Luigi carefully led Dio through the Underwhere, doing his best not to draw much attention. But that was hard, considering that they were pretty much the only two living souls down there. Unlike Luigi, Dio didn't seem at all worried. He just followed behind the man in green, humming a tune that Luigi found familiar, but couldn't quite recognize.

It took the man in green about five minutes of listening to Dio hum to finally recognize it. Once he did he immediately stopped in his tracks, turning and facing Dio, looking almost as if he saw a ghost.

"Where did you hear that song?!" Luigi asked.

"Hmm, Hmm, Hmm- Huh? Oh! I just made it up!" Dio beamed with a smile. "When you gave me your hat it kinda just popped into my head! Do you like it?!"

"Um... eheh... w-well it's already kinda written," Luigi muttered, nervously scratching the back of his head.

Because the tune Dio was humming was none other than the ultimate show. How Dio happened to get the tune into his head, Luigi had no idea.

"... You hate it," Dio observed, reading Luigi's expression. "I... I'm sorry. I can make up a better song! It just kinda popped into my mind. And when I hum it, it makes me think of you and how helpful you've been. But if you hate it, that's fine-"

"I-I don't hate it," Luigi clarified. "It's just, well, i-it's complicated...." he trailed off, looking down as the memories of that song resurfaced.

Dio paused, then looked down, feeling guilty for making Luigi's face look that way. Feeling guilty and upset with himself. "I-I'm sorry," Dio breathed. "Please don't be sad. I won't hum anymore. I'll just be quiet!"

Luigi waited a moment, then eyed the upsetness in Dio's stance.

Why was Luigi making this such a big deal? It was just a song. And it wasn't even a bad song. It was just associated with a bad memory. A bad memory Dio knew nothing about. "...I don't want you to just be quiet," Luigi replied, turning and beginning to walk again. "I'm sorry for reacting like that. It's actually not a bad song. I don't hate it. I promise."

Dio nodded, but he didn't go back to humming. Even though Luigi told him that he didn't have to be quiet, he chose to be anyway. Both had guilty feelings weighing them down, which was uncomfortable, to say the least. Luigi, feeling guilty for making Dio feel bad, and Dio feeling guilty for making Luigi feel bad. It was quite silly, really. Such an odd thing to be upset about, especially when it hardly mattered at all.

".... Here's your hat back," Dio muttered eventually, taking it off and holding it back out to Luigi. "I can see in your eyes that you have wanted it back for some time now, but you're too polite to ask me, so I won't make you. Thanks for letting me wear it. It's very nice,"

He was just trying to move past the guilty feeling, but something about getting the hat back made Luigi feel even worse. He still took it back and lightly smiled, nevertheless. And Dio smiled in return, gently taking his own hood and putting it up and over his head, but not so far as to cover his face. Just enough to cast a small shadow over the top half.

It was actually a fairly nice cloak, Luigi noted. He wondered where Dio got it. He wasn't quite curious enough to ask, but curious enough to think about it to himself. Did Dio steal it? Or perhaps was it from his own world? Did Dimentio have a matching cloak?

So many questions, none of which he was brave enough to ask and have answered.

Luigi didn't know why speaking seemed so scary nowadays. He didn't know why he preferred to just stay quiet and think to himself, rather than speaking up and asking questions. Perhaps life had just taught him that it was easier to stay quiet and be ignorant, rather than to know everything. It had gotten harder for him to speak up throughout the years.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Dio questioned, seeming to not have the same fear of asking questions and speaking his thoughts. Must be nice, Luigi thought to himself.

"Well, we're looking for... er, the 'other' Dimentio. So I'm guessing the River of Twygz. That's where they keep the real bad guys." Luigi softly explained.

"You still think other me is a bad guy?" Dio asked.

"He is a bad guy," Luigi replied.

"No. You just seem to see him as one," Dio corrected.

Luigi was about to argue back, but he paused. How was he supposed to counter that? By saying that everyone saw Dimentio as a bad guy too? Because that was clearly false, seeing that Dio himself didn't see Dimentio as a bad guy. But then again, Dio had never even seen him, so why was he even allowed to have an opinion on the matter?

"....Fine. I see him as a bad guy," Luigi finally admitted. "And the odds are that queen Jaydes sees him as a bad guy too, so we're gonna look below the River of Twygz. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a sweet melody on a lovely spring afternoon!" Dio chimed. "But don't blame me if he isn't down there!"

"He's going to be down there." Luigi breathed. And that was the end of this conversation. Dio didn't argue. But Luigi could tell that he still believed he was right. It was almost sad. If Dio knew this other version of himself the way Luigi knew him, he surely wouldn't be defending him. No one was THAT naive.

Jaydes was busy, so they didn't bother her. Luigi assured Dio that it was probably better not to get her permission since getting her permission would mean he would have to explain everything to her, so this way would save them more time. Of course, Dio was fine with it. Breaking rules always made him a tad queasy because he knew his mother would frown upon it, but he also had spent many years stealing things and running away, so it wasn't a very big deal anymore.

The two walked down a long set of stairs. The world seemed to get progressively darker and darker as they continued to descend, but they didn't turn back. Dio seemed to be a little nervous due to the darkness. He grabbed Luigi's shoulder and followed closely behind the man in green as if he was afraid of getting separated. Luigi was afraid to, but he tried not to show it. Nearly everyone who knew him knew him as a 'coward.' But Dio didn't, so Luigi wanted to play the part of the brave one for once.

Eventually, the stairs stopped going down, showcasing a long hallway of cells, some empty, others with souls in them. Luigi couldn't see anyone he recognized in the first few, so he started forward, looking for those mismatched eyes which haunted his nightmares. Dio continued to hold Luigi's shoulder and follow closely behind, using his free hand to pull his hood further up to cover more of his face. He also hunched his back and seemed to make himself smaller.

"It's okay," Luigi promised, doing his best not to let his voice shake. "Everyone here is locked up. They can't hurt us-"

"Luigi?" A different voice suddenly asked, making both Luigi and Dio suddenly freeze up as if all their muscles had suddenly turned to ice.

".... I think someone said your name," Dio whispered into Luigi's ear so quietly that whoever did say Luigi's name couldn't hear.

"Yes. I'm aware. Thank you," Luigi whispered back, afraid to turn to the side where the voice came from. As if on cue, Luigi and Dio both slowly and carefully turned their heads to the side to see someone sitting in a simple cell with his back to the wall on the opposite end. The prisoner was sitting on the ground with his legs outstretched and crossed in front of him. His arms were crossed as well, but his eyes showcased confusion.

He wore a green hat, green bandana, black jumpsuit, and black mask. Both Luigi and Dio just stood there frozen, staring at the prisoner, when Dio finally broke the tension, leaning over and whispering softly in Luigi's ear once again, "Hey, Luigi! He looks just like you-"

"SHH," Luigi hushed, covering Dio's mouth in fear of Mr. L recognizing Dio's voice and mistaking him for Dimentio. Luckily, Mr. L didn't seem to hear.

"U-Uh... hi Mr. L," Luigi muttered, stepping in front of Dio as if he was trying to hide him.

"What are you doing here?" Mr. L muttered in a bored manner, looking down to the side. "Finally come to visit? I'm so flattered," He sarcastically added.

"U-Uh... w-we're just looking for Dimentio. Do you know what cell he was placed in?" Luigi asked, nervously fidgeting with his hands now.

"That one," Mr. L stated, pointing across the room at an open-cell. Luigi followed his gaze towards the open cell, then allowed a confused expression to paint his face. The cell was completely empty.

"Umm... Mr. L, no one's there," Luigi quietly pointed out. Had his alter ego gone crazy? Was he hallucinating?!

"HA!" Dio exclaimed, smiling brightly and pointing at Luigi. "I TOLD you he wouldn't be here!!"

To this, Mr. L suddenly perked up as if hearing Dio's voice jolted something from within himself. Luigi quickly panicked and covered Dio's mouth, glaring at him as if he was silently saying, 'Dude, I told you to be quiet!'

Dio blinked in return as if he was silently saying. 'But I told you that he wouldn't be here! See! He's not a bad guy.'

Mr. L just watched as Luigi and this other person seemed to silently communicate, which was confusing, to say the least. "... Luigi, could you please take your hand off his mouth. You just look ridiculous," Mr. L breathed, still sounding unamused and bored.

Dio seemed to muffle something from behind Luigi's hand along the lines of, "Yes, I agree," but no one could understand him due to his voice being obscured by Luigi's hand. Luigi hesitated a moment, unsure if he should. He exchanged glances from Mr. L to Dio, then back to Mr. L, then back to Dio again.

'...Please don't say anything stupid,' Luigi begged through his eyes, though he was not actually saying the words. Dio seemed to lightly smile back through his eyes and he used his free hand to give a thumbs up, signifying that he understood. So, Luigi slowly took his hand back, taking a step and giving Dio some space. Dio blinked a few times, then turned to Mr. L, being silent per Luigi's request.

"Can... can you just talk again?" Mr. L asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just say anything."

Dio hesitated, nervously looking at Luigi, who was nervously biting his fist. "Can I...?" He softly whispered to Luigi.

Luigi didn't reply. Dio knew that Luigi didn't want anyone confusing him for the other version of himself, but they were never going to get anywhere if he couldn't talk. So he'd just have to.

"Well..." Dio started, looking back at Mr. L. "What do you want me to say?"

Mr. L furrowed his eyebrows in more confusion as if he was trying to solve the puzzle of who this was. The voice was no doubt Dimentio's voice. But what would Dimentio be doing with Luigi? And why would they both be 'looking for Dimentio' if he already was Dimentio? Was this some sort of trick?

"Just... tell me your name," Mr. L suggested.

"Oh. Well, I'm DEFINITELY NOT DIMENTIO IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE IMPLYING!" Dio stated in a loud tone, briefly turning his head and winking at Luigi while giving a thumbs up.

Luigi groaned and lowered his face into his hands while Mr. L burst out laughing.

"So you ARE Dimentio?" Mr. L asked, trying to cover his laugh.

What's up with him, Mr. L wondered. Is he high or something? Why's he acting all weird?

"Not... exactly," Luigi breathed, finally stepping in. "This is... Dio. He's kinda basically Dimentio from another Universe. We're trying to get him home."

"Ha! You're really buying this?!" Mr. L snapped, standing up and approaching the cell doors so he could look Luigi right in the eyes. "I thought you were smarter than that. Can't you see he's clearly playing you again?"

"Again?" Dio asked, frowning and looking at Luigi. "What's he talking about?

"Nevermind that. Why is that cell empty?!" Luigi asked, trying to push through the conversation in an attempt to not allow it longer than it needed to be. He chose to ignore both Mr. L's remark and Dio's question, as he didn't wish to explain either situation.

"Well, what can I say. Dimentio was there a week ago, and now he's gone. I guess the prison food was too gross for him," Mr. L retorted, glaring at Dio. "But I suppose you would know that. I've gotta say, the disguise is pretty good. I almost didn't recognize you-"

"Wait, YOU MEAN HE BROKE OUT?!" Luigi interrupted, suddenly feeling his chest tighten at the very thought of Dimentio being loose out there.

"Yeah. Obviously." Mr. L spat. "And now here he is again, probably lying and pretending to be someone else so he can stab you in the back like when he-"

"You have nice eyes." Dio interrupted, leaning forward and squinting at Mr. L through the cell as if he was just now actually taking in the other man in green's features.

"Wh- excuse me?" Mr. L asked, appalled by the randomness of that statement.

"Your eyes. They're different from Luigi's..." Dio trailed off, grabbing the cell bars and leaning even closer. "Not BAD different, per se. But... different. They remind me of a cloudy sky on a mid-winter day. You know, those days where the snow falls and cancels school. Looking at them gives me that similar child-like feeling of joy."

Mr. L frowned further, then slowly stepped back, honestly unsure of how to feel about that statement. "Um... thank you I guess-"

"Do you want to get out of here?" Dio asked next, softly smiling. "I bet we can help! Right, Luigi?"

Dio then turned to Luigi, whose eyes immediately widened. He quickly shook his head no, but Dio didn't seem to get the point, because he immediately turned back to Mr. L and said, "See! He's onboard!"

".... What are you plotting?" Mr. L questioned, still suspicious.

"Oh. It's simple, really," Dio started, taking his backpack off his shoulders and fumbling through it until he found a simple lock pick he had stolen long ago. "I am going to find other me so he can help me get home!"

Dio then unlocked the cell door and swung it open, beaming and holding his hand out to Mr. L. "Wanna help us?"