"Miiiiles. Miiiiiiiiiiiiiles."

"It didn't work the first seven times, why do you think it would work on the eighth?"

"Actually Seto, I think he's starting to wake up."

Miles cracked his eyes open. It was hard. He felt so sluggish and groggy. He didn't know what time it was, or where he was. It wasn't the park, and it wasn't the shrine. The room was warm and yellow. Paintings of dragons decorated the wall. In the adjacent room visible just beyond the transparent door were a bunch of dining tables and green booths and chairs.

He was jolted awake by a bone-crushing hug. "Miles! It's good to see you again, bro!"

Pavitr Prabhakar was a surprising face to see. Miles didn't know if he was in league with Miguel. He really hoped he wasn't. He didn't seem like he'd be. He wasn't even there when Gwen and Peter betrayed him. But Hobie hadn't. He helped him. Pav and Hobie were best friends. That had to mean something, right?

He glanced up to see Seto, Robin, Connie, and Giorno had taken a seat at a nearby table. It was a foot away at most.

As if sensing the discomfort or being blissfully unaware of any tension, Pav continued. "Gwen, Hobie, and I have been looking for you everywhere!"

"Gwen?" Miles questioned. He could feel his face twitch into a scowl.

"Something wrong, Miles?" Giorno asked.

"Who's Gwen?" Robin asked.

"Not a friend," Miles answered.

Pav shook his head. "You've got it all wrong, Miles. She wants to help you! We all do! Look, for the record, I had no idea…or…well, I didn't pay attention to what Miguel said about you being an anomaly, but Gwen filled me in. That's why you're running from him now, right? We plan on helping you with that! And a few others. There's me, Gwen, Hobie, Peter, Spider-Noir, Peni, Spider-Byte, and even Spider-Ham!"

"You know some interesting people, Miles," Giorno noted. He sat up straight. His face darkened. "Still, it's your decision. Tell me what you want to do."

Miles, still groggy, in shock, and unsure of exactly what he was feeling, rubbed his face. "I don't know. I-I need to think about all this."

"Why not think it over some tea?"

Miles glanced up to see an older man with long gray hair and beard. He kind of had that friendly grandpa energy going on. But looks could be deceiving. Beside him was a girl with blonde hair, school uniform, and curls that were similar but shorter than Usagi's curls.

"Hello Iroh! Hello Mami!" Connie spoke up. "Is the tea shop doing well?"

"You guys know each other?" Miles asked.

"Yeah! They helped us—!" Connie started. Seto cut her off.

"Maheswaran, I'm sure no one needs to learn every detail of our situation."

"Why? You don't want to admit that Iroh, Pav, and Mami helped our group of people beat the monsters invading your corporation?"

"It was no big deal, Mr. Kaiba," Iroh spoke up with a gentle smile. "We just happened to be at the wrong place at the right time."

Iroh turned to Miles, "Now, it seems like you've got a lot on your mind, why don't you settle down with some nice relaxing ginseng tea? It'll help clear your mind."

Miles was speechless at the moment. He couldn't think of anything to say. Who in the hell was genuine in this room? Crazily enough, the person he trusted the most right now was the guy who made a deal with a demon.

"Pav," Iroh said. "Can you help me make some tea for our new friends here? I think they may need a minute."

Pav was quiet for a moment. It seemed like the gravity of the situation was dawning on him now. "Oh. Yeah. I should…go do that."

The two entered the room a little further back. The blonde girl sat down with them, placing empty teacups in front of them. Giorno inched a little closer.

"So…Pav is interesting."

Miles stayed silent.

"Do we need to leave?"

Miles thought for a moment and shook his head. "Nah. Pav is…honest. I don't think he'd double-cross me. But…it's all that other stuff he said. The stuff he said about Gwen wanting to help me. She…"

"Broke your heart?" Seto asked off-handedly.

"You know, being subtle would do you some good, Mr. Kaiba," the girl, Mami commented. She sat down at their table. "I have a team I help back home. There can be a lot of trust issues. It leads to a lot of problems. I don't think Pav is trying to pull the wool over your eyes."

"But they all did!" Miles protested. "They all knew. They all knew how their little Spider Society viewed me, and they told me nothing! They would've let my dad die!"

All his anger came rushing to the forefront. Why did he have to be calm? Why did he have to be clear-headed? Gwen knew! Peter knew! They tried to stop him from saving Inspector Singh just to preserve the sacred canon, which wasn't even proven to be the issue of the problems in the multiverse. They trusted Miguel O'Hara more than they trusted him. They wouldn't see him because of some damned, arbitrary rule. They didn't care. They didn't!

Peter's words echoed in his brain: "You're the reason I had her!"

Damn it.

He remembered how Peter had been reaching out in that moment. He was trying. He didn't know Miguel was tracking him. But it still hurt. And Gwen. Gwen upset him the most. He thought he meant something to her.

But Pav. Pav hadn't even known he couldn't save both Inspector Singh and the bus full of people. It was Miles who had interrupted that canon event. Who's to say he knew his dad would have to die…at least according to Miguel?

"Miles."

Pav stood in the doorway. He looked genuinely upset. "I swear. I didn't know. If I'd have known, I would've helped you sooner. I swear."

Miles took a deep breath in. "I believe you."

Pav smiled. "I'm glad."

"But I don't believe Gwen!" Miles snapped. "I don't know if I can ever trust her again."

"This Gwen you're talking about isn't Gwen Stacy, is it?" Seto asked.

Miles nodded. "Why? You know her."

"I'm starting to regret it, yes. Is she really unreliable?"

"I'd say so," Giorno said. "Miles hasn't lied yet. I trust his judgement."

And then there was a twinge of guilt. He was lying—to Giorno. He'd had that run in with his father. But his father seemed off. It might be best to keep it from him. Was…was he a hypocrite? No. He wasn't going to let his friend get hurt. Maybe after all this was said and done, he and Giorno could hang out in his universe. He'd be able to prove to his Mama and Dad that he did, in fact, have friends.

"The tea is ready!"

…

"Alastor thinks it's a good idea!" Charlie Morningstar argued.

"And Alastor is up to something," Vaggie argued. "Look, I know it sounds like a good idea on paper, but our business is really more suited to hell—not people who need therapy."

As much as Vaggie loved her girlfriend Charlie, there were a lot of sinners in the living world. And combining a whole fuck-ton of them was going to be a nightmare. And Charlie only had one human so far since she literally found him dying on the street. Vaggie did admire that, though. Her girlfriend did love strays.

"But we can help rehab people before they even end up in Hell. It's such a good idea, Vaggie! The angels will have no excuses but to accept a human who turns their life around. We've already got a guest, too!"

"He murdered a woman in cold blood and drinks coffee all day. That's not exactly grade-A material we've been given."

"I dunno, he's kinda hot," Angel Dust spoke up.

"No one was talking to you," Vaggie snapped.

"Well, Dad's already supplied the renovations for the earth hotel. He thinks it's a good idea, too."

"Maldita mierda," Vaggie muttered under her breath.

"I agree with Angel on this one," Cherri Bomb said, draping herself on the couch near Angel. "He's pretty hot."

"I don't know," Husk spoke up. "I've never trusted lawyers. They're the biggest hagglers of all time. And they're only fifty/fifty at gambling. Odds are no way he's reforming."

Out of the shadows, Alastor appeared in the room, a smug smile on his face. Though, that could've just been Vaggie's distrust for Alastor.

"And he was a lawyer. He's halfway to hell already. Unless our Charlie is allowed to rehab him."

Fuck you, Alastor. He knew exactly what buttons to press to make Charlie agree with him.

It was quiet for a moment. Before said Prosecutor Godot spoke up. "So…do you all just talk about people in front of them all the time, or…?"

"Sorry about them," Charlie apologized. "It's just always exciting for us to get a new member here!"

Godot took another sip of coffee. "It's…fine. Glad to know I'm hot, just like a perfectly blended brew of black coffee."

"And he's a poet," Angel said with a small smirk. "That's how they get ya."

"Kinda just sounds like he's full of himself," Husk muttered.

"Question," Godot spoke up. "Do you guys know how redemption actually works or are we going blind here?"

"Well, we have an idea of what it takes to get into heaven," Charlie assured him. "Though, the qualifications might look a little ridiculous."

She handed him a sheet of paper with Adam's three listed requirements. Godot quickly read through it and chuckled. "Stick it to the man? What demon wrote this?"

"Actually, it was that asshole, Adam," Angel said. "You know, first man, Adam. He was an angel."

"Hell yeah, was," Cherri said, giving him a high-five.

"Did…did you guys kill the first man? Like from the Bible first man?"

"To be fair, he deserved it," Vaggie said.

"I was always taught Adam and Eve went to purgatory. Guess Catholicism got that wrong," Godot said, taking another sip. "Though, I'm not surprised."

"I'm sorry if this is a bit overwhelming," Charlie said. "I promise, we'll do our best to get you into heaven."

"I'm not so sure if I'm interested in that. I'm just someone looking to do better. You seem like you want to help, so consider me at your service."

Charlie smiled, her eyes watering. "That is so sweet! Thank you! I can tell this will be easy! You'll get to heaven in no time, I promise! Or at least meet their standards—not that you want to die right now!"

Vaggie chuckled. Her girlfriend was a goof, but she was a goof with a good heart. If she believed in this guy, she'd help her to help him.

…

"You want us to do what now?" Hop asked, raising an eyebrow.

Wally knew this wasn't going to go over well, but Toph still seemed confident in the plan. Hop openly frowned and scoffed at the idea. They were in a diner, driving the poor, young waitress crazy. Miss Eda seemed only a little surprised they'd managed to go back to talk to Mr. Wright and found them trying to keep a Drifloon away from the playground equipment in the park. Wally had to chase it away with his Magnezone.

"Think about it," Toph said. "We could repay Mr. Wright if we help him out with this case."

"I guess that makes sense," Hop conceded. "But how're you going to convince those two to even talk to us? They're big mad."

"Then you'll have to apologize," Hau said with a slight shrug.

"Wha—? No way! Anyway, you made them mad, too!"

"And I'll apologize."

"That victory was rightfully earned. We shouldn't have to apologize for it."

"C'mon," BB spoke up reassuringly. "Just think of it as for the mission. Me and Cy did stuff for missions all the time."

"I just don't understand," Hop whined, rubbing his forehead. "Why did it have to be that pain in the neck?"

"Hey, it's not like we're looking forward to it," Toph argued.

"Can't you guys go easy on the kid?" Eda asked. "Doesn't seem like he's had it that great."

"Seriously," Shauna agreed. "You guys are being real jerks right now."

"Hey! I didn't do anything!" Gus retorted.

"I wasn't talking about you, Gus."

"Oh. Carry on, then."

The TV in the café flashed to another program, almost like an emergency broadcast. All they could see was a red house crest run through by a blue sword.

Then a familiar voice said, "Leon, I think you're too close to the camera."

Hop's expression fell into one of surprise and delight, "Lee?!"

Said former champion backed away from the camera and rubbed the back of his head, "Heh. Sorry, Steven. These cameras are weird."

"You're welcome," Mr. Meta spoke in a huffy voice off-camera.

"Not that I'm not grateful!" Leon added quickly.

The camera backed away, revealing more people with him: Champion Steven (being the voice Wally had undoubtedly recognized), Champion Wallace, Champion Lance, Champion Diantha, Champion Geeta, Champion Iris, Champion Alder, Champion Kukui, and Champion Cynthia. They were all there! Seeing them, undoubtedly, sparked a little bit of hope that maybe they could figure out a way of getting everyone home. The champions were strong. They made things safer, usually.

Leon cleared his throat. "My name is Leon. I'm the champion of the Galar region. Behind me are the champions from the other regions: Lance the champion of both Kanto and Johto, both Steven Stone and Wallace the champions of Hoenn, Cynthia the champion of Sinnoh, both Alder and Iris are champions of Unova, Diantha the champion of Kalos, Professor Kukui who is both champion and Pokémon professor of Alola, me, and Geeta who is the champion of the Paldea region."

He turned to the crowd, "Did I miss anyone?"

Lance shook his head. "No. We're all accounted for."

Leon gave him a thumbs up. "Great!"

He turned back to face the camera. "We're here today to announce our own defense and protection system for those who have come here, unaware, and gotten lost along this interdimensional journey."

"We've worked together with professors from all regions," Diantha cut in. "We've designed an app that allows for better social interaction via the Pokenav system."

"And meanwhile," Cynthia interjected. "We all will be on the search for Pokémon who can help set the world to right."

That's right. There were supposedly some legendary Pokémon in Sinnoh who could control all of space and time. They might help them get everyone home, depending upon how keen they felt on helping humans…or in Gus and Eda's cases, witches.

Someone flipped the TV to another station. An older man running the diner said, "Good. We'll finally be rid of all these nuisances."

Wally hadn't given much thought to how the locals might've perceived them. It appeared they did not appreciate them—not at all. But who could blame them? It was a little crazy: they brought monsters, villains, and weird heroes. It couldn't have been good for their local events and environment. If anyone knew anything about how important it was to have a healthy environment, it was Wally. As it stood, the air here wasn't very good. He felt sicker than usual, but he was afraid to complain. In some aspects, he might've still been that meek boy from Petalburg. In others, he would do anything to make sure, even strangers, stayed safe.

"Lee…" Hop murmured. "I wonder where he is."

"We'll help you find him," Shauna said.

"Yeah! Should be a piece of cake! I mean, look at that cape he's got!" Gus agreed. "He should stick out."

Hop frowned. "And he's a hero with a good heart…"

Everyone froze with the realization that those monsters were still out there. Sure, they hadn't seen them since Mr. Bucciarati, Miss Eda, Gus, Toph, and BB helped fend those things off of them, but there was no guarantee anyone was safe from them, especially if they put themselves out there like the champions were doing.

"Don't worry, kid," Miss Eda said. "We won't let anything bad happen to your brother, alright?"

Hop nodded. "Th-thanks. Though I'm still worried. Lee is pants with directions. He might just get lost and run into one of those things."

The TV started to crackle again. And it opened with a man speaking about some sort of Vox-tech that would 100% keep monsters from attacking anyone. Wally wondered if that was entirely truthful. Although he'd only seen these monsters once, once was enough.

…

Miles, now holding a cup of Ginseng (to which Pav's suggestion of Chai had been overruled), felt so incredibly tired. It's like he hadn't slept in days. To Iroh's credit, the tea did help. Mami had turned on the TV. He, albeit a bit embarrassedly, recognized some of the Pokémon region champions had gathered to make their own task force. Good for them! If they weren't mixed in with Miguel, then that might be good for him, too. Maybe he could meet with Cynthia and tell her about his plan with Dialga and Palkia. Might be worth a shot, so long as she didn't speak to Miguel first.

Then another broadcast came on. It was labeled as Vox Tech. The screen went blue, and the soothing, calm voice droned on how it was going to make tech to defend against the daimon running rampant. However, as the voice carried on, Miles found his mind slipping. He couldn't look away, not even to check on his friends. And no one called for him. It was as though he had no control over his own movements.

"You're one of the ones Alastor is interested in making a deal with?" the voice asked, somehow separating itself from the continuing broadcast. "And what luck, your friend is one of the ones he already made a deal with. I'll just put a stop to it now. Really, it's for the best for both of you, and well, mainly for me, but it's just good business."

A long hand shot out from the TV screen, aiming straight for Miles and someone behind him, no doubt Giorno, if he was understanding correctly. He couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Couldn't hear movement or even sound around him. His mission would be cut short before he had time to fix anything!

The kitchen door opened and shut. Miles felt his face heat up as a bolt of fire traced itself over the arm, causing it to shrink back, but not disappear entirely.

"Get out of my shop! Leave these kids alone!" He heard Iroh say.

The voice laughed. "Look old man, your fire isn't gonna do much to me. I've felt much worse. That, and there's no way I'm letting that damn radio demon gain any more power. I'll be the only demon running this show! Step aside, and I won't kill you."

Before Iroh could say anything, the front door to the tea shop rang open. A familiar voice spoke up. "And the Blade will take care of any demons who search to harm the innocent! DOLOR!"

"Don't take all the glory, Wyll. Gale, pretty sure you and our new friends could help out."

"With pleasure. IGNIS!"

"Sparkling wide pressure!"

Something Miles couldn't see and a bolt of lightning, and flame bolt struck the hand, causing the voice to yelp and jerk its hand back through the screen. The TV shut itself off.

"What in the hell was that?" Giorno asked. "Who was that?"

Miles looked ahead. Standing in the doorway was none other than Gale of Waterdeep, Karlach, Makoto, Ami, and the Blade of Frontiers (Wyll Ravengard) sitting down at a table near their group.

"Iroh," Karlach exclaimed. "Good to see you, soldier! How are you?"

"I've been well," Iroh said, a somewhat troubled smile on his face. "I see you've made new friends."

"Ah yes, well, they're secret heroes. Strong ones, too," Karlach said with a grin. "We got caught up in a monster incident. Any word on if you've seen Astarion, Shadowheart, Tav, Halsin, or Lae'zel?"

The two carried on their private conversation while Gale, Wyll, Ami, and Makoto joined them.

"Who's been making deals with demons? It's a bit of a foolish errand, you know?" Gale asked. Wyll gave him a look. "No offense."

"What I think Gale is fumbling to say," Wyll said with a small smirk, "Is that making such deals with demons, especially at your age is a rather unwise thing to do. You have no idea what they can take from you. Whatever they've asked of you, it's not worth it. Trust me, I know from experience."

"You've made a deal with a demon?" Ami asked, a little shocked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Wyll said with a slight frown. "If it hadn't been for our dear friend, Tav, I may not have ever gotten out. And getting out is sometimes near impossible."

Miles glanced at Giorno. His face was almost unreadable. But all this talk about demons and deals had to be getting to him.

"Wait a minute," Miles said, sensing Giorno's discomfort around this topic. He turned to Makoto and Ami. "How'd you two get mixed up with the Baldur's Gate gang?"

"The Baldur's Gate gang," Gale mused. "Now that's a title I never thought to call our little band."

"Probably because it sounds ridiculous," Seto remarked.

"Back to the point," Giorno said. "How did you two end up meeting…these people?"

"Well," Makoto began. There was a glint of admiration in her eyes. "A monster attacked the shrine last night. And Karlach just happened to notice. She came in, and tore the daimon the shreds, like it was nothing!"

"Awe, thanks, soldier. It was nothing, really. You'd think the damned thing was made of paper."

"Anyways, we decided we'd all celebrate with some tea," Makoto explained. "I got a 'critical hit' on one of those monsters who almost got Hunter."

"They're obsessive," Giorno said, shaking his head.

"Who are we talking about?" Connie asked.

"Our friend," Miles explained. "They won't leave him alone until they see what his heart looks like."

"Sounds bad," Robin said. "Maybe we can help you guys out?"

"We've got other places to be," Seto spoke harshly and quickly.

"After Miles saved you, you think you'd be a bit more compassionate," Connie argued.

"It'll be more helpful to all of us when I find out the true thief behind my programming."

"You built a way home, didn't you?" Giorno asked with a smirk.

"Not yet," Seto shot back. "Wipe that smug look off your face. You remind me of that bonkotsu los—."

Giorno slammed his hands on the table, "Don't you ever call me that. You'll have respect when you talk about me!"

It was almost scary to see Giorno become so uncomposed. His face was dark, and his eyes were dead set on Seto, a 'I'm going to murder you' glare on his face.

Seto leaned in, "What's there to respect? Clearly, you're just some street rat who—!"

"That's enough!" Mami's voice cut through. "If you want to act like children, take it outside. You're not going to act like that here. Not in Mr. Iroh's shop. He's truly the respectable one here. And if you cause any damage to this place with some stupid scuffle, I will throw both of you out immediately. Are we understood?"

Giorno said nothing, but he gave Mami a courteous nod. Seto grumbled something and settled back down in his seat. Gale decided to speak up. "Perhaps a little gratefulness wouldn't hurt. Now, I'm just a simple scholar of all things magic, but even I know not to bite the hand that feeds."

Ami, seeming encouraged by Gale's words, spoke up. "Mr. Gale has a point. If Miles and Giorno helped you yesterday, it would be rude to do the same, especially if you're in the position to be able to do so. And it's incredibly rude to insult Giorno!"

Seto frowned. "Fine. We'll help you—once. And no more than that."

He took Miles's phone off the table, typing something in. "There, if you need us, YOU call us. You were the one who saved us."

He smirked. "And didn't make a deal with a weird deer demon."

"Sei così morto," Giorno muttered.

"You know I can understand Italian, right?"

"And?"

"I'll give you this," Seto said. "You're either really dumb or really powerful to threaten me."

"I'm also not terribly cliché. Do you realize how many times I've heard that from people? People who I've beat?" Giorno asked, the anger tinged his voice.

"So, you ARE a common thug."

"Shut up!" Miles found himself saying. "If it hadn't been for Giorno, we all would've died out there. Look, we don't even need your help. We'll do this ourselves."

Miles got up but Robin called back, "Wait! We owe you, whether Kaiba wants to admit it or not. HE owes you."

Again, there was silence around the table.

"I'm not taking back what I said," Seto said, crossing his arms. "But I hate owing people things; I will help you—for now."

"And we're so grateful," Giorno murmured.

"Cut the crap guys," Makoto said. "Geez, you're worse than a bunch of girls in our grade. And they can be super petty."

It was quiet for a minute.

"Yay! Everyone's happy now!" Pav cheered. "Now, let's get to work!"

…

"Neither of them came back," Luz said as she peered out the window. "Even Mako and Ami have been gone for a few hours."

First Miles had gone out late last night, then Giorno had went to check on him, then that monster had tried to attack them while they were at the park looking for the two, and now Makoto and Ami were missing, too.

Zuko was sure something terrible had happened. He, Nemona, and Adora were going to go check it out while the others stayed behind to make sure everyone else remained safe. It was a plan he, Sokka, and Katara had come up with, and it was probably the best course of action.

As he slipped on a coat Yuichiro lent him, Nemona paced around the room. She'd just seen the broadcast of all the champions. "Maaaaaan, this is sooo exciting! Champion Geeta is actually going to be working with the STRONGEST champion of all!"

"Who's that?" Adora asked.

"Champion Leon," Arven answered with a small grin. "Nemona's got posters of him, Cynthia, and Geeta all over her dorm-room."

Nemona blushed. "Oyé! Shut it!"

Suddenly, footsteps echoed up the tall steps of the shrine.

"Hey, it's the others," Josuke said. "Looks like they found Miles and Giorno…and a few other stragglers."

"Oh no," Rei whined. "Our poor grocery bill!"

"To be fair, Lillie did the grocery shopping yesterday," Sokka said.

Said girl gave Rei a weak smile. "I didn't want you to worry."

Rei smiled back. "That was very sweet, Lillie. Thank you. Much more considerate than the noodle-haired girl who keeps coming over and eating all of the food I buy for guests!"

Usagi gasped and then chuckled. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Rei. It must be all the boys you have over. Boys eat a lot, right?"

"Not Mamoru. Not with your cooking skills," Rei shot back.

"Hey!"

Zuko looked to the crowd. None of them looked particularly happy: Miles seemed almost ready to collapse, Giorno, while composed, seemed upset by something, the tall brunette guy looked more than mad and annoyed, the black-haired guy was harder to read with the mask, kind of reminded him of Mamoru, and the girl who looked confident but annoyed, nonetheless. Miles and Giorno must not have a made a good impression.

"Friend Robin!" Starfire shouted happily. She quickly flew over to the masked kid.

He looked genuinely surprised to see her. "Star!"

They were cute. To be fair to the newcomers' sense of distrust, Zuko didn't exactly trust Giorno. He didn't know what to make of Miles. Miles was nicer and more sociable, but Admiral Zhou had been sociable. His sister was sociable. It didn't make them good people…or what they said nice. He and Sokka both agreed it was for the best to keep an eye out for them. Katara thought they were overreacting, but there was really something off about Giorno. Zuko couldn't put his finger on it, but he was hiding a dangerous secret. He knew that much…maybe from personal experience.

Zuko shook his head. He was a different person now.

And maybe Katara was right. Maybe they were being too judgmental…too hypocritical. But he only wanted to keep everyone safe. He needed to find everyone. He needed to make sure they were safe. It was his duty, no, his new mission.

No one here was going to get hurt again. He'd be sure of it.

…

Seeing a seventeen-year-old degenerate watching over an eleven-year-old anthropomorphic, poison dark frog, a ten-year-old monster kid with no arms, and a psychic eight-year-old with the ability to channel the dead gave Alastor a bit of a chuckle. When the kids got tuckered out from all their play, their 'guardian' finally took a rest outside. He lit up a cigarette.

"Tut tut," Alastor began, throwing the bulky boy off. "Those things will kill you; ya know?"

The boy was quiet for a minute. "Yare yare. You want a fight or something?"

"Or something," Alastor said. "Tell me Mr. Kujo, did you envision yourself becoming a babysitter?"

"Fuck off."

"Now, now, there's no reason for the hostility!" Alastor said. "I'm here to make you a deal!"

"And I told you to fuck off," the boy said. "I know your type. Egocentric maniac all about power and screwing people over when they take your deals. I killed a guy like you before, and I can do it again."

"Hmph. If you do insist that you're not in need of my services, I'll leave you be…for now." Alastor grinned. "Kurain Village isn't doing you many favors, Mr. Kujo. Your friends are out there—looking for you. I can help you find them or forget all about them! Whichever you desire. Everyone you ever knew can be a big, pink, fuzzy memory."

The boy was silent for a minute. "You mean gramps?"

"Much more than him," Alastor grinned. "I'll tell you, for a price."

The boy scoffed. "Right. I'll pass. I can find them on my own."

"Oh, but do tell me if you tire of that." Alastor said. "I suppose I should get back to my hotelier business. I'll be around. Be sure to call if you reconsider!"

"Not likely. Get out of here. This place doesn't need an asshole like you running around."

Alastor continued to smile, even if on the inside this brat was pissing him off. Of course, he'd remain cool and collected. The most stubborn of people always struck a deal in the end. He'd up the ante if he had to. It was pure luck he happened upon Giorno Giovanna in such a weak state. Jotaro Kujo would make a deal with him no matter what he had to do.

Please be sure to read and review! Let me know what you think in the comments!