"Are you sure about that, Vol?" Vox asked, the TV Demon sending the fusion a weary glance,"Do you really want to go back to the Greed Sector?"

"It has been a while,"Vol admitted,"It was where I originally fell. I see no reason to visit. Besides, given I still have things in my apartment, I should probably move those now that I'm living in the hotel…"

He had desired to grab a few things from his apartment and move them back to the hotel to make the place more at home. Not to mention he did want to see how the Greed Sector was, check on the library and what not, like old times before he got stuck here. He was certain by now they had fixed the elevator(if they didn't they'd be utterly incompetent), something he was really hoping wasn't the case.

"But do you have to?" Velvet whined,"We can't even go with you! We're stuck in this ring while you can go to the other ones!"

"That's not my fault," Vol replied,"Believe me, if we could all go to the circles, this wouldn't be a discussion. But since only I can go, I'll simply go alone."

Velvet pouted, the eighteen year old sinner growling in frustration,"UGH! Stupid rules! So unfair! Damn Lucifer and his stupid rules about us not being able to travel to the other rings!"

Alastor chuckled, patting Velvet on the head,"Now now, darling, calm yourself. There's no need to be so upset. Our dear Vol is simply going out to the other Sector and getting some belongings, he'll return in a few days at most."

"I know, I just don't want him to go…" She then clung to his waist, the fusion eye's widened at the sudden display of affection,"Pwease don't go…Just stay with me. I don't wanna see you go…"

"Velvet, come on," Vol said, now caressing her cheek,"Don't be like that. I'll be right back…"

"You sure? I've got a bad feeling about this…"

Vol rolled his eyes, giving her a half-smile,"Velvet, come on, it's going to be fine. I promise you, I'll be right back. You have to trust me on this…"

Velvet made a face,"Will you promise to text me everyday you're away?"

He sighed, staring into Velvet's ivory eyes, his gaze unwavering as he put his hands on her shoulder,"I promise, Velvet. Trust me on this…"

"Ok…If you say so. Just be safe when you go out…You know, cuz it's still Hell out there."

Vol scoffed, brushing off her concerns,"I can handle myself, Velvet. There's no need to fear. I'll be fine. I'll be back before you know it. I won't be gone long. I'll be back before you know it…" The fusion gave Velvet a small kiss before taking his leave,"Goodbye everyone, see you soon…"

Velvet made a face, turning to her other boyfriends,"Vox, Al, I'm not sure about this…"

"Velvet, come on. Vol can handle himself. He'll be fine," Vox assured.

"I dunno...Something doesn't feel right about this. I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Darling, turn that smile upside down! That's not a good look on you," Alastor teased, using his fingers to make her frown turn into a smile,"Smile my dear!"

"Thanks Al…" Velvet said, averting her gaze, the feeling in her chest wouldn't subside, no matter what they told herself.'I still feel like something bad is gonna happen….'
-

Volastor stepped out of the hotel entrance, now walking around the city. People were still wary of him, many keeping their distance. Vol couldn't even look at people without certain people hiding/shrinking away.

Not like Vol cared, normally he'd be upset, but he knew the moment he got into the Greed Sector that all these judgemental looks would fade. He'd finally be liberated from this stigma, even if it was only for a few days at most. While he did enjoy his time in the Pride Sector(for the most part obviously), he did wonder how things were back at Greed since he had been trapped here for months on end.

As Volastor was walking, he noticed someone familiar up ahead. His eyes squinted before noticing that it was Baxter, the angler fish appeared to be sulking out on a bench with a cup of hot coffee in his hands.

Vol decided to approach and called out to him,"Hey Baxter!"

Baxter jumped at the sound of his name being called, narrowing his eyes,"Ugh, who is it? Can't you see I don't want to be bothered?" He then turned to see Volastor staring at him with a raised brow,"Oh, it's just you, Volastor. Didn't see you there. Long time no see, huh?"

"Indeed it has. I didn't expect to see you here…" Vol took a seat beside him,"What are you doing out here all by yourself? It seems odd to just sit out here with a coffee cup in your hand."

Baxter shrugged,"Whenever I'm not in my lab I go out and get some coffee to energize myself. Since I don't like socializing with people I just sit on the bench instead of staying inside the cafe."

"Oh...are you lonely?"

"Ha. No. I actually prefer it that way, I don't like people around large groups of people for long periods of time. Why, what's it to you?"

"I was just wondering. You seemed rather sad over here…"

Baxter sighed,"I'm always 'sad' to be honest…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really…"

"Oh ok-"

"Well actually yeah I guess...I'm not really good at expressing 'feelings'. Not my forte to be honest. I just feel so bored all the time..."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, I just feel so bummed out. I feel like I'm not doing anything in my life. All my experiments aren't good enough for my standards and I throw them out…"

"They can't be that bad…"

"By your standards they might not be. But I'm kind of a perfectionist so any flaw would be looked at as horrible…"

"Don't be like that, Baxter. I'm sure your science projects are just fine. There's no need to be so harsh on yourself…"

"Easy for you to say, you're not a scientist…"

"I may not be, but I at least understand that not everything in life can be perfect and we can't expect things to go the way they want. Sometimes the unexpected happens without you realizing it until later. My existence is proof of that."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a fusion, Baxter…"

"Wait what? That's possible?" Baxter asked, now staring at him in disbelief through his glasses,"I thought that was all a bunch of crazy talk."

"What do you mean?"

"People have tried to see if it was possible to fuse demons together...it wasn't pretty. I never thought of doing it myself, I thought it was impossible and overly risky, but to know it can happen is a bit...mindblowing…"

"Well, it wasn't on purpose. I came into existence when Vox and Alastor fused together. Or rather, my version of them…"

"Fucking hell, fusion and time travel is possible now? This is just getting crazier by the second. Though how did they do that? Those two hate each other, I can't imagine them fusing on their own accord."

"They didn't," Vol replied,"It's still a bit hazy, but I do remember it was an accident. I think they were trying to retrieve something, but when they touched the crystal, it sucked them and created me as an end result, implanting itself inside my chest…"

"Do you think they're still there?" Baxter asked,"Like in that crystal?"

"I'm not certain, but if they are, they're probably not conscious…."

"What if they are?" Baxter said nervously,"What if they can hear everything but they can't see or move? Wouldn't that be like a double-hell to them? They still exist, but someone else entirely new has taken over the wheel and is using all their assets without them being able to say or do anything."

Vol averted his gaze, feeling a strange pang of guilt wash over him as he touched the center of his chest.

It made him feel...sick, nauseous even, the last thing he needed was to think about that proposal."I...I hope that's not the case. I still haven't quite adjusted to my existence as of yet, I don't want to think about the idea I may be keeping two people trapped inside me without knowing if they are conscious or not."

The idea of his version of Vox and Alastor wanting to scream but being unable to drove icy shivers down his spine. He didn't want to think of the possibility, especially since there was a chance that Baxter was correct and that the crystal was rendering them in a situation where they were aware but couldn't react/do anything.

"For your sake, let's just hope Alastor and Vox aren't conscious in that gem…Cuz if they are, then that's just another level of distributing right there…"

Vol fell silent, he was really hoping they were in a state of unconsciousness where they couldn't tell what was happening else it would make him feel terrible. He didn't want to think about the possibility he was keeping them trapped as long as he existed.

"Hey, Vol? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Vol lied,"Just fine…"

"Is it because of what I said earlier?" Baxter asked,"Don't guilt yourself over it, you didn't ask to exist. I'm just saying, the possibility that they are still conscious is still up on the table…"

Vol sighed,"I really hope they're not…"

Baxter awkwardly shifted in his seat before asking,"So...what are you doing out here? You don't seem like you go out a lot, Vol…"

"I don't. I just wanted to go back to the Greed Sector to go check on how things were before I got stuck here…"

"Stuck here?"

"The elevator broke on me when I used it and transported me all the way to Pride when that wasn't my original destination. I just hope someone fixed it while I was trapped in this Ring…"

"They'd have to eventually," Baxter shrugged,"People pass through that thing all the time. Demons from other Rings need to travel and if the one elevator to the Rings doesn't work, it'll cause a whole lot of problems throughout the area."

"Strange. When I called, they told me to fuck off…Clearly must not have considered it to be that important given how they were nonchalant assholes about it."

"Eh, that's just how people are down here. Everyone is a massive asshole one way or another," The angler admitted,"Still,even if those assholes didn't want to fix it, I bet they'd get tired of the countless complaints from the residents and would send someone over to eventually repair the thing. When something that is used by high-ranking hellborns and imps alike can't work, you'll get a bunch of demons voicing their frustrations and unless they want to come under fire, they'd be smart to dispatch a person to fix the problem before it got out of hand."

"Fair. Though I'm still somewhat skeptical…"

"It should be working," Baxter replied,"I'll see the thing for myself. I'm not an engineer, but if those bastards STILL haven't fixed the thing, maybe I can at least try…"

"Hn. That's nice of you, Baxter…"

"Hey, I mean, I still owe you one for saving me earlier in Vox's twisted game-show….Speaking of which, last I saw you, we made our separate ways after the game show when you took his shark, what happened afterwards?"

"It's a long story," Vol said,"I'll tell you on the way there….Come on, follow me."

Baxter nodded, taking his drink as he followed Vol's trail, standing right beside him.

"You see, after I ran off with Vark, I realized that Vox would send his men after me, so I teleported us somewhere his men couldn't get us. I needed a place to stay so I went to this 'Happy Hotel' as it was one of the few places that were open at that time."

"Oh god, you seriously went there? Really?"

"What? I needed a place to stay. Alastor wasn't exactly a fan of me since I was still in my TV form and I looked like Vox, but Charlie convinced him to let me stay. He was still somewhat hostile towards me for a while, but we managed to lower tensions eventually. Everything was going fine, until Angel slipped up and left a box of food for Vark at his found the box, likely because he was trying to find extra money Angel was keeping from him and approached Vox about this. Vox turned his attention to the hotel and demanded Vark back, to which I declined. When told to leave, Vox said he'd leave once I show my 'true' face. I refused at first, but when Charlie told me to do so to see if Box was being truthful, I had no other choice but to revert back to my original form…"

"And then what?"

"When they saw me like this, they were all in shock. Vox claimed I was a wolf in sheep's clothing and said I wasn't to be trusted. I wanted to argue, but I felt unable to properly respond to this claim until Alastor stood up for me and demanded for Vox to leave. Vox said he'd leave once Vark came with him but I wasn't keen on giving him up just yet, so Alastor proposed a game where whoever Vark chose was who he stayed with. Vox didn't take it seriously until after some time, Vark came to me and flew into a rage. Of course, with my superior strength, I managed to keep him at bay and Vark actually bit him to prevent him from attacking me again. Afterwards, we eventually came to a compromise that allowed Vark to stay with both of us, however, since Vox had to go back to Val's Studio, that meant we all had to stay there."

"Val's Studio? Didn't that place burn down not too long ago?" Baxter asked,"I saw that on the news. The inferno was so bad that it had to be put out immediately so that it didn't burn down the entire district. The smell of smoke was so high that when I first smelled the smoke I thought one of my experiments went haywire and was ready to combust."

"Oh that," Vol chuckled,"I burned down Val's Studio."

"On purpose?"

Vol nodded,"There was a reason for it. You see, while I was at that Studio, it wasn't all fun and roses. I did meet Velvet, whom I'm currently sharing with Vox and Alastor at the moment, however Valnetino did sour the experience tremulously."

"How?"

"He's a pervert," Vol growled,"His first interaction with me involved him groping my ass."

"Ew…"

"And that's not all, he kept making advances towards me, all of which I rejected. Eventually, Val must've gotten...frustrated with my rejection and attempted to give me a drink. I didn't know it at the time, but it was spiked with heavy drugs, drugs that would've rendered me unconscious so that he could've...had his way with me without any chance of resistance."

Baxter cringed,"How'd you find out it was drugged? You rejected the drink.."

"I did, but Vox didn't…"

"What? Wasn't Vox a boyfriend or something, that's what I heard. Why the fuck would he drug his ex? Can't he just ask him?"

"I believe he did, Vox just wasn't in the mood, at least that's what I presume. Val has this inability to take no for an answer and gave Vox the drink that was originally intended for me and...and…" Vol looked away,"Raped his unconscious body…"

Baxter stared at him in disbelief, unable to say anything."Did you…"

"Did I what? See it? Oh most definitely. I was told by Alastor to check on Vox after he found his drink on the table. I was reluctant at first as I was still angry at him, but when I saw Val on top of Vox, it was awful. He was having the time of his life with Vox's body while Vox was completely out of it. Never in that moment had I felt that amount of rage towards someone. I already despised Valentino, but when I saw him doing that to Vox, I lost control. I attacked him viciously, beating him within an inch of his life before burning his Studio to ash and cinder. I know it was a rash, but I couldn't help myself."

"Honestly, I probably would've done the same thing in your position," Baxter said.

"After that, we told Vox what happened when he came around. I felt horrible as he just locked himself away. I thought it was my fault for a while and even when he told me it wasn't...I just felt like I could've saved him earlier...and to an extent, I still do…"

"Hey, that wasn't your fault," The shorter man replied,"There wasn't anything you could've done about that."

"I know...I just...couldn't help it…" Vol then sighed,"Not like it matters. Everything has settled down. I just need to visit Greed and I believe I'll be all set…"

"I think the elevator is just up ahead,"Baxter muttered, motioning to the elevator that seemed to be fixed,"Thank god they fucking fixed it. Looks like those incompetent douches finally did their jobs."

"About time," Vol mused,"Looks like people complained enough to get the job done. I wish you could come with me, Baxter. It's been nice catching up with you…"

"Eh, I don't like traveling honestly so it's not that big of a deal," The angler replied sheepishly,"Besides, it was nice to accompany you here. Though I believe we should go our separate ways…"

Vol nodded, preparing to leave when his ears twitched at the sound of something not too far away from there. Vol's eyes darted when he suddenly saw a bomb land right by his foot, immediately pushing Baxter out of the way on instinct, wheezing as the smoke from the bomb began messing with his sinuses, vision becoming blurry and his head spinning,"Ack! Fuck! What the hell was that!?"

Vol's eyes narrowed as he struggled to see, the smoke clearing just enough to where he could make out Cherri Bomb,"Long time no see, Volastor! Miss me?"

"You wish," He hissed, wanting to lunge at her, however his body was being weighed down and he was slowly losing consciousness,"Fucking little bitch…."

"Says the guy who can't even stand! How does it feel to be weak and helpless? Not so good, am I right?"

"Shut up…" Vol growled.

"Now, Vol, baby. There's no need to look so upset…"

Vol's eyes widened when he saw Valentino standing not too far from Cherri, along with two other demons he didn't recognize."You...you bastard...I fucking knew you couldn't stay dead forever…"

"Can't kill a sinner permanently down here, babe," Val teased,"Don't give me that look, Vol. I've been wanting to see you for a while. You look so sexy down on the ground like that, all small and helpless. Kind of wish we didn't have to take you to the boss immediately else I'd have some fun with you right now…"

"Fuck you!" Vol growled,"Like hell I'd let you do such a thing, you disgusting pervert!"

Ada rolled her eyes,"Ugh, why is this smoke taking so long? Shouldn't he be completely out by now? I find it irritating he's still talking."

"Now, babe, be patient. He'll lose consciousness eventually," Val cooed,"Just give it time..It won't be long…I can tell, he won't last that much longer. Trust me, the drugs I used are doing their work, just like I told you they would."

"VOL!" Baxter shouted, now snarling,"Stay the fuck away from him, you fucking bastards!"

"Oh great, who invited the pipsqueak?" Val asked,"His voice is getting on my nerves." Val prepared to shoot Baxter, but his shot missed when Vol managed to use his remaining strength to trip him with a tendril."ARGH!"

"Baxter, RUN!" Vol shouted,"RUN AWAY! THERE'S NOT THAT MUCH TIME! THEY'LL KILL YOU IF YOU STAY!"

Baxter stared at him,"But what about you?"

"Forget about me, you won't live if you stay here! Run for it! You have to trust me on this...I won't….last...much….long...er…." Vol fell unconscious, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"Ew, sentimental emotions, gross," Ada grumbled,"Alright everyone, that takes care of him. You three, go back to the mansion, I'll handle our pest problem," She said, eyeing Baxter before revealing her claws,"Stand still for me, will you? It'll only hurt for a bit…"

Baxter did the exact opposite, now running for his life.

Ada sighed,"They always run. Figures. Guess we're doing this the hard way…" She quickly went on the pursuit, chasing Baxter like an animal would view its prey, preparing to close-line him if she got the chance.

Baxter was running on adrenaline at that point, however even with that, Ada was still right behind him, on the hunt like a cheetah. He could just feel her breathing on his neck as he ran down the alleyway. He knew if he didn't lose her, he'd be in for a world of pain.

'Shit shit shit! She's right on my ass! I gotta get rid of her before she bisects me!' Baxter's mind raced for a solution, trying to find a way to outwit the assassin.

"You know you'd make my job easier if you stopped running…"

'Like hell I'd do that! Come on, Baxter! THINK! What could possibly slow this crazy bitch down!?' His eyes then noticed the coffee in his hand. He had forgotten he was holding it until now, however now that he thought about it, this was possibly his chance. If he didn't want to get murdered, he'd have to use a….underhanded tactic to get away.

'For the love of god, please work…'

He then turned around and shouted,"Take this, you crazy bitch!" He then threw the cup in her face, the hot coffee splattering onto her eyes, causing her to suddenly fall to her knees and scream.

"AUGH! MY EYES!" She screeched in agony,"Why you little bastard!? How dare you damage my eye-sight! I swear, I'll gut you like the fish you are when I get my hands on you!"

Baxter had already taken off by the time she said that sentence, running like a maniac. When he was certain he got a large enough distance away from Ada, he looked around for a place to hide.

"That distraction won't last for long, I better hide before she regains her vision…" He quickly took notice of a sewer lid,"Perfect...This should work." He opened the lid and hid himself inside, sliding the lid back on as he did so.

He stood on the ladder, his breathing became heavy when a few minutes later, he heard heels on the ground above. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest, knowing that it was likely Ada standing above him.

After a few moments, he heard her say,"Dammit. Looks like the fish has escaped. Not a sign of him anywhere." Despite her calm tone, Baxter could feel the anger in her voice from there,"The others are going to have a laugh about this one. Couldn't even catch a measly sea creature. How pathetic. Oh well, at least we got the fusion in our grasp. That's what we came here for. Lord Lucifer is going to be pleased with us. That fish is no longer my concern, he's no threat to us anyway. If he does show his face again, I'll be certain to kill him next time..."

Her footsteps eventually walked away from the area, Baxter's breath returning to normal. His eyes widened,"Shit! Vol's been kidnapped by Lucifer's gang and he's got Valentino and Cherri Bomb at his side. Vol is in trouble, I gotta help him. He's already saved my ass three times, I can't let him down now. But I'm too weak on my own…"

Baxter then crawled his way down into the sewer. He didn't want to risk running into Ada again, so he figured it was best to prowl the sewer system until the coast was clear. He already had an affinity for dark places, and while it was disgusting down here, it was safer than the surface for him .

At the moment, he wasn't certain what to do. He didn't want to confront those people again, he was scared. Vol told him to run and forget about him…likely to let him go back to his lab and experiment just like he used to.

He snarled,fist clenching,"No...I can't forget...I won't forget…"

He wasn't a fighter, he was a scientist, a meek one at that. He was known as a coward and truthfully, he knew he was one.

However, even cowards had their limits and this one of them. A part of him wanted to hide and go back to his lab, to go about life as normal but he then remembered how Vol helped him in the past, from the times at Vox's game show to now…

He refused to sit back any longer. He knew he stood no chance against Lucifer, let alone his gang, but maybe if he found help, they could save him…

"Don't worry Vol...I'll get help," Baxter scowled, eyes burning with vengeance,"I know you don't want me to try saving you, but I've let you save me too many times to let you fall here…"

With that said, he shrunk into the shadows.

Thanks for 4,560 views! Tell me what you think below, love to know your thoughts!

Mitsuru6: Yeah, I was listening to Hellfire the entire time(seriously I somewhat cringing when I had to write the last part cuz of how icky it was).