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Equivalent Exchange

« The fact that you developed such a Stand was the unluckiest event of your life. »

A Diavolo x Reader fanfiction

8 688 words

*****

The sun was shining high in Napoli’s streets, embracing the pedestrians' frames, walking calmly in the large avenues of the southern city. Summer has just started and everything was warming up – the faces, the laughs, even the sea – all seemed to start living again, as if they were finally allowed to breathe for the first time in months. And yet here you were. Barely standing on your feet, hands tied up behind your back – you were exhausted and the shadow filling the abandoned house made it even harder to suppress the urge to just faint right on the spot. Being chased for days was emotionally and physically tiring – especially since you weren’t so sure why all those men were after you. You’ve never had any troubles with any gang in Napoli, or much else with the mafia. For days you’ve been looking through all your memories – trying to find whatever crime you may have committed to be so desired by all of them. Truth be told, you weren’t so sure anymore if only one organization was after you – you were coming back home when the first attack happened: some gangsters, if not delinquents followed you home, not so stealthily, and tried to abduct you. Though, you were not going to be afraid by three imbeciles who were barely able to hold their knife correctly – you knocked them out in less than five minutes before leaving them in one of the many narrow alleys of the city. But as soon as you were about to open your front door, the series of endless attacks started. The henchmen seemed to be getting stronger and stronger, to the point you had no other options left than running for your life. You had finally managed to find again some rest in the outskirt of the southern city when a young man came. He looked pretty defenseless at first sight, his young features gave him no more than twenty years old and those freckles displayed all over his naive face could only make him even more innocent. However, the fact that this young man was right here, alone in such a desert place when you’ve been wanted for days now, was nothing but innocent. You were about to yell at the pink-haired boy to get out when he started speaking with his soft voice.

« [Y/N] [L/N], that’s you, am I right? »

« Well here we go again » you desperately thought. For now, you were analyzing the situation. Who would send such a kid to get you? He didn’t seem so dangerous and yet your instinct were yelling to run.

« What do you want? » You were scared, indeed, but you were trying your best to look as intimidating as possible – which you noticed, did not seem to phase the freckles boy even a bit. He took a step forward and instinctively, you – one backward.

« Well… you need to come with me, and if possible, it’d be nice if you didn’t protest. It would be easier for both of us. »

Of course, he wanted you to follow him – though you had to admit, it was somehow relieving that for once, this minion was not directly attacking you.

« Why would I follow you? You and all your little stupid friends never stated even once the reason why you were after me. » Feeling the knife in your back pocket, you tried to place your hand as closely as possible, subtly.

« I can’t tell you. It’s a direct order from my boss, you should just come with me. » His voice took a pleading tone and more like instinctively, he fastly walked toward you and was now only a meter or so from you, gesticulating with his hands as he spoke. But you did not wait for another second, you took out your knife and put it under his throat – making the boy let out a small yell.

Everything seemed to go so fast, as if time has stopped – you and his brown eyes locked together as he had his hand raised towards the ceiling as a sign of submission. The opportunity to run away was nowhere, and as you were about to go back, towards the exit of the small house – a loud and high pitched ringtone resonated between the walls, making your ears ache. The boy, whose scared eyes were brown two seconds ago were now a bright green, and both gave the impression that his soul has left his body as the ringtone was heard. But what made you more confused and panicked, was that the pink-haired was the source of that noise – not because of some phone he may have possessed, but because he was the one producing the sound with his own mouth.

For a moment, you absolutely did not know how to react. Mouth agape, eyes wide open, holding firmly the knife as your arm was going down – you just stared at the weird person in front of you until you all your instincts kicked in and your legs started moving on their own. Your mind went blank, nothing looked real anymore as your own body seemed to work with its own consciousness – the only thing you knew was that you ran, and ran, and ran – until you felt something heavy hit the back of your head, and lost consciousness on the warm grass of the Italian land.

Here you were now, standing in that old and abandoned house whose walls were crumbling, doors almost disconnected from their frame. Who knows what made the house so destroyed? Perhaps time? However, the soot on corners and the faint smell of burned material showed the contrary. But it didn’t really matter now, even if your mind wandered, thinking about many things, your only problem now was to find out what this so-called boss wanted with you. Were they going to make you a whore? Probably not, no mafioso would fight so hard to only get another prostitute. Then what were their motives? The air full of old and burned scent was getting thicker and thicker, quickly you found yourself having trouble to breathe – anxiousness taking over your whole body. Your hands were shaking and you had to clench your fist in order to calm it down.

Did they know about your power? You’ve been careful to hide it for months now since the last and only time you used it. This ability was nothing but a failure – something to pretend to be god and defy the rules of this world, as well as paying the price of such a gift.

Your sister passed away six months ago – one night she went to sleep, and never opened her eyes again. Well, until you found her in the morning, her lifeless body laying there on the mattress, her chest staying still. It looked like her face had been captured for an endless rest, looking so peaceful. The tears started to fall down your cheeks without stopping when you firmly grabbed her cold body, stroking her hair and face, trying in vain to wake her up. Desperately yelling your lungs out, your pleads were coming from the deepest parts of your soul – and you were indeed pleading God with all your sorrow to give her back. She was the only one you absolutely trusted, she was another part of yourself – and yet, here she was, not breathing. You didn’t know how long you’ve been standing next to her – it seemed an eternity to you, but perhaps it had just been fifteen minutes. One thing you were sure of, she was dead, no pulse, no breathing – and yet, as your head was laying on her body, you felt her chest slowly rise and go down. You abruptly stood up and looked at her face, which was getting more and more colors as the seconds passed. She opened her eyes and her lost expression soon was replaced by a confused one. « Wait, wasn’t I…? » She turned her eyes, locked them into your wet and reddened one, and without any words, you both went into each other arms. Feeling her warmth was the best feeling you ever had, joy filling your entire body, you’ve never been so relieved before. But quickly, you felt the need to open your eyes, and you looked at the clock on the wall of your right.

‘10;35’ It had been more than thirty minutes since you arrived at her place. This was not a dream – but more like a miracle, you thought. You thanked all holy names you knew for giving her back, but suddenly a spectral voice was heard behind you, like a cold breathe on your ear. « The credit is of 10 minutes. It shall be paid with your own life. » Chills running down your spine, you turned yourself quickly towards the voice, but nothing could be seen. Maybe it was just your imagination? After all, the shock has been hard and the adrenaline was still running through in blood. Soon, your sister started speaking, explaining how she dreamed that she died in her sleep. To her, it was more a dream than the truth – and it was probably for the best. « I need to shower, I won’t be long. » Going to the bathroom, she seemed perfectly normal to you. Nothing out of the ordinary – until you saw her loose balance, and heard a loud commotion as her body hit the ground, life leaving it, one more time. « 10 minutes have passed. The credit has been now paid. » you heard, before your eyes were filled with tears again. You looked at the clock - ‘10; 45’ was displayed.

Going back to reality, you were fidgeting with your fingers unconsciously as you heard footstep getting closer to you. Turning your head, your gaze met the frame of the not so weak boy you’ve met earlier. Now you knew, and you were never going to look at him the same - behind this sweet and innocent appearance hides a deep side that you haven’t yet fully discovered, you were sure of that.

« The boss will soon be ready to meet you. » He kindly said, looking at you with those sweet eyes. Though you couldn't help but not give back the same courtesy as he seemed to offer. If your eyes were weapons, they would certainly have been deadly for him. Your face showed nothing but anger and animosity and none of your expression changed until he entered the room in front of you. Bitting your lips, you cursed yourself internally. Have you ever been so weak? So afraid? You needed to put yourself together - so you took a deep breath and closed your eyes, one… two… three seconds… until you heard a deep and strong voice from the other side of the door. « Come in. »

« Are they stupid or…? » Standing in front of the door, you were struggling to open it as your hands were tied behind your back. You had to bend a bit in order to press the handle with your elbow, and still, the old door was hard to get opened. You pressed one more time and finally, the door was ajar. You took a deep breath and stepped in the room. Everything was dark and you could barely see anything. Only a few rays of sunshine could go through the wooden shutters, it was barely enough to see what would be in front of you without tripping – but not enough to see clearly the face of the man standing at the opposite of the room – especially since he wore a dark clock. The only thing you could note was that he was definitely tall, and muscled – things that in addition to his imposing aura could make you feel submissive without him saying a word. However, something now was bothering you – where was the other guy? The room had only one door, and he couldn’t have possibly left by the window or else, the sound of those almost broken shutters would have been heard. This was troubling you, but the thought was soon forgotten as the man started to move, crossing his arms and taking your attention. Though he stayed silent, and the fact that you could feel his gaze go through all over your body, almost like burning your skin was starting to make yourself extremely uncomfortable after a few minutes. « Are you going to say something, or am I supposed to be the one talking? Though it doesn’t look like I am the one in charge here. »

Silence kept filling the room, making the air thicker and yourself even more upset.

«If you just intend to remain silent, could you just not look at me like that? It’s really annoying. I don’t know what I am supposed to do or say. I’ve been brought here, against my will obviously or else I wouldn’t look so pleased about it, right? And here I am with a muted boss… great. » Sarcasm filling your voice, your patience was running low as he still remained silent.

« If you’re go- »

« I heard that you have a Stand. An interesting one. I want you to work for me and no one else. You’ll take your orders directly from me or my right hand. Is that clear? »

You were confused and even more irked now. His commanding and cold tone was more than annoying – especially since he acted as if you were already working for him.

« A stand? what’s this? - Oh and you really expect me to work for a man like you ? I understand, the look, the cloak and so on, it’s all a show to scare the hell out of me, isn’t it? Sorry to disappoint you, I’ve watched ‘It’ a few days ago and now I’d have to say I’m more scared of sewers and clowns than you. »

As you were explicitly showing your displeasure of this whole situation, the tall man started chuckling. If silence was not filling the whole abandoned house, you wouldn’t have heard it. That alone made you stunned by this behavior, but you almost felt yourself lost it and you needed the suppress the urge to yell right away at him – you were not an idiot after all, if he was at the top of some illegal organization, this man was absolutely not a Saint.

« Let me explain something. You either get out of his room working for me, either you don’t get out at all. As long as you follow my orders everything should be fine for you. »

He stopped, reading your annoyed face, before he started speaking with his deep voice again.

« As for a Stand, it is a power, a special ability you have. You certainly remember what you did six months ago, isn’t it? » As he saw your face decompose at the mention of that event, he understood that you knew what he was referring to. « tell me about your Stand. » You gulped, feeling the energy in your body leave you quickly. Your breath was ragging and you found it difficult to now speak. Your mouth opened then closed itself. It took a few seconds before you found the strength to pronounce at least a single word. « I can resurrect someone, for a certain amount of time. But you already know that, don’t you ? » sour voice was speaking low, showing all your emotions even if you didn’t want to. « It works like a debt. If I resurrect someone for ten minutes, those minutes will be taken from my own time of living. »

« For how long can you resurrect someone? » He asked calmly, right after you were finished.

« I don’t really know. I only used it once and I wasn’t aware of it. I’ve never wanted to try it again. I don’t want to play God. »

You looked at him. It seemed that he was deeply thinking as his hand was inside of his cloak, probably on his face. That man was more than intimidating. He had this powerful aura that would make anyone follow any of his order – without any questions. The more you stayed in the same room as him, the more you felt unresisting, even though you desperately wanted to fight back, even snap at him - but his words were repeating themselves in your head: « You either get out of his room working for me, either you don’t get out at all. » What would be your work though? As the conversation quickly went on your Stand, it seemed that he only wanted you to use it – but this idea was not so pleasing to you.

« Here’s what I’ll propose. » He firmly said. « You will stay by my right-hand side, Doppio, until you’ve fully proven yourself that you can have my trust. Only then, you’ll be able to leave your life more or less freely, only that you’ll have to stay always in my area and you’d be watched constantly. Now, this would be your contract – if I ever die, you’ll have to give me fifty years of your life. You’ll get ₤ 100 000 000 as well as the full protection of Passione – my organization. » He remained silent for a few seconds, and he looked at you. Those green, bright eyes were paralyzing you right on the spot, and you almost felt yourself sweat as a mixture of fear, interest and fascination went through your body. Indeed the reward was more than interesting, but giving those 50 years of your own life? Not so much, especially if you don’t have your freedom right away. And who knows, how watched you’d be? Even if he guarantees you’d be free, what would make you think that he was saying the truth ? But once more, his words resonated in your head, like a deadly song.

« You either get out of his room working for me, either you don’t get out at all. » You stood, tall, and took a deep breath. That green gaze looking like poison was piercing your whole body, even almost your soul, you could feel it. You had no other choice if you wanted to live. Moreover, if you ever managed to get his trust, the situation wouldn’t be so bad after all. What would you have to lose anyway? Your life was dull and you always knew deep down that you needed this lifestyle. If you said yes, you’d never be able to go back – you’d be a gangster. You blinked, once, before locking your eyes in his – full of confidence, a smirk was almost displayed on your face, and it was with a calm and strong voice that you agreed to his proposal.

*****

« Where are we going now, Doppio? » You asked curiously, following the boss Right-hand footsteps. A few days have passed since you met with the boss, and since then you’ve always been with the pink-haired boy – who to be exact, you did not exactly trust – especially after he had those « phone calls » a few other times. He really was crazy, he must have had some disorder to talk to someone else over whatever object he could find at the moment. You realized after the third call, that he wasn’ t joking a single bit – the man was extremely serious with it, especially since it seemed to come from the boss directly. Would that be his Stand if he had any? Or was he just crazy, being so devoted for his chief that he was hearing his voice even through an ice cream? For now, even if the man was deranged, you had no other choice but sticking with him. After all, it was the few orders you had to follow according to the boss. If you behaved well, the trust would come faster – and that way, the faster you’d get some kind of freedom, at least you were hoping so. « We’re heading to Sardegna. » he simply said as he held a small suitcase in his left hand and a map in the other. « Alright – but what for? Is there a special job to do there? » Arriving in the line to get registered at the airport, you started to realized your implication in the mafia business was definitely not going to be pleasant.

« I have a job to do there. » he took a few steps in the queue before his brown eyes darkened, turning in a slight shade of green before he kept talking. « We’ve got traitors in Passione to exterminate » You carefully looked at the man’s face, all his traits have hardened and now he looked like he would kill even a newborn without any hesitation. The sweet facial expressions gone, he had more the face of a killer than a teenager now. You debated if it was wise or not to keep asking another question. « What do you do to traitors? »

He took another step forward, it was almost your turn to pass.

‘I passeggeri del volo Air Italy 456 per Palermo sono pregati di presentarsi alla porta B56 per l’imbarco immediato.’ a feminine loud voice said. The turmoil of the airport – so many people hurrying to get their flight, some others crying seeing their loved one leaving – some others laughing when they found a friend again – everything was covering what the pink-haired boy said – creating like another dimension between the two of you, and chills ran down your spine when his voice almost changed, lower than before and he said, « I make them sing their requiem. »

*****

Taking a step out of the airport, you suddenly felt your breath taken away when the hot wind and heat engulfed your whole body. It was Sardegna after all, the island was not known for his harsh cold weather – but more like for its endless beaches, harbors and Greek ruins. « Ah , it feels good to be back! » exclaimed Doppio, stretching his arms as a small smile was plastered on his face. He did not wait long to enjoy the return to his island as he already started walking with confidence. « Sardegna is your homeland? » You couldn’t help but be curious. And after all, the more you knew about it, the more it could be useful someday… just in case… « Maybe, I don’t remember. » He seemed to thought for a few seconds before walking again, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

« Weird » you thought « but what’s new ? »You did not answer nor ask anything else – and you both kept walking in silence. The sun was rising higher and higher in the sky, and slowly but surely, the heat was beginning to be horrible for you, especially since Sardegna seemed to be only made of hills, making you so grateful every time you could find some shadow in the narrow streets of the city. After what seemed to be hours of walk, you both finally stopped after you suggested it would be better to ask for a cab than just walk all over Sardegna's costs. Though Doppio didn’t really seem to pay much attention to what was needed now – but more like on some frogs he found on the road, as it got almost crushed by a truck. Indeed, the man could be a psycho, a crazy one – but it seemed that he had some good sides too, and the more you observed him, the more you came to the conclusion that it was not a play – Doppio was really a teenager-looking man with a soft spot for amphibians, making you wonder how did he manage to get the most trusted man of the boss.

Doppio had asked you to stay still on that bench, just by the time he found a cab to get on some spot on the coast, he explained. It was really surprising you that he’d leave you alone, but after the man only crossed the road and still had a perfect sight on you, you realized it wasn’t much of a progress, but still, it was already something, a sign that he wasn’t totally lacking of confidence in you.

No one was in sight in that part of the city, probably because the afternoon was already here, and the sun heating everything like fire. People would be either sleeping or eating at that time – however, only one strange man wearing a cloak would be here, as well as a little blond-haired boy who soon left to play somewhere else. Only Doppio, you, and the man who, considering his crystal ball, seemed to be some kind of fortune teller, were here. Thus, you did not really pay any attention to them, and only closed your eyes, enjoying the cold breeze that was going through the narrow alleys to your body. Your feet were grateful too for that rest, but sadly, it would be only short – you heard a yelp from the other side of the street, and when you opened your eyes – you saw the young-looking boy being bothered by the street psychic. You sighed, getting on your feet and approaching them. Doppio was certainly a mafioso, but some times, it seemed that he was more a teenager than a gangster. It would be quicker if you just intervened now and told kindly to the man to leave him alone – as Doppio seemed to have a hard time getting rid of the annoying psychic. As you got closer from them, you finally heard clearly what they were both saying.

« There is a secret you have carried through your life – light and dark. Obverse and inverse. One might call it a double life... » Started the man in the cloak. « Sorry, but that stuff about a secret? Like is there anyone who doesn’t have a secret? Everyone has at least one. Whether it’s big or small. Are you sure you don’t say that to everyone you see? » Doubtful, Doppio tried to take a few steps away, however, the other man got closer to him, touching his hands – making the poor pink-haired boy visibly uncomfortable with that – but he still kept on going, making you more and more irked at the sight. Didn’t people have no limits? « Your daughter… the person you are looking for is your daughter… you have not seen her in fifteen years, and that girl is the reason you’ve come to Sardegna. » He stopped, before starting talking again with a pleading tone this time, as he held firmly the hands in his. « I’ll admit, none of it makes any sense… just to be sure, would you mind showing me your palm as well? » Doppio took his hands away, only for them to be found again by the persistent man.

« Is he really the boss right-hand ? » You wondered as you saw Doppio struggling with the fortune teller. « Hey, you the annoying psychic! Just leave him alo- » You did not have the time to finish your sentence as Doppio suddenly grabbed the man aggressively by the jaw. Like the other times, his eyes took a different shade, his facial expression completely changed too – as if he was thirsty for blood. « Shut the fuck up! Don’t touch me! What do you want with my hand anyway !? Not like it matters to a dead man like you! » His eyes completely turned another color now, the same bright green you’ve seen before, you recognized those – only that this time, Doppio had not only his face changing, but also his body. His whole chest became a huge pack of strong meat, each muscle defined perfectly, making his pink sweater too tight for him – and it was the same with his legs. The man who was only a few centimeters taller than you was not three or four heads taller. It was like Doppio was metamorphosing – as if another him came out of the surface. His voice too, took a big change, and that’s when it hit you really hard.

« What are you? Your face! Your age ! » the fortune teller exclaimed.

It was true, the man in front of you had nothing to do with Doppio – the body, the face, the voice … the character… « It appears you aren’t a stand user. But you have the wisdom to see into someone’s true nature. The fact that you decided to sell that talent on the roadside was the unluckiest event of your life. » As he was holding the man on the wall by the neck, he made his grip tighter, making the psychic’s face turn into a light shade of blue. « If anyone knows even the slightest fragment of my true nature… they must not be allowed to live. Do you understand what I’m saying ? You must not be allowed to live anymore. You will be allowed to die without suffering after answering a question for me. Understand? »

You suddenly felt like something was missing, something you couldn’t exactly point out – and when you looked at the new man’s hand, out of nowhere a picture was laying here. « This man. I need to know where he is, his name is Risotto. He is a traitor. He, too, is searching for my daughter. He is trying to find my identity, is he trying to interfere with my plans right now? Where is he? I need you to divine that. »

That commanding tone, those green eyes, this stature… It all started clicking in your head. « Where is he? I don’t know. But you will meet him very soon. He is coming to Sardegna. He will undoubtedly come here for the sake of revenge! » The poor fortune teller had lost it, his voice was ragged, like a crazy person. His face was getting back colors as his neck was free, but drool was still in the corner of his mouth as he laughed hysterically. « I see… Good, that will do. » And with that, some spectral being you’ve never seen before appeared behind him. A shade of pink and white all over his body. It looked more like a robot than anything else – only that its face looked more or less human – an annoyed and disgusting expression displayed all over its face. At least, its first face, since you realized that a second and smaller one was here on its forehead. You had to admit, only the sight of that thing frightened you – but you managed to look a the scene in front of you without letting out any scream.

Even when that spectral thing’s arm went through all over the man’s abdomen, you did not react – you stayed still, looking at the blood flow on the pavement, the iron smell filling your nostrils. The tall pink-haired man turned himself towards you, and you felt your blood ran cold when you were absolutely sure now – you recognized those eyes that you’ve seen in the abandoned house. Those were the boss’ for sure. It took a few seconds to process, but you were certain of it. The man standing a few meters from you was the one at the head of Passione. Once more, you suddenly felt that something was missing – as if you knew something happened, but you did not know what. You only realized after one second or two that the man’s lifeless body had disappeared and that, right in front of you, only a meter apart was standing tall the mafia’s boss. The distance between you two was already close, but he managed to get even closer, making you smell all his scent and see those long pink hair fly into the wind. You had to raise your head in order to look at his face perfectly – and maybe you regretted that a bit when your eyes locked with his. Confidence and power were radiating from all over him, but his eyes – his eyes were like his whole soul was in it. They were as scary as comforting – at least now that they were looking at you, you didn’t feel the animosity they were expressing a few seconds ago. Now, they were scanning you whole, looking into the deepest part of your own being. It took only a sight, it was as if he already knew who you were. And this, was frightening. He knew everything about you, and you knew nothing about him – and yet, you felt this strange feeling, that instinct that you didn’t need to fear him at that very moment.

His blank face took a small smirk, and you almost heard a chuckled coming from him as he gently took your face in his big and strong hand. « Did you think about a name for your stand? » It felt like his skin was burning your whole face as he touched you – though it was as pleasant as disgusting – that man was full of duality, and it seemed he was creating some in you too. « No, I didn’t,» you replied, almost inaudibly. « Then I’ll give it one. You shall name it from now on ‘Stand by me.’ » Your eyes widened a bit, surprised that he would suddenly think about that when he just killed a man minutes ago. Wouldn’t he kill you too? You clearly heard him say that everybody who’d know his identity would be killed. And yet, here he was, giving a name for your Stand. « Aren’t you going to kill me? » Surprisingly, your voice didn’t take a scared tone – but it sounded more like a surprising question, making the man smirk deepen. « No, I won’t. » « But why? »

« I’ve got my eyes all the time on you. If you do anything suspicious I can kill you whenever I want. » His deep voice was cold like ice and made a contrast with the afternoon’s heat. You took a breath, feeling your heart beat faster and faster, with fear or something else – you couldn’t point it out exactly, before he continued. « Also, you’re an interesting one. I’d like to keep you alive. »

« You’re weird. » You let out, only to realize what you just said and screamed internally. You usually had a big mouth, and pretty much knew when to shut it up – though here, you didn’t even realize you had spoken. Hopefully, for you, he did not seem to mind, as his eyes still traveled all over your face. He moved a strand of your hair behind your ear before letting you go. He took a few steps further than you, making you have a good sight on his broad back. « You’ll never, ever tell what you’ve seen. To anyone. Not even write about it somewhere. Only your memory will be the witness – and that is already too much, but I will allow it. » He then slightly turned his head toward you, his green eyes shining with the fin rays of sunshine hitting his face a bit – and suddenly he was no longer in front of you. You felt some warmth behind your back and soon, you heard his deep manly voice behind your right ear, his breath tickling your skin. « Remember that if you do anything suspicious, I shall end your life right away. » A chill ran down your spine – and as a sweet and warm breeze was felt in your neck, you heard him spoke again, this time in your left ear. « If you don’t want to play God, you can come play with the Devil. » He took a pause, and you felt almost getting drunk of that man’s aura, your knees weakening. « My name is Diavolo. »

*****

« That stupid Doppio, how long does he expect me to wait for him like that? It’s crazy hot here! » You were hiding behind some tall rocks near the coast – and truth be told, you were burning. The soil, as well as the huge pebble, have been warmed by the sun for hours now – and as you were standing between all of this, you felt like you were more in an oven than of Sardegna’s coast. As the minutes passed, you grew more and more annoyed, but also fearful. After getting out of the cab, Doppio directly asked you to act like a tourist and go hide further into the land. Your curious mind wandered – was it because of an incoming attack, or did he simply not wanted you to see something? Perhaps both? It was really tempting now to go and take a peak… But you remembered Diavolo’s warning and you quickly weren’t so sure about it anymore. Who knows if he wouldn’t get mad and simply pierce your chest within two seconds after learning you disobeyed? Though, you realized, first of all, the orders did not come from him directly – and technically you could try to take a look as Doppio simply ordered to go hide – he didn’t say you were not allowed to look… « Meh, it’s not worth the risk. » You said, looking for some fresh spot in vain. « What’s not worth the risk? » Recognizing that deep and strong voice, as well as the frame of the shadow displayed on the ground in front of you, you turned yourself quickly – taken aback by this sudden appearance. « Oh, you’re here. Funny, you didn’t completely transform this time. You still kind of have the cute features of Doppio. » You tried to take his attention back from what you slipped out and hoped it’d work. Though, before he answered, you smelled the noticeable scent of iron – and soon enough, you noticed the blood covering his strong hands and clothes – making your breath stop right away. Perhaps it was not the time to try to fool around with him – his patience was probably running low already.

« Did not have time for that. » He started, following quickly « You did not answer. What’s not worth the risk ? » « Shit... » you cursed mentally. It was probably safer to play the honesty card since he would probably see through your lie. « I wanted to take a peak of what was going on. I’ve been waiting God knows how long here and I was starting to burn. To be honest I’m pretty sure that even hell isn’t that hot. Plus I was also worried! What if Dopp- well I mean, you, were dead? » Diavolo stared at you blankly, without saying a word as usual, then took a seat next to you – making you sweat mainly because of the heat, but now because of the discomfort of having a man with such an imposing aura so close to you, looking straight at your face with no shame.

« Fair enough. You can’t do your job if you don’t know my state. But mainly you need to follow the orders, not question them. Understand? » You nodded quickly. « Now treat those wounds. We can’t travel if this body is like that. » Looking better at his body now, you realized the blood came mainly from him – his throat and hands were greatly injured. Thus, you hurried and took the suitcase Diavolo had handed you. Only a few materials were here, barely what was needed – but you’d have to do with what you had. You started to disinfect the wound on his neck first. It was deep and bleeding pretty badly. You were no nurse or doctor, so you did your best to heal everything. Diavolo was not reacting a bit, even when you put cleaned everything up, trying to see if anything was in the cut – this was not so surprising though. The man seemed to have self-control like no one else, and he’d never show any if his weakness. Though after putting some bandage on the first injury, you realized:

« Why don’t you use your Stand to heal quickly? It goes forward in time, doesn’t it? » Still doing what he ordered you, you felt his gaze on you, like a needles piercing your skin a thousand times. « I could. But I still need them to be treated first. » You stopped a second to look at him before going back to your job again and saying ; « You do realize that I’ve got scissors in the suitcase? I could pierce your throat with it, or even put in right in your heart and you’d be dead in an instant. » « You wouldn’t do that. » affirming with a small grin on his lips, he never stopped looking at you intensely. « How would you know that? You never know what hides deep down someone. » «It is true – but I recognize a killer when I see one. If you don’t want to be God, you certainly don’t want to be the Devil either. Also you fear me too much to do that. » He had a point, you respected way too much Human life to kill someone like that, you were simply a mere Human, and taking a life for no apparent reason would be foolish – probably would make you a monster too. How would you ever be able to look at yourself in the mirror again after ending someone’s life? This would be impossible. It was also hurting you to admit it – but you were fearing him. Even right now, wounded, somehow vulnerable, you were still cautious of your actions, not to anger him. This man’s smell was the one of power and domination, you knew your place and were no idiot – you knew you had to act in consequence. « I’m done. »

Touching the bandage around his neck and checking his hands, he nodded in approval. « We’ll be ready to go then. I will allow my sweet Doppio to come back soon. » It was your turn now to nod, looking at the body slowly losing its muscles, getting smaller, weaker again.

« One more thing » He was still sitting on the grass, looking straight at you.

« You said earlier that you were worried I’d be dead. Such fears are useless. My power is too great, no one will ever defeat my King Crimson. You will always be here as an eventual support. I simply want you to stand by me, is that clear? » Stand by him? It seemed you had no other choice but to do so – and strangely, you weren’t so displeased by that. You didn’t know why, but his charisma, his gaze, his voice, everything was attracting you to him. Perhaps he was like a shining star in a cold winter night, showing the path to take, illuminating the darkness with its glow. Maybe he was in fact, your North Star.

*****

« Where is he again? He looks like a damn tourist, how did I lose him? » Roma was definitely noisy and full of people, making you go crazy – especially when the person you’re supposed to follow was running away. You were near the Colosseo, and many tourists, bus and cars were here, even though the evening was almost gone and night already here. As you were cursing internally Doppio for running away like that, you sighed in relief when you finally spotted his long pink hair near the old Roman building – though you stopped in your track when you realized he was not alone. A man whose face you’ve never seen was standing beside him, and both disappeared into the ancient stones arc. You ran, trying to catch up with him, but the countless cars made it difficult to cross the road quickly – and you almost got hit a few times as you crossed the road separating the Colosseo from the sidewalk. Walking among the ruins, searching for the pink-haired boy, you couldn’t help but take some time to look at the old stones, this centuries-old building still standing up. You could almost hear the shout of the blood-thirsty crowd, the pleads of the soon-to-be-executed, the sounds of metal against metal – the smell of iron… You came back to your senses when you realized the scent was not coming from your imagination, but definitely from real life – and you saw a body lying at the top of the first floor, a familiar tall, muscled man standing next to him. « Hurry, come next to me! » He yelled at you in with haste. His face was no longer displaying those confidence traits – instead, his face more of a mix of anger and… fear. You couldn’t say it well yourself, especially since you did not wait long before running towards the stairs to join him – but as you climbed a few steps, your pace slowed down and you felt your eyes close. Slowly but surely, you knew you were losing consciousness, your body sliding down the harsh cold stone – before you finally went to sleep.

You blinked once, two times, three times… Everything was a blur, everything seemed unreal – a big headache was piercing your skull as if you had the biggest hangover you’ve ever had. Eventually, you managed to get up with difficulty and looked at your surroundings. It was like the city had gone in a long and deep sleep – everybody was sleeping right on the spot on the pavement, even the animals. It seemed that only you had woken up. For a moment you thought this was only a dream, your body moved almost by its own – you let all your instincts guide you, and you walked out of the Colosseo to the now quiet and scaring streets of the capital. Needless to say, your guts were tearing you apart, stress eating you from the inside.

« What the hell is going on... »

You knew deep down, this was no dream – and as you walked and walked, you felt yourself getting closer to the end of some path, your heart beating faster with each step you took. Soon enough you found yourself walking near the Tiber. If everything seemed to be asleep, it was not the case of nature’s elements; the wind engulfing between your locks, the sun rising, the water still keeping on flowing – you felt awake when you when you walked on the contrary of the flow. And as you looked at the water, you noticed strands of pink hair stained with black, floating on the water. You’d recognize this hair even meters away, and without thinking, you took the hand that was trying to reach the surface. Diavolo emerged, painfully breathing as blood was coming out of his mouth, he looked at you – for the first time with pleading eyes.

As you were about to take him back on the dock, you felt the same as when he used his Stand to skip time – only that now, you didn’t feel like you missed something – in fact, you knew everything has changed – Diavolo was next to you, his abdomen full of blood as he was trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. Weirdly, you were not scared a bit, as if a part of yourself still wanted to believe this was a dream. You put your hands on his, adding more pressure to help him with the hemorrhage. But following Diavolo’s gaze, your eyes landed on some junkie holding a scalpel – who in less than a second stabbed the boss again and again – to the point that Diavolo’s body was thrown into the river again – and in a desperate last act of survival, tried to catch something to prevent the fall, only to take you back with him.

You opened your eyes and quickly were aware of your surroundings. You were still in Roma for sure, you could recognize the Colosseo. Diavolo and you were probably on the first or second floor, as the sight you had was pretty high and allowed you to have a good look of the city as sun was rising. As Diavolo got near the opening in the wall to look at his current location, you saw him trip and his body fall down – only to catch him in time. Though, the ruins wouldn’t stand such a weight, and the stones started to fell down, taking you with him in his fall. The last thing you could see before opening your eyes again, was Diavolo’s body, pierced by four gate’s spikes.

Slowly weaking up, you recognized the landscape: you were on Sardegna’s coast. Looking at the surroundings, you started to understand which fate Diavolo was facing : Death loop.

You examined everything that could cause his death, and in fact, the world that seemed harmless before was now a whole battlefield for him. Thunderstorm, sharp rocks, the sea, the world was now against him. Earth has become his purgatory. You had to act quickly if you didn’t want to lose his trace – you still didn’t know how this exactly worked, but you were sure of one thing – the only possible and soon-to-be issue here would be death. You came closer to him, kindly grabbing his broad shoulder before calling him by his name.

« Diavolo. » He turned his head toward you, his eyes slightly softening at your sight. As your eyes locked with his, you summoned your Stand, and behind you appeared a whole spectral green tall woman. She had the look of an angel with those wings, only that her face didn’t seem so kind and soft – her eyes were banded, her mouth shut into a blank expression. « We still somehow have a deal together, isn’t it? » His eyes were no longer showing so much fear, instead, he looked at you with those big green eyes, full of hope, a grin appearing on his face. « You really decided to play with the Devil then, you really will stand by me? » « A deal is a deal » you sighed, taking his hands between the two of yours, you crouched down, bitterly smiling. « I don’t know if it’ll work though. Maybe it’ll prevent you from dying and dying again. We’ll still be stuck here though – but it’s better than nothing. » « The fact that you developed such a Stand was the unluckiest event of your life. »

« And the fact that you had such a pride was yours. » He smirked again, looking at your Stand deploying her large wings. « The credit is of 50 years. It shall be paid with your own life. » You nodded without even thinking, accepting this fate. Diavolo stood up, grabbing you by the arms, his grip strong, as if he was scared you’d leave. « Will you stand by me ? » he asked. « I’ll never let you go. »

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