Big shoutout to TheChamp123 and Prismsix for their help in all this. This section seems to be lacking like an opp so I thought I'd try my hand at it. Hopefully you guys enjoy it. I'll also be posting the second chapter of "everybody has a Price'' tomorrow. If you wanna know more of what I got going on or chat with other writers and readers pull up to the discord.

WsEtK4D7

Rome, Italy. A beautiful city that many would describe as breathtaking, romantic, and timeless. The people it housed were kind, polite, friendly, and welcomed others to experience everything their home had to offer. The clear skies allowed the beams of light from the sun to cover almost every bit of the land making it look that much more remarkable.

Traits like these would draw any and everyone, including one Naruto Zeppeli to visit. The young man of 24 was tall even by Italian standards. At 6"1 he was four inches above the average height and he had his grandfather Caesar to thank for that. Despite having heard a lot about him from his grandmother he had never seen what he looked like. The pictures his grandma had of the man had lost the battle against time and were mostly faded. Though with the technology back in the day he couldn't exactly complain, they worked with what they had.

She would always tell him how he looked more and more like Caesar every day. His blond hair was just as spikey if not a bit shorter in length. He wore black denim jeans and a red shirt underneath a zip up hoodie that was zipped halfway up with the hood covering his hat. He wasn't much for hats but when the sun was as bright as today, he didn't feel like holding a hand up to the sky to block it.

Having taken most of his traits from his Italian side, he was given a japanese name to honor the other part of his roots. He got some looks from people upon introducing himself but he quickly shrugged it off. His name was part of his heritage and he said it as proudly as he said his last name.

"Are you sure you want to go? We can always cancel your flight and get your money back." Naruto heard from behind him. He rolled his eyes lightly but smiled nonetheless at his mother who stood at the doorway to his room. Breaking his gaze away from the beautiful sight of the city from his window he turned to look at the older woman.

"I'm sure mom." He repeated for the umpteenth time today. He loved his mother dearly, but she was quite overbearing at times.

The woman pursed her lips and crossed her arms, a telltale sign that she was unhappy. "I still don't understand what your fascination with Egypt is. Or where it came from for that matter." She muttered as she walked down the hall.

Of course she didn't know, he really didn't know all that well either. Since he was a little kid he found that he could do what many would consider supernatural things. When he was four he thought that he'd had an imaginary friend.

Whenever he needed him he would appear next to him before he could blink. There were no distinguishable features to the 'person' ; it was simply a white apparition that would show up whenever it was needed. To the blond's surprise he found out that no one else could see it. He did everything he could to test if some of his friends could see it but they all ended in failure.

Anytime he went out with his family he'd keep an eye out, hoping to meet someone who could see it but it never happened. He knew he wasn't crazy since he could command it to do things for him and affect things in the real world.

As he grew up he came to the conclusion that there had to be more people in the world that could do what he could. When he was 14 was the first time he felt a sudden pull, a sudden desire to go to egypt. He couldn't describe what it was but it was as if something was calling him there. Unfortunately he didn't have the funds to travel and thus had to live with the constant want to go.

Now though, he had a very large savings account and could finally afford to make the trek out there. The desire had decreased almost overnight one day but he still needed to know why he suddenly felt the pull. All he knew was that it had something to do with the power he had and he wanted to know the reason.

He'd always wanted to travel the world and see how other people lived, and this provided the perfect excuse to leave Italy. Who knows, maybe after Egypt he'd go to another part of the world.

Glancing to the small clock he had on his bedside table, his eyes widened when he saw just how close he was cutting it. Summoning his featureless specter he made it finish packing for him at speeds he himself would never be able to match. He wondered if there were people out there using theirs for such insignificant tasks like he was.

"Alright mom, I'm heading out. I'll call you when I get there. Say bye to dad for me." He said on the way out the door. Making his way down a few flights of stairs of the building they lived in he made it to the ground floor in under five minutes.

An older gentleman stood outside a black car with a sign that read 'Naruto Zeppeli', letting him know that was his ride.

"I got it, it's ok." Naruto said as the man tried to take his luggage from him. Tossing it in the trunk he closed it and made his way to the back seat where he'd spend the next few minutes as the man drove him to the airport.

As he watched the land pass him by through the car window he couldn't help but wonder what he'd find. The people he'd possibly meet and the abilities some of those people would possess. He knew they had to have some type of abilities, it wouldn't make sense for it to just be him. He shook his head and cleared his mind. He'd find out soon enough if there was something more to Egypt or not. Though something in the back of his mind told him that he was in for something special.

He reached the airport in record time and after giving thanks to the driver, he made his way through customs. After making sure everything was in order he was given his gate number and had to play another round of the waiting game. Fortunately due to how late he'd shown up to the airport, the wait was no more than an hour or so before he and the others on his flight were told they could begin boarding.

The flight would only be about 2 and a half hours which was perfect as he wasn't a fan of long distance flying. He'd do it if necessary but would avoid it if possible.

Shortly after finding his seat and tucking his bag under his seat he leaned back and waited until the plane departed. Twenty minutes later the plane took off and after a brief moment of being uncomfortable during the take off, he was finally on his way. Looking down at the clouds below he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.

He forced that feeling down as being excited would only make the plane ride take longer. Naruto asked a flight attendant if she had any sleeping pills and fortunately for him she did. Two pills and a bottle of water later, and he was out for the count.

Dream

'Why did I think this was a good idea?' A frightened five year old Naruto thought to himself. The ball he'd been playing with had gotten stuck up in a tree in his grandma's backyard. Not wanting to bother his parents he decided it would be easier to get the ball himself.

The tree had some pieces of bark that stuck out just enough for his little feet to use as steps and as such, it was easy to make his way up. The real challenge, he soon found out, was getting back down. The ball had landed in one of the branches with plenty of smaller twigs sticking out of it.

A quick poke and the ball was freed from its resting place, unfortunately, Naruto had realized too late that he weighed much more than a ball. Hearing the creaks from the base of the branch he'd shimmied across the realization that he would fall began to settle in.

Naruto could feel his heart beating quickly, adrenaline rushing through his body preparing him for the accident that was to come. He wanted to yell and call out for his parents but couldn't, afraid that any small movement, even inhaling, would only speed up the branch's destruction.

His eyes widened in fear as the branch finally gave out and he felt himself plummet to the ground. It wasn't exactly a high fall but for someone his size it would definitely break a bone or two.

Naruto closed his eyes and braced himself.

'Please don't break anything please don't break anything' He chanted in his mind as he fell. Just as he was about to hit the ground, unknown to him, something sprouted from his body. The blond felt himself stop but didn't feel an impact. Opening his eyes he saw the ground just an inch away from him and his body suspended in mid air.

Soon he was pulled upright and placed back on his feet. He looked down at himself for a moment making sure there was nothing wrong with him before looking up at whatever it was that had saved him.

What he found would have terrified any other child his age. The figure was lanky, long, and had no face to describe, no noticeable marks on its body. It was as if God had created a blank canvas and given it life, bizarrely it resembled something akin to a wooden doll shaped like a person and let it go as it was. But Naruto didn't feel frightened of such a being. It was strange, he felt something akin to familiarity with it.

Tenderly he reached out, wrapping his small hand around its much larger bright white hand. It was soft and warm to the touch much to his surprise and to his delight the figure's appendage wrapped around his. This was the day his life changed forever.

xxxxxxxxxx

Naruto watched as the large man before him marched his way with a frown on his face. The man had his fists clenched and a snarl on his face. Clearly he hadn't taken too kindly to his younger brother having been beaten up at school.

The blond didn't feel the least bit of sympathy for the guy though. He was a bully who liked to pick on the weak and when he was confronted by someone who could fight back, his first response was to call for help. Pathetic.

Still, the behemoth before him wouldn't go down with his fists alone. Naruto was confident in his fighting abilities, he'd asked to take lessons to defend himself shortly after his eighth birthday and had honed his skills since then. It wasn't only for himself but for another close reason.

Naruto had developed a stronger relationship with the figure that had saved him all those years ago. He learned that with mental commands he could control the figure and have it do his bidding. Like he was about to do now.

The large man swung a fat arm at him which was easily ducked. He knew they couldn't see it, he'd tested the theory when he started school so he knew what was coming would go smoothly. A spectral arm overlapped his own and connected with the man's flabby chin.

Everyone's eyes widened in complete shock as the man's body lifted into the air a few feet before crashing back down. His body landed and created a small crater in the ground with his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Looking over at the younger brother who was looking at him with unbridled fear in his eyes he simply nodded his head in another direction.

"Beat it."

The boy didn't need to be told twice and promptly ran while screaming obscenities and promising revenge. Naruto simply stared at his spectral friend with a smirk and while it didn't have a face, it turned back its head in his direction and he knew it would be smirking if it could.

"Please keep your seatbelts fastened and hand all trash to attendants as we will be arriving in Cairo shortly. Thank you"

Naruto's eyes opened slowly at the loud announcement made by the captain of the plane and sat up straight. He rubbed his eyes lightly as he got his bearings together. It had been a while since he dreamed about when he first realized what he could do. Maybe the prospect about finally getting some closure caused it?

He wasn't sure but he didn't dwell on it too much longer. The plane soon landed and he was free to take his things. The security in Egypt was a lot more lax than it was in Italy and he was out of the airport in less than twenty minutes.

The first thing he noticed was it was hot, really fuckin hot. He took his hoodie off leaving him only in his red shirt and called for a cab. Fortunately it wasn't too hard and the driver even recommended a nice hotel that was relatively cheap in price that offered breakfast.

Once he made it and unpacked he opened his window and took in the view from the fourteenth story.

"Well, I'm here. Now what?" He asked himself. He didn't feel any different than when he left. "Wait." He mumbled.

"Cruel Reality." He said as a white glow enveloped him. Soon his specter appeared next to him, looking as devoid of characteristics as the first time he'd been summoned. The only difference now was that it was taller and had beefed up some. Even though there was no skin on it he could tell how much it had grown alongside him.

Now that it had been summoned he felt it. His head turned to the left and he could feel a strange sensation coursing through him. It was a weaker form of what he'd felt all those years ago but he still recognized it.

Whatever it is he was supposed to find was close and in that direction. He headed to the small fridge provided to him in the room and pulled out a bottle of water. He chugged it down and relished the cold liquid as it poured down his throat. Once done he crushed it and took it with him as he exited the room, making sure to throw it into the appropriate waste bin that was at the lobby of the hotel.

After pulling out his wallet and making sure he had ample money, he began making his way down the bustling streets. Kids ran by him as they played together, merchants were restocking their products trying to keep up with the demand, and civilians going about their day littered the streets. Even though most of the buildings had similar color schemes there was something about it that just looked amazing.

Cairo had this personality to it that he just couldn't describe.

'It's a lot more lively than I've heard.' He thought to himself. He blinked momentarily when the feeling came back and turned his head once more to see a rather small building in the distance. It looked like a pub from what he could see.

'Looks like I'm going for a drink.' He mumbled with a slight chuckle. If that's where destiny wanted him to go, then who was he to resist. The walk didn't take long and soon he found himself in a lavish looking bar with dim lights and a rectangular bar in the center of the room. Tables and chairs were mostly vacant, giving him the notion that this was more of a nightlife spot.

Glancing around the room he found a few people but none that stood out, not until he walked around the bar and saw a single figure sitting by herself. The woman had long white almost lavender colored hair with black glasses resting atop her head and wore, from what he could see, a black short black dress that gave one a great view of her brown legs. Along with that she had what seemed to be a long sleeve shirt that was unbutton and covering her arms only, exposing her shoulders. In her hand she had a lit cigarette that she would take a pull from every minute or so.

'Did…did the universe bring me here because it's trying to play matchmaker?' He thought to himself in slight disbelief. He knew his mom wanted him to find a special someone but he didn't think her prayers were so strong the world was actually answering.

Still, he's made it this far and his intuition hadn't let him down before. Making his way over he stood behind the open stool next to her.

"You mind?" He asked as he put his hand on the back of the chair.

The woman looked him over quickly and shrugged, motioning her hand for him to have a seat but never verbally answered. Thanking her silently he took a seat and made eye contact with the bartender.

Giving the selection a quick once over he made his choice and had a small shot glass placed in front of him. While not much of a drinker he didn't mind one or two to relax and unwind. A few minutes passed with nothing out of the ordinary occurring and Naruto began to think maybe this was all his mind just playing tricks on him the entire time.

After all, why Egypt specifically?

"Not much of a talker are you?" He heard the woman next to him say after a pull from her cigarette.

"I'd like to think I am." He responded. "I was going to strike up a conversation but I thought to myself 'how many guys probably tried that today?' If you're here in the daytime I figured you needed some time to yourself."

The woman smirked and pressed her cigarette into the small glass ashtray that was set in front of her before dropping it completely. "Most of the men today didn't seem to understand that. You're different though, I can tell." She said, piquing his curiosity.

"How so?" He asked curiously.

The woman placed her elbow on the counter and rested her head on a closed fist. "There's a certain…air about you that tells me so." She responded softly. Momentarily sitting up right she offered her hand.

"Mariah" She said, introducing herself.

"Naruto Zeppeli."

"Japanese….Italian?" She guessed after hearing his name.

Naruto smiled. "Correct. American?" He guessed back. If the smirk on her face was anything to go by, he probably guessed correctly.

"So what brings you here, Naruto?" She asked after motioning the bartender for a drink. "Other than a drink of course." She clarified.

The blond took a sip of his second drink that he'd ordered after Mariah introduced herself and placed it back down. He thought about the question and how he should answer. What could he say? He didn't know? Something in his mind just told him to show up?

Having seen him ponder the question, Mariah pressed on. "When you sat down it looked like you were waiting for someone or something."

Seeing no other choice he decided to be frank with her. Worst case scenario she laughs him off in disbelief and he can continue what he was doing. He didn't get the chance to speak however as the moment he was about to respond the door to the pub opened in a violent fashion, the doors slamming against the walls.

Naruto heard the bartender sigh in exasperation and saw him keep a hand under the bar, no doubt getting a weapon ready if necessary.

'Looks like this is a regular occurrence.' Naruto thought to himself. He raised an eyebrow as three men approached them, all with smug looks on their faces. They reminded him of those bullies that tried to pick on those weaker than them back in high school.

The three stopped right behind them all ogling Mariah for a moment before turning their attention to him.

"Hey you're in my seat talking to my lady. Move it." The 'leader' ordered. Naruto glanced back at the white haired woman who seemed to be trying not to snicker. She managed to get herself under control and shook her head 'no'.

Seeing as they were full of shit he resolved himself. "I hate making a mess for people but it looks like there's no choice." He said to himself as he stood up. "Make me."

The three guys glanced at each other for a split second and nodded. One slipped his hand into his pocket and Naruto knew he was reaching for some sort of weapon. At that moment an idea came to mind.

Something had led him to this pub, specifically, something had led him to Mariah. Maybe this was the moment he was waiting for.

'If she's really the reason I'm here. Then she should be able to see it then.' He thought to himself. His excitement showed as a large smile appeared on his face much to the anger of the three men, and the curiosity of Mariah.

"Cruel Reality" He whispered. The men's eyes didn't follow the figure that stood behind Naruto, they couldn't see it. Mariah on the other hand, her eyes were fixated on the human-like featureless specter that was behind him.

"He has a stand." He heard her whisper to herself.

'A stand? Is that what they're called?' He thought to himself. That was besides the point though, she could see it! Which meant she most likely had one as well.

Just before the leader took a step forward intent on knocking him out, Cruel Reality's featureless body instantly changed. Eyes opened up where the eye sockets would normally be as well as all along its arms and torso. The eyes blinked together in sync the way a normal person did.

To Mariah who was watching in fascination, that was all they did. However, there was more to it than simply opening eyes. In Naruto's mind he watched as a film seemed to play out before him. The man who reached into his pocket pulled out a small knife and attempted to stab him the moment he dodged the punch from the leader.

Meanwhile the man all the way in the back seemed to have a smarter approach and did nothing, instead he watched what happened with a panicked look on his face. As suddenly as the film reel had appeared in his mind, it was gone. That was one of the effects of his stand, it had allowed him to peek five seconds into the immediate future, giving him a large advantage in most situations.

Not only did it let him see seconds ahead, but while he was viewing no time actually passed in the real world. He blinked and came back down to Earth just as the first man threw a sloppy overhand right. Maybe his speed and strength would be enough to get him far against normal thugs, but he was far from normal.

He moved aside, letting the punch hit nothing but air and without turning his head, parried the second man who had indeed brought out a knife and attempted to stab him. Commanding his stand to attack alongside him he threw a straight right into the man's unguarded chest with immense force.

Needless to say he didn't stand a chance and was sent flying into one of the tables on the other side of the room. Taking advantage of the leader's shocked expression, he kneed the man in the gut then followed it up with an elbow to the back of the neck. The man's eyes rolled back into his head and unluckily for him, his head also bounced off the counter top of the bar creating a large gash on his forehead.

Naruto looked at the last member of the group who stared at him then back to his fallen comrades. It was almost amusing how the man just shook his head, raised his arms in defeat and walked right out of the establishment.

"Sorry for the mess." Naruto apologized to the man behind the bar.

"Not necessary. They've been a pain around here and continuously harass our customers because no one dares stand up to them. I'll have some people dispose of them." The gentleman replied as he snapped his fingers.

Taking a seat once more he turned to see Mariah now sitting upright facing him. Her bored expression was now replaced with a look of intrigue.

She leaned a bit closer to him and spoke. "So you're a stand user huh. I knew there was something about you." Her smirk returned to her face along with a triumphant air to her.

"I am." He confirmed. "I'm going to assume you are too."

She nodded.

"You asked me what brought me here. The short version is I had a strong desire to come to Egypt for almost a decade now but didn't know why and didn't have the means. Something told me to come here for some reason and I wanted to know why." He began. "I thought by coming here I would probably be able to find more people like me and it looks like I was right."

Mariah pulled out another cigarette and took a pull before replying. "Well, I think I can tell you why you wanted to come here back then."

The woman went on to tell him about the event that took place all that time ago. About a man named Dio who gathered stand users to try and kill off a man's bloodline in order to fully take control of the world. It was definitely a strange tale but he knew the woman wasn't lying. Things added up, if there were that many stand users here at once, that must have been the reason for the pull he felt.

"That's…a lot to take in." He confessed. "So you were one of the people that worked for him?"

The woman nodded and he saw a look of slight regret mar her face. "I was. I hurt a lot of people in the process, all because I let myself get talked into this for the amount of money he was offering. After almost being killed I constantly thought of everything I'd done and have been trying to right my wrongs." She confessed.

"Wow. That's pretty incredible honestly. What brought you back to Egypt? If you ever left."

"I did leave but this is where I caused the most damage so I've returned to try and see if I can find peace within myself. I've donated money, helped out at different hospitals, you name it and over the past year I've probably done it." she said.

Naruto nodded to himself. Sounded like she was doing a decent job. "So why are you still here?"

"I'm not really sure. I have no family to return to, and no real aspirations in life so I'm just wandering now, seeing where I can help someone. How about you? Now that you found another stand user, what are you gonna do now?" She asked.

The blond hummed to himself for a moment. "Not sure honestly. I didn't have a plan when I came here. I just played it by ear. I've always wanted to travel the world and this was the perfect excuse to do so. Who knows, maybe I might find some adventure along the way." He told her.

"Adventure huh?" Mariah muttered as she took another drag of her cigarette. She thought back to what she could consider her 'adventure' all those years ago and rather than fill her with joy and good memories they did the opposite. "How long are you staying in Egypt?"

"A little while. Gonna take in the sights, soak up the culture and enjoy myself. From there I'll probably go to another country and repeat." He replied.

Mariah stared at him for a moment, almost as if weighing her options. "Would you mind some company?" She offered.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You're the first stand user I've met in a while that isn't some twisted fuck. Plus, like I said earlier there's a certain air about you, something tells me you're going to find that adventure you're looking for and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be part of something like that." She told him.

He'd be lying if he said he wouldn't like some company on his travels but he couldn't be too trusting. "I'd love to have a travel companion but how do you know you won't get sick of me? We've known each other for a couple minutes and the only thing we have in common at the moment is that we both use stands."

Mariah's respect for Naruto rose a few points at his response. She was half expecting him to say yes like any other hot blooded male. She wouldn't be opposed to having fun with him, he was a good looking guy even if he did look a few years younger than her but the fact that he could think with upper head impressed her. He was thinking about making sure she was sure about her choice.

"That's true. Well, you're gonna be in Egypt for a while right? Let's use that time to get to know each other. Sound good?" She proposed.

"Deal." The two shook hands once more and after paying for the drinks they'd had, left the pub together.

1 Year Later

"So where to now?" Mariah asked as she got dressed. After leaving the pub together a year ago the two went around Egypt simply enjoying the sights, helping people along the way, and overall immersing themselves with what the country had to offer. They soon realized they got along rather well and a few months after travelled to England.

Along the way they encountered a handful of other stand users, some were friendly and some not so much. Despite the battles he'd had against these people none of them really satisfied him. He still had a feeling in his gut that told him he hadn't reached where he needed to go. Meeting Mariah was only the first step in his journey.

"Japan. I've heard of certain things happening in a place named Morioh that can't really be explained normally. Plus that feeling I had about going to Egypt years ago returned, which means there's probably a good number of stand users there." Naruto explained as he put his black hoodie on.

"Well, you've been spot on so far, no reason to doubt you now. Have you bought the tickets?" She asked, putting her shoes on.

He nodded. "Yup. We leave tonight." He told her.

The woman shook her head in disbelief. He hadn't even given her a heads up, now she had to hurry and pack. Not that they had much but still.

Later that night as they sat in their seats on the plane Naruto stared out the window, watching the lights disappear below the clouds in the sky.

"What's on your mind?" Mariah asked not taking her eyes off the magazine in her hand.

"Nothing important. I was just thinking how crazy this is. I wanted to see the world and find people like me. You were looking to find peace and direction in your life and for some reason we ran into each other." He began.

"I know you roll your eyes at my 'corny' lines but I get the feeling the same thing is going to happen on this trip to Japan. I really think that some people are just fated to meet each other." He finished.

Naruto didn't know it yet but upon reaching Japan, he'd find out how true those words really were.