Disclaimer: I own neither Jojo's Bizarre Adventure or The Rising of the Shield Hero

A/N: Sooo...been a while eh?
To be fair, I never actually gave a precise date for a potential update, I wanted to make sure I churn out something of good quality overall.

"Quality over Quantity" as they say.

In any case, I'd like to once again clarify that the words in italic are often in French or other languages. If anyone has a problem with a word, PM me and I'll offer the translation.

Or just Google it.

Before we get into the chapter, I'd like to thank several other writers from the Shield Hero Discord server (on the fanfic tab), mainly RLTygurr for his proof-reading, Rage-001 and Master Basher for their helpful input.

Check out their works!

Without further ado, enjoy!

Château-sur-Meuse, Shiragaki household, 3rd of March, 2012...

Sunlight filtered through the curtains of a room furnished with a single bed which was occupied by an injured raven-haired man. Said man was Naofumi Iwatani, a twenty-year-old Japanese exchange student attending the local college and majoring in the Culinary Arts. He had recently been subjected to a false accusation that had caused a cascade of unfortunate events and ended in him being ambushed by self-proclaimed "vigilantes" in an alley in the middle of the night. His life would have ended that night if it weren't for the intervention of his dear friend Raphtalia Shiragaki, a young aspiring nurse of the same age.

The man squinted his eyes as the light hit them. Slowly trudging back to consciousness, he slowly opened them only to close them again with a hiss.

"SHIT! That hurts!" The sun's glare blurred his vision worse than it already was. It didn't help that whatever the fuck those thugs had hit him with left his eye swollen and black.

Still, Naofumi wasn't about to just keep lying down. He needed to get up and assess his situation. As soon as he started to rise, the pain signals from his back and chest started flooding his brain as an overwhelming feeling of hurt and discomfort overtook him. It seemed as though the fuckers got him real good, but at least he was still alive. The pain he was in was a clear sign of that.

'What happened after that? I can remember being beaten, then some green...light?' He questioned himself as he held his head in pain.

'Raphtalia was there too...There was some sort of ghost next to her? Must have been a hallucination or something…'

He looked at his hand idly, trying to remember the shape of the 'armband' that appeared there last night, when he was beaten to the ground on his hands and knees.

That feeling of invincibility...

'There's no way that actually happened...right?' It had felt like nothing in the world could ever hurt him even as he lay on the cold hard ground. He was tempted to chalk it up to a mixture of his nervous system being overloaded from the numerous blows he took and his brain flooding itself with adrenaline to keep him conscious.

This wasn't some cheesy anime where the hero unlocked some sort of magic power on the verge of death, something that would help him turn the tables around or whatever. There's a very real possibility that he was just beaten unconscious, found by someone later on, and taken to a hospital. The rest might have been a dream or a result of whatever sort of drug he was injected with in the medical facility.

Looking around him dispelled the possibility of a hospital. For one, everything was decidedly not white and there was a distinct lack of the smell of any antiseptic or rubbing alcohol that those facilities always seem to be coated in. On the contrary, the room he was in was pretty colorful, leaning more towards the hotter colors on the spectrum.

The bedsheets he was under were soft, white, and were adorned with a variety of Sakura leaves. The curtains were a soft salmon color and the walls were painted a light beige. Looking to his left, a wooden desk sat in the corner. On top of it was an assortment of frames with what he would have identified as pictures, had his sight not been so foggy. To the right was a small vanity mirror decorated with a contour of red, white, and orange flowers.

He was getting a strange feeling of deja-vu. Something was telling him that this room was familiar, but his mind was too clouded at the moment to come up with a definitive answer.

It was only upon seeing a familiar Raccoon themed alarm clock, one that looked strikingly like his own except for a pink bow it had between the ears, that he realized this was most likely Raphtalia's room. The alarm clock had originally been part of a two for one deal. It had been a pretty standard looking one before Raphtalia decided to customize it's exterior into the shape of her favorite animal and then offer the 'male' one to Naofumi as a gift of friendship.

He blinked his eyes and started to turn in an effort to sit up from the bed, an action that elicited a hiss from him because of the soreness and bruising.

Not a moment after he did so, did the door open with a soft click. His aforementioned female friend walked in with a tray of what seemed like breakfast alongside a jar of cream and bandages.

Raphtalia's tea-red eyes widened upon seeing her friend awake and sitting up. Her training kicked into gear and she swiftly slid the tray on the desk before hurriedly approaching Naofumi.

"Oh my God! Naofumi! Don't sit up! You're still hurt!" She said as she came close to him. She tried to gently guide him back to a sleeping position, only for Naofumi to put his hands on her wrists.

"I'm okay! It's okay Raphtalia!" he affirmed before pausing "it hurts like a bit-I mean it hurts a lot but it's okay. I don't feel like there's anything broken," he said, correcting himself when the young woman's eyes narrowed at his swear. The young nurse in training was simply too pure.

"No, it's not, Naofumi! You got beaten and almost got shot! You're lucky the damage was mostly superficial! Even then, your back and sides are a giant bruise at this point! If I didn't come in when I did, you'd have been dead!" The brunette verbally tore into Naofumi, prompting him to wince both at her remarks and the waves of pain still emanating from his injuries.

"Yeah...about that..." the ravenette narrowed his eyes in contemplation.

"Raphtalia...I…" He briefly hesitated, debating on whether he should ask her this question. He wasn't sure whether she'd think he's crazy or not after what happened yesterday.

Not a moment later he mentally slapped himself. This was Raphtalia for crying out loud! His Best Friend! Even with all the anger he had inside of him at the betrayal, he wouldn't - no, couldn't doubt her. Not after she helped him even with how he had pushed her away.

"Is something wrong, Naofumi?" the young woman in question asked in concern.

"I…I don't want to sound crazy but Raphtalia, did something...bizarre happen yesterday?" He asked hesitantly.

"Bizarre?" she tilted her head to the side cutely, although there was a silver of recognition in her eyes.

"It's just...Goddamnit, you'll just think I'm insane...I… I saw a ghost next to you alright? And my hands… I saw some sort of green forcefield on them." He finally admitted and looked at Raphtalia who had fallen silent, the only visible reaction being the wide eyes she was sporting.

"Naofumi...I…" she audibly gulped, something that her friend no doubt caught.

"You know something right?" Naofumi asked "Please… Just… I want to make sure I'm not losing it..." he pressed, sounding almost desperate.

Raphtalia stayed silent for a bit, mentally debating the pros and cons of answering her friend's questions. While it might sound like an advantageous piece of information, it also carried with it a heavy price.

That information would strip away any chance Naofumi would ever have at living a completely normal life.

'But he can see it… That means he has one as well…'

With that realization and yesterday's events, the exchange sounded like a pretty good deal if it helped her friend stay safe.

Steeling herself, she plopped down on Naofumi's bedside and reached for his hand.

"Raphtalia?" He asked, somewhat worried at her behavior.

She decided to be direct and dispel his own worries. "Naofumi, what you saw wasn't something out of your imagination…it was very much real."

"Wha…" The young man had, at the back of his mind, knew that was a possibility. A far fetched one to be sure, but he was still surprised by his friend's blunt honesty.

"I'll explain it, but first of all, Naofumi." she took a deep breath "Did you ever see something strange or inexplicable happen around you? Something that can be qualified as supernatural?"

"Huh?" Naofumi was puzzled by the question.

"Even if it's something insignificant. Like an unexplained glow, a sound no one but you can hear, objects moving on their own or even an inexplicable rush of energy… that kind of thing."

"I…" While he understood her question, a small part of his mind was still denying this was even real but he decided to indulge her.

Immediately, a memory flashed before his eyes, one depicting the strange phenomenon that occurred yesterday. The warm glow of the weird armor-like construct seemed to trigger a feeling of recognition inside of him.

Raphtalia seemed to be waiting for his answer expectantly and he decided to come clean.

"...Y-yesterday, yeah, when I was beat up... For a second there, I felt stronger. Hell, I felt like nothing could take me down. Not even a moment later and the guys beating me up were screaming that their weapons broke… I was really confused and when I looked at my arms and saw some sort of weird freakish green glow. It looked like a small barrier, but I might have imagined that…" He rambled on, not noticing his friend's eyes progressively widening as her theory was confirmed.

"..." the brunette simply stood frozen, not uttering a word.

"R-Raphtalia?" He was getting worried at her silence.

"So it's true, then.." She muttered before looking at him and narrowing her eyes in focus. "Naofumi, I need you to do something for me."

"Huh?" He was puzzled and sort of flustered under her intense gaze.

"I need you to stay calm." She said. Upon receiving a nod, her body started to glow a shade similar to her eyes.

It was a pretty sight, and it reminded him briefly of the green aura his own hands were covered in. The glow seemed to 'phase off' her body, taking a shape and 'solidifying' into a humanoid figure.

What Naofumi saw rendered him speechless.

The same 'ghost' that he thought was a hallucination was floating next to his friend. It was a very intimidating sight if he were to be honest.

The 'ghost' had a slim figure and resembled a Miko in a way, dressed in red and white robes which were pretty simple design-wise. A white cloth hung around the being's shoulders, embroidered with red thread that almost seemed to form a bow in a way that complemented the lighter color instead of clashing with it.

The 'ghost' moved its bony arms, causing its wide sleeves to billow as if the wind had caught the fabric. The only visible part of the appendages were the skinny and sectioned hands with long, bony fingers and a rosy-colored paw pad on the underside that contrasted with the brownish-gray color of the skin. The Katana that hung on its waist had a black hilt and a white sheath. Its legs were hidden behind a pair of red Hakama pants and weren't visible, so there was little he could comment on that.

The bizarre 'ghost's' strangest feature was its head. Its face was angular and defined, yet rigid in a way that seems robotic. Its nose was button-like and colored black, and its lips looked to be frozen in a stoic expression. What was really strange about this appearance was the presence of two round animal ears on the top of its bald head, and the two glowing white spots that replaced its eyes which were surrounded by a sort of mask-like black contour. That last feature reminded him of a raccoon alongside the ears and only served to make the eyes pop out more.

The entire time he was looking at the being, Raphtalia was slowly getting increasingly nervous, mistaking his silence for fear. She decided to soldier on and explain the entire thing to him.

"This…" She gestured to the 'ghost' "...is the manifestation of my soul. It's my willpower or 'fighting spirit' given form if you will. It could be called a 'spirit', but the most common name it has would be a 'Stand'."

"A...Stand?" Her friend asked, speaking very calmly.

"Yes, it's supposed to refer to the fact that it usually stands by your side… Unimaginative, I know" She smiled at his deadpan expression. Anything was better than freaking out and screaming.

"So… why did you show it to me? Do I have one too?" He asked after a short pause. That was the only logical conclusion he could get. Not to mention the fact that this entire conversation was reminding him too much of some scenes in the works of fiction he used to read. This was basically the scene where the main character would unlock a power or discover something vital about themselves which would put them on the starting point of their quest.

Hopefully, that was the extent of the resemblance between this discussion and his books. He really did not want to be dragged into some sort of bizarre adventure.

"Yes… There are a couple of common rules when it comes to stands." The brunette raised a finger with the stand behind her copying her movements, something which Naofumi found sort of amusing. "First of all, only stand users can see or hear other stands. That's a norm that I have yet to see an exception to, soooo..." she trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

"So me seeing yours means I have one of those 'stands'."

"Ouaip! Excellent!" She clapped her hands and tilted her head, something that almost made Naofumi flustered from the sheer cuteness of the action. He didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts as Raphtalia moved on to explain the rest. She started counting off the other rules and was once again copied by her stand ability.

Naofumi could swear that the thing was smirking.

"Second of all, stands usually have a unique array of abilities different from one user to another. Mine for example," she gestured to the being, "can distort light. I trained it to the point where I can make 'mirages'."

The stand, as if to demonstrate its ability, pointed at the alarm clock. Before Naofumi's eyes, he saw the device shimmer and become a potted plant with a red tulip inside it. The man gave a startled yelp before inching closer to inspect the illusion. It was so real that he was tempted to sniff the flower or even hold it, something that only confirmed Raphtalia's words since there was no scent and his hand only touched the contour of the alarm clock, hidden behind a curtain of distorted light.

"...And the sword?" the ravenette asked curiously and the stand, as if hearing his question, shifted their stand into what he remembers from Japan as a basic Iaijutsu stance.

"Ah well, that's something that it's always had, something it uses for close combat… Some stands are like that, with accessories or various objects they can use."

"I see… Is that all?" he questioned while trying to hide the building excitement in his voice. He hoped he got something cool like that!

"Hmm…" she tapped her chin "Oh! Yeah! Umm a stand is linked to its user's lifeforce, so if it takes damage, the user will as well… hmm well except automatic stands but that's a subject for another time."

Both friends paused to let the information digest. For Naofumi, that was a similar experience to finding out your favorite comic as a kid was real. Sure he was excited, but he was equally dreading what was to come. Power or not, he still needed to deal with the consequences of yesterday's events. With this recent revelation, he only had one thing to do now.

"So what do I do now? How do I make my stand come out?" Asked the young man as Raphtalia took a pensive position, puffing her rosy cheeks and tapping one of them with a finger in an adorable display.

"Well... Naofumi, sorry to ask this of you, but you'll have to remember the feeling that went through you when that 'green glow' appeared and focus on it. Even thoughts that went through your head at the time. I know it's a lot to ask after what you went through, but it could help you if this works." She explained softly and once again squeezed his hand.

Naofumi was a little confused but elected to follow his friend's instruction, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath. Just then, a flood of negative feelings predominated his psyche. Simply remembering the incident was souring his mood. He remembered kneeling down and weathering the rain of punches and kicks. Thinking that this would be it; he was either going to die or be beaten into a coma.

He had felt the thugs beating him relent and for a moment, just a moment, he had dared to hope they'd leave him alone.

He wanted to live!

It wasn't his fault!

He wasn't going down like this!

That sudden surge of hope of determination had lit something deep within him, a sudden surge of energy filled his body, something he would have confused with adrenaline, something that-

"Naofumi!"

The young man came out of his trance at Raphtalia's call.

"You're doing it!" she loudly announced.

Looking at her, he was taken aback by the surprised, yet happy look he was given. He hesitantly gazed at his arms and almost jumped out of bed, only to wince in pain.

His arms were covered in, if he were to judge by touch, a vibrant green colored tissue over which two identical silver braces protected the length of his forearms. His hands were covered by a pair of thick black gloves with intersecting metal plates on the back of the hands.

Naofumi slowly, with the help of his dear friend, got out of bed and stood in front of Raphtalia's vanity mirror only to blink several times at his appearance.

He would have called his reflection ridiculous were he not in awe of his new appearance. It seemed like whatever tissue covered his arms was actually part of a green jumpsuit that looked as if it was painted on his body. The green piece of "clothing" was covered in armor… a lot of armor.

If he were to describe it, it'd be a fusion of Medieval Plate Armor, Samurai Armor as well as something the Green Ranger from one of the Super Sentai series would wear.

Except for his joints, every one of his limbs was covered with silver metal pieces that looked deceptively bulky for how light they were. His waist was covered in tassets connected to a cuirass. The cuirass itself was strange in that it looked more like a triangular shield that would be carried rather than worn. His head itself had what looked like a variation of a Celtic helmet with no horns, covering his eyes and nose while letting his black hair peek out from under it.

The most striking feature of the entire ensemble was the Green Gem located smack dab in the middle of the Shield-like cuirass. It glowed a faint green and expanded into a network of green lines going through the armor, almost like circuitry.

All in all, it was a pretty weird sight.

'What. The. FUCK?' was the ravenette's only coherent thought.

"Naofumi…" He gazed at Raptalia who seemed to be almost vibrating. Great, was she going to laugh at him? He'll admit that he was somewhat disappointed. Instead of a cool ghost-like familiar, he got what amounted to geeky cosplay.

"... c'est magnifique!" the young woman clapped in excitement. While she hadn't expected a Bound Stand Type, the simple fact that Naofumi had a stand was enough. It was also refreshing to not be the only stand user in town anymore. That would be one more thing she and Naofumi have in common, something to strengthen their friendship.

"Huh?" he uttered.

"Naofumi! Your stand looks amazing!" Raphtalia gushed.

"Huh?"

"The fact that it's so visible only means that it's powerful! Oh, I wonder what it does!" The young woman seemed to lose herself in excited ramblings. It would have been cute had Naofumi not been having a meltdown.

"Huh? Wait, wait, wait! Raphtalia! Hold on! What is this? I know you said this was my stand but I didn't expect something out of Super Sentai or Kamen Rider! I mean it looks sort of cool but did it have to make me look like a cosplayer?" The young man ranted.

"Well-" Raphtalia began only to be cut off by a now annoyed stand user.

"Great, just great! This is perfectly what I needed! I get accused of shit I didn't do, I get beaten up by a bunch of fanboys for that Bitch princess!"

"Naofumi-" Raphtalia tried to scold him but the man was on a roll.

"And now, instead of getting a cool ghost, I get a fucking superhero outfit! It's bulky as hell too! How the fuck do I run in this?"

"Naofumi!" The brunette tried again to reprimand him for his language, understandable as it was there was no reason to be crass!

"I mean look at me! It looks so impractical! Can I even pee with this on?"

"NAOFUMI!" Raphtalia had apparently had enough of the vulgarity and reached out to grab the raging young man by the cheek.

What she didn't expect, however, was for her hand to meet a translucent greenish barrier around her friend's head, making her let out a yelp in surprise.

Naofumi seemed startled at the sound and stopped his rant to look questionably at his friend. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing she was looking at her own hand, turning it over and inspecting it.

"Raphtalia? Something wrong?" he inquired.

The young woman stared at her hand more before looking at her friend as if pondering something.

"Umm...Naofumi? Don't freak out but I'm going to try hitting you alright?" she asked hesitantly and her stand wound up its hand to prepare a punch.

"Huh?" the young man's eyes widened at the stand's action and he raised his hands in defense "WAIT WAIT WA-"

"RAFU!"

CLANG

The sound of metal meeting a solid object (he wouldn't exactly call the Stand's fist a fleshy construct) rang out.

"...Eh?" was the only thing coming out of Naofumi's mouth as he looked at Raphtalia's stand as it retracted it's fist and floated back behind the brunette. Looking at his shoulder and moving it, there was no indent, no feeling of pain...nothing.

It was like wearing actual armor.

He looked at his friend again, a million questions on his mind. He wanted to know what this meant. Is that all his stand did? Provide protection? And why did Raphtalia think it was okay to punch his shoulder like that?

His musings were interrupted by Raphtalia's exclamation of happiness. The girl seemed very excited about this development and started muttering to herself. Her stand continued to float and look at Naofumi with an emotionless gaze.

"..."

It unnerved him.

Not just the stand, every part of this situation unnerved him. It was happening way too fast for him to organize his ideas. Hell, part of him still wanted this whole thing to be a bad dream.

He'd wake up tomorrow, Malty wouldn't have been a Bitch, Raphtalia would be a normal girl and his life wouldn't be pretty much ruined.

But that was just wishful thinking, wasn't it? The pain in his back told him as much.

This was real...

And he needed to accept it…

But Raphtalia had a lot to explain!

One of the interrogation rooms at the local police station, sometime later…

SLAM

"Answer the damn question!" Yelled one of the uniformed men. The speaker was a somewhat lanky police officer with combed blonde hair and an obnoxious looking mustache, who seemed to be trying very hard to get into the role of the 'Bad Cop'. The bruised and battered youth sitting opposite of him didn't react to the man's attempts at being menacing, merely narrowing his brown eyes and keeping silent.

Henri DuFour was a 21-year-old college student majoring in business at the local university. He was brought in yesterday at around eleven p.m alongside a dozen or so other young men dressed up in black, with two others having been driven to the local hospital due to gunshot wounds.

A thorough search revealed the tool of the crime, a .357 magnum pistol, a model that is pretty pricey to own in France, let alone with a proper license. Something that can be explained by Henri's somewhat wealthy background. Not to mention that he had a father that could be called 'connected' with some bigshots in the French political spectrum, so strings were definitively pulled here and there.

It's been a solid hour since that particular interrogation session started. As of now, after compiling the evidence and confessions from some of the other thugs, Henri had enough against him to be brought to court under accusations of illegal possession of a firearm, a first-degree assault and third-degree assault with said firearm.

There were also suspicions of assault and battery on a certain foreigner by the name of 'Naofumi Iwatani', but none of the policemen on the scene saw anyone fitting the youth's description, and none of those arrested shared that name.

As it was, the only piece of information left in the air was the source of the firearm.

"Sir, you've been yelling at the man for almost an hour, I think we need to change methods" the other interrogator in the room, a younger man with brunette hair and what can only be described as child-like features, tried to placate his angry superior whose face had become an interesting shade of purple.

The young 19-year-old intern, Ake Monteil, was a new addition to the Force. An idealistic lad who's always dreamed of becoming an upholder of the law and a defender of the weak. He believed the Police Force to be the perfect profession to do so, real-life superheroes in a sense. He always thought that his career would turn out as a routine of catching bad guys and criminals, helping his community prosper and generally being an essential cog in the machine of society.

As it turns out, his superior officer Richard Pasteur was very quick to dispel most of that delusion. The man was arrogant, selfish and an awful person to be around, it was a wonder how he even got his promotion but Ake honestly suspected some foul play. The guy disrespected the citizens he was supposed to look after, abused his authority, and generally was worse than many of the criminals they had locked up.

Ake would have spoken out if he could but he knew that it wouldn't do any good. Spending the last few months in the Police Force had taught him that justice wasn't exactly a priority for some of the upper echelons. He had thus learned one vital lesson:

As long as you had connections, you were secured.

If you didn't?

Just keep your head down and put your focus elsewhere.

It was highly frustrating to the young intern who lived by a strict moral code. Seeing many of his colleagues and superiors acting like they were above the law never sat well with him and he vowed to work his hardest to climb the ladders of the Force and change it for the better.

Considering everything above, officer Pasteur's next words didn't come as a surprise.

"Hah? La ferme petit ingrat! Who do you think you are talking to? I am your superior! Are you trying to obstruct justice?" Yelled the very literal 'Bad Cop'.

"A-ah! No Sir! I was simply suggesting that-" Ake tried to explain but was cut off as Richard's anger turned fully on him.

"I don't need your dumb suggestions! You're only here to observe me working on this case! Don't make me tell Captain Rabier about your insubordination!" the elder cop shouted at his junior, threatening him with what amounted to the death penalty at the station.

Well...career death at least…

Ake had gone pale at the words of his superior. He knew of Captain Idol Rabier's notorious reputation amongst the other officers, the few who had suffered his wrath in the past for perceived slights had found themselves tied to several crimes and more often than not, lost any position or respect they had in society.

Before his thoughts could delve further into despair, the telltale opening of the room's door drew his attention, and his face, if it was possible, lost even more color in fright.

For in the door frame stood the short but very stout form of the infamous Captain Idol Rabier with a serene look on his face.

The man was a veteran policeman with an 'officially' clean record, he had made a name for himself in his earlier days in Paris by setting a record for the most arrests made in his district. It was said that the man was single-handedly responsible for Île Saint-Louis' peaceful atmosphere and had pretty much eradicated crime in that area with his hard work.

He came off as very kind and even generous to those that did not know him. Those that worked under him knew that his entire demeanor was simply an act he put up to hide the horrifying and sadistic deviant that lay within.

He had been Ake's hero… Before he had found out just what kind of monster Idol was…

As the saying goes: 'Never meet your heroes because they're sure to disappoint you'.

It really hit Ake hard...

"Bien le Bonjour Messieurs! How are you doing on this fine day?" the man asked calmly and cheerfully.

The youngest man in the room stuttered a greeting in reply while Richard greeted his superior much more enthusiastically. The mustached man even gave Ake a cocky smirk, knowing that he was about to quite literally end the young man's career.

"I've heard you've been having complications in making this young man talk," the Captain said while looking at Henri who suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine at the older man's gaze.

"NO! I mean!" Richard coughed and regained his composure, standing up straight and saluting his superior "Of course there are no problems here Sir! I was just about to make this criminal confess to his wrongdoings, Sir!"

Idol smiled amusedly and raised an eyebrow at the mustached cop, who started sweating at the older man's probing gaze.

"I see… But tell me Monsieur Pasteur, since when is non-stop screaming for more than fifty minutes a viable interrogation method? Le Jeune Monsieur Ake here is right, one must be flexible in his job and his life in front of different obstacles! After all, was it not Professeur Einstein himself that said 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results'?" Idol proclaimed as Richard looked down in shame and started sweating at the verbal scolding he was receiving.

Ake was in the same boat.

While at one time, hearing such praise from 'Le Chevalier de la Justice' himself might have turned him into a blushing fanboy, the reality of his former hero's character came as a brutal reality check to the young intern.

"O-of course Sir! My mistake Sir, I was simply trying to show our newest recruit what not to do in this particular situation! Wait! I mean…" Richard stammered and tripped over himself as he tried to save face, knowing just what awaited him if he did not do please his superior.

Idol once again smiled, this time showing his pearly whites to the mustached cop and unnerving him even further.

"Ah very understandable, Monsieur Pasteur, do keep in mind, however, that such a lesson doesn't need to waste so much time being imparted, I'm sure Monsieur Monteil has much more to learn from our noble profession" the large man finished and clapped as the other two nodded their heads in agreement.

"Parfait! Now, Gentlemen, the reason I came here was to give the lad my personal attention" the Captain revealed, shocking his juniors and making Ake sweat in fear.

The young intern wanted to speak up in defense of Henri, if only to save him from what was to come because not a single suspect ever went through Captain Rabier's screening and came out the same.

But he couldn't.

Because as much as he wanted to deny it, Idol Rabier terrified him to the core.

Even with his determination to change how the Force was operated, he felt that this man, this monster, was one obstacle that he could never face.

"I hope you don't mind if I… Take him off your hands" the Captain finally said, snapping

"O-of c-course not Sir! You are free to do whatever you wish Sir!" Richard stuttered out a reply and recomposed himself before sternly ordering to let the Captain do his job.

"And remember..." Idol smiled as he looked at the other officer "... Do take the usual measures" he almost grinned as the man nodded and Ake's eyes widened.

The usual measures…

That meant the camera feed to the room would be cut, the one-way mirror would have its blinds lowered and the doors would be locked.

The room was already designed to become soundproof with a flick of a switch so making sure no one knew what was going on inside either only proved that horrible things were about to happen to the criminal.

Even when every fiber of Ake's soul screamed for him to act, to speak up against the perceived injustice, his body went back to its base instincts, choosing to flee from the confrontation like an Antelope would do when sensing a Lion's bloodlust.

As the two younger men exited the rooms and the telltale "click" that signified its separation from the outside world rang out, Captain Idol Rabier turned to Henri DuFour and grinned savagely.

Unseen to Henri, a handle appeared in Idol's hand, a long leathery rope extending from it and ending with an iron brand resting on his other hand.

The man finally spoke to the now shivering criminal, his voice soft but carrying a menacing and terrifying undertone, "Now then... I'll be turning you into a model citizen..."

"That is what [Big Boss Man] is for after all…"

Henri's screams of anguish remained unheard of the world.

A/N: And the plot thiccens

Will Naofumi name his stand something cool?

Will Raphtalia ever stop being adorable?

Does Idol's stand perform hard bondage? Hence the screams of pain and horror?

Stay tuned…

P.S: The names of each chapter are each based on a song with similar meaning to the content of the chapter.

Chapter 1: "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence

Chapter 2: "Strangers Like Me" by Phil Collins

Stand Card(s):

User: Idol Rabier

Stand Name: Big Boss Man

Stand Type: Close-Range Stand (Tool)

Reference: Song of the same name by the band "Grateful Dead"

Ability: ?

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