Dio sighed in defeat.

"Fine then, you can come. But if there's any sort of danger, I want you to run the fastest you can. We'll stay near the exit."
"Yay!"

You smiled happily and promptly took the direction of the hallway, tired of being inside this hellhole of a closet.

"You're coming?" you asked. "I wouldn't want us to lose time in your quest!"
"Ugh, you're terrible..."
"Why thank you!"

With a discouraged face, Dio finally rejoined you in the corridor.

"So, where are we going?" you wondered as the both of you started walking.
"As of now, my help isn't required, so we can find a place for you to be safe in.."
"No way, I'm not hiding! I'm working with you, do you remember?"

You friend sighed, but let out a little smile. "I do, don't worry..." he replied. "I swear you haven't changed at all."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Take it how you like."

You giggled lightly at his comment. It was indeed true that you had that "go ahead type" all your life: your mom kept reminding you.

On the other hand, you couldn't help but to think about your friend once again: if he had always been the calmer of the two, he weirdly seemed more dark and quiet than what you remembered.

You knew he was the exact same person you spent a major part of your childhood with, but something seemed odd to him. What mission could he be performing in a gloomy haunted manor? Not mentioning the extremely pale skin and the weird, peculiar bandage...

"Hey, you mentioned working for someone before right?" you inquired, still walking in the weird corridors of the place.
"Hm?" he turned around, looking a bit more relaxed than before. "Oh, it's complicated."
"Still, I'm curious."
"You see, the previous lady of this mansion cursed this place to punish her husband, who has done... bad things. And I'm here to protect her daughter from getting hurt."
"So, is the previous lady a witch?"
"A spirit. She's dead."
"What?! You can communicate with ghosts?"

Dio scoffed at your remark.

"Not actual ghosts, silly. The spirits in this place all have physical bodies thanks to the curse. More like reanimated corpses."
"But they're all already dead right?"
"Right. And their spirits aren't appeased yet, so they came back for vengeance."

You stood there in shock for a second. I mean, who wouldn't be after learning that you were standing in a manor full of ghosts (or reanimated corpses, like Dio called them) looking for vengeance.

"Wow, what happened here must've been pretty horrible to have people coming back to life like that..."
"You have no idea..." Dio replied in a low tone.

You were surprised by his answer. Could he have witnessed something around here? Still, you didn't know what had occurred specifically in this place, but as he seemed reluctant to talk about it, you decided to change the subject. After getting out, you'd have all the time in the world to ask him questions.

"You know what, let's talk about a more joyful topic!" you exclaimed, trying to change the dark subject. "How's life? How's your mom doing?"

He didn't reply immediately. He just stood there, thinking deeply, before answering the question. "Oh fine. he mumbled like he wasn't sure if he had given the rightful answer. "The city's near, so it's more active than in our little village. And mom's healthy since her operation, a couple of years ago."
"That's amazing to hear!" you smiled." But if she's healed, why didn't you come back?"
"I guess she preferred the city life."

The both of you continued talking for a long time after then. Walking around like in the good old days, when there was nothing to worry about except coming back at home for 7o' clock. When, as kids, you were living in a world of mixed reality that included its own fantasies. When Dio was still in the village. The hype and the happiness of finally reuniting with your best friend were so intense that even the creepy ambiance couldn't scare you.

But all good things have to end somehow, and not usually like we want to.

~~~~~~~~~~

A loud crash and an ear-piercing scream resonated between the walls, cutting right short to your conversation with Dio. You turned around but saw nothing.

"That must be her..." Dio muttered under his breath, before turning around to face you. "(Y/n), come on!"

You shook your head in approval and followed your friend throughout the halls. Although you weren't even aware of what was happening, you caught on that it was rather serious.

You noticed for the first time how big was the place. Doors, stairs, and hallways everywhere, all leading to their own set of doors and stairs. How could people ever live in such a place without getting lost?

The both of you stopped right next to a set of double stairs, which you assumed led to the exit. You looked around and effectively perceived a giant wooden door, surmounted by four large chandeliers. The black and white tiled floor was covered with blood and guts in some places.

"What is this place..?" you asked, frightened by the sight of the blood. "Is this... human remains?"
"Don't worry about it." Dio whispered, also looking at the room in front of you. "Whatever it was, it's dead now..." 
"I'm more worried about who did this..."
"Let's make sure it's safe down here."

Holding tightly to his hand, you laid down your foot on the first step, creaking under your weight. Precautiously, you managed to reach the bottom, and Dio immediately walked towards the big front door. He took out his pockets a small rusted key and pushed it through the keyhole.

"Here's where our journey ends (Y/n)." he murmured, pushing the door open.

You looked at him in total incomprehension. What did he mean?

"Wait, we're getting out?" you asked, completely puzzled. "Didn't you have a mission?"
"I'm not leaving, you are."
"Hey, we already discussed this! I'm not leaving without you!"

You noticed your voice had become louder, but you knew it was the only way to make him understand you were dead serious.

"I don't know why you insist that much!" you added. "I mean, we've always been together, right? Why would you do all the work this time?"
"(Y/n), I swear it's not-"
"I've waited all this time for your return, and you never came back! All these years! Everyone thought I was out of my mind, but I knew you would come back. I thought you would! But now that you're here, I'm not letting you go again!"

You threw yourself into his arms and laid your head on his shoulder, tears streaming down your face.

"Don't leave me alone again." you managed to say in between sobs.

For a minute or two, you stayed in this position, neither of you saying a word. Screams, sounds, and even a faint chainsaw roaring resonated far away through the walls, but you didn't move. Dio roamed a hand through your hair, knowing it wasn't a joke this time. But he pertinently knew leaving you wasn't a choice: it was an obligation.

"(Y/n), listen to me." He put his hands on your cheeks, lifting your head up, and looked directly into your teary eyes. "You remember when I told you about those reanimated corpses right?
"Ye-yeah..." you stammered. "Why?"
"You know, when the curse will end, they'll all be free. Their souls will be liberated and they will be able to earn peace."

Dio lowered his head, bit his lips and wiped a tear from his cheek, before gazing at you again.

"I'm one of them (Y/n)." he whispered with a sad smile. "I'll be gone when this curse end."

You stood there in shock at his revelation in disbelief. No, it couldn't be... Dio couldn't be dead. It was impossible.

"You can't... How is it..." you whispered, your voice shaking and your eyes filled with distress.
"The scientist was a liar. He killed mom, then me, all these years ago. I've been dead all along, then reanimated by the curse. I just... didn't know how to tell you."
"And that's why you wanted me to leave? Because you were scared to tell me?"
"Because I want you to live. You still can."
"But you-"

Your voice broke as you started to cry again. It seemed all like a bad dream now. No, a nightmare. Even in a haunted manor, just the fact that you could be with Dio again had pushed all the dark feelings away, leaving only joy and happiness. All these years, you had waited so long to see him again. Like he was the only person that could really make you happy. And he was. But learning so quickly that he wasn't really real crushed everything you thought you felt during this night. It crushed you entirely.

Dio engulfed you in yet another tight hug and stroked your (h/c) hair as tears fell on his shirt.

"You have so much to live for." he murmured in your ear. "Don't waste it."
"You're sure you can't come with me?" you sobbed. "I mean, we could just leave..."
"Remember, I have a mission to accomplish. Or else none of the spirits here will be in peace. Besides, I'll just evaporate if I escape this place: I'm only meant to live in here."

Dio backed off a bit to have a good look at your face recovered in tears before brushing them off your cheeks with his thumb. His eyes immediately encountered something he had failed to see before: the (f/c) heart pendant lying on your neck.

"You... you still have this?" he asked in shock.
"Of course I do."

He smiled lightly as he took it into his palm. "You should keep it as long as I'm away." he whispered. "I'll always be with you."

As your eyes started to get watery again, you felt a soft pair of lips on your forehead. A kiss? How could that be possible?

Your heart beat faster as you felt dozen of feelings overflowing your body. It seemed surreal, and almost made you forget about everything for a second. But after a time that seemed way too short, your best friend moved back and smiled, his hand still on your cheek.

"Hey (Y/n), could you make me a promise?" he asked, tears rolling down his eye.

You shook your head in approval, still shaken by the emotions.

"Make sure time won't erase us."

On these words, Dio turned around and ran towards the stairs, ascending them quickly. You wanted to follow him, to run after him. But you couldn't. Your legs wouldn't even move, and you had to watch your best friend disappear into the darkness.

"I promise." you managed to murmur, but he was far gone already.

As soon as you heard the echoing sound of footsteps fainting away, you noticed flames burning up on the farthest wall of the room. Smoke started to fill the surroundings, and your repeated coughing forced you out of the Manor.

You pushed the heavy wooden door and finally arrived outside. On the horizon appeared a slight shade of orange, announcing the arrival of the sun. But minutes later, as you weakly tried to walk on the rock-made pathway on the ground, you heard a loud explosion from behind you.

When you turned around, you assisted to a sorrowful show: the entire manor, devoured by the flames, started to collapse on itself. Even if you knew that Dio was already dead, you couldn't help but think that he had probably been crushed by the debris, or worse, burnt by the fire.

You felt like you couldn't hold your feelings anymore, and fell on the ground in tears, your knees getting scratched on the rocks. Between the cries and the sobs, you managed to let some words out of your mouth.

"I swear, I'll never forget you."

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See ya next time! <3